To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ail Ahmed, Surinder Biant, Duckworth, Meredith, O’Neill, Rashid, Wazir and Winkler.

Members are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary, personal or personal and prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests relating to items on this agenda and/or indicate if S106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.   

There were no declarations of interest.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business which, by reason of special circumstances, the Chair decides should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

The Chair advised that an additional item of business entitled ‘The Borough of Rochdale (26, Lynton Avenue, Rochdale) CPO 2017’, should be accepted onto the agenda as a late item on the grounds that any delay likely to be caused in not considering the item could leave the Council open to legal challenge from the owners of the adjoining properties

DECIDED: The report ‘The Borough of Rochdale (26, Lynton Avenue, Rochdale) CPO 2017’, be accepted onto the agenda.

In accordance with the Council Procedure Rule 2.2 the Chair indicated that agenda item 9 - Budget 2018/19 to 2020/21 Guidelines, Timetable and Public Engagement - would be considered before agenda item 7 - Minutes of the Rochdale Township Action and Resources Delegated Sub-Committee held on 29th June 2017 - and prior to all other business contained within the agenda thereafter.

The following matters were raised during the Open Forum:

a)     Parking Concerns outside the Norden Arms, Edenfield Road

The Township Committee considered a question submitted in advance of the meeting regarding the problems caused by cars parking on the corner of Elmsfield Avenue and Edenfield Road which reduced visibility for vehicles approaching the junction. A suggestion was raised that the Police be advised of the obstruction caused to the highway at the junction and that a request be made for enforcement action to be taken by them as soon as possible.

DECIDED – that Greater Manchester Police be requested to ensure that the relevant traffic regulations are enforced where parked vehicles are causing an obstruction to the highway on Edenfield Road at the junction with Elmsfield Avenue.

a)    Former Turner Brothers site 

The Chair advised that Mr M Coats would only receive a written response to each of his submitted questions from the relevant Council Officers if there were any further developments with regard to the TBA site as he had already submitted questions that were substantially the same at a meeting of the Committee in the previous six months and had received a written response to them.

To consider the minutes of the meeting of the Rochdale Township Committee held on 29^th June 2017.

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 29th June 2017.  Further to minute 6 (Greater Manchester Police -Update) a Member asked if there had been any response received from the requests made to Greater Manchester Police at the meeting.

The Townships & Communities Manager advised the Committee that a response had been received regarding Police attendance at future meetings and advising that resources were currently stretched but efforts would be made to ensure officer attendance at future meetings whenever possible.

The Committee was further advised that a task force to tackle the off road biking problems had been set up and Councillors would be advised of the details in due course. Members commented that it had been difficult to get a response when dialling the 101 police phone number to report incidents involving off road bikes

Councillor Sultan Ali, the Council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel undertook to raise the Committee’s concerns regarding Greater Manchester with the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime at the earliest possible opportunity.

DECIDED – That (1) the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th June 2017 be approved as a correct record;

            (2) Councillor Sultan Ali be requested to raise the Township Committee’s concerns with regard to the policing of the Township with the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime at the earliest possible opportunity.

To note the minutes of meeting of the Rochdale Township Action and Resources Delegated Sub-Committee held on 29^th June 2017

DECIDED – That the minutes of the meeting of the Rochdale Township Action and Resources Delegated Sub-Committee held on 29^th June 2017 be noted.

The Township Committee will be requested to consider proposals for the determination of Township engagement with current and emerging Planning Proposals and priorities for the use of current or prospective S106 funds.

The Township Committee considered a report of the Director of Economy which set out proposals for the determination of Township engagement with current and emerging Planning Proposals and the priorities for the use of current or prospective S106 funds.

The report was presented to seek the views of elected Members in relation to planning applications and S106 funds which impact on the Township in order to provide the benefit of the understanding of the local environment to inform Planning decisions.

Alternatives Considered - The alternative option was to retain existing arrangements. Officers had discounted this option as it would not realise the benefits of local knowledge the Townships could input into planning decisions.

DECIDED - That (1) matters relating to S106 funds which reside within the Township are to be considered by the Rochdale Action and Resources Delegated Sub-Committee;

            (2) a Rochdale Township Planning Panel be formed consisting of one Member from each ward, excluding those appointed to the Planning & Licensing Committee, to act as a consultative body in relation to proposed and submitted planning applications;

            (3) Members be appointed to the Rochdale Township Planning Panel as follows: –

Balderstone and Kirkholt Ward - Councillor Nickson

Bamford Ward- Ward Member to be notified

Castleton Ward – Ward Member to be notified

Central Rochdale Ward - Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed

Kingsway Ward - Councillor Shakil Ahmed

Milkstone and Deeplish Ward - Councillor Zaheer (Chair)

Norden Ward – Councillors Gartside, Holly, and Winkler (1 member be in attendance per meeting subject to availability)

Spotland and Falinge Ward - Councillor Cecile Biant

Healey Ward - Councillor Wazir

Eligible for Call – In - No

The Township Committee will receive an update on the Budget 2018/19 to 2020/21 guidelines, timetable and public engagement.

The Township Committee considered a prezi animation and the report of the Chief Finance Officer which provided details of the budget guidelines, timetable and method of public engagement to be used in preparing the detailed 2018/19 budget and provisional budgets for 2019/20 and 2019/21.

The Council is legally obliged to set a balanced budget. The budget setting process is complex and must be undertaken in a planned way. It is equally important that assumptions used in the preparation of the budget are agreed, reasonable and consistently applied by all services.

The budget forecast was based on a number of assumptions, known levels of expenditure and anticipated levels of resources. Final confirmation of these assumptions will not be received/ finalised until November/December this year.  There are a number of areas of the Council’s budget where risks to the projections contained in this report have been identified.

In considering the report a Member requested reassurance that a variety of methods of public engagement would be utilised in order to ensure that all sections of the community were able to access the information provided.

DECIDED – that the budget 2018/19 to 2020/21 guidelines and timetable be noted.

Eligible for Call – In - No

To consider that the press and public be excluded from the remaining part of the meeting pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that discussions may involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the provisions of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

DECIDED – That the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business since it is likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, namely information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.

The Township Committee considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhoods seeking authorisation for the service of the Compulsory Purchase Order Borough of Rochdale (26 Lynton Avenue, Rochdale) Rochdale CPO 2017 utilising the powers granted within S.17 & S.18 of the Housing Act 1985.

The private property had been allowed to fall in to a dilapidated condition and was subject to a Prohibition Order, preventing its occupation. As the owner had refused offers that would have resulted in the property being repaired and refurbished, the only course of action open to the council was to use the compulsory purchase powers which allowed the ownership to be changed so that the property could be brought back into use.

DECIDED – That (1) the service of the Compulsory Purchase Order Borough of Rochdale (26, Lynton Avenue, Rochdale) Rochdale CPO 2017 utilising powers granted within S.17 & S.18 of the Housing Act 1985 as detailed in Appendix 1 to the submitted report be authorised;

(2) the Acting Director of Resources be authorised to undertake the necessary legal procedures and associated action in relation to the Order detailed in paragraph 2.1 and described in Appendix 1 of the submitted report;

(3) the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998 with regard to whether there would be a breach of the Act if compulsory acquisition of the land as detailed in the Orders is authorised, be noted

Eligible for Call–In- Yes