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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices, Severn Room

Contact: Democratic Services Tel: 01684 272021  Email:  democraticservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

73.

Announcements

1.       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.  

 

2.       To receive any announcements from the Chair of the Meeting and/or the Chief Executive.

Minutes:

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

73.2           Councillor Mason led a short tribute to Honorary Alderman Major Tom Hancock DL who had sadly passed away and whose memorial was being held later in the month. Councillor Mason explained that the Hancock family had arrived in Winchcombe in the early 1970s and Major Tom had become a Borough Councillor in 1975, serving as Borough Mayor in 1986/87 and becoming an Honorary Alderman in 1995. He had several community-based interests including being president of the Winchcombe branch of the Royal British Legion, Chair of the Gloucestershire Playing Field Association and his work for Winchcombe Church and Probus among others. The tribute was followed by one minute’s silence.

73.3           The Mayor made a statement regarding the war in Ukraine:

Elected Members of Tewkesbury Borough Council condemn Russia’s brutal, unprovoked invasion of the democratic, sovereign nation of Ukraine. We support democracy, sovereignty, the rule of law and the rights of individuals, which must always prevail against violence and oppression.

Our thoughts are with all Ukrainian people in dealing with this terrible ordeal, and this Council is focused on taking the practical actions available to support Ukrainian refugees who have been offered places to stay in our Borough. It’s also important to confirm that this Council has no direct financial links with Russia, either investments or purchases, in particular energy.

Together with the people from our communities who have kindly offered accommodation to Ukrainian guests, we will seek to ensure that they receive the warmest possible Gloucestershire welcome.

74.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

74.1           Apologies for absence were received from Councillors J H Evetts, D W Gray, J W Murphy (Deputy Mayor and Vice-Chair), P W Ockelton, P E Smith, S Thomson and R J E Vines.

75.

Declarations of Interest

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 26 June 2012 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 July 2012, as set out in Minute No. CL.34, Members are invited to declare any interest they may have in the business set out on the Agenda to which the approved Code applies.

Minutes:

75.1           The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 26 June 2012 and took effect from 1 July 2012.

75.2           The following declarations were made:

Councillor

Application No./Item

Nature of Interest (where disclosed)

Declared Action in respect of Disclosure

K J Cromwell

Item 9 – Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage: Design Guidance for Tewkesbury Borough Supplementary Planning Document.

The Councillor owned two shops on the High Street.

Would speak and vote.

H C McLain

Item 10 – Tewkesbury Borough Heritage Strategy.

The Councillor owned a scheduled ancient monument on land in the Borough.

Would not speak or vote and would leave the meeting for consideration of the item.

P D McLain

Item 10 – Tewkesbury Borough Heritage Strategy.

The Councillor owned a scheduled ancient monument on land in the Borough.

Would not speak or vote and would leave the meeting for consideration of the item.

75.3           There were no further declarations made on this occasion.

76.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 112 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2022.

Minutes:

76.1           The Minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2022, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

77.

Items from Members of the Public

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

 

(The deadline for public participation submissions for this meeting is 6 April 2022).

 

b)   To receive any petitions submitted under the Council’s Petitions Scheme.

Minutes:

77.1           There were no items from members of the public.  

78.

Member Questions properly submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules

To receive any questions submitted under Rule of Procedure 13. Any items received will be circulated on Monday 11 April 2022.

 

(Any questions must be submitted in writing to Democratic Services by, not later than, 10.00am on Monday 4 April 2022).

Minutes:

78.1           There were no Member questions on this occasion.  

79.

State of the Borough Presentation

To receive the state of the Borough presentation from the Leader of the Council.  

Minutes:

79.1           The Leader of the Council introduced his state of the Borough presentation which set out the Council’s key achievements for 2021/22:

·         Finance and Resources Key Achievements – the budget for 2022/23, despite the financial challenges facing the Council, included the addition of £450,050 of ongoing growth in services and £392,548 of one-off growth to further support services and Council Plan ambitions; Council Tax remained one of the lowest in the country; a saving of £77,000 had been made on the successful completion of the Council’s end-to-end bulky waste review; four new leases were agreed within the commercial property portfolio thereby mitigating any void tenancies – overall annual rental income was £3.2milion; and in its first year, the Business Transformation Team had been recognised nationally by winning bronze at the iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards for the Best Transformation Team and were shortlisted for the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Team of the Year award.

