Agenda item

To receive the report of the Head of Communities & Place  -  Report to Follow

Resolved:

That the recommendations of Internal Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting of 16 March 2021 be accepted.

The Head of Legal & Monitoring Officer clarified the process as set out in the Constitution and recapped on the history to this matter.

The Committee were advised that should Members agree with the recommendations of the Internal Overview & Scrutiny Committee then the decision would be delivered and implemented as from today.   If this committee did not agree with the recommendation, then the matter would be referred to Full Council to agree :

·         The decision made by Community & Resources on 1 February.  Or

·         The recommendation of Internal Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 16 March

When debating this matter, it had been suggested that an addendum be added to the recommendation from Internal Overview & Scrutiny Committee requesting that Officers draw up explicit plans for the safe use of the Harbour.   The Head of Legal & Monitoring Officer advised that in accordance with the Constitution this Committee can only make a decision on one of the above two options.  Anything further would require a new Notice of Motion to be put forward to Full Council by any Member of the Council.   Members were reminded that the Notice of Motion brought forward had been to ban jet skis and the original report had been based on this.

The Committee recommended that Councillor James, as Leader of the Council, put forward a Notice of Motion to the next Full Council meeting.  Councillor James raised concerns with this course of action in the first instance because with a Notice of Motion you are committed to what has been put.   He agreed firstly to talk to Officers and report back to Members.

The following issues/concerns were also raised during the debate:

·         Use of the slipway by RNLI Lifeboat

·         Wider implications from the decision made by Community & Resources Committee

·         Health & Safety being the main priority

·         Improved signage, increasing attendance in the car park and to look to co-ordinate this with tides and to also look at CCTV

·         To consider a warden system and Officers to prepare a report detailing costings, ways of funding and feasibility

·         To put in, as a matter of urgency, a temporary measure prior to a long term measure

·         The need to look at alternative ways of dealing with the situation

Councillor Ford addressed the meeting and sought legal advice from the Head of Legal & Monitoring Officer regarding whether a particular Club had a Constitution.   He was advised that this was not relevant to his Notice of Motion and any member of the public was entitled to contribute to the Council’s public meetings.

Following a question from Councillor Ford, the Chief Executive clarified the position as to why the Notice of Motion, received in August 2020, had been presented to Full Council in February and that timings had been discussed previously with Councillor Ford. 

It was proposed by Councillor James, seconded by Councillor Bushby and -

Resolved:

That the recommendations of Internal Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting of 16 March 2021 be accepted.

A recorded vote was taken.

(Vote:  For – Unanimous)