Agenda item

The Leader also welcomed Councillor Smith, and shared the following:

-       the newest statistics from our efforts to reduce carbon emissions at CBC show a 15% decrease on last year.  More statistics will follow at Council in December;

-       the Appointments and Remuneration Panel has appointed an interim Head of Climate to continue to drive our ambitious climate agenda;

-       CBC has increased fines for litter, fly-tipping and graffiti to the maximum on-the-spot fixed penalties allowable under a recent change in regulations,  to send a clear message on these anti-social activities;

-       there are now around 60 families using the Feed Cheltenham Leisure Passes; families are excited to have free access to leisure activities, particularly swimming;

-       the final design for the Montpellier Gardens public toilets has now been signed off by MDUK as compliant with Changing Places requirements.  The procurement for a construction contractor will go live in the next couple of weeks and a decision brought back to Cabinet or full Council if required;

-       the final draft statement of accounts for 2021-22 has been presented to Audit, Compliance and Governance Committee, and it is expected that an unqualified audit opinion will be issued by Grant Thornton, allowing the team to move onto the audit for 2022-23 in the new year;

-       preparations for setting the 2024-25 budget are starting; CBC’s settlement from central government will be based on the Autumn Statement which isn’t due until the end of November.  The team will therefore need to make a number of assumptions on funding levels to ensure that the draft budget proposals can be taken to Cabinet in December in advance of the consultation period.

She went on to explain that on 17 October, Cabinet would be considering  recommendations that CBH be wound up and management of the housing stock be brought back to CBC:

-       she said CBH was set up as an Arms’ Length Management Organisation (ALMO) to allow greater access to central government funding to meet the Decent Homes standard, a Labour government initiative set targets to bring all public sector social housing up to standard by 2010;

-       when government funding came to an end in 2016, CBC and CBH worked successfully in partnership, investing in existing stock, building new housing, establishing a resilient housing revenue account and, most importantly, focussing on high tenant and leaseholder satisfaction;

-       responding to recent challenges, the partnership has protected and cared for communities in Cheltenham, and the role of CBH in Cheltenham is one to be celebrated;

-       however, with new financial challenges and an updated regulatory framework, it is now time to review CBH’s future, to ensure the council can deliver a housing service in full alignment with its strategic priorities and ensure it is in the strongest possible position to deliver for Cheltenham’s communities.  The most important consideration will be the tenants, and the report is very much about strengthening tenant participation and the improvement board.

She ended with the following items:

-       she sits on the Western Gateway partnership as district representative for all districts in Gloucestershire, and recently welcomed a delegation of seven to Cheltenham, visiting Golden Valley, the MX, and meeting various stakeholders.  The Western Gateway has identified cyber as a real strength right across the region, promoting and amplifying what is already happening to create further jobs and growth.  As home of GCHQ, Cheltenham has a central role in driving further growth.  Following their visit, the Director of Western Gateway emailed to say how impressed he was with the scale of Cheltenham’s ambition, and pledged support to maximise the impact of everything being delivered in Cheltenham.

She ended by reminding Members that it was Recycling Week, and encouraged Members to share.