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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX

Contact: Democratic Services  Email: Democratic.Services@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1/21

Disclosure of Interests

Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that, in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, they are required to consider in advance of each meeting whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI), another registrable interest (ORI) or a non-registrable interest (NRI) in relation to any matter on the agenda.  If advice is needed, Members should contact the Monitoring Officer in good time before the meeting.  

If any Member or co-opted Member of the Council identifies a DPI or ORI which they have not already registered on the Council’s register of interests or which requires updating, they should complete the disclosure form which can be obtained from Democratic Services at any time, copies of which will be available at the meeting for return to the Monitoring Officer.

 Members and co-opted Members are required to disclose any DPIs and ORIs at the meeting.  

·             Where the matter relates to a DPI they may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  

·             Where the matter relates to an ORI they may not vote on the matter unless granted a dispensation.   

·             Where a Member or co-opted Member has an NRI which directly relates to their financial interest or wellbeing, or that of a relative or close associate, they must disclose the interest at the meeting, may not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  Where a matter affects the NRI of a Member or co-opted Member, section 9 of Appendix B of the Code of Conduct sets out the test which must be applied by the Member to decide whether disclosure is required.

The Chair will invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3, to be recorded in the minutes.

 

Minutes:

There were none, however, Members were reminded of the need to complete a new Declaration of Interest form within 28 days of the 5 May 2022 elections.

 

It was noted, to date, that just over half of the Members of the Council had completed a new form and the Civic Mayor requested that all Councillors who were still to submit their form, did so, as soon as possible.

 

 

2/21

Urgent Business (if any)

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

 

3/21

Election of Civic Mayor (Chair of Council) 2022/2023

Council is asked to elect a Civic Mayor for the 2022/2023 Municipal Year.

Minutes:

On the proposition by Executive Mayor Jason Perry, seconded by Councillor Stuart King, it was unanimously RESOLVED that Councillor Alisa Flemming be elected as Civic Mayor of the London Borough of Croydon for the Municipal Year 2022-2023.

 

Madam Civic Mayor Flemming then read aloud, and signed, the declaration of acceptance of office.

 

Madam Civic Mayor Flemming offered a vote of thanks to Honorary Alderman John Wentworth, whom she had nominated to be her main Civic Mayor’s Consort for the Municipal Year 2022-2023, and that he would be supported by two of her consorts who were in attendance (her uncle, Norman Flemming and her brother, Owen Flemming).

 

Madam Civic Mayor Flemming then said that it had given her great pleasure to present a badge and citation to the previous Civic Mayor, Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury and to his Mayoress, Rahima Chowdhury, the past consort’s badge.

 

Madam Civic Mayor Flemming said she was also delighted to award the sealed citations to former Civic Mayor, Councillors Humayan Kabir and former Madam Civic Mayor, Councillor Maddie Henson.  She went on to thank both for their service during what had been a very difficult time in terms of Covid-19 and the way in which they had been able to carry out their duties.

 

Madam Civic Mayor then offered a vote of thanks again, to her consort, John Wentworth, in advance of what she thought would be an eventful and blessed year and she was looking forward to spending more time with him as they visited residents across the Borough.

 

Madam Civic Mayor then offered a vote of thanks to the Deputy Civic Mayor elect, Councillor Sue Bennett, and recognised her contributions to the Council’s scrutiny function and, in particular to those services which targeted children and young people.

 

Madam Civic Mayor then said thank you to the following:

 

·         Former Councillor Pat Ryan who had worked tirelessly with her after the election in 2006 to ensure that she was elected, and she said she was for ever grateful to him for his years of support and advice. 

 

·         Former ward colleague, Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury, for the support he had given to many in the Borough during his year in office.

 

·         Colleagues from both sides of the Council Chamber for their years of support and their collective commitment to public service.

 

·         Her children

 

·         Her children and siblings who were present at the meeting.

 

·         Her current mentor, Lord Woolley,  and Baroness Willcox of Newport.

 

Madam Civic Mayor Flemming announced the following organisations as her nominated Civic Mayor Charities for the Municipal Year 2022-2023:

 

1.    The African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT); and

2.    The Sickle Cell Trust.

 

In respect of a further two charities to be supported, Madam Civic Mayor Flemming said that one would be to support children and young people and that a message would be sent out to the Borough’s children and young people to ask them to come forward to decide who they would like the Civic Mayor to choose to support, which she said, fitted well  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3/21

4/21

Election of Deputy-Civic Mayor (Vice-Chair of Council) 2022/23

Council is asked to elect a Deputy-Civic Mayor for the 2022/2023 Municipal Year.

