Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed all those present and formally opened the meeting.  In so doing he advised all those present that due to public interest the meeting was being recorded.  Those live streaming the meeting were reminded of the Council’s protocol around the recording of meetings.

There were no apologies for absence.

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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.

Councillor Debbie Chance declared an other disclosable interest in Minute Item 77; Health Commission Final Report, in her capacity as an employee of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Whilst it was acknowledged that all present would have had some form of contact with the Alexandra Hospital, there were no formal declarations of interest made.

To receive and confirm as a correct record the minutes of meetings of the Redditch Health Commission held on the following dates:

·                12th January 2017.

·                14th January 2017.

·                19th January 2017.

(Minutes attached)

The minutes of the meetings of the Health Commission held on 12th, 14th and 19th January 2017 were submitted for Members’ consideration.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meetings of the Health Commission held on 12th, 14th and 19th January 2017 be approved as correct records and signed by the Chair.

To consider and agree the Health Commission’s response to the Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups’ consultation on the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire.

(Report and appendices attached)

The Council considered the final report of the Health Commission, a group set up by the Council comprising members of the Executive Committee.  This had met in public on three occasions to gather evidence from health service commissioners, providers and residents about the potential impact of the options from the Joint Services Review of Health on the Alexandra Hospital.  The meetings had co-incided with the three Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups’ consultation about the future of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust’s services. 

In presenting the report, the Leader of the Council thanked all Councillors who had been involved in the work of the Commission and also the officers who had worked very hard within tight timescales to support it. The report included recommendations to the Council to inform its response to the consultation.  The Leader commented that residents wanted safe services which were local and accessible, with a plan and a trust which was viable and sustainable.    He provided a detailed summary of the supporting evidence behind each of the recommendations whilst making reference to the report.  The Leader concluded his presentation by outlining the Council’s wholehearted support of the staff employed by the NHS at both the Alexandra Hospital and throughout the country and he thanked them for their dedication and commitment.

Councillor Juliet Brunner also took the opportunity to thank Members and officers for their hard work and those residents who had given up their time to either attend the meetings or to complete a questionnaire.  She also reiterated her thanks and support to the staff at the Alexandra Hospital.  However, she shared her disappointment about the number of people who had responded to the Health Commission’s survey in comparison with those who had previously signed the petition to retain services at the Alexandra Hospital.

A number of Members took the opportunity to comment on the work of the Health Commission and the need to support residents and ensure that appropriate services were available to all.  Comments were also made in respect of the consultation process and the length of time which had elapsed since the first notice of motion had been proposed by the Council in July 2012.

RESOLVED that

1)        Redditch Borough Council re-affirms its position as detailed in the Notice of Motion from the Council meeting on 23rd July 2012 which was carried unanimously (as detailed in Appendix B to the report);

2)        In light of Section 29A and continuous changes of senior personnel managing Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, that all previous options be reconsidered and a new plan developed;

3)        The Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) take into account the following concerns raised by Members:

a)        Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG and WAHT have not submitted evidence when requested by the Commission in a timely manner.  The Commission therefore feels that its concerns have not been given due regard as befits their role as the democratic representatives of the Borough;

b)        Members should have received separate submissions from Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG and WAHT at its  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

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.)

Members are asked to consider the Council Tax Resolution.

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 Tax Resolutions was accepted as an item of urgent business – not having met the publication deadline – and was considered at the meeting as such, with the approval of the Mayor, in accordance with the Council’s constitutional rules and the powers vested in the Chair by virtue of Section 100(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 to agree matters of urgency being discussed by reason of special circumstances.  In this case the special circumstances were that an error had been made in the calculations for the Council Tax Resolutions agreed at Council on 20th February 2017.  The item needed to be considered to enable Members to approve the revised and correct calculations before publication of the Council Tax bills for the new financial year.

The Council considered the report of the Director of Finance and Resources which set out calculation errors in the Council tax resolutions agreed at the Council meeting on 20^th February 2017.  The errors did not affect the budget agreed by the Council but needed to be corrected in order for the Council Tax bills to be issued on time.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, a named vote was taken and voting was recorded as follows:

Members voting FOR the resolution: Councillors Joe Baker, Natalie Brookes, Debbie Chance, Greg Chance, John Fisher, Andy Fry, Bill Hartnett, Pattie Hill, Wanda King, Mark Shurmer, Rachael Smith, Yvonne Smith, Jennifer Wheeler, Pat Witherspoon and Nina Wood-Ford (15)

Members voting AGAINST the resolution: 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, David Thain (13)

Members ABSTAINING from voting on the resolution: 0

RESOLVED that

the amendments to the Council Tax Resolutions as set out at Appendix 1 attached to these minutes be approved.