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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: the Council Chamber - Council Offices, Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services 

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Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

To receive any apologies for absence. The quorum for Cabinet is 3 members.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Apologies were received from Councillors Mike Evemy and Tony Dale.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Mike Evemy and Tony Dale.

 

2.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members and Officers, relating to items to be considered at the meeting.

Additional documents:

Decision:

There were no declarations of interest from Members.

 

The Leader made a statement in respect of Item 15: the Publica Review - Detailed Transition Plan. The following points were made:

 

·         The Publica Shareholder Councils had taken legal advice about whether officers employed by the Publica Group whose roles are in scope for the phase 1 transition to direct Council employment needed to declare an interest and/or leave the room.

·         Whilst officers do not have an “interest” in public-law decision making unlike the decision-makers (i.e. Councillors), there was a need to avoid the appearance of bias.

·         Therefore officers employed by the Publica Group who were in scope for the phase 1 transition, such as Democratic Services officers, would leave the room for the duration of the item.

·         Any officers employed by the Publica Group who were acting as Deputy Statutory Officers or otherwise advising members in relation to the Publica Transition item are able to stay in the room. This was because, in the view of the Council’s Monitoring Officer, the need for Members to receive answers to questions outweighed the risk of any appearance of bias.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest from Members.

 

The Leader made a statement in respect of Item 15: the Publica Review - Detailed Transition Plan. The following points were made:

 

  • The Publica Shareholder Councils had taken legal advice about whether officers employed by the Publica Group whose roles were in scope for the phase 1 transition to direct Council employment needed to declare an interest and/or leave the room.
  • Whilst officers do not have an “interest” in public-law decision making unlike the decision-makers (i.e. Councillors), there was a need to avoid the appearance of bias.
  • Therefore, officers employed by the Publica Group who were in scope for the phase 1 transition, such as Democratic Services officers, would leave the room for the duration of the item.
  • Any officers employed by the Publica Group who were acting as Deputy Statutory Officers or otherwise advising members in relation to the Publica Transition item were able to stay in the room. This was because, in the view of the Council’s Monitoring Officer, the need for Members to receive answers to questions outweighed the risk of any appearance of bias.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting of Cabinet on 9 May 2024.

Additional documents:

Decision:

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting on the 9 May 2024 were considered as part of the document pack.

 

There were no amendments proposed to the minutes.

 

The resolution to accept the minutes was proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and Councillor Claire Bloomer seconded

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet meeting held on 9 May 2024 be approved as a correct record.

 

Voting Record

 

6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 9 May 2024 were considered as part of the document pack.

 

There were no amendments proposed to the minutes.

 

The resolution to accept the minutes was proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and Councillor Claire Bloomer seconded.

 

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet meeting held on 9 May 2024 be approved as a correct record.

 

Voting Record

 

 6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

 

Recorded Vote
TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
Minutes of Cabinet on 9th May 2024 Resolution

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet meeting held on 9 May 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 4.

    Leader's Announcements

    To receive any announcements from the Leader of the Council.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Leader made one announcement regarding the General Election and congratulated candidates for their participation in the election.

     

     

     

     

    5.

    Public Questions

    To deal with questions from the public within the open forum question and answer session of fifteen minutes in total. Questions from each member of the public should be no longer than one minute each and relate to issues under the Cabinet’s remit. At any one meeting no person may submit more than two questions and no more than two such questions may be asked on behalf of one organisation.

     

    The Leader will ask whether any members of the public present at the meeting wish to ask a question and will decide on the order of questioners.

     

    The response may take the form of:

    a)       a direct oral answer;

    b)      where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or

    c)       where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    There were no public questions.

    6.

    Member Questions pdf icon PDF 319 KB

    No Member Questions have been submitted prior to the publication of the agenda.

     

    A Member of the Council may ask the Leader or a Cabinet Member a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Cotswold District. A maximum period of fifteen minutes shall be allowed at any such meeting for Member questions.

     

    A Member may only ask a question if:

    a)    the question has been delivered in writing or by electronic mail to the Chief Executive no later than 5.00 p.m. on the working day before the day of the meeting; or

    b)    the question relates to an urgent matter, they have the consent of the Leader to whom the question is to be put and the content of the question is given to the Chief Executive by 9.30 a.m. on the day of the meeting.

     

    An answer may take the form of:

    a)    a direct oral answer;

    b)    where the desired information is in a publication of the Council or other published work, a reference to that publication; or

    c)    where the reply cannot conveniently be given orally, a written answer circulated later to the questioner.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Leader noted the Member Question from Councillor Dilys Neill to the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Mike Evemy regarding a council asset in Stow-on-the-Wold. The Leader notified the meeting that he would reply to Councillor Neill with a written response to the question.

     

    The following written response was circulated to Councillor Dilys Neill by email:

     

    Cabinet took a decision to transfer or close one of the two sets of toilets in Stow on the Wold.  I have decided on advice from officers that we should maintain the facilities in the Maugersbury Road Car park and therefore transfer or close the toilets in the Market Square.

