Agenda and minutes

         The Mayor will open the meeting and welcome all present.

During this item, in line with the Mayor’s focus on mental health and wellbeing this year, a representative of St Basils will be invited to speak on the work of the organisation to support young people experiencing mental health difficulties.

The Mayor welcomed all those present to the meeting and noted that unfortunately, since the last meeting of Council, there had been a number of tragic incidents globally.  This included the terrorist attacks at Barcelona in August 2017 and at Parsons Green tube station in September 2017 as well as the shooting of at least 50 victims during a concert in Las Vegas that day.  The Mayor led Council in paying tribute to all the victims and their families by observing a minute’s silence.

Following this the Mayor reminded Members that her chosen charities for the year were St Basil’s and Young Minds and the overarching theme for her mayoral year related to mental health and wellbeing.  The speaker for the meeting was Ms Hayley Turner, manager of the Redditch branch of St Basil’s, who was invited to talk about the positive impact of the charity’s work in supporting vulnerable young people at risk of homelessness who in some cases were struggling with mental health and wellbeing problems.

Ms Turner thanked the Mayor for selecting St Basil’s as one of her charities for the year and proceeded to outline the work of St Basil’s in Redditch.  The organisation’s activities had grown in the last 10 years and by October 2017 24 young people were supported by the charity in the Borough at any one time.  There were a number of causes of youth homelessness and increasingly many of the young people referred to St Basil’s had complex needs that took time to address.  The young people needed staff to listen and provide support and, despite resource pressures, staff had adapted to ensure that they could continue to help young people in this manner.  Unfortunately many young people who approached St Basil’s had experienced mental health problems, though might also be experiencing difficulties with substance abuse and learning difficulties.  The intensive support provided by St Basil’s had a positive impact on the lives of young people and there had been a noticeable decrease in anti-social behaviour and criminal incidents committed by the young people alongside reported improvements in the physical and mental health of the young people concerned and enhanced career prospects.  In addition, many of the young people who were supported by St Basil’s went on to secure sustained tenancies in the local community.  Ms Turner completed her speech by inviting Members to visit St Basil’s premises in Redditch.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Tom Baker-Price and Nina Wood-Ford.

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.

The majority of Councillors present at the meeting declared an Other Disclosable interest in Minute Item No. 45 – Leisure and Cultural Services Concessionary Policy by virtue of their membership of or links to the organisations listed below which held meetings at the Town Hall and were not charged for room hire.  All of the councillors remained in the room and participated in the debate on this item and the voting thereon.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on Monday 24^th July 2017 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.

a)        Mayor’s Announcements

The Mayor circulated a list of engagements which she and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Nina Wood-Ford, had attended since the last meeting of Council (Appendix 1).

During consideration of the Mayor’s announcements a group of Redditch residents who had participated in the recent Special Olympics event in Sheffield were welcomed to the meeting.  Ms Sarah Duffin was invited to speak on behalf of the group and she highlighted the achievements of those who had participated in the event:

·                  Shane Dennis for Aquatics – Silver in the 25m relay, sixth in the 50m freestyle and eighth in the 100m freestyle.

·                  Laurie Brooks for Athletics – Bronze 100m, Silver Soft Ball Throw, fourth in the 200m and fourth in the 100m Relay.

·                  Stacey Everill for Athletics – Silver Standing Long Jump, Bronze in the Shot and fifth in the 50m.

·                  Emmeline Rudge for Athletics – Bronze in the 100m relay, fourth in the Standing Long Jump and fifth in the 100, Personal Best Soft Ball Throw.

·                  Jonathan Wedgbury for Athletics – Silver in the 100m relay, fifth in the 100m, fifth in the Standing Long Jump and seventh in the Soft Ball Throw. 

·                  Jess Hiles for Boccia – Gold in the Singles and fourth in the doubles.

·                  Richard Daykin for Gymnastics – Bronze on the rings, Bronze on the floor, Bronze on the Bar, fourth on the Parallel bars, fifth on the Vault and fifth all round.

·                  Chris Finch in Gymnastics – Gold on the Pommel, Gold on the Bar, fourth on the Rings, sixth on the Vault, sixth on the Floor, seventh on the Parallel Bars and Silver all round.

