Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Plant and Williamson.

Councillor Wells declared a pecuniary interest for item 11, as he held shares with the Lloyds Banking Group and would therefore leave the meeting whilst this item was discussed.

Councillor Grant declared a pecuniary interest for item 11, as he held shares with the Lloyds Banking Group and would therefore leave the meeting whilst this item was discussed.

Councillors Thompson declared a personal interest in item 9 in his capacity as Ward Councillor for the Fleggburgh Ward and as one of the named individuals to be appointed to the Parish Council.

Councillor Boyd declared a personal interest in item 9 in his capacity as one of the named individuals to be appointed to the Parish Council.

Her Worship the Mayor passed on her thanks to those Members and Officers who had attended her Civic Service that had been held on Sunday 21st July.

The leader advised Council that he had attended a meeting with the newly elected MP, Mr Rupert Lowe. The Leader advised that he had congratulated Mr Lowe on his election and hoped that all could work together for the benefit of the residents of Great Yarmouth.

Councillor Wainwright expressed his disappointment that he had not been included in the meeting that the Leader attended with Mr Lowe, but advised that he since had a briefing with the Chief Executive and Leader and that he would await to see a copy of the notes taken at the meeting. The Leader advised that the Chief Executive had asked for the Leader of the Labour Group to be included in a three way meeting with herself, the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Labour Group but the Chief Executive had not received a response to this request.

The Leader advised that Mr Lowe MP was also due to have a meeting with the High Steward of Great Yarmouth, Mr Henry Cator. At this point both the Leader and Leader of the Labour Group passed on their and the Council's best wishes to the High Steward's wife and wished her well.

The Leader here advised that he had informed Council that he would keep Members up to date on any information he had available with regard to the Devolution Deal and therefore read aloud to Members an email that he had received from The Leader of Norfolk County Council, which advised that following the election of a new government the final decision on the introducing of an elected leader had been delayed until later in the year to allow time for talks with the new Local Government Minister.

The Leader advised that he had recently attended the Civic Society Awards, whereby the Council had been successful in being awarding with a special recognition award for the covered market.

The Leader advised that he had also recently attended the LGC award ceremony, where the Council were successfully awarded Council of the Year, he stated that this award was a true testament to everyone that works for the Council. The Leader read aloud a card that he had received from the Lord-Lieutenant, Lady Dannatt following the Council award.

Councillor Wainwright here reiterated the Leaders comments and commented that he felt this award was a great accolade to the staff who work extremely hard.

The Leader advised that in recognition for the award both he and the Leader of the Labour Group had awarded staff with an additional day of leave.

Her Worship the Mayor advised that she had received no items of urgent business to be discussed at the meeting.

Proposer : Councillor Smith 

Seconder : Councillor Candon

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 14 May 2024 be confirmed as a true and accurate record.

CARRIED.

Council were asked to consider the following question from Ms Barber, of the Great Yarmouth Trades Union Council :-

The Great Yarmouth and District Trades Union Council request that Great Yarmouth Borough Council support Care Workers in the Borough, to class Care Workers as essential workers, and wave parking restrictions, so that they can carry out their vital work, in the same way as Window Cleaners and Chimney Sweeps currently can?

Her Worship the Mayor called upon Councillor Candon, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Growth to provide a response to Ms Barber.

Councillor Candon advised the following in response :-

Councillor Candon advised that the Council recognised the importance of carers for it's residents and the vital work that they do.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has 18 pay & display car parks with 2211 parking spaces which serve residents and visitors to the borough 7-days a week.

Various charges apply depending on location of car park and length of stay; however, parking is free from 4pm on all town centre car parks, 7 days a week.

In addition, for selected Town Centre Car Parks, parking is free from noon every Wednesday.

The availability of off-street parking is further supported by 13 free public car parks with 583 spaces across Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.

The Borough Council also provides a discounted monthly permit scheme on selected car parks in the town in addition to a rover discounted permit scheme for residents and visitors.

In terms of on street parking, Great Yarmouth Borough Council is part of the Norfolk Parking Partnership. This includes the operation of a resident permit scheme in areas of Great Yarmouth.

