Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of 15 December 2025.

The minutes of the meeting of 15 December 2025 were confirmed and signed.

Councillor Barber drew attention to the civic activities undertaken by herself and the Vice-Chairman in the weeks preceding full Council.

Councillor Barber reminded members that she is a hosting an Easter Themed Afternoon Tea on 26 March in aid of her chosen charity Damsons, a local dementia support group and tickets were available to purchase from Member Services.

The Chairman stated that no written questions had been received under Procedure Rule 8.6. Councillor Booth, as Leader of the Opposition, asked the following questions under Procedure Rule 8.4:

·       Following the previous request for a note to be provided concerning the process around the Local Plan this is yet to be received and will that information be provided to explain what the process will entail being particularly pertinent to Fenland? Councillor Boden stated that between himself and Councillor Mrs Laws they will ensure that a note is supplied to all members of the Council to outline what the objectives are with regards to the new Local Plan and an explanation with regards to the proposed timetable. Councillor Booth added that information will be useful for Town and Parish Councils especially in light of the fact that the consultation exercise has commenced, and a number of Parish and Town Councils have responded to that and there is a tight timetable being proposed.

·       Why has an extraordinary Council meeting been called on 13 March 2026 which is another Friday afternoon and proves problematic for a number of members to attend? Councillor Booth added that previously there was a commitment given that meetings on Friday afternoons would try to be avoided and it appears that every meeting concerning Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) has taken place at 4pm on a Friday and he asked why this date has been chosen. Councillor Boden apologised for the date which has been chosen and explained that it was not the first choice for the meeting to be held on Friday afternoon and other options had been considered, however, those dates proved to be problematic for some. He added that there is a strict deadline to respond to the Government’s consultation about LGR and that was the latest date that could be found in order to be able to hold the meeting. Councillor Boden stated that an earlier date would have meant that there was not enough time to be able to put the motion forward to Full Council and Cabinet and any later date was not available.

Members asked questions of Portfolio Holders in accordance with Procedure Rules 8.1 and 8.2 as follows:

·       Councillor Hicks stated that the BBC have reported that the former Barclays Bank site in March cost the Council £750,000 to purchase and the decision was made by members of the Planning Committee, against officer’s recommendation, for the building to be demolished at a cost of £371,000. He added that the decision was then made to place the site up for sale for £295,000 and as a result £800,000 of taxpayer’s money is being effectively lost. Councillor Hicks asked Councillor Boden, as Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance, whether he believes that those decisions make good financial sense? Councillor Hicks added that whilst he is aware that the project was never a profit-making scheme, there needs to be some accountability, as a Council, for losing such a significant amount of taxpayer’s money. He asked what the original plan for the site was as he has asked and nobody has been able to tell him what the long-term plans were for the actual site. Councillor Hicks asked Councillor Boden if he could explain if there were plans for the site what they were and why were they not carried out? Councillor Boden thanked Councillor Hicks for giving him advance notice that he would be asking a question which required a detailed answer. He explained that transactions relating to the former Barclays Bank site in March very successfully satisfied Government’s criteria for spending the grant money they allocated to March under the national Future High Street Fund initiative and they additionally, although not necessarily intentionally, will prove shortly to be significantly financially advantageous to Fenland District Council, but more importantly, they are a key part of a scheme which will significantly benefit the town of March for years to come. Councillor Boden stated that to understand the transactions relating to the former Barclays Bank site in March, it is necessary to look at three different stages of the process, as "success" was defined in different ways in each stage, with the first stage being the use Government authorised under its national Future High Street Fund initiative, the second is the temporary use made of the site after it was purchased and the third stage is the disposal of the site. He referred to the background in which The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (the MHCLG) announced a national £675million regeneration programme, the objective of which was to renew and reshape town centres and high streets in ways that improve user experience, drive economic growth, and ensure long-term sustainability. He continued that the MHCLG identified a number of approved uses and outcomes including:

• investment in physical infrastructure
• acquisition and assembly of land, including to support new housing, workspaces and public realm
• improvements to transport access, traffic flow and circulation
• supporting change of use, including housing delivery and densification.

