Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from the Chairman, Councillor Ian F. Payne and Councillor Pauline Tunnicliffe, who was replaced by Councillor Simon Fawthrop. The Vice-Chairman, Councillor Stephen Wells, took the chair.  

Councillors Nicholas Bennett, Fawthrop and Owen declared interests in relation to the Pension Fund. Councillor Bennett also declared an interest as a Council appointed member of the Mytime Active Board.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to the Chairman of this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Wednesday 5^th July 2017.

No questions had been received.

The Committee noted the answer given to Councillor Nicholas Bennett’s question about member i-pads in Appendix A to the minutes. The Vice-Chairman suggested that the Head of ICT be required to attend the next meeting to give a more detailed explanation. It was noted that work had already started with BT to consider Member IT requirements for the 2018/22 Council. 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 23^rd May 2017 (excluding exempt information) be confirmed.

(To Follow)

The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations provided that in certain circumstances the accrued pension rights of scheme members could be reduced or entirely withheld. In order for this to be considered a formal procedure was required to determine in what circumstances, and to what extent, the Council would seek to reduce a scheme member’s pension rights. 

A Member suggested that the policy needed to be split to clearly separate Regulation 93 and Regulation 91. This re-formatting should be carried out and the document be circulated to Committee Members before being released to the Trades Unions for consultation – if any objections were received the matter could be considered again at the next meeting.   

RESOLVED that

(1) The Committee agrees in principle that a policy on the forfeiture of accrued local Government Pension Scheme rights is required.

(2) The contents of the report and the draft policy on the forfeiture of accrued Local Government Pensions scheme rights be noted.

(2) The draft policy be approved for release to the Trades Unions for consultation, subject to being re-drafted and circulated to Committee members.  

(4) It is noted that a further report detailing the outcome of consultation will be presented to the Committee for consideration in due course.

(To Follow)

Report ES17055

The Committee received a report summarising the outcomes of recent Licensing Sub-Committee hearings. The summary covered three recent hearings, two as the result of objections by Trading Standards following underage sales at Capital Wines, 21 Green Lane, Penge and The Wine Shop, 75 Cotmandene Crescent, Orpington, and one as a result of an objection by the Police to a Temporary Event Notice at Langtrys/The Bridge Bar, High Street, Beckenham. The decision on the hearing for The Wine Shop, 75 Cotmandene Crescent, Orpington was also circulated.  

With regard to the Bridge bar, a Member asked whether there had been any trouble reported on the weekend when the Temporary Event Notice had been granted.  Officers were not aware of anything, and neither were ward Councillors, but this would be checked.

The Vice-Chairman reminded Members about the need for on-going training and updates on regulations, and in particular for formal training in licensing issues to be included in the induction programme after the 2018 local election.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Report CSD17094

One of the Committee’s duties was to make appointments to a range of partnerships and “outside bodies” on behalf of the Council. The report divided these appointments into five broad categories –

(i)  London Councils appointments and lead Members;

(ii)  Partnerships and Local Boards;

(iii) organisations providing services in the borough;

(iv) London or regional organisations;

(v)  local charities and foundations.

Most of these appointments were made annually, following the Council year, in May. The report offered the opportunity to review the purpose of making these appointments. 

Guidance on membership of Outside Bodies was set out in Appendix 8 to the Council’s Constitution. Councillors owed a first duty to a trust when acting as a trustee, and needed to be covered by the trust’s own indemnities. It was suggested that this point should be clarified, and the guidance included in the induction materials circulated to Councillors after the 2018 local elections.  

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Report CSD17097

The Committee considered its work programme for 2017/18.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The minutes of the Local Joint Consultative Committee’s meeting on 20th June 2017 were received.   

The minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee’s meeting on 21^st June 2017 (excluding exempt information) were received. Two errors were identified - which would be corrected - regarding Garry Warner’s title, and Cllr Owen’s declaration, which related to his daughter rather than his wife.

RESOLVED that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business referred to below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

The following summaries

refer to matters

involving exempt information

RESOLVED that the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 23^rd May 2017 be confirmed.

The exempt minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee meeting held on 4^th April 2017 were received. It was noted that these minutes should have been submitted to the Committee’s previous meeting in May.  

The exempt minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee meeting held on 21^st June 2017 were received. The Vice-Chairman reminded Members that they should be careful not to reveal the restricted information contained in part 2 documents.