·         Economic Growth Key Achievements – the shop front grant scheme had successfully launched in September 2021 which was one of the key strands of the £2.1million High Street Heritage Action Zone programme with other strands including the public realm, upper floors scheme, traditional skills and Healings Mill; the Growth Hub had delivered 53 events throughout the year which included one to one events, online business workshops to help support businesses with branding, social media, developing eco-businesses etc; continued to work closely with Gloucestershire County Council to secure transport improvements for the delivery of an all-ways Junction at J10 on the M5; and, in November 2021, the Council worked with partners to celebrate the significance of 2021 for Tewkesbury with one of the key events – Tewkesbury Festival of Light – attracting more than 5,000 attendees.

·         Housing and Communities Key Achievements – a new Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 had been developed and was ready for adoption at the current Council meeting; consultation on the main modifications Tewkesbury Borough Local Plan had finished in January 2022 with adoption expected in Spring 2022; the Council had continued to work with partners within Tewkesbury and Brockworth through the Integrated Locality Partnership Scheme which looked at community wellbeing and building community resilience to help lead to positive health outcomes; the Council had supported over 300 community groups with funding advice, delivered over 150 affordable homes within the Borough, prevented 137 homelessness cases and provided housing advice to a further 170 cases.

·         Customer First Key Achievements – the Business Transformation team had implemented the new digital platform Liberty Create with over 50 processes being reviewed and improved helping the Council to provide its customers with a significantly enhanced online experience; the bulky waste service had been completely transformed with a new contractor having been appointed and now included a recycling option and the facility to book the service online - income had increased by over 100% and customer wait times had reduced from five/six weeks to less than one week; the Council had implemented a new 4Cs ‘have your say’ framework  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.

80.

Recommendations from Executive Committee

The Council is asked to consider and determine recommendations of a policy nature arising from the Executive Committee as follows:- 

80a

Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 pdf icon PDF 68 KB

At its meeting on 2 March 2022 the Executive Committee considered the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 be APPROVED, subject to the wording around Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople being reviewed for consistency.

 

(NB: the attached strategy has been updated following the Executive Committee meeting)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

80.1           At its meeting on 2 March 2022, the Executive Committee had considered the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 and recommended that the Strategy be approved, subject to the wording around Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople being reviewed for consistency.

80.2           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 11-41. The Strategy circulated with the Agenda had been updated following the Executive Committee.

80.3           The Chair of the Executive Committee proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the Vice-Chair seconded.

80.4           A Member expressed the view that the objectives were very good and she thanked Officers for their hard work under difficult circumstances. Referring to the consultation responses, she felt the response rate was quite poor and questioned whether this was to do with the jargon used, website navigation issues or the fact that people could not complete the consultation online easily. She also felt the statement that 9% of households were in fuel poverty would likely be out of date soon, that only managing to house 17% was poor given the 510 empty homes in the Borough, that a lot of people could be housed within Healings Mill if it was redeveloped for housing and that the lack of five year housing supply was an ongoing issue that needed to be addressed. She was also concerned that developers were not reducing the impact on the environment as they were still building properties with no solar, no electric vehicle (EV) points, without decent insulation and grey water capability which she felt was a great loss. She also noted that Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) did not allow for the installation of dropped kerbs which was something many disabled people needed. Another Member indicated that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had recently received an interesting presentation from Bromford Housing about modular housing which was eco-friendly and she questioned whether Tewkesbury Borough had considered anything similar. In response, the Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment confirmed that a similar development was proposed to be built in Winchcombe. The development had planning permission, but work had not yet commenced.

80.5           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2022-26 be                                 APPROVED.

