Agenda item

Apologies

Meeting of Informal, Virtual Public Meeting (Accessible Remotely), Planning and Transportation Committee, Tuesday, 7th September, 2021 10.30 am (Item 1.)

Minutes:

Introductions

The Town Clerk opened the meeting by introducing herself.

A roll call of Members present was undertaken.

The Town Clerk highlighted that the meeting was being recorded as well as live streamed and would be made available on the City Corporation’s YouTube page for a period of time after the meeting had concluded. With this in mind, it was confirmed that participants in the meeting had all individually agreed and given their consent to being recorded and that all personal data would be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The Town Clerk highlighted that, for further information on this, viewers could contact the City Corporation using the details provided on the public webpages.

The Town Clerk also reminded Members, and any members of the public observing the meeting on-line, that this was an informal meeting and that any views reached by the Committee today would therefore have to be considered by the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection or those deputising for him after the meeting in accordance with the Court of Common Council’s COVID Approval Procedure and that they would make a formal decision having considered all relevant matters. The Town Clerk highlighted that this process reflected the current position in respect of the holding of formal Local Authority meetings and the Court of Common Council’s decision of 15^th April 2021 to continue with virtual meetings and take formal decisions through a delegation to the Town Clerk and other officers nominated by him after the informal meeting has taken place and the will of the Committee was known in open session. Details of all decisions taken under the COVID Approval Procedure would be available online via the City Corporation’s webpages.

New Executive Director, Environment

The Chair took the opportunity to introduce the new Executive Director, Environment - Juliemma McLoughlin - and welcomed her to her first meeting of this Committee. He reported that Juliemma would be charged with heading up the Department which now brought together Built Environment, Public Protection, Port Health and Environmental Services and Open Spaces. It was reported that Juliemma had previously worked at Northumberland County Council and had also served as Development Director and Chief Planner at the Greater London Authority. Ms McLoughlin thanked the Committee for their kind welcome and stated that she was very much looking forward to working with the City.

Apologies for absence were received from John Fletcher, Alderwoman Susan Langley, James de Sausmarez and William Upton QC.