Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies were received from the Leader, Councillor Hay.  Councillor Jeffries (Deputy Leader) chaired the meeting in her absence.

As Chair of Big Local, which has awarded significant funding to the Petersfield Partnership, Councillor Clucas, Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services felt it appropriate to declare an interest in Agenda item  6, Petersfield Community and Sports Hub.  

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 May were approved as a true record and signed accordingly.

Questions must be received no later than 12 noon on the seventh working day before the date of the meeting

There were no Member questions or petitions.  Six public questions had been received which together with the following responses were taken as read:

1.  Question from Crispian Webb to the Leader, Councillor Rowena Hay

As Leader of the Council and I understand also the person who instigated the idea of the Cheltenham Trust as a way to subsidise non-revenue producing properties, including the Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, by grouping them with revenue generating properties; can I ask Rowena Hay how effective the Trust has been in managing the Prince of Wales Stadium specifically – a key local facility that was passed as unfit to stage England Athletics licensed events in 2022; and as at today's date still has not got a date for resurfacing to take place?

Report of Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, Councillor Mike Collins

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control introduced his report, saying it is important to CBC and Cheltenham residents, and vital to the successful and sustainable growth of the town. He said the requirement for an action plan was first introduced in 2019, to provide an annual measurement over a three-year rolling period, and the report shows that Cheltenham is meeting its challenging housing delivery targets. 

The council has worked in collaboration with its JCS colleagues and other partners, and he thanked officers who have managed to make the incredible amount of detail in this very technical report as easy to understand as possible.   

In response to Members’ questions, the Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control and the Director of Community and Economic Development confirmed that:

-       the outline permission for 4000+ houses at Elms Park is not included in the action plan, as that consent is subject to an S106 agreement and a decision notice won’t be issued until that is achieved.  This needs to be built into the programme of work;

-       the paper presented is based on a three-year rolling programme applied by the government, which looks back at historical data rather than projecting forward.  It is likely that the Housing Delivery Action Plan will need to be live for a couple of years to enable the strategic sites to catch up. The Elms Park numbers will be taken into account for monitoring the five-year land supply but this report is based on completions;

-       regarding new measures coming forward to track permissions once granted, how long a developer has to start work before the permission lapses, and what the impact of this may be on the planning department’s workload, this will be discussed with the Head of Planning to consider national guidance and what other local authorities are doing, see if any patterns are emerging around particular developers, and consider the best action for CBC.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the prepared Housing Delivery Test Action Plan, June 2025, is approved for publication;

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 Housing Delivery Test Action Plan (HDTAP) for publication correcting any minor errors;

3.    any future updates to the HDTAP are delegated to the Director of Community and Economic Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control.

Report of Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, Councillor Peter Jeffries

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets introduced his report, concerning the Petersfield Partnership and how the council has worked collaboratively with them to deliver a community and sports hub for St Peter’s and The Moors residents and the wider community.  The report includes information about the proposed lease arrangements with the Saracens Football Club and Petersfield Partnership, which are quite complex, but made clearer by the site plan at Appendix 4.  The cost of construction is set out in Section 4 of the report, together with details of fund raising secured so far, the lion’s share of which comes from the Big Local trust. 

In view of the historic nature and long involvement of the council in this item, he invited the Head of Communities, Wellbeing and Partnerships to provide some background. He highlighted the following points:

-       the Big Local programme was introduced in 2012 when the borough council was asked by a national body called the Local Trust to nominate an area of Cheltenham which had not seen much investment or regeneration.  CBC’s nomination of  St Peters and The Moors, an area in clear need, was accepted as part of the Big Local Programme as one of the 150 areas to benefit;

-       hallmarks of the Big Local programme, which is benefitting 150 areas nationally, include the requirement that the shape of the regeneration is led by residents rather than by local authorities, is not prescriptive, and puts the power in residents’ hands. Projects are also expected to be long-term investments and this is welcomed;

-       to take the project forward, the St Peters and The Moors Big Local Partnership was set up, constituted so that the balance of power sat with residents, with CBC, CBH and others always available in the background to advise when needed;

-       the Partnership has delivered a vast array of community-based projects, around green space, culture, community development, financial inclusion, trips and social events, many young people-based;

-       as it has matured and grown, and with the end of its term in view, the Partnership’s key focus over the last few years has been its legacy project and, having worked hard to appraise different options, came to the conclusion couple of years ago that a community and sports hub project ticked all the boxes and would be the recipient of the remaining Big Local;

-       with the national Big Local programme coming to an end in March 2026, and any unspent money will be taken back, the support of local trusts and organisations has been essential in providing the focus and effort to ensure that the plan can be delivered within that timescale.