80b

Statement of Community Involvement pdf icon PDF 81 KB

At its meeting on 30 March 2022 the Executive Committee considered the Statement of Community Involvement and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that it be ADOPTED.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

80.6           At its meeting on 30 March 2022, the Executive Committee had considered the Statement of Community Involvement and recommended that it be adopted.

80.7           The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 42-89.

80.8           The Chair of the Executive Committee proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the Vice-Chair seconded.

80.9           A Member questioned whether Parish Councils had been consulted and was advised that they had, with several representations having been received. Amendments had been made in accordance with comments made about the Statement of Community Involvement. Another Member expressed the view that the approach outlined in the Statement of Community Involvement was a big step forward and that individuals being written to about development in their immediate area was much more helpful than just putting up green Notices in the proximity of a planning application.

80.10         Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Statement of Community Involvement be ADOPTED.

80c

Local Development Scheme pdf icon PDF 86 KB

At its meeting on 30 March 2022 the Executive Committee considered the Local Development Scheme and RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL that it be ADOPTED.  

Additional documents:

Minutes:

80.11         At its meeting on 30 March 2022, the Executive Committee had considered the Local Development Plan and recommended that it be adopted.

80.12         The report which was considered by the Executive Committee had been circulated with the Agenda for the current meeting at Pages No. 90-101.

80.13         The Chair of the Executive Committee proposed the recommendation of the Executive Committee and the Vice-Chair seconded.

80.14         The Head of Development Services confirmed that the Inspector’s report on the Borough Plan had now been received and Officers would be examining it before it was presented to Councillors, but it was intended that would be sometime in Spring 2022. 

80.15         Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Local Development Scheme be ADOPTED.

81.

Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage: Design Guidance For Tewkesbury Borough Supplementary Planning Document pdf icon PDF 74 KB

To consider adoption of the Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage: Design Guidance For Tewkesbury Borough Supplementary Planning Document.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

81.1           The report of the Interim Planning Policy Manager, circulated at Pages No. 102-121, attached the Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage: Design Guidance for Tewkesbury Borough Supplementary Planning Document which Members were asked to adopt. The report also asked that authority be delegated to the Head of Development Services to make any necessary final minor amendments to the document in order for it to be published in final form.

81.2           The Lead Member for Built Environment explained that the local planning authority may prepare Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) to set out more detailed guidance as required. This SPD promoted good shop front and signage design across the Borough and best practice whilst encouraging innovation and design and supporting the historic environment. The SPD would complement the High Street Action Zone scheme within Tewkesbury Town. In line with the regulations, the SPD had been published twice for consultation. No new substantive comments had been received in relation to the second consultation and, accordingly, the Council was asked to adopt the SPD.

81.3           A Member expressed concern about how the guidance could be imposed on shop owners in retrospect and how new owners would know about the SPD before they designed their shop front and signage. In response, the Head of Development Services explained that it would be key to publicise the SPD as widely as possible so everyone was aware of the best practice contained within in. It was the responsibility of the property owner / occupant to ensure they had looked into any guidance that should be followed but, equally, Officers understood how important communication was. The SPD put the ‘meat on the bones’ of the policies in the Development Plan to ensure people had a full understanding of what was expected and what the Council did and did not want to see in its High Streets. The effect of the SPD would be monitored and owners worked with proactively over the next few months which it was felt was a positive approach. Another Member questioned whether all shopkeepers would be written to about the requirements and whether a certification of appreciation could be provided to those that followed it. The Head of Development Services confirmed this was not the intention as that approach would be extremely resource intensive and costly to the Council; however, she would be working with the Council’s Communications team to ensure the right messages were sent out, and with Town and Parish Councils to spread the word to as many people as possible. The SPD was not meant to deter businesses but to make the High Streets more attractive. National chains did have their own branding but were usually able to change that in line with local guidelines so it was not something that would discourage a retailer from opening in a particular place.

81.4           In respect of the number of shopfronts which were currently not compliant, the Head of Development Services advised this was not information she had to hand but she was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

82.

Tewkesbury Borough Heritage Strategy pdf icon PDF 70 KB

To consider adoption of the Tewkesbury Heritage Strategy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

82.1           The report of the Interim Planning Policy Manager, circulated at Pages No. 122-147, attached the draft Tewkesbury Heritage Strategy which Members were asked to adopt. The report also asked that authority be delegated to the Head of Development Services to make any necessary minor amendments to the draft document in order for it to be published in final form.

