Community Governance Review – Stotfold Parish (Area of Fairfield)

(To Follow)

(i) Community Governance Review

The Council considered recommendations from the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 7 June 2012 concerning the Community Governance Review of Stotfold Parish (Area of Fairfield) which had been circulated separately to the agenda.

RESOLVED

1          that a Reorganisation Order under Section 86 of the Local Government & Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 be made to create a parish in the Fairfield Park area of the current Stotfold parish and a parish council in that area to be named Fairfield Parish Council be established;

2          that the Reorganisation Order referred to in 1 above be based on the following key principles:

a)     the boundaries of the parish are as shown on the map attached at Appendix A to the minutes of General Purpose Committee, 7 June 2012; and the parish is named the Parish of Fairfield;

b)     the parish council is called ‘Fairfield Parish Council’;

c)     the establishment of the parish council to take effect from 1 April 2013 with the first election to be held on 2 May 2013;

d)     the first term of office of elected councillors be for 2 years and the following elections be held on the ordinary day for elections in 2015 and every fourth year thereafter i.e. 2019, 2023 etc.;

e)     the size of the Council relating to the number of councillors to be elected to the parish is set at 7, providing a ratio of 270 electors to each parish councillor;

f)       the parish council is not split into separate wards;

g)     the amount of the initial precept of the new parish council for the 2013/14 financial year is £92,525;

h)     until the councillors elected to the new parish council come into office, the new parish is administered by the persons holding the offices listed below who are in post immediately on 1 April 2013:

·        Central Bedfordshire Council Executive Member for Corporate Resources

·        Central Bedfordshire Council Chairman of the General Purpose Committee

·        The existing 3 Central Bedfordhire Council ward members representing Stotfold and Langford;

3        that the present size of Stotfold Town Council remains unchanged at 15 members pending a Community Governance Review across the whole of the Central Bedfordshire Council area in 2013.

(ii) The Localism Act 2011 and Ethical Standards

The Council considered recommendations from the General Purposes Committee held on 7 June 2012 concerning the  Localism Act 2011. The recommendations had been circulated separately to the agenda.

An amendment to the motion before Council was moved and seconded and further to discussion was subsequently withdrawn.  In response to the views expressed, the Vice-Chairman of General Purposes Committee indicated that he would ensure that the Committee considered further the requirements relating to the withdrawal by a Member from a meeting, in particular the Development Management Committee, when they had a disclosable pecuniary interest.

RESOLVED

that, subject to the Secretary of State making the requisite regulations (“the Regulations”) which bring the relevant provisions of Chapter 7 of the Localism Act 2011 (“the Act”) into force with effect from 1 July 2012, the following arrangements shall apply:

a)         the Code of Conduct approved by the Council on 19 April 2012, amended as necessary to give effect to the Regulations, shall be adopted with effect from 1 July 2012;

b)        in accordance with sections 29 and 30 of the Act, Schedule 1 of the Code of Conduct shall incorporate the disclosable pecuniary interests specified in the Regulations;

c)         the General Purposes Committee shall be authorised to determine what other interests (if any) should be incorporated into the Code of Conduct, including arrangements for the recording of gifts and hospitality accepted by Members;

d)        members shall be required (as now) to disclose when they are present at meetings of the Council, the Executive and all Committees, Sub-Committees and Joint Committees of the Council if they have a pecuniary or other interest in an item of business on the agenda of the meeting and the nature of that interest and, where the interest constitutes a disclosable pecuniary interest, to withdraw from the meeting during the consideration of that item of business;

e)         the Standards Committee shall be dissolved on 30 June 2012 and from 1 July 2012 the General Purposes Committee shall assume responsibility for overseeing the Council’s duty to promote and maintain high standards of conduct.

f)          the Monitoring Officer shall make any consequential amendments to the Council’s Constitution following consultation with the Chairman of the General Purposes Committee.