Agenda and minutes

The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed all present.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Tom Baker-Price.

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.

Please note that under Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, any Councillor who is 2 or more months in arrears with their Council Tax payments cannot participate in any item at the Council meeting concerning the budget.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 25^th January 2016.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 25th January 2016 be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

To consider any exceptional announcements under Procedure Rule 10:

a)         Mayor’s Announcements

b)         Leader’s Announcements

c)         Chief Executive’s Announcements.

(Oral report)

a)          The Mayor

          The Mayor advised that she had attended a number of events since the last meeting of the Council.  One event in particular had been the funeral of Roger Hollingworth, former Leader of Bromsgrove District Council.  Mrs Hollingworth had requested that her thanks be passed on to Councillors for their cards and well wishes.

b)          The Leader

        Roger Hollingworth

Councillor Hartnett spoke of the sad news of Roger Hollingworth’s recent unexpected passing, which had come as a shock to all concerned.  Councillor Hartnett had sent a letter and card to Roger’s wife Jacqueline and family Mark, James and Sarah expressing the Council’s condolences.  A large number of people had attended Roger’s funeral, with many tributes having been paid to Roger on both a personal and professional level.

Councillor Brunner also paid tribute to Mr Hollingworth, stating that he would be sadly missed by all.

Councillor Hartnett had attended a number of events and undertaken certain work in his capacity as Leader and he highlighted the following:

·         Syrian refugee resettlement programme – Councillor Hartnett had been interviewed by Central TV on behalf of the Leaders in Worcestershire regarding the offer to accept up to 50 refugees throughout Worcestershire as a whole in the first year.  This would equate to approximately 2 families per district, the costs of which would be met by central government.  A further meeting was due to take place with the Home Office Minister in Birmingham later that week, which would hopefully provide more information on the situation.

·         Special Olympics Redditch Awards Night, which this year had included a Young Athlete of the Year award.  The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and MP had also attended this event.

·         NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) – meeting attended in parliament with TDA along with Bromsgrove and Stratford-on-Avon Council Leaders and MP.  This had provided an update on the current situation regarding the special measures which the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust had been placed in.  A number of concerns had been raised by the Leader in relation to financial and clinical stability, patient choice and flows and proposed consultation on the clustering of the Worcestershire and Wye Valley (Herefordshire) NHS Trusts.

To consider recommendations from the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee meeting of 28^th January 2016 relating to the Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy.

The recommendations and report are enclosed with this agenda.

The Council received the recommendations of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee meeting of 28th January 2016 in relation to the Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy.

RESOLVED that

1)          the Strategy and Prudential Indicators at Appendix 1 to the report be approved; and

2)          the updated Treasury Management Policy at Appendix 2 to the report be approved.

To consider the report and recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel.  The report was considered at the Executive Committee meeting on 2^nd February and recommendations from the Committee are enclosed..

The Panel’s report is also included with this agenda.

The Council received the recommendations of the Executive Committee meeting on 2nd February 2016 in relation to the Independent Remuneration Panel’s report and recommendations.

As in previous years Members expressed concern that they were placed in the position of determining their own remuneration, despite requests for this not to be done at local level.  Members did not feel that in such austere times they could support the proposed increases to the Basic Allowance and Special Responsibility Allowances. 

RESOLVED that

1)          regard be had to the report and recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel for 2016/17;

2)          the recommendations at Appendix 1 to the Panel’s report for the following allowances not be accepted:

Basic;

Leader;

Deputy Leader;

Portfolio Holders;

Executive Members without Portfolio;

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

Members of Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Task Groups;

Chair of Audit, Governance and Standards Committee;

Chair of Planning Committee;

Chair of Licensing Committee;

Political Group Leaders; and

Borough Council representatives on the Local Government Association and General Assembly and West Midlands Employers;

3)          the Panel’s recommendations relating to travel, subsistence and dependent carers’ allowances be accepted;

