Agenda and minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members and co-opted members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see the attached sheet for further guidance for Members.]

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on the agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests.

In respect of item 3 (the York Central Update), Cllr Merrett noted that he had been involved in making representations on the earlier planning applications for the site, which had since been determined.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as 2 working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings. The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5:00pm on Thursday, 23 November.

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services. Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

During coronavirus, we made some changes to how we ran council meetings, including facilitating remote participation by public speakers. See our updates (www.york.gov.uk/COVIDDemocracy) for more information on meetings and decisions.

It was reported that there had been one registration to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme, but that the registered speaker was not in attendance at the meeting.

Members will receive a report and presentation on the York Central Project.

The Corporate Director of Place and the Head of Regeneration provided an update for Members on the York Central project. The Corporate Director of Place outlined the council’s current and potential future role in the project. The Head of Regeneration noted that the York Central development had been a longstanding element of the city’s ambition for growth, and drew attention to the significant economic, housing, transport and sustainability benefits that the project would deliver for the city and wider region.

[Cllr Nicholls arrived at 5.38pm, Cllr J Burton at 5.44pm].

The officers responded to a variety of questions from Members which covered the financial situation and the Council’s exposure to risk, the appointment of a lead developer partner/investor, the possibility of increasing the proportion of affordable homes on the site, the timetable for the delivery of the various phases of the project, Enterprise Zone funding and the devolution deal, the opportunity for a Government Hub on the site, infrastructure development, rail connectivity, the number of jobs that would be created, disability access, and lessons learned from community engagement around the project.

During the discussion, officers noted that they were awaiting an announcement on the lead developer and that more information would be forthcoming following the announcement.

Resolved:             That the York Central update be received with a further update scheduled in March 2024.

Reason:                To keep the committee updated on this key project for the city.

[Cllrs Lomas and Taylor left the meeting at 7.11pm].

This report provides information on approved Council motions since January 2023.

The Head of Democratic and Scrutiny Servicesprovided an update on the monitoring and tracking of approved Council motions. She drew attention to Annex A to the report, which included details of motions approved by Full Council since January 2023, showing progress against implementation of any agreed actions. A written update was provided on the Introduction of Council Tax Premium for Second Homes motion; this stated that the relevant bill had not been passed to give Local Authorities the necessary powers to fulfil this.  The same decision would be included in the budget papers to come into effect April 2025, should the Act be passed in time.

[Cllr Merrett left the meeting at 7.21pm].

The officer responded to questions from members on the progress and implementation of motions and the form in which the information was presented to the committee.

Resolved:           

i.             That the contents of Annex A to the report be noted;

ii.            That the Chair and Vice-Chair review the format of future motions reports in consultation with Democratic Services officers.

Reason:              To ensure that processes for monitoring and implementing approved Council motion resolutions remain sufficiently robust.

This report provides Members with details of new petitions received to date since the last report to the Committee in January 2023.

The Democracy and Member Support Manager provided an update on the schedule of petitions, covering petitions received since January 2023.

The officer responded to questions from members on the presentation of the schedule and mechanisms for monitoring the progress of petitions.

Resolved:

i.             That the schedule of petitions recorded since January 2023 be noted;

ii.            That the Chair and Vice-Chair review the format of the schedule of petitions in consultation with Democratic Services officers, with a view to a further report coming to the committee.

Reason:                To ensure the Committee carries out its constitutional role in relation to petitions.

To consider the scrutiny overview work plan.

Members considered the Scrutiny work plan for the four scrutiny committees.

Resolved:             That the work plan be noted.

Reason:                To ensure an overview of the scrutiny work programme.