Agenda and minutes

Venue: Gloucester Guildhall, 23 Eastgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1NS

Contact: Democratic and Electoral Services 

Items
No. Item

56.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 145 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Special Council Meeting held on 18 November 2021 and the ordinary Council Meeting held on 18 November 2021.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

57.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

58.

Call Over

(a)       Call over (items 9-15) will be read out at the meeting and Members invited to reserve the items for discussion.

 

(b)       To approve the recommendations of those reports which have not been reserved for discussion.

Minutes:

59.

Public Question Time (15 Minutes)

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.

 

To ask a question at this meeting, please submit it to democratic.services@gloucester.gov.uk by 12 noon on Friday 21 January 2022 or telephone 01452 396203 for support.

Minutes:

60.

Petitions and Deputations (15 Minutes)

A period not exceeding three minutes is allowed for the presentation of a petition or deputation 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

Minutes:

61.

Announcements

To receive announcements from:

 

a)         The Mayor

b)         Leader of the Council

c)         Members of the Cabinet

d)         Chairs of Committees

e)         Head of Paid Service

Minutes:

62.

Members' Question Time pdf icon PDF 151 KB

a)    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 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 

 

b)    Questions to Chairs of Meetings (15 Minutes) 

 

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

63.

Council Plan 2021-24 pdf icon PDF 140 KB

To consider the report of the Leader of the Council presenting the draft Council Plan 2022-24 for approval.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

64.

Gloucester City Commission to Review Race Relations Final Report pdf icon PDF 141 KB

To consider the report of the Leader of the Council presenting the work and findings of the Gloucester City Commission to Review Race Relations as set out in their final report with a set of recommendations that attempt to improve the lives of, and enhance opportunities for, Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities within the City.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

65.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 136 KB

To consider the report of the  Cabinet  Member  for  Performance  and Resources  that  sought  approval  to  retain  the  current  Local  Council  Tax  Support Scheme for 2022/23.

Minutes:

66.

Appointment of External Auditor pdf icon PDF 139 KB

To consider the report of the Director of Policy and Resources concerning the appointment of an External Auditor.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

67.

Programme of Meetings, May 2022-April 2024 pdf icon PDF 116 KB

To consider the report of the Policy and Governance Manager seeking approval for a two-year programme of ordinary meetings of Council and other meetings for the period of May 2022 to April 2024.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

68.

Review of Political Balance on Committees and Various Appointments pdf icon PDF 137 KB

To note the following appointments:

 

·       Councillor Gravells appointed to the seat vacated by Councillor S. Chambers on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee following her appointment to the Cabinet.

·       Councillor Gravells appointed to the seat vacated by Councillor S. Chambers on the General Purposes Committee following her appointment to the Cabinet.

Minutes:

69.

Urgent Decisions Reported to Council

In accordance with the Constitution, to note that Cabinet, with the agreement of the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, took an urgent exempt decision on 12 January 2022 concerning the approval of leases at St Oswalds, Eastgate Centre and Kings Walk. The decision was urgent and not subject to call in because any delay was likely to seriously prejudice the Council’s or the publics’ interests.

Minutes:

70.

Notices of Motion pdf icon PDF 53 KB

1.    PROPOSED BY COUNCILLOR CHAMBERS-DUBUS

 

This council believes that young people are important and recognises the positive contribution that young people make to the city.

 

Young people have ideas, views and opinions about things that affect their lives, their communities and their city.

 

Young people have a contribution to make to the life and development of the city and whilst there have been some initiatives in recent years there is currently no process or structure that enables the council to communicate and understand the views that young people have.

 

It is therefore time to revisit and review this important issue. 

 

Council therefore resolves to:

·     Review the processes and methods it uses to engage, involve and consult with young people.

·     Request that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee set up a task and finish group to consider how the council engages with young people.

·     Actively involve young people in this process.

·     Make a report and recommendations to cabinet about how to engage and communicate with young people in future.

 

2.    PROPOSED BY COUNCILLOR A. CHAMBERS

 

“This Council recognises that the illegal use of knives among young people is increasing and that increases the risk to our communities and impacts the future of our City.

 

This Council supports our colleagues in the police and their efforts to increase neighbourhood policing and offers assistance in any way we can. Local policing and our system working together effectively is the only way to avoid this growing issue becoming a bigger threat to us all. We are committed to working alongside the PCC to develop plans to tackle knife crime and address the issues affecting our young people which leads them to need to carry a knife, or into gang culture. Prevention is our greatest weapon.

 

This council commits to asking the Stronger Safer Gloucester Partnership to support the creation of a group focusing on the issue of knife crime and working together to tackle it, by learning from incidents, involving residents and young people and looking for solutions which will make a difference. It shall develop and instigate plans to adopt a public health approach to the issue of knife crime, as demonstrated elsewhere in the UK. This will see emphasis on collective responsibility for statutory services, focus on whole populations, not just high risk individuals, emphasise on prevention and getting “upstream”, concern for tackling underlying inequalities. It will require a system wide, multidisciplinary approach, including business and partnership with the community.

 

The results of this work will be reported to Cabinet and to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee if requested.”

 

3.    PROPOSED BY COUNCILLOR WILLIAMS

 

“Drink Spiking has seen a significant rise within recent months and Gloucestershire Police has had in excess of 100 reports made since July 2021, and in response they have become the first police force to introduce the use of drugs testing machines as part of a newly launched anti-drink spiking campaign, Operation Nightingale.

 

Gloucester’s Night Time Economy partnership Nightsafe works with the police to adopt a zero tolerance approach  ...  view the full agenda text for item 70.

Minutes:

71.

Exclusion of Press and Public

To RESOLVE:

 

that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of 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 Exempt Information

 

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

Minutes:

72.

Minutes

To approve as a correct record the exempt minutes of the ordinary Council Meeting held on 18 November 2021.

Minutes: