Agenda and minutes

The Council’s Executive Director of Governance (and Monitoring Officer)

declared an interest on behalf of herself and the Chief Executive in relation to agenda item 16 (Appointment of Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer). There interests were such that they advised they would be leaving the room for the duration of the discussion and voting thereon.

RESOLVED

that Councillor Arnie Hankin be elected Chairman of the Council until the next Annual Meeting.

 

(During nominations for election of the Chairman, Councillor Chris Huskinson entered the meeting at 7.07m.)

The newly elected Chairman subscribed the Declaration of Acceptance of

Office of Chairman pursuant to the provisions of Section 83 of the Local

Government Act 1972 and thanked Members of the Council for his appointment.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny led the tributes and thanks to the retiring Chairman, Councillor Grounds, and welcomed Councillor Hankin into his new role.

 

The following Councillors also expressed their thanks and gratitude to

Councillor Grounds:

 

Cllr. John Wilmott

Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith

Cllr. Sarah Madigan

Cllr. Dave Shaw

Cllr. Lee Waters

Cllr. Phil Rostance.

 

Councillor Grounds took the opportunity to address Council and gave a summary of his last civic events whilst thanking officers and everyone in attendance at the meeting for their kindness and support throughout the previous year.

RESOLVED

that Councillor Paul Grafton be elected Vice Chairman of the Council until

the next Annual Meeting.

The newly elected Vice Chairman subscribed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Chairman pursuant to the provisions of Section 83 of the Local

Government Act 1972 and thanked Members of the Council for his appointment.

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 15 April 2024, as now submitted, be received and approved.

Chairman of the Council

The Chairman, Councillor Arnie Hankin, advised the Chamber that his chosen charities for his forthcoming year in office were Parkinson’s UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.

 

Leader of the Council

The Leader of the Council took the opportunity to present gifts/awards of gratitude and appreciation to the following:

 

1.    Trevor Middleton, Former Markets and Town Centres Manager, for his long service to the Council and his unwavering commitment and dedication to improving the lives of Ashfield residents.

 

2.    Councill Rachel Madden, Executive Lead Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits, for her 25 years of loyal service as a Councillor.

 

3.    Tony Delahunty, Radio Presenter at Mansfield 103.2, for his 25 years of exemplary radio broadcasting and serving the needs of Ashfield and Mansfield residents.

 

Members took the opportunity to celebrate each awardee in turn, offering their thanks, appreciation and anecdotes.

(Scheme of Delegation to be circulated at the meeting – cream papers)

RESOLVED

that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 1.1(viii) and (ix), Council noted that the Leader was making no changes to the composition of the Executive and the Scheme of Delegation for the forthcoming year.

Accordingly, the Council is requested to appoint the following Committees (including appointment of Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and membership seats):-

 

Principal Select Committee

Place and Innovation Select Committee

Environment and Communities Select Committee

Planning Committee

Licensing Committee

Audit Committee

Local Joint Consultative Committee

Chief Officers’ Employment Committee

Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee

Charites Committee

Local Plan Development Committee

(Schedule of committee memberships to be circulated at the meeting

– grey papers)

Council was requested to determine the appointment of Committees including Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and membership seats for the ensuing year as per the Committee Membership Schedule as circulated.

 

RESOLVED that

a)    in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 1.3 (i) and (iv), the following Committees be appointed for the ensuing year:-

 

Principal Select Committee

Environment and Communities Select Committee

Place and Innovation Select Committee

Planning Committee

Licensing Committee

Audit Committee

Charities Committee

Chief Officers’ Employment Committee

Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee

Local Plan Development Committee

Local Joint Consultative Committee

 

b)    the following Members be appointed to the Polling Places and Polling Districts Review Working Group for the coming year:

 

Cllr. Samantha Deakin

Cllr. Tom Hollis

Cllr. Rachel Madden

Cllr. Andy Meakin

Cllr. Phil Rostance

Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith

Cllr. Jason Zadrozny (Chairman);

c)    as a result of (a) above, the following appointments for Chairmen, ViceChairmen and membership seats be approved:-

 

Principal Select Committee (7)

(6 Ashfield Independents, 1 Conservative)

Kier Barsby (Chairman)

Jamie Bell

Jodine Cronshaw

Julie Gregory (Vice Chairman)

Warren Nuttall

Phil Rostance

John Smallridge

 

Environment and Communities Select Committee (7)

(7 Ashfield Independents)

Will Bostock

Paul Grafton

Sarah Lewsey (Vice Chairman)

Trevor Locke

Gordon Mann

Dave Shaw (Chairman)

Lee Waters

 

Place and Innovation Select Committee (7)

(6 Ashfield Independents, 1 Labour)

Ian Briggs

Jodine Cronshaw

Andy Gascoyne

Oliver Hay (Chairman)

Sarah Madigan

Cathy Mason

David Walters (Vice Chairman)

 

Planning Committee (9)

(9 Ashfield Independents)