Minutes:

On the proposition by Councillor Stuart King, seconded by Executive Mayor Jason Perry, it was unanimously RESOLVED that Councillor Sue Bennett be elected Deputy Civic Mayor of the London Borough of Croydon for the Municipal Year 2022-2023.

 

Deputy Civic Mayor Bennett then read aloud, and signed, the declaration of acceptance of office.

5/21

Returning Officer Announcements

Minutes:

Katherine Kerswell, the Council’s Head of Paid Service and Returning Officer at the Borough’s Elected Executive Mayor and Council Elections held on 5 May 2022, announced that elections had been held in twenty-eight wards for all seventy councillors in Croydon and for Croydon’s elected Executive Mayor.

 

She said that, as Members would be aware, the elections had returned 34 Labour Councillors, 32 Conservative Councillors, two Green Councillors and one Liberal Democrat Councillor.

 

There was, she said, one Councillor vacancy in South Croydon Ward, for which a by-election would be held on 30 June 2022.

 

In conclusion, she said that, in the historic first vote for a directly elected Mayor for Croydon, Jason Perry was returned as the winning candidate, and he would serve a four-year term until May 2026.

 

6/21

Statement from the Executive Mayor - Outlining Priorities for the Year Ahead

The Executive Mayor will outline his priorities for the year ahead.

 

The Leader of the Opposition Group will be invited to respond.

Minutes:

The Borough’s first elected Executive Mayor, Jason Perry, congratulated the elected Civic Mayor on her election and said that he was looking forward to working with her over the coming year.

 

He said he wanted to start by thanking the Returning Officer and all the Council staff who had worked tirelessly to deliver the elections three weeks ago.  He said that, while the count had clearly taken longer than anyone had anticipated, the election was a historic moment for Croydon, and although close, all sides had agreed that the integrity and accuracy of the result was without doubt.


Executive Mayor Perry said that, to be sure lessons that were learned from the Borough’s first Mayoral election, he had asked the Chief Executive to commission an independent review of the election arrangements and count and was very pleased to have heard that this was already underway and he would ensure this was reported back to Full Council when it was complete.

 

Executive Mayor Perry said that next month’s by-election would be the first test and while the vacancy was a normal part of the Borough’s democratic process, he had asked for his mayoral salary to be reduced this year to cover the costs of running the by-election.

 

Executive Mayor Perry then went on to say that, like the referendum last year, the result of May’s election had sent a clear message that residents wanted change, with the election of the Borough’s first Green Party Councillors, the return of a Liberal Democrat Councillor after a period of absence and his election as Croydon’s first Executive Mayor, a Conservative Executive Mayor. Change was, he said, what the Borough’s residents wanted, and change was what its residents would see in the coming years.

 

He said that the Executive Mayoralty was a new start for Croydon, a much-needed chance to hit the reset button and to move on from the years of negative headlines and scandals that had blighted the borough.  This evening, he said, he wanted to set out the initial priorities for his administration to begin that change.

 

Executive Mayor Perry also spoke about the change he hoped Members could collectively make to the often fraught and divisive political culture seen over recent years.  He said that when he first became a councillor, and for many years following, the Council had a consensus.  He acknowledged there had been political theatre in the Chamber, but outside of the Chamber was where the constructive and collaborative work between parties to improve Croydon’s communities took place.  He said that that was not a culture more recently elected Councillors would have experienced but it was important for Croydon that it returned to a place of mutual respect for one another as it was what the residents wanted to see and had often been called for on the campaign trail.

 

He added that residents wanted to see the parties cooperating for the benefit of Croydon and had already met with each of the parties – Labour, Green and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6/21

7/21

Political Balance of Council and Composition of Committees pdf icon PDF 134 KB

Council is asked to review the representation of political groups on the Council.

Minutes:

The recommendations in the report were proposed by the Executive Mayor Jason Perry and seconded by Councillor Stuart King. These were put to the vote and passed unanimously.

 

Accordingly, it was RESOLVED that Council AGREE the following recommendations in the report:

 

1.            Note that there were 34 Labour Group Members; 33 Conservative Group Members (including the Executive Mayor); 2 Green Group Members and 1 Liberal Democrat Member. 

 

2.            Note that there was one vacancy on the Council and a by-election would be held next month.

 

3.           Agree the size of committees and the allocation of seats on committees in accordance with the principles set out in this report.

 

4.           Subject to 3, authorise the Monitoring Officer to amend the Constitution to reflect the increase in the size of the Appeals and Civic Mayoralty and Honorary Freedom Selection Committees.

