Meeting documents

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Graham Carr-Jones, Deborah Croney, Lesley Dedman, Margaret Phipps and David Walsh.

Councillors are required to comply with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 regarding disclosable pecuniary interests.

§     Check if there is an item of business on this agenda in which the member or other relevant person has a disclosable pecuniary interest.

§     Check that the interest has been notified to the Monitoring Officer (in writing) and entered in the Register (if not this must be done on the form available from the clerk within 28 days).

§     Disclose the interest at the meeting (in accordance with the County Council’s Code of Conduct) and in the absence of a dispensation to speak and/or vote, withdraw from any consideration of the item.

The Register of Interests is available on Dorsetforyou.com and the list of disclosable pecuniary interests is set out on the reverse of the form.

There were no declarations by members of disclosable pecuniary interests under the Code of Conduct.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2018.

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 November 2018 were confirmed and signed.

(a)          Public Speaking

(b)          Petitions

Public Speaking

There were no public questions received at the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 21(1).

There were no public questions received at the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 21(2).

Petitions

There were no petitions received at the meeting in accordance with the County Council’s Petition Scheme.

The Chairman reported the following events attended by herself and the Vice-Chairman since the last meeting:- 

(i)     Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra reception on 23 January 2019

(ii)    Youth Parliament Elections on 7 February 2019. 

(iii)   Hall and Woodhouse Community Chest Launch on 1 March 2019

(iv)   East Dorset District Council Civic Event - Beginning March 2019

(v)    LGC Awards on 13 March 2019 in London – Dorset Awarded Winners in the Environment Category for highway verge management

(vi)   Citizenship ceremonies

(vii)  A number of other civic events

The Leader of the Council reported on arriving at the last meeting of Dorset County Council and drew attention to activity of members and officers over recent months to prepare for the future.  She reflected on the achievements of staff, which were presented at the meeting, but also noted that there were many other awards that were achieved that were not possible to report at the Council meeting.  In particular, reference was made to the huge effort of the Communications team who had done a fantastic job of promoting services via Twitter and other media forms.  Thanks were expressed to members and staff for ensuring that the Shaping Dorset Council programme was successful.

Cabinet Members, Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen were thanked for their hard work in addition to all members who represented the Council on outside bodies.  The Leader wished all members well for the future and good luck in the forthcoming election for those who were standing for re-election.

Cllr Nick Ireland, as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, reflected on the proud history of the Council and thanked members and staff for their hard work.

Cllr Kate Wheller, acknowledged former Labour members and expressed thanks to officers who had been extraordinarily helpful and supportive.

Cllr Sutton, as the Leader of the Green Group, indicated that it was a privilege to serve residents of Dorset and that it had been a privilege working with other members and staff, but recognised that that members who were elected to the new Council would be faced with hard work and difficult decisions to make.

Cllr Colin Jamieson, on behalf of Christchurch members who would not be part of the new Dorset Council as they would now be part of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, thanked all staff and members for their hard work and support.

The Chairman of the Council, Leader of the Council, Cabinet Members, or chairmen of appropriate committees to answer questions on any business not covered on this agenda.  The closing date for the receipt of questions is 10.00am on 25 March 2019.  This item is limited to 45 minutes.

The County Councillor for Wareham asked the Cabinet Member for Natural and Built Environment a question in relation to Wareham Railway Station under Standing Order 20.  A supplementary question was asked to seek clarification that all would be done to prevent a near miss happening again, and the Cabinet Member confirmed that this was correct. The question and answer are attached to these minutes as Annexure 1.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 December 2018 be adopted.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 16 January 2019 be adopted.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 6 March 2018 be adopted.

(to follow)

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 27 March 2019 be adopted.

The Council considered the following minutes of the People and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

A comment was made which recognised the importance and significance of the shift in the way the Council’s scrutiny committees had transformed in recent years which had resulted in a number of inquiries and investigations into topics which have made a real difference to residents of Dorset.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 January 2019 be adopted.