     

    No decision has been taken on what will happen with the building in the Market Square if a lease or freehold sale is not agreed with the Town Council.

     

    Officers are currently reviewing options and I will ensure they are aware of the requests you have made as we look at options.  A decision on the future use or investment in the building will come back to Cabinet. Any decision to sell the building would need to be made by Full Council.

    7.

    Issue(s) Arising from Overview and Scrutiny and/or Audit and Governance pdf icon PDF 229 KB

    To receive any recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee or to consider any matters raised by the Audit and Governance Committee.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of this item was to consider any recommendations arising from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and any issues arising from the Audit and Governance Committee.

     

    The Leader asked the Senior Democratic Services Officer as clerk to read the recommendations proposed to Cabinet as set out in the supplementary papers.

     

    Cabinet discussed the proposed responses to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

     

    The Cabinet responses were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet APPROVE the responses to the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    There were no issues arising from the Audit and Governance Committee.

    Minutes:

    The purpose of this item was to consider any recommendations arising from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and any issues arising from the Audit and Governance Committee.

     

    The Leader asked the Senior Democratic Services Officer to read the recommendations proposed to Cabinet as set out in the supplementary papers.

     

    The first recommendation considered was regarding the Channel Choice and Telephone Access Item:

     

    1. That the Cabinet ensures services are accessible to everyone, including those

    who cannot access services via digital channels and ensure the route for

    support is publicised.

     

    The Leader stated that Cabinet would accept this recommendation as it wished to ensure that the Council did not discriminate against those residents who could not access online channels. The Business Manager for Customer Experience also reaffirmed that face-to-face channels remained open from 9am to 5pm, and that the expansion of digital channels would help staff prioritise vulnerable customers via the telephone services.

     

    The Senior Democratic Services Officer then read out the recommendations regarding the Publica Review:

     

    1. That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee receives a report reviewing the implementation of Phase 1 before proposals for Phase 2 are brought

    forward for decision.

    1. That Cabinet provide more clarity on what success looks like, sounds like and feels like and what key actions will deliver the Council’s objectives (service quality, greater control and cost reductions).

     

     The Leader confirmed that the Cabinet would accept these recommendations.

     

    The Senior Democratic Services Officer then read out the recommendations regarding the ecological emergency item considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 7 May 2024:

     

    1. That Cabinet considers the necessity to increase resourcing for ecology, given our goal (green to the core), declared climate and ecological crisis and increased legal monitoring obligations.

     

    The Leader confirmed that this would be accepted and that the Council was actively considering the need for increasing resources across Planning and Sustainability teams in order to meet obligations. It was also noted that the Publica Transition would form a key part of ensuring these goals were part of the future structure of the Council and budgets.

     

    The Cabinet responses were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet APPROVE the responses to the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    There were no issues arising from the Audit and Governance Committee.

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Cabinet responses to recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Resolution

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet APPROVE the responses to the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

     

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 8.

    Channel Choice and Telephone Access Update pdf icon PDF 105 KB

    Purpose

    The purpose of this report, in light of a continuous decline in customer demand, is to propose that the trial becomes a permanent arrangement following the data gathered. The trial of reduced telephone access hours from 9am – 2pm, to the public has proved the concept and our customers are continuing to shift to digital channels.

     

    Recommendation

    That Cabinet resolves to:

    1.    Agree to adopt the reduced telephone access arrangements on a permanent basis.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report, in light of a continuous decline in customer demand, was to propose that the trial of reduced telephone access hours becomes a permanent arrangement following the data gathered.

     

    The Leader introduced this item on behalf of Councillor Dale who had provided apologies.

     

    The report and its recommendations were outlined to the Committee.

     

    Councillor Joe Harris proposed the recommendations and Councillor Mike McKeown seconded the recommendations.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1. AGREED to adopt the reduced telephone access arrangements on a permanent

    basis.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions, 2 Absent/Did not vote

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report, in light of a continuous decline in customer demand, was to propose that the trial of reduced telephone access hours becomes a permanent arrangement following the data gathered.

     

    The Leader introduced this item on behalf of Councillor Dale who had provided apologies. The following points were discussed:

     

    • The trial of reducing telephone access hours to 9am to 2pm had proven to be successful and therefore the recommendation was that these be made permanent.
    • This change would continue to deliver good services whilst also reducing the cost to the Council in light of the financial pressures the Council faces. The adjustment to hours also comes as a result of a decline in demand for telephone access hours.
    • There was a significant switch for key services such as paying for Green Waste Licences and paying Council Tax bills with a 350% increase in the use of digital channels.
    • The trial also showed a reduction in waiting times and call abandonment rates with a continued high performance in customer satisfaction ratings.
    • It was reaffirmed that no access channels would be taken away completely as a result of the decision.
    • There was a significant financial saving of £125,000 per annum for the Council.