·                  Lauren Francis in Gymnastics– Gold on the Floor, Silver on the Beam, fourth on the Vault, fifth on the Bar and Silver all round

In total the Redditch Special Olympics group had received four gold medals, seven silver medals and six bronze medals.  Thanks were also extended to the support workers who had assisted participants during the event.

Members congratulated all those who had participated in the Special Olympics.  It was noted that the Deputy Mayor had hosted a tea party with participants after the event had taken place.  The Council meeting provided an opportunity for every elected Member to celebrate their achievements.

b)        The Leader’s Announcements

The Leader advised that he had participated in a number of events and activities since the last meeting of Council.  In addition to those events which had already been mentioned during the meeting the following updates were provided for Members’ consideration:

·                The Leader had attended community events organised by Church Hill Big Local, including a litter picking event and community walk.

·                Morton Stanley Festival had successfully taken place on 20^th – 21^st August 2017.

·                The Leader had attended the Scarecrow Day at Forge Mill Needle Museum.

·                There had been two band stand events which had showcased children’s activities and a food festival.  The team involved in organising the events, particularly Ms Sue Yeng, were thanked for their hard  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

The Leader responded to three questions in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.2 that had been submitted by Mr C MacMillan, Ms J Beecham and Mr M Rouse. 

a)        Question from Mr C MacMillan

Mr C MacMillan asked the following question:

“I am aware that the Council, led by the Labour Party and under his stewardship, has a Homeless Strategy. I know that this is an issue of great concern to all sides of this Council.

I would ask that the Leader explain why his strategy is not working and why we have people, often in great need, camping on the ring road? What precisely has he done so far to help these people and how he is going to invigorate his efforts going forward such that these, and other homeless people in the Borough, are helped?”

The Leader responded as follows:

“Firstly, can I begin by thanking Mr MacMillan for his question.

Members will be aware that as recently as September the National Audit Office released a report on homelessness, highlighting a rise in rough sleeping nationally of 134% between 2010 and 2016.

The report also criticised the government for what it described as a ‘light touch’ to an issue that costs the tax payer over £1bn a year and showed how welfare reform has put added pressure on people in housing difficulty.  So I would call into question the effectiveness of the national strategy around homelessness - local Councils are left tackling problems they never created in the first place.

Despite this, I would like to reassure Mr MacMillan and members that we have a strategic approach to homelessness in Redditch that is working well.  Corporately, the Council has adopted a series of Strategic Purposes which steer its work. One of these is ‘Help me to find somewhere to live in my locality’. The purpose has an action plan running alongside it, which outlines a number of things we will be doing to tackle homelessness in the Borough.

We also developed a Council housing growth programme early in 2017, which sets out how we will maintain a supply of housing stock for local residents in the future because we can’t address homelessness without a steady supply of homes to offer.

On the ground, the Council provides a dedicated homelessness and housing advice service in the town centre. The team focuses on preventing homelessness and finding alternative accommodation for people who become homeless. The team are currently preparing to implement the forthcoming Homelessness Reduction Act which comes into force from April 2018 onwards.  The same team lead our response helping people who are perceived to be homeless in Redditch, settling them into accommodation or safely back into existing accommodation.

Often we work with the public, the Police, the voluntary sector and faith groups around the borough for which we are grateful and we would like to extend our thanks to them.

Although I can’t talk in detail about specific cases, I can reassure everyone that the landowners of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

A notice of motion had been submitted by Councillor Bill Hartnett calling for enhancements to be made to the rail service serving Redditch.  This motion was seconded by Councillor Juliet Brunner.

In proposing the motion Councillor Hartnett explained that he had been working for over 18 months to investigate the potential to introduce an express train serving Redditch.  During this time he had met with representatives of a range of organisations in the West Midlands.  This had included discussing the possibility of making adjustments to the timetable to introduce an express train between Redditch and Birmingham New Street that would stop at University Station only.  This would help to reduce the journey time by approximately 20 minutes.

The introduction of an express train would have economic benefits for the Borough and would help the Council to deliver on the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP’s) Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA’s) SEP.

