To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Brian Edwards, Diana Edwards and Andrew Gardiner.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 14 and 20 July 2011.

The minutes of the council meetings held on 14 and 20 July 2011 were confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the meeting.

The chairman to identify any items of urgent business.

The chairman identified no items of urgent business.

To receive any declarations of interest in any matter to be discussed at the meeting.  Members and officers are requested to identify the nature of the interest and indicate whether it is personal or prejudicial.

Following advice from the Group Manager for Legal and Democratic, Marie Rosenthal, on the protocol for the declaration of personal and prejudicial interests, the following declarations of interest were made: -

Councillor Marrilyn Smart OBE declared a personal interest in item 10.3 of the agenda, (motion from Councillor Lynn Sterry relating to the Health and Social Care Services), as a member of Gloucestershire County Council, Health, Community and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Carole Allaway Martin declared a personal interest in item 10.3 of the agenda, (motion from Councillor Lynn Sterry relating to the Health and Social Care Services) as an employee of the National Health Trust. Councillor Allaway Martin also declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Coleford Town Council.

Councillor Len Lawton declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Newent Town Council.

Councillor Bill Osborne declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Lydney Town Council.

Councillor Bill Evans declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Newland Parish Council.

As members of Gloucestershire County Council, Councillors Brian Robinson, Terry Glastonbury, Martin Quaile, Terry Hale and Graham Morgan each declared a prejudicial interest in item 10.1 of the agenda, (motion from Councillor Bill Evans requesting that the county council urgently liaise with Community Team Network Rail and other relevant parties to provide a pedestrian access/egress).

Councillor Terry Hale also declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Newland Parish Council and in item 10.3 of the agenda, (motion from Councillor Lynn Sterry relating to the Health and Social Care Services), as a member of Gloucestershire County Council, Health, Community and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Graham Morgan also declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Cinderford Town Council.

Councillor Di Martin declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Cinderford Town Council.

Councillor Max Coborn declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges in the Forest of Dean), as a member of Cinderford Town Council.

Councillor Lynn Sterry declared a personal interest in item 8 of the agenda, (local petition scheme opposing the introduction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Cllr Norman Stephens, Chairman of the Council, announced that he had written a letter of condolence on behalf of the council to the local community council of Cilybebyll in South Wales affected by the recent tragic death of four miners. He added that the district had always felt a close affinity to the mining communities of South Wales.

He had also received a phone call from Cllr Pam Tracey, Sheriff of Gloucester, who had offered her sincere apologies to the people of the district for her comments regarding the Boundary Commission's proposal to include Westgate in Gloucester in the Forest of Dean Parliamentary Constituency. He was sure that her comment had been tongue-in-cheek and she had been upset.

The chairman to invite members and officers of the council and members of the public to join him in observing one minute's silence as a mark of respect for:

Lieutenant Daniel John Clack, First Battalion the Rifles

Lance Corporal Jonathan James McKinlay, First Battalion the Rifles

Councillor Frank Beard

Group leaders and other members will have an opportunity to add to the chairman’s tribute to Councillor Beard.

The chairman invited members and officers of the council and members of the public to join him in observing one minute's silence as a mark of respect to Lieutenant Daniel John Clack and Lance Corporal Jonathan James McKinlay, of First Battalion the Rifles and to Cllr Frank Beard, who sadly passed away on 7 September 2011. Cllr Beard had been a District Councillor for many years, (1974 to 2007), and re-elected again in May 2011. Cllr Beard had also been Chairman of the Council from 2006 to 2007, a Gloucestershire County Councillor, a Cinderford Town Councillor and the first Mayor of Cinderford.

The chairman invited group leaders and other members to pay tribute to Cllr Beard.

Labour Group Leader, Cllr Martin, said that Cllr Beard had been a true forester in every sense of the word in that he believed in the ethos of what a true forester entailed, whether born and bred in the forest or involved in forest life. She described Cllr Beard as a fantastic councillor, a respected friend and a great mentor to both herself and to other labour councillors and colleagues. Often referred to as ‘Mr Cinderford’, she said that Cllr Beard had been a stalwart labour member, whose loss to Cinderford and to the labour branch of the Forest of Dean, would be huge. Cllr Martin also referred to Cllr Beard’s commitment to his partner and to his family, which she described as a testament to his belief in the young people of Cinderford and to their future. 

