Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

1.1      There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th March 2024.

2.1      RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 6^th March 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 Cabinet Members 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 Friday 12^th July 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.

3.1      In respect of question 1, Mr Redgewell asked whether the Council had any plans to display rail information in the Gloucester Transport Hub. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Hilton, advised that the Council was considering alternative options to display a rail dashboard, however a technical solution had not yet been found to replace the previous display screen.

3.2      In response to a follow up question from Mr Redgewell in relation to question 2, Councillor Hilton reiterated that the Council aimed to complete the painting of the walls in the Gloucester Transport Hub in November 2024.

3.3      In respect of question 3, Mr Redgewell requested an update on door repairs and whether the Council had identified a tenant for the café in the Gloucester Transport Hub. Councillor Hilton advised that prospective tenants had been given a deadline of the 19^th July 2024 for lease applications, and that the Council was not in a position to announce the successful leaseholder until all applications had been received. In relation to the query on passenger doors, Councillor Hilton referred to the written answer provided in question one advising that the Council was awaiting delivery of repair parts which would take 3-4 weeks.

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 Friday 12^th July 2024 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

4.1      There were no petitions nor deputations.

Any Member of the Council may ask the Leader of the Council or any Cabinet Member any question 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.

Questions must be submitted to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12 noon on Friday 12^th July 2024. Responses to questions will be published in an addendum to the agenda by 12 noon on the day of the Cabinet Meeting.

5.1      Councillor Pullen thanked the Cabinet Member for Community Engagement for their response and noted that he was pleased to see progress on the Cost-of-Living Action Plan. He asked the Cabinet Member whether she could confirm that the Council was producing an action plan setting out the available services, support and funding for people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, and for her assurance that the Action Plan would be ready in August 2024 as per the 3-month timescale set out in the motion.

5.2      The Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, Councillor Trimnell, explained that following the snap General Election in July 2024, the Council had been awaiting information from Central Government on their new priorities to inform work such as the Cost-of-Living Action Plan. She noted that the plan would be active and flexible, and would need to have some fluidity due to potential changes from Government. She provided assurances that a plan in some form would be available in the requested timeframe, however it was expected that the document would be active and a working progress.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources updating Members on progress to date on the digital inclusivity motion passed at Council (16 November 2024 Minute 53.8).

RESOLVED that:

(1)       progress on exploring partnering with the DAISI (Digital Accessibility, Inclusion, Support and Innovation) project hosted by GRCC (Gloucestershire Rural Community Council) is noted;

(2)       the update on the review of support to help residents on lower incomes to access social tariffs for broadband and mobile phone access and make recommendations for improvement is noted;

(3)       the progress made on accessibility of the website and the further improvements planned is noted;

(4)       the Council continues to explore using DAISI to support our residents. The Council will also consider how to use other community groups and locations (such as libraries) to support residents improve digital inclusivity.

6.1   Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources which sought to update Members on progress to date on the digital inclusivity motion passed at Council in November 2023.

6.2   The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Wilson, introduced the report and outlined the recommendations as set out at 2.1. He confirmed that the Council was already in an exploratory partnership with the DAISI project and had requested that the project independently review the accessibility of the  Council website. Councillor Wilson also noted that there was a potential to explore further avenues with the DAISI project on supporting digital skills and inclusion in the future.

6.3   In respect of the request for Officers to review support to help residents on lower incomes access social tariffs for broadband and mobile phones, Councillor Wilson advised Cabinet that the Council recently ran a campaign on social media highlighting the social tariffs available. He further confirmed that Officers had engaged with residents in receipt of Universal Credit directly either by email where there was an address on record or via written letter, noting that work was also underway to explore whether a Digital Inclusion Navigator to coordinate support might be effective in Gloucester.

6.4   Councillor Wilson noted that work had been undertaken to improve access to the Council website, and that the Council was now achieving 99% compliance compared to 68% compliance before the review and upgrades. He expressed the view that it had been a good project but future work was needed in this area.

6.5   Councillor Hilton expressed his view that good progress had been made so far on digital inclusivity and thanked Officers for their work in progressing the motion.

RESOLVED that:

(1)       progress on exploring partnering with the DAISI (Digital Accessibility, Inclusion, Support and Innovation) project hosted by GRCC (Gloucestershire Rural Community Council) is noted;

(2)       the update on the review of support to help residents on lower incomes to access social tariffs for broadband and mobile phone access and make recommendations for improvement is noted;

(3)       the progress made on accessibility of the website and the further improvements planned is noted;

(4)       the Council continues to explore using DAISI to support our residents. The Council will also consider how to use other community groups and locations (such as libraries) to support residents improve digital inclusivity.