Jamie Bell (Vice Chairman)

Jodine Cronshaw

Samantha Deakin

Arnie Hankin

Rachel Madden

Sarah Madigan (Chairman)

Andy Meakin

John Smallridge

Helen-Ann Smith

 

Licensing Committee (10)  

(9 Ashfield Independents, 1 Conservative)

Jamie Bell

Ian Briggs

Jodine Cronshaw

Paul Grafton

Julie Gregory

Dale Grounds

Dawn Justice

Sarah Madigan

Warren Nuttall (Chairman)

John Wilmott

 

Audit Committee (7)

(6 Ashfield Independents, 1 Conservative)

Will Bostock (Chairman)

Ian Briggs

Dawn Justice

Sarah Lewsey

Sarah Madigan

Nicholas Parvin

John Smallridge

 

Charities Committee (7)

(6 Ashfield Independents, 1 Labour)

Ian Briggs

Julie Gregory

Vicki Heslop

Sarah Lewsey

Gordon Mann (Chairman)

Cathy Mason

David Walters

 

Chief Officers’ Employment Committee (7)

(7 Ashfield Independents)

Jodine Cronshaw (Chairman)

Samantha Deakin

Tom Hollis

Christopher Huskinson

Rachel Madden

Helen-Ann Smith

Jason Zadrozny

     

Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee (7)

(6 Ashfield Independents, 1 Conservative)

Kier Barsby

Jamie Bell

Paul Grafton

Oliver Hay

Phil Rostance

Dave Shaw

Lee Waters (Chairman)

 

Local Plan Development Committee (9)

(9 Ashfield Independents)

Jamie Bell

Samantha Deakin

Dale Grounds (Vice Chairman)

Arnie Hankin

Christopher Huskinson

Gordon Mann

Matthew Relf

John Smallridge (Chairman)

Helen-Ann Smith

 

Local Joint Consultative Committee (7)

(Not subject to political balance rules)

Vicki Heslop

Tom Hollis

Christopher Huskinson

Rachel Madden

Andy Meakin

Matthew Relf

John Wilmott

 

(During consideration of the item and in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 30, it was moved by Councillor Jason Zadrozny and seconded by Councillor Helen-Ann Smith that Council Procedure Rule 23 [Conclusion of Proceedings] be suspended, for the duration of the meeting, to enable all matters on the agenda to be satisfactorily concluded. Having been put to the vote, the Council agreed with this  ...  view the full minutes text for item C.10

Council was requested to approve the updated Schedule of Council, Cabinet

and Committee Meetings for 2024/25 as appended to the agenda.

 

RESOLVED

that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 1.1(x), the Schedule of

Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings for 2024/25 as presented, be approved.

Council was presented with the final report of the Independent Remuneration

Panel following a review of Ashfield District Council’s Members’ Allowances Scheme carried out in February 2024. Members were asked to consider the findings of the Independent Remuneration Panel and determine whether to accept the recommendations within the final report.

 

RESOLVED that

a)    the Basic Allowance is maintained at £7,884, subject to any indexation that may be applicable;

 

b)    the Basic Allowance continues to cover the cost of ‘incidental’ expenses Members may incur while carrying out their duties, such as telephone calls from their home landlines, calls on personal mobile phones, using broadband from home and printer and IT consumables, etc;

 

c)    the Basic Allowance continues to be deemed to cover in-authority travel and subsistence costs that Members may incur in carrying out their Council duties;

 

d)    the Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) for the Leader be maintained at £23,301, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

e)    it be agreed that there is no change to the following SRAs:

 

Role	Number	Recommended SRA	Methodology
Chairmen of:
Principal Select Committee	1	£9,321	40% X Leader’s SRA
Inward and Outward Select Committees	2	£6,990	30% X Leader’s SRA
Planning Committee	1	£9,321	40% X Leader’s SRA
Audit Committee	1	£4,660	20% X Leader’s SRA
Vice Chairmen of:
Principal Select Committee	1	£3,495	15% X Leader’s SRA
Inward and Outward Select Committees	2	£1,981	8.5% X Leader’s SRA
Planning Committee	1	£3,495	15% X Leader’s SRA
Local Plan Development Committee	1	£1,981	9% X Leader’s SRA
Opposition SRAs:
Leader of the Main Opposition Group (where Group has 7 or more Members)	0	£9,321	40% X Leader’s SRA
Deputy Leader of the Main Opposition Group (where Group has 7 or more Members)	0	£1,398	15% X Group Leader’s SRA (at top tier)
Leaders of Other Opposition Group[s] (where Group has at least 4 Members)	0	£365 per Member	NA

 

f)     the SRA for the two Deputy Leaders is maintained at 75 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £17,476, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

g)    the SRA for the 7 Executive Lead Members is maintained at 60 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £13,981, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

h)    the SRA for the Chairman of the Licensing Committee is maintained at 20 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £4,660, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

i)     the SRA for the Chairman of the Local Plan Development Committee is maintained at 30 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £6,990, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

j)     the SRA for the Vice Chairman of the Local Plan Development Committee is maintained at 8.5 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £1,981, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

k)    the SRA for the Chairman of the Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee is maintained at 20 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £4,660, subject to any applicable indexation;

 

l)     the  ...  view the full minutes text for item C.12

Council was requested to consider and approve the proposed changes to the

Council’s Constitution, as presented, and as recommended by the Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee.