Speaking as a close personal friend and colleague of Cllr Beard, Cllr Morgan, said that his friendship with Cllr Beard had been a deep and longstanding one. He said that, on first meeting with Cllr Beard, he had been so impressed by his style of being a councillor, that he had tried to emulate all that Cllr Beard represented. Referring to him as a ‘great councillor’ and a ‘champion of young people’, Cllr Morgan said that Cllr Beard was a staunch advocate of listening to local opinion and that his sad loss would leave an empty hollow for the people of Cinderford and to local politics.

Cllr Hogan reflected on the many wonderful times he had spent with Cllr Beard, and said that, although a quiet and unassuming man, he had an inner strength and remarkable spirit that would be hard to replace. Cllr Hogan said that he would miss Cllr Beard’s friendship very much.

Speaking on behalf of the Conservative Group, Cllr Smart said that Cllr Beard had been a supportive and welcoming former Chairman of the Council, when she herself had assumed the role in 2007. Describing Cllr Beard as a devoted councillor and dedicated family man, Cllr Smart applauded Cllr Beard’s contribution to the local community and said that she had great respect for both his work and his commitment to the people of the Forest of Dean. Cllr Horne shared these sentiments and said that Cllr Beard was a quiet and much  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.1

The Chairman’s Charity Dinner will be held on Friday 25 November 2011 at Forest Hillls Golf Club at 7pm.  The focus for the evening will be the Pride of the Forest Awards.

The chairman invited members to his Chairman's Charity Dinner on Friday 25 November 2011 at Forest Hills Golf Club at 7pm.  The focus for the evening would be the Pride of the Forest Awards, and he asked members to nominate worthy people. He also asked that councillorslet the Head of Paid Service's personal assistant know by 28 October 2011 if they required tickets.

The Chairman to announce that he will be holding a carol service on Wednesday 14 December 2011 at 7.30pm in Westbury-on-Severn.  More details will be circulated in due course.

The Chairman announced that he would be holding a carol service on Wednesday 14 December 2011 at 7.30pm in Westbury-on-Severn.  More details would be circulated in due course.

To answer questions asked by members of the public. The constitution requires that questions are received three working days before the meeting (deadline 4.00pm on Monday, 3 October 2011).

Question 1

The following question was received from Mrs Barbara Jenkins

My question is regarding Forest of Dean Tourist Information. What changes are taking place under the proposal to liaise with the Wye Valley Tourist Information Service? What opportunity will there be to showcase local choirs, bands, entertainments and festivals for tourists and local people without access to the internet?

Response from the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Patrick Molyneux

The proposals you refer to are at an early stage but in essence they build on the excellent work to date for key players in the tourism industry to promote the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley as a fantastic place to come and stay.

The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley combined is a natural destination in terms of landscape, geography and target market - more so than the previous arrangements with the Cotswolds.  By bringing together this Council; the Forestry Commission; Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association; and Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a joined up approach will further raise the profile of the area and make better use of people’s time and money.

The proposal would not be an exclusive working partnership and in time, work on specific projects could be extended to Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. In broad terms, the partnership’s role will be to attract people to stay in or visit the district. Local organisations should take the lead in looking after them once they are here – a principle that has been agreed by the local tourism association.

As explained to you at the Council meeting in September 2010,this Council is not responsible for organising and promoting events around the district.  It is the responsibility of event organisers to promote local events in the way they see most appropriate – be it electronically or using more traditional methods such as flyers and posters and the very effective word of mouth. However, we recognise that events put on by individuals, organisations, town and parish councils are of great value to the community and many are of interest to our visitors. That is why our Commercial Services Team offer a free of charge opportunity to promote events via our official tourism website, but I must stress that this can happen only when the organisers tells us about the event.

For those without internet access at home, or where they are staying, this information can be accessed via internet terminals in the Main Place, libraries and also in our council reception.  In addition, the number of tourist information kiosks has been increased and they are now located in Coleford; the Dean Heritage Centre; Forest Holidays in Christchurch; Labels Outlet Shopping near Ross; Whitemead Forest Park in Parkend; and Taurus Crafts in Lydney.  A new location is currently being found for the Newent kiosk and one will shortly be installed in the National Diving Centre at Tidenham.  A potential location is also being explored in Herefordshire, not only  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

No member questions have been received.

