Present
In the chair: The Mayor Councillor M C Freeman (In the Chair)
Councillors:
T Berry; E Burnip; B S Dawes; J Griffiths; P Harrison; K Henderson; B Jones; D Little; R Lloyd; N Martin; D Morris; C Rogers; I Schmeising-Barnes; T I Schmeising-Barnes; A Sutton; J Thomas; H Williams.
Minutes
1. Election of the Town Mayor for the Year 2023-24
- Councillor D Little nominated Councillor M C Freeman to be appointed as the Town Mayor for 2023-24. Councillor C Rogers seconded the proposal and Councillor Freeman was duly confirmed as Town Mayor. The Declaration of Acceptance of Office was duly signed.
- Councillor Freeman thanked Council for their support and confirmed Samantha Lees as Mayoress for the Mayoral Year 2023-24. He stated his charities would be announced in due course.
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
There were no apologies for absence.
3. MINUTES
It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 4th April 2023 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.
4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Councillor Schmeising-Barnes declared an Other Disclosable Interest (ODI) in Agenda Item No. 16 – Defibrillator to be installed externally at the Civic Hall as he was a Trustee.
5. VOTE OF THANKS TO THE RETIRING MAYOR
Councillor Little proposed a vote of thanks to Councillor Berry and Netty Betty as retiring mayor and mayoress.
Councillor Lloyd proposed a vote of thanks from the Independent Group for Councillor Berry. He had engaged with them all and we would be sadly missed as Mayor.
6. Statement by the Retiring Mayor
Councillor Berry informed Council he had thoroughly enjoyed his year as Mayor and thanked everyone for their support including the Town Clerk and PA/Administrator. The Treasurer should also be recognised for the advice given and would like to be put on record.
7. Appointment of Deputy Mayor for 2023-24
Councillor Rogers proposed Councillor Dawes for Deputy Mayor, this was seconded by Councillor Henderson. Upon a vote, Councillor Dawes was duly confirmed as Deputy Mayor for the Mayoral Year 2023-24.
8. MAYORS COMMUNICATIONS
The Mayor engagements were circulated and noted.
9. PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES OF 3RD MAY 2023
The Chairman of the Planning Committee informed Council of the planning application recommendations to be made to the district council. The minutes of the meeting held on 3rd May 2023 were approved.
10. POLITICAL BALANCE AND COMMITTEES
The political balance was noted.
b) Appointment of members to serve on the following outside committees
11. Agree the Appointment of Members to serve on outside Organisations
12. Dates for the 2023-24 Town Council Meetings
It was resolved that the dates for the 2023-24 Town Council meetings would be as follows:
- Tuesday 6th June 2023
- Tuesday 11th July 2023
- Tuesday 5th September 2023
- Tuesday 3rd October 2023
- Tuesday 7th November 2023
- Tuesday 5th December 2023
- Tuesday 9th January 2024
- Tuesday 6th February 2024
- Tuesday 5th March 2024
- Tuesday 2nd April 2024
- Tuesday 7th May 2024
13. Annual Review of Standing Orders
It was RESOLVED to adopt following.
- Annual Review of Standing Orders.
- Lone Working Policy.
- Community Engagement Policy.
- Publication Scheme.
- Training and Development Policy.
- Equality and Diversity Policy
Following a request, it was agreed to receive quarterly reports on the above policies.
A discussion ensured on the start time of Council meetings, it was resolved that the meetings would commence at 6.30pm.
14. UPDATE FROM COUNCILLOR MRS B DAWES ON SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Councillor Dawes informed Council that there was no update from PC Maher. However, Operation Spectre was taking place from 15th to 21st May 2023 to raise awareness of knife crime.
Councillor Martin asked Councillor Dawes if she could obtain information as to potential problems with motorbikes at Britannia Gardens. This would be followed up. The Town Clerk was also asked to invite PC Maher to the next meeting of Council on 6th June 2023.
15. UPDATE FROM COUNCILLORS P HARRISON AND C ROGERS (STOURPORT COUNTY COUNCIL OUNCILLORS
There was no update this meeting.
16. BUSINESS PLAN
A discussion was held on the business plan and it was resolved to change the one year plan to a three year plan.
Councillor T Schmeising-Barnes left the meeting at this point, (7.10pm).
17. DEFIBRILLATOR AT CIVIC HALL, STOURPORT-ON-SEVERN
The Town Clerk advised Council that a request had been received from the Civic Hall to install a defibrillator externally on the building at their cost. The Town Clerk was asked to contact the Civic Hall to ascertain if they had a preferred location and asked to report back to Council.
Councillor T Schmeising-Barnes came back to the meeting at this point, (7.12pm).
18. RIVERSIDE PADDLING POOL
The Town Clerk advised Council that preparations were underway for the Riverside paddling pool to be opened on Friday 25th May 2023. It would close on Sunday 3rd September 2023. The budget for the season was £35,500.
19. ACCOUNTS
The Town Clerk reported that Accounts for April totalling £17,147.89 had been paid since the last meeting and it was RESOLVED that the report be noted and approved. A Schedule of the Accounts paid was appended at the end of these Minutes, in the Council’s Minute Book, and was available for general inspection.
20. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Councillor Martin asked if the MP Mark Garnier could be contacted to see if he could help with regard to the planning appeal that Gladmans had won on the snipes. It was perceived that this planning application would have a huge impact on local schools, doctors etc for Stourport even though the majority of the site was in district of Malvern Hills. Councillor Rogers responded that he would speak to the MP.
In response to a question, the following was confirmed:
- There was an available increase of 20% in health care and Worcestershire County Council felt that there were sufficient places in Wyre Forest schools.
Town Mayor
The meeting closed at 7.21pm.