4
The Chairman informed the Committee that it would be receiving an update at each meeting from a different Cabinet Member on his/her portfolio and that the Committee would have the opportunity to ask questions. These updates would last for a maximum of 45 minutes with 10 minutes for the Cabinet Member to make his/her presentation and 35 minutes for members of the Committee to ask questions.
The Chairman advised that the first of these updates would be from Councillor Gallant, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Resources, inviting him to address the Committee.
Councillor Gallant tabled a document detailing the key themes and aims of the Council alongside related actions and achievements.
Councillor Gallant informed the Committee that it had been his ambition since becoming Leader of the Council that every Member, regardless of party or position, feels he/she has a part to play in the Council moving forwards. He said that he wanted the Council to be inclusive and working together to deliver change and efficiency for the residents of East Suffolk.
The five key themes and aims, as promised in the Conservative manifesto for the 2019 Local Elections, were highlighted. Councillor Gallant acknowledged that his Conservative Group councillors had been elected against this manifesto and also considered the commitments made in his speech at the Annual Council meeting on 22 May 2019, when he was elected as Leader of the Council. He wanted to highlight the achievements to date and how they aligned with the new East Suffolk Strategic Plan.
Councillor Gallant stressed the need for financial sustainability in order for the Council to grow and prosper, stating that this would be achieved through delivering the current budget position and planning for challenges in the longer term. He acknowledged the financial uncertainties ahead, acknowledging the need for Councillor Cook, his Assistant Cabinet Member for Resources, and the Finance officers to err on the side of caution. Councillor Gallant stated that he was looking forward and seeing a bright future for the Council.
Councillor Gallant listed some of the achievements made since he had become Leader of the Council:
- the appointment of a new Cabinet to bring together people with the skill sets to deliver on objectives and work together in a harmonious way with other Members and officers, and who had the ambition to deliver a positive, engaging Cabinet for the benefit of the wider Council
- regular meetings with the Leaders of the two opposition groups, which took place immediately after Cabinet Briefing meetings, to inform the opposition groups of forward planning and receive their influence and feedback before reports were presented to Cabinet. Councillor Gallant considered his relationships with the Leaders of the two opposition groups were good and enabled open and honest dialogue. It was the intention to increase the engagement of Cabinet with all Ward Members, so it was aware of local issues
- the development of the relationship between Members and officers so that all moved forward together as 'one council', rather than having a 'Member led' or 'officer led' council, acknowledging the key role of officers in delivering the Council's objectives
Councillor Gallant gave a positive example of the relationship between Members and officers, noting a recent visit from Members and officers of another council who, when noting the close relationship between Councillor Gallant and the Chief Executive when giving a presentation, highlighted that there was a very distant relationship between Members and officers at their own authority.
The Chairman invited questions to Councillor Gallant.
Councillor Gallant said that at the end of the current four-year cycle, he saw East Suffolk Council being well respected and delivering efficient and effective services. He wanted to see the Council enabling communities and improving the quality of life for its citizens and stressed the importance of the Community Partnerships in delivering against that ambition. He highlighted that the new council had received a positive reception from outside bodies, noting the positive relationship between the Council and Lowestoft Town Council, given the fraught relationship between the latter and Waveney District Council, and how this would deliver for Lowestoft.
In response to a question on the biggest challenge to achieving those ambitions, Councillor Gallant considered this to be continuing the stability currently enjoyed by the Council. He said it was his intention to remain as Leader and that he was looking to the future but said that challenges, such as the financial ones highlighted in the previous report considered by the Committee, would impact on this. He said he was pleased to see the Independent Remuneration Panel's (IRP) report be approved unanimously by Full Council the previous evening.
When asked about the development of housing stock in the former Suffolk Coastal area and bringing services currently handled by Norse back 'in house', Councillor Gallant said that it was positive that the new council inherited such a well-managed housing stock from Waveney District Council along with a skilled trade staff to enable to run a rolling maintenance programme without relying on external contracts, and stated that there were ambitions to grow this stock into the former Suffolk Coastal area in the south of the District.
On the subject of Norse services, Councillor Gallant noted that all aspects of the Norse contracts were being reviewed as there were now two years left to run on these contracts. He acknowledged the disparity between some of the services provided by Norse and assured the Committee that the review would look to see if these contracts were fit for purpose for East Suffolk Council.
Councillor Gallant stated that the environmental agenda was key to delivery and was one of the Council's five themes. He highlighted that the Environment Task Group had been formed and was meeting in a regular basis and was already having a positive impact. He noted that there was no single solution to the environmental challenges faced by the Council and that it was learning and evolving on this issue.
The Chairman asked if Councillor Gallant intended to fill the Resources portfolio, which he held in addition as being Leader of the Council, and if he intended to allocate Assistant Cabinet Members to all portfolios. He also asked Councillor Gallant what his motivation had been to stand for Leader.
Councillor Gooch arrived at this point of the meeting (7.27 pm).
Councillor Gallant confirmed that he had left it to the discretion of individual Cabinet Members to state if they required an Assistant Cabinet Member, noting the differing demands of each portfolio. He noted that in his case, the workload of the Resources portfolio had required him to appoint an Assistant Cabinet Member for Resources.
Councillor Gallant said that he had been able to identify Councillor Cook as a suitable candidate for this role following a skills audit of all 55 councillors to establish the background and skills of each Member, and it was his intention to appoint him as Cabinet Member with responsibility for Resources in the near future. Councillor Gallant also detailed his visit to each Ward in the District to learn more about each area and the local people.
