Agenda and minutes

The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed all present, including a number of members of the public for the 17th January 2017 Executive Committee’s recommendations in relation to the Borough of Redditch Local Plan No.4.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Roger Bennett.

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 confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 21^st November, 2016.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 21st November 2016 be agreed as a 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.

(Oral report)

a)        The Mayor

The Mayor advised that he had attended a number of events over the Christmas period, which had included:

·         carol concerts at Winyates, Woodrow and Churches Together in Redditch;

·         a Stourport Choral Society 1960’s and 1970’s themed event;

·         Matchborough Luncheon Club;

·         the Council’s Christmas Lights Switch On;

·         the Mayor’s first ever Bake Off competition; and

·         the Mayor’s Christmas Quiz.

The Mayor had also attended the town’s Holocaust Memorial Day event the previous Saturday, and expressed his thanks to Councillor Wheeler for standing in for him at the unveiling of the Spring Sculpture in Walter Stranz Square earlier in the month. 

b)        The Leader

The Leader reiterated the Mayor’s comments in respect of a number of local community events which they had both attended. 

The Redditch Holocaust Memorial Day on 28th January had been a very moving day, with the Leader expressing his thanks to the Kerala Cultural Association Redditch (KCAR), the Redditch Polish Youth School, Astwood Bank First School and the Redditch Community Gospel Choir for their involvement with this. 

He and several other Members had attended various additional celebrations including ‘Yule by the School’ in Batchley, Church Hill Christmas Fayre, the town Carol Service at St Stephen’s Church, the Redditch Polish Saturday Youth School children’s St Nicholas party and the KCAR Christmas and New Year celebrations.  Other events had included the opening of the new dance studios at the Abbey Stadium and Polish WOSP Children’s Charity event held at the Railway Inn which had raised almost £5,000. 

Councillor Hartnett made reference to various other matters/events which he had been involved with in his capacity as Leader, which included:

·         the ‘#LeadersSayNo’ project as part of the 16-day White Ribbon Campaign to end domestic violence against women by men.  The Leader had posted a short video on Twitter for this during the first weekend of the Campaign.  Other Members had made similar videos and around 8000 pledges nationally had been made during the first day of the Campaign;

·         a Polish post-Brexit meeting involving a question and answer session which had taken place with Polish Embassy officials at the Polish Club in Redditch on 10th December;

·         the Health Commission meetings which had taken place on 12th, 14th and 19th January.  The meetings had been attended by approximately 100 people over the 3 days and the Commission’s findings would be reported to special meetings of the Executive and full Council on 2nd March, in advance of the Council submitting its response to the three Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups;

·         the Save the Alex Campaign Group had now disbanded, although there would still be some online activity for information only.  Thanks were expressed to Neal Stote for 11 his years of campaigning as Chair of the Group;

·         the Mayor and Leader had written to the Mayor of Berlin and the Polish Embassy following the tragic events at the Christmas Market in Berlin.  A reply had been received from the Polish Embassy in London thanking the Council for its good wishes and letter;

·         Whilst  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

The Mayor advised that the 17th January 2017 Executive Committee recommendations in relation to the Borough of Redditch Local Plan No. 4 (BORLP4) – which were listed for consideration at Agenda Item 8 (Executive Committee) – would be dealt with as the next item of business in the light of the public interest in this.

In accordance with the comments made at Executive Committee, members thanked the Strategic Planning Officers for their hard work on the Plan to date.  Further thanks were expressed to the various stakeholders and groups involved in the consultation process, and to elected Members for their participation. 

In proposing adoption of the Plan, Councillor Greg Chance referred to a very lengthy process, following which the evidence-based Plan had been adjudged sound by the Planning Inspector.  The Plan had been examined in public by the Inspector.  Proposed modifications to the Plan had also been subject to public consultation.   Members noted that Bromsgrove District Council had also recently approved their Plan.  

The importance to the Council of having an adopted plan and the many benefits of this, as detailed in the original report to Executive, were noted.  This included providing a clear planning framework to deliver the vision and development for the future of the area to 2030.  The lack of an up to date plan would make the town vulnerable to ad hoc planning and “planning by appeal”, with the Council’s control over development within the Borough being of vital importance.

Some Members did not support the Plan and stated that they believed it to be flawed.  Strong views were expressed that all new house build should take place in the Bordesley area, which it was felt was supported by a better road system and would therefore not create the same traffic issues for residents.  The division of new housing on one side of the town and employment on the other was also not felt to make sense.  Reference was made to the Council’s existing ‘Employment Land Review’, which involved cross-boundary agreement with Bromsgrove District Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council in relation to the use of surrounding land for employment purposes, which was felt to be out of date and inaccurate.  It was also suggested that the potential employment opportunities from the “Eastern Gateway” were less than had been quoted.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17.5, the recommendations on the adoption of the BORLP4 were the subject of the following named vote:

Members voting FOR the resolutions below:

