To appoint a Chairman for the remainder of the 2016/2017 Municipal Year.

The Vice-Chair, Councillor Malcolm Alexander, welcomed everyone present to the meeting and explained the fire evacuation procedures. 

The Vice-Chair went onto explain that the meeting was being recorded and that the audio would be uploaded to the RBWM website.

The Vice-Chair requested that all mobile phones be switched off for the duration of the meeting.

The Vice-Chair requested nominations for the position of Chairman for the remaining of the municipal year: 

·         Councillor Richard Kellaway (proposed by Councillor Malcolm Alexander and seconded by Councillor David Evans) was nominated for the position of Chairman. 

·         Councillor Malcolm Beer proposed Councillor Leo Walters for the position of Chairman – it was explained to Councillor Malcolm Beer that as Councillor Leo Walters was no longer a full member of the Panel he could not be elected as Chairman.

Councillor Richard Kellaway was elected Chairman for the remaining municipal year.

Councillor Leo Walters requested to address the Panel and everyone present which the Chairman allowed.  Councillor Leo Walters explained that a resident of the Royal Borough had called him on the 03 January 2017 to say he had made a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the response having been released to the press on the 12 January 2017.  Councillor Leo Walters went onto explain that he cared about the Green Belt in the Royal Borough and had been very surprised to hear that the draft Borough Local Plan (BLP) contained 86% of new housing and new development in the Green Belt in the Royal Borough.  Councillor Leo Walters informed everyone present that as there was no reference to this figure in the Cabinet paper he believed the fact needed to be known by the public as it could have influenced the BLP. 

Councillor Richard Kellaway suggested that as this had nothing to do with the Election of Chairman item that this discussion be taken outside of the meeting. 

Councillor Leo Walters went onto state that the Head of Planning, Jenifer Jackson, had confirmed the 86% and that he had asked the Leader of the Council four times to meet with him to discuss this face to face, which had to date been denied.  Councillor Leo Walters thanked the Chairman for allowing him to address everyone present.

Councillor David Hilton welcomed the new Chairman to the role and explained that every two weeks a meeting took place to discuss the progress of the BLP.  Councillor David Hilton explained that he had questioned the 86% and had been informed that it was fundamentally wrong.  The Lead Member for Planning added that Councillor Leo Walters statement was fundamentally incorrect.   The Lead Member for Planning explained that on the 03 November 2016 the Planning Inspector had advised that the Council needed to meet 100% of Objectively Assessed Need within its Royal Borough boundaries and that Councillor Leo Walters stating that it was 86% of land within the Green Belt was incorrect. 

The Chairman welcomed the two registered speakers for this item to the meeting and invited Patrick Griffin and Pat Morrish to address the Panel:

§  Patrick Griffin congratulated the new Chairman on his Chairmanship.  Patrick Griffin went onto state that the previous Chairman, Councillor Leo Walters, had had the courage of his convictions and stood up for local residents.  It was questioned whether the new Chairman would stand up for the same level of transparency.  The Chairman responded to the question by stating that he was completely independent. 

§  Pat Morrish sadly noted that Councillor Leo Walters had been removed as Chairman from this Panel.  It was noted that the previous Chairman had on the 17 November 2016 expressed his concern regarding the 37% of Objectively Assessed Need (OAN) as he had felt it to be too high.  The FOI had revealed 86% of Green Belt (HO1) in the draft BLP – it was noted that as Councillor Leo Walters had publically reported his concern it could be seen that he had been removed as Chairman and from the Panel as a result.  It was requested that the full FOI response be made available on the RBWM website.

The Managing Director & Strategic Director of Adults, Children and Health Services, Alison Alexander, responded by stating that the FOI could be made available on the RBWM website and should have been.  The Chairman re-iterated that the Panel were keen that all FOI information was made available to the public on the RBWM website.  Councillor David Hilton requested that information contained in the response from the Head of Planning dated 27 January 2017 to the email from Councillor Leo Walters dated 03 January 2017 be disclosed to all Members by the Head of Planning in order to be totally transparent which the Managing Director endorsed. 

The Chairman explained that this meeting was not to look at the BLP but that a meeting in the future would have it on the agenda.    

The Chairman went onto explain that the system in place with regard to meeting memberships was that the Leader of the Council could make changes to the Overview & Scrutiny Panel memberships and then it was down to the Panel to elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman.  

RESOLVED; That Councillor Richard Kellaway be elected Chairman for the remainder of the municipal year (Councillors Malcolm Alexander, David Burbage, David Evans & David Hilton = For, Councillor Walters = Against & Councillor Beer = Abstained).