Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Barnes, Beale, Chandler, Foster, Garcia Clamp, Healy, Holliday, Joy, Oliver and Orme.

Councillor Tooke and Councillor Williams, as Chair and Vice-Chair of Cabinet Housing Committee, both declared in interest in Agenda item 11: Recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel; they will abstain from the vote for this item.  

The Mayor, as county councillor for St Mark’s and St Peter’s, and Councillor Pineger, as borough councillor for St Mark’s, both declared an interest in Agenda item 10:  Interim review of polling districts, polling places, and polling stations for St Mark’s Ward 

The Mayor also suggested that all parish councillors have an interest in Agenda item 9:   Community Governance Review - Stage 1 results and recommendations,  but this would not preclude them from taking part in the debate and voting on the recommendations.

Minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2025

The minutes of the last meeting, held on 21 July, were approved as a true record of the meeting and signed accordingly by the Mayor.

The Mayor began by expressing condolences to the families of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, who were killed in the Yom Kippur terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester.  He said he understood how concerning this will be for the Jewish communities in Cheltenham, and had a simple message – there is no place for antisemitism, not here, not anywhere.

He said that on 02 October a number of councillors attended the funeral of former Mayor and Honorary Alderman Brian Chaplin.  Not having served with him, he could do no more than  offer condolences to his family and friends, but he invited any members who had worked with him to say a few words should they wish.

Councillor Horwood said he knew Brian during his time as MP and councillor, and although they agreed on nothing politically, always found him a funny and congenial character.  He added that he was an outstanding harmonica player, and latterly a committed fundraiser for prostate cancer, making a huge contribution.

The Mayor invited everyone to stand for a minute’s silence.

A list of events attended by the Mayor since the last meeting of Council can be found here on the CBC website.

The Leader shared an update of just some of the activity and events since the last meeting of Full Council on 21 July:

-       the council completed the first 10 of 70 new affordable homes at the Regents Village site in Swindon Village, making a significant step in addressing our local housing needs;

-       Henry Boot Developments have appointed a contractor for the £1billion Golden Valley scheme near GCHQ, which is set to transform the area into a tech and innovation hub;

-       Cheltenham joined the national Rescue Me! Recycle campaign from 22-28 September, promoting recycling awareness and community engagement;

-       Horizon Aero Group, the preferred bidder for Gloucestershire Airport, unveiled a Social Value Charter outlining its commitment to sustainability and community benefit;

-       nominations have opened for the 2025 No Child Left Behind awards, celebrating individuals and organisations who are making a difference for children and families in Cheltenham;

-       the Community Pride 2025 programme has been launched, offering a total fund of £30k to support local community-led projects that boost neighbourhood pride and cohesion.

Looking forward to the December meeting, she hoped to be able to share the results of our 2025 Residents Survey for debate, together with an update to council on the sale of the Municipal Offices and Gloucestershire Airport.

She ended by encouraging all members to attend the member briefings on Local Government Review.  It is a huge commitment, and there will be a special Full Council meeting in November to agree the submission to government. She put on record her thanks to all the officers working on this enormous piece of work.

There were no petitions.

These must be received no later than 12 noon on Thursday 2 October.

Seven public questions had been received, with written responses published on the website.  Three of the questioners were present to ask supplementary questions.

1.     Question from Richard Lawler to Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, Councillor Mike Collins

Data Centres and Water Use

National frameworks for water management, such as the National Framework for Water Resources 2025 and the Plan for Water, focus largely on regulating water companies and supply infrastructure. They do not set sector-specific safeguards for high-demand industrial users such as data centres, whose cooling systems can place significant pressure on local water resources.

Given Cheltenham Borough Council’s responsibilities as the Local Planning Authority, what steps will the council take to ensure that any future planning application for a data centre in our borough:

1. Includes clear and enforceable conditions on water use, abstraction, and discharge;
2. Demonstrates that local residents and businesses will not lose out to industrial users in the event of water shortages; and
3. Remains subject to local oversight and enforcement, even if data centres are later reclassified as nationally significant infrastructure projects?

Cabinet Member response

Thank you for your question.

It is not possible to pre-judge a future planning application as the issues that may or may not arise cannot be accurately predicted. Please be assured however that the issues that you have raised, where material, will be weighed into the planning balance as part of any planning decision and expert advice will be sought where necessary (from the Environment Agency for example). Conditions will be imposed where the legal tests are met.  Responsibility for enforcement matters will remain with the borough council irrespective of whether a data centre is classified as a ‘nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP)’ in the future.

2.  Question from Mr Richard Lawler to Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, Councillor Mike Collins

Fracking and Local Protections

While the Government has paused support for hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), national energy policy continues to describe it as a possible future option. The National Planning Policy Framework allows certain major energy projects to be designated as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, which can override local planning controls and community objections.