Councillors Natalie Brookes, Debbie Chance, Greg Chance, John Fisher, Andrew Fry, Bill Hartnett, Pattie Hill, Wanda King, Mark Shurmer, Rachael Smith, Yvonne Smith, Jennifer Wheeler, Pat Witherspoon and Nina Wood-Ford (14)

Members voting AGAINST the resolutions below:

Councillors Tom Baker-Price, Juliet Brunner, David Bush, Michael Chalk, Anita Clayton, Brandon Clayton, Matthew Dormer, Gay Hopkins, Jane Potter, Gareth Prosser, Antonia Pulsford, Paul Swansborough and David Thain (13)

Accordingly, the recommendations were approved and it was 

RESOLVED that

1)            the content of the Borough of Redditch Local Plan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

To consider questions submitted to date under Procedure Rule 9.2.

The Leader responded to two questions submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.2 from Councillors Juliet Brunner (which had been deferred from the Council meeting on 21st November 2016) and Paul Swansborough.  The question from Councillor Brunner had been included in with the agenda papers and the question from Councillor Swansborough was tabled at the meeting.

a)        Staff Survey Results

Councillor Juliet Brunner asked the following question:

I’m sure the Leader will agree with me that performance management and appraisals are an important part of supporting staff in continuing professional development.  Would he comment on the results from latest the Staff Survey and inform this Council why 43% of staff do not feel supported and haven’t had a status meeting?

The Leader replied as follows:

Thank you for your question. 

The question is a little confused or not quite accurate as the results from the Survey questions do not reflect those matters raised in your question as I will explain during the answer.

For background, 246 employees responded to the staff survey across both Councils (so it is actually 43% of the respondents, not all staff, and it was from across both Councils) which is 25% of all staff. We have approximately 800 staff across both Councils.

The question from the Survey on one-to-one/update and status meetings is Question 36, which says “I have regular one-to-one meetings/status updates with my line manager/supervisor”.  The results were:

             2016         2013

Yes      57.0%       54.3%

         No       43.0%       45.7%

So the “Yes” figure is up and the “No” figure is down.  There is no difference between one-to-one meetings and status meetings.

We want to do more and steps are being taken.  In fact a joint Redditch and Bromsgrove Staff Survey Members’ Task Group has been set up. Officers have attended discussions with the Group to explain the planned actions around the work streams detailed below.

The Actions are:

A Staff Survey Programme Board (chaired by Kevin Dicks, Chief Executive, and consisting of a Head of Service, HR Representatives and the Trade Unions) has been set up to progress areas of concern highlighted in the staff survey. Heads of Service have been tasked with developing action plans to look at the top three positives and top three negatives from the Survey for their service areas. Heads of Service were asked to present the action plans to the Board who will be monitoring progress on their delivery. Three key corporate areas have also been identified and are being headed up by senior Officers. The three key work streams are:

·         People Management – headed by Deb Poole, Head of Transformation & Organisational Development;

·         Meeting Our Customers’ Needs – headed by Amanda Singleton, Head of Customer Access & Financial Support; and

·         Organisational Culture – headed by Sue Hanley, Deputy Chief Executive.

The three Lead Officers have drawn up corporate action plans and presented them to the Board who will be monitoring the delivery of the actions.

A new System Performance Framework has also recently been developed and is currently being implemented  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

To consider Motions submitted under Procedure Rule 11.

a)     Scrutiny of Executive Decisions

A Notice of Motion had been submitted by Councillor Jane Potter proposing changing the day when Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings were held to allow extra time to pre-scrutinise reports to Executive Committee meetings.  She reported that as Chair of the O&S Committee, she had asked for more time to scrutinise Executive reports and this had not been given.  As such, she felt it appropriate to make the request more formal, in order to make for a more open and transparent Council.  The Motion was seconded by Councillor Tom Baker-Price.

In proposing the Motion Councillor Potter stated that the Council supported open transparent scrutiny of the Executive decision-making body.  However, under current arrangements the Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Committee had only 24 hours in which to scrutinise the reports that were sent to the Executive Committee for a recommendation or decision.  In order to aid the O&S Committee in allowing them more time to scrutinise such reports, it was recommended that in the next municipal calendar O&S Committee meetings be moved back to Thursday.

A number of Members spoke against the Motion.  It was stated that whilst all O&S Members had agreed that they wanted more time to digest Executive papers, the Motion was very unfortunate and politically driven.  Members also suggested that the motion was unnecessary given that if Members had any concerns regarding meeting dates set out in the Calendar of Meetings they could raise these with the appropriate Officer(s). 

In support of the Motion, Members stated that in the interests of openness and fairness 24 hours was insufficient to read what were often very detailed papers, such as the Budget.  As Members had agreed at O&S to look into the possibility of changing the day on which they met, Councillors should support the Motion now before them.   

Other Members stated that the Motion was not politically-driven.  O&S made important checks and balances and the limited time available to scrutinise papers made it difficult for O&S Members to have a considered opinion.  The Motion was a pragmatic solution to avoid having to change the Council’s Constitution.

