Agenda item

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

The Mayor

42.1 The Mayor thanked everyone who attended and supported the civic Remembrance Services.

42.2 The Mayor informed Members that he and the Sheriff had visited six schools who had contributed to Christmas Lantern Procession and thanked all the children, teachers and artists who had made the event successful.

42.3  The Mayor reminded Members that both the 1^st Battalion The Rifles Homecoming and Freedom Parade and the Rotary Club of Gloucester’s Tree of Light switch on ceremony would take place on Saturday 23^rd November.

42.4  The Mayor made Members aware that special guests would be attending the special Council meeting of 27^th November when conferring the Freedom of Entry to the City upon NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) would be considered.

The Leader of the Council

42.5  Councillor Cook summarised the background to the Council’s environmental and waste contract with Amey and the dispute over income from recyclates.  He announced that the dispute had been settled.  Councillor Cook advised Members that although textiles and batteries would no longer be collected, small electrical items now would.  He stated that there would be a major publicity campaign to encourage residents to use one box for glass, a second for plastic, cans, tetrapaks, aerosols and foil, the blue sack for paper and cardboard, and food waste in the brown caddy.  Council Cook informed Members that new 12 and 24 month contracts had been entered into for the sale of recyclates so that they would no longer be sent overseas, that Amey will guarantee that the Council’s income would not fall below current levels such that the value of recycling sales should improve by £220,000 per year, an increase close to £500,000 for the period to March 2022, and that they will now bear the risks associated with contamination during their collection, sorting and storage of materials.   He further reported that the Council would retain £225,000 of the funds previously withheld and that Amey would be subject to a set of Key performance indicators to include financial penalties for non-compliance.  Councillor Cook stated that a contract variation was being drafted which would be brought to Cabinet for consideration and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee if requested.  He advised Members that he anticipated that taken together the measures would represent a £720,000 financial benefit to the council tax-payers of Gloucester by March 2022.

Members of the Cabinet

42.6 Councillor Morgan, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, drew Member’s attention to the Pinocchio adventure performance at the Gloucester Guildhall to be held over the Christmas period. 

42.7 Councillor Morgan also advised Members that although the bid to be UK City of Culture 2025 no longer had support across all political groups, he would continue to push forward the ambitions laid out in the Cultural Vision and Strategy published in 2016.

42.8  Councillor Morgan further announced that a bid would be prepared for a significant amount from the government’s Cultural Development Fund to showcase the city’s heritage and revitalise the Museum of Gloucester.

42.9 Councillor Gravells, Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy, drew Members’ attention to the ongoing consultation for the Pre-submission City Plan and took the opportunity to urge them to encourage as people as possible to engage with it.

Chairs of Committees

42.10 Councillor Coole, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reminded Members that the meeting of 25^th November would be held in the Fisher Room of the Gloucester Guildhall and that all were welcome to attend.

Head of Paid Service

42.11 The Managing Director introduced Philip Walker as the new Head of Cultural Services on a 12 month secondment from Bristol City Council.