Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 15 May 2025.

Cllr L O’Leary requested that an addition be made to the minutes of the meeting on 15 May 2025 stating that he had left the Council Chamber prior to the presentation of the deputation and then had later returned to the chamber for reasons unconnected to the deputation.

With the addition of the wording above the minutes of the meeting held on 15 May 2025 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interests as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct.  In making their decision councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration.

If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

No declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests were made at the meeting.

To receive any announcements from the Chair of Council.

Tributes to the Late Councillor Bill Trite

The Council observed a minute’s silence in memory of Bill Trite. Members paid tribute to his 34 years of service, including his time as Mayor of Swanage and his dedication to the Swanage Railway. He was remembered for his passion for the English language, his procedural knowledge, and his commitment to public service and proper protocol. Councillors described him as a principled advocate for Swanage, a man of humour and character, and someone who valued the role of parish and town councils.

Tributes to Former Councillors

Councillor Parry gave tribute to Sally Elliott, formerly of East Dorset Council; Alan Beard, formerly of West Dorset Council, and Ron Nash, who was a Dorset County Council councillor, reflecting on their contributions to the Council and the personal qualities they brought to public life.

Aidan Dunn – Executive Director Corporate Development & Section 151 Officer

The Chair announced that the meeting was to be the last Full Council meeting that Aidan Dunn would be attending prior to taking up his new position as Chief Executive of BCP Council.  On behalf of the Council the Chair wished Aidan good luck in his new role. 

A period of 30 minutes is allocated to receive and respond to questions and statements on the business of the Council in the following order:

(a) Questions and statements from Town and Parish Councils;

(b) Questions and statements from those living or working in the Dorset Council area;

A person or organisation can submit either 1 question or 1 statement at each meeting. 

You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via MS Teams to read out your question and to receive the response.  If you submit a statement for Full Council this will be circulated to all members of the council in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes of the meeting for the formal record, but it will not be read out at the meeting.  The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received by Democratic Services will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline below:  

The full text of the question or statement must be received by 8.30am on Monday 7 July 2025. All submissions must be emailed to [email protected] 

When submitting your question or statement please note that:

·       You can submit 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting;

·       A question may include a pre-amble to set the context, each question, including the pre-amble can consist of up to 450 words and you will be given up to 3 minutes to read out your question;

·       Sub-divided questions will not be accepted;

·       When submitting a question please indicate who the question is for, i.e. the name of the Cabinet member;

·       You will need to include your full name, address and contact details;

·       All questions and statements will be published with the minutes of the meeting as a matter of public record.

Before submitting your question or statement please read the Council’s Procedure Rules paragraphs 9.1 – 9.12 to ensure that your question/statement is compliant.

Part 2 Rules of Procedure - Council and Committee Procedure Rules.pdf

Question 1 - submitted by Mr Adrian Gunner of SWAC

It is common knowledge that Education budgets are significantly stretched, in no small part due to the costs associated with High Needs education. I believe it is appropriate for Members of Dorset Council to be aware of these costs in an effort to achieve reasonable value for money to the Council.

When Combe House School was initially purchased it was on the justification to be more in control of placement costs. I have been made aware that since then the placement costs at Combe House School have increased significantly. To help us understand a little of the pressures on the High Needs Budget I would be pleased to hear the answers to this question.

What will be the annual Element 3 cost per student at Combe House School for the 25/26 academic year?

How does that compare to the range of charges made by other independent organisations, what are the student transport costs associated with Combe House School and are there other provisions that could be used to reduce both Transport and Placement costs whilst similar provision and Preparation for Adulthood outcomes.

Response from Cabinet Member for Children Services, Education and Skills

School placement decisions are made based on an assessment of the needs of the child or young person as set out in their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and a range of provisions are used to meet needs.

We are striving to meet children’s needs as locally to where they live as possible and this aligns with our strategy of supporting inclusion in mainstream schools and colleges and the ongoing investment in additional specialist resourced provisions and special school places. This will improve outcomes for Dorset children and reduce average transport and placement costs.

Comparisons of fees and transport costs with comparable independent special school placements have been undertaken and Coombe House represents value for money.

Element 3 funding does not apply to independent special schools such as Coombe House School; there is a single placement fee.

For 2025/26 the fee for a place at Coombe House School is £52k, and the average for a comparable independent special school placement fee is £74k.

In 2024/25 the average transport cost for a pupil to Coombe House School was £14.6k, and the average for a comparable independent special school placement was £16.5k.

A period of 15 minutes is allocated to receive and respond to petitions in accordance with the council’s petitions scheme.

A period of 15 minutes is allocated to receive and respond to deputations in accordance with the council’s constitution.

The petitions scheme and procedures relating to deputations can be viewed at:

Council Procedure Rules

No public petitions or deputations were made.

To receive any announcements and reports from the Leader of Council and members of the Cabinet.

