Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of 30 September 2024.

The minutes of the meeting of 30 September 2024 were confirmed and signed.

Councillor Meekins drew members attention to the civic activities undertaken by himself and the Vice-Chairman in the weeks preceding full Council. He advised that Councillor Barber was unable to attend the Whittlesey Town Council Civic Service as listed in the activities.

Councillor Meekins paid his respects to former District Councillor Avis Gilliatt, who was a member of Fenland District Council from May 1999 to May 2007 as a Labour councillor for Wisbech (North) which became Waterlees (Wisbech). She served on the Economic Regeneration Committee, Housing Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Panel and Standards Committee.

Members joined Councillor Meekins in observing a minute’s silence for Avis Gilliatt.

Councillor Meekins thanked everyone who attend his Carol Service on 6 December, which was an enjoyable event in the historic St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Wisbech where a wonderful festive atmosphere was created to mark the start of the season. He extended his thanks to Member Services for their assistance in organising the event as well as Reverend Paul Kite, Keith Aplin, the Clarkson Singers and James Trundle, James Mooney Dutton, the organist and Hannah Teasdale, the Fenland Poet Laureate.

The Chairman stated that no written questions had been received under Procedure Rule 8.6.

Councillor Clark, in the absence of Councillor Booth as Leader of the Opposition, asked the following questions under Procedure Rule 8.4:

·         Councillor Clark congratulated Whittlesey on its wonderful tribute to Remembrance Day in the Whittlesey Garden of Rest, the crochet knitted figures represented many of the forces that gave so much for the country in the two world wars and he feels that Whittlesey members should be very proud of its residents who put on such an impressive show. He stated that after finding a parking place he walked along the main street, did some shopping and had something to eat and drink and enjoyed his visit to Whittlesey but on speaking to residents, parking seems to have been taken up by people parking in Whittlesey and travelling through to Peterborough to work, etc., avoiding parking charges in Peterborough and asked if the Leader was aware of this problem and if so what is he doing to address it? Councillor Boden responded that he was pleased that Councillor Clark enjoyed his visit to Whittlesey and the knitted works that have been found in the Garden of Rest and elsewhere in Whittlesey are the work of volunteers, nothing to do with the Town or District Councils and he is pleased that Councillor Clark agrees that it has had a massive impact on anyone who comes to Whittlesey and sees it for themselves. He stated that there are parking issues in Whittlesey and there is an element, which has been in existence for many years, of individuals who park in Whittlesey and then get the bus into Peterborough but it is really difficult to do much about it because if restrictions are introduced then it is going to potentially harm individuals who are working in the Town Centre so the available options are being investigated but he wants to do this as part of a comprehensive parking review, both on-street and off-street. Councillor Boden expressed the opinion that this issue has been stymied by the County Council for several years now and he is hoping that things will move forward after the elections but he is loathed to start things on a piecemeal basis just looking at the off-street parking issues when it needs to be undertaken holistically.

·         Councillor Clark asked for an update on the Saxon Pit creating dust, noise and smell and did the Council go ahead and purchase the monitoring equipment? Councillor Boden confirmed that the Council did purchase some additional monitoring equipment, which is not at Saxon Pit it is some distance away by the Park Lane school and it is operating and the information is being published as to what it is showing. He stated that it is really valuable to have that in conjunction with knowledge of what the wind direction is at any particular time as it can assist the Council significantly in trying to identify when people report a problem  ...  view the full minutes text for item C33/24

Members asked questions of Portfolio Holders in accordance with Procedure Rules 8.1 and 8.2 as follows:

