Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader – TO FOLLOW

The Leader introduced her report, which proposes the abolition of Cheltenham Borough Council, following the government’s white paper requiring all remaining two-tier local authorities to become unitary councils.

She made the follow points:

-       in many ways, it feels like the wrong time to be embarking on a lengthy and costly distraction for the local government sector, especially for CBC with its ambitious programmes – including Golden Valley, improving housing services, providing more affordable homes, and being a town of sanctuary for refugees, asylum seekers and the homeless – as well as delivering excellent services day in day out;

-       CBC has a clear choice, however - to step aside and wait for reorganisation to happen or to take a proactive role and make a clear statement about what we believe is best for Cheltenham – and has opted for the latter, this being so important for the future of the borough;

-        together with a joint cover letter from all Gloucestershire councils, three interim proposals will be submitted to government:  a single county-wide unitary; CBC’s preferred option for two unitaries – one in the east and one in the west; and a ‘greater Gloucester’ model;

-        the two unitaries proposed (Gloucester City, the Forest of Dean and Stroud in the east, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds in the west) are the right shape and size to meet the government’s assessment tests but still be connected to residents, and this is the preference of five Gloucestershire MPs, including Max Wilkinson.  This plan is ambitious, progressive and promotes innovative potential solutions to the significant problems that threaten to outstrip and overwhelm local government if we continue on the same path;

-        the government believes growth and productivity are the way to solve the country’s problems, and CBC’s plan will do that and more, using technology to enhance our clusters in cyber security, and green energy to make residents more prosperous and healthy and less reliant on expensive care services;

-        the proposal is ambitious for the future, keeping devolution front and centre, and in addition boldly calls for Gloucestershire to become part of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), to help create a bigger strategic authority with a strong regional voice at the heart of government.  We need to engage with existing WECA authorities on this plan to make sure it works for all; if we hesitate, the government may step in and place us in a strategic authority that isn’t right for Cheltenham or the county;

-        the main message to convey is that achieving management efficiencies through rationalising councils is ultimately a dead end  - we need real, positive change, to push the boundaries on what is possible. 

She concluded by saying that although she and the Cabinet have approved the decision, she was keen to bring the matter to Council to enable Members to have their say.

Questions

In response to a Member’s question, the Chief Executive confirmed that:

-       to clarify what is meant by shadow  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11

Report of the Leader - to follow.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the joint letter to be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government found at Appendix 4 is approved;

2.    a preference is expressed for two unitary councils to be created in Gloucestershire and the interim submission included at Appendix 5 is approved, setting out an outline case to be appended separately to the joint letter alongside other interim proposals submitted by respective Gloucestershire councils;

3.    authority is delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader to work with the other six Gloucestershire councils to submit the joint letter and any associated separate appendices submitted by councils individually;

4.    that there is not alignment on the shape of local government in Gloucestershire is recognised by Cabinet, but a commitment to ongoing collaboration with other Gloucestershire Councils, stakeholders and MHCLG as the devolution and reorganisation process progresses is agreed, to ensure that we deliver the best outcomes for residents and businesses.

The Leader began her introduction by saying that the council faces a dilemma in many respects – to either step aside and allow local government reorganisation to be imposed on Cheltenham while we continue to focus on the day job, or to follow a proactive path and make a clear statement about what we believe is best for Cheltenham, our neighbourhoods and our families. She said local government reorganisation is a once-in-a-lifetime, 50-year event, and of such importance to the future of the borough that it is the duty of elected Members to choose the latter.

She said three proposals are being outlined at this interim stage, as set out in the report:

-       a single county-wide unitary authority;

-       two unitary authorities, one in the east and one in the west;

-       a Greater Gloucester model.

A joint covering letter signed by all the districts and the county council will be submitted to the government this week, with the supporting proposals submitted separately.    

She said CBC’s proposal for two unitary authorities – one made up of Gloucester City, Stroud and the Forest of Dean, the other combining Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds - is pioneering and ambitious for Gloucestershire.  The two proposed councils will be the right shape and size to meet government assessment tests and the right scale to still be connected to residents and communities.  She thanked our five MPs, including Max Wilkinson, for sharing this preference for two councils to serve the county.

Moving forward, she said there is still a huge amount of work to be done, not least major consultation with residents and communities.  Not all councils are unified around CBC’s proposals, but she is convinced that these are right for Cheltenham and its residents, and that working collaboratively is the only thing to do. 

She ended by saying that whatever the government decides, we will all work to do what is right for Cheltenham and for Gloucestershire as a wider entity.

Members thanked the Leader and officers for their hard work, and supported the proposals as set out, with the following contributions:

-       the importance placed on having a local voice is welcome, and it is essential that a readable, accessible version of the documents is shared, so that everyone can understand what is being proposed;

-       two unitaries is a genuinely positive way forward; areas need to be the right size to achieve efficiency - particularly in licensing and planning - to meet local needs, and be informed by local views.  A single unitary cannot achieve this but two smaller unitaries can;

-       we already work across districts, for example with Ubico, demonstrating that we don’t have to form one single unitary in order to do that.  Putting the whole of Gloucestershire together in one unitary would not necessarily make savings or efficiencies, whereas two unitaries can achieve what each area wants while working towards bigger goals, growth and change in a positive way;

-       there are two main reasons to support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5