Councillor S Roberts (Chair); Councillors D N Bebbington, P K Butterill, R Cartlidge, A Crawford, P A Hallett, M A Hollins, A C Johnson, A Moran, S J S Mottram, R Stafford and L T Wood     

 

Councillor S W Hogben

 

P Ancell            Executive Director, Environment and Development

W Howie           Democratic Services Manager 

D Moulson        Democratic Services Officer

A Wenham       Chief Executive   

 

12.        DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

Councillor Bebbington declared a personal interest in the proceedings on the basis that he was a former member of the Memorial Action Team. 

 

No other Member declared any personal or prejudicial interest in respect of the business on the agenda.          

 

13.         WHIPPING DECLARATIONS

 

In accordance with Paragraph 18 of the Performance and Overview Procedure Rules, Members were invited to declare in respect of items where the whip had been applied.  No such declarations were made.  

 

 

14.         REVIEW OF DECISION: MUNICIPAL SQUARE, CREWE SUSPENSION OF CERTAIN WORKS              

 

 

In accordance with the Council's Constitution, four Members of Performance and Overview Local Economy and Environment Committee had given the required notice to "call-in" Board Decision No.3: Municipal Square, Crewe - Suspension of Certain Works.  The report, together with its subsequent decision was submitted to the Committee.  

        

The meeting was conducted by way of a two-stage process.  Stage 1 invited the full Committee to determine whether it wished to consider the matter further.

 

 

 

 

The Chairman referred the Committee to the Record of Decision made by the Board at its meeting on 5^th June 2006 and made reference to the reasons given for the decision.  Paragraph c stated that "there had been widespread public concern about the proposed re-siting of the war memorial, as evidenced by the submission of a petition containing 10,000 names". 

 

High local significance and public interest had also been given as reasons for the Committee and Council reconsidering Board Decision 33: Crewe Town Centre Enhancement Scheme in September 2004.  With this in mind, the Chairman argued that the decision should be referred for debate to Council on the same grounds.

 

It was also proposed by a Member that the Board's decision to acknowledge the potential need for an additional budgetary allocation from revenue reserves fell outside of its powers and was in itself a reason to refer the matter to Council.                      

 

There was some concern amongst the Committee that the decision of the Board i.e. that works to the Municipal Square specific to the War Memorial be suspended, had not being addressed by Members of the Committee, rather the focus of the meeting had been the level of public concern in relation to the War Memorial.        

 

 

The Chairman moved on to stage 2 of the process and invited Members to conclude whether the Committee had established valid reasons to refer the decision back to the Board or Council.  

 

 

Members were then invited to give reasons for the reconsideration and to state whether Board or Council was the appropriate body to refer the decision to.

 

        

It was proposed that the decision be referred back to the Board for reconsideration, which was put the vote and was lost.  The Committee was then invited to vote on whether there were grounds for referring the decision to Council.  Before moving to the vote, the Chairman stated that Council should be advised that the Committee considered that work on the Municipal Square should continue as planned which would not preclude further consultation on the location of the War Memorial.                

        

 

 

  ....................  Chair