Agenda item

Cabinet Member Housing and Safety

Cabinet Member Sport and Culture

The Cabinet Member Housing and Safety wished to update members on some additional items, as well as add to the Cheltenham Borough Homes item which featured later on the agenda.

She had recently undertaken a second visit to Brighton Road where the development of 16 new homes was underway.  This was a well run site and she was confident that the houses would be of a very high standard once completed.  Work at the St. Paul’s site had been delayed as further discussions had been required with Gloucestershire County Council relating to the adoption of roads on completion of the works.  This issue was being resolved and it was hoped that work would start on site at the end of May, start of June.

There had been various meetings earlier in the day to do with funding for youth services.  Gloucestershire County Council were yet to finalise the details of how their £50k was to be allocated, despite assurances that this would be agreed by last Friday (6 May).  Disappointingly, draft versions had stated that the funding would only be fixed for one year, contrary to previous understanding.  The deadline for expressions of interest in relation to Cheltenham Borough Council’s £50k was last Friday (6 May) and four had been received (GAVCA in partnership with Young Gloucestershire, CCP in partnership with Hesters Way Neighbourhood Project and University of Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire Enterprises Ltd and Third Sector Services).  The working group had met to discuss each application and a briefing note would be prepared for Cabinet on the 24 May.  She was pleased with progress thus far.

Licensing formed part of her portfolio and members were advised that the Street Trading Policy was currently being reviewed.  Whilst this was for the Licensing Committee to agree, she urged Officers and the Chair of the committee to ensure that the draft be consulted on as widely as possible, given that the policy would define successful and unsuccessful applications. This issue evoked high public interest and also corresponded with various corporate objectives. 

Earlier in the day the Cheltenham Community Safety Partnership had held a facilitated workshop called 'Turning the Curve' which bought together a wide range of partners to look at new solutions to the high domestic burglary rates in Cheltenham.

In response to a question from a member of the committee the Cabinet Member Housing and Safety stressed that at this early stage, no decisions had been made about the allocation of the 50k CBC funding for youth services in Cheltenham.  Expressions of interest had been received and were currently being reviewed by the working group, but ultimately the decision would be a Cabinet decision and in terms of GCC funding, the allocation guidelines had not been finalised.  Admittedly some areas in Cheltenham had the infrastructure to deliver and others did not but the aspiration for the CBC funding at least, was that it would form a town approach.

Councillor Seacome, as Chair of the Licensing Committee, confirmed that the draft Street Trading Policy would be reviewed by the committee a week on Friday (13 May) before a twelve week consultation period would commence, in which he would ensure members were included.  The policy would then go before the Licensing Committee once again, prior to going to Council for formal adoption. 

The Cabinet Member Sport and Culture offered updates in addition to and in support of some of the later agenda items. 

The Heritage Lottery Fund bid had been successful and as a result, the Art Gallery and Museum had closed on the 31 March.  Securing the funding had been a great achievement for the Council and the town in a time when other authorities were being forced to close such provisions.  He reminded members that they were invited to attend the fundraising event for the next phase of the scheme on the 25 May.

Another achievement was that as part of a Gloucestershire consortium, Cheltenham, namely the Prince of Wales Stadium, would host the Malawi Olympic Team in preparation ahead of the Olympics.

2010-2011 had been a successful year for sport and leisure in Cheltenham.  As the Lesiure@ outturn report detailed (agenda item 11), the service had achieved a £78k under-spend.  In addition to this the Town Hall and Pittville Pump Room had also achieved an under-spend of £50k.

In response to a question from a member of the committee the Cabinet Member Sport and Culture suggested that GCC had permitted the ‘Midnight Walk’ in Cheltenham as the Highways Authority.