     

    Councillor McKeown seconded and noted the transition to online services which was happening across other sectors and this would represent a better use of public money.

     

    Cabinet noted that out-of-hours access services would remain open for those critical services that required them.

     

    Councillor Joe Harris proposed the recommendations and Councillor Mike McKeown seconded the recommendations.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1. AGREED to adopt the reduced telephone access arrangements on a permanent

    basis.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions, 2 Absent/Did not vote

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Channel Choice and Telephone Access Update Resolution

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1. AGREED to adopt the reduced telephone access arrangements on a permanent

    basis.

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 9.

    Continuation of Crowdfund Cotswold pdf icon PDF 97 KB

    Purpose

    To determine whether to continue with the Council’s Crowdfunding approach, Crowdfund Cotswold.

     

    Recommendations

    That Cabinet resolves to:

    1.    Agree to continue with Crowdfund Cotswold, and let a three-year contract with Spacehive;

    2.    Agree to make provision for a Community Grant pot in the Budget, at £60,000 per annum.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report was to determine whether to continue with the Council’s Crowdfunding approach, Crowdfund Cotswold.

     

    The Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Safety Councillor Spivey outlined the report to Members.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Lisa Spivey and seconded by Councillor Joe Harris.

     

    That Cabinet:

    1. AGREED to continue with Crowdfund Cotswold, and let a three-year contract with Spacehive;

    2. AGREED to make provision for a Community Grant pot in the Budget, at £60,000

    per annum.

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to determine whether to continue with the Council’s crowdfunding approach, Crowdfund Cotswold.

     

    The Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Safety, Councillor Spivey, outlined the report to Members and made the following points:

     

    • This was the Council’s main platform for communities to raise money.
    • Previously Councillors were allocated funds to distribute amongst communities which wasn’t seen as an equitable way to distribute funds.
    • Community engagement when raising the funds was important to ensure that communities had a say in which projects they wanted to support.
    • There was a cost in running the SpaceHive platform but this provided the website, the platform and the SpaceHive team in providing support for proposers of projects.
    • The Council had raised over £1 million for projects in the District from individuals with only a small use of Council funds which provided a strong evidence base.
    • The Council had won a Local Government Chronicle award because of the scheme and West Oxfordshire District Council and Stroud District Council had followed this example with their own schemes.

     

    Councillor Joe Harris in seconding noted that the scheme put communities at the forefront of these decisions and democratised the process. It was also noted that the individual donations varied in size but all contributed to supporting projects.

     

    Cabinet thanked former Councillor and Cabinet Member Jenny Forde and the Communities Team for their work in developing the initial scheme.

     

    It was noted that many of the schemes also supported the Council’s corporate priorities.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Lisa Spivey and seconded by Councillor Joe Harris.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

    1. AGREED to continue with Crowdfund Cotswold, and let a three-year contract with SpaceHive;

    2. AGREED to make provision for a Community Grant pot in the Budget, at £60,000

    per annum.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstentions, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Continuation of Crowdfund Cotswold Resolution

    That Cabinet resolves to:

     

    1.    Agree to continue with Crowdfund Cotswold, and let a three-year contract with Spacehive;

     

    2.    Agree to make provision for a Community Grant pot in the Budget, at £60,000 per annum

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 10.

    Service Performance Report 2023-24 Quarter Four pdf icon PDF 126 KB

    Purpose

    To provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance

     

    Recommendation

    That Cabinet resolves to:   

    1.    Note overall progress on the Council priorities and service performance for 2023-24 Q4.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report was to provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance for 2023/24 Quarter 4.

     

    The Leader asked the Chief Executive to outline the reports contents.

     

    Cabinet discussed the contents of the report.

     

    RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to provide an update on progress on the Council’s priorities and service performance for 2023/24 Quarter 4.

     

    The Leader asked the Chief Executive to outline the reports contents. The following points were made:

     

    • On Climate Emergency, EV Charging points had been installed at Trinity Road and charging points in other car parks would be considered as part of Item 13 - On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme - Sites Decision. South West Net Zero Grant funding had also been achieved to look a retrofitting ambitions to the next level.
    • The Strategic Housing Manager Alan Hope had been appointed to look at delivering affordable housing for the District.
    • It was reminded that reports now came with a current status update which enabled Cabinet to see progress on off-target indicators.
    • The following points were made on service performance indicators:

    -       Planning indicators were above target for the quarter which was welcomed.

    -       Gym memberships were higher than expected but visits were slightly down compared to same time in the previous year.

    -       Missed bins were lower than expected despite the changes from the round reorganisation, and the Chief Executive encouraged residents to report any missed bins online.

    -       Percentage of Council Tax collected had fallen below 99% and that Council Tax Support processing for new claims was taking a day longer than expected (21 days against a target of 20). Housing Benefit change of circumstances was also taking a day longer (5 days against a target of 4).

    -       Affordable Housing delivery was down against target due to utility collections delays.

