6 Crewe TC Mins 26-2-19

Minutes of the meeting held on 26th February 2019

18/6/01 Present

Cllrs Beard, Brookfield, B. Minshall, John Rhodes, Roberts, Jill Rhodes, Straine-Francis and Walton. In attendance: Rob MacKenzie (Deputy Town Clerk)

18/6/02 To receive and consider apologies for absence

Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs Appilat, Bailey, Houston, P Minshall, D Yates and S Yates.

18/6/03 To note declarations of Members’ interests

Cllr B Minshall declared a pecuniary interest in relation to an item on the payment schedule (Element Hosting). Cllr Straine-Francis declared a non-pecuniary in item 15 as a friend of the complainant.

18/6/04 To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 8th January 2019

Members resolved to approve and sign the minutes.

18/6/05 To consider a vote of thanks to members standing down at the forthcoming elections.

Members resolved to make a vote of thanks to all members who had chosen not to stand for Council at the forthcoming elections. Special thanks were given to Cllrs Beard and P Minshall due to their long service not only on the Town Council but also on Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council.i

18/6/06 Public Participation A period not exceeding 15 minutes for members of the public to ask questions or submit comments

The following questions and statements were raised: · A member of the public suggested that the Town Council should see whether it could take on the running of the car parks in Crewe and then reinvest the income in the town The Mayor and Councillor Brookfield responded welcoming the suggestion if it were possible.

· A member of the public referred to a forthcoming USDAW trade union campaign called Save Our Shops which is to be launched on 2nd March, and asked that the Council consider supporting the initiative in the new council year In response Councillor Brookfield asked that a formal motion be prepared for the new Council after the May elections. It was resolved to suspend standing order 1d to enable a question to be asked later in the meeting in relation to agenda item 6

18/6/07 To receive and consider a presentation from Mr Adrian Fisher of Cheshire East Council on the Crewe Station Hub Area Action Plan Development Strategy. See link to background information.

Mr Fisher was welcomed to the meeting and provided an update on progress in developing the action plan, and the current consultation. Standing order 1d having been suspended, members of the public present were invited to participate and the following comments and questions were raised: · A member of the public asked how traffic from the proposed new road bridge will be routed through the Gresty Road area, which may result in significant disruption. Secondly, infrastructure needs to be in place for HS2 phase 2a in 2027 rather than phase 2b in 2033. In response Mr Fisher confirmed that the start date for the plan would be 2020 or thereabouts, well before Phase 2a. With regard to the new road crossing there is a detailed supporting document but he agreed that there is need for careful consideration of the impact on the western side, and the purpose of the consultation is to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the proposals. · Another member of the public commented that it is a really good plan but too early. HS2 is just an idea, not reality and the government don’t know if HS2 is happening. Mr Fisher agreed that Phase 2a is not yet committed but the purpose of the plan is to be prepared, and to demonstrate the possible benefits to the government. Members of Council then raised a number of questions and comments, and it was resolved that the Deputy Town Clerk be asked to draft a response to the consultation for consideration by Planning Committee on 19th March 2019.

18/6/08 To receive a report from the Town Mayor and Deputy Mayor in relation to civic engagements attended

The Mayor provided a resume of the events attended since early January.

18/6/09 To receive updates from Committee Chairs in relation to meetings held since the previous Town Council meeting: 1) Finance and Governance (Cllr B Minshall) – Minutes of the meeting on 29th January (Draft). Items for Council consideration:

· That the sponsorship policy is adopted. · That the GDPR policies are adopted1. 2) Town Development (Cllr Houston) – Minutes of the meeting on 22nd January (Draft). No items for Council consideration. 3) Planning Committee (Cllr John Rhodes) – There has been no meeting since the previous Council. 4) Community Plan Committee (Cllr B Minshall) – There has been no meeting since the previous Council.

Members resolved to adopt the policies as recommended by Finance and Governance Committee and also noted the minutes from Town Development Committee. Members also resolved that the Standing orders relating to meetings where there is no quorum at the start of the meeting be reviewed and a report brought to a future meeting.

18/6/10 To consider urgent grant applications (Cllr B Minshall): None

There were no items for discussion.

18/6/11 To note any updates from members having attended external meetings. Members highlighted the following meetings: Several Councillors had attended a meeting organised by Cheshire East Council to consider how the New Homes Bonus should be allocated in Crewe. The meeting made recommendations for consideration and approval by the relevant Cheshire East Portfolio holder.

18/6/12 To note, consider and approve payments since the previous meeting as set out in the schedule Members approved the payment schedules.

18/6/13 To note and consider the year to date financial summary Members noted the financial update.

18/6/14 To consider an update in relation to policing in Crewe Members noted the policing update and in relation to the issues on the Tesco Car Park, it was noted that a similar problem occurred on the Grand Junction Retail Park approximately two years ago, and at that time it was incumbent upon the private landowner to address it. It was also noted that the Police and Crime Commissioner had invested in additional PCSOs.

18/6/15 Member questions to the Town Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer. There were no questions asked.

18/6/16 To consider a matter in relation to the dismissal of a complaint by Finance and Governance Committee

The complainant was invited to speak. He referred to the papers he has already submitted. Members resolved that a committee be formed to discuss this item and report back to Council, consisting of Councillors Beard, Brookfield, Roberts, and Walton who were not involved in the original findings of Finance and Governance Committee; Cllrs B Minshall, John Rhodes Jill Rhodes, Straine-Francis and the complainants left the room and the meeting of Council was adjourned at 20.35.

18/6/17 Councillors Beard, Brookfield, Roberts, and Walton met as a committee. It was resolved that members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting because of the confidential nature of the business. The complainant’s appeal was considered in detail, together with the findings of the Finance and Governance Committee on the initial complaint. It was resolved to recommend to Council that the Committee did not uphold the appeal or admit any liability on behalf of the Town Council, but recommended that a goodwill payment be offered to bring the matter to a conclusion.

18/6/18 The Council meeting resumed at 9:10 in public session. It was resolved to suspend Standing Order 1y to enable the meeting to conclude its business. It was reported that the Committee did not uphold the appeal or admit any liability on behalf of the Town Council, but recommended that a goodwill payment be offered to bring the matter to a conclusion. Members resolved to accept the recommendation of the Committee and make the offer in writing. Mr Conner was verbally informed.

18/6/19 To note the date of the next meeting – Annual Council, post elections in May.

Members noted that the date of Annual Council would be set closer to the elections.

Meeting Closed: 9.20 pm