Councillor Boden stated that the Council applied for funding for March Town Centre from  ...  view the full minutes text for item C50/25

Motion submitted by Councillor Boden on ‘Breaking the Bottlenecks: A plan to unlock growth in Whittlesey and Chatteris’.

Councillor Boden presented a motion concerning a plan to unlock growth in Whittlesey and Chatteris, which was seconded by Councillor Mrs Laws.

Members made the following comments:

·       Councillor Christy stated that he fully supports the motion in his capacity as the Portfolio Holder for Transport and, in his opinion, the motion is associated with a challenge which has been in place for far too long and Fenland’s economic future is constrained by the resilience of its transport network. He added that, as the Portfolio Holder, he cannot ignore that fact that the Council is trying to plan for the next 25 years with evidence which is not fit for purpose and if the vision is to deliver the Fens growth triangle then, in his view, all three corners must have the same level of technical rigor which is not the case currently, however, the motion will correct that. Councillor Christy added that the motion also recognises the emerging pressures around Chatteris with the Fens Reservoir and the other major projects which may come forward. He made the point that there cannot be a reliance on developer led modelling and the Council needs its own independent strategic analysis which protects the community and ensures that infrastructure is designed for Fenland’s benefit. Councillor Christy stated that the motion is not just a transport issue it is also an economic issue, it is also a resilience and fairness issue and, in his view, if there is a vision to have balanced growth across Fenland then in the first instance there must be balanced evidence and he believes that the motion provides the tools required to break the bottlenecks literally and figuratively in order to unlock the potential of Whittlesey, Chatteris and the wider district.

·       Councillor Booth stated that he supports the motion, and he added that it is disappointing that it will not emerge as a matter of course with the Local Plan. He added that as various stages of the Local Plan are reached then the appropriate evidence will be obtained, however, there needs to be assurances that it is put in place.

The motion was approved.

Motion submitted by Councillor Mrs Laws on reducing the B1040 closure risk owing to flooding.

Councillor Mrs Laws presented a motion concerning reducing the B1040 closure risk owing to flooding, which was seconded by Councillor Boden.

Members made the following comments:

·       Councillor Nawaz referred to the state of some of the road connections in Whittlesey and he highlighted that the bridge has been operating a one lane system for well over a year and that was supposed to be the towns main arterial connection between the east and the west of Whittlesey. He explained that to the west is the transport hub of Peterborough, with journeys resulting in huge delays which he has also encountered and has had to allow extra time to make various trips to Peterborough. Councillor Nawaz expressed the view that the roads are riddled with potholes and likened some to the size of craters, resulting in many people suffering damage to their cars in various forms and costing residents hundreds of pounds. He referred to the point made by Councillor Mrs Laws concerning the socio-economic impact and, in his view, that point is very pertinent to the actual reality of todays problems with the roads. Councillor Nawaz thanked Councillor Mrs Laws for bringing forward such an important subject and he will wholeheartedly support the motion.

·       Councillor Boden stated that he is unaware whether residents in other parts of the district are aware of the frustration faced by the residents of Whittlesey after having to face almost 20 months of restricted movement on a bridge where initially the restriction was due to be for just over a week. He explained that there is also the perennial problem of the secondary option to travel towards Peterborough, the B1040, which closes on a quite frequent and unpredictable basis which is dependent on the flooding of the Whittlesey Washes, with some residents having reached the point of despair and have made the choice to move away from Whittlesey. Councillor Boden stated that with regards to the road repairs, it is a well-known fact that the County Council have not performed very well, and he would hope that the new Unitary Authority will do a better job under different control. He added that there are significant costs linked to the major infrastructure projects to improve road connectivity and it will take a long time to be delivered, making the point that the motion relates to something much more short term and it relates to the ability of getting the information which is required by local people to monitor if the sluice gates are working properly or not. Councillor Boden added that if it is then found that the sluice gates have not functioned properly then the Environment Agency can then be notified, explaining that there have been instances when they have not worked for days at a time and as has happened previously it results in the B1040 closing for more days than it needs to. He made the point that there needs to be better coordination with the Environment Agency, North Level Internal Drainage Board  ...  view the full minutes text for item C52/25

Motion submitted by Councillor Taylor on the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy.

