Agenda item

a)        The Mayor

The Mayor advised that he had participated in a number of civic events and activities in recent months which included the following:

·                Hosting a civic celebration which had been attended by over 100 people and which followed a diversity walk in the town.

·                A visit to Gruchet-le-Valasse in September, where all participants had been made to feel very welcome.

·                The annual Scarecrow Day at Forge Mill Needle Museum in August.

·                The Redditch Bandstand Event which had been well attended.

·                Attending a barbecue at the Polish Club.

·                An event at the Abbey Hotel for the 216 Redditch Air Cadets Squadron.

b)        The Leader

The Leader reiterated the Mayor’s comments in respect of a number of local community events which they had both attended.  In addition praise was extended to all Paralympians who had performed really well in Rio, including Claire Cashmore, a Paralympian swimmer from Redditch who had won a gold medal.  An event would take place at County Hall to mark the achievements of all Worcestershire Paralympians. The Leader had also attended an event at the local Gudwara and an invitation had been extended for all Members to attend Diwali celebrations at Ridgeway Academy on 30th October.

During the meeting reference was made to the following matters which Councillor Hartnett was involved with in his capacity as Leader of the Council:

·                Campaign work to improve rail services for Redditch, in respect of both the fares and timetable.  The option for an express train from Redditch to Birmingham would be considered as part of this process.

·                The arrival of a fifth Syrian family in Redditch who had been welcomed.

·                The receipt of a letter from the Mayor of Orlando, in the United States of America, thanking the Council for their condolences following the shootings in a nightclub in June 2016.

·                Meetings with representatives of Worcestershire County Council to discuss safety measures for Muskets Way Bridge.

·                Discussions with the MP and Worcestershire County Council about future funding for the Redditch Bike Race.  There was the possibility that some County Councillors would contribute funding from divisional funds, though additional finances would need to be sourced, including from the business sector.

More detailed information was provided in respect of a number of matters.  This included further information about the Redditch Health Commission which the Leader advised was in the process of being organised.  Representatives from the Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust had been invited to attend a public meeting to outline their proposals for the future of acute services and their consultation process. Subsequent meetings would provide an opportunity for the public to contribute to proceedings.  The dates of these meetings had not yet been confirmed, though would take place in late November at the earliest.  Responses had been received in writing from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.  The written correspondence from UHB had highlighted the option for joint scrutiny of the proposals about acute hospital services, which could be undertaken by the Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny (HOSC) with representatives of Birmingham HOSC and Herefordshire HOSC.  The Leader advised that he would be supportive of this proposal.

Prior to the Health Commission meetings the Leader would be participating as Co-Chair in a public consultation event about local health services which had been organised by Karen Lumley MP.  This meeting, due to take place at the Town Hall on the evening of 28th September, had originally focused on changes to Paediatric Services in Worcestershire, though had since been extended to focus on a range of matters involving the Alexandra Hospital.  The meeting would also be open to public attendance.

During consideration of the Leader’s Announcements Members paid tribute to Mrs Ida Parkinson, the first Macmillan nurse in Worcestershire, who had sadly passed away. Mrs Parkinson had received the Douglas Macmillan award in 2011 in recognition for her lifetime achievements and she had been instrumental in helping to establish the Primrose Hospice.  Members agreed that a letter should be sent by the Leader and Mayor on behalf of the Council to Mrs Parkinson expressing Members’ condolences.  As a further mark of respect Members observed a moment’s silence in memory of Mrs Parkinson.