Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed all present to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Joe Baker, Brandon Clayton, Sachin Mathur, Alan Mason, David Munro, Gary Slim and Jane Spilsbury.

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.

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 Council meeting:

a)          The Mayor’s Announcements

The Mayor advised that a list of the civic engagements that she and the Deputy Mayor had attended in July and August 2025 had been tabled for Members’ consideration (Appendix 1).

The Mayor thanked the Deputy Mayor for attending two civic engagements on her behalf during this period.  Members were also thanked for attending a recent event that had been held at the Boathouse.

b)          The Leader’s Announcements

The Leader read out the following announcement to Members:

“The Council recognises the grief and suffering of those bereaved or seriously injured through road crashes.  We welcome the opportunity to work with RoadPeace to recognise the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.  We applaud the work of this charity in providing information and support services to people bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes, alongside their work to reduce road danger.

This World Day of Remembrance takes place on the third Sunday in November, and this year will fall on 16^th November.  Rubicon Leisure will work with RoadPeace to place an artificial tree in the grounds of The Boat House prior to the event, where people can write a message on a dove card, either to remember a loved one or show their support for the charity. This will stay in place for 14 days. There will be an act of remembrance at the Boathouse on Friday 14^th November.  Additionally, The Palace Theatre and the Bandstand and fountain on Church Green will be lit up in purple on the third Saturday of November.  This will provide an opportunity to remember road traffic victims, support their families and to promote road safety.

RoadPeace will be sending an invitation to all Councillors for the event on 14^th November, and I encourage you to attend.

All Councillors are also welcome to attend their Service of Remembrance which is held in Birmingham on 16^th November.”

c)                The Chief Executive’s Announcements

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

The following Question on Notice was submitted by Councillor Chris Holz in advance of the meeting for the consideration of the Leader:

“Recognising that some cash strapped Councils are selling off allotments, does the Leader agree with me that allotments are valuable community assets?”

The Leader responded by commenting that she was grateful that Redditch was not a cash strapped Council.  In addition, the Leader agreed that allotments were valuable community assets and important green spaces. Members were advised that the Council had no plans to sell allotments. Instead, the authority was working through the recommendations of the Leisure Strategy to give communities a stronger role in how allotments were managed in the future. The Council’s approach recognised allotments as cherished green spaces that supported residents’ wellbeing, promoted active lifestyles, and strengthened community connection. 

Councillor Holz subsequently asked the following supplementary question:

“Thank you for your answer.  With a Unitary Authority around the corner and associated uncertainty, will you confirm that all allotments, including non-statutory allotments, will be safe and will you go further to make them all statutory?”

The Leader responded by explaining that the Council did not want to lose any allotments.  In terms of the potential to make all the allotments statutory, the Leader explained that she would ask Officers to provide a written update to Councillor Holz after the meeting.

There were no Motions on Notice for consideration on this occasion.

Digital Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (DMIC) - Appointment of Contractor for Stage 4 Designs

The Leader advised that the appointment of a contractor to work on stage 4 designs for the Digital Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (DMIC) needed to be funded.  The work would be financed using the Town’s Deal funding, as agreed by the Town’s Deal Board, and would not therefore require further funding from the Council.  However, the Council was the body, under governance arrangements for Town’s Deal funding, that needed to make this decision.

During consideration of this item, Members noted that display boards had recently been put in place at the site.  The information provided would help to inform the public about the works that would be taking place.

The recommendation was proposed by Councillor Sharon Harvey and seconded by Councillor Bill Hartnett.

Housing Growth Programme

Members were advised that the Executive Committee had agreed four recommendations on the subject of the Housing Growth Programme at a meeting of the Executive Committee held on 8^th July 2025.  One of these proposals, listed in the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting held on 8^th July 2025 at Minute Item No. 18 as recommendation 4, had subsequently been approved through the urgent decision process.  This decision had had to be taken urgently in order to enable the Council to have authority to access the necessary budget to purchase properties that had become available but which had needed to be sold by a developer prior to the date of the Council meeting.  The other three recommendations, listed as recommendations 5 to 7, were therefore the focus of the debate at the Council meeting.

The positive impact that the purchase of new properties under the Housing Growth Scheme could have was discussed by Members.  It was noted that by the date of the Executive Committee meeting held in July 2025, there had been over 2,000 households on the housing waiting list in the Borough.  The properties added to the Council’s housing portfolio through the Housing Growth Programme would help to increase the number of social housing and affordable units that could be offered to local residents.

Reference was made to the proposed amendments to the Rent Setting Policy and concerns were raised that affordable housing units, whereby the rent was set at 80 per cent of market value, could be difficult for some residents to afford.  However, clarification was provided that wherever possible, the Council would aim to rent properties acquired under the Housing Growth Scheme at social housing levels.  Higher rent levels would only apply in cases where this was considered to not be viable.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Bill Hartnett and seconded by Councillor Jen Snape.

Treasury Management Outturn Report 2024/25

The content of the Treasury Management Outturn Report 2024/25 was considered by Council.  Members were informed that the Council was in a reasonably strong position financially, although the authority was subject to the same macro-economic pressures that were impacting on all Councils.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

A vacancy has arisen on the Tardebigge Relief in Need and Sickness Charity following Councillor Mathur’s resignation from this outside body.  Members are invited to appoint a new Councillor to serve on this group until May 2028.

Members were advised that a vacancy had arisen on the Tardebigge Relief in Need and Sickness Charity since the previous meeting of Council, following Councillor Sachin Mathur’s resignation from the body.

A nomination was received to appoint Councillor Juma Begum to the Tardebigge Relief in Need and Sickness Charity.  The nomination was proposed by Councillor Sharon Harvey and seconded by Councillor Juliet Barker Smith.

RESOLVED that

Councillor Juma Begum be appointed to serve on the Tardebigge Relief in Need and Sickness Charity until May 2028.

To note any decisions taken in accordance with the Council’s Urgency Procedure Rules (Part 8, Paragraph 5 and Part 9 Paragraph 15 of the Constitution), as specified.

There has been one urgent decision taken since the previous Council meeting, on the subject of the Council’s Housing Growth Programme.

The Mayor advised that, as detailed during Minute Item No. 40, there had been one urgent decision since the previous Council meeting on the subject of the Housing Growth Programme.

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.)

There was no urgent business for discussion on this occasion.