To receive a presentation on the ‘State of the Borough’ from the Leader of the Council for the Council year 2018/19.  

12.1           The Mayor invited the Leader of the Council for the 2018/19 Council year, Councillor R A Bird, to present his ‘State of the Borough’ report.

12.2           The presentation covered the following key points:  

·        Introduction – the State of the Borough presentation provided an annual synopsis of the Council’s achievements in the last year and a way forward for the forthcoming year. Currently the Council was at the end of the third year of the 2016-2020 Council Plan, as such, work would commence on the new Council Plan towards the end of this year. The overarching achievement was the fact that the Council Tax remained one of the lowest in the country; it seemed that the Council was an expert at doing more with less and had been successful in reinventing itself to be more flexible and innovative in how it approached its finances.

·        Year Three Achievements: Finance and Resources – the Council had a property portfolio of £39.5 million which generated an annual gross income of £2.4 million. In addition, the Council Offices building had been revamped and its nature changed to ensure it was possible to gain income from the lettable spaces and that had achieved income of £270,000 per year and was a boost to the Council’s finances. Mace Group Ltd, which was a company that specialised in redevelopment, had been appointed to explore the options for Tewkesbury Town Centre; a new commercialisation strategy had been approved which would explore new income generation initiatives and efficiency savings and a new car pool pilot had been launched which would reduce mileage and emissions, remove unnecessary journeys and combine trips to save time, money and the environment.

·        Year Three Achievements: Promoting and Supporting Economic Growth – the new Growth Hub was now operational – with Tewkesbury Borough being the first Council in the country to incorporate a Growth Hub within its main Council building – the Growth Hub sought to offer an open invitation to businesses to come and make use of the facilities and the support it could provide. In addition, 30 projects had been approved under the ‘LEADER’ Project Scheme which had a total value of over £755,000 across Tewkesbury Borough and the Forest of Dean District; the concept masterplan for Junction 9 of the M5 had been approved for consultation; an all-ways Junction 10 business case had been submitted to the government – this was seen as being exceptionally important for driving the economic growth of the Borough; and the Tewkesbury Town Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) had been consulted upon and was to be considered by the Council.

·        Year Three Achievements: Growing and Supporting Communities – it was felt the Council was good at influencing government to help it develop its area for the benefit of local residents and this was demonstrated by the achievement of Garden Town status being one of only five locations to receive that award. The preferred options for the Tewkesbury Borough Plan had been approved and consulted upon; the Joint Core Strategy (JCS) initial issues and options consultation had taken place; the 2018/19 target of delivering 200 affordable homes had been exceeded; and 14 neighbourhood areas had been designated across 16 Parishes.

·        Year Three Achievements: Customer-Focussed Services – the Council had an average recycling rate of 55% for 2018/19;  the garden waste club had continued its success with over 16,000 sticker licences having been purchased and a resulting income in excess of £800,000; residents were now able to pay for a variety of services via Paypoint which made paying bills more accessible for all; new performance indicators for the planning service had been introduced to support the planning improvement action plan; the Council continued to support the Citizens’ Advice Bureau with a £52,000 grant; new websites had been developed on behalf of key partners including the JCS, Building Control and Tewkesbury Town Regeneration Partnership; a community services restructure had been undertaken to support the place approach; and a proactive stance was being taken against enviro-crimes.

·        Looking Forward to 2019/20 – the Council would have a real focus on delivering commercial activity; delivery of the Garden Town programme and maximising growth potential would be a priority, along with the adoption of the Borough Plan and regeneration of Tewkesbury Town. In addition, the Council’s place approach would be delivered; the Growth Hub services would be maximised; and the Council would be delivering new ICT and digital strategies.

12.3           The Mayor thanked the Leader for his informative presentation and it was

                  RESOLVED         That the ‘State of the Borough’ presentation provided by the                              Leader of the Council for the Council year 2018/19 be                                             NOTED.