Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Barnes, Bassett-Smith, Boyes, Clucas, Hay, Oliver and Wilkinson.

There were none.

Minutes of the meeting held on 6 December 2022 and the Extraordinary meeting held on 9 January 2023

The minutes of the meetings held on 6 December and 9 January were approved and signed as a correct record.

The Mayor began by welcoming the new Member for Battledown ward, Councillor Chidley, who won the recent by-election, following the resignation of Councillor Savage.  She also asked the Deputy Leader to pass on Council’s best wishes to the Leader as she recovers from surgery, and to wish her a full and speedy recovery.

She was delighted to have been asked to shortlist some categories for the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) awards – a difficult task as there were over 60 entries submitted across all 12 categories, and they all deserved to win.  On 12 January, she and the Deputy Mayor had the pleasure of attending the 3^rd annual NCLB awards event at the Town Hall, a great night with over 300 guests celebrating the achievements of organisations, teams and individuals who work towards long-term change by addressing inequalities and offering support, and highlighting the fantastic work being done to assist Cheltenham’s children, young people and families facing a range of challenges.  Guests were also treated to exciting and inclusive music performances from Oakwood Primary School samba band and Belmont School Choir.  It was an emotional and humbling evening, and both she and the Deputy Mayor were honoured to be part of it.

Finally, she informed Members that she would be hosting a quiz night, in support of the Mayor’s Charities, on Friday 31 March, at St Mark’s and Hester’s Way Community Centre.  Details can be found on the website.

The Deputy Leader told Members that he would pass on their best wishes to the Leader, who was resting and recuperating at home, and looked forward to welcoming her back to the Chamber in due course.

He also welcomed Councillor Chidley, the first Liberal Democrat councillor to represent Battledown Ward.

He told Members that Councillor Payne, as Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, had raised an urgent request, just when the deadline for questions and motions had passed. Given the seriousness and urgency of the issue, he felt it right to action the request (displayed on screen at the meeting, and below) in his role as Deputy Leader, and thanked Councillor Payne for bringing it to Council’s attention:

At the December meeting of the GCC Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, it was reported that efforts to improve the provision of NHS dentistry  in Gloucestershire had not resulted in any improvement.  It was reported adult access to NHS dentistry had dropped below 30%.  The Committee also reported that there was no longer a school dental provision, and that as a result, many children will never see a dentist.  It was estimated that 20% of five-year-olds already had significant dental decay.

The results of dental decay are painful and distracting but are not considered serious by many, but the reality is that dental decay can lead to a range of life-threatening conditions.  It is for that reason that as Chair of Overview and Scrutiny, I am requesting that the Council writes to the Chair of GCC’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Andrew Gravells, expressing the Council’s concern about the decrease in the availability of adult dentistry and the non-existence of a service for school children, and to encourage the Council its efforts that it is already taking to address this situation. 

He said Members will be aware that CBC was not successful in its levelling-up bid.  As the council believes that the cyber innovation centre will have huge and positive implications and significance, not only for Cheltenham but across the county, he is keen to understand why the bid was not successful, and conversations with relevant government departments are already underway.  He added that the council’s resolve in delivering the project is not weakened in any way.  

There were none.

No questions have been received.

No public questions were received.

Two Member questions have been received and will be circulated as a supplement to the agenda.

(2 total)

1.  Question from Councillor Tim Harman to the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, Councillor Peter Jeffries

Can the Cabinet Member update Council on the Minster Gardens Project following the closure of one area as reported in the local media?

Response from Cabinet Member

The Council’s main contractor identified some remedial works required to the stone circle.  This involved taking up and relaying a section of the circle, the hope was that the existing stones could be reused but this was not possible, hence a new delivery of stone had to be cut from the quarry. The circle will be re-opened as soon as the new stones have been laid, which expect to be completed in the next few weeks. There is no additional cost to the Council.

2.  Question from Councillor Emma Nelson to the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, Councillor Peter Jeffries

Will the Cabinet Member confirm the plans for the site of the former Taxi Hut site by the Royal Well Bus Station? Recent media reports indicate that the site is currently being rented out to a developer working on revamping business properties close by. How long will this somewhat unsightly use be in place and what plans does CBC have for developing the site, which is, I believe, in the Conservation Area?