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

RESOLVED that the Guildhall Business Plan 2024-2029 is endorsed.

7.1      Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure which provided an overview of the Gloucester Guildhall Business Plan 2024-29.

7.2      The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Courtney, confirmed that this was the first Business Plan relating to the Gloucester Guildhall which had been brought before Cabinet. She explained that the Guildhall had been awarded National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status by Arts Council England which required the creation of a business plan in the first year. She noted that the Culture Team agreed with this requirement, particularly due to the fact that existing business plans were in place for other cultural venues in the city.

7.3      Councillor Courtney summarised the vision of the Guildhall Business Plan as set out in 3.3.4 in the report, and outlined the four overarching goals threaded through all sections of the plan at 3.3.3 in the report. She referred Cabinet to the narrative in section 2 of the Business Plan at appendix 1, and expressed her view that the plan was ambitious and based on detailed financial forecasting. She concluded by paying tribute to the Head of Culture and her team for their hard work in preparing the Business Plan.

7.4      Councillor Hilton commented that the Gloucester Guildhall Business Plan was impressive. He noted that the Guildhall was an important cultural asset for Gloucester and was pleased that the Council intended to continue to improve the venue and drive income. He was happy to endorse the recommendation in the report.

7.5      The Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Field, agreed that it was an excellent report and stated that he would like to continue to see a diverse range of acts at the venue. He asked whether consideration could be given to improving visibility of the Guildhall.

7.6      The Head of Culture confirmed that her team were exploring whether additional external signage and programming could be put in place on Eastgate Street. She noted that there were some limitations due to planning laws, however she was seeking to address the issue.

7.7      Councillor Hilton reflected on his experience of enjoying events in other venues in the city. He stated that he was happy to approve the recommendation in the report.

RESOLVED that the Guildhall Business Plan 2024-2029 is endorsed.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources seeking to present the Council’s final General Fund Revenue and Capital Outturn positions against agreed budgets for the 2023-24 financial year, and report on performance against certain key financial performance indicators.

RESOLVED that:

(1)       it is noted that:

i.               the year-end position for the financial year 2023-24 is currently a decrease to the General Fund balance of £288k against a budgeted decrease of £104k;

ii.              the General Fund balance has decreased from £849k to £561k at the end of 2023-24;

iii.             that the level of earmarked reserves has decreased by £0.322m from £4.264 to £3.942m;

iv.       the current level of Capital expenditure is as shown in Appendix 1 of the report;

(2)    the transfers to and from earmarked reserves as detailed in the table in section 6 of the report are approved.

8.1      Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources presenting the Council’s General Fund Revenue and capital outturn positions against the agreed budgets for the financial year, and outlining the final outturn position in 2023-24.

8.2      Councillor Wilson advised Cabinet that the financial position had improved from the previous quarter. He confirmed that the year-end position for the financial year 2023-24 was a decrease to the General Fund balance of £288k against a budgeted decrease of £104k, noting that this was a more positive position than the prediction at Q3 and the 2024-25 Money Plan.

8.3      Councillor Wilson summarised the key pressures facing the Council as set out in 4.4 of the report. He referred Cabinet to 4.1 in the report which outlined the forecast outturn position by Cabinet portfolio and noted that the Corporate and Funding portfolio area was £1.8m better than the prediction in Q3, due to the Council receiving £1.2m in business rates and an extra £500k in Council Tax income. This said, Councillor Wilson noted that the Council should not expect such income flurries to happen regularly and the Council should continue to manage finances carefully. Councillor Wilson further updated Cabinet on capital spending and explained that Members were being asked to approve movements to and from earmarked reserves as well as the recommendations as set out in 2.1 of the report.

8.4      Councillor Hilton felt that Officers ought to be thanked for their hard work in mitigating budget pressures over the past few months, noting that the overspend was previously expected to be considerably more. Referring to the figures set out at 5.3 in the report, he observed that commercial property in particular was an area Cabinet was keen to strengthen and would continue to explore ways to generate more commercial income in the future.

8.5      The Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Shervey, reflected on the actions taken to address key pressures facing the Council, particularly around acquiring temporary accommodation. He expressed the view that Officers’ work to mitigate these key pressures was impressive.

