Agenda item

The Leader began by wishing the wife and baby of the Chief Executive a speedy recovery from Covid.

She said Cheltenham had seen a record number of visitors at the previous week’s race festival, providing a vital boost to the town’s economy.  She thanked officers for helping to keep residents and visitors safe, the council’s partners – Ubico, the police, transport providers, and the Jockey Club – for their invaluable contribution, and officers from South Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset Police, and the City of Wolverhampton for assistance with taxi and private hire checks on Thursday. 

With local elections just around the corner, she took the opportunity to wish luck on any Members who were standing for re-election, and to thank those who have decided not to seek re-election for all their time given to democracy in representing their communities.  In particular she thanked Councillor McKinlay, who would be standing down after 31 years of public service, saying she would particularly miss his historical knowledge of past council decisions.

She advised that receipt of a 750-signature petition at the March Council meeting, concerning women’s safety and lighting of Sandford Park and other public areas, together with other active petitions raising similar concerns, would trigger a council debate.  Although the council doesn’t have direct control over the wider issues of safety, she confirmed that it should have an active role and that, in order to ensure a meaningful debate, she had arranged a meeting with the PCC, Cheltenham’s MP, and GCC and CBC cabinet members for safety.  The first available meeting for the Council debate is June; she reassured Members that the issue of safety is extremely important and not taken lightly, but could not be achieved by CBC alone – it needed government intervention and work with partners.

Returning to events in Ukraine, the Leader reaffirmed that Cheltenham and the council stood in solidarity with the town’s Ukrainian community, and welcomed the recently-launched Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, under which Ukrainians who are awarded visas can live and work in the UK for up to three years, with access to public services, on the understanding that the Sponsor is able to provide accommodation for a minimum of six months.  Phase One will link UK sponsors with named contacts from Ukraine, and the visa application process opened on 18^th March.  To help them settle into their new homes and local communities, GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) will work with a range of agencies to inform and raise awareness, as well as providing ongoing support and advice to refugees and asylum seekers in Cheltenham and across the county.  She welcomed this important work and thanked GARAS for their assistance.

She said the government has advised that £10,500 will be provided to local authorities for each person arriving in the UK under this scheme, with additional funding for child education, to support families and help them to integrate.  Further details will follow from government, and expressions of interest from UK residents without a named contact are now being accepted in readiness for the launch of Phase Two.  In the meantime, district and borough councils across Gloucestershire are working closely to prepare to welcome new arrivals, and have agreed in principle to provide additional financial support to GARAS and to jointly finance a county-wide co-ordinator who will oversee the delivery of the scheme.  

She confirmed that Cheltenham will do everything possible to support Ukrainian families, and is proud to be part of a town where refugees are welcome as a place of sanctuary.  With guidance changing constantly, she committed to ensuring all Members are kept as updated as possible.