Agenda and minutes

The Mayor opened the meeting and welcomed all present.

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.

Councillors Juliet Brunner, Michael Chalk and Jane Potter declared Other Disclosable Interests in Agenda Item 6 – Executive Committee, Medium Term Financial Plan – as detailed at Minute No. 68 below.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 30^th January 2017.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 30th January 2017 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)         The Leader’s Announcements

c)         Chief Executive’s Announcements.

(Oral report)

The Mayor

The Mayor advised of the following events which he had attended since the last meeting of the Council:

·       Inspire Winyates Community Awards;

·       Polish School Awards;

·       Astwood Bank First School – presentation of certificates to pupils in School choir who had taken part in the Holocaust Memorial Day Service; and

·       Kidderminster Musical Evening for which he thanked Councillor Wanda King for accompanying him.

The Mayor also thanked Councillor Wheeler for attending events which he had been unable to. 

The Leader

The Leader, along with the Mayor, had attended a fund-raising event at the Palace Theatre involving local choirs, and the event at the Polish School to present certificates to pupils who had taken part in the Holocaust Memorial Day Service.

The final Health Commission meeting had taken place and the recommendations from this were due to be considered at a special meeting of the Council on 2nd March 2017.

Final confirmation of the bike race in May was still awaited and the Leader expressed his thanks to all who had pledged funds in an attempt to secure the race for the town.

Along with other Members the Leader had attended a “Time to Talk” session at the Town Hall, run by the local UNISON branch.  Communications staff from UNISON’s national headquarters had also attended to report on the event and to interview various parties.  The Leader praised the Time to Talk programme and was pleased that this was receiving the recognition it deserved.

It was noted that this would be Sheena Jones’s, Democratic Services Manager, last meeting of the Council before leaving the authority in March to start a new job with Worcestershire County Council.  Members thanked Sheena for her service and good work at the Council and wished her well in her new role.

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.

To receive the minutes and consider the recommendations from the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 7^th February.  The reports to the meeting of the Executive Committee on 7^th February are enclosed with this agenda, together with the minutes of the meeting. Also to consider any recommendations arising from the meeting of the Executive Committee immediately before the Council meeting.

The Executive Committee makes recommendations to the Council on the following:

Meeting of the Executive on 7^th February:

Minute no. 86 – Shopmobility Service

Minute no. 87 – Medium Term Financial Plan

Meeting of the Executive on 20^th February:

The Committee is likely to recommend to the Council:

The Pay Policy Statement.

Council tax resolution - the Council Tax resolution will follow.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is considering the Medium Term Financial Plan at its meeting on 14^th February and may make recommendations to the Executive Committee.

All Councillors have been provided with a copy of the agenda and reports for the Executive Committee meeting on 20^th February.  Please bring these with you to the Council meeting.

The Council received the minutes and considered the recommendations from the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 7th February 2017 in relation to the Shopmobility Service and the Medium Term Financial Plan, together with the recommendations of the Executive Committee meeting of 20th February which had taken place immediately preceding the meeting of the Council in relation to the Pay Policy Statement and Council Tax Resolutions.  The Council Tax Resolutions appeared in Additional Papers 1 to the 20th February Executive Committee.

7th February 2017

Shopmobility Service

Councillor Greg Chance proposed, Councillor Bill Hartnett seconded, the recommendations relating to charging for the Shopmobility Service.

It was noted that a charging structure for the Shopmobility Service had been proposed in order to ensure that the Service was sustainable for the future.  The annual cost to the Council of the Service after voluntary contributions and funding from the Kingfisher Shopping Centre was £69k, which in light of further funding cuts from central government was deemed unsustainable.  It was noted that in addition to the proposed charges recommendation, the Executive Committee had resolved that Officers explore opportunities for additional financial contributions to the delivery of the Service with the Kingfisher Shopping Centre and Town Centre Partnership, and that, subject to the approval by Council of the proposed charging structure, a further report on the operation of the Service be taken to the Executive within 12 months and to report on the options for its future delivery.

Councillor Anita Clayton proposed, Councillor Tom Baker-Price seconded, the following amendment:

“That the proposed £5 and £10 registration fees be removed from the proposed charges.”

Councillor Clayton stated that she did not support either the £10 Annual Membership Fee or the £5 ‘Pay as you Go’ charge as these directly affected people with disabilities.  She was concerned that the charges would make one-off trips expensive for the service users. 

During the debate on the amendment, the view expressed that Disability Action Redditch should have been formally consulted on the proposals.  The view was also expressed that the proposed charges were comparable to other providers and a potential initial dip in take up of the service had been accounted for in the proposals.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 17.5, the amendment was the subject of the following named vote:

Members voting FOR the amendment:

Councillors Tom Baker-Price, Juliet Brunner, David Bush, Michael Chalk, Anita Clayton, Brandon Clayton, Matthew Dormer, Gay Hopkins, Jane Potter, Gareth Prosser, Antonia Pulsford and David Thain (12).

Members voting AGAINST the amendment:

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

Members ABSTAINING from voting:

Councillor Paul Swansborough (1).

The amendment was declared lost.

Following further debate and a vote on the substantive recommendation it was

RESOLVED that

the following charges for the Shopmobility Service be approved and implemented with effect from 1st April 2017:

1)          an annual  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

To consider the recommendations from the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee meeting of 2^nd February 2017.  The recommendations and the report are enclosed with this agenda.

The Council received the recommendations of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee meeting of 2nd February 2017 in relation to the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Investment Strategy 2017/18 to 2019/20.

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 enclosed report setting out where changes may need to be made to a Polling Place in advance of the May Elections.

Members considered a report which proposed a change of Polling Place in advance of the May County Council Elections.  This was an additional change to the agreed Polling Districts and Polling Places review in 2014. 

The benefits of the proposed change in venue were noted, together with the anticipated savings from current portable building costs.

RESOLVED that

1)          the Polling Place for the electors in Polling District CEB be changed from a portable building in the car park of the REDI Centre to the REDI Centre itself; and

2)          the change of Polling Place take effect for the May 2017 elections.

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.