·         Councillor Gerstner stated that he has been extensively lobbied and communicated with about the Ralph Butcher Causeway, with a letter having been circulated by Alex Beckett, Chair of Highways and Transport at the County Council to say that there is a contractual dispute between the County Council and the contractor. He asked will this hold up even more the non-information or very little information that is coming through at the moment and does this start to look a little bit like the guided bus way affair that the County Council had issue with the contractor many years ago and asked for any update. Councillor Boden responded that it has been remarkable how little public information has become available in the last three weeks about what has been happening in Whittlesey and those that do not live in Whittlesey will not be aware of the sheer chaos that there has been for the around 6 months, particularly in the last few weeks because of restrictions on the Ralph Butcher Causeway. He referred to Alex Beckett’s letter, which he was not going to comment on until at least between Christmas and New Year as it is important that the current situation is sorted, but he was surprised to read the letter which tried to bring party politics into the subject and made reference to something which he understood was not supposed to be mentioned but given that Alex Beckett is the Chairman of the Transportation and Highways Committee at the County Council and he has made reference to it he now also feels able to make reference to it. Councillor Boden stated that after the current administration came into power at County Council there was a catastrophic failure of the bridge supports, this was before any bridge had been put on top of the supports, and action was taken at that time to change the design of the bridge and supports so that if the whole of Fenland were to be devasted by a Comet hitting it the one thing that would stay up would be those bridge supports. He continued that this is not what should really have happened at that time, which was a better questioning of why did that catastrophic failure happen and it is possible that if that had been looked at by the County Council administration at that time thoroughly they may have found there was an underlying problem which may be the same as the underlying problem that there is now with the support of the embankment right next to those bridge supports. Councillor Boden expressed the view that it may be when all of this finally comes out and what has caused the problems that currently exist there may have been a missed opportunity in 2021 because there was a real warning sign that perhaps ground conditions were such that it was inadvisable to continue the way it went.  ...  view the full minutes text for item C34/24

Motion submitted by Councillor Roy regarding the Fenland Flag.

Councillor Roy presented his motion concerning The Flag of the Fens.

Councillor Summers seconded the motion and members made the following comments:

·         Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she does not hear of anyone in Whittlesey accepting this flag from Whittlesey Town Council’s point of view and she cannot support it as she considers it to be a poor copy and design of the rampant of Scotland and the Royal Banner of the Royal Arms of Scotland. She drew members attention to the centre of the Chamber, where there is a carpet which has the Fenland registered insignia and also on entering Fenland Hall there was a flag flying which is the same insignia as in the Chamber. Councillor Mrs Laws made the point that The Flag of the Fens has been talked about for several years and she does not consider it represents Fenland. She feels if members have the time and inclination to look at this she would suggest it goes out to consultation and goes through the proper process but she cannot see anything wrong with the Fenland emblem that exists now.

·         Councillor Tierney expressed the view that normally when a motion is presented to Council he would expect to see a problem being raised, suggestions to clarify the depth of the problem and then a solution and he does not feel this motion does this as it is a bit vague and seems to require him to do some research before he can look at supporting it. He referred to the first paragraph where it says Fenland is growing, the East of England is growing, which is fine but the second paragraph then says Fenland needs an identity but he feels that Fenland already has an identity, Fenland itself as well as all the individual villages and towns all have culture and identity already and he feels it a little rude to suggest otherwise, which this motion does in several places. Councillor Tierney expressed the opinion that it is for the people of Fenland to decide if they need a flag to represent them not one individual and it may be that lots of work has been undertaken but the motion does not mention this, it gives no background. He stated that the third paragraph goes on to do what is called a logical fallacy, it is an appeal to authority by saying these other people support it, the MP supports it so this Council should support it, these people are all entitled to their views but members have their own decision to make looking at the evidence presented to them. Councillor Tierney referred to it finally stating that all these people need to be brought together under one identity as if suggesting a flag developed or thought about by one person will somehow solve every issue that cultures, religions and races have with one another and he does not believe a flag will change that. He feels the motion is a failed motion, it does not  ...  view the full minutes text for item C35/24

Motion submitted by Councillor Taylor in respect of sustainability of farming and horticulture in Fenland.

Councillor Taylor presented his motion regarding the sustainability of farming and horticulture in Fenland.