The Leader of the Council reported attending the Local Government Association and South West Councils AGMs. Dorset was set to chair the Britain’s Leading Edge group of rural authorities over the coming year.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill had been published, outlining provisions for mayoral elections and greater local empowerment. Devolution discussions are progressing with Somerset, Wiltshire, and BCP, though Swindon’s inclusion remained uncertain. A recent meeting between the chief executives of the four authorities and Director General Will Garton was positive. Additionally, Integrated Care Boards were merging, forming a cluster covering Somerset, Dorset, Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, and Swindon.

To consider a report by the Service Manager, Democratic Services & Electoral Services.

Councillor N Ireland introduced a paper on the review of council wards, outlining the background and the need to revisit current arrangements. It was confirmed that the Local Government Boundary Commission would be approached to undertake a review, with any changes expected to take effect from the scheduled elections in 2029. All members would be involved in the process, and the final decision would be made by Full Council.

During discussion, members noted the chamber’s capacity sets an upper limit of 91 councillors, and concerns were raised about accessibility influencing this figure. Questions were asked about the potential lower limit, and there was general support for a flexible approach, with openness to both increasing and reducing the number of elected members.

It was proposed by Cllr N Ireland seconded by Cllr R Biggs

Resolved (Unanimous)

That a formal request be made to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for an electoral review of Dorset Council, with changes taking effect at the next scheduled elections in 2029.

That a cross-party task group be established that will make recommendations to Full Council on a submission to the LGBCE with the following membership:  3 Liberal Democrat councillors (Leader, and two others)

2 Conservative councillors (Group Leader and one other)

The group leaders or deputy group leaders of the Green, Independent and Labour political groups.

To consider a report by the Corporate Director, Finance & Commercial.

Councillor N Ireland advised that the report on the update to the scheme of delegation would be deferred to a future meeting of Full Council in light of wider changes that were required to the constitution.

To consider a Notice of Motion proposed by Cllr G Suttle, seconded by Cllr L O’Leary.

The motion was proposed by Cllr G Suttle and seconded by Cllr  L O’Leary

Motion

We call on this council to scrap its proposed blanket tip appointment system and instead look at the situation centre by centre in consultation with ward members and the general public.

Debate

Councillor G Suttle introduced a notice of motion to scrap the proposed blanket booking system for Household Recycling Centres (HRCs), citing concerns over restricted access and lack of public consultation.

The debate reflected a wide range of views. Several councillors supported the motion, highlighting public opposition, poor communication, and the need for meaningful consultation. Others defended the booking system to improve efficiency, reduce trade abuse, and manage costs. Concerns were raised about the impact on specific communities, misinformation, and the erosion of public trust. The discussion also touched on broader issues such as accessibility, fly tipping, and the role of councillors in decision-making.

A request was made for a recorded vote, on being put to the vote the motion was LOST.

To receive questions submitted by councillors.  The deadline for receipt of questions is 8.30am on Monday 7 July 2025.

Question 1 – submitted by Cllr C Monks

Can the council provide an update on the recent cuts to grant funding for towns and parishes involved in designing neighbourhood plans, and clarify what support will be available moving forward?

Response from Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning, Cllr S Bartlett

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has informed Locality that, as a result of the spending review, they cannot proceed with commissioning new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. Unfortunately, this means that Locality will not open applications for new grants or technical support. Locality are able to complete all technical support packages agreed by MHCLG by the end of March 2025 and have until the end of March 2026 to do so depending on the timetable for each package.

Dorset Council has a duty to assist in neighbourhood plan preparation but this extends principally to arranging and paying for the neighbourhood plan examination, arranging the referendum, and formally making (adopting) the neighbourhood plan, as well as providing some technical guidance and advice. Unfortunately, Dorset Council’s Community Planning Team will be unable to fill the void left by Locality funding over and above the support we are required to provide. Our priority will need to be the local plan, and if Town or Parish Councils wish to proceed with neighbourhood plans, they will have to think about the resources they require to fund these. For those parts of the Dorset Council area that have a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule in place there may be scope to use the neighbourhood proportion of CIL, passed to Town and Parish Councils, for neighbourhood planning related work.

Question 2 – submitted by Cllr J Vitali

In light of the Government’s decision to discontinue funding for neighbourhood planning, what steps is the council taking to ensure that our local communities can continue to shape development in their area?

Response from the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning (PLEASE NOTE THE RESPONSE BELOW IS THE SAME AS THE RESPONSE TO QUESTION 1 ABOVE)

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has informed Locality that, as a result of the spending review, they cannot proceed with commissioning new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. Unfortunately, this means that Locality will not open applications for new grants or technical support. Locality are able to complete all technical support packages agreed by MHCLG by the end of March 2025 and have until the end of March 2026 to do so depending on the timetable for each package.

Dorset Council has a duty to assist in neighbourhood plan preparation but this extends principally to arranging and paying for the neighbourhood plan examination, arranging the referendum, and formally making (adopting) the neighbourhood plan, as well as providing some technical guidance and advice. Unfortunately, Dorset Council’s Community Planning Team will be unable to fill the void left by Locality funding over and above the support we are required to provide. Our  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

To consider any items of business which the Chairman has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

There were no urgent items.

To move the exclusion of the press and the public for the following item in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph    of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered.

There is no exempt business scheduled for this meeting.

There was no exempt business.