    • The benchmarking data had been broadened so that it looked at comparisons against other local councils as opposed to only looking to Publica partner councils.

     

    Cabinet asked about customer dissatisfaction around email responses to residents. The Senior Performance Analyst noted that this was regarding individual service response times rather that response times from customer services specifically.

     

     

    RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

    11.

    2023-24 Final Revenue and Capital Outturn Report pdf icon PDF 554 KB

    Purpose

    This report sets of the outturn position for the 2023/24 financial year.

     

    Recommendations

    That Cabinet resolves to:

    1.    Review and note the outturn financial position set out in this report;

    2.    Approve the carry forward of unspent capital budget included in table 5 of £1.114m into the 2023/24 Capital Programme;

    3.    Approve the transfers to and from reserves, as set out in Paragraphs 4.28 to 4.30 and Annex C;

    4.    Note the changes to provisions as set out in paragraphs 4.33 and 4.34;

    5.    Approve the closing balance on the Financial Resilience Reserve and the commitment to fund the Council’s share of the estimated redundancy costs associated with Phase 1 of the transfer of services from Publica to the Council (up to £0.300m).

     

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report was to set out the Council’s financial outturn position for the 2023/24 financial year.

     

    The Leader asked to the Chief Accountant and Deputy S.151 officer to introduce the report in the absence of the Chief Executive.

     

    The Leader informed Cabinet of a revised recommendation wording for recommendation 2. The following revised wording was proposed:

     

    Approve the carry forward of unspent capital budget included in Annex A and paragraph 6.21 of £1.513m into the 2024/25 Capital Programme.

     

    The recommendations as amended were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1. NOTED the outturn financial position set out in this report;

    2. APPROVED the carry forward of unspent capital budget included in Annex A and paragraph 6.21 of £1.513m into the 2024/25 Capital Programme;

    3. APPROVED the transfers to and from reserves, as set out in Paragraphs 4.28 to 4.30

    and Annex C;

    4. NOTED the changes to provisions as set out in paragraphs 4.33 and 4.34;

    5. APPROVED the closing balance on the Financial Resilience Reserve and the

    commitment to fund the Council’s share of the estimated redundancy costs

    associated with Phase 1 of the transfer of services from Publica to the Council

    (up to £0.300m).

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to set out the Council’s financial outturn position for the 2023/24 financial year.

     

    The Leader asked to the Chief Accountant and Deputy S.151 officer to introduce the report in the absence of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Evemy. The following points were made:

     

    • This was the final report of the year and was tied in to the Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy approved by members.
    • The Council had planned to use £861,000 of its financial resilience reserves at its budget, but only £610,000 had been used which was a welcomed improvement.
    • The improved position of Treasury Management Income supported this underspend of reserves from higher cash balances through higher interest rates with a £966,000 positive variance budget.
    • There was an underspend in respect of ICT licences and cybersecurity costs.
    • There was a saving on the capital programme as there was no additional external borrowing to fund the programme. There was also a slippage in the capital programme of £1.5 million which would be carried forward.
    • There was an overspend of £113,000 on Elections and there would be an examination of those budgets to see where the variances had occurred.
    • There was an increase of £56,000 in bad debt provision and £100,000 provision for legal services in case of challenge to the Local Plan Housing Requirement.
    • There was a review of the reserves to ensure different areas were supported appropriately.
    • The Council’s financial resilience reserve was £2.499 million and the report recommended a commitment to fund redundancy costs from this reserve through the Publica Review up to £300,000.

     

    Cabinet asked about the Treasury Management Income and interest rates. The Chief Accountant noted that there were lower projections for income as higher interest rates could not be relied upon. There would also be a transfer of £150,000 into the Treasury Management Reserve.

     

    Cabinet also asked about the Elections overspend and how this would be managed. It was noted that this was due to the District elections from the 2023/24 financial year and likely to be from increased postage and staff costs. It was confirmed that a thorough examination of the budget was required to see where this overspend came from.

     

    The Leader informed Cabinet of a revised recommendation wording for recommendation 2. The following revised wording was proposed:

     

    Approve the carry forward of unspent capital budget included in Annex A and paragraph 6.21 of £1.513m into the 2024/25 Capital Programme.

     

    The recommendations as amended were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1. NOTED the outturn financial position set out in this report;

    2. APPROVED the carry forward of unspent capital budget included in Annex A and paragraph 6.21 of £1.513m into the 2024/25 Capital Programme;

    3. APPROVED the transfers to and from reserves, as set out in Paragraphs 4.28 to 4.30 and Annex C;

    4. NOTED the changes to provisions as set out in paragraphs 4.33 and 4.34;

    5. APPROVED the closing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    2023-24 Final Revenue and Capital Outturn Report Resolution

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

     

    1. NOTED the outturn financial position set out in this report;

     

    2. APPROVED the carry forward of unspent capital budget included in Annex A and paragraph 6.21 of £1.513m into the 2024/25 Capital Programme;

     

    3. APPROVED the transfers to and from reserves, as set out in Paragraphs 4.28 to 4.30

     

    and Annex C;

     

    4. NOTED the changes to provisions as set out in paragraphs 4.33 and 4.34;

     

    5. APPROVED the closing balance on the Financial Resilience Reserve and the

     

    commitment to fund the Council’s share of the estimated redundancy costs

     

    associated with Phase 1 of the transfer of services from Publica to the Council

     

    (up to £0.300m).

