Agenda and minutes

To appoint a Chair for the 2019/20 municipal year.

That Councillor Max Schmid be appointed as the Chair for the 2019-20 municipal year.

To approve as an accurate record, and the Chair to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 1 April 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 April 2019 were approved and signed by the Chair.

There were no apologies for absence.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter.  The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Audit, Pensions and Standards Committee. 

Councillor Schmid declared an interest as a Fulham Football Club season ticket holder. He considered that his participation in the matter would be reasonable in the circumstances as there was no financial gain for him as an individual resulting from taking the decision.   He did not consider that participating in the decision making may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

This report has two appendices which contain information exempt within the meaning of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act1972 and are not for publication. The appendices have therefore been circulated to Cabinet Members only.

Any discussions on the contents of an exempt appendix will require Committee to pass the proposed resolution identified at the end of the agenda to exclude members of the public and the press from the proceedings for that discussion.

The meeting noted that on completion of the development works at the stadium, Fulham Football Club (FCC) will reinstate the parkland affected by the construction compound.  It was estimated the total reinstatement cost could be up to £150,000.  The Council has secured a £100,000 deposit for this obligation. The deposit will be returned to the Club once they have completed the reinstatement works.

Officers noted that a lower level of indemnity insurance of £20 million had been agreed with FFC and not £30 million as mentioned in the report.

Councillor Schmid noted that the weekly popular Park Run route in Bishops Park would have to be altered as it appears from the map that the route will be blocked by a wall.  He requested an assurance that the contractor will create a smooth and gradual gradient from the existing footpath to avoid injury to users.

RESOLVED: -

1.1.       That the Council enters a lease with Fulham Football Club, which is required to facilitate the delivery of the Craven Cottage stadium redevelopment.

1.2.       That the Council enters a Deed with the Church Commissioners for England for the temporary release of covenants on the land, which is required to enable the Fulham Football Club modernisation project to proceed.

1.3.       That delegate authority be given to the Strategic Director - The Economy in consultation with Cabinet Member for Finance and Commercial Services and the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services to finalise all property agreements required on Council land at Bishop Park to enable the Fulham Football Club modernisation project to proceed, and to give effect to the decision in 1.1 above. 

1.4.       To note that a lower level of indemnity insurance of £20 million had been agreed with Fulham Football Club.

The following dates have been approved for the new municipal year:

Monday 10 June 2019

Monday 25 November 2019

Monday 16 March 2020

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 - ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Proposed resolution:

Under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, that the public and press be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following items of business, on the grounds that they contain the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the said Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.      

The following meeting dates were noted for the new municipal year:

Friday 14 June 2019

Monday 25 November 2019

Monday 16 March 2020