Councillor Taylor presented a motion concerning the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, which was seconded by Councillor Carney.

Members made the following comments:

·       Councillor Count thanked Councillor Taylor for bringing this forward, he is no expert in the field of farming and understands that Councillor Taylor has a great deal of expertise which he listens to. He has read this with some concern, because as a complete lay person, the one thing that jumped out at him was stopping the hunting of rabbits, knowing little about farming but he knows what happens when he drives around the area at night time and what happened in the 60’s with myxomatosis and if there is not something done about rabbits there will be an explosion. Councillor Count expressed the view that he really does not understand where this is being driven from or what is driving it or how the farming community is going to be expected to carry on and what the alternative plans are. He hopes it can be explained that there is a counterpoint but does think that this is another thinly disguised attack on the rural way of life, with the voters for a Labour Government lying in urban areas and that people who represent them generally coming from urban areas. Councillor Count made the point that the Minister for Agriculture is Daniel Ziechner from Cambridge who has had no jobs in agriculture in his life and is a computer IT expert and a career politician. He referred also to the hunting of birds using birds of prey being stopped, which is not a common practice in his experience, but he has seen it used in places such as football stadiums, Wimbledon, etc, and he struggles to think what the alternative is as this has been an effective management tool. Councillor Count stated that this motion raises concerns with the people who may or may not listen and tells them there is something here that is happening that needs to be looked at.

·       Councillor Marks referred to Councillor Taylor making reference to planning and development and questioned that by being on the Planning Committee should he not vote on this? The Monitoring Officer responded that this motion does not have anything to do with planning or the planning system or any decisions that are going to come before Fenland’s Planning Committee, so members of the Planning Committee are able to participate.

·       Councillor Tierney stated that he would never personally choose to take part in any sort of hunting, even simulated, because he is an animal lover but he does not believe his personal choices should dictate other people’s personal choices and he thinks where it is sensible some of these things are appropriate. He expressed the view that the six issues listed in the motion all seem to be reasonably sensible and he agrees with what Councillor Taylor’s motion is saying even though he is an animal lover because he feels that this is what birds of prey do  ...  view the full minutes text for item C53/25

For Council to consider and approve the Final Business Plan 2026/27

Members considered the Final Business Plan 2026/27 report, presented by Councillor Tierney.

Proposed by Councillor Tierney, seconded by Councillor Imafidon and AGREED to approve the Business Plan 2026/27.

(Councillor Hicks left the meeting following this item and for the remainder of the agenda items)

Revised General Fund Budget and Capital Programme 2025/26; General Fund Budget Estimates 2026/27 and Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2026/27 to 2030/31; Capital Programme 2026/27 to 2028/29

Members considered the Corporate Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy report, presented by Councillor Boden.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Mrs French stated that she would like her congratulations and thanks noted to both the officers and to Councillor Boden for all of their hard work in the preparation of the budget.

Proposed by Councillor Boden, seconded by Councillor Hoy and AGREED that

(i)         the revised estimates for 2025/26 as set out in Section 6 and Appendix A showing an estimated surplus of £107k which will be transferred to the Budget Equalisation Reserve be approved;

(ii)       the General Fund revenue budget for 2026/27 as set out in Section 7 and Appendix A be approved;

(iii)     the Medium Term Financial Strategy as outlined in this report and Appendix B be adopted;

(iv)     the Capital Programme and funding statement as set out in Appendix D be approved;

(v)       the adoption of the additional Business Rates Relief measures as detailed in Section 5 using Discretionary Relief Powers be approved;

(vi)     the expenses detailed in Section 10 be approved to be treated as general expenses for 2026/27;

(vii)   the Port Health levy for 2026/27 be set as shown in Section 11;

(viii)  the current working age Council Tax Support Scheme be adopted with effect from 1 April 2026 as set out in Section 13, with appropriate changes to the prescribed pensioner scheme as determined by regulations;

(ix)     the Treasury Management Strategy Statement, Minimum Revenue Provision Policy Statement (including amending the MRP calculation to be based on the ‘Annuity method’ from 2025/26 onwards), Treasury Investment Strategy, Prudential and Treasury Indicators for 2026/27 and Capital Strategy 2026/27 as set out in Section 14 and Appendix E be approved; and

(x)       the Band D Council Tax level for Fenland District Council Services for 2026/27 be set at £253.35, a reduction on the current year.