82.2           The Lead Member for Built Environment advised that the Strategy had been drafted to reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Borough and its implementation had been encouraged by Historic England when it had provided its comments on the Borough Plan. The Council had statutory duties and powers and an action plan for future initiatives and the strategy reflected those duties. The initial draft of the strategy had been considered by the Executive Committee in September 2021 and public consultation had been held between September and October 2021 with a wide range of organisations being asked to comment. The responses received were detailed at Appendix 2 to the report and, in accordance with the Executive Committee’s resolution that subject to there being no substantive comments raised during the consultation, the Council was asked to adopt the Heritage Strategy.

82.3           A Member noted that Healings Mill in Tewkesbury was in a terrible condition and he questioned whether there was anything in the strategy which would enable the building to be saved/developed. In response, the Conservation Officer confirmed that the strategy recognised there was an issue with the building and it was an objective to do something to address that. The Council had to work with private owners and they were looking at taking some funds from the Heritage Action Zone to address some of the issues.  Another Member indicated that she had been a Member of the Council since 2011 and Healings Mill had been in a state of disrepair since before that. She questioned how long the Council could go on dealing with owners who were perfectly happy to let the building fall further into disrepair without doing anything about it – it was her view that the time for talking had passed. The Head of Development Services reassured the Council that conversations were ongoing with the existing owners and there were options being considered.

82.4           A Member referred to point 10 at Page No. 134 and questioned whether what was written was actually what was meant as it seemed to infer that the perceived threat of climate change would produce lower temperatures, but her understanding was that it was generally accepted that climate change would increase temperatures. In response, a Member felt it would be more accurate to refer to ‘extremes of temperatures' and the Head of Development Services agreed this would be a good amendment. Another Member questioned whether the Church at Stanley Pontlarge, which was a Grade II* listed building, could be included in the Schedule of Ancient Monuments. The Conservation Officer confirmed that Scheduled Ancient Monument status was designated by the Secretary of State not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.

83.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report pdf icon PDF 3 MB

To receive the annual report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  

 

A verbal update on the outcome of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s consideration of the annual report will be provided at the meeting.

Minutes:

83.1           Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Annual Report 2021/22, circulated with the Agenda at Pages No. 148-182, which Members were asked to note.

83.2           In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee advised that it had been positive that for the majority of the year Councillors had been able to meet face to face. In terms of the Committee’s work programme during the year, it had been comprehensive and varied. It continued to monitor the delivery of the Council Plan and COVID-19 Corporate Recovery Plan, had reviewed the delivery of key strategies such as Economic Development and Tourism, Housing and Homelessness and Workforce Development and considered strategies on the Council’s digital approach and social media prior to approval by Executive Committee. It had also received informative presentations from external bodies such the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Bromford Housing, Severn Trent and Ubico. The Committee would look to build on this even more as it moved into 2022/23.

83.3           On behalf of the Committee, she offered thanks to Councillors David Gray, John Murphy and Jill Smith who kept the Committee updated on the Police and Crime Panel, Gloucestershire Health Overview Scrutiny Committee and the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee. Moving forward the Committee was looking to build on its effectiveness and its work programme for next year was shaping up well. She offered her thanks to all Members of the Committee for their sterling work during the year and for all Officers who supported the Committee, in particular the Chief Executive who was due to retire in June – he had been a staunch advocate of the Committee and rarely missed a meeting.

83.4           Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s Annual Report                              2021/22 be NOTED.

84.

Separate Business

The Chairman will move the adoption of the following resolution:

That under Section 100(A)(4) Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Minutes:

84.1           The Mayor proposed, and it was

                  RESOLVED          That, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act                               1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following                              items on the grounds that they involve the likely discussion of                                    exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the                          Act.

85.

Separate Minutes

To approve the separate Minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2022.

Minutes:

85.1           The separate Minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2022, copies of which had been circulated, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.