Response from Cabinet Member

In October 2021, the taxi rank hut in the Royal Well which is land owned by the Council was demolished. At this time, the Council were undertaking a review of car parking income as the town emerged from the pandemic which fed into the clear strategy in the 2022/23 budget to reduce our reliance on this income stream. This is also aligned to the Corporate Priorities around carbon net zero. At this time, the Council were approached by a developer looking for some land nearby to a vacant commercial premises which they were looking to refurbish. The Royal Well was well placed to meet this request and support the growth and recovery of the town’s economy post pandemic whilst also providing a stable rental income stream for the Council’s general fund in the short term.  Negotiations are ongoing with a small local business to bring the site back into use as a private car park in support of their business.

Report of the Leader

The Deputy Leader introduced the item by reading a statement on behalf of the Leader. Before talking about the new corporate plan, she reflected on what has been achieved in the last few years, including the development agreement with HBDX Factory to take forward the Golden Valley development; £40m invested to increase provision of affordable homes;  creation of the Climate Emergency Action Plan and SPD to raise standards for sustainable housing development; £1.1m external funding secured to support carbon-busting initiatives, skill-boosting schemes, business growth, and a new cycle hub; the launch of the Cheltenham Lottery, which has raised over £100k for local good causes; new digital services making it easier for residents and businesses to contact and transact with the council, with the newly-opened reception providing drop-ins or appointments for anyone preferring to see someone in person. Our work has been nationally recognised with several national and regional awards, and overall resident satisfaction with Cheltenham as a place to live is 90%, well above Local Government Association benchmark, and all this has been achieved despite the pandemic and the challenging financial position faced by district councils.

Looking ahead, there are huge opportunities and challenges for Cheltenham, and the new corporate plan continues our ambition, by continuing to enhance Cheltenham’s reputation as cyber capital of the UK, progressing the Climate Emergency Action Plan, including exploration of heat networks; further increasing the supply of affordable, carbon neutral homes and retro-fitting existing homes; and renewing the focus on culture, leisure, economic and community development to ensure Cheltenham is a great place to live work and explore.  This will be underpinned by continuing to improve customer services and how the Council works through new technology, and finding ways to increase income to continue investing in frontline services. He thanked the many officers who had contributed to the plan, and recommended it for approval.

The Mayor introduced a four-minute video outlining the Corporate Plan, before inviting Members to ask questions.

Before commenting, the Leader of the Conservative Group added his group’s best wishes to Councillor Hay, and also, in the historic week marking one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, invited Members to join him in remembering the late Chris Parry, a Cheltenham resident who lost his life in Ukraine while undertaking humanitarian work.

He went on to say that the plan is great and his group was happy to support it in principle, but delivery is what matters, and the 90% satisfaction of Cheltenham residents isn’t only a result of CBC’s input but equally due to many other factors that make it a good place to live.  Regarding the Golden Valley Development, he asked if CBC is confident it can fund the aims and aspirations, and that it has a robust plan for delivery.  The Deputy Leader confirmed that the plan is robust – the business case will be brought to Members in due course - and has undergone a great deal of scrutiny. There is a chance, in view of ongoing economic uncertainty,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets presented the report, which summarised the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revised forecast for 2022/23 and the Cabinet’s budget proposals for 2023/24. He emphasised the impact of the cost of living crisis and financial turbulence on the HRA, with excess cost inflation, increased interest, energy costs and additional compliance costs increasing overall expenditure in the HRA by £2.5m next year. Whilst the budget proposal was for rents to increase, this had been capped at 7%.

The long-term impact of high inflation and the rent cap on the 30-year outlook was substantial, with capacity in the HRA reducing by an estimated £79m. This reduced capacity meant that the scale and pace of investment in existing and new homes needed to be carefully managed to ensure that vital services to residents were protected. While the scale and pace of demonstrated the council’s commitment to its ambitious plans for delivering new homes, improving the quality of existing homes and protecting services for tenants.

He highlighted a number of key points, including £63m over three years for additional affordable homes, £32m investment in improving existing homes and £6m specifically for energy improvement measures for the least efficient houses. A further detail which did not go out with the consultation paperwork was at paragraph 5.5. Cheltenham had been allocated £2.36m from the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund to support refugee guests, predominantly from Ukraine and Afghanistan. The total cost of providing those homes was estimated to be around £6m, following a list of criteria given by the government, including a condensed timescale for their provision. Officers from CBC & CBH were already working hard on this.