 

8/21

Appointments pdf icon PDF 153 KB

Council is asked to note and agree the appointments, as detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 to the attached report.  Appendices 1 and 2 are to follow and will be published in advance of the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The recommendations in the report were proposed by the Executive Mayor Jason Perry subject (1) to Councillor Ellily Ponnuthurai being nominated to the two vacant seats on the Fostering Panel and the Croydon Almshouses – Relief in Need Charities; and (2) Councillor Margaret Bird being the employer representative on the Pensions Board.  This was seconded by Councillor Stuart King. These were put to the vote and passed unanimously.

 

Accordingly, it was RESOLVED that:

 

1.         Where the political balance rules applied, appointments to those Committees giving effect to the wishes of the relevant political groups, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

 

2.         The reviewed membership of the Health and Well-being Board, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

 

3.         Appointments to other Committees, Panels, Working Groups and Outside Bodies, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved;

 

4.         The suspension of paragraph 2.3 of the Non-Executive Procedure Rules (Part 4F of the Constitution) for the 2022/2023 Municipal Year, be approved;

 

5.         That the Chairs and Vice-Chairs and substitutes to those non-Executive Committees, detailed in Appendix 1, be approved (this is without prejudice to the provisions set out in paragraph 2.4 of Part 4F of the Constitution which would continue to apply enabling in year vacancies to either the Chair or Vice Chair to be filled by election at the first meeting of the relevant committee or sub-committee following notification to the Monitoring Officer);

 

6.         The following executive appointments made under the directly elected Mayor and Cabinet decision-making framework, be noted:

 

i)       The appointments of Cabinet Members, Cabinet Committees and Deputy Cabinet Members (Appendix 1);

 

ii)      The appointments to Joint Committees as appropriate (Appendix 1);

 

iii)     The appointments to London Councils’ Committees (as appropriate) and Panels and Local Government Association bodies (Appendix 2);

 

7.         The following appointments be noted:

 

i)       The appointments by the Elected Mayor to those outside bodies, which relate to the exercise of an executive function (marked (*)), as detailed in Appendix 2;

 

ii)      The appointments of Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Cabinet (Appendix 1); and

 

iii)     The appointments of political party group officers (Appendix 1); and

 

8.         The Monitoring Officer be authorised to update the Constitution in respect of decisions arising from this report.

 

9/21

Executive Mayor's Scheme of Delegations pdf icon PDF 140 KB

The Executive Mayor will set out the scheme of delegations, details of which will be published in advance of the meeting (to follow).

Minutes:

The Executive Mayor’s Scheme of Delegations was proposed by the Executive Mayor Jason Perry and seconded by Deputy Executive Mayor, Councillor Lynne Hale.  These were put to the vote and passed.

 

Accordingly, it was RESOLVED that Council NOTE the Executive Mayor’s Scheme of Delegations.

 

 

10/21

Members' Scheme of Allowances pdf icon PDF 125 KB

Council is invited to agree amendments to the Members’ Scheme of Allowances.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Stuart King -  subject to an additional recommendation to reduce the number of the Shadow Cabinet Member roles from seven to six and add the allowance for this deleted role to that of the existing amount for Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and in doing so change the allowance for Deputy Leader of the Opposition so that it was payable to up to two councillors at a rate of £6,567.60 per annum each - and duly seconded. These were put to the vote and passed unanimously.

 

Accordingly, it was RESOLVED that Council AGREE the recommendations in the report:

 

1.            To approve the proposed amendments detailed in paragraph 2 of the report with effect from 9 May 2022 (if applicable);

 

2.         Subject to recommendation 1, to authorise the Monitoring Officer to comply with the necessary statutory publicity requirements in respect of the approval of the revised Members’ Allowance Scheme; and

 

3.      That the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make all necessary updates to the Constitution.

 

11/21

Annual Report of the General Purposes and Audit Committee (GPAC) pdf icon PDF 250 KB

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2.3 (Annual Council), Council to receive the annual report of the former General Purposes and Audit Committee (GPAC) 2021/2022.

 

 

Minutes:

Dr Olu Olasode, Independent Chair to the former General Purposes and Audit Committee, presented the Annual Report of the Committee for 2021/2022.

 

The report highlighted the work of the Committee over the last year as provided within the Committee’s ‘Terms of Reference and Scope of Work’.  It also included a brief forward look into the year ahead on the Committee’s work and developments.

 

The report also acknowledged the officers, external auditors, cabinet members, other committee chairs, professional advisers and members of the General Purposes and Audit Committee for their input and support to the work of the Committee. 

 

Dr Olasode then responded to questions by members.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.