Agenda and minutes

School Transport and Curriculum Appeals Committee - Wednesday, 5 October 2016 9.30am

Venue: Meeting Room 8 - Level 3, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham ME4 4TR. View directions

Contact: Michael Turner, Democratic Services Officer 

Items
No. Item

331.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Griffin and Gilry.

332.

Record of meeting pdf icon PDF 57 KB

To approve the record of the meetings held on 30 August and 8 September 2016.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The records of the meetings held on 30 August and 9 September 2016 were agreed and signed by the Chairman as correct.  

333.

Urgent matters by reason of special circumstances

The Chairman will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report. 

Minutes:

There were none. 

334.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests

A member need only disclose at any meeting the existence of a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) in a matter to be considered at that meeting if that DPI has not been entered on the disclosable pecuniary interests register maintained by the Monitoring Officer.

 

A member disclosing a DPI at a meeting must thereafter notify the Monitoring Officer in writing of that interest within 28 days from the date of disclosure at the meeting.

 

A member may not participate in a discussion of or vote on any matter in which he or she has a DPI (both those already registered and those disclosed at the meeting) and must withdraw from the room during such discussion/vote.

 

Members may choose to voluntarily disclose a DPI at a meeting even if it is registered on the council’s register of disclosable pecuniary interests but there is no legal requirement to do so.

 

Members should also ensure they disclose any other interests which may give rise to a conflict under the council’s code of conduct.

 

In line with the training provided to members by the Monitoring Officer members will also need to consider bias and pre-determination in certain circumstances and whether they have a conflict of interest or should otherwise leave the room for Code reasons. 

Minutes:

Disclosable pecuniary interests

 

There were none.

 

Other interests

 

Councillor Cooper disclosed that as she knew the appellant for Case ST685 she would be leaving the meeting while consideration of this case took place.  

335.

School Transport and Curriculum Appeals Committee - Terms of reference pdf icon PDF 198 KB

This report sets out the terms of reference of the School Transport and Curriculum Appeals Committee.  

Minutes:

The report was noted.

336.

Exclusion of the press and public pdf icon PDF 18 KB

This report summarises the content of agenda item 7, which, in the opinion of the proper officer, contains exempt information within one of the categories in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. It is a matter for the Committee to determine whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of documents.

Minutes:

The Committee agreed that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the exempt material relating to agenda item 7 because consideration of these matters in public would disclose information falling within one or more categories of exempt information contained in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as specified in agenda item 7 and, in all the circumstances of the case, the Committee considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information. 

337.

Home to school transport appeals - matters for decision

This report requests the Committee to consider appeals relating to applications for assistance with home to school transport.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Discussion:

 

The Committee considered 3 appeals in respect of the provision of home to school transport.

 

Members were advised that since the agenda had been despatched, Case ST682 had been withdrawn by the appellant and Case ST686 had, with the agreement of the appellant, been deferred so that the Student Services Team could assess the additional information provided by the appellant.

 

Having earlier disclosed an interest in respect of Case ST685, Councillor Cooper left the meeting while this hearing took place and did not take part in any of the discussions or deliberations.  

 

 

Decision:

 

(a)       That case number ST683, as set out in the exempt annex to the agenda, was upheld. 

 

(b)       That case number ST684 as set out in the exempt annex to the agenda, was upheld. 

 

(c)        That case number ST685 as set out in the exempt annex to the agenda, was upheld.