Agenda and minutes

Venue: Desborough Suite - Town Hall

Contact: Karen Shepherd  07766 778286

Video Stream: Click here to watch this meeting on YouTube

Items
No. Item

46.

Apologies for Absence

To receive any apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors W. Da Costa, Knowles and Rayner.

47.

Council Minutes pdf icon PDF 804 KB

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 23 November 2021.

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 November 2021 be approved.

48.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 101 KB

To receive any declarations of interest

Minutes:

In relation to Motion on Notice b) Councillor Del Campo stated that her daughter had been a member of Phoenix Gym until its closure. She had taken advice and could take part in the debate and vote.

 

In relation to Motion on Notice b) Councillor Tisi stated that her daughter was currently a member of Links Gymnastics. She had taken advice and could take part in the debate and vote.

 

In relation to the item ‘Petition for Debate’ Councillor Hunt declared an interest as she owned property near the Town Hall.’ She would leave the meeting for the duration of the debate. The Monitoring Officer advised that this did not constitute a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, therefore Councillor Hunt could remain and take part in the debate.

 

In relation to Motion on Notice b) Councillor Coppinger stated that his granddaughter had been a coach at Phoenix Gym.

 

49.

Mayor's Communications pdf icon PDF 60 KB

To receive such communications as the Mayor may desire to place before the Council

Minutes:

The Mayor had submitted in writing details of engagements that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor had undertaken since the last ordinary meeting. These were noted by Council.

50.

Public Questions pdf icon PDF 126 KB

a)    John Sewell of Boyn Hill ward will ask the following question of Councillor Coppinger, Cabinet Member for Planning, Environmental Services and Maidenhead:

 

Why aren't all the house building companies required to put solar panels on the roof of every single new build? Just think how much this could contribute to the National Grid! It would also appeal to potential buyers.

 

b)   Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward will ask the following question of Councillor Johnson, Leader of the Council:

 

What is the economic outlook for Windsor in 2022 and how will it influence RBWM's approach to Windsor?

 

c)    Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward will ask the following question of Councillor Clark, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

 

Will the lead Member update residents on the progress being made at the Vicus Way car park?

 

d)    Hari Sharma of Furze Platt ward will ask the following question of Councillor Clark, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

 

The National Bus Strategy for Green industrial revolution states ‘Green public transport, cycling and walking supported by £5 billion which would create a further 3000 jobs and bring 4000 zero-emission vehicles on the road, 12% of local bus fleets in U.K. by 2025.’

 

What actions or initiatives have been instigated to achieve these ambitious plans for our residents?

 

e)    Hari Sharma of Furze Platt ward will ask the following question of Councillor Clark, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

 

The borough is blessed with Windsor Castle, Ascot Racecourse, Bisham Abbey and Legoland attracting millions of tourists from around the world. Cleaner and greener transport can make a huge difference to enhance air quality for residents. 

 

Will he agree to propose the “first electric bus town’’ in the country and write to the Transport Secretary to fund this scheme?


(The Council will set aside a period of 30 minutes to deal with public questions, which may be extended at the discretion of the Mayor in exceptional circumstances.
The Member who provides the initial response will do so in writing. The written response will be published as a supplement to the agenda by 5pm one working day before the meeting. The questioner shall be allowed up to one minute to put a supplementary question at the meeting. The supplementary question must arise directly out of the reply provided and shall not have the effect of introducing any new subject matter. A Member responding to a supplementary question will have two minutes to respond).

Minutes:

a)    John Sewell of Boyn Hill ward asked the following question of Councillor Coppinger, Cabinet Member for Planning, Environmental Services and Maidenhead:

 

Why aren't all the house building companies required to put solar panels on the roof of every single new build? Just think how much this could contribute to the National Grid! It would also appeal to potential buyers.

 

Written response: Addressing energy use within the borough is one of the key themes of the Council’s adopted Environment and Climate Strategy and this includes the need to reduce energy demand, decarbonise supply and increasing renewable energy generation.

