Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th December 2017.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 6th December 2017 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There were no public questions.

To receive any petitions or deputations provided that no such petition or deputation is in relation to:

·         Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or

·         Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings

There were no petitions or deputations.

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 summons

·       A matter coming within their portfolio of responsibilities

Only one supplementary question is allowed per question.

In relation to agenda item 7 (Litter Strategy) Cllr Pullen expressed concern that uncollected refuse for recycling was building up on the streets of his ward and other parts of the City and asked when it would be removed.  The Cabinet Member for Environment conveyed Members’ dissatisfaction that the recycling collections backlog built up during the recent period of adverse weather had not been cleared and took the opportunity to apologise to residents.  He stated that he had pressed the matter with the contractor (Amey) and received assurances that the backlog would be cleared by Monday 16^th January.  Cllr Pullen noted that the recycling backlog was generating additional litter requiring street cleaning to be prioritised and asked when the City would be clean.  The Cabinet Member for Environment acknowledged the issue and confirmed that litter picking was a priority required to be completed within days of the recycling backlog being cleared street by street. 

Cllr Pullen asked if the recycling backlog had exposed the lack of a contingency plan.  The Cabinet Member for Environment confirmed that there was a contingency plan in place but commented that refuse collection vehicles cannot operate in dangerous conditions such as had been experienced recently.  He informed Cllr Pullen that the matter would be raised with Amey.  The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy reiterated Members’ apologies to residents and dissatisfaction with the current recycling collection issue, he confirmed that when resolved a lessons learnt exercise would be held to minimise the risk of similar problems occurring again. 

Cllr Pullen sought clarification of staffing levels within the Customer Service Team as he had received reports from residents that the Council contact telephone number (01452 396 396) was going unanswered on occasion with `staff shortages’ being given as the reason.  The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources stated that the matter would be raised with officers for investigation.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment apprising Members of the City Council’s current and future response to managing litter in the city.

RESOLVED that the report and its contents are noted as a means to provide a broad framework for the management of litter in Gloucester over coming months and years.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment that apprised them of the Council’s current and future response to managing litter in the City.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning welcomed the inclusion of education in the report and highlighted the serious nature of intentional littering and money spent clearing it.  The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy commented that a sensible strategy to help make the City cleaner had been presented.  He further praised the on-going valuable contribution of volunteer litter pickers.

RESOLVED that the report and its contents are noted as a means to provide a broad framework for the management of litter in Gloucester over coming months and years.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods requesting Members approve an application for Purple Flag status for the City of Gloucester.

RESOLVED that a Purple Flag application for Gloucester is lodged before 30^th January.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods that sought approval for an application to acquire Purple Flag status for the City.

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods drew Members’ attention to the good progress made by the Council and its partners towards making a successful city centre.  The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure reminded Members of the extraordinary diversity of culture that the City offers and commented that Purple Flag status would encourage people to visit and experience it.  The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources sought reassurance that the application would be strong given that the application fee was non-refundable.  The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods responded that she was confident the Council was currently in a good position to apply.  The Cabinet Member for Environment asked when the outcome would be known to which the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods replied that it would be in about three months, to be in place by September for the influx of students to the City, but that clarification would be sought.  The Cabinet member for Regeneration and Economy commended the application and drew Members’ attention to recent increases in investment and venues in the City’s night-time economy.

RESOLVED that a Purple Flag application for Gloucester is lodged before 30^th January.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources seeking approval to retain the current Local Council tax Support Scheme (LCTS) for 2018/19.

RESOLVED that it is recommended that the current Local Council Tax Support scheme as the approved scheme for Gloucester City Council in 2017/18 be adopted for 2018/19.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources that sought approval to retain the current Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2018/19.

The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources emphasised that the impacts of Universal Credit, to be introduced from February 2018, were as yet unknown.

RESOLVED that it is recommended that the current Local Council Tax Support scheme as the approved scheme for Gloucester City Council in 2017/18 be adopted for 2018/19.

To resolve:-

“That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the following items of business on the grounds that it is likely, in the view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public are present during consideration of this item there will be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended”.

Agenda Item No.              Description of the Exempt Information

11                                    Paragraph 3: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business (Agenda item 11) on the grounds that it is likely, in the view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public are present during consideration of this item there will be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended.

To approve as a correct record the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 6^th December 2017.

RESOLVED:

That the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 6th December 2017 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.