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 12.

    Discretionary Rate Relief in excess of £10,000 pdf icon PDF 66 KB

    Purpose

    To consider an application for discretionary rate relief for the 2023/2024 Business Rates liability in respect of SLM Community Leisure Trust which is in excess of £10,000.

     

    Recommendation

    That Cabinet resolves to:

    1.    Approve the Discretionary Rate Relief application in respect of Cirencester Leisure Centre.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report was to consider an application for discretionary rate relief for the 2023/2024 Business Rates liability in respect of SLM Community Leisure Trust which is in excess of £10,000.

     

    The Leader asked the report author, the Business Manager - Environmental, Welfare & Revenue Service in the absence of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance Councillor Evemy to introduce the report. 

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

     

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to consider an application for discretionary rate relief for the 2023/2024 Business Rates liability in respect of SLM Community Leisure Trust in excess of £10,000.

     

    The Leader asked the report author, the Business Manager - Environmental, Welfare & Revenue Service, in the absence of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance Councillor Evemy, to introduce the report. 

     

    The following points were made:

     

    • The applicant was the previous leisure services provider for the Council.
    • Cabinet had previously agreed that it needed to approve as a collective any Discretionary Relief in excess of £10,000 which would otherwise be delegated to the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance.
    • The financial period in question was a 4 month period for April 2023 until July 2023 where the total premise charge was £56,323. SLM received the 80% mandatory relief of £45,056 as a charity.
    • The balance remaining was for £11,264 which was split between the UK Government picking up 50% of the cost and Gloucestershire County Council picking up 10% of the cost. The total charge to the Council would therefore be £4,505.60.

     

    Cabinet asked to clarify that this was money the Council wouldn’t receive rather than giving out to the applicant. This was confirmed as correct by the Business Manager - Environmental, Welfare & Revenue Service.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

     

    1. APPROVED the Discretionary Rate Relief application in respect of

    Cirencester Leisure Centre.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Discretionary Rate Relief in excess of £10,000 Resolution

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

     

    1.    APPROVED the Discretionary Rate Relief application in respect of

    Cirencester Leisure Centre.

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 13.

    On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme - Sites Decision pdf icon PDF 199 KB

    Purpose

    To consider the business case for each site and consider the benefit of investing in Electric Vehicle Charge Point’s (EVCP).

     

    Recommendations

    That Cabinet resolves to:

    1.    Agree to allocate £180,000 from the approved capital budget of £383,200 to deliver 24 EVCP charging bays across four district car parks, or,

    2.    Agree to allocate £225,000 from the approved capital budget of £383,200 to deliver 30 EVCP charging bays across five district car parks, to include West Street, Tetbury and,

    3.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance allocate any additional funding from the capital budget subject to business case and the ORCS grant conditions for the above sites, up to a maximum of £7500 per charging point.

    4.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to allocate funding and proceed with EVCPs at the Brewery car park, subject to ORCs approval for a change in site and allocation of grant funding, a viable business case and appropriate due diligence being carried out to ensure site can be delivered and comply with grant conditions.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The Leader asked the Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainability Councillor McKeown to introduce the report and recommendations.

     

    Cabinet confirmed that it would be considering recommendations 2, 3 and 4 of the report.

     

    Councillor Ind as an observer member was invited to comment.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Mike McKeown and seconded by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1.    AGREED to allocate £225,000 from the approved capital budget of £383,200 to deliver 30 EVCP charging bays across five district car parks, to include West Street, Tetbury and,

    2.    DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance allocate any additional funding from the capital budget subject to business case and the ORCS grant conditions for the above sites, up to a maximum of £7500 per charging point.

    3.    DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to allocate funding and proceed with EVCPs at the Brewery car park, subject to ORCs approval for a change in site and allocation of grant funding, a viable business case and appropriate due diligence being carried out to ensure site can be delivered and comply with grant conditions.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Minutes:

    The Leader asked the Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainability Councillor McKeown to introduce the report and recommendations. The following points were made:

     