 

The Building Regulations look at the overall outcome rather than the contribution from individual technologies.  As such they mandate a level of performance for the final building, which can be achieved in a variety of ways, rather than mandating the use of specific technologies. The approach remains largely the same in the amended Part L building regulations which are due to come into force later this year, although the measures and targets have changed alongside some other significant changes.

 

A holistic approach is required to secure the best overall outcomes based on a balance of considerations and through the Council’s Interim Sustainability Position Statement it seeks that the design of new buildings minimises energy use so far as possible that 12% of the building’s energy needs are met through renewable technology. While this often involves the installation of solar pv this is not always the most appropriate technology to utilise.

 

That said the Council of course recognises that maximising the installation of solar panels on buildings is an effective way to make efficient use of land and contributes to the generation of renewable energy within the borough. As the Council seeks to further develop its response to the need to reduce carbon dependency within the borough and promoting sustainable energy generation, it will keep its policies under review to ensure the most appropriate response to securing the objectives in the set out within the Environment and Climate Strategy and in line with national policy frameworks.

 

The Mayor read out a supplementary question on behalf of John Sewell:

 

‘I see the target is 12%.  What have we achieved over the last 3 years and are we proud of that figure?’

 

Councillor Coppinger responded that he did not have the exact figure therefore it would be provided to John Sewell in writing.

 

b)   Ed Wilson of Clewer and Dedworth West ward asked the following question of Councillor Johnson, Leader of the Council:

 

What is the economic outlook for Windsor in 2022 and how will it influence RBWM's approach to Windsor?

 

Written response: Windsor is showing positive signs of recovery from the pandemic with footfall performing better than the South East and UK as a whole and has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels. December footfall and trade across the town was affected by the Omicron strain of Covid-19 and the resulting Plan B restrictions. The pandemic has accelerated shifts in consumer behaviour away from traditional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

51.

Petition for Debate - Town Hall pdf icon PDF 283 KB

The Constitution provides for a maximum time of 30 minutes to debate petitions; this can be overruled at the Mayor’s discretion.

 

In accordance with the Constitution, the procedure shall be as follows:

 

a) The Mayor to invite the Lead Petitioner to address the meeting (5 minutes maximum)

b) The Mayor to invite the relevant Cabinet Member to speak, including proposing any recommendation in the report (5 minutes maximum)

c) The Mayor to ask for the motion to be seconded

d) Motions without Notice (other than those detailed in Part 2 C13 of the constitution) will not be allowed.

e) The Mayor to invite any relevant Ward Councillors to speak (5 minutes maximum each)

f) The Mayor will invite all Members to debate the matter (Rules of Debate as per the Constitution apply)

 

Minutes:

Members debated the following petition:

 

We the undersigned petition RBWM to retain the world famous Maidenhead Town Hall, to use it as its primary civic building, and waste no further council tax on plans to sell or relocate the civic and community heart of Maidenhead

 

Melanie Hill, lead petitioner, addressed the meeting. She explained that she was both a resident and a performer and therefore wanted to save the Town Hall and keep it within the public domain. The Town Hall was both historic and at the heart of the town; it had been used as a vaccination centre for over a year. The report said that there was no evidence of the building being special or unique that the council was aware of. On the contrary, from a performer’s point of view the theatre was a great asset to the community and beyond. It was hired by many local theatrical groups, dance schools and more as it was the perfect space. It could accommodate the many performers and audience members that other spaces could not. A lot of these events raised funds for local charities and the wellbeing of the local community was important post-pandemic. It was vital that the local theatre remained central and accessible by all. Norden Farm had professional events that would affect a week-long booking. Braywick had sporting and other events. In any case the space was just a sports hall not a theatre and therefore had many flaws. Schools had other events which limited availability.

 

For over 25 years the Desborough Theatre had been the home of the real Maidenhead pantomime. The building had been opened by the Queen in 1962. It was last refurbished in 2014 so if the refurbishment was not good enough to last a decade Melanie Hill suggested the council seek compensation from whoever undertook the work at the time. She also questioned why more taxpayer money should be spent on consultants and consultations. The report stated that the Town Hall required an additional £377,000 spend on the fabric of the building over the next five years. She felt that was surely enough to secure its future versus spending millions on a new building.

