Agenda and minutes

To receive from Members, declarations of the existence of any disclosable pecuniary, or nonpecuniary, interests and the nature of those interests in relation to any agenda item. Please see agenda notes.

12.1    There were no declarations of interest.

To declare if any issues to be covered in the Agenda are under party whip.

13.1    There were no declarations of party whipping.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 1^st July 2024.

14.1    RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 1^st July 2024 were approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The opportunity is given to members of the public to put questions to the Chair provided that questions do not contravene the provisions set out Council Procedure Rule 10.01.

To ask a question at this meeting, please submit it to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12 noon on Wednesday 28^th August 2024 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

Questions and responses will be published at least 24 hours before the meeting. Supplementary questions may be put and answered during the meeting, subject to the relevant time limit.

15.1    There were no public questions.

The opportunity is given to members of the public to present a petition or deputation provided that any such petition or deputation does not contravene the provisions set out Council Procedure Rule 11.01.

To present a petition or deputation at this meeting, please provide the subject matter to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12 noon on Wednesday 28^th August 2024 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

16.1    There were no petitions nor deputations.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources presenting the year-end forecasts, financial pressures on the Council during the Quarter ended 30^th June 2024 and reporting on the performance of the Council against certain key financial performance indicators.

17.1    The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Wilson, introduced the report and explained that it summarised the Council’s financial performance during the first quarter of 2024 against the budget approved by Council back in February 2024. He noted that the forecasts tended to be prudent at the start of the financial year.

17.2    Councillor Wilson advised the Committee that the Council continued to face the same key pressures, including high inflation and continued high energy prices. He noted that the local government funding landscape was currently uncertain due to the change in central government after the General Election in July 2024. Councillor Wilson summarised the key pressures and issues to note in each portfolio area as outlined in the report, and highlighted that the Council’s payment performance continued to be commendable.

17.3    Councillor Millard referred to the narrative concerning staff vacancies at 5.5 in the report and asked for further clarification as to the reasons behind the vacancies. She also asked how staff were coping with any additional pressures as a result of vacant roles, and whether the Council was providing any support to Officers. Councillor Wilson confirmed his understanding that there had been delays in recruiting owing to the recruitment freeze, and that any savings would have been taken into account when preparing the report. On the issue of additional workload pressures, Councillor Wilson advised that he would seek clarity from Officers and provide a response in due course.

17.4    In relation to the forecast underspend in the housing portfolio, Councillor Millard asked whether unused resource would be retained in the housing and homelessness portfolio rather than bolstering other areas seeing pressures. Councillor Wilson confirmed that if unspent funds were to be put into a reserve, this was a matter to consider when the next budget was compiled. This said, he confirmed that he would take her comments on board.

17.5    Councillor Millard queried how long the baler machine had been out of operation and how the Council had mitigated any impact on income. The Financial Service Manager advised that the baler machine had been out of operation for 4-6 weeks and was now back in operation following overhaul works. He noted that as a result of the overhaul, the machine would now last for several years and that Officers were forward planning the capital spend into the next budget.

17.6    Referring to the Environment portfolio, Councillor S. Chambers observed that the Council only had one baler. She understood that when the Council entered into contract with Ubico, there were discussions around opportunities to work in synergies and asked whether there was an opportunity to share another partner’s baler. Councillor Wilson confirmed that he would check and provide a full answer in due course, however it was his expectation that authorities had one baler each.

17.7    In respect of the narrative around licensing at 5.17 in the report, Councillor S. Chambers asked whether the Council had put any pressure on central Government to increase the statutory license fees.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure providing an overview of the Gloucester Guildhall Business Plan 2024-2029.

18.1    The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Courtney, introduced the report and confirmed that this was the first time the Council had produced a Business Plan relating to the Gloucester Guildhall venue. She explained that the Guildhall had been awarded National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status and as a result received funding from Arts Council England.

18.2    Members were advised that one of the conditions of receiving this funding was that the venue must have a business plan and that the Culture team had also seen a need for a strategic plan over a longer period of time to ensure that the vision for the Guildhall was being achieved. Councillor Courtney further noted that Business Plans for other cultural venues in the city, such as Blackfriars Priory and the Museum of Gloucester were already in place.

18.3    Councillor Courtney summarised the vision and mission of the Guildhall Business Plan as outlined in 3.3.4 of the report, noting that the Guildhall Steering Group has reviewed the Business Plan and had inputted into the document. She further drew Members’ attention to the four overarching goals threaded through the plan at 3.3.3 in the report and advised that the plan sought to follow an approach to ‘invest to save’. She explained that through the Council’s intention to invest in high quality programming and marketing, it was hoped that this would achieve good footfall, better engagement and increased spend.

18.4    Councillor Bell requested clarification as to the costs incurred by the Council in respect of the Guildhall during the previous year. The Head of Culture confirmed that this totalled approximately £300k.

18.5    In response to additional comments from Councillor Bell, Councillor Courtney advised that access to events at the Guildhall for people from all income backgrounds and communities was an objective of the programming the Council had planned for the next 5-year period.

18.6    Councillor Radley asked for further information regarding how the Council planned to increase the street presence of the Guildhall. Councillor Courtney acknowledged that there were visibility challenges with the location of the venue, particularly as the lower floors of the building were currently occupied by a local bank. She referred Members to the marketing section of the plan which outlined how the Council aimed to make the venue more visible, and noted that in her view, improving visibility was an important step in achieving increased footfall at the Guildhall.

18.7    Councillor Radley referred to the Steering Group and asked for further information as to how the group members were recruited, whether the role was a paid one and how the relationship worked in practice. The Head of Culture advised that the relationship was similar to a board of trustees of a charity and explained that the Council had recruited members from industry contacts and peers. The Head of Culture further explained that each of the 8 members were allocated an Investment Principle as required by Arts Council England and were paid £50 for attending each meeting.

18.8    In response  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

To receive the latest version of the Committee’s work programme and the Council’s Forward Plan.

19.1    RESOLVED – That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee NOTE the Work Programme.

Monday 7^th October 2024 at 6.30pm in Civic Suite, North Warehouse.

Monday 7^th October at 6.30pm in Civic Suite, North Warehouse.