Agenda item

Cabinet Members briefed their colleagues on recent events as follows:

Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets:

-       housing benefit changed some time ago to universal credit but has taken a long time to be fully implemented; the council has received a letter thanking all local authorities for their support in that process, actually making government ideas happen. He said it has not always been a smooth process for some customers and residents but the transition is now slowly coming to an end.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Customer Services:

-       recently attended a meeting of the Cheltenham Street Pastors, with people from all over the country, the president, Gloucestershire’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, and the senior cleric from Tewkesbury Abbey. It was a great occasion where people were able to speak about what was important, and she was able to highlight Cheltenham’s work through No Child Left Behind, and what is being done in the night-time economy to make the town safer for women and young people. She had also had the opportunity to introduce the president of the Cheltenham Street Pastors to ITSA (IT Schools Africa) to build potential connections.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control:

-       the Strategic Local Plan is the main focus at present, and he has been impressed by the quality of work so far, the research and officer engagement, and how the three authorities are working together. Any concern that any of the individual authorities may lose some of their influence has not happened.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency reported on a month of steady, practical progress on climate and resilience across Cheltenham, including:

-       the opening of the greenhouse in St. Paul's, which is a permanent community hub for climate action, helping residents and businesses take practical steps locally;

-       Cheltenham Zero continuing to deliver funded projects supporting local businesses to reduce energy use and emissions;

-       the heat network project now formally underway, with governance established and feasibility work progressing, which will position Cheltenham to attract national investment;

-       over 100 council homes upgraded to EPC C or better, which cuts carbon and improves living conditions. Further phases are coming forward.

-       flood resilience strengthened with new protections installed and community flood wardens reaching thousands of households.

-       an acceleration of public engagement, with Cheltenham is hosting the internationally-renowned Everything Electric show from the 12–14 June at the race course. There will be EV test drives on offer, plus solar panels, heat pumps and opportunities to ask questions;

-       the upward trend in extreme weather events, demonstrated by the recent heatwave, is indicative of climate change, and some immediate measures have been put in place, such as waste collection starting an hour earlier. Going forward,  Cheltenham will continue to prepare for the future with urban tree planting and other heat resilience measures;

-       a long-term flood risk report to cover the period up to 2040 is also being prepared, and we are building awareness through initiatives like the national emergency briefing which should be delivered to all staff at some point.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Wellbeing, Culture and Public Realm thanked Cheltenham Playhouse for inviting him, the Leader and the Mayor to the opening of the Cheltenham Fringe Festival, a great event filled with talent across a range of different artistic pursuits. This inclusive and wide-reaching festival reaffirms the support the council gave to the Playhouse last year, financially and with a long-term lease, to secure this great asset for the future.

He said that during the election, he spoke to many residents and businesses concerned about the town centre and high street, and while they understand that a lot of the biggest issues are truly out of local council control, he said the council is doing what it can to support and strengthen the town centre. We need to be honest about the challenges which have hit both the retail and hospitality sector hard – increased business rates and global events which have driven increases rents, wages, energy and goods – but said it is more important than ever that the council is clear about what can be done and what is being done to support the high street:

-       Cheltenham is still performing strongly - overall vacancy rates at 7.8% compared to the national average, which can be as high as 17% - but some streets are facing higher vacancy rates and a few empty units in a prominent location look bad, and large empty buildings such as Cavendish House and the former Oasis shop on the High Street have a disproportionate impact due to their visibility.  . The council is already taking a firmer approach on these matters, by working to hold Canada Life to account over Cavendish House, and he was pleased to say the Oasis store is now being renovated and will imminently be let to new tenants;

-       the installation of artwork on Cavendish House by Paint Festival director Andy Dice Davies is very welcome; it will deter tagging, keep the building protected and it improve the look of the Promenade;

-       the council is currently awaiting the next update from Canada Life about their future plans but the council has provided positive feedback on their most recent pre-planning application. The council responds as quickly as possible to avoid holding up any processes because Cavendish House is such a vital part of the town centre.

-       the council continues to challenge property owners who leave their units empty for long periods without good reason. To support this, clear guidance will be produced setting out the powers available to local authorities under current legislation and how they can be used to enable consistent and transparent action to be taken where it is needed to ensure the town centre is properly populated with shops and cafes;

-       he and officers have also been actively listening to business, both through the BID and directly, and continue to work collaboratively to encourage footfall in the town centre, increase dwell time and strengthen Cheltenham’s offer. This includes working closely with partners and the county council to improve the public realm cleanliness and overall experience of being in the town centre to encourage repeat visits, promote investment and encourage new shops to come to the town.  It also means taking a less disjointed approach, making sure things are properly protected so they require less replacement, and other mitigation techniques;

-       a new town centre public realm approach, created through public realm meetings with the BID, will be released at the start of June alongside a public survey to ask residents, visitors and businesses for their thoughts and their priorities for the town centre.

