Agenda item

The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency thanked CK Futures for inviting him to visit last week and present the Climate Emergency Action Plan. There had been challenging questions and a good debate, and he thanked those who had turned up. Planet Cheltenham had also invited him to a workshop in St Pauls, and he was pleased that the council would be supporting this.

The Cabinet Member Customer and Regulatory Services added that a lot of work was going on behind the scenes on two reports, one relating to CIL governance arrangements and the other on licensing for hackney carriages, and they would be brought before Cabinet and Council soon.

The Cabinet Member Safety and Communities added that she would shortly be meeting with schools and businesses to discuss the Large Enterprise Action Group. It was important to provide access to learning and mentoring within businesses, and this was a really good way to link the two and offer a solid grounding for young people in terms of their careers. The Big Local’s national trust had visited last week and been very impressed by the work done in Cheltenham and the council’s support. The No Child Left Behind awards would take place at the Town Hall next week, with all winners selected by the children involved in the projects. The Cheltenham Alliance for Racial Equality was also due to launch next week.

The Leader took a moment to pause for reflection on the invasion of Ukraine, and those caught up in it. She also added that on Thursday last week, she called an urgent meeting of Group Leaders so the council could put out a joint statement on the disaster happening there. A statement also went out from the Twinning Association, suspending activities with Sochi, and a letter was sent to the political leadership of Sochi to let them know this.

Decisions of Cabinet Members

The Cabinet Member Culture, Wellbeing and Business had taken a decision on 22^nd February to enter into a funding agreement with the NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Cabinet Member Housing had taken a decision on 23^rd February to expand the cohort of households that CBC had committed to accommodate from the British Forces Afghan Relocation and Assistance scheme to include families resettled through the Afghan Citizen Relocation Scheme (ACRS) and British Nationals leaving Afghanistan. He also noted that they would review their current target of rehousing 7 to 15 families across Cheltenham, with a view to increasing it in due course. This decision combined three separate government schemes to make it easier to manage, and allowed for expansion as a result of the success of the project so far. Cheltenham were the only authority in the county to have increased their commitment.

The Leader had taken a decision on 1^st March to approve the continuation of the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Joint Committee until 31 March 2023, with delegation to the Chief Executive to agree and complete legal documentation with regard to this.

The Cabinet Member Finance and Assets had taken a decision on 1^st March relating to the refurbishment of internal communal areas in sheltered housing. This followed on from previous successful projects undertaken alongside Cheltenham Borough Homes, very beneficial for residents.