    • The scheme was crucial to the Council’s corporate ambitions to help address climate change through actions taken in the Cotswolds.
    • Transport was the largest source of emissions within the District and it was important that these emissions were reduced. Electric vehicle adoption was therefore a key part of helping to meet this aim.
    • The grant scheme was designed to support residents who did not have off-street parking and were not able to charge their vehicle at home and to support the increase to the number of EVs through tourism.
    • There had been challenges to the rollout due to the limitations within the grant criteria and the timescales for chargers to be operational by March 2025 that were imposed through the scheme.
    • Scheduled Monument sites also featured within the car parks owned by the Council which required national approvals which would be challenging within the scheme.
    • Also connecting chargers to the grid had proved to be much slower than hoped for due to capacity restrictions.
    • Councillor McKeown thanked the officers involved for their hard work in helping to deliver the scheme.
    • Delegations would be given to examine four further sites in Cirencester and Tetbury subject to meeting the requirements of the grant scheme.
    • Tetbury was noted as a key priority for completion and the lack of public EV charging needed to be addressed beyond business case considerations in this area.
    • The Cabinet Member had also written to the new ministers within the Department for Transport and Department for Energy and Net-Zero to highlight the issues faced utilising the scheme for all councils and to suggest measures to speed up EV installation.

     

    Councillor Joe Harris seconded and made the following points:

     

    • There was real frustration with the installation of electric vehicle charging at the Council Offices and other sites due to a range of factors from Government policy restrictions to false starts with suppliers.
    • It was also noted that this was a real challenge in terms of delivery but that officers were committed to delivering the scheme.
    • There was now a good level of charging facilities in Cirencester and Moreton but there was more work to do locally and nationally.

     

    The Leader confirmed that Cabinet would be considering recommendations 2, 3 and 4 of the report and disregarding the option in recommendation 1. 

     

    Councillor Ind as an observer member was invited to comment. The following points were made:

     

    • The challenge with Tetbury was that many of the car parks were not owned by the Council.
    • The Old Railway car park was on a long lease to CDC and there would be a query as to why that wasn’t included. It was noted that this could be another opportunity for the Council. The Leader responded that officers were looking at all sites but the proposals were currently the most deliverable.

     

    Cabinet noted the need for the UK Government to work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme - Sites Decision Resolution

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1.    AGREED to allocate £225,000 from the approved capital budget of £383,200 to deliver 30 EVCP charging bays across five district car parks, to include West Street, Tetbury and,

    2.    DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance allocate any additional funding from the capital budget subject to business case and the ORCS grant conditions for the above sites, up to a maximum of £7500 per charging point.

    3.    DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to allocate funding and proceed with EVCPs at the Brewery car park, subject to ORCs approval for a change in site and allocation of grant funding, a viable business case and appropriate due diligence being carried out to ensure site can be delivered and comply with grant conditions.

     

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 14.

    Approval to award the contract for cleaning and maintenance of public toilets pdf icon PDF 80 KB

    Purpose

    To agree the contract award for cleaning and maintenance of public conveniences.

     

    Recommendations

    That Cabinet resolves to:

    1.    Approve the recommendation by officers to award the contract for the cleaning and maintenance of public convenience to the preferred contractor as outlined in the Exempt Annex B.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report was to agree the contract award for cleaning and maintenance of public conveniences.

     

    The Leader introduced the report in the absence of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.

     

    That Cabinet:

    1.    APPROVED the recommendation by officers to award the contract for the cleaning and maintenance of public convenience to the preferred contractor as outlined in the Exempt Annex B.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to agree the contract award for cleaning and maintenance of public conveniences.

     

    The Leader introduced the report in the absence of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance. The following points were made:

     

    • The contract for cleaning and maintenance was vital to maintain hygiene standards with the Council’s 15 public toilet sites across the District.
    • The contract with Danfo Ltd was expiring on 30 September 2024 and a replacement contract needed to be agreed before then.
    • A comprehensive procurement process through an open tender method which assessed quality of service and cost resulted in the recommendation for Danfo Ltd as the service provider for 4 years from 1 October 2024.
    • The new contract would be assisted by economies of scale through the partnership with West Oxfordshire District Council.
    • The contract would provide a good service for residents and stability for delivery of high cleaning standards.
    • The contract value was more compared to the budgeted amount which would need to be adjusted through the revenue budget, through reviewing fees and charges or service standard reductions.

     

    Councillor Spivey seconded and noted the good service provided Danfo Ltd in the previous years which the Council wished to maintain for residents and visitors to the District.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1. APPROVED the recommendation by officers to award the contract for the cleaning and maintenance of public convenience to the preferred contractor as outlined in the Exempt Annex B.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Approval to award the contract for cleaning and maintenance of public toilets Resolution

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet

    1.    APPROVED the recommendation by officers to award the contract for the cleaning and maintenance of public convenience to the preferred contractor as outlined in the Exempt Annex B.

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 15.

    Publica Review - Detailed Transition Plan pdf icon PDF 295 KB

    Purpose

    To consider the Detailed Transition Plan, to note its content and to approve the recommendations therein.

     

    Recommendations

    That Cabinet resolves to recommend to Full Council to:

    1.    Approve the implementation of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition based on the Detailed Transition Plan and the phasing for the transition.

    2.    Delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the decision to deal with any final detail matters arising from the Detailed Transition Plan.

    3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Governance and Development (Monitoring Officer), in liaison with the Leader, to update the constitution by making any consequential changes required as a result of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition.

