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:
The Mayor
29.1 The Mayor welcomed Councillor Tracey as the Sheriff and Deputy Mayor of the Council. She stated that the Civic Charity Ball held on the 17th September 2021 was a tremendous success, that raised a lot of money for charity and she thanked all those who attended.
Members of the Cabinet
29.2 Councillor Morgan, the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure announced that the 1st October 2021 would see the launch of JOLT by the Gloucester Culture Trust. He invited members to get in touch with him, should they wish to attend the launch which would be occurring between 5pm and 7pm. He stated that he was also pleased to announce that Arts Council England had announced that Gloucester had been designated as one of their 11 priority places across the South West for their Lets Create strategy. He stated the Arts Council England saw that Gloucester was an ideal city for investment. Councillor Morgan also notified Members that he had recently been present at the unveiling of a plaque in memory of the former City Councillor and Mayor, Lise Noakes. He stated that the location of the Plaque (The Guildhall) was particularly fitting as she had been instrumental in ensuring that there was more seating at the Guildhall.
29.3 Councillor Gravells, the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy announced that the Council had now received the Planning Inspectors post-hearings letter. He stated that this was an important milestone and was the next step in the Council having a fully adopted City plan for the first time since 1983. He said that the Planning Policy Team did a fantastic job in putting the Council’s case forward and this was evident from the Inspector’s letter. He stated that when updated, the City Plan would deliver against the Council’s climate change commitments, deliver the number and type of homes that meet the needs of Gloucester’s communities, support the Council’s social value objectives through employment and skills development and prevent falls from tall buildings, which was a policy he believed was a first for any Council in the country. He said that he also wished to update the Council on the resettlement programme of refugees from Afghanistan. He stated that the first Afghan family had now moved into their home in Gloucester. He added that support was being provided by colleagues at GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers). He said that properties were still required to house families resettling from Afghanistan and that the Council were continuing to encourage private sector landlords to come forward to help with the resettlement to meet demand. He concluded by stating that the work was being delivered as part of the Countywide Housing Partnership effort.