Councillor Foice-Beard seconded the motion and members made the following comments:

·         Councillor Tierney stated that he supports this, he does not normally like motions that begin with writing to the Secretary of State because he does not think they care what members say, regardless of which party is in power, but he likes anything that supports farmers. He feels it is important that the Council is clear it supports agriculture and farmers in every respect because they need to hear that people support them at the moment.

·         Councillor Summers referred to vagueness of motions already being mentioned today and for him this motion is too vague, it fails to clarify what the perceived obstacles to it are in any material sense and it fails to provide the solutions to those obstacles. He added that he loves a farm shop and supports them but, in his view, there needs to be regulation around how they appear and that is why he does not support this motion.

·         Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she will support this motion without question, she made the point that there is a huge amount of regulation around farm shops and they have to go through proper planning procedure as with any development and there is no fast tracking of farm shops because if it was fast tracked then a residential development should be fast tracked. She made the point that farm shops are also regulated by Environmental Health and there has to be consideration given to highways, the location of the property, easy access and traffic movement, which is really no different to how a planning application for housing development or other structures would be handled. Councillor Mrs Laws stated that as the emerging Local Plan is being developed the Council wants to support business coming into Fenland and look to enhance and improve the agricultural system.

·         Councillor Nawaz expressed surprise that farmers are not already able to have their own shops as you can open up a corner shop with 5 minutes notice and sell alcohol and unhealthy food and why are farm shops with healthy foodstuff not allowed, especially when the farmers are hard squeezed by big retailers and now with the inheritance tax on top. He feels the Council should try to facilitate the farmers and not put any obstructions in their way, although he acknowledges there are rules and regulations that govern the setting up of farm shops. Councillor Nawaz stated that he fully supports the motion and in this area which is predominantly rural with lots of farms members are supposed to be representing everybody’s interests.

·         Councillor Barber stated that she fully supports this motion and wonders how there are little stalls on the side of the road selling strawberries in Summer for example and she is sure they do not have planning permission. She feels that members should support the farmers in whatever they do, as  ...  view the full minutes text for item C36/24

Motion submitted by Cllr Barber regarding preservation of the Fenland landscape and recognition of the area of Fenland as a critical food producing area.

Councillor Barber presented her motion regarding preserving the Fenland landscape and recognising the area of Fenland as a critical food producing area.

Councillor Taylor seconded the motion and members made the following comments:

·         Councillor Tierney expressed the opinion that Governments have gone completely mad because the only thing that seems to matter to them in controlling the weather and the threat of climate change. He expressed the view that food security is absolutely vital and there are lots of forms of energy but solar and wind, which are the top sources currently, are not counted on what they cost the area, the concrete that needs to be laid, the turbines, the areas of land eaten up by solar panels, the difficulty of undertaking battery storage in the long term and the costs of subsidies which are so well hidden to make these forms of energy seem inexpensive and affordable when they are not. Councillor Tierney expressed the opinion that the best form of energy that can be used is the old-fashioned forms but there is concern about the consequences of using them but he feels that the area should not starve itself or future generations by making stupid decisions now. He made the point that Fenland is a fantastic farming agricultural area, with some of the best land in the country providing a lot of food and why would this be destroyed to build some, in his view, useless solar panels.

·         Councillor Carney agreed with the comments of Councillor Tierney, solar farms and wind turbines are foisted on the area whether they are wanted or not. He takes on board Councillor Barber’s point about having the local population consulted on it and being listened to but members all know that they are not, referring to the solar farm near Fordham with local people protesting in that area and the County Council making a legal challenge against the Government, but local people and local councils no matter what they say are having them imposed by higher authorities whether it is wanted or not. Councillor Carney stated that he wholeheartedly supports this motion because if it is only a tiny mechanism to get the message driven home the nation needs to be fed and needs food. He made the point that why cannot large industrial buildings have solar panels fitted to them rather than the use of Grade 1 or 2 fertile land.

