Agenda and minutes

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal or prejudicial interests which they may have in any item of business on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

To approve as a correct record, the Minutes of the Meeting held on 29^th April 2010.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th April 2010 be approved as a correct record.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos. 11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to its work.

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers.  Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility.   However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide three clear working days’ notice, in writing, to enable an informed answer to be given.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos. 11 and 35, a total period of 10 minutes was allocated for members of the public to address the Committee on any matter relevant to its work.

There were no members of the public present and the Committee, therefore, proceeded to its next business.

The reports relating to the remaining item on the agenda have been withheld from public circulation and deposit pursuant to Section 100(B)(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the matters may be determined with the press an public excluded.

The Committee may decide that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and the public interest would not be served in publishing the information.

RESOLVED

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item, pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and the public interest would not be served in publishing this information.

Copies of the appropriate Transport Policies are attached. The “Complex Special Needs Transport Policy” has been applied to Case 1 and the “Under-16 Transport Policy” has been applied to Case 2.

The Committee is asked to determine appeals against the decision of the Council not to offer assisted school transport.

The Committee considered two appeals against the decision of the Integrated Transport Service not to allow assisted school transport, in accordance with the Council’s Transport Policies, namely Complex Special Needs (Case 1) and Under-16 (Case 2).

Case 1:  The appellants were in attendance through consideration of their appeal.  The Presenting Officer detailed the Local Authority’s case and the appellants gave oral evidence to support their written submission.  Members of the Committee asked questions of both parties by way of clarification.  The appellant and the Presenting Officer were also able to ask questions by way of clarification.

The appellants and the Presenting Officer withdrew from the meeting to enable the Committee to reach its decision.

During its discussion, the Committee agreed that it required clarification on part of the appellants’ evidence. At this point in the proceedings, the appellants and Presenting Officer re-joined the meeting to clarify the points raised.  They then withdrew from the meeting following which the Committee reached its decision.

Case 2:  The appellant was not present and the Committee heard the appeal based on his written evidence only.

The Presenting Officer detailed the Local Authority’s case. Members of the Committee were able to ask questions by way of clarification.

The Presenting Officer then withdrew from the meeting following which the Committee reached its decision.

RESOLVED:

That

(1)       Case No. 1                the appeal be REFUSED; and

(2)       Case No. 2                the appeal be REFUSED.