4)          for 2016/17 the Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances in the Council’s Allowances Scheme continue at the level set for 2015/16, as set out in the final column of Appendix 1 to the Independent Remuneration Panel’s report;

5)          the recommendation relating to the Parish Council be noted; and

6)          the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2016/17 remain unchanged, with the exception of the following inclusion into the travel allowances section:

“The rate for travel by Taxi Cab shall not exceed:

(i)     In cases of urgency or where no public transport is reasonably available, the amount of the actual fare and any reasonable gratuity paid, and

(ii)   In any other case, the amount of the fare for travel by appropriate public transport.”

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

2^nd February 2016 – report enclosed with this agenda;

22^nd February 2016, immediately prior to this meeting – the report is to follow..

Note that under the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, the Council is required to take a named vote when a decision is made on the budget calculation or Council tax at a budget decision meeting of the Council.

Under Section 106 of the Local Government Act 1992, any Councillor who is 2 or more months in arrears with their Council tax payments cannot participate in any item at the Council meeting concerning the budget.

The Council considered the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 2nd February 2016, together with the recommendations of the Executive Committee meeting of 22nd February which had taken place immediately preceding the meeting of the Council, in respect of the Medium Term Financial Plan and Council Tax Resolutions.  An updated Medium Term Financial Plan report and the Council Tax Setting details appeared in Additional Papers 1 and 2 respectively to the 22nd February Executive Committee papers.  An amalgamated/updated set of recommendations from the Executive on 2nd February (page 53 of the Council agenda) and Executive on 22nd February (recommendations from the report in Additional Papers 1) were tabled for Members’ reference/assistance.

Further to the Officer presentation of the Medium Term Financial Plan which had taken place earlier in the evening at Executive Committee, opposing views were expressed by the controlling and opposition groups in relation to the budget. 

During the course of the debate a number of issues were raised on both sides of the divide, including:

·       the significant negative financial impact to the authority of the local government finance settlement 2016/17, which had included a 43% cut in Revenue Support Grant in the proposed settlement and Council payback of monies to the Government from 2019/20;

·       changes to the final finance settlement in light of issues raised by local authorities following consultation on the proposed settlement, together with an appeal by the Leader of the Council, some of which it was noted were of a transitional nature only;

·       delays with the Leisure Services review and the consequential financial impact of this;

·       government restrictions on rent increases; and

·       differing approaches which were being taken by local authorities in relation to how budgets, expenditure and savings plans were being addressed. 

Thanks were expressed to the s151 Officer and Finance Team for their work in producing the updated budget following unprecedented changes as a consequence of the local government finance settlement.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, the recommendations on the budget calculation and Council Tax setting were the subject of the following named vote:

Members voting FOR the resolutions below:

Councillors Joe Baker, Natalie Brookes, Greg Chance, John Fisher, Andrew Fry, Bill Hartnett, Pattie Hill, Wanda King, Mark Shurmer, Rachael Smith, Yvonne Smith, Paul Swansborough, Debbie Taylor, Jennifer Wheeler, Pat Witherspoon and Nina Wood-Ford.

Members voting AGAINST the resolutions below:

Councillors Roger Bennett, Juliet Brunner, David Bush, Michael Chalk, Anita Clayton, Brandon Clayton, Matthew Dormer, Gay Hopkins, Jane Potter, Gareth Prosser, Antonia Pulsford and David Thain.

Accordingly, the motions were approved, and it was consequently

RESOLVED that

1)          the savings and additional income for 2016/17 of £654K as set out in Appendix 1 to these minutes be approved;

2)          the revenue bid for 2016/17 of £10k for Planning – Redditch Town Centre be approved;

3)          the capital bids of £1.220m as set out in Appendix 2 to these minutes be approved;

4)          the unavoidable pressures for 2016/17 of £305k  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

There were no Urgent Decisions to note.

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 were no separate items of urgent business to consider at this meeting.