Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 7th December 2016 Part 1 of 4
Channel: John Brace
Date: 2016-12-09

Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 7th December 2016 Hoylake Golf Resort Pt 1 of 4

Committee Room 1, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Seacombe, CH44 8ED

Present:
Cllr Dave Mitchell
Cllr John Hale
Cllr Julie McManus
Cllr David Elderton
Cllr Geoffrey Watt
Cllr David Burgess-Joyce
Cllr Paul Stuart
Cllr Warren Ward
Cllr Denise Realey
Cllr Jean Stapleton
Cllr Tony Norbury
Cllr Irene Williams
Cllr Christina Muspratt
Cllr Michael Sullivan
Cllr Tony Norbury
Cllr Gerry Ellis

The agenda and reports for this meeting can be found on Wirral Council's website here http://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=758&MId=5899 .

1. Apologies for Absence 0:30

2. Members' Code of Conduct - Declarations of Interest / Party Whip 0:40

Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.
 
Members are reminded that they should also declare whether they are subject to a party whip in connection with any item(s) to be considered and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of the whipping arrangement.

3. Call-in of Cabinet Minutes 55 and 61 - Hoylake Golf Resort 1:22

Attached to the agenda are:
 
·  Call-in procedure
·  Call-in form

·  Cabinet report of 7 November, 2016

·  Cabinet minutes 55 and 61

Additional documents:

Call-in form
Hoylake Golf Report, 07/11/2016 Cabinet
Cabinet Minutes 55 and 61 - 7 Nov 2016

Transcript:
CLLR MICHAEL SULLIVAN (CHAIR): to order please. Good afternoon and I welcome the members of the public. It's spot on four o'clock. Errm, as everybody's aware we're here this afternoon for a call-in errm to discuss the merits and the demerits of Hoylake Golf Resort and I'd like to start the proceedings by calling errm Councillor Blakeley please. You've got five minutes Chris. 
CLLR CHRIS BLAKELEY: Thank you Chairman. 
CLLR MICHAEL SULLIVAN (CHAIR): Right I've got to go through the process I've just been informed, so sit down Chris. 
CLLR CHRIS BLAKELEY: OK.
CLLR MICHAEL SULLIVAN (CHAIR): First of all have we got any apologies? No, thank you.
CLLR MICHAEL SULLIVAN (CHAIR): Members Code of Conduct, has anybody, has any Member got any declarations of interest, pecuniary or otherwise? David?
CLLR DAVID ELDERTON: We're both the same and bear with me. Personal, non pecuniary interest as I am a Council nominated trustee of the West Kirby Charity which owns two parcels of land in the area of the golf resort. It's non-pecuniary in the sense that I have no financial involvement in it at all.
CLLR MICHAEL SULLIVAN (CHAIR): Right, is that the same?
CLLR GEOFFREY WATT: The same for me Chair.
CLLR MICHAEL SULLIVAN (CHAIR): OK, we've noted them, thank you very much. And can I just confirm from all parties that nobody's subject to a party whip? Is that correct?
Thank you then, so over to you Chris, you've got five minutes. Thank you. 
CLLR CHRIS BLAKELEY: Thank you Chairman. I'd just like to start at the outset by saying that this isn't party political and it's not one of opposition to the proposal. It's about concerns about the financial implications and the effect on the environment and the consultation process surrounding it. The call in sets out to a degree the concerns of the signatories and I'm here today to try and expand on some of those concerns. However, with only five minutes, I will concentrate mainly on the financial issues and leave the witnesses to enlighten the Committee about the impact on the environment and the greenbelt.

I'd also just like to say at the outset, having read the exempt number sixty-one, that I believe the report on the Development Agreement, as well as the Development Agreement between the Council and the Nicklaus Joint Venture Group, both contain information that is in the public interest and the exemption should therefore be removed in order that all this documentation is placed in the public domain. I realise that that any decision on that is within the gift of the Committee and I think that consideration will be given to that request. Now, I'm not an expert on golf resorts, I'm sure there are people who have a much greater depth of knowledge than me.

However like the other seventeen Members who signed the call-in, I have concerns about the risk that Cabinet wants council taxpayers to take with such a huge amount of their money. Cabinet has already spent £237,000, it now wants to spend a further £595,969 gambling on a scheme that may or may not come to fruition.  

Continues at Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wirral Council) 7th December 2016 Part 2 of 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEIbHeOicjM .