Agenda item

The Cabinet Member Customer and Regulatory Services reported that the borough’s Air Quality Action Plan was now live on https://haveyoursay.cheltenham.gov.uk/. The report was data-heavy but showed that no part of Cheltenham currently exceeded the limit in nitrous oxide or PM2.5s, which contributed respiratory disorders and lung and heart issues. One small area had historically hit higher than allowed levels of nitrous oxide, and although it didn’t at the moment, they had declared a limited AQMA for that specific area. There was no absolutely safe level of air pollution, and they could not be complacent. They needed to keep working across the whole town to monitor and improve levels where possible.

He explained that the plan included more than 20 actions for the whole borough, and 7 additional actions for the specific area. This issue required action not just by CBC but also by other councils, businesses, residents and communities, and specifically GCC as the highways authority due to the importance of traffic pollution. He thanked his predecessor in the portfolio (Cllr. Wilkinson) for his work on this, as well as Louis Krog, Bernadette Reed and the whole Environmental Health team. They had been out on the A40 today looking at brand new nitrous oxide monitoring equipment, and understood that they needed to go beyond their statutory obligations to deliver cleaner air.

The Cabinet Member Safety and Communities added that this meeting’s agenda had been a topic of discussion at a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, where she spoke to colleagues from Europe and across the world. She had been able to point to exactly what Cheltenham was doing to develop mechanisms for generating income far beyond government funding. She was always looking to spread the message about what Cheltenham was doing, and this would enable other places to learn from it.

The Cabinet Member Waste, Recycling and Street Services reminded colleagues that they had been the first council in the country to begin roadside recycling of coffee pods. The Podback scheme had now recycled 2 million of these, and it had cost the council nothing because it had been developed alongside the commercial sector. It had also generated a number of pocket forests, and there would be a ceremony in one of these soon to celebrate their success, with the Mayor in attendance. This was ground-breaking work which other councils were now undertaking.

The Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing added that he had recently attended a meeting of the Charlton Kings Senior Citizens Welfare Committee alongside Cllr. Boyes, and had been able to inform them of the work they were doing to support senior citizens, including warm spaces and the food network. The key question attendees had asked was about access to this support, considering the unreliability of buses. It was clear that this issue would come to a head over the winter, and he hoped that the county council would find a resolution in its discussions with Stagecoach and others to protect access to essential services.

The Cabinet Member Housing reported that she had been grateful to attend the recent CBH AGM, and put on record her warm welcome to Martin Surl as the new Chair of the Board. Martin brought vast experience of the town as the former Police & Crime Commissioner and many years’ service as a police officer. She was looking forward to working with him over the next few years, and thanked the outgoing chair Jason Langley for his hard work and dedication.

The Cabinet Member Climate Emergency thanked the climate team for the implementation of the climate decision wheel. This was a valuable tool which would help visualise the climate and social impact of council decisions, and had been published as a case study by the LGA. CBC was leading the way on this kind of work. She added that the Building Management System policy had passed the Green Investment Board and would soon be coming to Cabinet for approval, and she was interested to see its impact on our energy use.

The Leader of the Council reported that the boundary review had landed, and she had attended a cross-party working group last night about this. She urged all Members to look closely at the details, noting that it was a challenge built on compromise. She also welcomed the new Monitoring Officer, Claire Hughes, to her first formal meeting.

Decisions of Cabinet Members

The Cabinet Member Waste, Recycling and Street Services had taken a decision on 12^th October to extend the terms of agreement relating to the sale of recycling material to 28^th February 2023 (by Deed of Variation) for five named contractors. This had been due to expire on 17^th October 2022, and would now be up for further review in the new year.

The Cabinet Member Finance, Assets and Regeneration had taken two decisions: the first, on 17^th October, to approve Phase Three of the Discretionary Council Tax Energy Rebate Scheme, and the second, on 3^rd November, to dispose of the freeholds of No.12 and No. 14 St James Street.