Agenda item

The Leader invited Members to present their briefings.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control said he had attended various meetings, in particular the CIL Neighbourhood Panel meeting at which he was an observer.  He said protocol, terms of engagement and guidelines were discussed, with lessons learn from the previous round where 16 groups  were successful in their bids.  Of those, the majority have received their money, 3-4 are still in progress have experienced some delays, but one successful recipient wasn’t able to complete their project and has returned its £10k for next time.  It was agreed that they can bid again if they wish, although there is no guarantee that their bid will succeed.  When the panel knows what money is available, it will decide which of the wide-ranging bids – from residents associations to schools – are successful.  He hopes that this scheme will continue for a  long time.

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities had several updates to share:

-       a safe haven has been launched for under-18s who can be overwhelmed in the busy town centre during race week.  The feedback from the recent youth survey was that many young people do not feel safe in the town centre during race week, and the safe haven offers them a calm place to go if needed.  Staff from The Rock are also carrying out detached duty work in the town centre, looking out for young, vulnerable people;

-       the licensing team works extremely hard before and during race week, together with GCC, the police, the Jockey Club and more to ensure a successful event.  They advise people to book taxis in advance to ensure these are licensed, and help people know how to identify a Cheltenham taxi.  Taxi marshals will work at two of the ranks until 4.00am for added security;

-       she has been out and about with Max Wilkinson MP, promoting CBC’s War on Wee campaign, which is also supported by the Jockey Club.  It is upsetting when race-goers do not respect the town, and with many additional toilets installed, she encouraged people to enjoy themselves but to act responsibly;

-       bidding for enrichment grants opened a couple of weeks ago and will continue for two months, with £30k available to be shared in £500 awards, to enable extra-curricular activities and technical skills for 4-18 year olds.  Individuals and groups are encouraged to apply.

The Cabinet Member for Waste, Recycling and Public Realm shared the following:

-       Ubico staff are ready to go to step up street cleaning during race week, restoring the town as quickly as possible;

-       there has been a lot of discussion with the county council about its plans for the Promenade outside Cavendish House.  It is under no obligation to consult with CBC on highways maintenance matters, but has responded to requests to engage by inviting CBC, the BID and the Civic Society for a meeting to discuss the issues arising from the ongoing need to replace the York stone paving on the Promenade.  This stone is expensive and increasingly less available, now a different colour from previously, and does not sit well on sandy ground.  The problems caused by heavy vehicles driving over it to set up markets, make deliveries, collect rubbish and so on, have resulted in tarmac infills.  The Civic Society is particularly keen to prevent this, and GCC’s initial plan to introduce an experimental TRO with bollards to block vehicle access to the Promenade was opposed by the police. 

GCC has subsequently proposed a running track through the middle of the paved area. The Civic Society did not attend the GCC meeting to share its concerns; CBC and the BID raised many issues, and although we have no decision-making power, it was good to engage.  Some enhancements to the proposal resulted such as improvements to the tree pits, biodiversity gains, and the promise of better communications.  CBC has pushed for more engagement with businesses and residents, but ultimately it is the county’s scheme;

-       offices at the Cemetery and Crematorium have been refurbished and are now more warm and welcoming, both for the people who work there and the people who visit at a challenging time.  New staff also been recruited, and more signage and a painted utility box have improved the experience and the area for everyone;

-       volunteers in the town’s parks and green spaces are all invited to a thank-you event at the end of the month, in appreciation of all the valuable work they do.  It is a good opportunity for them to connect and share experiences;

-       work on the Long Gardens has commenced, with the flower beds being moved round and in due course planted up with perennials.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services said she is proud to have made two presentations – at a United Nations committee for gender equality and women’s empowerment and at a commonwealth committee – about all the work undertaken in Cheltenham to promote safety for female councillors and for women throughout the town.  She will make the same presentation at the Congress of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in the near future, and feels privileged to be able to share  with the rest of the world everything that Cheltenham does in this important respect.

The Cabinet Member for Major Development and Housing Delivery said he recently had the pleasure of attending a public consultation event at the former Monkscroft School site, following on from a previous consultation where communities were heard and their concerns addressed.  It was good to see issues including biodiversity, the quality of the homes and transit points being taken into account, and the interaction between the team and local residents.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Wellbeing and Culture had several updates:

-       a great deal of work has gone into making the town clean and safe during Gold Cup week – this is one of the finest jump racing festivals in the world, enormously important in bringing huge economic value to the town, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.  He will be joining Max Wilkinson MP at the end of the week, as part of English Tourism Week, to encourage people to stay on and sample some of the other delights the town has to offer;

-       a panel has met to consider health and wellbeing grants - over £100k funding through local NHS partners - and invite community projects to come forward with ideas to tackle key health issues.  He said the range is inspiring, including the Archie Matthews Trust, a local charity doing innovative work to support young men’s mental health in imaginative and sensitive way;

-       the council is aiming to extend the activity pass which formed part of last year’s grants round, enabling young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to experience facilities at Leisure@, by including further facilities such as the sports centre at the former Christ College and thus spreading the scope around the town in a positive way;

-       he has visited the Common Ground exhibition at The Wilson, which tells the story of the land and its connection to people, culture, folklore and politics, and includes Neolithic skulls, landscape painting, excellent modern sculpture, the Leckhampton Rioters, and Boss Morris, a new and radical contemporary Morris-dancing group;

-       people are invited to take part in the Big Museum project, a consultation on the future of the museum, including how and what it displays in the future.  The consultation will run all year, and can be completed on line or in person;

-       a new volunteer venture – Music at Cheltenham -  has been launched to highlight upcoming classical music events in Cheltenham, teaming up with Visit Cheltenham to ensure that data and information are exchanged.  It is great to see classical music promoted in this way.

The Leader said that she had no briefings on this occasion, having concentrated all of her time since December on local government reorganisation. 

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, whilst acknowledging the economic benefits of race week to the town,  said it was important to highlight the offer to residents of free parking after 12.00 in Sherbourne Place and Town Centre East car parks.  This gives them the chance to enjoy the town and support local businesses during the quiet times when race-goers are at the race course.