Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mathur with Councillor Begum as named substitute.

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 minutes from the meeting held on 26^th February 2025 were submitted for Members approval.

RESOLVED that

The minutes from the meeting held on 26^th February 2025 be approved as a true and accurate record.

The Senior Electoral Services Officer presented the Local Government Reorganisation: Future Local Governance in Redditch report for Members’ consideration.

In doing so the following was highlighted:

·       As a result of the current Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) there needed to be significant structure changes in the Borough, which included neighbourhood governance arrangements. The report contained three options for future governance structures in terms of maintaining civic identity and to ensure effective community governance for the future. It was noted that at this time, the outcome for the future governance arrangements for Worcestershire were still unknown and whether the structure for governance would be one unitary authority or two unitary authorities for Worcestershire; one in the North and one in the South.

·       There were touchstones to be considered as part of the review process. A Council must have regard to the specific needs of the areas to ensure that community/local governance was satisfied following LGR and therefore it was imperative that the outcomes reflected the identity and interests of the community and were effective and convenient.

·       There were three options for consideration by Members.

These were as follows:

o   Neighbourhood Area Committees (NAC) – it was the vision of the Government that Neighbourhood Area Committees or forums be established by the new unitary authority (whichever model was decided upon). These would cover large areas and would be expected to provide the main mechanism and localised governance for communities.

o   Charter Trustees – This option dealt with civic identity in the Borough following Vestment Day for the new authority. This option would ensure the safeguarding of the civic and ceremonial traditions within an area including regalia, mayoralty and historic property. However, it was noted that Charter Trustees were not permitted to own land or buildings.

o   Committee Governance Review – This was a long and complex process which considered the unparished areas of the Borough in order to look to establish Parish Councils. Members were informed that Parish Councils had a wide range of powers and responsibilities including allotments, parks and open spaces. They were also permitted to raise their own funding through a precept and operated under the same financial and audit framework as Local Authorities.

Following the consideration of the report, Members and those Members who were observing the meeting were invited to speak by the Chair. The areas of discussion were as follows:

·       If NACs were to be introduced this would provide more power for local people as the governance would be more localised and at grass roots. Some Members felt it was difficult to see if this type of governance would be appropriate as a decision had not been made in terms of the structure of the unitary Local Authority in the future as part of LGR. However, it was noted that these had been implemented in other areas with limited success. There were also queries raised regarding powers and discretion around funding or grants if NACs were implemented in the future.

·       Members were keen to retain the identity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The Electoral Services Manager presented the Electoral Pilot for May 2026 Elections report for Members’ consideration. In doing so, Members were informed that in August 2025 the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published a prospectus on Flexible Voting Pilots 2026 under the Government’s Electoral Modernisation banner. It noted that little had changed in the way that voting was carried out since the Ballot Act 1872 and that it was necessary to explore ways to make voting in person more efficient, convenient and better aligned with the electorate of today.

The MHCLG invited local authorities due to hold elections in May 2026 to make formal applications to pilot flexible voting options. The deadline for applications was 15^th September 2025 which was later amended to 22^nd September 2025.

There were several areas that MHCLG wished to pilot. These were:

a.     Voting at any polling station;

b.     Voting Hubs;

c.     Mobile polling stations; and

d.     Early in-person voting.

Local authorities were allowed to consider a mixture of the above approaches or suggest their own, however MHCLG would not consider proposals for online or electronic voting. Following discussions with the Chief Executive and Group Leaders it was agreed that Redditch Borough Council would apply for early voting and the use of voting hubs. These proposals were explained to Members, and it was noted that the early voting period was proposed from Saturday 2^nd May 2026 through to Wednesday 6^th May 2026. Hours of poll were still to be determined but early considerations were 8am-7pm, with an earlier finish of 5pm on the day before actual polling day. In terms of Voting Hubs, it was noted that the proposals were that one hub be situated in a location of high footfall (e.g. the Kingfisher Shopping Centre or Abbey Stadium Leisure Centre), supplemented by up to four further hubs in other parts of the Borough. There would be real time electronic registers available during this process that provided real time accuracy.

Officers proposed that should the pilot scheme proceed then a Working Group be established, with Members of the Electoral Matters Committee, along with other Elected Members that expressed an interest and relevant officers. The main purpose of the Working Group would be the decision on where voting hubs were to be located.

Members were informed that there was no cost to the Council, and that the pilot scheme would be funded by the MHCLG.

Following the presentation of the report, Members expressed that this was an exciting pilot which would encourage voting and greater engagement in the democratic process for the residents of Redditch.

The number of voting hubs across the Borough was raised by Members. Officers explained that there was no limit to the number of voting hubs by MCHLG. However, it was important to ensure that the correct number be established for this pilot. The Working Group would be key in ascertaining the correct number and locations along with looking at any risks, such as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.