Agenda item

Motion A

Proposed by: Councillor McKinlay and seconded by: Councillor Jordan

This Council welcomes the proposals by Highways England to improve the Highway at the “missing link” on the A417 at the Air Balloon, and believes that this development is vital to improve road access to the south of Cheltenham.

The Council recognises that Highways England are promoting two options, 12 and 30 in their consultation documentation.

Having considered the options this Council formally resolves

1. To support option 30 as the most effective way to tackle the current traffic problems on the A417.

2. Requests the Cabinet Member Development and Safety to formally respond to the consultation communicating the Council’s support for option 30.

As proposer of the motion, Councillor McKinlay offered members a brief explanation as to the background to this issue.  The Government had launched a consultation for the A417 “missing link” which would close on the 29 March.  He would ordinarily have put a response in his own name, but given the importance of the issue and the timeliness of this meeting, he had instead decided to raise the issue at Council.  He did stress however, that this did not prevent members from responding as an individual.  Members would be aware that the “missing link” had been a major bone of contention and the subject of lots of lobbying for some years and Highways England had finally undertaken an options appraisal.  Having narrowed 30 options down to 2, options 12 and 30, Highways England had said that whilst option 12 was cheaper, option 30 offered better value for money and though both options would result in a safe and reliable route, option 12 would have periods of reduced flow, whereas option 30 would be free-flowing.  Cotswold District Council had supported option 30 and Gloucestershire County Council would also be asked to endorse number 30 as the preferred option when they met on the 28 March.  In closing, Councillor McKinlay hoped that members would support this motion which represented the best resolution to a longstanding issue.

Councillor Jordan had been happy to act as seconder to the motion as he felt that the A417 should have been addressed at the same time as the Cirencester bypass.  This was not something that could be funded locally and therefore a unified message would be key and assuming members were support of the motion, a joint letter would also be submitted.

Members who spoke in support of the motion did so because they acknowledged that unified county-wide response would make for a stronger case and ultimately improve the chances of getting the desired outcome: investment which was long overdue. 

A member representative of the Cotswolds Conservation Board highlighted that this group had a conflicting view and had voted in favour (FOR: 19 / AGAINST: 9) of the inclusion of a tunnel option, which he hoped would not derail the process.  Another member, whilst fully intending to support the motion, did query why tunnel options had been dismissed by Highways England, for any other reason than cost, given the landscape at Birdlip.

Before thanking members for their support, Councillor McKinlay took the opportunity to remind members that Highways England had explained that tunnel options were discounted based on the disparity of cost, with tunnel schemes estimated between £875 million and £1.6 billion compared to the £465m and £485m options being considered today.  He hoped that Gloucestershire County Council would endorse Option 30, thus ensuring Gloucestershire spoke with one voice.

Upon a vote the motion was CARRIED unanimously. 

Motion B

Councillor Hobley left the chamber having earlier declared an interest in this item.

Proposed by: Councillor Hegenbarth and seconded by: Councillor Wilkinson

This Council notes:

1. The obligations it owes to the Armed Forces community within Cheltenham Borough as enshrined in the Armed Forces Covenant; that the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage in the provision of services and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most.
    
2. The absence of definitive and comprehensive statistics on the size or demographics of the Armed Forces community within Cheltenham Borough. This includes serving Regular and Reserve personnel, veterans, and their families.
    
3. That the availability of such data would greatly assist the council, local partner agencies, the voluntary sector, and national Government in the planning and provision of services to address the unique needs of the Armed Forces community within Cheltenham.

In light of the above, this Council resolves to

4. Support and promote The Royal British Legion’s call to include a new topic in the 2021 census that concerns military service and membership of the Armed Forces community.
5. For the council's armed forces champion, the Leader of the Council, to write to Cheltenham's MP outlining the Council's support for the Count Them In campaign and asking them to support the Council's call upon the UK Parliament, which will approve the final census questionnaire through legislation in 2019, to ensure that the 2021 census includes questions concerning our Armed Forces community.

Councillor Hegenbarth, as proposer of the motion, did so because after the 2011 census, we knew more about the Jedi population of the UK than about those who have served in our Armed Forces.  By adding new questions to the 2021 census we could improve our understanding of this unique community and ensure that local services fully met the needs of our serving personnel, veterans and their families.  We, as a country, had counted on them and now it was time to count them in.  

Councillor Wilkinson, seconder, advised that having researched the issue, he had found that 40% of veterans suffered from mental health difficulties, veterans were more than twice as likely to be unemployed and that homeless veterans were, on average, older than others living on the street.  He had visited some of the residents of the Homes for Veterans project in St Pauls and their stories had highlighted the importance of capturing information at a local level to allow services to be directed appropriately.  He hoped that there would be unanimous support for this motion. 

Members spoke in support of the motion and fundamentally, how the gathering of this information would help to identify where local services and support should be targeted.  A member who had previously worked in a category B therapeutic prison highlighted that sadly, veterans were often over represented and that support for serving Regular and Reserve personnel, veterans, and their families would have the added benefit of reducing crime and victims. 

In closing, Councillor Hegenbarth noted that in 2017 the Office of National Statistics had agreed that this topic should be included in the 2021 census and whilst this council was by no means trail blazing, support for the motion would further demonstrate this council’s commitment to the Gloucestershire Armed Forces Community Covenant. 

Upon a vote the motion was CARRIED unanimously.