Agenda item

To receive the minutes and consider the recommendations and/or referrals from the meeting of the Executive Committee meeting held on 8^th September 2015. 

The minutes are included in Minute Book 3 and the Council is asked to consider recommendations on the following items:

·         Equal Opportunity Policy

·         Street Naming and Numbering – charges

·         Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Programme

·         Stratford on Avon Core Strategy proposed Modifications – response

·         Consolidated Revenue and Capital Outturn and Financial Reserves Statement

Copies of the reports to the Executive on these items are enclosed with this agenda.

Members considered the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 8th September 2015.  The following key points were raised during consideration of this item:

a)        Equal Opportunity Policy

Concerns were raised that the Equal Opportunity Policy was phrased in a manner that suggested that elected Councillors were employed by the Council.  However, Officers clarified that as Councillors had a responsibility to staff and individual Equality duties within the context of various Equalities enactments they needed to be aware of and agree to the contents of the policy; however, Councillors were not regarded as staff or treated as such within Council policies.

b)        Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Programme

The following points were raised whilst considering this item:

·            The proposal that any underspend in the grants at the end of the financial year should be put back into balances; it was suggested that if any finds remained unallocated at the end of the evaluation process, a further opportunity for applications should be made available.  However, the view was also expressed that every effort was made to publicise the availability of grants and the appropriate deadlines and the take-up of funding reflected the demand from within the sector.

·            The three rounds of community grants and the need for clarification concerning the potential for any unspent funds in early rounds to be allocated to Voluntary and Community Sector groups in later rounds.

·            The work of the Grants Panel which operated in an apolitical manner.

·            The positive contributions made by the Voluntary and Community Sector to the community in Redditch.

·            The value of the support provided by Council staff to local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and the potential impact this could have on the success of a bid.

·            The work of the Voluntary and Community Sector Task Group in 2013/14 and improvements that had subsequently been made to the Council’s grants process.

·            Alterations that had been made to the grant themes for 2016/17 and amendments to the Grants Policy and scoring matrix which were designed to further enhance the process.

c)         Consolidated Revenue and Capital Outturn and Financial Reserves Statement

A number of issues were raised during consideration of this matter:

·            The assessment of the Council’s accounts by the Council’s external auditors; Grant Thornton.

·            The level of funds held by the Council in balances.

·         The level of unplanned savings and whether this enabled accurate budget forecasts to be made.

·            Overall savings of £819,000 secured in 2014/15.

·            Cuts to the local government grant received by the Council of 49 per cent over the previous five year period and the impact this had had on the Council’s finances.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 8th September 2015 be received and all recommendations adopted subject to, in relation to Minute 33 (Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Programme) Community Grant Fund, it being noted that there would be some latitude in the allocation of the grants across the three rounds to maximise the potential for the £16k allocation to be used..

(During consideration of this item Councillor David Bush declared an interest in respect of the Council’s response to the Stratford-on-Avon Core Strategy Proposed Modifications.  He left the room during consideration of this issue and did not take part in the discussions or vote on this subject).