Agenda and minutes

Prayers to be offered by the Mayor’s Chaplain, the Reverend Suzanne Skepper.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Council Meeting held on 24 November 2011.

To receive from Members, declarations as to personal and/or prejudicial interests and the nature of those interests in relation to any agenda item.  Please see Notes 1 and 2.

The opportunity is given to members of the public to put questions to Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs provided that a question does not relate to:

·               Matters which are the subject of current or pending legal proceedings or

·               Matters relating to employees or former employees of the Council or comments in respect of individual Council Officers.

A period not exceeding three minutes is allowed for the presentation of a petition or deputation provided that no such petition is in relation to:

·               Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or

·               Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings

To receive announcements from:

a)           The Mayor

b)           Leader of the Council

c)            Members of the Cabinet

d)           Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee

e)           Chief Executive

To waive Council Procedure Rules to allow the relevant officersto address the Council in respect of items 9, 11 and 12 on the agenda.

Report of the Corporate Director of Regeneration

Please note: Appendix 3 to the report contains information that is exempt by virtue of paragraph 3 of Section 100(I) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, and should Council wish to discuss the detail of the Appendix it will be necessary to resolve to exclude the press and public.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods

Report of the Corporate Director of Resources

Report of the Monitoring Officer

Report of the Corporate Director of Resources

a)           Written questions to Cabinet Members

         Written questions and answers.  Only one supplementary question is allowed per question.

b)           Leader and Cabinet Members’ Question Time (45 minutes)

         Any member of the Council may ask the Leader of the Council or any Cabinet Member any question without prior notice, upon:

·        Any matter relating to the Council’s administration

·        Any matter relating to any report of the Cabinet appearing on the Council’s summons

·        A matter coming within their portfolio of responsibilities

         Only one supplementary question is allowed per question.

c)   Questions to Chairs of Meetings (15 Minutes)

(1)       Councillor Haigh to move –

“This Council notes that there is over £50m in the European Regional Development Fund for the South West as yet unallocated. Previously these funds would have been applied for through SWRDA but as that body has been abolished there is no mechanism available to allocate these funds to support jobs and growth.

This Council resolves that the Leader of the Council write to the Minister at BIS to request that a mechanism is put in place so that regeneration projects in Gloucester can apply for funding. If the funding is unallocated it will be lost to the region.”

(2)       Councillor Field to move –

“This council:

Notes the recent national campaign on Channel 4 to highlight the problem of empty homes in this country, and also the recent piece in the Citizen which stated that 'In Gloucester there are 1,777 empty properties, both private and social housing – 756 of which have not been lived in for more than six months'.

Notes these figures with concern, especially the 756 properties which have not been lived in for more than six months.

Calls on the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Conservative administration to do more to address this problem, and deliver more effectively against the Empty Homes Strategy adopted by this council.