Councillor Marc Francis

Development Committee - Thursday, 3rd October, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The Development Committee refused an application to redevelop Montgomery Square and Water Street. They voted to reject the officers' recommendation to approve the application because of concerns about the impact on local businesses and increased traffic congestion.

Council - Wednesday, 2nd October, 2024 7.00 p.m.

The meeting approved the creation of a Mayor's Winter Emergency Fund to provide financial support to pensioners ineligible for the scrapped Winter Fuel Allowance payments, and approved time-banded waste collection regulations. Two motions were also debated, one from the Administration on winter fuel payments and another from the Labour group about the council's homelessness accommodation placement policy.

Extraordinary Meeting, Overview & Scrutiny Committee - Monday, 30th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met to consider a call-in of the Cabinet's decision to award new contracts for the provision of domiciliary care services in the borough. Following a lengthy discussion, in which concerns were raised about a lack of transparency in the decision-making process, the Committee ultimately voted to uphold the Cabinet's decision.

Human Resources Committee - Thursday, 26th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The committee discussed the high number of interim staff at the council, and the recruitment processes underway for several senior roles. A request to extend the contract of an interim member of staff was approved. Concern was expressed about delays in receiving reports for the meeting and about the level of detail contained within them.

Standards Advisory Committee - Wednesday, 18th September, 2024 6.30 p.m.

The meeting discussed arrangements for dealing with complaints against councillors, the proposed publication of new Local Government Association (LGA) best practice guidance for Standards Committees, and the possible creation of a 'Standards In Public Life' webpage for the Council. The Committee agreed to consider updating its processes for handling complaints and also agreed to provide further information to the LGA about how its Standards Committee operates.