·         Councillor Gerstner stated that he fully supports this motion, he thinks it is a very good motion but unfortunately the Council has its “arms tied behind its back” in planning terms as for many years in this area building has been allowed on Grade 1 agricultural land because of planning rules and regulations. He feels it is a travesty that building is taking place on good quality farmland, it is known that farmers suffer and he has a farmer near to him where his farm was flooded and whose yield was only 50% of what he normally gets and  ...  view the full minutes text for item C37/24

For Council to review the Council’s Treasury Management activity for the first six months of 2024/25 and to provide members with an update on matters pertinent to future updates to the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy

Members considered that Council’s Treasury Management activity for the first six months of 2024/25, together with an update on matters pertinent to future updates to the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy presented by Councillor Boden.

Councillor Nawaz stated that this report is not easy to compile as there is so much uncertainty, thanking the officers concerned and elected members for bringing together this complex report and he agrees that, putting the uncertainties aside, there have been two successive months of shrinking economy and it is likely that the fourth quarter of this year will show a contraction in GDP and that injects even more uncertainty, with the Government being required to reduce the interest rates and then increase them again, which may affect figures. He added that the £40 billion tax grab by the Government means a range of companies will not be investing much money or employing any more staff, particularly in view of the increases in National Insurance contributions so he feels it is a good report in difficult circumstances.

Proposed by Councillor Boden, seconded by Councillor Nawaz and AGREED that the report be noted.

For Council to consider and approve the Economic Growth Strategic Refresh 2025-28.

Members considered the Economic Growth Strategic Refresh document created to continue the delivery of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy 2012-2031 presented by Councillor Boden in the absence of Councillor Benney.

Members made comments as follows:

·         Councillor Count thanked the officers and members that have helped put this document together, it has been produced in partnership with the Combined Authority to enable an overall growth strategy and it is very important that Fenland manages to put its marker down and that it is open for business. He feels it is a good piece of work and the examples used show how much the Council can help a business whereas in some areas of Government it gets in the way of local businesses. Councillor Count drew attention to the section that talks about available serviced land and infrastructure, with there being some great potential things happening locally, with one of the major projects which people either like or do not like being the Fenland Reservoir but he wants to concentrate on the area around the Chatteris Stainless Metalcraft and the possibility of the Peterborough Science and Technology Park at Whittlesey as what separates them for him is landing high productivity businesses in the area and he is looking for more of that and it is the productivity that is achieved in an area that changes the social and economic outcomes for the area, with there being too many years when the residents of the area have attended universities elsewhere and attained better jobs elsewhere, which means the economic material that is left in the Fens is behind other areas which has had social outcomes. He expressed the view that if the most can be made out of areas such as these and high values jobs can be drawn into the area with high productivity then the area would start keeping some of the people that are local to Fenland, which will make a real difference. Councillor Count would like the Council to go further as when a business is expanding they cannot afford to wait for a planning system and it is about how quickly it can be delivered and he has seen examples of where enterprise parks have said they will do all the necessary background work and pay associated costs which can be recouped and he would like to see a package put in front of the CPCA to say this is what is needed to change the area to bring some high productivity growth into Fenland, which could reduce inequalities in the area.

·         Councillor Miscandlon agreed with the comments of Councillor Count, the two major projects in the Fens at the moment are the reservoir and the technical and science park, with it being unfortunate that it is referred to as Peterborough, but it is many millions of pounds that is going to be spent on this project which is not prime agricultural land, it is a waste area, but it will be, if it comes to fruition, a  ...  view the full minutes text for item C39/24

To Consider the recommendation by Licensing Committee for approval of the draft policy document the Gambling Act – Statement of Principles Policy 2025 – 2028.

Members considered the Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Principles 2024 following a period of public consultation and approval by the Licensing Committee presented by Councillor Oliver.

Proposed by Councillor Oliver, seconded by Councillor Humphrey and AGREED that the Gambling Act – Statement of Principles Policy 2025-2028 be approved.