 

The fireworks at the Christmas lights switch on were talked about across the counties. The lantern parade and Remembrance service had the Town Hall as their central backdrop. 1500 residents who valued the Town Hall and all it enshrined had signed the petition. It was unfair that those living outside the borough who used the Town Hall could not have their say in whether it should survive another day because they were unable to sign the petition.

 

Melanie Hill highlighted that the meeting was taking place in the theatre space. Upstairs was a magnificent Council Chamber perfect for that use. She referenced recent social media statements by Councillor McWilliams that residents wanted to see the heritage of the borough protected. Heritage included the local thriving film industry. For the community wellbeing, the heart of Maidenhead should  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

52.

Petitions

To receive any petitions presented by Members on behalf of residents.

 

(Notice of the petition must be given to the Head of Governance not later than noon on the last working day prior to the meeting. A Member submitting a Petition may speak for no more than 2 minutes to summarise the contents of the Petition).

Minutes:

No petitions were presented.

53.

Referrals from other bodies

To consider referrals from other bodies (e.g. Cabinet)

 

There are no referrals to consider at this meeting.

Minutes:

There were no referrals for consideration.

54.

2022/23 Programme of Meetings pdf icon PDF 361 KB

To consider the above report

Minutes:

Members considered the 2022/23 programme of meetings.

 

Councillor Johnson proposed the recommendation in the report.

 

Councillor Price thanked officers for the inclusion of Equality Impact Assessments for this and the previous items.

 

Councillor Del Campo commented that Cabinet and full Council were often in quiet quick succession which she felt had an impact on officers.

 

Councillor Johnson responded that the issue could be considered for future programmes.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Johnson, seconded by Councillor Carroll, and:

 

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That full Council notes the report and:

 

i)             Approves the programme of meetings for the 2022/23 Municipal Year, attached as Appendix A

ii)            Agrees the split of virtual meetings/in-person meetings agreed at full Council in September 2021 should continue for the 2022/23 municipal year.

iii)          Notes that a further review of in-person/virtual meetings would take place if and when legislation is enacted to allow decision making meetings to take place virtually

55.

Appointment of Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer pdf icon PDF 242 KB

To consider the above report

Minutes:

Emma Duncan, Monitoring Officer, left the room for the duration of the debate and vote on the item.

 

Members considered the appointment of returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer.

 

Councillor Johnson proposed the appointment in the absence of Councillor Rayner.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Johnson, seconded by Councillor Carroll, and:

 

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That full Council notes the report and:

 

i) Appoints Emma Duncan, Deputy Director of Governance, Law and Strategy as Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead with effect from 14 February 2022 until further notice.

56.

Appointment of Vice Chairman

To consider the following appointment:

 

RECOMMENDATION: That Councillor Walters be appointed as Vice Chairman of the Maidenhead Development Management Committee for the remainder of the municipal year.

Minutes:

Members considered the appointment of Vice Chairman of the Maidenhead Development Management Committee.

 

Councillor Johnson proposed the appointment. It was confirmed that Councillor McWilliams had stepped down from the Committee.

 

Councillor Baldwin commented that he was delighted by the suggestion to have an informed, experienced Vice Chairman on the Committee. He felt that if his advice had been taken earlier, it would have avoided the disastrous impacts residents had felt about the effectiveness of planning decisions.

 

Councillor Haseler commented that Councillor Walters was an experienced and knowledgeable member of the council, especially on planning matters. He fully supported his appointment as Vice Chairman.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Johnson, seconded by Councillor Haseler, and:

 

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Councillor Walters be appointed as Vice Chairman of the Maidenhead Development Management Committee for the remainder of the municipal year.

57.

Members' Questions pdf icon PDF 171 KB

a)    Councillor Davey will ask the following question of Councillor Clark, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

 

How is RBWM ensuring that new 5G Masts are not exceeding ICNIRP guidelines once installed?

 

b)   Councillor Haseler will ask the following question of Councillor Carroll, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Health and Mental Health:

 

The pandemic has caused serious challenges across all sectors and despite the excellent performance and ratings across our services, I’d like to know how the Children’s and Adult Social Care Services have been sustained during this incredibly challenging time throughout the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.