The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 impose an obligation on Local Authorities (after 25 February 2014) to record all votes on decisions on budget and council tax, with this in mind Members voted on this item as follows:

In favour of the proposal: Councillors Barber, Benney, Boden, Booth, Carney, Christy, J Clark, S Clark, Count, Cutler, Mrs Davis, Foice-Beard, Mrs J French, K French, Harris, Hay, Hoy, Humphrey, Imafidon, Mrs Laws, Marks, Miscandlon, Mockett, Murphy, Nawaz, Purser, Rackley, Roy, Seaton, Summers, Taylor, Tierney, Wallwork and Woollard.

Against the proposal: None.

Abstentions: None.

(Councillor Woollard declared that he is in receipt of Council Tax benefit, but will remain open minded when considering the item)

(Councillors Boden, Christy and Seaton declared that they are Trustees of FACT)

(Councillor Miss Kim French left the meeting following this item and for the remainder of the agenda items)

Following consideration of this report to Council on 23 February 2026 and the setting of the Revenue Budget for 2026/27, the Council is required to pass the resolution to set the Council Tax requirement.

Members considered the Council Tax Resolution 2026/27 report, presented by Councillor Boden.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Tierney stated that the Council has frozen Council Tax for nine years and this has not been as a result of making lots of cuts to services, it has been made possible by working better, working harder and working more intelligently. He expressed the view that there are not many councils in the country who are doing what Fenland is doing and, in his view, that is special and everyone should be proud of that.

·       Councillor Nawaz expressed the view that he finds it unbelievable that one of the very few councils in the country can maintain its Council Tax despite the previous high inflation in the previous 3 or 4 years. He stated that he cannot think of any other political party who has managed to sustain the same amount of Council Tax for nine years running and he will fully support the proposal.

Proposed by Councillor Boden, seconded by Councillor Booth and AGREED the resolution set out in the report for the Council Tax requirement be approved.

The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 impose an obligation on Local Authorities (after 25 February 2014) to record all votes on decisions on budget and council tax, with this in mind Members voted on this item as follows:

In favour of the proposal: Councillors Barber, Benney, Boden, Booth, Carney, Christy, J Clark, S Clark, Count Cutler, Mrs Davis, Foice-Beard, Mrs J French, Harris, Hay, Hoy, Humphrey, Imafidon, Mrs Laws, Marks, , Miscandlon, Mockett, Murphy, Nawaz, Patrick, Purser, Roy, Seaton,  Summers, Taylor, Tierney, Wallwork and Woollard.

Against the proposal: None.

Abstentions: None.

(Councillor Woollard declared that he is in receipt of Council Tax benefit, but will remain open minded when considering the item)

To approve and adopt the updated Waste Strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Partnership and in support of the updated Waste Strategy, to approve and adopt an updated Fenland Recycling Plan.

Members considered the RECAP Waste Strategy report, presented by Councillor Tierney.

Proposed by Councillor Tierney, seconded by Councillor Mrs French and AGREED that:

·       the revised Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Joint Waste Strategy be approved, subject to any final drafting amendments to be made by the Director responsible for Environmental Services in consultation with the Portfolio Holder forRecycling and Refuse Collection;

·       the updated Fenland Recycling Plan be approved; and

·       that the development and approval of a shared waste strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which fulfils a Business Plan objective for 2025/26 be noted.

To recommend Council approve entry into a Section 113 agreement with Huntingdonshire District Council for the provision of an interim Licensing Manager pending more detailed consideration of alternative arrangements to include the direct employment of a Licensing Manager.

Members considered entering into a Section 113 agreement with Huntingdonshire District Council for the provision of an interim Licensing Manager, presented by Councillor Hoy.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she will happily supports the proposal as the officer’s knowledge is extremely useful and valuable to the Council.