-       we also continue to work with Max Wilkinson MP to campaign nationally to support local businesses. and maintain a vibrant town centre, which remains a top priority for the council in the face of ongoing and upcoming national challenges far outside even the government's control. We have to do as much as possible to support our town centre and will continue to listen and work in partnership and take action to protect and strengthen Cheltenham’s high street, and its amazing businesses and cultural sector.

The Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling and Parks, Gardens and Green Open Space said he delighted to join the Cabinet and has been going through his briefs with senior officers – he thanked them for their patient and professional approach. 

He also welcomed the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities meeting with the Cheltenham Street Pastors, having seen as Mayor how they contribute to Cheltenham’s night-time economy and safety, along with the Cheltenham Guardians.

The Cabinet Member for Major Developments and Housing Delivery noted that there is some very exciting exempt news that she hopes to be able to share shortly.

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities said he is new to Cabinet and still learning his role, but shared the following:

-       Cheltenham has been awarded purple flag accreditation for the 11^th year running, an award granted by the Association of Town and City Management and capturing a whole raft of factors that make a town centre a safe and thoroughly enjoyable place. They evaluate clear evidence about the place’s safety, diversity, vibrancy, accessibility, cleanliness and how it works with partner organisations around the town, and the award reassures everyone that they can come to Cheltenham and have a nice, safe night out. This is particularly important for Cheltenham as the festival town, a crucial underpinning to its reputation, and something of which we can be proud.

The Leader welcomed the new members of the Cabinet and congratulated the Cabinet Members who were re-elected or elected. 

She took the opportunity to respond to discussion on social media around the MX, given her involvement from Day One and the council’s determination to keep this really important project on track as a taster for the eventual Golden Valley purchase. She highlighted:

-       the project was completed in July 2024 and, now entering the third year of operation, it has demonstrated strong financial and operational performance which align with the original objective to create co-working space for businesses within Cheltenham. This includes attracting businesses that align with Golden Valley, and may wish to occupy that space in the future;

-       it has also provided an opportunity to regenerate the area around the Minster gardens, which was very derelict;

-       the financial forecast for 2026-27 is to deliver a revenue income of £848k, representing a 27.6% net margin. This is positive,  having grown steadily from 24-25 when it achieved 20%;

-       the operation has already repaid £213k of the £340k in the tier 2 contingency funding which the Council approved in June 2023. Full repayment of this contingency is on track for December 2026 in line with the original schedule, and longer-term forecasts indicate that the full council investment will be repaid over a 25-year period in line with the original business case. This will need to be closely monitored and the MX team must carefully manage the mix between more permanent tenants who lease fixed spaces alongside managing the flow of hot-desking and flexible desks to ensure that the revenue remains strong;

-       it also provides a fantastic event space, although that does need maximising as part of the overall model;

-       the financial performance has been driven by strong occupancy levels and interest, particularly in private office space. The occupier mix reflects a broad and healthy ecosystem including established prime tenants, high growth SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), and early-stage start-ups. There is some significant company interest that will be evident in the future;

-       the project is successfully delivering against its economy development objectives, supporting high-value sectors - notably cyber job creation and skills development - and creating more opportunities for local people. It is also providing inward investment and positioning itself as a key strategic asset within the Golden Valley development;

-       the MX continues to play a key role in supporting business growth and innovation via the mentoring to start-ups. Its events programme is well established and growing, including the re-branded Connect series, positioning the MX as a central hub for the cyber and technology community. It has been an amazing journey to be part of and to see how much the MX has achieved;

-       there are some risks and issues: the MX has been working with council teams and with the church to actively manage that impact of continuing anti-social behaviour in the area. It is important that people working in those spaces feel safe, especially as some with global partners have now extended their opening hours to reflect the different working hour;

-       the café is not generating the level of income or business expected considering the location and access to members within the MX, which is disappointing, and is currently in a performance management period that needs to be closely managed. She has met with officers to look at the finances and noted that there has been a lot of turnaround.

She ended by saying that there is a long way to go but it is really promising that occupancy is at 100%, and the space is regularly reconfigured to ensure its most economical use.  She said the point will come when there will be no more space to move things around.