Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Barnes, Beale, Garcia Clamp, Healy, Jeffries, Oliver and Orme.

There were none.

Minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2026

The minutes of the meeting of Council on 23 February were approved as a true record, and signed accordingly.

The Monitoring Officer highlighted two minor points in Appendix 11 Pay Policy Statements:

-       the incorrect date on the front page (2025-26 instead of 2026-27);

-       reference within the document to the S151 Officer also being the Deputy CEO. 

She confirmed that the CEO will use delegated powers to make the necessary amendments. 

The Mayor had circulated in advance a list of his engagements and events attended since the last meeting. Of the many, he highlighted one in particular – his visit with Councillor Pervaiz, Mayor of Tewkesbury, to morning prayers at Cheltenham Mosque, where they were both made very welcome.  He said he has attended many events in places of worship across the whole spectrum of denominations during his year in office, and always been reminded that there is so much more that joins together people of all faiths and of none than divides them.  

As this was the last meeting of Full Council before the May elections, he took the opportunity to thank all Members, particularly those who are planning to stand down and those who aren’t re-elected, for their service and hard work over the last two years. 

The Leader of the Council shared the following:

-       at its recent annual conference and after much consultation, the District Councils Network officially launched its change of name and brand to Local Councils Network, getting ahead of the game well before district councils no longer exist.  It has an important role to play as local government reorganisation continues around the country;

-       Members are reminded to respond to the Community Governance Review – and to encourage as many residents as possible to do so too;

-       the government’s consultation on LGR options for Gloucestershire closes on Thursday if Members wish to submit comments.  She is responding on behalf of the council, and will share her response once it has been submitted;

-       work on the Strategic and Local Plan continues to progress, with the partnership working well across the board, but faced with unrealistic housing numbers set by government, which will require a conversation with our MP and the government about how to tackle our housing need.  Southwest Councils are collectively lobbying on this – they all want to build houses, but the number, quantity and location of these must be decided locally.  The new government figures also mean that where CBC could previously demonstrate 4.5 years of its 5-year housing supply, it can now only demonstrate 2 years through no fault of its own;

-       the loss of the airport sale is clearly disappointing, but the deal could not be completed.  GCC and CBC are now working on alternative options.  Members will be kept updated;

-       we are sending a joint responses on the Spatial Development Strategy and Food Standards Agency consultation, conveying a strong message that our economy, funding and public sector services look south, and we anticipate becoming part of a combined strategic authority in due course, leaning towards Bristol and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) rather than the Midlands.  Cheltenham is very much part of the south west and we aim to communicate this to government;

-        thanks to all Members who have served for the last two years, and commiserations to anyone who isn’t re-elected.

There were none.

Eight public questions had been received from four questioners, two of whom were present to ask supplementary questions.  The original questions and written responses had been published and were taken as read.

1.     Question from Elliot Craddock to Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling, Parks, Gardens, and Public Green Space, Councillor Paul Baker

What progress has been made in reopening the Swindon Road tip, since it was closed on January the 10th 2025, well over a year ago?

Cabinet Member response

Thank you for your question.

As you rightly point out Cheltenham Borough Council closed the Household Recycling Centre (HRC) in January 2025 because to comply with the new licensing regime of the Environment Agency we would have had to spend around £1m on improvements. Given the significant constraints of Local Government financing following 14 years of cuts imposed by the previous Conservative government and now extended for the next 3 years by the Labour government, this money was simply unavailable.

Notwithstanding the above you will appreciate that the HRC function falls under the remit of Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) and not Cheltenham Borough Council. When the HRC was closed the then-conservative administration at GCC refused point blank to offer any support whatsoever to re-opening it, pointing out the ‘nearby’ facility they operate at Wingmoor Farm.

The good news, to a point, is that the new Liberal Democrat administration at GCC have been far more engaging with us about the future of the HRC. Numerous meetings and an exploratory site visit have been held, and we are now awaiting to hear back from them following their review of options at the Swindon Road depot.

Needless to say, whatever the outcome, the site still requires significant investment which will need to be funded by GCC but in our view there is no question that Cheltenham, as the largest urban centre in the county, must have its own HRC for the convenience of its residents and the expanding population.

In the meantime, Cheltenham Borough Council continues to expand the range of its kerbside recycling options which are soon to include tetra paks. In addition, the trial scheme for the collection of flexible plastic bags and packaging collection is ready to be rolled out across the town.

Supplementary question

From conversations with county councillors, it appears that CBC announced the closure of the Swindon Road HRA very abruptly and didn’t reach out to the county council for help.  Is there any evidence to suggest that it did?

Cabinet Member response

The current Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling, Parks, Gardens and Green Open Space was not in post at the time, but the Leader confirmed that following the Council debate, she undertook to communicate with Cllr Davies at the County Council and an email conversation took place before the HRA was closed.

2.     Question from Elliot Craddock to the Leader, Councillor Rowena Hay

Before Christmas, Ed Davey wrote to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to complain that cancelling elections was against human rights. In  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Four Member questions had been received from four Members.  The original questions and written responses had been published and were taken as read.

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

There is a strong local interest in the nature of the frontage at the 131 restaurant/bar on the Promenade. Given how long the current structures have been present, can we have some clarity on if and why there have been any delays in changes being made as previously directed by the council?

Member response:

Thank you for your question.

The marquee structures currently situated forward of 125-133 Promenade are unauthorised and do not have the benefit of planning permission. An Enforcement Notice requiring these unauthorised structures to be removed, was served on the property owner in January 2024. The legislation is such that when an appeal is lodged against an Enforcement Notice, the Enforcement Notice is suspended until such time that the appeal has been determined.