Given Cheltenham Borough Council’s responsibilities as the Local Planning Authority, what steps will the council take to ensure that if fracking proposals were brought forward affecting Cheltenham or its surrounds:

1. Local environmental protections, including groundwater safety and air quality, cannot be set aside;
2. Biodiversity net gain and nature recovery requirements are fully enforced; and
3. The health, safety, and concerns of local residents remain central to the council’s decision-making, even if national policy seeks to override local control?

Cabinet Member response

Thank you for your question.

Hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) does not currently sit under the nationally significant infrastructure (NSIP) regime; a conventional planning application is therefore a requirement.

Dealing with and determining a planning application for fracking (and associated enforcement) is currently the responsibility of Gloucestershire County Council in its capacity as Minerals Planning Authority (MPA). The borough council’s role in this scenario  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

These must be received no later than 12 noon on Thursday 2 October.

There were no Member questions.

Report of the Leader

Introducing the report, the Leader made the following points:

-       local government reorganisation, with the abolition of all Gloucestershire’s seven district and borough councils, will leave areas of Cheltenham outside the existing five parishes without any real local representation – hence the agreement to undertake a community governance review.  Stage 1 ran from May to July, and since then officers and members of the Community Governance Review working group have developed the recommendations outlined in the report;

-       about 100 responses were received, largely through an online survey, with some more detailed proposals sent by email.  It is important to understand the views of the public, community groups and various organisations within Cheltenham, and she put on record her thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, assuring them that any feedback on how to improve offline communications for Stage 2 of the consultation is being taken on board;

-       Stage 1 has resulted in no clear consensus or specific proposal that can be presented as the finished article for Stage 2, so today’s recommendations are essentially proposing a review of certain parishes and their surrounding areas, based on the survey responses and proposals provided, in addition to asking the public for their views on the development of any new parish or town council.

She said that since the publication of the report, a few questions have been asked, and she went on to highlight a few corrections and points of clarification in the report

-       regarding how Stage 2 of the consultation will be conducted with no additional  financial implications, she said it will be largely along the same lines as Stage 1 but that paper copies of the documents will be made available, and the offline element of the consultation will be improved where possible.  It is not economic to email or send printed leaflets to every household, but is really important that we as local representatives and councillors do as much as possible through various channels to keep people informed;

-       paragraph 2.7 of the covering reports notes that a community governance review can make changes to parishes not looking to change; it has been pointed out that this is confusing, and the report and public consultation website will be amended accordingly

-       there are some minor formatting issues in the report which means the recommendations in the summary don’t reflect those at the end of the report or in the covering report – theses will also be amended;

-       following conflicting feedback from Leckhampton with Warden Hill Parish Council, it has now been agreed that a complete review of that parish is needed and a recommendation to that effect has been added. 

Questions

In response to Members’ questions, the Leader confirmed that:

-          the first round of consultation was always going to be tricky, as people would be faced with a blank piece of paper and have no real sense of what any changes would mean to them. She anticipated that Stage 2 would be more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Report of the Returning Officer

The Returning Officer introduced the report, saying it was the council’s statutory duty to ensure that all electors have reasonable and accessible facilities for voting.  A full review of polling districts, places and stations was carried out in 2024, following which the function room at The Umbrella public house was designated as the polling place for polling district OA.   However, following concerns from councillors about the polling station being situated outside St Mark’s ward, and with further consultation, The Common Ground in Brooklyn Road (formerly St Marks and Hesters Way Community Association) has been identified as a more suitable alternative for electors in polling district OA.

He thanked borough and county councillors for aligning behind this recommendation.

A Member asked what contingency plan was in place if the polling station, which would now accommodate three polling districts, became unusable for any reason.  The   Electoral Services Manager confirmed that the Hesters Way polling station would be moved to the Oasis Sports Hall, and that an agreement is in place to have a portacabin supplier and generator on standby for the two St Mark’s districts. 

A Member thanked officers for the clear explanation, and welcomed the recommendations.  The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets also thanked officers and the elections team on behalf of all his colleagues, for their hard work all year round.  The Mayor added his thanks.

RESOLVED THAT: 

-       the change of polling place / station for electors in polling district OA to vote at The Common Ground, Cheltenham, Brooklyn Road (formerly St Marks & Hesters Way Community Association) is approved.

Report of the Chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel

The Monitoring Officer began by saying that she was introducing the report in the absence of the Chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), Graham Russell, who has decided to stand down from the role.  She put on record her thanks to him for all his hard work, time and effort over recent years, which she said was much appreciated.

Introducing the report, she said that when the new Cabinet Housing Committee was set up a year ago, it was agreed that the allowance for the Chair and Vice-Chair would be reviewed after one year.  As set out in the report, the panel felt that the special responsibility allowance (SRA) for these roles should be increased to be in line with that of regulatory committees (Planning and Licensing) and recommended that change be made.  

