Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillor Jeffries was unable to join the meeting.

There were none.

Minutes of the meeting held on 7 July 2020 and the Extraordinary meeting held on 28 July 2020.

The minutes of the meetings held on 7^th July 2020 and 28^th July 2020 were approved and signed as a correct record.

These must be received no later than 12 noon on Wednesday 9^th September.

Report of the Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles

The Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles presented the report, which outlined the reasons for ceasing Shopmobility operations.

She noted that there had been both an options appraisal and community impact statement. The report outlined the significant cost of the scheme in detail, which had been made even worse with no income coming in – the service having been closed since 18^th March. Even before Covid, it cost up to £97k per year to operate, and never brought in more than £6k. She asked that Cabinet Members endorse the recommendations to decommission the service.

The Cabinet Member Clean and Green Environment drew attention to the executive summary, which referred to mobility scooters costing as little as £450 to buy. He stressed that this was not a small amount of money, but acknowledged that there was charitable support available to those who could not afford it. He stressed that the closure of Shopmobility was clearly not a decision that was taken lightly.

The Cabinet Member Finance agreed that it was one of many difficult decisions needed due to Covid. She emphasised that the council did not intend to disenfranchise anyone who needed the service, but rather to reconsider value for money in a difficult financial situation. The service was used by a small group of people who could be supported in other ways

The Cabinet Member Cyber and Safety echoed his colleagues’ points, stressing that it was a refocusing of funds rather than a cancellation. He noted that usage of the service had halved anyway, even pre-Covid.

The Leader added that it had been a valuable service, but noted that there were now genuine alternatives towards which people could be directed. He moved to the vote, which was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED THAT

1.    The Council’s Shopmobility service be decommissioned and not reopened;

2.    A comprehensive communications plan be implemented to make affected customers aware of the change and where they can find alternative support;

3.    A comprehensive communications plan be implemented to ensure savings realised from the change are used to support the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Report of the Cabinet Member Finance

The Cabinet Member Finance presented the report, noting that it was an updated version of a policy that had been considered by Council several times. The situation developed very quickly, and the council’s priority was to get funding out to local businesses as soon as possible. She praised the finance team for their work in distributing the money quickly, noting that a delay of just a week or two could have had serious ramifications for businesses. The report did not contain any major policy changes, only a revision to the 2020-21 budget.

The Cabinet Member Economy and Development praised efforts to support the local economy, which was echoed by several members. The Leader added particular thanks to the wider finance team for putting the report together, and moved to the vote, which was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The changes to the business rates retail discount scheme for 2020/21 as detailed in appendix 2 and the detailed guidance in appendix 3 be approved;

2.    The nursery discount scheme for 2020/21 in line with appendix 2 and the detailed guidance in appendix 4 be approved;

3.    The Head of Revenues and Benefits be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance, to implement any further changes in 2020/21 made by the Government to the reliefs detailed in appendix 2;

4.    The Head of Revenues and Benefits be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance, to implement any new business rate relief schemes introduced by the Government in 2020/21 in accordance with any guidance provided and subject to them being fully funded;

5.    Authority be delegated to the Head of Revenues and Benefits to take decisions relating to the reliefs outlined in this report; and authority be delegated to the Executive Director Finance and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance, to consider and determine any reviews requested in respect of such decisions.

The Cabinet Member Economy and Development explained that as a new Cabinet Member, she would wait until the next meeting to give a full briefing.

The Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles thanked officers and members of many organisations across the town for their work in ensuring families did not go hungry over the summer. She praised the level of support from all those involved, and stressed that it must be built on in order to form a cross-Cheltenham network which could offer help to everyone who needs it. She added that the council’s work combatting hunger tied into its No Child Left Behind project and wider goals, and reported that 40 organisations, including schools, had signed up to No Community Left Behind. She reported that the council continued to develop its Culture Strategy, which would head to Cabinet and Council relatively soon.

The Cabinet Member Finance did not have a briefing at this time, but noted an exciting opportunity to join the CBC finance team, with a vacancy having opened up for a Deputy Section 151 officer. She added that the council retained its ambitious financial agenda despite Covid, and expected a strong group of applicants.

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services reported that the Municipal Offices were being made increasingly Covid-secure, and praised the hard work of cleaning staff for making that possible. He clarified that although working from home was still the default where possible, Covid-secure offices would enable more staff to physically come to work and make more appointments available to the public. He added that the council had now launched its Institute of Leadership and Management Development programme, giving opportunities to staff and helping residents to build leadership and management skills.

The Cabinet Member Climate and Communities added that he was grateful for his new portfolio, and was pleased to see positive work developing. He stressed that he was working with the council’s Communications team to publicise the good climate work done within the organisation, and hoped to bring all the important information into one place so residents could more easily understand what exactly the council was doing on climate issues.

The Leader of the Council noted that Cabinet would now have greater capacity due to the two new members and their respective portfolios, covering climate & communities (Cllr. Wilkinson) and economy & development (Cllr. Atherstone). This had been planned a while ago but was delayed, first by the 2019 general election and then by Covid. He emphasised the importance of the tasks the council was doing, and wished both new members all the best in their roles. He added that the next Cabinet meeting would be an extraordinary one, scheduled for 28^th September 2020.

Several Members outlined the decisions they had made since the last meeting.

The Cabinet Member Finance reported that she had taken the decision to sell a small strip of land between Chapel Spa and Portland Place. The land was purchased many years ago in order to facilitate a bus node, but was never  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.