No questions were received.

To receive a petition under the local petition scheme opposing the introduction of car parking charges.  The petitioners believe that the introduction of these charges would:

• be detrimental to the economic welfare of the towns
• be too costly to set up and service
• not generatie the income required

The petition organiser will be given five minutes to present the petition, members will then decide how to respond.

The Council may decide to agree or disagree with the petition, or ask for more work to be done and/or refer the matter to Cabinet.

The clerk of Lydney Town Council, Jayne Smailes, presented the petition to the chairman, who thanked her and commented that it was the first for this council term.

Upon invitation Jayne Smailes made several points in support of the petition. She began by stating that there were 6521 signatories to date. She had submitted a letter on 3 October 2011 drawing members' attention to a judicial review in 1995. It concerned the fact that income from parking charges should not be used to plug gaps in councils' budgets, but should be self-financing. The petition sought a full debate and investigation to determine how any income would be re-invested. There were also anomalies in the consultants' (RTA) and cabinet reports, so members needed to become fully informed on financial details and the economic effects of the proposal on the district, which was 'flat lining'. She suggested that if the council addressed other services like it had the CCTV issue, it might not need to charge for parking. She also questioned the fact that five members (the cabinet) had made a decision when 48 members were corporately responsible.

Cllr Molyneux, Leader of the Council, proposed and Cllr Ede seconded the following motion.

That Full Council notes the petition and the views it contains and refers it to the cabinet, along with the views of the members here tonight, to fully consider as part of its determination of how best to manage council owned off-street car parking in the district.

Speaking to his motion, Cllr Molyneux welcomed the petition to get the views of the community and to give the matter a full debate with views from all sides. He reminded members that the matter was not new and that the cabinet had considered it last in 2008 after a lot of background work.

The key concerns at the time had been economic detriment of such a move to the community and he emphasised the need for accurate figures in any report. The modelling on modest charging was designed to cover costs. Any small surplus would always be needed to improve the car parks, traffic flow and town centres.

Currently car parks were not free but paid for by Council Tax payers. He asked if that was fair and was the best use of limited resources. The cabinet had looked at all services carefully and believed that people who use car parks should contribute toward the cost of providing them, so that the council could use its budget for other key areas such as support for leisure centres, the CAB and others. He maintained that unless someone could suggest a feasible alternative the council was in a cul-de-sac on the matter. He guaranteed that the cabinet would give the matter full consideration, taking into consideration views from this debate and from the scrutiny process.

Cllr O'Neill proposed and Cllr Morgan seconded the following amendment.

That the Chairman of the Council receives the petition at this stage and after a full and thorough scrutiny  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Report LD.378 relating to the Review of Parliamentary Constituencies 2013 and the initial proposals published by the Boundary Commission.

The chairman introduced the item by agreeing to take Cllr Hogan’s motion with it, as it related to the Boundary Commission’s draft proposals.

Cllr Molyneux proposed and Cllr Smart seconded the following motion:

This council asks the Independent Boundary Commission to review the options for the Forest of Dean to try to ensure that the natural makeup of the constituency is maintained, (i.e. a largely rural area, which includes market towns), and that common boundaries that can be crossed should be respected.

Speaking to his motion, he emphasised the need for the Boundary Commission (the Commission) to ensure that all constituencies had approximately the same number of constituents. He also agreed that there were special cases such as the Isle of Wight, but he did not think the Commission would consider the district as a special case. He recognised that the Commission was independent, but to include part of a city in the Forest of Dean constituency would mix the balance. He believed that it was not the council's role to fiddle around with the district's borders, but that it should seek a rural solution from the Commission to maintain a contiguous constituency without uncrossable borders.

Cllr Hogan proposed and Cllr Pugh seconded the following amendment:

That the Forest of Dean District Council resolves to send the following response to the Boundaries Commission’s draft proposals for redefining the parliamentary constituencies within Gloucestershire. Furthermore, this response should be circulated to all principal local authorities within Gloucestershire and all town and parish councils in the Forest of Dean District, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester City.

The Forest of Dean District Council is concerned by the Boundaries Commission proposal to join the Westgate Ward from Gloucester City with the Forest of Dean Parliamentary Constituency to form a new parliamentary constituency.

