Agenda and minutes

The Mayor will open the meeting and welcome all present.

The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed all present.

To receive any apologies for absence on behalf of Council members.

There were no apologies for absence.

To invite Councillors to declare any interests they may have in items on the agenda.

The Chief Executive, Kevin Dicks,  declared an interest in Item 7 (Joint Chief Executive) as detailed separately at Minute 101 below.

Councillor Bill Hartnett drew attention to the declaration that he had made at the meeting of the Executive Committee on 12^th February as recorded in the minutes of that particular meeting.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 15^th January 2013.

(Minutes attached)

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 15^th January 2013 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor, subject to:

in respect of Minute 89 (Motions on Notice), the reference to ‘employees’ in the penultimate line of the third paragraph being replaced by ‘employers’.

To consider any exceptional announcements under Procedure Rule 10:

a)         Mayor’s Announcements

b)         Leader’s Announcements

c)         Chief Executive’s Announcements.

(Oral report)

Given that this was the Council Tax setting meeting, only exceptional announcements were made to the Council. Neither the Mayor nor the Chief Executive made any announcements.

Leader’s Announcements

i)          Holocaust Memorial Day

            The Leader referred to the recent Holocaust Memorial Day event towards the end of January, noting that it had been a very moving and successful event.

ii)         Redditch Bandstand Event

The Leader informed the Council that it was intended to hold five Bandstand events on Church Green this coming summer between May and September with a variety of themes.

iii)        Save the Alex

The Leader reminded Members of the meeting at the Palace Theatre on 11^th March 2013, commenting that Councillors would need to arrange for their own attendance.

iv)        London Midland Cross City Line

The Leader reported that a response to his letter sent following the last meeting of the Council had been received from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP. No response had been received to date from London Midland.

To receive the minutes and consider the recommendations and/or referrals from the following meetings of the Executive Committee:

12^th February 2013

Matters requiring the Council’s consideration may include:

• Redditch Growth Consultation;
• Draft Borough of Redditch Local Plan No.4;
• Housing Revenue Account – Initial Estimate 2013/14;
• Fees and Charges 2013/14; and
• Independent remuneration Panel for Worcestershire District Councils – Annual report and Recommendations  for 2013/14.

18^th February 2013

Matters requiring the Council’s consideration will include:

• Medium Term Financial Plan 2013/14 – 2015/16 and Council Tax Setting 2013/14.

(Minutes for 12^th February 2013 attached)

Members received the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 12^th February 2013 and considered the recommendations of the meeting of that Committee earlier the same evening, 18^th February 2013.

12^th February 2013

The Council considered the draft documentation being proposed for use in consultation on cross-boundary housing growth. As at the Executive Committee meeting the preceding week, concern was expressed at the lack of potential options available upon which consultees might comment. Whilst it was acknowledged that the selection of potential sites for growth would require the best judgement of both Planning Officers and Members, it was suggested that providing further sites for possible consideration would enable more meaningful responses to be provided to the consultation process.  The point was also made that the Borough needed to be protected by a defendable local plan.

During consideration of the minutes, some Councillors referred to the nature of debate about one item at the Executive Committee meeting on 12^th February.  During this, Councillor Michael Braley gave a statement outlining the background to his expression of views at the meeting and referring to potential actions he intended to take in his political life.

RESOLVED that

1)         the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 12^th February 2013 be received and all recommendations adopted, with the exception of Minute 144 (Redditch Growth Consultation); and

in respect of Minute 148 (Fees and Charges 2013/14), it being agreed that the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism, in consultation with Officers, would give further consideration to the increase in charge for Junior Swimming Lessons (proposed increase - £50.70 [2012/13] to £59.80 [2013/14]) and report back to the next meeting of the Council;

18^th February 2013

RESOLVED that

to enable Members to approve the budget for 2013/14, 2014/15 & 2015/16:

2)         the Council determines the level of Council Tax discount to be applied to the prescribed classes of dwellings as defined by the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings) (England) Regulations 2003 (as amended) for

a)     Class A [ “second homes with planning restriction”] be set at 0% - no discount

b)     Class B [“second homes without planning restriction”] be set at 0% - no discount

c)     Class C [vacant dwellings] be set at:

a.      Where the dwelling appears in the Valuation List for the first time and it has been continuously unoccupied and substantially unfurnished since the effective date of entry into the list:

                                                                          i.      for the first 3 months from the date of entry into the list 100%

                                                                        ii.      for periods of more than 3 months and for less than 6 months 50%

                                                                      iii.      for periods of 6 months or more 0% - no discount

b.     Where the dwelling has been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of less than 6 months 50%

c.      where the dwelling has been continuously unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for 6 months or more 0% - no discount

d)     Class D [uninhabitable dwellings] be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100.

To seek approval to include the post of Chief Executive in the Joint Management Team arrangements between Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council.

(Report attached)

The Council received a report asking that it consider including the post of Chief Executive in the Single Management Team arrangements between Redditch Borough and Bromsgrove District Councils. Both authorities had been operating with a shared Chief Executive since 2008 and the formal secondment agreement required that the arrangement be reviewed in March 2013 with a view to determining whether or not it should continue.

During consideration of this item it was confirmed that Redditch Borough Council would meet half of the salary and associated costs for the post.  The Council was pleased with the performance to date of the present incumbent, Mr Kevin Dicks, and was content to formalise the incorporation of his post into the Single Management Team.

RESOLVED that

1)        the current position with regard to the Joint Chief Executive arrangements between Redditch Borough and Bromsgrove District Council be noted;

2)        implementation of a shared Joint Chief Executive in line with the wider Shared Management Team arrangements be agreed;

3)        the annual salary for the post be confirmed as £122,500 - £127,500; and

4)        authority be delegated to the Head of Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Leaders, to finalise the employment arrangements.

(Prior to consideration of this item, Mr Kevin Dicks, Chief Executive, declared that, because of his pecuniary interest in this matter, he would be vacating the Chamber for the duration of this item.)

To consider any additional items exceptionally agreed by the Mayor as Urgent Business in accordance with the powers vested in her by virtue of Section 100(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

(This power should be exercised only in cases where there are genuinely special circumstances which require consideration of an item which has not previously been published on the Order of Business for the meeting and/or on the Leader’s Forward Plan.)

There were no separate items of Urgent Business for consideration at this meeting.