A one minute silence was held in remembrance of the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for Absence were received from Councillors N. Airey, M. Airey, Alexander, Burbage, Clark, Cox, Diment, Gilmore, Hill, Ilyas, Jones and Sharma.

To receive any declarations of interest

The Monitoring Officer made the following statement:

As the Monitoring Officer and having invited as well as consulted with individual Members in the matter of any disclosable personal interests that would affect their decision making this evening, I have determined in accordance with the provisions of Section 33 (2) of the Localism Act 2011 to grant a dispensation to all those members who would otherwise have a personal interest by virtue of simply residing in the Borough, being therefore no different than any other member of the public living in the borough.  This dispensation will not apply to the following Members who have disclosed a pecuniary and potentially prejudicial interest.  The Members concerned are Councillor Colin Rayner and Councillor Samantha Rayner.

The next matter I need to address is the question of pre-determination on the part of any of the Members.  Having reviewed the provisions of Section 25 (2) of the Localism Act and case law, and in particular, having considered the comments and views that have either been expressed or alleged to have been expressed by individual Members, I have concluded that there has been no pre-determination on the part of the Members here tonight.  I believe that there has been a legitimate pre-disposition as opposed to a pre-determination.  I have sought reassurances from those Members where they have expressed their views and they have reassured me that they have retained an open mind when coming to the meeting this evening to listen to the debate and views of fellow Members before making their decision on the approval of the Borough Local Plan.  It is important that all members (representing their residents) are able to ask questions and debate the Borough Local Plan at the meeting this evening.   It is very much in the public interest that the Members are able to fully engage with their residents and tonight transmit those views and raise any questions before they make their final determination on the Borough Local Plan.          

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Dudley, announced that at a private meeting earlier that evening, the Conservative Group had discussed a report proposing an increase in the budget for the expansion of Lowbrook School. He had not taken part in the debate or vote on the matter. The proposal had not been agreed by the Group, however it had been decided that in the interests of transparency a report would be presented to the meeting of Full Council scheduled for 27 June 2017. The debate would end with a free vote on the matter for all members of the Conservative group, including the members of Cabinet.

Councillor Dudley also stated that the debate on the Borough Local Plan would end with a free vote for all members of the Conservative group, including the members of Cabinet.

The Mayor confirmed that there was no scope for discussion of the Lowbrook item at this meeting. Councillor Brimacombe commented that he felt it would have been appropriate to enable Ward Councillors to respond to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 143.

To consider the above report

Councillor Colin Rayner, having declared an interest, made representations to the meeting before the debate began. He had been elected as a Parish Councillor in 2003 and the Borough Local Plan (BLP) had been discussed at Horton Parish Council for nearly 10 years. His first meeting upon being elected a Borough Councillor in 2005 had related to the BLP. In December 2012 officers visited Horton Parish Council and gave options for the village. This was debated by the parish council and feedback given to the Borough. Some of the recommendations were accepted, some were not. He had advised his local residents of the consultation via the parish council website, Wraysbury News and in emails. The consultation had also been advertised in Around the Royal Borough and in local newspapers. A thorough process had been undertaken to reach this point. Councillor Rayner explained that he had three children who would one day like to buy a house in the borough; therefore there was a need to build somewhere in the borough. Even if sites were approved in the BLP, each application would still have to go through the planning process. Councillor Rayner stated that he had never been bullied by any other councillor He took pride in representing Horton and Wraysbury and would not be bullied into making a decision that was harmful to his community.

Councillor Samantha Rayner, having declared an interest, made representations to the meeting before the debate began. She highlighted that the BLP allowed the council to control its own destiny. There was a desperate need for housing for the young and people who wanted to work locally. The BLP was a unique chance to define what was meant by affordable housing. As Lead Member she would ensure that Regulation 19 would be put into all libraries. She had also asked the Managing Director and Councillor Bateson to visit all the parish councils to talk about Regulation 19. The CSC would be able to take comments by phone. Every time the council received a written response from the public it would write back to explain the process.

Councillor D. Wilson proposed an amendment to recommendation ii, to correct a typographical error:

ii) Delegate authority to the Executive Director, Place in consultation with the Lead Member for Planning to make final editorial and formatting amendments to the Borough Local Plan and supporting documents that (taken together) do not materially affect the policies set out in the borough Local Plan. 

Councillor D. Wilson explained that the council could make a real difference to the future needs of the residents in developing a Borough for everyone to provide housing, employment and leisure facilities for everyone to enjoy. This BLP started work following the rejection of the previous submission in 2007 on the grounds of not reviewing the Green Belt boundaries and where sustainable growth could take place throughout the borough and, in particular,  Maidenhead with the advent of the Crossrail project. Over the last ten years the council had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 144.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That, the time being past 10pm, Members agree to continue the meeting to transact the business as detailed on the agenda, as per Part 2C Paragraph 25 of the constitution.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting whilst discussion takes place on item 5 on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1-7 of part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To consider the above report