Cllr William Trite requested that this attendance at the meeting be recorded in the minutes.  Officers confirmed that this would take place.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2019 be adopted.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2019 be adopted.

Growth through Digital Infrastructure – Progress

In relation to minute 35, the success of the Superfast Dorset programme was recognised, but a question was asked about those areas that still struggled with connectivity and the pressure that was being put on Government for further funding alongside a push to rollout 5G coverage.  It was confirmed that there was currently 97% coverage across Dorset but there remained areas with minimal or no coverage and that efforts continued to achieve 100%.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 March 2019 be adopted.

The Council considered the following minutes of the Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee:

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2019 be adopted.

Clinical Services Review (CSR) - Update regarding the Referral to the Secretary of State and the Joint Committee scrutiny of the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST)

In relation to minute 5, a question was asked as to when there would be news about the referral.  It was confirmed that the referral was being considered by the Independent Review Panel and the outcome would be shared as soon as it was made available.

Members discussed the impact of the Clinical Services Review, specifically in relation to services provided at Poole Hospital, ambulance arrival and journey times and the number of community hospital beds.

Liaison Member Updates - Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust

In relation to minute 12, attention was drawn to the level of risk facing Portland Hospital, and that it was referred to at a meeting of the Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust Board regarding relocation of services and was also quoted in the Capital Programme which indicated the value of the asset.  Cllr Jill Haynes responded to indicate that the Council was aware that the future of the Hospital was being debated by the Clinical Commissioning Group and the Trust and that efforts were being made to help to alleviate pressures. Views were also expressed to look to assets the Council had to help provide solutions in the future.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2019 be adopted.

To consider a recommendation from the Staffing Committee meeting held on 23 January 2018.

The Council considered a recommendation from the Staffing Committee meeting held on 28 January 2019.

Resolved

That the Gender Pay Gap report be noted.

To consider a recommendation from the Staffing Committee meeting held on 23 January 2018.

The Council considered a recommendation from the Staffing Committee meeting held on 28 January 2019.

Resolved

That the Pay Policy Statement be approved.

Reason for Decision

The Staffing Committee oversee matters relating to staff terms and conditions.

To consider a recommendation from the Staffing Committee meeting held on 23 January 2018.

The Council considered a recommendation from the Staffing Committee meeting held on 28 January 2019 regarding urgency powers exercised by the Chief Executive in respect of the Monitoring Officer role.  The Chief Executive also confirmed that the powers had also been used since this item had been determined by the Staffing Committee to appoint to the Interim Director for Public Health and for the Interim Section 151 Officer.

Resolved

That the exercise of urgency powers by the Chief Executive to appoint a Statutory Monitoring Officer for the County Council be noted.

Reason for Decision

To facilitate the establishment of Dorset Council by the early release of the current post holder into the new role.  To provide cover for the Council’s statutory role of Monitoring Officer and the vacant role of Service Director, Organisational Development from 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019.

To receive a report by the Chief Executive.

The Council received a summary of the history and achievements of the Dorset County Council over its 130 years of existence, and members were invited to reflect on their memories.

Members took the opportunity to pay tribute to current and former councillors and staff for their tremendous contribution to the work of the County Council.  The senior members of the Council (Cabinet Members, Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen) were also thanked for their contributions.  The activity of members on all committees was acknowledged.

Following consideration of the report all councillors were presented with certificates of service to the council. 

A number of heartfelt tributes were paid to the Chairman of the Council from all of the political groups across the Chamber for her dedication and enthusiasm.  She was presented with the Dorset County Council flag following a flag-lowering ceremony after the meeting.

Tributes were also paid to the Chief Executive for his service, dedication and commitment throughout his time with the Council.  He was also presented with a certificate.  

Resolved

That the significant contribution of Dorset County Council to the residents of Dorset be recorded.