Discounted permits are available to care agencies where their staff are visiting residents within the restricted zone area. Resident's families, friends and other visitors can also utilise the residents 'visitor' permit, when visiting a household in the restricted zone.

Ultimately, any requested changes to this charging system would need to go to Norfolk County Council, who umbrellas the Norfolk Parking Partnership, as the responsible authority for Highways.

Her Worship the Mayor asked Ms Barber if she would like to submit a supplementary question to be considered.

Ms Barber asked the following supplementary question :-

We ask that Great Yarmouth Borough Council request Norfolk Parking Partnership (NPP) to amend their Guidance Manual (Clause 6.1.9) to read 'Carers and Health Care Professionals, Window Cleaners and Chimney Sweeps.

Councillor Candon advised that he would be very happy to take away the supplementary question and write a formal letter to the Norfolk Parking Partnership.

Council received and considered the Independent Remuneration Panel's report.

The Chairman of the Panel reported the following :-

Since the Council moved to the Executive (Cabinet) Model of Governance in May 2023, the IRP panel undertook a review of the Scheme of Allowances in line with Government requirements.

Following this review in 2023 it was agreed that one year on from the Council’s move to the new system of Governance, that a small review would be undertaken to ensure allowances were in line with the responsibilities and workloads of those Members receiving an SRA.

The panel received comparative data on Allowance Schemes throughout Norfolk and Suffolk and these were used as part of the benchmarking for the reviewing of the SRAs for Great Yarmouth, and took into consideration of questionnaires that had been completed by both Members who receive an SRA and those that did not to ensure an open-minded overview was given.

The Panel took into consideration that a further review of the whole scheme of allowances is due to take place in 2025 in line with the Statutory guidance and they also acknowledged that the current basic allowance was indexed linked to staff pay awards, meaning an increase in allowances had been awarded in 2023.

Consideration was also given of the implications of any potential rises to the allowances and the impact that this would have on the Council’s Budget.

The Panel acknowledged from feedback received that those Members receiving an SRA had seen their workloads increase but the panel felt the level of allowances already currently paid was sufficient and in line with other neighbouring authorities.

Having considered the feedback received, benchmarking data and current allowances paid, the Panel unanimously agreed that in their opinion there should be no changes made to the existing level of allowances paid.

And therefore, as included within the report, the Panel would ask that Members consider the recommendations as detailed on page 12 of the agenda pack this evening.

Councillor Wainwright proposed that recommendations 1 to 4 be approved as detailed but that recommendation 5 within the report be amended to :-

Council request that the Panel look further into the remuneration paid to the Mayor / Chairman of the Council role at a meeting to be arranged in October 2024.

The Leader hereby seconded this proposal including the amendment.

RESOLVED :

That Council :

(1)note that no changes have been proposed to the existing Special Responsibility Allowances following the Remuneration Panel’s review.

(2)approve the allowances as detailed in Appendix 1 for 2024/25

(3)note that allowances will remain indexed linked to any staff pay awards.

(4)note that a full review of the Scheme of Members Allowances is due to be undertaken in December 2025.

(5)request that the Panel look further into the remuneration paid to the Mayor / Chairman of the Council role at a meeting to be arranged in October 2024

CARRIED 

Council received and considered the Monitoring Officer's report.

Proposer : Councillor Smith

Seconder : Councillor Candon 

RESOLVED :

That Council:

1. Approve the Order attached at Appendix A, to appoint temporary Parish Councillors to Fleggburgh Parish Council, so that the Parish Council is quorate and can continue to operate;

    

2. Delegate authority to the Returning Officer, in consultation with Group Leaders, relevant Ward Member(s) and Parish Clerk, to make such orders under Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1972, should a similar situation arise in the future in respect of any Parish Council in the Borough area;

    

3. Authorise the Monitoring Officer to make the relevant updates to the Scheme of Delegation within the Council’s Constitution, subject to approval of the delegation above; and

    

4. Adopt the procedure set out at Appendix B which shall be used by the Returning Officer when exercising the delegation set out above.

CARRIED 

Council received and considered the Monitoring Officer's report.

