Issue - meetings

A period of up to one hour is allocated to consider the motions on notice.  This may only be extended with the agreement of the Council.

Prior to the consideration of the Motions on Notice, the Chairman announced it had been agreed that the first Motion on Notice would not be considered at this meeting due to the Council meeting taking place during the pre-election period for the Worcestershire County Council by-election due to take place on 30^th October 2025. Due to the exceptional circumstances of the Motion not being considered in a timely manner at the Council meeting on 16^th July 2025 and the extraordinary circumstances of it not being considered at this meeting, the Chairman had exercised his discretion, and, in this instance, the Motion would now be considered at the Extraordinary meeting of the Council on 19^th November 2025. It was reiterated that this was an exceptional circumstance and would not set a precedent for future Extraordinary Council meetings.

Members raised their concerns in respect of Motions on Notice that dealt with WCC matters considered previously during a pre-election period. The Chairman explained that he had been given advice by the Monitoring Officer, who had indicated that it was not appropriate to debate the first Motion on Notice included in the agenda at this time.

Council considered the following Motion on Notice, submitted by Councillor E. Gray:

West Mercia Police and Crime Panel

"The Council calls on the Bromsgrove representative on the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel to actively address the issue of cross-border crime and anti-social behaviour affecting Bromsgrove. It is requested that our representative formally raises the matter with the Police Crime Commissioner (PCC), emphasising the need for improved collaboration between West Mercia Police and West Midlands Police.”

In proposing the Motion on Notice, Councillor E. Gray stated that the purpose of the Motion was practical and served to enhance the intelligence service of cross border policing within Worcestershire and the neighbouring police forces, including West Midlands Police Force.

It was suggested that the Council’s representative on the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel should outline at a future meeting of the Panel, the potential for Rubery Police Station to be used as a hub for crime intelligence. Furthermore, it was suggested that monthly meetings be arranged in order for intelligence sharing to take place with representatives of West Mercia and West Midlands Police. This would provide the opportunity for those in attendance to look at current issues and any emerging issues and tackle them more effectively.

Following consultation with residents and local youth groups, it was noted that there were concerns regarding a lack of Police presence in local areas and that there had been an increase of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) particularly in the early evening. It was reported that this could have been as a result of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) not working certain hours resulting in a lack of Police presence in certain areas at critical times.

Councillor H. Jones, as the Council’s representative on the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel, could be the advocate for this kind of collaborative working which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56