    4.    Carry out a budget re-basing for the 2026/7 financial year so that the funding provided to Publica is proportionate to the services received.

    5.    Note that following the decision on Phase 1, preparatory work for Phase 2 will commence and will be the subject of a separate report

    6.    Note the following as included in the Detailed Transition Plan;

    Section 2: Transition Planning:

    ·         Note the Design-Led principles

    ·         Note the Key Goals for Transition

    Section 7: Modelling Assumptions and Outputs:

    ·          Note the cost modelling for Phase 1.

    Section 9:  Post-Transition Support:

    ·         Note the need for post-transition support.

     

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The purpose of the report was to consider the Detailed Transition Plan, to note its content and to approve the recommendations therein.

     

    Before Cabinet considered this item, officers affected by the Phase 1 Transition left the room.

     

    The Leader introduced the report to Members and outlined the recommendations to Members.

     

    The Chief Executive also addressed Cabinet around the contents of the report. 

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.

     

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet recommended to Full Council to:

     

    1.    APPROVE the implementation of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition based on the Detailed Transition Plan and the phasing for the transition.

     

    2.   DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the decision to deal with any final detail matters arising from the Detailed Transition Plan.

     

    3.    DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Director of Governance and Development (Monitoring Officer), in liaison with the Leader, to update the constitution by making any consequential changes required as a result of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition.

     

    4.    AGREED to carry out a budget re-basing for the 2026/7 financial year so that the funding provided to Publica is proportionate to the services received.

     

    5.    NOTED that following the decision on Phase 1, preparatory work for Phase 2 will commence and will be the subject of a separate report

     

    6.    NOTED the following as included in the Detailed Transition Plan;

     

    Section 2: Transition Planning:

     

    ·         Note the Design-Led principles

     

    ·         Note the Key Goals for Transition

     

    Section 7: Modelling Assumptions and Outputs:

     

    ·          Note the cost modelling for Phase 1.

     

    Section 9:  Post-Transition Support:

     

    ·         Note the need for post-transition support.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to consider the Detailed Transition Plan, to note its content and to approve the recommendations therein.

     

    Before Cabinet considered this item, officers affected by the Phase 1 Transition left the room.

     

    The Leader introduced the report to Members, noting that this would be discussed at Full Council. The following points were made:

     

    • The Council had set the direction to take back ownership of staffing from the Teckal company Publica Group Ltd which had managed staffing in the past four years.
    • Publica Group had been set up in 2017 by Cheltenham Borough Council, Cotswold District Council, Forest of Dean District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council and aimed to create economies of scale through the sharing of resources and staffing.
    • Whilst the financial savings had largely been achieved, the change of administrations within the councils had create a separation of corporate priorities.
    • The Shareholder Councils had therefore taken the decision to move forward by bringing back staffing in-house to employee staff directly on better terms and provide the councils with greater autonomy to change the staffing base.
    • The staff of the Council were the biggest asset to the Council and it was important to engage staff in the process.
    • This was an opportunity to reset the values of the Council as an organisation.
    • There was a need to avoid a two-tier staff base and the Council would need to consider the future of Publica as a company to provide services.
    • There was a recognition of the higher short-term cost but this was about the future of the Council’s services over the long-term. 

     

    The Chief Executive also addressed Cabinet around the contents of the report. The following points were made:

     

    • The Chief Executive’s desire was to derisk the program by working alongside colleagues in the Transition Programme Office, Finance colleagues and ICT colleagues to map out the challenges faced.
    • There will be detailed TUPE discussions which staff before the transition.
    • The cost would be approximately £330,000 which was largely due to the Local Government Pension Scheme which should help staff recruitment and retention.
    • Staff engagement sessions had taken place to ensure staff were fully informed and consulted through briefings and email questions. The most recent briefing session across the Publica councils was attended by over 400 staff.
    • It had not been possible to move all services at the same time hence the need for phasing of staff. The go-live date for Phase 1 was 1November 2024.

     

    The Leader thanked senior management in the Council working on the project for their hard work and reaffirmed that it was important this process was done correctly.

     

    There were no questions or comments from other Cabinet Members.

     

    The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Joe Harris and seconded by Councillor Lisa Spivey.

     

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet recommended to Full Council to:

     

    1.    APPROVE the implementation of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition based on the Detailed Transition Plan and the phasing for the transition.

     

    2.   DELEGATED AUTHORITY to the Chief Executive,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Publica Review - Detailed Transition Plan Resolution

    That Cabinet resolves recommended to Full Council to:

     

    1.    Approve the implementation of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition based on the Detailed Transition Plan and the phasing for the transition.

     

    2.    Delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the decision to deal with any final detail matters arising from the Detailed Transition Plan.

     

    3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Governance and Development (Monitoring Officer), in liaison with the Leader, to update the constitution by making any consequential changes required as a result of Phase 1 of the Publica Transition.