Finally, he made the following minor correction to the report: 

-       in Paragraphs 3.4 and 3.5, the proposed 25-year term leases for Saracens Football Club and Petersfield Partnership should refer to the lease terms ending on 04 May 2047.

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities said that as ward councillor, she knows the area well and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control said that the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy Panel report has been circulated and would be brought to Cabinet in July, with information about the funding being provided for good projects around the borough.

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities said she was very involved in updating important licensing policies at present, but had recently had an excellent meeting with the new chaplain at the YMCA, Reverend Tim Welch, and attended a productive Violence Against Women and Girls forum meeting and a strategic No Child Left Behind meeting in the last week.  She was looking forwarded to attending a youth event supported by the Children’s Society, at which she would be asking young people what three things they would like to change about Cheltenham while hula-hooping.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Culture, Wellbeing and Public Open Spaces said he is busy attending events and meeting as many cultural and wellbeing organisations as possible to discuss their needs and actions plans. Some highlights include:

-       a meeting with the trustees of the Playhouse Theatre, which is facing an urgent funding crisis (more details provided in Agenda Item 10);

-       the 90^th birthday celebrations for Cheltenham Lido, with County Councillor Colin Hay, Councillor Willingham and Max Wilkinson MP - a great testament to an outstanding community asset which serves Cheltenham and the wider community. He enjoyed an interesting tour of the site which included the original machinery, and highlighted the amount of work required to keep the place going;

-       the Science Festival has just taken place, with many interesting opportunities to learn; he attended an event with the Leader, and enjoyed a very impressive presentation about photosynthesis and leaves;

-       the University of Gloucestershire recently held its arts degree show, an amazing display of animation, fashion, music, fine art, film production and more.  It offered a great opportunity for students to connect with local employers and businesses, and showcase their talent.  A particular highlight was the interior architecture projects, which focussed on Golden Valley collaborative spaces.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency said he had met with officers today and was learning a lot about his new portfolio.  He expressed sincere gratitude to his Liberal Democrat colleagues and the Leader for placing their trust in him with this portfolio, saying he was delighted to take on the role at this critical time, having a lifelong passion for climate action, and hoped to do it justice. He shared the following highlights:

-       in May, the council supported two workshops hosted by Climate Leadership Gloucestershire:  one focussed on climate risks and vulnerabilities across the county, the other on local area energy planning, foundational steps in shaping a resilient, low carbon future for area;

-       the retrofit programme has now reached over 54k home owner interactions, well ahead of September targets.  One major event and 10 supporting events have been held, and there is evidence of real momentum with home owners beginning to take  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Members reported on the following decisions, taken since the last meeting on 20 May:

1.  03 June 2025:  Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Culture, Wellbeing and Public Open Space, Councillor Izaac Tailford

To approve grant funding to the Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre

The Cabinet Member said that the Playhouse has been an important and valuable community asset for 80 years, an inclusive and accessible space for those on stage, behind the scenes and in the audience.  Unfortunately, it is facing a financial crisis and struggling to keep its doors open in the short term despite the brilliant new trustees’ masterplan for the long term.  To help it through its immediate problems and support its continuance for future generations during this challenging time, the council has provided £25k towards the £50k the theatre needs to raise before the end of June.  It is facing longer-term financial barriers towards the end of the year, and the council will be working with the trustees going forward, and helping however it can. 

He invited Cheltenham residents to offer support to the theatre, either financial or by volunteering in some way, to ensure that this important asset continues to thrive and serve the town.

2.  06 June 2025:  Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling, Parks, Gardens and Green Open Space, Councillor Paul Baker

Hillend Engineering Ltd to be awarded the contract for the supply of 3 x 7.5t Food Waste Vehicles

The Cabinet Member said this new contract was required to replace the current fleet, and was pleased to note that the new vehicles run on bio fuel.  Food waste is turned into energy and fertiliser, and it is important to recycle as much as possible.

3.  09 June 2025:  Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, Councillor Peter Jeffries

Award of contract for build of 320 Swindon Road

4. 10 June 2025 :Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services, Councillor Flo Clucas

Award of Grant to GARAS

Award of Grant to Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees

The Cabinet Member said these two awards would help refugees and asylum seekers and ensure they are able to access the assistance they require. 

There were no other items.  

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 15 July, starting at 6.00pm.