Agenda item

Briefing from Councillor Hay, Leader (if she has an update, or if O&S Members have questions for her)

Objective: An update from the Cabinet on key issues for Cabinet Members which may be of interest to Overview and Scrutiny and may inform the work plan

The Leader said it had been a busy few weeks with publication of the government’s white paper on devolution and its major changes to planning regulations.  She highlighted the following issues:

-       the government is clear that the reorganisation of local government must involve the districts in a meaningful way, with various ideas around Gloucestershire reorganising with one or two unitary councils or one wider and more strategic combined authority.  This is very much work in progress at the moment;

-       we will not know the outcome of the county’s request to the Secretary of State for the May elections to be delayed until early February.  None of Gloucestershire’s district councils apart from Tewkesbury Borough support this proposal, and they have written a joint letter to the Secretary of State to that effect;

It is clear that, with devolution, parishes will have a bigger voice, but much of Cheltenham is unparished.  The Leader will set up a Cabinet working group of 4-5 people, including herself, to look at the options of what a town council might look like; it will be a new council with different powers, and we need to consider what services and income we might want to retain to ensure that we are ready for the future in a local way.

In response to Members’ questions, the Leader confirmed that:

-       she cannot say why Tewkesbury Borough Council is supporting the county’s move to delay the elections in May, but believes it has good reasons;

-       discussions between Gloucestershire councils are underway and ongoing, including the option of having two unitaries and one strategic authority in Gloucestershire.  Some people prefer this option, believing it will keep things local, but others believe a single unitary is the right way to go.  She has been keen to start the conversation for some time, but said it is clear that Gloucestershire County Council is not on the priority list, not yet having started on the journey, but given Cheltenham’s drive around cyber security, we are likely to favour the West of England Combined Authority or Bath and North East Somerset model.

The Chair thanked the Leader for all she has done so far and for providing context about where the council is heading, noting that nothing is likely to change until 2027 at the earliest.  She said she would welcome Overview and Scrutiny inclusion, particularly in terms of what should be prioritised for preserving in the face of any unitary shifts. 

The Leader wanted to give a very clear steer that it is very much ‘business as usual’ for the present – CBC has a huge agenda and some really important projects to drive through.  She also acknowledged that the reorganisation won’t come without significant cost, both financial and capacity-wise, for example additional resource will be needed to consider the options of setting up a town council. 

In response to a further Member question about the Strategic Local Partnership, the Leader confirmed that this is very much going ahead, though there is clearly some significant work to be done around CBC’s five-year housing supply, affordable housing provision, and the introduction of the grey belt. 

The Chair thanked the Leader again, and looked forward to further updates in February.