     

    4.    Carry out a budget re-basing for the 2026/7 financial year so that the funding provided to Publica is proportionate to the services received.

     

    5.    Note that following the decision on Phase 1, preparatory work for Phase 2 will commence and will be the subject of a separate report

     

    6.    Note the following as included in the Detailed Transition Plan;

     

    Section 2: Transition Planning:

     

    ·         Note the Design-Led principles

     

    ·         Note the Key Goals for Transition

     

    Section 7: Modelling Assumptions and Outputs:

     

    ·          Note the cost modelling for Phase 1.

     

    Section 9:  Post-Transition Support:

     

    ·         Note the need for post-transition support.

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 16.

    Schedule of Decisions taken by the Leader of the Council and/or Individual Cabinet Members pdf icon PDF 56 KB

    To note the decisions taken by the Leader and/or Individual Cabinet Members.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    Cabinet NOTED the Schedule of Decisions taken.

    Minutes:

    The purpose of this item was for Cabinet to note a decision taken by an individual Cabinet Member.

     

    RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the Decision taken.

    17.

    Matters exempt from publication

    If Cabinet wishes to exclude the press and the public from the meeting during consideration of any of the items on the exempt from publication part of the agenda, it will be necessary for Cabinet to pass a resolution in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in specific paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

     

    Cabinet may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

     

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    Before considering the exempt report at Agenda Item 18, the Leader proposed the following motion

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet exclude the public and press from the meeting in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

     

    Cabinet may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

     

    The motion to enter private session was seconded by Councillor Mike McKeown.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Minutes:

    Before considering the exempt report at Agenda Item 18, the Leader proposed the following motion:

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet exclude the public and press from the meeting in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

     

    Cabinet may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

     

    The motion to enter private session was seconded by Councillor Mike McKeown, put to the vote and passed by Cabinet.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    For Cabinet to enter into private session Motion

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet exclude the public and press from the meeting in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 on the grounds that their presence could involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

     

     

     

    Cabinet may maintain the exemption if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 18.

    Decision on future regeneration of The Old Station and Memorial Cottages, Cirencester

    Purpose

    To consider the Asset Plans for these buildings produced as part of the Council's Asset Management Strategy and consider disposal of these buildings in line with those Asset Plans.

     

    Recommendations

    That Cabinet recommend to Council to:

    1.    Agree to dispose of the Old Station and Old Memorial Cottages as two separate assets, in line with the Asset Management Strategy adopted at Cabinet in May 2024 and the Asset Plans appended to this report.

    2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to approve the final terms of the sale including sale price.

    Decision:

    To consider the Asset Plans for these buildings produced as part of the Council's Asset Management Strategy and consider disposal of these buildings in line with those Asset Plans.

     

    Cabinet then considered the report in confidential session.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet recommend to Council to:

     

    1.    AGREE to dispose of the Old Station and Old Memorial Cottages as two separate assets, in line with the Asset Management Strategy adopted at Cabinet in May 2024 and the Asset Plans appended to this report.

     

    2.    DELEGATE AUTHORITY to the Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to approve the final terms of the sale including sale price.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

     

    Minutes:

    The purpose of the report was to consider the Asset Plans for these buildings produced as part of the Council's Asset Management Strategy and consider disposal of these buildings in line with those Asset Plans.

     

    Cabinet then considered the report in private session.

     

    RESOLVED: That Cabinet recommend to Council to:

     

    1. AGREE to dispose of the Old Station and Old Memorial Cottages as two separate assets, in line with the Asset Management Strategy adopted at Cabinet in May 2024 and the Asset Plans appended to this report.

     

    1. DELEGATE AUTHORITY to the Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to approve the final terms of the sale including sale price.

     

    Voting Record

     

    6 For, 0 Against, 0 Abstention, 2 Absent/Did not vote

    Recorded Vote
    TitleTypeRecorded Vote textResult
    Decision on future regeneration of The Old Station and Memorial Cottages, Cirencester Resolution

    That Cabinet recommended to Council to:

     

    1.    AGREE to dispose of the Old Station and Old Memorial Cottages as two separate assets, in line with the Asset Management Strategy adopted at Cabinet in May 2024 and the Asset Plans appended to this report.

     

    2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer, in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance to approve the final terms of the sale including sale price.

    Carried
  • View Recorded Vote for this item
  • 19.

    Exempt Annex for Agenda Item 12 - Discretionary Rate Relief in excess of £10,000

    Decision:

    Cabinet did not consider the exempt annex.

    Minutes:

    Cabinet did not consider the exempt annex.

    20.

    Exempt Annex for Agenda Item 13 - On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme Sites Decision

    Decision:

    Cabinet did not consider the exempt annex.

     

    Minutes:

    Cabinet did not consider the exempt annex.

     

    21.

    Exempt Annex for Agenda Item 14 - Public Conveniences Contract

    Decision:

    Cabinet did not consider the exempt annex.

    Minutes:

    Cabinet did not consider the exempt annex.