Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed all present to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors William Boyd, Matthew Dormer, Sid Khan, Alan Mason, Sachin Mathur, Gemma Monaco, Jen Snape and Craig Warhurst.

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.

The Mayor advised Council that the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee had granted all Members a dispensation earlier in the year to speak and vote on both the budget and Council Tax.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meetings of Council held on 13^th January and 26^th January 2026 be approved as a true and 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.

The following announcements were made during the meeting:

a)          The Mayor’s Announcements

The Mayor circulated a written update at the meeting which detailed the civic engagements that she had attended since the start of the year (Appendix 1).

In delivering her announcements, the Mayor thanked all the Members who had attended her civic service on 1^st February 2026.  Council was informed that the Mayor’s civic dinner was due to take place on 24^th April 2026.  A number of Councillors had already booked to attend but Members were asked to notify the Mayor if they wanted to book to attend and had not already done so.

b)          The Leader’s Announcements

The Leader confirmed that she did not have any announcements to make on this occasion.

c)          The Chief Executive’s Announcements

The Chief Executive confirmed that he did not have any announcements to make on this occasion.

Council considered recommendations that had been agreed at two separate meetings of the Executive Committee held on 23^rd February 2026 and on 2^nd March 2026, immediately prior to the Council meeting.

Pet Cremation

A report proposing the introduction of a Pet Cremation service was considered.  Members noted that this would add to the service that was already provided at the Redditch Crematorium to people.  The pet cremator would involve the use of separate equipment to that which was used for humans.  The pet cremation service, once introduced, would involve the provision of a compassionate service designed to meet the needs of local residents.

In considering the report, Members were asked to note that the UK pet cremation service was expected to grow over the coming decades as owners would be aiming to use a dignified method to lay their pets to rest.  The cremator that would be purchased for the service was considered to be cost effective and was manufactured in the UK.  The payback period for the cremator was reported to be good and it was anticipated that by month five the service would break even, with a steady income stream being provided to the Council thereafter.

During consideration of this item questions were raised about how long urns containing the ashes of people’s pets would be stored at the Redditch Crematorium.  Questions were also raised about the potential for owners to scatter their pets’ ashes and the land where this could be undertaken.  In addition, reference was made to pet cremation services in other parts of the country and whether lessons had been learned when reviewing the potential to introduce this service in the Borough.  In response, Members were advised that there might be the potential to expand the service in the long-term, although the initial aim would be to introduce the service.  The Council would aim to return a pet’s ashes to their owner as soon as possible.

Consideration was given to the introduction of a new cremator for the service and the implications that this could have for carbon emissions in the Borough.  Questions were raised about whether the cremator that would be used was the most energy efficient option available to use. Furthermore, concerns were raised about whether use of the pet cremator represented the most appropriate way to process animal fatalities arising from collisions on the highways. The potential for the energy arising from the use of the pet cremation service to contribute to energy mitigation measures at the Abbey Stadium was also highlighted and Members queried whether this option had been explored.  In relation to animal fatalities on the roads, Members were informed that this would result in financial savings as the current contract involved the transportation of animals outside the county.  The use of a pet cremator would also assist with addressing problems arising in relation to bird flu.  Members were assured that every effort would be made to invest in a new cremator which would be more energy efficient  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

In the absence of both the Chair and Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillors Matthew Dormer and Craig Warhurst respectively, the Mayor advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Annual Report 2025/26 would be deferred for consideration at the following ordinary meeting of Council.

There has been one urgent decision taken since the previous Council meeting in respect of the appointment of a contractor to install kitchens in Council House properties, following receipt of notice that the Council’s previous supplier had gone into administration.

The Mayor advised that there had been one urgent decision taken since the previous meeting, on the subject of a contract for a new kitchen supplier, which had had to be arranged after the previous supplier went into administration.

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 was no urgent business for consideration on this occasion.