 

c)    Councillor Larcombe will ask the following question of Councillor Stimson Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Sustainability, Parks and Countryside:

 

How is the ‘wildflower verge” project progressing please?

 

d)   Councillor SIngh will ask the following question of Councillor Clark, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

 

I have concerns relating to changing the illuminated bollards to non-lit ones, although these work well during the day, the concern is the bollards have in areas around the borough become dirty and poorly maintained which at night can seriously diminish their effectiveness. Is a regular safety check and cleaning contract in place? If so, how often are they inspected?


(The Council will set aside a period of 30 minutes to deal with Member questions, which may be extended at the discretion of the Mayor in exceptional circumstances.
The Member who provides the initial response will do so in writing. The written response will be published as a supplement to the agenda by 5pm one working day before the meeting. The questioner shall be allowed up to one minute to put a supplementary question at the meeting. The supplementary question must arise directly out of the reply provided and shall not have the effect of introducing any new subject matter. A Member responding to a supplementary question will have two minutes to respond).

 

Minutes:

a)    Councillor Davey asked the following question of Councillor Clark, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Connectivity:

 

How is RBWM ensuring that new 5G Masts are not exceeding ICNIRP guidelines once installed?

 

Written response: The council is required to deal with the planning, installation and operation of new telecommunications equipment in line with legislation and policy as set out by central Government.  Those seeking to install and operate electronic communications infrastructure are required to self-certify that their installations will comply with the ICNIRP guidelines.  We are not permitted to set health safeguards or require additional information beyond this through the planning process.  Monitoring and enforcement powers sit with OFCOM as the regulator and therefore the council has no powers in this regard.   As the Cabinet Member for this issue alongside the responsible officers I would be happy to meet with any local residents who have concerns about specific sites to understand the concerns and consider what we can do as a local authority.  Where appropriate we can request surveys to be undertaken by Ofcom to assess the compliance with ICNIRP guidelines.

 

Councillor Davey thanked the Cabinet Member for agreeing to meet with residents who had concerns and being willing to invite Ofcom to review 5G sites as appropriate. There was a great deal of social media bullying around the topic with 5G fans shouting “conspiracy theorist” at anyone who dared to show a modicum of concern online. This means many intelligent, free-thinking, open-minded residents did not put themselves in the firing line.

 

Councillor Davey would share the news with residents and a meeting could be arranged to discuss some of the current concerns.

 

b)   Councillor Haseler asked the following question of Councillor Carroll, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Health and Mental Health:

 

The pandemic has caused serious challenges across all sectors and despite the excellent performance and ratings across our services, I’d like to know how the Children’s and Adult Social Care Services have been sustained during this incredibly challenging time throughout the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.

 

Written response:Thank you for your question.  Looking first at Adult Services, staff within Optalis have worked hard throughout the pandemic to continue to provide support to adults at risk and to support the NHS, particularly in relation to timely discharge from hospital.  From the beginning of the pandemic, we have ensured staff who can work from home do so and have access to the equipment they need to do this. We made sure adequate supplies of PPE were available when this was an issue early in the pandemic and have supported staff with accessing vaccinations achieving a high level of concordance.

Staff have been incredibly flexible and resources have been re-organised where needed in the short term to ensure continuity of service delivery. Staff wellbeing has been, and continues to be, a focus throughout the pandemic.  There have undoubtedly been challenges and we are very conscious that our residents’ need for support and services continues to increase.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

58.

Motions on Notice

a)    By Councillor Davey

 

This Council, in the interests of residents’ safety and in line with the ICNIRP Guidelines, will:

 

i) Actively monitor new and existing telecom masts and other “small cells” installations every 6 months to ensure they are in line with current guidelines

ii) Insist the relevant telecommunications company takes the appropriate remedial action if found to be exceeding legal limits

 

b)   By Councillor McWilliams

 

Following the closure of Phoenix Gymnastics, we lost local gymnastics provision and a community asset. RBWM has an existing commitment to having more residents more active more often and considers sport to provide physical and mental health benefits. There is demand for a new, purpose-built gymnastics facility in RBWM.