 

RESOLVED that

a)    the proposed changes to the Council’s Constitution for 2024/25, as outlined in the report, be received and approved;

 

b)    delegated authority be granted to the Executive Director for Governance and Monitoring Officer to make any necessary amendments to the Constitution, following any changing delegations as a result of the Decision Making Accountability (DMA) process.

Council was requested to nominate/appoint representatives to the Outside Bodies listed in the schedule as circulated at the meeting.

 

RESOLVED

that the following representatives be appointed to the under-mentioned bodies:-

No.	Body	Representatives	New Term Ending
1.	Ashfield Citizens’ Advice Bureau Management Committee	Cllr. Warren Nuttall (to replace Cllr. Jodine Cronshaw)	31 May 2026   (mid-term change)
2.	Ashfield Community Safety Partnership Joint Strategic Group	Cllr. John Wilmott Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith (substitute)	31 May 2025
3.	Byron Charity	Cllr. Ian Briggs Cllr. Trevor Locke Cllr. Gordon Mann Cllr. Phil Rostance Cllr. Dave Shaw Cllr. Lee Waters Cllrs. John Wilmott	31 May 2027   (3 Year Term)
4.	Discover Ashfield Board	Cllr. Matthew Relf Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith Cllr. Julie Gregory (Scrutiny Member)	31 May 2025
5.	D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Board	Cllr. Matthew Relf (to replace Cllr. Jason Zadrozny)	31 May 2027   (mid-term change)
6.	East Midlands Councils	Cllr. Matthew Relf (to replace Cllr. Jason Zadrozny)	31 May 2027   (mid-term change)
7.	Economic Prosperity Committee	Cllr. Matthew Relf Cllr. Jason Zadrozny (substitute)	31 May 2027   (mid-term change)
8.	Greater Nottingham Joint Planning Advisory Board	Cllr. Matthew Relf	31 May 2025
9.	Greenwood Community Forest Steering Group	Cllr. Matthew Relf	31 May 2025
10.	Health and Wellbeing Board (County Council)	Cllr. David Walters Cllr. Kier Barsby (substitute)	31 May 2025
11.	Hucknall & District Voluntary Partnership (Under One Roof Project)	Cllr. Ian Briggs	31 May 2025
12.	Kirkby Towns Board	Cllr. Chris Huskinson Cllr. Matthew Relf Cllr. Jason Zadrozny	31 May 2025
13.	Mansfield & District Crematorium Joint Committee	Cllr. Tom Hollis Cllr. Chris Huskinson Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith	31 May 2025
14.	Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust	Cllr. Nicholas Parvin	31 May 2025
15.	Nottinghamshire Joint Waste Management Committee	Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith	31 May 2025
16.	Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust	Cllr. Arnie Hankin	31 May 2025
17.	PATROL Adjudication Joint Committee	Cllr. Andy Meakin	31 May 2025
18.	Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire	Cllr. Arnie Hankin	31 May 2025
19.	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Cllr. David Walters	31 May 2025
20.	Teversal Grange Advisory Committee	Cllr. Jodine Cronshaw Cllr. Tom Hollis Cllr. Helen-Ann Smith	31 May 2025

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 5.1 (Urgent Items), the Chairman had agreed to allow Council to consider the report as an urgent item.

 

Council was therefore requested to appoint Theresa Hodgkinson, Chief Executive as the Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer and to authorise nominated officers to act as Deputy Electoral Registration Officers for the purposes of signing Temporary Voter Authority Certificates.

 

(The Council’s Chief Executive and Executive Director for Governance (and Monitoring Officer), had previously declared interests in respect of this item. Their interests were such that they left the room and took no part in the ensuing discussions regarding the matter.)

RESOLVED that

a)    with effect from 31 May 2024, Theresa Hodgkinson, Chief Executive, be appointed as the following for the purposes of the 2024 General Election only:

 

·         the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for the Council pursuant to Section 8(2)(a) of the Representation of the People Act 1983;

 

·         the Returning Officer (RO) pursuant to Section 35(1) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 with authority to act in that capacity for elections to the Council and all or any Parish Councils within the Council’s administrative area;

 

·         to act in respect of all related electoral, poll or referendum duties, including elections to the County Council, European Parliament and for national and regional polls or referenda;

 

b)    with effect from 31 May 2024, Ruth Dennis, Executive Director for Governance (and Monitoring Officer), be appointed as Deputy Electoral Registration Officer pursuant to Section 52(2) of the 1983 Act, for the purposes of the 2024 General Election only.

b)