Agenda and minutes

Liaqat Ali – annual leave

Rosemary Healy

Toby Neal – unwell

Jane Urquhart

Marcia Watson

Michael Wildgust - unwell

None.

RESOLVED to:

1)  elect Councillor Mohammed Saghir as the Lord Mayor of the City of Nottingham until the next annual meeting of the City Council, as nominated by Councillor Mohammed Ibrahim and seconded by Councillor Brian Grocock.

2)  appoint Councillor Jackie Morris as Sheriff of the City of Nottingham until the next annual meeting of the City Council, as nominated by Councillor Linda Woodings and seconded by Councillor Alex Norris.

The Lord Mayor informed Council of the appointment of the Reverend of St. Mary’s Church (Christopher Harrison) and the Imam at the Nottingham Islamic Centre (Hafiz Abdul Rehman), as the Lord Mayor’s Chaplains.

None.

None.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2016 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chief Executive reported the following official communications:

Paddy Tipping has been re-elected as the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner. Following the election, Mr Tipping gained 80,926 of the first round votes, following the second round of voting, he ended up with 89,749 votes. The turnout was 21.8%. Mr Tipping is the incumbent Police and Crime Commissioner, and will therefore continue his work in this role. Nottingham City Council extends its congratulations to him in the post.

A service was held on 8 May 2016 at St. Mary’s Church to commemorate the victims at the 75^th anniversary of the World War II bombings of Nottingham. A total of 159 people lost their lives in this dramatic event that affected the lives of many people in the city.

None.

Historic Child Abuse in Nottingham Children’s Care Homes

Councillor Georgina Culley asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years:

Following on from recent emails sent to all Nottingham City councillors, will the Leader of the Council issue an apology to "the friends, victims and survivors" of child abuse who were in the care of Nottingham children’s care homes?

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor, can I add my congratulations to your appointment, and I wish you and the Sheriff all the best in the year to come, and thank you Councillor Culley for your question. I would like to reassure all members of Council, and most importantly, anyone who has suffered child abuse, whether current or historical, that this is something that the City Council takes extremely seriously, and are committed to tackling effectively wherever and whenever it arises.

Since the current police investigation was launched in 2010, we’ve been doing all we can to support it, with a view to bringing any past perpetrators to justice. In line with the local Safeguarding Children’s Board agreed procedures, we have established a cross-authority strategic management group to take an overview of these matters, with partner organisations, and we will ensure that no stone is unturned in pursuit of answers, closure, and wherever possible, criminal justice for survivors, as well as learning any lessons about how to best deal with allegations of this nature.

We welcomed Lord Justice Goddard’s inquiry decision, looking into local cases of historical child abuse, which will bring the independent scrutiny that we know is important to survivors and their representatives. We, along with local partner organisations, are committed to engaging fully with this inquiry.

Members may be aware that most of the cases being looked at by the police relate to a time before the latest local government reorganisation, when the County Council was responsible for children’s homes in Nottingham, and that they recently apologised after a former member of their staff was successfully prosecuted for historical abuse. However, at this time no former or current City Council employees have been charged or prosecuted for historical abuse as part of ongoing police investigations, and so we are not in the same position. This does not mean that we are not sympathetic to anyone who has suffered abuse in the past, far from it.

This is an abhorrent crime, which has a devastating effect on the lives of victims, and is particularly terrible when perpetrated by someone in a position of trust. We can assure anyone who has suffered, in the past or now, that they will be listened to, taken seriously, helped to access appropriate support, and that action will be taken wherever possible. We would encourage anyone aware of or affected by abuse, current or historical, to come forward and speak confidentially to us or to the police, as well as taking the forthcoming opportunity to provide evidence to the Goddard inquiry.

It is also important  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Report of the Leader

The Leader submitted a report on Executive appointments, remits and first meetings 2016/17, as set out on pages 11 to 24 of the agenda, and 3 to 34 of the appointments supplementary agenda.

RESOLVED to:

1)  note the appointment of Councillor Graham Chapman as Deputy Leader;

2)  note the appointments of Portfolio Holders, their Executive Assistants, and their remits as below and in appendix 1 to the report, and their responsibilities and remits as detailed in appendix 2 to the report;

3)  note the appointments, including substitutions where applicable, and first meeting dates of Executive meetings, as detailed in appendix 3 to the report;

4)  note the terms of reference for Executive committees and agree the related changes to the Constitution, as detailed in appendix 4 to the report.

Report of the Leader

The Leader submitted a report on appointments and first meetings of committees and joint bodies 2016/17, as set out on pages 25 to 74 of the agenda, and 35 to 94 of the appointments supplementary agenda.

RESOLVED to:

1)  agree the first meeting dates of Council bodies and Joint bodies, as set out in appendix 1 to the report;

2)  agree the terms of reference of Council bodies and Joint bodies, and any related changes to the Constitution, as set out in appendix 2 to the report;

3)  agree the membership of Council bodies and the City Council membership of Joint bodies, as set out in appendix 3 to the report;

4)  agree that Councillor Hartshorne will fill the vacancy to the City Centre Forum of a member who is also a member of the Trusts and Charities Committee, as reported at the meeting by Councillor Sally Longford;

5)  agree substitutes, where applicable, as set out in appendix 3 to the report.

Report of the Leader

The Leader submitted a report on decisions taken under urgency procedures, as set out on pages 75 to 82 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to note the urgent decisions taken, as follows:

1)  urgent decisions (exempt from call-in);

2)  key decisions (taken under special urgency procedures)

Report of the Leader

The Leader submitted a report on the appointment of the Honorary City Organist, as set out on pages 83 to 84 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to appoint John Keys as the Honorary City Organist for Nottingham.

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Jobs, Growth and Transport

The Portfolio Holder for Business, Growth and Transport submitted a report on the adoption of the Business Charter, as set out on pages 85 to 91 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to approve and note the Business Charter.

Motion in the name of the Portfolio Holder for Schools, Councillor Sam Webster:

"This Council opposes the Government policy of forced academisation of 'good' and 'outstanding' community schools.

This Council opposes the Government's proposal to remove the requirement on schools to appoint parent governors.

This Council calls on Government to return to Local Authorities the powers to build new maintained schools to ensure that good school places are available for all children.

The Council also notes that the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent groups via the Local Government Association have set out their opposition to forced academisations to the Secretary of State for Education."

Moved by Councillor Sam Webster, seconded by Councillor David Mellen:

"This Council opposes the Government policy of forced academisation of 'good' and 'outstanding' community schools.

This Council opposes the Government's proposal to remove the requirement on schools to appoint parent governors.

This Council calls on Government to return to Local Authorities the powers to build new maintained schools to ensure that good school places are available for all children.

The Council also notes that the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent groups via the Local Government Association have set out their opposition to forced academisations to the Secretary of State for Education."

RESOLVED to carry the motion.

Council

11 July 2016

12 September 2016

14 November 2016

16 January 2017

6 March 2017

Extraordinary Council (for the installation of Honorary Alderpersons)

11 July 2016

RESOLVED to:

1)  hold meeting of Council at 2pm on the following dates:

·  11 July 2016

·  12 September 2016

·  14 November 2016

·  16 January 2017

·  6 March 2017

2)  hold meetings of Extraordinary Council after the meeting of Council on the following dates:

·  11 July 2016