In regard to his motivation to be Leader of the Council, Councillor Gallant acknowledged that he had only been a District Councillor for four years at Suffolk Coastal District Council before being elected to East Suffolk Council in 2019, and had a been a Cabinet Member for all of that time. He said that this had allowed him to learn at an early stage that it was not always possible to know what was going on if you were outside of senior Member roles.
Councillor Gallant stated that he had considered that the first Leader of East Suffolk Council should not have been either one of the Leaders of its predecessor authorities as it was a new council and this would have appeared, both internally and externally, like one authority taking over the other. He said that he had stood for Leader because of his ambition to make East Suffolk Council an inclusive authority for all its Members regardless of their position. He noted that he sent regular updates to all Members to achieve this and was committed to delivering the agenda he had outlined in his presentation.
A member of the Committee acknowledged the ongoing pressures on local government to deliver services and that district authorities had started to take on services traditionally delivered by County authorities. He asked Councillor Gallant what services may be delegated to the Council by Suffolk County Council in the near future, noting the current issues facing that authority in continuing to support the Citizens' Advice Bureaux.
Councillor Gallant agreed that the role of district councils had changed and highlighted that he had been criticised in the past for focusing on issues that were not normally within the purview of district and borough authorities. He said that such authorities were not just responsible for cutting the grass and emptying the bins but were there to provide for their communities and improve things for their residents. He said that the Community Partnerships being established was a good example of this.
Councillor Gallant acknowledged the budgetary constraints of Suffolk County Council and its reduction of services such as bus routes. He considered that in this example there was a need for the Council to step in and help deliver sustainable community transport that would enable communities and address issues such as social isolation, education standards and childhood obesity.
The same member of the Committee advised that he was also a Town Councillor and said that there was pressure at that level to deliver on the green agenda, expressing concerns that the Council would not be able to deliver on its environmental targets. He said that councils were being given problems and not solutions and asked what the Council could do about this.
Councillor Gallant said that there was no easy solution to environmental issues and that no single action would resolve them. He highlighted that tree planting was cited as an essential action but this ran contrary to the maintenance of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB which required self-seeded trees to be removed to protect that environment. Councillor Gallant said that this was similar in the renewable energy sector as offshore wind power, although beneficial to the environment, had an environmental impact through its infrastructure to bring that power ashore. He said that joined up working nationally was required to resolve these issues.
It was also noted that the Council's Environment Task Group had real and measurable ambitions, highlighting the survey commissioned to see if solar panels could be installed on the roof of East Suffolk House. Councillor Gallant said that to meet climate change ambitions actions needed to happen at the right speed, at the right time and that he had asked Councillor Mallinder, Cabinet Member with responsibility for The Environment, to engage with the wider community to see what actions could be taken by the Council and what pressure it should put on the Government.
In response to questions regarding the lack of engagement from both the local Highways Authority and Highways England, Councillor Gallant advised that the Suffolk County Council reporting tool was a useful route for engagement as it provided a reference number. He noted that he had appointed Councillor Normal Brooks as Cabinet Member with responsibility for Transport, a portfolio which neither Suffolk Coastal nor Waveney District Council had appointed to in their respective Cabinets, and that Councillor Brooks was developing a good level of communication between the Council and the local Highways Authority.
Councillor Gallant added that Councillor Brooks was also working on improving communications with Highways England and encouraged Members to report any problems reporting issues to them.
Another member of the Committee asked how Councillor Gallant considered the other group leaders influenced him as Leader of the Council. Councillor Gallant said that he had recently stated in an email to Members that he did not think that the Conservative Group had all the good ideas, and that he was receptive to good ideas coming from all groups. He was of the view that any opposition Member could approach him and was happy to deal with issues, such as the Fairtrade question raised at Full Council at its last meeting, outside of the formal meeting environment.
The Chairman asked what realistic plans there were to broaden the types of people standing to be a councillor, noting the IRP's recommendations within its recent report to Full Council.
Councillor Gallant noted that the increase in Members' Allowances would help bring a more diverse pool of candidates forward but stated that money was not the primary driver for someone to stand for elected office and said he wanted to motivate people to come forward by providing opportunities for councillors to make a difference. He advised that the Member Development Panel was looking to instil this message in prospective candidates for the 2023 Local Elections.
A member of the Committee referenced Councillor Gallant's visits to each Ward and asked if he was planning to undertake a similar exercise during the remainder of his current term of office. Councillor Gallant advised that he had no immediate plans to repeat the exercise due to the large time commitment it would require and encouraged Members to approach him at any time regarding issues in their Wards.
Councillor Cloke left the Conference Room between 8.00 pm and 8.03 pm.
Another member of the Committee noted the large geography and population of the District and the Council having two headquarters and asked what Councillor Gallant considered to be the challenges to creating a sense of unity.
Councillor Gallant said that a sense of unity had begun to develop since the creation of East Suffolk Council and acknowledged the large travelling distances within the District. He said that it was important to encourage town and parish councils to engage with the Council, highlighting the low turnout at recent briefings regarding the Draft General Fund Budget for 2020/21. Councillor Gallant considered that there was an opportunity for Ward Members to help develop this.
There being no further questions, the Chairman thanked Councillor Gallant for attending the meeting.