The introduction of an express service would also provide an opportunity to review the fares charged for travelling on the service.  Councillor Hartnett explained that he was keen to achieve ‘fare equalisation’ whereby the fare paid by passengers travelling from Redditch to Birmingham was comparable to the fare paid by residents travelling from other parts of the region to the city centre.

In seconding the proposal Councillor Brunner explained that she was keen to take action that would enhance economic development in the Borough.  Connectivity was key to enhancing the Borough’s appeal to businesses.  It was important for the Council to work with partner organisations, such as Worcestershire County Council, to achieve these objectives.

A number of Members subsequently spoke in support of the Motion.  In so doing the costs of travelling from Redditch to Birmingham New Street, compared to travel costs in other parts of the region, were raised as an area of concern.  A suggestion was made that a late night express train service might also be helpful.

A smartcard, the region’s equivalent to London’s Oyster card, was in the process of being piloted in the Borough and it was hoped that this would ease travel arrangements for Redditch residents moving forward.  However, Councillor Hartnett explained that further improvements could always be made and an express train service would help to achieve this.

RESOLVED that

the motion be agreed in the following terms:

One of, if not the most important, priorities for this Council is Economic Development and Regeneration as part of our strategic purpose “Help me run a successful business”. Key to this is our relationship with Birmingham and in particular our connectivity (particularly rail) into and out of the conurbation.  This is key, not only to our businesses, but also our residents who often travel in and out of Birmingham.

However there are two main issues that impact on this connectivity which are fare parity (people tend to pay less for using the rail service within the Transport for West Midlands (formerly Centro) area than they  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

To receive the minutes and consider the recommendations for the following items:

Leisure and Cultural Services Concessionary Policy

Members discussed the proposed changes to the Leisure and Cultural Service’s Concessionary Policy and in so doing noted the following:

·                The Reddicard had been in use since 1998.

·                The existing pricing structure was relatively complex with 15 different pricing tariffs.

·                The proposed new pricing structure would bring the Council in line with other local authorities in the area.

·                Due to the way the Reddicard was originally established the concessions available had impacted on the standard charge for the Council’s leisure services, which were much higher than at neighbouring facilities.

·                A number of new leisure facilities were due to open in locations close to the Borough and this would increase competition for the Council’s facilities.

·                On the one hand concerns were raised about the potential impact that the new charging scheme might have on the potential for people with disabilities to participate in leisure activities.

·                On the other hand it was noted that some people with disabilities had indicated during consultation that they would be willing to pay at the levels proposed in the new policy.

·                There would be an affordability test and residents could receive discounts on the leisure fees if they could demonstrate that they were in receipt of particular benefits.

·                Free swimming would continue to be available to those aged under 16.

·                Concerns were raised that veterans from the armed forces might be penalised by the new pricing structure. However, it was noted that there was no ex-service personnel category in the current policy.

·                It was noted that the Council was a signatory of the Worcestershire Armed Services Partnership Covenant and the new Concessionary Policy would not change arrangements for serving members of the forces.

·                Officers confirmed that no additional training would be required by staff to implement the new policy arrangements, though standard training would continue to be provided on an ongoing basis.

Redditch Borough Council Garden Waste Service

During consideration of this item Members noted the following:

·                The garden waste collection service would take place on the same day as the grey bin collection service.

·                The service could be delivered at limited risk to the Council.

·                Customers would be charged £45 per annum for the service, which would be delivered over a nine month period.

·                The service differed from the previous garden waste collection service that had been trialled a number of years ago.

·                Feedback received by the Council during consultation with the public on social media indicated that there would be interest in the service within the community.

Finance Monitoring Quarter 1

The content of the Finance Monitoring Quarter 1 report and associated recommendation was discussed and the following points were raised:

·                Concerns were raised about the level of savings that had been achieved to date and the amount of information available in respect of progress delivering the Council’s Efficiency Plan.

·                However, it was noted that this was only the first quarter of the financial year and further savings would emerge over time.

·                The external auditors had recently endorsed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

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

The Council received the minutes of meetings of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee, Planning Committee and Licensing Committee.

The Mayor reminded Members that the recommendation detailed at Minute 5 of the Licensing Committee minutes from the meeting held on 17th July 2017 had been approved at the previous meeting of Council.