Members were also being asked to note the allowances paid to co-optees and independent persons on Audit, Compliance and Governance Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and Cabinet Housing Committee.

There were no questions from Members.

A Member said she thoroughly supported the recommendations, knowing that the amount of technical information and paperwork dealt with by the Cabinet Housing Committee is very similar to that of Planning and Licensing.  She was also pleased to note that the independent persons are being fairly remunerated.

The Leader added her thanks to the outgoing Chair of the IRP and was sorry to see him go after doing this difficult job for some years.  She said his vast experience and knowledge of how councils and councillors work had made an important and consistent contribution to the work of the panel, and he will be much missed.

The Mayor also added his thanks on behalf of the whole Council, saying the task of Chair was challenging and often thankless.

RESOLVED THAT: 

1.     the Chair of Cabinet Housing Committee be awarded a Special Responsibility Allowance of £5,363, to be backdated to the 1 October 2025;

2.     the Vice Chair of Cabinet Housing Committee be awarded a Special Responsibility Allowance of £1,823, to be backdated to the 1 October 2025;

3.     the allowances for co-optees/independent persons are noted.

Report of the Chair of the Audit, Compliance and Governance Committee

The Chair of Audit, Compliance and Governance Committee introduced the report, which he felt provided a useful insight into the work of the committee, highlighting the excellent work of finance and audit colleagues, risk management, counter fraud and enforcement, cyber security and governance matters.  He thanked them and officers for their input to the report, and councillor colleagues for their contributions and questions. He explained that the apparent late sign-off of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 accounts was not due to any tardiness of the accounts team, but to a massive national external audit backlog – it will be a couple of years until this is back on track.

No vote was required, but he hoped that Members found the report useful, and was happy to help with any points of clarification.

A Member thanked the Chair of Audit, Compliance and Governance Committee for an excellent job in  chairing the committee over the last year, dealing with dense and technical material with focus and moving through the agendas efficiently.  Another Member of the committee commented that he always particularly enjoys the reports of the Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit, who do a huge amount of work to prevent public money from being syphoned off, and also the cyber security team for their really important work.  He thanked the Chair and all the officers for their hard work.

As set out in the Recommendation, no vote was required but Council noted the Audit, Compliance and Governance Annual Report 2024-25

Report of the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny presented the report, thanking Councillor Foster who has occasionally stepped in to chair a meeting.  She also drew Members’ attention to an error in the report which stated that Councillor Barrell was a member of the committee in 2024-25; she was not, and this will be corrected before publication. 

She said Overview and Scrutiny has had a busy year with an ambitious agenda set by Members, under the much-appreciated guidance of the Head of Governance, Risk and Assurance.  She was also grateful to the Democratic Services team, who organise and liaise with all parties to ensure the items discussed meet the set objectives. 

The chart shows how the committee interacts with the council and other committees, receiving reports from some and making recommendations to others.  It has a wide-ranging and flexible remit to reflect current items of interest and concern, meets twice a year to set and prioritise agenda items, and appreciates dialogue with Members who report back from other scrutiny groups. She thanked officers for their expertise and time in preparing and presenting papers and answering challenging questions – Members don’t underestimate the time and attention they give to the process, together with Cabinet Members. 

Going forward she said Overview and Scrutiny Committee now includes two external members to offer further scrutiny of the items discussed, and looked forward to their future input.

A Member thanked the Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny on behalf of Chair, for taking on leadership of this committee, saying it is a massive undertaking and huge amount of work.

A Member thanked the Vice-Chair for the report, and said she was looking forward to reporting to Overview and Scrutiny on all the ongoing work undertaken during No Child Left Behind’s Year of Youth Action.  She also asked Members to note that as part of the council’s work to tackle multi deprivation, and the problems faced locally and nationally with school attendance, she had met today with representatives from local junior and senior schools to consider how this can be challenged through NCLB effort. 

The Leader thanked members of Overview and Scrutiny and for their work in keeping things on track, and, as a regular attendee at meetings, knew how much work Members put in to holding the council to account for its actions. 

The Mayor thanked Members of opposition groups who sit on Overview and Scrutiny Committee, saying that with such a large majority on the Council, it is essential that the Cabinet is held to account for its decisions, and that best practice is followed by appointing a Chair from who is not a member of the main group.  He thanked officers who support the committee and provide information.

The Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny thanked Members for their comments.

As set out in the Recommendation, no vote was required but Council noted the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2024-25

No motions have been received.

There were none.

There were none.

The committee 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 paragraphs 3 and 5, 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)

Paragraph 5; Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings

Before going into exempt session to approve the exempt minutes of the previous meeting, the Mayor asked if any Member were intending to make any amendments for the minutes.   As there were none, it was confirmed by the Monitoring Officer that there was no need to move into exempt session.

Exempt minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2025

The exempt minutes of the meeting held on 21 July were approved as a true record and signed accordingly by the Mayor.