Agenda, decisions and minutes

When the continuous alarm sounds you must evacuate the building by the nearest available fire exit. Members and visitors should proceed to the visitors’ car park at the front of the building and await further instructions (during office hours staff should proceed to their usual assembly point; outside of office hours proceed to the visitors’ car park). Please do not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so.

In the event of a fire any person with a disability should be assisted in leaving the building.  

83.1           The evacuation procedure, as noted on the Agenda, was advised to those present.

84.1           Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D J Harwood, R J Stanley and R J E Vines. Councillor R D East was acting as a substitute for the meeting.

85.1           It was noted that, since the publication of the Agenda, the Council had approved a new Code of Conduct. 

85.2           The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 24 January 2023 and took effect on 1 February 2023.

85.3           There were no declarations of interest made on this occasion.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 January 2023.

86.1           The Minutes of the meeting held on 4 January 2023, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.  

To receive any questions, deputations or petitions submitted under Rule of Procedure 12.

(The deadline for public participation submissions for this meeting is Thursday 26 January 2023)

87.1           There were no items from members of the public.  

To consider the Committee’s Forward Plan.  

That the Executive Committee’s Forward Plan be NOTED.  

88.1           Attention was drawn to the Committee’s Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No.8-12. Members were asked to consider the Plan.

88.2           Accordingly, it was   

To recommend a budget for 2023/24 to the Council. 

That it be RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

1.   That a net budget of £11,300,458 be APPROVED.

2.   That a Band D Council Tax of £139.36, an increase of £5 per annum, be APPROVED.

3.   That the growth items for 2023/24, as proposed in Appendix A, be included within the budget.

4.   That the capital programme, as proposed in Appendix B, be APPROVED.

89.1           The report of the Head of Finance and Asset Management, circulated at Pages No. 13-38, set out a proposed net budget total, government support and other financing streams, along with the Council Tax requirement and growth items. The Committee was asked to recommend to Council a net budget of £11,300,458; a Band D Council tax of £139.36, an increase of £5 per annum; inclusion of growth items within the budget for 2023/24 as proposed in Appendix A to the report; and the capital programme as proposed in Appendix B to the report.

89.2           Attention was drawn to Paragraph 2 of the report which set out the local government finance settlement 2023/24 announced on 19 December 2022 and confirmed at the end of January 2023. The settlement was provided using a needs based funding assessment of the support required to deliver services to the Borough, net of the resources that could be raised locally, and was provided via the three streams of Revenue Support Grant; Rural Services Delivery Grant; and Business Rates Baseline funding. Table 1 in the report, showed that the Council’s needs based funding had seen an increase of £203,217, or 10.78%, for 2023/24 - there were a number of factors that had contributed to that increase - Revenue Support Grant for 2023/24 contained two previously specific grants that had been rolled together as the government attempted to simplify the grants system – the grants and their values were: Council Tax Support Administration Subsidy and Family Annexe Council Tax Discount grant; an uplift to the core Revenue Support Grant; a freeze to the rural element of funding; and an uplift to the Business Rates baseline funding. A Funding Guarantee of 3% had been put in place in recognition of current inflationary pressures which had been introduced as one-off funding for 2023/24. This would guarantee that all Councils would see at least a 3% increase in their Core Spending Power before any decisions about organisational efficiencies, use of reserves or Council Tax levels were made. For Tewkesbury, this meant a 3% uplift in its current Core Spending Power of £10million which would result in an uplift in funding support of £300,000. In addition, the Council would benefit from any increase in Council Tax it agreed to rather than it simply replacing lost funding - a £5 increase in Council Tax would generate approximately £184,000 so the new Funding Guarantee would see an increase in Core Spending Power of £484,000.

89.3           Members were advised that last year’s policy on New Homes Bonus would be rolled over for a new round of payments in 2023/24. Tewkesbury would see a New Homes Bonus allocation of £1,240,366 in 2023/24. Business Rates Retention was looking healthy with retention of £1.98 million which was a significant increase on the current year and Virgin Media had been moved to the central list meaning that risk to the Council had been eliminated which was great news. The amount of business rate relief support provided by the government,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

To agree to the signing of the Gloucestershire Armed Forces Community Covenant. 

That the Gloucestershire Armed Forces Community Covenant be signed.  

90.1           The report of the Community and Economic Development Manager, circulated at Pages No. 39-42, sought to re-affirm support for the government’s community covenant scheme by re-signing the Armed Forces Covenant with the aim of showing the Borough Council’s continued commitment to the Armed Forces and their families based within the Borough.

90.2           Members were advised that the Armed Forces Covenant existed between the people of the UK, the Armed Forces and their families and it laid out the principles which should exist in the relationship between the Armed Forces and the rest of the nation, including respect, support and fair treatment – it made clear that no one who had served should face disadvantage from their service and that, in some cases, special consideration was appropriate. The aims of the Covenant were to encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces community in their areas; encourage the Armed Forces community to help and support the wider community, whether through participation in events and joint projects or other forms of engagement; promote understanding and awareness among the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces community; recognise and remember the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces community; and encourage activities which would help integrate the Armed Forces community into local life.

90.3           A Member questioned how much match-funding had been provided so far, where that money came from and how it was approved by the Panel. The Community and Economic Development Manager explained that there was a specific fund which could be applied for if there was a project the Armed Forces and the community wished to work on together. To date, no such application had been made and the Panel was not a Borough Council Panel but a National Funding Panel.

90.4           The Lead Member for Community proposed the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant and indicated that she knew the Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing was keen to re-sign and, upon being seconded, it was