RESOLVED that

1)        the minutes of the meeting of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee held on 6^th July 2017 be received and adopted;

2)        the minutes of the meetings of the Planning Committee held on 12^th July and 9th August 2017 be received and adopted; and

3)        the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Committee held on 17^th July 2017 be received and adopted.

To note that:

a)     Councillor Jane Potter has been appointed Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, in place of Councillor Tom Baker-Price; 

b)     Councillor Gay Hopkins has been appointed Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, in place of Councillor Potter;

c)     Councillor Gareth Prosser has been appointed to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, in place of Councillor Baker-Price; and

d)     Councillor Gareth Prosser has been appointed to the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Panel, in place of Councillor Baker-Price.

RESOLVED that the following changes to the membership of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Panel be noted:

1)        Councillor Jane Potter appointed Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in place of Councillor Tom Baker-Price;

2)        Councillor Gay Hopkins appointed Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in place of Councillor Jane Potter;

3)        Councillor Gareth Prosser appointed to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in place of Councillor Tom Baker-Price; and

4)        Councillor Gareth Prosser appointed to the Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Panel in place of Councillor Tom Baker-Price.

To note any decisions taken in accordance with the Council’s Urgency Procedure Rules (Part 6, Paragraph 5 and/or Part 7, Paragraph 15 of the Constitution), as specified.

Requirement for a Member Panel

On 28^th July 2017, an urgent decision was taken to establish a Member Panel, in accordance with the Council’s Officer Employment Procedure Rules and the Joint Negotiating Committee for Chief Officers of Local Authorities Constitution Conditions of Service Salaries.  This panel needed to be convened in order to consider an employment matter which could not be addressed by any other Committee.

The urgent decision that had been taken on 28^th July 2017 to establish a member panel to consider an officer employment matter was noted in accordance with the Council’s Urgency Procedure Rules.

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.)

100% Business Rate Pilot Pool

Members are asked to consider the Business Rates Report which the Mayor has agreed should be considered as Urgent Business at this meeting.

The 100% Business Rate Pilot Pool 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 the Council needed to respond to the Government in respect of the Business Rate Pool Pilot by 27th October 2017 which provided limited time to hold an extra meeting of Council.

Redditch Borough Council was currently in the GBSLEP’s business rate pool.  The Council received a total of 26.5% of business rate growth either through direct allocation or via the current pooling arrangements Councils with negative business growth could access ”safety net” payments.  There was also currently a Worcestershire LEP pool, though Redditch Borough Council, like Bromsgrove District and Malvern Hills District Councils, were not part of this pool.  There is also a WMCA pilot for 100% business rates growth, however, non-constituent members of the combined authority were not currently permitted to join this pool.

For the 100% Business Rate Pilot Pool to be successful in Worcestershire the County Council and all of the district local authorities in the County would need to agree to participate.  There was no guarantee that even if all local authorities agreed to take part the pool would be approved; this would be determined by the Government.  Whilst no specific requirements had been stipulated by the Government in terms of the distribution of Business Rates it was understood that for the bid to be successful there would have to be a financial benefit to the County greater than its current share of Business Rates.

During consideration of this item Councillor Juliet Brunner proposed an amendment to the wording of the proposed resolution for this item, which was seconded by Councillor Brandon Clayton.  This amendment read as follows:

“That the Council consider the information received to date on the potential opportunities to participate in a 100% Business Rate Pool Pilot covering Worcestershire and delegate the decision on the 2018/19 business Rate Pool arrangements to the Executive Director Finance and Resources in agreement with the Portfolio Holder for Finance, the Leader and the leader of the opposition.”

Prior to the vote on this amendment a further proposal was made for Councillor Swansborough to be consulted, alongside the other Members named in the resolution, as he was not represented by either party.  This proposal was not seconded.

On being put to the vote the proposed amendment was defeated.

RESOLVED that

the Council, having considered the information received to date on the potential opportunities to participate in a 100% Business Rate Pool Pilot covering Worcestershire, delegate the decision on the 2018/19 Business Rate Pool arrangements to the Executive Director Finance and Resources in agreement with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.