The 2023/24 proposals continued their focus on supporting tenants through the cost of living crisis, with CBH’s Benefit and Money Advice and Training and Employment teams targeting resources in a proactive and preventative approach that was really working for tenants in need. The Help2 initiative was equally beneficial, working with a range of partners and agencies. Funding for these services had been protected, recognising the challenging period ahead for their tenants and communities

The budget continued to invest in their priority to deliver net zero homes, and continued with their ambitious investment in delivering more affordable homes. All of this investment would help improve outcomes for residents and our communities, reduce inequality and support the economic recovery of Cheltenham throughout this challenging period. The cost of living crisis, energy crisis and continuing housing crisis had put a real strain on CBH officers but their work in support of tenants had been exemplary, and he put on record his thanks to all of them for their efforts and continued hard work. He also thanked the Executive Leadership Team and the CBH Board, and commended the HRA budget proposals to Council.

There being no Member questions, the Mayor moved into debate, where the following points were made:

-       CBH was to be congratulated on the transformation of the council’s housing stock over the last few decades.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets presented the report, which summarised the revised budget for 2022/23 and the Cabinet’s final General Fund Revenue and Capital budget proposals and pay policy statement for 2023/24.

He reflected on the economic changes over the last twelve months, including record inflation of 11.1% compared to 5.1% when last year’s budget was agreed. Interest rates had increased eight times since then, from a base rate of 0.5% in February 2022 to 4% last week. This time last year a unit of electricity had cost 15p while a unit of gas was 3p, and these were now 40p and 10p respectively even with government caps on pricing. In addition to this, there had been three Prime Ministers and four Chancellors during the year, causing a circus of economic self-harm which everybody in the country was paying for.

The council had to act in a volatile and unpredictable financial situation, and had to take decisive action to ensure resources were balanced to deliver on their commitments, particularly considering the economic challenges which were forecast to continue into the medium term. The final Local Government Finance Settlement setting out government funding for 2023/24 only included a 3% increase in core funding and only a one-year guarantee of this. They had only received single year settlements since 2019, and no long-term guarantee of funding was expected until the Fair Funding review which had been delayed again until at least 2025/26. After a decade of austerity, this was a bitter pill to swallow.

With the latest budget monitoring report for 2022/23 reporting a £2.39m overspend against what was a reasonable and prudent budget this time last year, they were placing reliance on their general balances to balance the budget this year. These balances were finite, and this was not a long-term strategy. Greater reliance had been placed on local tax generation and the council’s own commerciality to enable them to balance the budget for 2023/24. In order to meet their financial commitments and deliver services whilst maintaining robust reserves year after year while spending pressures continued to outstrip the funding received from government, it was a challenging savings strategy to deliver.

The council’s challenge had been to continue to drive forward with the goals outlined in the COVID-19 Recovery Strategy and in the new Corporate Plan agreed earlier in the meeting. These priorities were to continue with the aim of making Cheltenham the cyber capital of the UK, to invest in the sustainable economic growth of the town, to continue to support the most vulnerable communities through the No Child Left Behind initiative, to continue their £180m affordable housing program and deliver more homes across the town, and to continue with their commitment to make the council and town net carbon zero by 2030.

He added that they were looking forward to the coronation of King Charles III and wanted Cheltenham’s communities to be able to commemorate this occasion, so they were relaunching the existing Community Pride grant as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets-TO FOLLOW

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets introduced the report, the purpose of which was to enable the council to set the council tax for 2023-24. The budget includes the level of council tax, included in the report, as well as the council tax requirements of the precepting organisations, Gloucestershire County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire, both of which have met and set their council tax levels for 2023-24.

There being no Member questions or debate, the Mayor moved straight to the vote.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the formal Council Tax resolution at Appendix 2 be approved and the commentary in respect of the increase in Council Tax at Paragraph 6 of Appendix 2 be noted. 

FOR: 33

AGAINST: 0

ABSTAIN: 0

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets presented the report, which related to a new one-off fund announced by the government on 19^th December 2022. Funding was allocated based on the council tax support caseload, both working age and pension age, and CBC had been given £173,493 based on a total caseload of about 6,500 residents.

The government expected that the majority of funding would be used to award up to £25 to all council tax support recipients at the start of the financial year, with the remainder being effectively discretionary, to be allocated to new council tax support claimants and economically vulnerable households. Most authorities did not award 100% council tax support, so would have to give up to £25 to all of their caseload, leaving a small balance for discretionary awards. As CBC provided 100% support to a large proportion of recipients, they would be making awards to only a portion of their caseload, and could therefore afford to increase the £25 to an amount that would make more of a difference and still have enough for other discretionary awards.