In this case, the property owner lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate shortly after receipt of the Enforcement Notice (February 2024); the Notice is therefore currently suspended, and this will remain the case until the Planning Inspectorate determine the appeal. The Planning Inspectorate has now been dealing with this appeal for over two years, and to-date has declined to provide a meaningful update.

Notwithstanding the live appeal, the property owner may remove the marquees at any time and replace them with the permanent structures which were granted planning permission in March 2025, but to-date has not done so. The council has no power to force the property owner to remove the marquees while the Enforcement Notice is suspended by the appeal proceedings.

2.     Question from Councillor David Willingham to Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, Councillor Mike Collins

Planning application forms contain the following declaration which must be accepted by the applicant or agent: "I/We confirm that, to the best of my/our knowledge, any facts stated are true and accurate and any opinions given are the genuine opinions of the person(s) giving them." Could the cabinet member for planning please advise how many cases in the previous and current municipal year have misstatements been identified and reported by a) officers, b) councillors, and c) others, and how many applicants or agents have suffered any sanctions or consequences for making untrue or knowingly inaccurate statements on planning applications (including details if the matters are not sub judice)?

Member response:

Thank you for your question.

The planning department does not record this data in a numerical format and so the number/frequency of individual circumstances of inaccurate information within planning submissions cannot be reported.

The submission of inaccurate information is uncommon and when it does occur it is often because of a genuine error or misunderstanding. The correct and reasonable approach when receiving inaccurate information is to seek its withdrawal and/or correction and this is what our Planning Officers do. If the revised corrected  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Wellbeing, Culture and Public Realm

Introducing the item, the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Wellbeing, Culture and Public Realm said that following Members’ agreement in November 2025 to promote the Cheltenham Borough Council (Markets) Bill, it was duly deposited in parliament in line with statutory requirements, and has progressed well and unopposed.  It will be considered by a Commons select committee tomorrow (24 March), then proceed to the reports stage, and conclude its scrutiny with a third reading in the House of Commons.

A quirk of this private bill procedure is the requirement of the promoting local authority to pass a confirmatory resolution after the bill is deposited in Parliament, the rationale being to allow the opportunity to reconsider the position once the deposit has taken place.  The confirmatory resolution must be approved at a meeting of Full Council. 

A Member pointed out that the date of the Equality Impact Assessment was not properly displayed.  The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Wellbeing, Culture and Public Realm confirmed that this would be corrected.

There was no debate. 

The Mayor thanked the Head of Public Protection and the OneLegal team for all their work getting this through the bureaucratic process and back to Council.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the resolution of this Council passed at a meeting of the Council held on Monday 17 November 2025 to promote a Bill in the present Session of Parliament, pursuant to which the Bill, entitled “A Bill to make provision for the repeal of section 83 of the Cheltenham Improvement Act 1852 and for connected purposes”, has been deposited in Parliament, is hereby confirmed.       

Unanimous

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance and Assets – TO FOLLOW

In the absence of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, the Leader introduced the report, which presents the council’s Capital, Investments and Treasury Managements strategies for 2026-27, and explains how the council plans to manage its money, assets and investments in coming financial year. She said the strategies are prepared in line with guidance from the Chartered institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the statutory framework set by DHCLG, helping to ensure we continue to follow good practice in financial planning and governance.

The strategies set out how the council will use its capital resources responsibly to support our key priorities for the town, including the local economy, regeneration, and long-term sustainability, and show how the council will manage its existing assets and  investments so that they continue to provide value and support the essential services on which our residents rely.

The report demonstrates the council’s careful and balanced approach to managing public finances, continuing to invest in projects to secure and deliver benefits for residents and the future economy

The documents and figures are informed by the budget, and will in future years come forward at the budget-setting meeting, not possible this year as the finance team had to prioritise dealing with last-minute changes arising from the government’s 3-year settlement.  All details can be found in the budget papers approved last month.

Questions

A Member asked how the war in the Middle East might impact on council finances.  The Leader said the response to that was multi-faceted – there are potential financial risks for the council, and we are and will continue to mitigate these wherever possible:

-       the main areas of concern are the direct impact on the cost of energy and fuel.  The council is already buying gas and electricity supplies through a broker, mitigating significant fluctuations in price by buying with others.  Electricity is less exposed; gas is impacted more, but prices had already been fixed to the end of May before the start of the conflict; the price fluctuation is starting to calm and the broker will continue to monitor the situation;

-       fuel prices are being affected, and represent significant costs particularly in relation to contracts around waste management.  We are seeking mitigation through fleet management and buying power;

-       regarding borrowing and interest costs, we are working with the latest marketing information.  Borrowing is spread over short- and longer-term periods as part of the ongoing treasury management package, with the impact monitored and managed throughout year and reported back to Council and Cabinet in the usual way.  The current situation may mean the proportion of short to long-term borrowing may change to reflect different risks, but we are taking proper financial advice on our approach;

-       the costs of goods and services is also subject to indirect pressure, but we are making the best use of procurement functions and frameworks when buying supplies, to ensure we manage our money well.

In response to further Members’ questions, the Leader said that:

-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

There were none.

There were no urgent items.

As this was the last meeting of Full Council before the elections in May, the Leader thanked the Mayor for a good and busy year.  The Mayor thanked the Leader and all Members for making it easy, senior officers, Democratic Services team, Jennie Ingram, and all officers who come in to support Cabinet and Council when required.