Agendas and Minutes 2009

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Council Meeting Wednesday 28th January 2009 Date: 22nd January 2009

To: All Members of the Council

Dear Sir/Madam

Your attendance is requested at a meeting of the Council of the Town of Abingdon to be held in The Guildhall (Council Chamber), Abingdon on Wednesday 28th January 2009 at 7.00 pm for the transaction of the business stated below.

Yours faithfully

Nigel Warner

Town Clerk

SECTION I (Open to the Public Including the Press)

A G E N D A

1 Prayers

2 Public participation

It is Council policy that the Council sets aside a total of 15 minutes prior to the commencement of full Council Meetings for residents of Abingdon or owners/managers of businesses in Abingdon to ask questions of the Mayor, Chair of Finance and General Purposes Committee and Chair of the Planning and Highways Committee or to express views.

Any questions by members of the public will be asked at the meeting.

3 Presentation from the Oxford Green Belt Network

To receive a presentation from the Oxford Green Belt Network.

4 Apologies

To receive any apologies for absence.

5 Declarations of Interest

Councillors are asked to declare any personal interest, and the nature of the interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting (please refer to notes at the end of the agenda).

6 Minutes

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 26th November and 1st December 2008 (copies attached).

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7 Mayor’s Announcements

8 Finance and General Purposes Committee

To receive and consider the minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on 9th December 2008 and 13th January 2009 and to approve any recommendations therein (copy attached).

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Budget papers as requested under minute 108 (13th January 2009) are attached following the minutes.

9 Amenities and Recreation Committee

To receive and consider the minutes of the meeting of the Amenities and Recreation Committee held on 3rd December 2008 and to approve any recommendations therein (copy attached).

10 Planning and Highways Committee

To receive and consider the minutes of the Planning and Highways Committee meetings held on 24th November 2008, 15th December 2008, 6th January 2009 and 19th January 2009 (copies attached).

Report of the Town Clerk

Two important consultations have recently been published.

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The Draft Air Quality Action Plan. The District Council has published the Draft Air Quality Action Plan for Abingdon. A copy of the Plan is available on the District Council website and a hard copy may be requested from the office.

The consultation runs until Thursday 19th February 2009.

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Your Vale – Your Future: The Core Strategy Preferred Options. Correspondence from District Council in relation to the above has been circulated and again a copy of the Options document is available on the District Council website and a hard copy may be requested from the office. The consultation closing date is Friday 27th February 2009.

Both these documents are due to be considered by the Planning and Highways Committee at its meeting on Monday 9th February 2009. Alternatively Members may wish to consider a special meeting due to the importance and detail of these consultations and the number of plans which are usually considered at a Planning and Highways Committee meeting, which could otherwise make for a long meeting.

11 To receive Notices of Motion under Standing Order No. 8 as follows:

Motion proposed by Councillor Martin Smith and seconded by Councillor Lesley Legge:

"This Council welcomes the statement by RWE npower that Thrupp Lake will not be used for ash disposal and thanks them for their letter of 16th December 2008 covering their suggestions and proposals for the future of Radley Lakes. This Council wishes to understand these proposals more clearly. It proposes that a meeting is

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arranged with representatives of RWE npower and representatives of this Council: namely the Town Clerk, the Leader and one other, to discuss these issues."

12 Motion under Standing Order No.34, to permanently vary the Council’s Standing Orders

Motion proposed by Councillor Lesley Legge and seconded by Councillor Julie Mayhew-Archer:

"That all references to the "Museum Management Committee" within the Council’s Standing Orders be changed to "County Hall and Museum Management Committee" specifically in relation to standing order 38 (1) (d)."

Under Standing Order no.34 this motion, having been moved and seconded, will stand adjourned without discussion until the next meeting of the Council.

13 Correspondence

To note the attached information received from Oxfordshire County Council which states that the Oxfordshire Local Involvement Network (LINk), hosted by Help and Care under contract to Oxfordshire County Council, is looking for volunteers to be on its Stewardship Group.

14 Exclusion of the Public, Including the Press

The Mayor will move:

"That in accordance with section 1 (2) of the Public Bodies (admissions to Meetings) Act 1960, the public, including the press, be excluded from the meeting because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted as summarised below."

SECTION II (Excluding the public and the press)

Items for Discussion:

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Confidential minutes of the Finance & General Purposes Committee held on 13th January 2009.

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Confidential minutes of the Amenities and Recreation Committee held on 3rd December 2008.

Notes on Declarations of Interest

1. Any Member arriving after the start of the meeting is asked to declare personal interests, as necessary, as soon as practicable after their arrival even if the item in question has been considered.

2. With the exception of the circumstances listed in paragraph 9(2) of the Local Code of Conduct for Members, a Member with a personal interest also has a prejudicial interest if it is one which a Member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the Member’s judgment of the public interest. In such circumstances, the Member must withdraw from the meeting room and should inform the Chair immediately.

3. It is not practical for the Town Clerk to offer detailed advice during the meeting on whether or not a personal interest should be declared, or whether a personal interest should also be regarded as prejudicial.

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