On being put to the vote the Motion was declared lost.

b)     No Confidence in Portfolio Holder for Housing

A Notice of Motion had been submitted by Councillor Brandon Clayton proposing a vote of no confidence in Councillor Mark Shurmer, Portfolio Holder for Housing, and calling for Councillor Shurmer’s resignation following issues which had arisen in relation to gas safety tests.  This was seconded by Councillor David Thain.

In proposing the Motion Councillor Clayton stated that the role of Portfolio Holder held a lot of responsibility.  When it was reported that the statutory gas safety tests had not been completed on Council properties on time he was concerned for Council tenants’ safety, and the confusion, worry and inconvenience caused in this regard.  He stated that this was a whole-Council problem with Councillors being corporately responsible should the worst have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

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

13^th December 2016:

Minute no. 56 – Appointment Process for External Auditors;

Minute no. 58 – Fees and Charges 2017/18

17^th January 2017:

Minute no. 67 - Borough of Redditch Local Plan no.4;

Minute no. 69 - Council Plan – please note that the version of the plan included with this agenda is the final draft, updated as recommended by the Executive Committee.

Minute no. 70 - Corporate Performance Strategy;

Minute no. 71 - Housing Revenue Account Initial Budget 2017/18 – 2019/20;

Minute no. 72 - Council Housing Growth Programme;

Minute no. 78 - Independent Remuneration Panel Report and Recommendations.

The recommendations made by the Committee are set out at the front of each report, included within the agenda pack.  The minutes of each meeting are included in Minute book 4.

Members considered the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings of 13th December 2016 and 17th January 2017.

13th December 2016

In relation to the Fees and Charges recommendation, a number of members stated that they did not support this and made particular reference to the significantly increased legal fees and the bereavement fees. 

It was noted that the average increase in fees and charges was 3% but that some had risen on a cost-recovery basis, with bereavement fees still falling within the bottom quartile of fees nationally after the proposed increases.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17.5, the fees and charges recommendation was the subject of the following named vote:

Members voting FOR the recommendation:

Councillors Natalie Brookes, Debbie Chance, Greg Chance, John Fisher, Andrew Fry, Bill Hartnett, Pattie Hill, Wanda King, Mark Shurmer, Rachael Smith, Yvonne Smith, Jennifer Wheeler, Pat Witherspoon and Nina Wood-Ford (14)

Members voting AGAINST the recommendation:

Councillors Tom Baker-Price, Juliet Brunner, David Bush, Michael Chalk, Anita Clayton, Brandon Clayton, Matthew Dormer, Gay Hopkins, Jane Potter, Gareth Prosser, Antonia Pulsford, Paul Swansborough and David Thain (13)

17th January 2017

It was noted that the recommendations contained in Minute No. 67 in relation to the Borough of Redditch Local Plan No. 4 had already been dealt with earlier in the meeting (Minute No. 55 above refers).

In relation to the Corporate Performance Strategy recommendation, some Members expressed concerns in relation to money spent by the Council on consultants, systems thinking and Officer time.  The view was expressed that the new dashboard was ineffective and that alignment of Key Performance Indicators to new targets was impossible. 

In response, other members suggested that continual improvement was reported to be taking place in the Council’s processes, which in turn resulted in value for money for the Borough’s residents.  The Overview and Scrutiny function also gave all members the opportunity to scrutinise the Council’s activity and performance.

Regarding the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Initial Budget 2017/18 – 2019/20, it was noted that Officers had not provided details of the £19m reserves position which they had confirmed at Executive Committee would be included in the final report to Council.  Officers apologised that these details were not included and agreed to update the HRA Budget to reflect this. 

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee held on 13th December 2016 and 17th January 2017 be received and all recommendations adopted.

To formally receive the minutes of the following meetings of the Council’s Regulatory Committees:

Licensing Committee - 7th November 2016

Planning Committee  - 9^th November and 14^th December 2016

The minutes are included in Minute Book 4.  There are no recommendations from these meetings for the Council to consider.

The Council received the minutes of meetings of the Licensing Committee and Planning Committee.

In response to a Member query, the Chair of the Planning Committee provided clarification in relation to the 9th November 2016 Planning Committee’s decision on Application 2016/109/FUL (Johnsons Cars Ltd, Clive Road, Enfield – application from McCarthy and Stone Retirement Lifestyle Ltd).

RESOLVED that

1)          the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 7th November 2016 be received and adopted; and

2)          the minutes of the meetings of the Planning Committee held on 9th November 2016 and 14th December 2016 be received and adopted.

To note the appointment of Councillor Ian Hardiman, Wyre Forest District Council, as substitute member to the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and Worcestershire Local Transport Board to replace Councillor Tracy Onslow.

The Council noted the appointment of Councillor Ian Hardiman, Wyre Forest District Council, as substitute Member to the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and Worcestershire Local Transport Board, who had replaced Councillor Tracy Onslow.

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 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.)

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