8.6      Referring to the Environment portfolio area, Councillor Field noted that this area was averse to budget by £94k. He felt that it was important to note that there continued to be value in obtaining income from recycling materials and that it was important to continue to encourage residents to keep recycling as much as possible.

RESOLVED that:

(1)       it is noted that:

i.               the year-end position for the financial year 2023-24 is currently a decrease to the General Fund balance of £288k against a budgeted decrease of £104k;

ii.              the General Fund balance has decreased from £849k to £561k at the end of 2023-24;

iii.             that the level of earmarked reserves has decreased by £0.322m from £4.264 to £3.942m;

iv.       the current level of Capital expenditure is as shown in Appendix 1 of the report;

(2) the transfers to and from earmarked reserves as detailed in the table in section 6 of the report are approved.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources seeking Members to note treasury management activities for the period 1^st October 2023 to 31^st March 2024, prudential indicators, interest rate forecasts and an overview of the financial year 2023-24.

RESOLVED that the contents of the report are noted.

9.1      Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources which provided an update on the Council’s treasury management activities between October 2023 and March 2024, as well as an overview of the Council’s performance for the financial year 2023-24.

9.2      Councillor Wilson summarised the report and confirmed that it had also been recently presented to the Audit and Governance Committee. He advised Members that 3.2 of the report set out the level of funds available for investment purposes. He further pointed Members to 3.3 in the report which confirmed that the Council held £11.189m core cash balances for investment purposes, and that these funds were available for more than 1 year.

9.3      Councillor Wilson provided an overview of the Council’s new long-term borrowing at 4.0 in the report, noting that in the second half of 2023/24, the Council had undertaken 2 lots of new borrowing for the Kings Square redevelopment and Food Dock, as well as borrowing for the purchase of multiple temporary accommodation properties.

9.4      Councillor Wilson further outlined the debt rescheduling update at 5.1 in the report and referred Cabinet to the Prudential and Treasury Indictors which were set out in Appendix 1. He confirmed that the Council had operated within the authorised prudential indicators in 2023-24.

RESOLVED that the contents of the report are noted.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources presenting the Strategic Risk Register (SRR) and updating Members on the Council’s risk management activities from 2023/24.

RESOLVED that the Strategic Risk Register and the planned risk management arrangements for 2023/24 are noted and endorsed.

10.1    Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources which sought to update Members on the Council’s risk management activities in 2023-24 and present the latest Strategic Risk Register.

10.2    Councillor Wilson advised that the Council had a responsibility to identify and manage risks and that risk management was a key element of the Council’s corporate governance framework. He provided an overview of the key headlines of the report, including the Three Lines of Defence assurance model and Risk Management Action Plan 2024/25, as well as the Strategic Risk Register report set out in Appendix 2.

RESOLVED that the Strategic Risk Register and the planned risk management arrangements for 2023/24 are noted and endorsed.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources presenting the applications received to take on the lease of the social club at Tuffley Park by way of a Community Asset Transfer.

Please note that Appendix 2 is exempt from disclosure to the press and public by virtue of Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person including the authority holding that information). If Members wish to discuss Appendix 2 the Cabinet will need to resolve to exclude the press and public before doing so.

RESOLVED that:

(1)    applicant 3, One Church, is chosen as the successful bidder;

(2)    authority is delegated to the Asset Manager to agree the terms of the lease.

11.1    Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources regarding the proposed community asset transfer of the social club at Tuffley Park.

11.2    Councillor Wilson introduced the report and advised Cabinet that the Council had reclaimed possession of the premises after the previous tenant entered financial difficulties. He confirmed that interested parties had been asked to submit a Stage One application for a community asset transfer and that following this exercise, 9 applications were received and 3 applications were subsequently shortlisted.

11.3    Councillor Wilson advised that following Stage 2 of the community asset transfer policy, One Church had been selected as the preferred applicant. He noted that a representative from One Church had attended a recent Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to answer questions from Members on their proposals for the site, and that he had been very impressed with their contributions. He noted that works needed to be undertaken at the premises to bring the premises up to the required standard which would cost around £50k, however he felt that the One Church as the new leaseholder would return the social club to an excellent community asset. He urged Cabinet to approve the recommendations in the report.

11.4    Councillor Field noted that he was delighted that a tenant of such high calibre had been identified. He reflected on the extensive letters of support for the organisation received by the Council and noted that he was keen to see the asset restored to a community resource as soon as possible.

RESOLVED that:

(1) applicant 3, One Church, is chosen as the successful bidder;

(2) authority is delegated to the Asset Manager to agree the terms of the lease.