Issue - meetings

The Cabinet decision on Lancaster Market (Minute 109, resolutions (1), (2) and (4)) taken by Cabinet on 15^th February 2011 has been requested to be called in by Councillors Bray and Sherlock (Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members) and Councillors Mace, Harrison and Sands.  The request was subsequently agreed by the Chief Executive.  The decision has been called-in in accordance with Part 4, Section 5, Sub-section 18 of the Council’s constitution.

Councillor Stuart Langhorn (Leader of the Council), Councillor Jon Barry (Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility for Markets) and Graham Cox (Head of Property Services) have been invited to outline the basis on which the decision was made.

The following documents are attached :

q      Call-in Procedure

q      Call-in Notice

q      Report to Cabinet

q      Cabinet Minute Extract

(Councillors Roger Mace and John Harrison declared Personal Interests in respect of the following item being Friends of the Museum.)

Members were advised that the Cabinet Decision in relation to Lancaster Market – Cabinet Minute 109, resolutions (1), (2) and (4), had been called-in by the following 5 Members :

Councillors Susan Bray, John Harrison, Roger Mace, Ron Sands and Roger Sherlock.

Members were advised that the Call-in request had been made on the basis that the decision had not been made in accordance with all the principles set out in Article 13 (Decision making) in the Council’s Constitution, in particular :

(a)        Proportionality (i.e. the action must be proportionate to the desired outcome)

(b)        Due consultation and the taking of professional advice from Officers

(d)        A presumption in favour of openness

(e)        Aims and desired outcomes will be clearly expressed

(f)         Options that were considered and the reasons for arriving at the decision will          be explained

The Chairman outlined the procedure to be followed and invited Councillor Mace to summarise the reason for the call-in.

The Chairman then invited Councillor Langhorn, Leader of the Council and Councillor Barry, Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Markets Cabinet Liaison Group, to explain the reasons for the decision made by Cabinet.

The Chairman invited the signatories of the Call-in to ask questions and Councillors Langhorn and Barry, the Head of Property Services and the Deputy Chief Executive responded.

Members of Overview and Scrutiny Committee were then invited to ask questions and Councillors Langhorn and Barry, the Head of Property Services and the Deputy Chief Executive responded.

Other non-Cabinet Members present were then given the opportunity to ask questions.

The meeting was adjourned at 7.15pm to enable the signatories to prepare a proposal. 

The meeting reconvened at 7.25pm

On behalf of the signatories, it was proposed by Councillor Mace and seconded by Councillor Sherlock :

“That Cabinet be recommended to reconsider and modify its resolutions (1), (2) and (4) to become as follows:-

(1)        That approval be granted to undertake further investigations into possible   alternative locations to accommodate Lancaster Market and that a further         report is made to Cabinet in due course prior to the appointment of external      specialist consultants.

(2)        To confirm the importance of the King’s Own Royal Regimental Museum and          the City Museum in the current heritage offer of the district and to seek to          improve that offer as opportunities arise.

(4)        That whilst investigations are undertaken into possible alternative locations to             accommodate Lancaster Market, measures continue to be implemented       within Lancaster Market to improve its appearance and functionality, subject          to the negotiated consent of the continuing Market Tenants where necessary,             and to improve the management and marketing of the market, with any costs     funded from the proposed reserve.”

Upon being put to the vote, 3 Members voted in favour of the proposition and 5 voted against, whereupon the Chairman declared the proposition lost.

Resolved :

That the Cabinet decision on Lancaster Market be upheld and that there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52

To consider any such items authorised by the Leader and to consider where in the agenda the item(s) are to be considered. 

The Chairman advised that there was one item of urgent business. This was an item regarding Lancaster Market (Minute 109 refers).