Issue - meetings

In additional to the report for this item an extract from the notes from the meeting of the Budget Scrutiny Working Group held on 19^th October 2018 have been attached for Members’ consideration.  The recommendation is due to be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at a meeting due to take place on 6^th December and relates to the Redditch Business Improvement District.  Should the Overview and Scrutiny Committee support this proposal the Executive Committee will then be invited to consider this recommendation alongside Item 5 on the agenda.

The Head of Planning Services and Regeneration presented the report in respect of the Redditch Business Improvement District (BID) and reminded Members that this matter had been discussed a number of times over many months.  In presenting the report she highlighted a number of key issues, including:

·         A cost to the Council in respect of properties that it owned within the proposed BID boundary.  The estimated annual cost was £10,450 during the lifetime of the BID.

·         Statutory responsibilities of the local authority and the indicative costs.

Officers requested an additional recommendation to say that £10k be included in unavoidable pressures within the Medium Term Financial Plan, which Members were in agreement with.

Following presentation of the report a number of questions and comments were made by Members, including the length of time it had taken to get to the current position.  It was confirmed the cost of the ballot software, estimated at £2,720 would be refunded to the Council if the BID went through.  Members also briefly discussed the role of CMS and the feasibility study they had produced.

The Chair referred Members to a recommendation which had been put forward by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Budget Scrutiny Group and explained to Members that this Group had not seen the final report and therefore the recommendation put forward was similar to that within the report before them.  He suggested that the wording within the report be used, but acknowledged the work of the Group and thanked them for their input.

RESOLVED that

a)    the relevant information relating to the proposed Redditch Business Improvement District (as detailed in appendix 1 and 2) be noted;

b)   the position  in respect of the vote in favour of the BID in respect of Council properties in the Town Centre be agreed;

c)    authority be delegated to the Head of Planning and Regeneration and the relevant Portfolio Holder to exercise the Council’s vote in support of the proposed BID in the ballot in respect of properties in the Council’s ownership/occupation within the BID area, which will be entitled to cast a vote on the ballot; and

d)   £10k be included within the Medium Term Financial Plan as an unavoidable pressure.