Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed all those present to the meeting and outlined the mitigating measures that were in place in relation to Covid-19.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Wanda King and Gemma Monaco.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of Council held on Monday 15^th November 2021 be approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Mayor.

To consider Announcements under Procedure Rule 10:

a)           Mayor’s Announcements

b)           The Leader’s Announcements

c)           Chief Executive’s Announcements.

The following announcements were made at the meeting:

a)         The Mayor’s Announcements

The Mayor advised that he had switched on the Christmas lights in Headless Cross on 29^th November 2021. The Mayor had also attended the Holocaust Memorial Day service in Redditch on 29^th January 2022.

b)         The Leader’s Announcements

The Leader congratulated the Deputy Leader, Councillor Gemma Monaco, and her husband following the birth of their baby daughter in January 2022.  Council was informed that both mother and baby were doing well.

Members were advised that Redditch Borough Council was committed to continuing library provision in Redditch.  The Leader’s preferred location for the main library in the town would be Redditch Town Hall but the Council needed to work with partner authorities to identify solutions. 

c)          The Chief Executive’s Announcements

The Chief Executive confirmed that he had no announcements to make on this occasion.

Council was informed that there were no Questions on Notice for consideration on this occasion.

The Mayor confirmed that no Motions on Notice had been received for consideration at the meeting.

The Mayor explained that Council was scheduled to consider recommendations from three separate meetings of the Executive Committee held on 7^th December 2021, 15^th December 2021 and 11^th January 2022.  These recommendations were considered in chronological order.

The following reports were discussed in particular detail at the meeting:

Financial Outturn 2020/21 – Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Procurement explained that the Covid-19 pandemic had impacted on the Housing Service, in particular causing delays to work undertaken by the Repairs and Maintenance (R&M) team.  However, the restructure of the Housing team had been very successful and had also resulted in some financial savings.  The Council would be working with local contractors to help address the backlog in R&M works.  The new Housing IT system would also help to streamline the service.  Officers were thanked for their hard work in managing the service at a difficult time, particularly the Deputy Chief Executive, the Head of Community and Housing Services and the Head of Environmental and Housing Property Services

During consideration of this item questions were raised about the impact that the new Housing ICT system would have on the Council’s budget and the stage that had been reached in terms of the introduction of this system at the Council.  Members were advised that the system would enhance the quality of Housing Services delivered at the Council.  A more detailed response would be provided after the meeting.

New Cemetery Provision

The Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services presented the New Cemetery Provision report and in so doing commented that investigation of this subject had been through various stages over a number of years. The latest report on this subject had been pre-scrutinised in detail by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and had also been considered at a meeting of the Executive Committee.  The Executive Committee had ultimately determined that there should continue to be burial provision available in the Borough and that Ipsley Meadow would be the preferred site for a new cemetery.  Council was required to consider whether to allocate additional funding to the project, which would be used to take action to progress with the new burial site.

After the presentation of the report, the following issues were discussed in detail:

·            The decisions that had already been taken on the subject of new cemetery provision by the Executive Committee, which could not be altered by Council.

·            The different views that a number of Members had articulated on the subject of the new cemetery provision following publication of the report.

·            The discussions that had been held in previous years regarding burial provision in the Borough, dating back to 2009, and the reasons why it had taken time to test the suitability of various different potential sites.

·            The length of time in which new cemetery provision remained available in the Borough using existing cemeteries.  Council was informed that there was approximately two years’ provision of new burial plots remaining available at existing cemeteries in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

To note any decisions taken in accordance with the Council’s Urgency Procedure Rules (Part 9, Paragraph 5 and/or Part 10, Paragraph 15 of the Constitution), as specified.

(None to date).

Members were informed that no urgent decisions had been taken since the previous meeting of Council.

To consider any additional items exceptionally agreed by the Mayor as Urgent Business in accordance with the powers vested in him 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.)

Council was advised that there was no urgent business for consideration on this occasion.