Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Bamford, Beale, Chelin, Garcia Clamp, Jeffries, Joy, Lynch, Oliver, Orme, Smith andTooke.

With reference to Agenda item 9, Councillor Horwood declared an interest, as a member of Leckhampton with Warden Hill Parish Council with responsibility for its neighbourhood plan.  He does not regard this as a prejudicial interest, and on advice will not withdraw from the Chamber during consideration of that item.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 February will be approved at the next meeting of Council.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 February will be approved at the next meeting of Council.

The Mayor began by saying his mayoral year had flown by and it has been his privilege and pleasure to serve Cheltenham as its Mayor.

He had enjoyed a busy few weeks, with the following highlights:

-       a visit to the School House Café in St Paul’s, an amazing facility which provides space and support for the local community.  He attended a great event run by a charity called Wiggly, which provides free meals – on this occasion pancakes;

-       the YMCA’s BIG Shelter Build event invited over 40 primary school children to design and build cardboard shelters, conveying a powerful message in a practical and fun way.  This was followed by a Sleep Easy Soup Kitchen event where people slept out in the shelters, raising money to support local people without a safe place to call home.  It was a great occasion, although sad that it is needed;

-       a first experience of Park Run, another fabulous national event involving nearly 700 runners at Pittville Park every week, with a different charity taking responsibility for marshalling.  He encouraged people to give it a try;

-       Gloucestershire’s Young Musician of the Year event, where incredible talent was on show, in a county blessed for music.

He said the future Mayor and Deputy Mayor have much to love and look forward to in the year ahead.

Turning to sad news, he reported the recent passing of two former councillors and prominent members of the local community:  John Oates, who represented Park Ward on the borough council for many years, had a passion for aviation, and was very involved in the airport committee; and Charmian Sheppard who served as a county councillor for St Peter’s for 20 years and had a particular interest in education.  He thanked them both for their dedication and hard work over the years, sent condolences to their families, and invited Members to share their thoughts.

Councillors Hay, Willingham, Wheeler, Collins, Atherstone, Horwood and Barnes all paid tribute to the councillors, thanking them for their huge contributions to the borough, and also extending condolences to their families and friends. 

The Leader shared the following communications:

-       following some public concern, the county council has engaged in a dialogue about its proposal to replace paving with tarmac on the Promenade outside Cavendish House.  This engagement is welcome, particularly in light of the problems with the quality of work on The Strand.  CBC is not the responsible authority but the Leader will write to the leader of the county council requesting that they pause their plan, re-think, and engage more widely before making a final decision;

-       the sale of the of the Municipal Offices and the airport is moving forward, and we will shortly be in a position to announce the preferred bidders for both;

-       the Golden Valley planning application is also getting closer, with ongoing dialogue with the county council highways;

-       work has started at North Place, and we look forward to the site providing much-needed attainable housing;

-       the county council has applied for planning permission for a new sports hub at Pittville School – this is particularly welcome, and helps with the delivery of our sports strategy.  It is also good to note that a new Special Educational Needs school is planned, although this is likely to be full as soon as it is built.

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Report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control introduced his report, asking Members to adopt the Neighbourhood Planning Protocol and to delegate authority to make any minor changes and update the constitution if necessary.  This is being done in line with government guidance and to ensure that the document, which dates back to 2015, remains fit for purpose and in line with a number of government acts as well as our own Corporate Plan priorities. He said the council always supports local communities and parish councils in creating their own neighbourhood plans, and it is important that the protocol remains up to date and live, with reviews on a regular basis.

A Member asked how the council can encourage more communities to get involved in neighbourhood planning, saying that in some areas, finding the requisite 21 people is difficult with the result that areas with good volunteer networks are much more likely to engage with the process.  The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control said that this is an age-old question and applies to most things the council does.  He said the protocol doesn’t address this issue in detail – it is basically a list of what needs to be done and the various stages and gateways - but the council wants to do its best for all communities in Cheltenham and anyone coming forward will have its full support.

In debate, a Member welcomed the report and timely update of the protocol and hoped that the reforms proposed can be carried forward as part of a greater process of reforming the neighbourhood planning processes, noting the various barriers to engagement for some communities.  He was also conscious of the difference between parished and non-parished areas of Cheltenham, with significant deprivation in some of the unparished areas, and hoped that the council might bring forward new measures to encourage outreach work on neighbourhood plans and the establishment of more neighbourhood forums.  He supported the report as a good first step towards that.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control suggested that elected Members are responsible for taking the lead in their communities, to make sure the people they represent know what is available, support their first steps, and direct them towards officers for help and guidance if appropriate.  He said the protocol is a living document and can be improved in the future to ensure it is always fit for purpose.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the Cheltenham Borough Council Neighbourhood Planning Protocol, attached to the report at Appendix 4, is adopted; 

2.    authority is delegated to the Director of Community and Economic Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, to prepare the Neighbourhood Planning Protocol for publication correcting any minor errors such as spelling, grammar, typographical and formatting changes that do not affect the substantive content of the Protocol;

3.    authority is delegated to the Corporate Director and Monitoring Officer to make changes to the constitution, as set out in Appendix 2 of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets introduced her report, saying that the Capital, Investment and Treasury Management Strategies would provide the funding for the ambitious multi-million pound strategy set out in the budget approved in February, and ensuring that council tax payers’ money is spent and invested wisely for maximum return.  She said it is the real heart and soul of how the council manages money and services, from regenerating our favourite assets to EV charging points and safe cycle parking.

She went on to say that the housing capital programme proposed a £104.7m investment between 2024-25 and 2028-29, to increase the supply of social and affordable housing in Cheltenham, in addition to the £35m already spent on this.  Although a huge sum, she said there will always be a housing list, but the council will use every penny of the housing revenue account wisely and do all it can to deliver houses – as always in investing in Cheltenham for Cheltenham. 

She urged Member to approve the strategies, and thanked officers of the finance and assets team for making the detail of the work a reality and delivering one of the most innovative and inventive financial strategies of any council of the country.

Questions

A Member thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for the report, noting that the Capital Strategy states that capital expenditure will be funded from external resources, and capital receipts from the disposal of surplus assets where possible, with borrowing only used if no other funding source is available, and debt repayment and interest costs covered without additional pressure on the revenue budget.  He said Table 2 of the Capital Strategy shows £171m of capital expenditure being financed by debt over the next three years, and Table 7 shows financing costs for the same period falling from £4.6m to £4.2m, a reduction which, given current and future interest rates,  can only be achieved if a substantial portion of planned investment is financed from external resources and capital receipts. 

He asked for assurance that in reality, the majority of planned investment will be financed from external resources and capital receipts rather than the amount of new debt shown in Table 2, and asked if the Cabinet Member agreed that while a prudent level of borrowing to fund investments in acceptable, it would be inappropriate to borrow to meet interest payments.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets said she would stand behind the finance team’s decades of experience in investment planning, and said that with some substantial assets in its portfolio, the council will do all it can to finance within its means through asset disposals and redeployments. .

In response to further questions, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets confirmed that:

-       the county council receives 74% of council tax income, understandable as it delivers very expensive services such as social services, education and highways, but unfortunate in that it means that CBC has no jurisdiction over some things, such as potholes and paving.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

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.

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There was no other business on this occasion.