THE ADJOURNED ANNUAL MEETING of the COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF GOSPORT was held in the Council Chamber at the TOWN HALL, GOSPORT on THURSDAY, the FIRST day of JULY 2004 at 6.00 PM.
The Mayor (Councillor Edwards) (P) (in the Chair);
The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Burgess) (P);
Councillors Allen (P), Mrs Batterbury (P), Mrs Binfield (P), Bone (P), Carr (P), Carter (P), Mrs Champion (P), Chegwyn (P), Clinton (P), Mrs Cully (P), Cully (P), Davis (P), Dickson (P), Edgar (P), Farr (P), Foster (P), Gill (P), Hayward (P), Hook (P), Jacobs (P), Kimber (P), Langdon (P), Philpott (P), Redrup (P), Rigg (P), Mrs Salter (P), Searle (P), Smith (P), Taylor (P), Train (P), Mrs Wright (P) and Wright (P).
Also in attendance: Honorary Aldermen O'Neill and Mrs Whitbread.
_______________
APOLOGIES
Apologies for inability to attend the meeting were submitted on behalf of Honorary Aldermen Foster and Rushton.
_______________
MINUTES
RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Council held on 31 March 2004 be confirmed and signed.
REPORT OF RETURNING OFFICER ON THE
ELECTIONS HELD ON 10 JUNE 2004
The following report of the Returning Officer on the Elections held on 10 June 2004 was received –
GOSPORT BOROUGH COUNCIL
RETURNING OFFICER'S REPORT ON BOROUGH COUNCIL ELECTIONS
10 JUNE 2004
1. I have to report that, whereas the number of Candidates validly nominated in the election of Councillors for each of the Alverstoke, Anglesey, Bridgemary North, Bridgemary South, Brockhurst, Christchurch, Elson, Forton, Grange, Hardway, Lee East, Lee West, Leesland, Peel Common, Privett, Rowner and Holbrook and Town Wards of the Borough exceeded the number of Councillors to be elected for the respective Wards, a poll was taken on the 10th day of June 2004, and the votes cast for the respective Candidates at each such election were as follows:-
|
WARD |
NAMES OF CANDIDATES |
VOTES GIVEN FOR EACH CANDIDATE |
|
ALVERSTOKE |
Philip Ross CLINTON
Robert Malcolm SALTER |
1323
304 |
|
|
|
|
|
ANGLESEY |
Jennifer Bevan HALL
Mark William Paul HOOK |
328
1034
|
|
BRIDGEMARY NORTH |
Martyn Keith DAVIS
Joanne WATTS
|
643
473 |
|
BRIDGEMARY SOUTH |
Robert Anthony PERRIS
Jill Madeleine WRIGHT |
457
727
|
|
BROCKHURST |
Ivor Roger Francis FOSTER
James Llewellyn FOX
Michael Gofton RUSSELL |
681
206
385 |
|
WARD |
NAMES OF CANDIDATES |
VOTES GIVEN FOR EACH CANDIDATE |
|
CHRISTCHURCH |
Richard James DICKSON
Austin Richard HICKS
Diane SEARLE
|
564
362
348 |
|
ELSON |
Francis John BRIDGEWATER
Laura ELSHAW
Bruce Russell RIGG
Jill WHITCHER
|
187
415
624
101 |
|
FORTON |
Gary ELSHAW
Keith Cyril FARR
Anna Brigid OLIVER
|
303
410
300 |
|
GRANGE |
Victor Francis BURT
Nina Jane CHAMPION
Hugh David William LANDELS
|
222
239
188 |
|
HARDWAY |
Peter BELL
Peter Charles LANGDON
Andrea Claire Harte SMITH
|
209
822
213 |
|
LEE EAST |
Howard Graham BURGESS
John Roy MADGWICK
|
966
198 |
|
LEE WEST |
Michael John MADGWICK
Brian TAYLOR
|
294
1326 |
|
LEESLAND |
Marjorie Violet BAILEY
Alan Edward James DURRANT
David George William Gilbert SMITH |
380
173
529
|
|
PEEL COMMON |
John Alan BOWLES
Stephen PHILPOTT
Peter RUSSELL
|
259
896
401 |
|
PRIVETT |
Dennis Charles GOUGH
Josephine Mary JACKSON
Colin Dudley JACOBS |
161
348
865
|
|
ROWNER & HOLBROOK |
Thelma Annita MORRISON
Wayne RICHARDS
John TRAIN
|
317
273
326 |
|
TOWN |
Michael Stuart GEDDES
Neil Andrew REDRUP
|
532
630 |
2. The undermentioned Candidates who received the greatest number of votes were therefore elected Councillors for a four-year period.