This council believes that combining what is, in effect, the city centre ward of Gloucester with the largely rural Forest of Dean will produce a new constituency with little community of interest and with inbuilt tensions.

The Forest of Dean District Council recognises the requirement to define constituencies with more equal electorates and therefore suggests the following alternative to the Boundaries Commission.

The Hucclecote ward of the Gloucester Parliamentary Constituency should transfer to the Tewkesbury Parliamentary Constituency. The new constituency should be renamed.

The Tewkesbury Priors Park, Tewkesbury Town with Mitton, Tewkesbury Newtown and Twyning wards of the Tewkesbury Parliamentary Constituency should transfer to the Forest of Dean Parliamentary Constituency. The new constituency should be renamed.

These proposals would produce constituencies with the following electorates:

Forest of Dean (renamed)                  78,555

Gloucester                                         73,751

Tewkesbury (renamed)                  74,391

He emphasised that the Commission was asking for the council's views on its proposal, which had addressed the fact that Gloucester city had too many constituents and the Forest of Dean too few in a simplistic way. His amendment sought a better compromise than to include the cathedral, docks and city council buildings in the Forest of Dean constituency. He believed Cllr Molyneux's motion to be nebulous and it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

That the Forest of Dean District Council request that Gloucestershire County Council urgently liase with The Community Team Network Rail and other relevant parties in order to provide a pedestrian access/egress  (Disability Discrimination Act compliant) at platform 4 to Great Western Road and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Gloucestershire County Council having already committed resources and provisionally drawn up an access route off Great Western Road are aware, that currently disabled persons who are not able to use the arch bridge have to cross the railway line on foot or by wheelchair. Gloucestershire County Council are encouraged to use their good officers to ensure that Network Rail remove the risk to those using the railway station and observe the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act  legislation and complete the new access/egress.

To be considered at the meeting to be held on 12 October 2011.

That the Forest of Dean District Council resolves to send the following response to the Boundaries Commission’s draft proposals for redefining the parliamentary constituencies within Gloucestershire. Furthermore, this response should be circulated to all principal local authorities within Gloucestershire and all town and parish councils in the Forest of Dean District, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester City.

The Forest of Dean District Council is concerned by the Boundaries Commission proposal to join the Westgate Ward from Gloucester City with the Forest of Dean Parliamentary Constituency to form a new parliamentary constituency.

This council believes that combining what is, in effect, the city centre ward of Gloucester with the largely rural Forest of Dean will produce a new constituency with little community of interest and with inbuilt tensions.

The Forest of Dean District Council recognises the requirement to define constituencies with more equal electorates and therefore suggests the following alternative to the Boundaries Commission.

The Hucclecote ward of the Gloucester Parliamentary Constituency should transfer to the Tewkesbury Parliamentary Constituency. The new constituency should be renamed.

The Tewkesbury Priors Park, Tewkesbury North with Milton, Tewkesbury Newtown and Twining wards of the Tewkesbury Parliamentary Constituency should transfer to the Forest of Dean Parliamentary Constituency. The new constituency should be renamed.

These proposals would produce constituencies with the following electorates:

Forest of Dean (renamed)              78,555

Gloucester                                      73,751

Tewkesbury (renamed)                  74,391

This motion was considered as part of item 9, since it concerned the Boundaries Commission review.

That this Council deplores both the recent and on-going attacks on the National Health Service and calls on the Coalition Government to engage in immediate and meaniful consultation with staff, stakeholders and local communities on the future direction, delivery and commissioning of publicly funded Health and Social Care services.

To be considered at the meeting to be held on 12 October 2011.

The Leader of the Council and the Chairman of the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee to report on recent activities, followed by questions from members. Depending on time the Chairman will rule and only take one question per member relating to reports.

a)     Cabinet – Councillor Patrick Molyneux

b)     Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Councillor Philip Burford

To be considered at the meeting to be held on 12 October 2011.

Thursday 15 December 2011 at 7pm

Thursday 23 February 2012 at 7pm

Thursday 26 April 2012 at 7pm

Thursday 24 May 2012 at 7pm

Wednesday 12 October at 7pm

Thursday 15 December 2011 at 7pm

Thursday 23 February 2012 at 7pm

Thursday 26 April 2012 at 7pm

Thursday 24 May 2012 at 7pm