Proposer : Councillor Smith 

Seconder : Councillor Wainwright 

RESOLVED :

That Council :

1. Approve the amendments listed in the Appendix

    

2. Authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential or administrative amendments arising therefrom.

CARRIED 

The Leader presented the Motion on notice to Council as follows :-

The closure of this branch on Gorleston High Street will have a significant impact on the local community, particularly affecting vulnerable residents, small businesses, and those with limited access to online banking services. The last surviving physical banking branch in the local area has been a cornerstone of our community, providing essential banking services and support to many who rely on face-to-face interactions for their financial needs.

The Leader here advised that he had slighted amended the request to include asking the Chief Executive Officer of the Borough Council to write to the Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank, the request was now as follows :-

The Council requests the Chief Executive Officer of Great Yarmouth Borough Council writes to the Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank to:

1. Reconsider the decision to close the Gorleston High Street branch, taking into account the significant negative impact on the local community.

    

2. Explore alternative solutions to ensure continued access to essential banking services for Gorleston residents, such as maintaining limited branch hours, implementing mobile banking units, or partnering with local businesses to provide banking services.

    

3. Engage in a constructive dialogue with the Council and the community to address our concerns and work collaboratively towards a resolution that supports the needs of Gorleston's residents and businesses.

Councillor Candon here seconded the Motion.

Councillor Candon reported that in his opinion it was very disappointing to hear that Lloyds Bank planned on closing what will be the very last bank on Gorleston High Street.  He stated that this isn't just about a building shutting its doors, it was about the erosion of a vital service that supports the residents, local business and local economy

Councillor Candon further stated that for years, this bank had been more than a financial institution. It had been a cornerstone of the High Street, offering essential services that cannot be fully replaced by online banking. Many of the elderly constituents, face-to-face banking is not a Luxury but a necessity, these residents rely on personal interactions, familiar faces, and the security of knowing that they can manage their finances in a trusted environment.

Councillor Candon commented that the digital divide remained a significant barrier, leaving a portion of the population vulnerable and underserved. He advised this divide had been highlighted during the pandemic.

Councillor Candon advised that small businesses, the backbone of Gorleston's economy, also stood to suffer greatly. These enterprises depended on the bank for daily transactions, cash handling, and financial advice tailored to their unique needs. Without local banking services, our businesses will face increased costs and logistical challenges.

Moreover, the presence of a bank contributes significantly to the local economy by drawing foot traffic that benefits all businesses in the area. Banks act as an anchor, attracting customers who then shop, dine, and spend time in the town. Councillor Candon advised that in his opinion the closure of this bank could lead to a ripple effect, where reduced footfall impacts other local shops and services, leading to further closures and a decline in the vitality of the High Street.

 Councillor Wainwright advised that fully agreed with the comments made and fully supported the Motion, he passed on his thanks to Councillor Barbara Wright who had initially raised concerns regarding the proposed closure of the bank and hoped that by raising the concerns and writing to the Chief Executive of the Bank this matter could be resolved and result in the bank not closing.

Councillor T Wright commented that he felt there had been a number of warning signs whereby people are being deterred from using banks and that every effort must be taking to ensure there are facilities for people to use even if this resulted in a banking hub. He commented that he felt it was a tragedy that people were being pushed into a cashless society and hoped that this matter could be resolved.

Councillor Smith here provided his summing up of the motion and commented that in light of recent events that had happened such as the crash of payment systems, meaning people were having to revert to cash payments, there was a need to ensure the banking facility is retained and available for residents to use.

Proposer : Councillor Smith 

Seconder : Councillor Candon

RESOLVED : 

That the Council requests the Chief Executive Officer of Great Yarmouth Borough Council writes to the Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank  to:

1. Reconsider the decision to close the Gorleston High Street branch, taking into account the significant negative impact on the local community.

    

2. Explore alternative solutions to ensure continued access to essential banking services for Gorleston residents, such as maintaining limited branch hours, implementing mobile banking units, or partnering with local businesses to provide banking services.

    

3. Engage in a constructive dialogue with the Council and the community to address our concerns and work collaboratively towards a resolution that supports the needs of Gorleston's residents and businesses.

CARRIED