There were currently around 2,450 cases of Cheltenham residents with balance left to pay on their council tax after receiving support from the council. This report proposed that each of them would receive £60, costing £147k and leaving the council with £27k to award to new council tax support claimants and other economically vulnerable council tax payers. This one-off fund would in effect operate as an additional hardship policy. Providing support for the most financially vulnerable residents was something this council continued to focus on, and he thanked officers in the Revenues and Benefits team for their work.

There being no Member questions, the Mayor moved into debate.  One Member noted that the council tax increase would total more than £100 per year for some residents. While this was modest compared to some authorities, it would be yet another burden for struggling residents. The council’s support was needed more than ever, and it was good to see they were supporting 2,500 vulnerable people with 100% of their council tax. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets agreed, highlighting that this it discretionary scheme they were choosing to provide, in order to give vital financial support to residents. This additional funding allowed them to provide even more.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the Council Tax Support Fund 2023/24 in Appendix 3 as an appendix to the Council Tax Section 13a Discretionary Hardship Policy be approved; 

2.    the Head of Revenues and Benefits in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assetsbe authorised to implement any changes as required by Government  to ensure funding is allocated or the successful operation of the scheme

3.    Due to the volume of cases, decisions relating to the application of these awards be delegated to the Head of Revenues and Benefits and officers in the Revenues and Benefits team. In the case of a dispute final reconsideration is to be made by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Report of the Chief Executive

The Chief Executive presented the report, explaining that it was a constitutional requirement for Council to elect its Mayor and Deputy for the forthcoming council year at its annual meeting on the 15^th May 2023. The council maintained an Order of Precedence for fulfilling these ceremonial roles which recognised councillors’ length of service, and this was attached as an appendix. He added that the order of precedence had been updated after it was originally published to reflect Cllr. Chidley’s election.

Cllr. Matt Babbage had served as Deputy Mayor since last year’s Annual Council, and Members would be asked to elect him as Mayor in May. The Members shown towards the head of the Order of Precedence had been approached to ascertain if they were willing and able to have their name put forward for appointment as Deputy Mayor for 2023-24, and Cllr. Paul Baker had put his name forward.

One Member queried what the ballot referred to in the Order of Precedence. The Chief Executive clarified that, when more than one Member was elected at the same time, their names were put into a hat to decide their order in the line of succession.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the Order of Precedence in Appendix 2 be noted;

2.    Councillor Matt Babbage be put to the Annual Council Meeting for election as Mayor for the Municipal year 2023–2024

3.    Councillor Paul Baker be put to the Annual Council Meeting for election as Deputy Mayor for the Municipal year 2023-2024

FOR: 33

AGAINST: 0

ABSTAIN: 0

Report of the Leader

In the absence of the Leader, the Deputy Leader presented the report, which set out the proposed Council diary for September 2023 to August 2024. This followed the same process as previous years, and aimed to be inclusive as possible and respond to Members’ needs. It was an evolving process, and he thanked Democratic Services for their continued work in being as accommodating to Members as possible.

He noted the Executive Director Finance, Assets and Regeneration’s proposal to move the February budget meeting from a Monday afternoon to a Friday afternoon. The county council had consulted all districts about changing their meeting in February, and this change would allow CBC to meet after the county council had concluded its budget setting process, which made logical sense.

One Member asked whether party conferences had been taken into account when drafting the diary. The Deputy Leader responded that the Democratic Services team took this into account wherever possible.

RESOLVED THAT:

-       the draft Council Diary of meetings for September 2023–August 2024 be approved.

FOR: 33

AGAINST: 0

ABSTAIN: 0

None received.

There were none.

There were none.

The Council is recommended to approve the following resolution:-

“That in accordance with Section 100A(4) Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the remaining agenda items as it is likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public are present there will be disclosed to them exempt information as defined in paragraph 3, Part (1) Schedule (12A) Local Government Act 1972, namely:

Paragraph 3; Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular

person (including the authority holding that information)

RESOLVED THAT

“in accordance with Section 100A(4) Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the remaining agenda items as it is likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public are present there will be disclosed to them exempt information as defined in paragraph 3, Part (1) Schedule (12A) Local Government Act 1972, namely:

Paragraph 3; Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular

person (including the authority holding that information)

Exempt minutes of the meeting held on 12 December 2022

The exempt minutes of the meeting held on 12^th December 2022 were approved and signed as a correct record.