 

This Council resolves to:  

 

i) Work with existing gymnastic providers to understand the facilities that are required to meet demand, including how existing facilities can be best used

ii) Identify opportunities to work with third parties to finance, build and manage a new, purpose-built gymnastics facility

iii) Welcome a commitment in RBWM's forthcoming Sport & Leisure Strategy to support the delivery of a new, purpose-built gymnastics facility in partnership with a third party

 

c)    By Councillor Tisi

 

The government recently committed to seek an amendment to the Environment Bill, compelling water companies to reduce the impact of storm sewage overflows into our rivers. However unregulated pollution from agricultural run-off, microplastics and industrial and household chemicals, exacerbated by climate change and demand on the waste water system, is still a major threat to wildlife.

 

This Council asks that the Leader of the Council writes to:

 

ii) The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and our local MPS to call for the Government to restore Environment Agency budgets to deliver the necessary oversight,

ii) The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee to advocate for greater enforcement of existing regulatory powers through increasing the inspection regularity of water companies and farms and rigorously prosecuting offenders through the Environmental Audit Committee and Ofwat.

iii) The Regional Director of the National Farmers’ Union requesting clarification on the action being taken locally by farmers to prevent nutrient run-off.


(A maximum period of 30 minutes will be allowed for each Motion to be moved, seconded and debated, including dealing with any amendments.  At the expiry of the 30-minute period debate will cease immediately, the mover of the Motion or amendment will have the right of reply before the Motion or amendment is put to the vote).

Minutes:

Motion a

 

Councillor Davey introduced his motion. He explained that he wished to amend his motion following discussion with a number of parties, to remove the wording ‘every 6 months’. The amended motion therefore read:

 

That his Council, in the interests of residents’ safety and in line with the ICNIRP Guidelines, will:

 

i)             Actively monitor new and existing telecom masts and other “small cells” installations to ensure they are in line with current guidelines

ii)            Insist the relevant telecommunications company takes the appropriate remedial action if found to be exceeding legal limits

 

Councillor Davey explained that before Christmas he had forwarded to officers a specification sheet relating to a 5G Mast application in a neighbouring borough that showed that the antennae had the ability to generate 84,000 times the legal limit. He had requested a specification sheet before Christmas for a new 5G application validated on 14 January for Tinkers Lane, Windsor in his ward and still awaited details from the agent. He had also asked officers if he had been right in thinking that if the council accepted the telecom company’s self-certification then any liability would then fall on RBWM’s shoulders.

 

The UK used the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Guidelines to determine human safety with regards to telecoms installations. The UK National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which determined planning law, stated in Paragraph 117 that applications for an addition to an existing mast or base station must include a self-certification that the increased capacity will not exceed ICNIRP guidelines on non-ionising radiation protection. The telecom companies were allowed to self-certify their own installations and with this power they were happy to put in an application that could potentially push out 84,000 times the legal limit. He asked if this sounded ok. ICNIRP said a safe level of exposure was 1mW/cm2 for 6 minutes. The 6 minutes allowed for an engineer to approach a mast and fix a problem.

 

Councillor Davey explained that the Inverse Square law applied to normal phone masts where the power for 4G, 3G, etc dropped off over distance. However collimated microwave beams, which was how 5G worked, did not obey the inverse square law and could maintain their power intensity over miles. Unlike 3G and 4G the umbrellas of EMF were very likely to overlap, increasing the EMF smog.

 

China had a maximum legal limit 100 time lower than the UK. A civilised society that had concerns for the health and wellbeing of its residents would ensure the installations met the legal requirements and take the appropriate measurements to ensure the 5G Mast outputs were within legal limits and if found to be exceeding these limits then insist on remedial action.

 

Councillor Davey had asked officers and currently RBWM did not have the required equipment or skills sets in-house to evaluate the current 5G installations. Apparently, based on Councillor Clark’s response to his earlier question, this was because he believed officers had no power. Information Councillor Davey had read and shared with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

Recorded Vote
TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
Motion on Notice b) Motion Rejected
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