·       Councillor Hoy expressed the view that she believes that this proposal is unfortunately before the Council as a result of Local Government Reorganisation, and she does not believe that this will be the only scenario where this takes place. She expressed the view that this situation may arise in other services if officers choose to move on to other roles, and then it will need to be decided as to whether they are replaced for potentially a year. Councillor Hoy added that she has had a number of people contact her with regards to expanding the licensing service in order to be more proactive rather than reactive, however, consideration needs to be given as to whether the authority invests money on a service which may not exist in 18 months’ time. She asked for it to be placed on record that the Government do not appear to be considering just how difficult the suggested changes are going to impact statutory services, making the point that the impact of services failing operated by County Council could have dire consequences. Councillor Hoy expressed the view that the situation could get far worse as matters progress and there needs to be decision made by Central Government as soon as possible as the uncertainty is having a significant impact.

Proposed by Councillor Hoy, seconded by Councillor Christy and AGREED to enter into a Section 113 agreement with Huntingdonshire District Council for the provision of interim support to the Licensing Service and delegate to the Monitoring Officer to finalise and enter into any legal agreement in consultation with the Portfolio Holders.

To recommend Council approve entry into a Section 113 agreement with Uttlesford District Council for provision of services to progress the development of a new Local Plan for Fenland.

Members considered entering into a Section 113 agreement with Uttlesford District Council for provision of services to progress the development of a new Local Plan for Fenland, presented by Councillor Mrs Laws.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows:

·       Councillor Booth stated that he has deep reservations concerning the proposal as it took the Council 7 years previously in which to prepare a Local Plan using the assistance from Peterborough City Council. He added that now the Council finds itself in a situation where they are trying to deliver a new Local Plan within 2 years but are still having to go to another Local Authority as that is where the resources are. Councillor Booth stated that he has concerns that there will not be the commitment and the time needed from officers to be able to deliver a Local Plan in the timeframe but there appears to be no other option.

·       Councillor Boden stated that he agrees with Councillor Booth that all authorities facing abolition are going to find it increasingly difficult to recruit officers that are being dissolved but the proposal and the Section 113 Agreement is the best option available and he provided assurance that he attends monthly meetings with Councillor Mrs Laws to monitor the progress that is being made on the Local Plan with the available staff. He made the point that the whole process is being overseen and both himself and Councillor Mrs Laws are very keen to ensure that the whole process is completed in time so that the Council makes the final decision as to what the new Local Plan will be for Fenland over the course of the next 6 to 8 years.

·       Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she does understand the concerns of Councillor Booth, but she explained that other options have been explored, including consideration being given to whether agency staff are used but with that brings a considerable cost and then there is the risk that agency staff dictate their working hours. She stated that by entering into an agreement then there is the certainty of the manpower which the Council will have, making the point that by going to an agency there is also the possibility of introducing an individual who is not familiar with Fenland. Councillor Mrs Laws explained that the proposed officer has been completely involved to date and is familiar with planning policies and it will only mean that some of the work already undertaken will need to be adapted rather than totally undertaking work from scratch. She expressed the view that she believes that it is a good option and not just the only option available as it is an officer that knows the work, knows Fenland and will deliver for the authority.

Proposed by Councillor Mrs Laws, seconded by Councillor Boden and AGREED to enter into a Section 113 agreement with Uttlesford District Council for the provision of services to deliver a new Local Plan and planning policy work  ...  view the full minutes text for item C59/25

The purpose of this report is for Council to adopt the Senior Manager Pay Policy Statement for 2025-2026.

Members considered the Senior Manager Pay Policy report, presented by Councillor Boden.

Members made comments as follows:

·       Councillor Nawaz expressed the view that society and the community as a whole may function better and more efficiently if there was not the perpetual interference from Central Government. He stated that he would like to praise the officers for the excellent work that they undertake as, in his opinion, they deserve their pay award and he urged everyone to support the resolution.

·       Councillor Boden stated that once legislation is introduced it proves very difficult for it to be abolished. He added that when the new Unitary Authorities are introduced there will be the opportunity to both effect the new constitution of the new authority and to impact on the way that it is set up.

Proposed by Councillor Boden, seconded by Councillor Mrs French and AGREED to adopt the Senior Managers Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26.