|
WARD |
COUNCILLOR |
|
|
|
|
ALVERSTOKE |
Philip Ross CLINTON |
|
ANGLESEY |
Mark William Paul HOOK |
|
BRIDGEMARY NORTH |
Martyn Kevin DAVIS |
|
BRIDGEMARY SOUTH |
Jill Madeleine WRIGHT |
|
BROCKHURST |
Ivor Roger Francis FOSTER |
|
CHRISTCHURCH |
Richard James DICKSON |
|
ELSON |
Bruce Russell RIGG |
|
FORTON |
Keith Cyril FARR |
|
GRANGE |
Nina Jane CHAMPION |
|
HARDWAY |
Peter Charles LANGDON |
|
LEE EAST |
Howard Graham BURGESS |
|
LEE WEST |
Brian TAYLOR |
|
LEESLAND |
David George William Gilbert SMITH |
|
PEEL COMMON |
Stephen PHILPOTT |
|
PRIVETT |
Colin Dudley JACOBS |
|
ROWNER & HOLBROOK |
John TRAIN |
|
TOWN |
Neil Andrew REDRUP |
STANDING ORDER 4.15.1
The Mayor reported that notice had been received requesting that Standing Order 4.15.1 be moved to enable the Borough Solicitor to present her reports on the Review of Council Boards, Sub-Boards, Committees and Determination of Allocation of Seats.
RESOLVED: That Standing Order 4.15.1 be moved to enable the Borough Solicitor to present her reports on the Review of Council Boards, Sub-Boards, Committees and Determination of Allocation of Seats.
_______________
REVIEW OF COUNCIL BOARDS, SUB-BOARDS AND COMMITTEES AND DETERMINATION OF ALLOCATION OF SEATS
Members of the Council had before them a report and an addendum to the report prepared by the Borough Solicitor (copies of which are attached hereto as Appendices "C1" & "C2") in connection with the above.
The report referred to the current arrangement of four Boards and seven Sub-Boards. In July 2003 the Council had reviewed its arrangements for scrutiny and agreed to two Scrutiny Committees broadly split between Policy and Services.
The Borough Solicitor made the Council aware of the changes that would occur to the statutory framework for Liquor and Public Entertainment Licensing through the Licensing Act 2003, which was likely to be brought into force early next year. The Act required the Council to establish a Licensing Committee of between 10 and 15 Members to discharge the Council's Licensing functions under the Act. The determination and publication of the Council's Licensing Policy would be the responsibility of the Council. The Council was recommended to set up a Licensing Board of 15 Members for the purpose outlined above together with other licensing functions currently discharged by the Regulatory Board. As a consequence of this change it was recommended that the current Appeals Sub-Board be deleted.
The report covered the area of Transportation and Planning and recommended the establishment of a Transportation and Planning Sub-Board to deal with the strategic policy issues in these areas under the Policy and Organisation Board.
The last specific area referred to in the Borough Solicitor's report covered Civic and Commemorative Events. It was recommended that the Civic and Commemorative Events Working Group be made a Sub-Board with delegated powers to deal with budgetary matters for Civic and Commemorative Events. It was recommended that the responsibilities previously vested in the Gosport/Royan Twinning Sub-Board be now transferred to the Civic and Commemorative Events Sub-Board with the consequent deletion of the Gosport/Royan Twinning Sub-Board.
The final part of the Borough Solicitor's report dealt with the Proportionality Rules and the notices received from the three Political Groups.
It was proposed that the Council have five Boards and two Overview and Scrutiny Committees with 75 seats to be allocated in accordance with paragraph 2.2 of the report. However, it was not possible to allocate 75 seats in exact proportion as each Political Group had on the Council, as could be seen from the tables below.
|
|
CONSERVATIVE |
LABOUR |
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS |
TOTAL |
|
Seats |
15 |
11 |
8 |
34 |
|
Proportion |
44.12% |
32.35% |
23.53% |
|
|
|
CONSERVATIVE |
LABOUR |
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS |
|
Seats |
33.09 |
24.26 |
17.65 |
|
|
44.12% |
32.35% |
23.53% |
It was proposed that the allocation of seats on Boards and Overview & Scrutiny Committees be as follows:
|
|
CONSERVATIVE |
LABOUR |
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS |
|
Number of seats |
33 |
24 |
18
|
|
Percentages |
44% |
32% |
24%
|
|
Differences between percentage of seats on Council and seats on Boards & Committees |
-0.12% |
-0.35% |
+0.47% |
|
|
CONSERVATIVE |
LABOUR |
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS |
|
Policy & Organisation |
5 |
4 |
1 |
|
Community & Environment Board |
5 |
3 |
2 |
|
Housing
Board |
5 |
3 |
2 |
|
Regulatory
Board |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
Licensing
Board |
6 |
5 |
4 |
|
Policy Overview & Scrutiny Committee |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
Services Overview & Scrutiny Committee |
4 |
3 |
3 |
|
TOTAL |
33 |
24 |
18 |
This proposed allocation gave effect to the principles set out in paragraph 2.2 of the report.
In allocating seats on the Sub-Boards of the Council, again, the proportions could not be matched. Furthermore, any "ex-officio" Members of the Sub-Boards without voting rights are disregarded under the Proportionality Rules. The Council had previously approved the Proportionality Rules being applied to all Working Groups and Steering Groups.
|
|
CONSERVATIVE |
LABOUR |
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS |
|
Seats |
19.41 |
14.23 |
10.35 |
|
44 |
44.12% |
32.35% |
23.53% |
It was proposed that the Council have the following Sub-Boards, totalling 44 seats and the proposed allocation was as set out below.
|
|
