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:
Mayor
14.1 The Mayor reminded Members that he preferred to be referred to as Mayor rather than Mr Mayor.
14.2 The Mayor notified Members of the death of Mrs Daphne Arnold who had served as Gloucester City’s Mayoress from 1982-83 and Sheriff’s Lady from 1978-79.
14.3 The Mayor presented Councillor Andrew Lewis with a certificate commemorating his 20 years’ service as a Councillor. Councillor Lewis announced that it was a privilege and an honour to serve as a Gloucester City Councillor and expressed the view that he worked with wonderful Councillors and officers. He informed Members that he was particularly honoured to serve as Mayor of Gloucester previously.
Members of the Cabinet
14.4 The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources advised Members that the application process for non-direct debit holders to apply for their £150 Council Tax rebate was now live on the council website. She explained that eligible residents had up until 14th August 2022 to apply. Should they not reply within the timeframe, the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources confirmed that the rebate amount would be credited to the residents’ future Council Tax bill. She noted that applicants would need a bank statement and their 10-digit Council Tax reference number to hand and urged Members to promote the application process to their communities. The Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources wanted to place on record the thanks of the administration to Revenues and Benefits staff for their hard work in administering the scheme.
14.5 The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure announced that Visit Gloucester had won a silver TXGB Trailblazer award from Visit England and paid tribute to the Tourism and Destination Marketing Team for their achievement. He also advised Members that the Museum of Gloucester had achieved ‘highly commended’ at the 2022 SoGlos Gloucestershire Lifestyle awards and encouraged Members to visit the Titanic Exhibition which was on display there.
14.6 The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods referred to the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (DERS) which he explained was an initiative of the Ministry of Defence which encourages employers to support armed forces members. He explained that the scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for organisations which demonstrate support to the armed forces community and confirmed that Gloucester City Council had achieved bronze status. The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods advised Members that this meant that the City Council committed to statutory requirements, had armed forces-friendly policies in place to support armed forces members and reservists, took part in armed forces community events and supports the local armed forces community by linking them to useful resources and opportunities. The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods commended this achievement and noted that the City Council hoped to build on this work by applying for silver status next year.