Meeting Details

Apologies have been received from Councillors Calverley and Linghorn-Baker.

The Mayor will welcome members of the public and Councillors and will ask the Chaplain to say a prayer. 

The Mayor to welcome new Councillors elected in May 2026 and to invite them to briefly introduce themselves to Council. 

Up to eight members of the public may make representations to Full Council meetings on any item on the agenda or any other matter relating to the business of Full Council. Each representation may be no more than three minutes. Members of the public wishing to address Full Council must register their wish to address the meeting by e-mailing democratic.services@colchester.gov.uk by 12.00 noon on the working day before the meeting. In addition, a written copy of the representation must be supplied.

Councillors will be asked to say if there are any items on the agenda about which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest which would prevent them from participating in any discussion of the item or participating in any vote upon the item, or any other registerable interest or non-registerable interest.

A... Motion that the minutes of the meetings held on 27 May 2026 and 3 June 2026 be confirmed as a correct record.

As agreed at the Annual Meeting, Council is invited to note the Scheme of Delegation from the Leader of the Council to Cabinet members.

As agreed at the Annual Meeting, Council is invited to note the membership of Committee and Panels as agreed by Group Leaders following the resolution in minute 857 of the Council meeting of 3 June 2026. 

B.... Motion that Council designates Tina French as Section 151 Officer with effect from 21 September 2026.

C... Motion that the recommendation contained in draft minute 575 of the Scrutiny Panel meeting of 30 June 2026 be approved and adopted.

D... Motion that the recommendation contained in minute 560 of the Governance and Audit meeting of 23 March 2026 be approved and adopted. 

E... Motion that the recommendation contained in draft minute 568 of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee of 24 June 2026 be approved and adopted.

F... Motion that the recommendation contained in minute 573 of the meeting of the Governance and Audit Committee meeting of 24 June 2026 be approved and adopted and that Council receive the the Governance and Audit Committee Annual Report 2025/26.

Council will consider the following Motions:-

(Note: The maximum length of time for the consideration of all such motions shall be 80 minutes. In the event that a motion is still being debated when the 80 minutes have elapsed the Mayor shall invite the proposer of the motion to respond to the debate and then move straight to the vote.)

Motion I

Proposer: Councillor Kelly

This Council recognises that:

1.         Meaningful public participation is fundamental to the preparation of The Local Plan.

2.         Members of the public are entitled not only to make submissions and observations but also to receive a clear and transparent explanation of how material issues raised during consultation have been considered.

3.         Where a significant number of representations raise a common concern, issue or recommendation, it is in the interests of transparency, accountability and public confidence that such matters are formally addressed and reported upon.

This Council accordingly resolves that:

1.         In respect of the preparation, review or amendment of the Local Plan policy being undertaken by the Council, all submissions and observations received from the public shall be analysed by the relevant officers using the most efficient means possible for the purpose of identifying common themes, concerns, objections, recommendations or proposals. In cases where there is a large volume of responses, the use of AI to collate, categorize and align to existing policy justifications, where appropriate, is to be encouraged.

2.         Where a common theme, concern, objection, recommendation or proposal is identified in representations comprising not less than five per cent (5%) of the total valid submissions and observations received during the relevant consultation period, that theme shall be deemed a Significant Public Representation for the purposes of this resolution.

3.         For the avoidance of doubt, representations shall be grouped according to their substantive planning issue, concern, objection, recommendation or proposal and not according to differences in wording, format, level of detail, supporting evidence or the identity of the person or body making the representation.

4.         The Local Plan Committee and the relevant Council officers shall formally consider every Significant Public Representation identified under this resolution.

5.         A written response shall be prepared in respect of each Significant Public Representation and shall:
o          clearly identify the issue raised;
o          summarise the representations received in relation to that issue;
o          state whether the Council proposes to amend, modify or otherwise address the matter raised;
o          where action is proposed, specify the nature of that action;
o          where no action is proposed, provide a detailed explanation of the reasons for that decision, including any planning, legal, environmental, technical, financial or policy considerations relied upon.

6.         The written responses required by this resolution shall be presented to the Local Plan Committee for consideration and thereafter submitted to the next available meeting of Full Council.

7.         The report submitted to Full Council shall include:
o          a schedule of all Significant Public Representations identified;
o          the number and percentage of submissions supporting each theme;
o          the written response prepared in respect of each theme; and
o          any resulting proposed amendments to the relevant plan or policy document.

8.         The report and responses shall be published on the Council's website no later than five working days following their submission to Full Council and shall remain publicly available for the duration of the plan-making process and thereafter as part of the permanent public record.

9.         Neither the Local Plan Committee nor any officer of the Council shall omit, exclude or decline to report upon a Significant Public Representation solely on the grounds that it is repetitive, duplicated, collectively submitted or supported by a large number of respondents.

10.       The Chief Executive shall ensure that all officers engaged in the preparation of statutory planning policy documents comply with the requirements of this resolution and shall make all necessary administrative arrangements to give effect to it.

11.       No draft Local Plan document shall be presented to Full Council for adoption unless the requirements of this resolution have first been complied with and the report required herein has been furnished to the elected members.

This Council further resolves that this procedure shall apply to all current and future Local Plans, Development Plans and statutory planning policy consultations undertaken by the Council from the date of adoption of this resolution.

As the motion relates to a non-executive matter, it will be debated and determined at the meeting.

Motion J

Proposer: Councillor Kirkby-Taylor

This Council believes that the draft Code of Practice for Services, public functions and associations, which was put before Parliament on 21 May, while representing significant progress in several areas, is more broadly not fit for purpose in the areas of;

•           providing clarity over who can and cannot use which bathrooms; in
•           its aims of protecting the safety and rights of women and girls; or in
•           ensuring dignity and respect for transgender service users.

Its recommendations are functionally unworkable and unenforceable, and any attempt at implementation will create a financial burden that small businesses and councils alike will be unable to meet, for no reduction in demonstrable risk factors.

Furthermore, this council notes that the draft code’s creation of a hierarchy of protected characteristics represents a dangerous retrograde step, and it appears its purpose is primarily to place additional barriers on participation in public life for members of our transgender community.

This Council resolves to

1.         Write to the three MPs who represent our city encouraging them to add their names to support Early Day Motion 240, which now has over 160 signatures, including the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee and the majority of that select committee’s members.

2.         Write to Bridget Phillipson as the minister responsible for this guidance; 

(i) insisting on its withdrawal

(ii) asking that the 50,000+ consultation responses be released, either complete or in summary, before the Code of Practice they inform is brought into effect, and that

(iii) representative parties from all affected groups be included in the writing of any updated Code of Practice.

As the motion relates to a non-executive matter, it will be debated and determined at the meeting.

Cabinet members and Committee/Panel Chairs will receive and answer pre-notified questions in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10(1) followed by any oral questions (not submitted in advance) in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10(3).

(Note: a period of up to 60 minutes is available for pre-notified questions and oral questions by Members of the Council to Cabinet Members and Chairs (or in their absence Deputy Chairs)).

The following pre-notified question has been received:-

 Councillor Harris to Councillor Goss, Portfolio Holder for Waste, Neighbourhoods and Leisure:-

To prevent misinformation being circulated could the Portfolio Holder confirm publicly that Queensland Drive Playpark on Birch Glen will be delivered as it is proposed as part of the 37 playparks previously identified.

Additionally to confirm when is this work scheduled to happen and would he join me in visiting the proposed site at Queensland Drive.

To note the schedule of Portfolio Holder decisions for the period 14 February 2026 - 7 July 2026.