Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Members noted that Councillor K. Taylor would be arriving late for the meeting.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 10^th December 2024 were submitted.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 10^th December 2024 be approved as a true and correct record.

a)       To receive and note the minutes

(b)      To consider any recommendations contained within the minutes

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 9^th December 2024 were considered.

The Leader confirmed that there were no outstanding recommendations from this meeting requiring the Cabinet’s consideration.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 9^th December 2024 be noted.

The Environmental Services Manager presented a report on the subject of the replacement of the Council’s refuse vehicle fleet and pressures relating to wheeled bins used by the authority.

Cabinet was reminded that at a previous meeting, Members had received an update on the pressures on the vehicle fleet used for the delivery of the waste service and the Council’s capital programme had been reprofiled in response to this.  Officers had subsequently identified issues with the bins used by the Council.  The authority had a diamond bin system whereby the bins were lifted to dispose of waste.  The Council was the only authority to retain this system as all other local authorities had ceased to use this following a tragic accident in Coventry involving the lifting mechanism.  Consequently, there were no vehicles available to purchase that were suitable for lifting this type of bin.

The Council could continue to use the existing bins and maintain the existing vehicle fleet.  However, the vehicles used by the authority were aging and this created challenges, including financial challenges in the long-term.  Therefore, Officers were proposing that the authority’s bins needed to be replaced with industry standard comb bins.  There were two different sizes of comb bin available to use which Cabinet was invited to consider. 

The report was being considered in a context in which the Government was introducing extended producer responsibilities, whereby manufacturers would be taxed on packaging.  The funds arising from this tax would be allocated to public services and Bromsgrove District Council was due to receive £1.04 million initially, with annual contributions anticipated.  However, Members were asked to note that the level of funding received from this source was likely to decline over time as manufacturers made changes to their packaging in order to reduce their tax liabilities.

During consideration of this item, the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Councillor P. McDonald, was invited to address Cabinet on behalf of the Board on this subject.  Members were advised that the Board had pre-scrutinised the report at a meeting held on 6^th January 2025.  The Board had noted that in the report it had been suggested that provision of smaller bins would help to encourage an increase in recycling rates in the District.  However, the Board had had concerns about the impact that this might have in the local community and therefore had recommended that the Council should invest in the larger bins.

Members subsequently discussed the proposals detailed in the report and in so doing commented on the following matters:

·             The procurement of new vehicles alongside new bins.  It was confirmed that these would be owned by the Council.

·             The typographical errors that had been identified in the report, including the figure in the second recommendation which should have been recorded as £2.2 million.

·             The hard work of the Waste Collection Service team.

·             The historic decision that had been taken by the Council to invest in diamond bins, which had been considered to be cutting edge at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58/24

The Environmental Services Manager presented a report concerning the introduction of a food waste collection service in Bromsgrove District.

Cabinet was advised that the Environment Act 2021 had introduced a new statutory duty for local authorities to provide a weekly food waste collection service.  Confirmation had not yet been provided to the Council on the new burdens funding that would be made available by the Government to the authority to help cover the costs of delivering this service.  However, it was anticipated that the Council would receive an additional circa £900,000 to cover the costs of new caddies and outdoor bins for household use for the food waste. 

At a local level, there were space issues at Bromsgrove depot in relation to accommodating a new vehicle or vehicles for the delivery of a food waste collection service.  These vehicles could not be accommodated alongside the existing fleet.  Officers had concluded that it would not be viable to purchase more land to accommodate the additional vehicles, so this was not considered to be a suitable option for the Council at this time.

Taking into account existing pressures and uncertainties, Officers were proposing that the Council should procure the food waste collection service through a private sector company.  Ideally, the Council would have aimed to deliver the service inhouse, but this was not considered to be feasible at this stage.  The proposal was to procure the service for a period of up to eight years.

To maximise interest in this opportunity within the private sector, Bromsgrove District Council would aim to procure this service jointly with Redditch Borough Council and Wyre Forest District Council.  There was no guarantee that the procurement exercise would be successful.  However, if the procurement process was unsuccessful, the Council could report back to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) highlighting the issues that had been experienced and a request would then be submitted to extend the deadline for the introduction of the service in the District.

Once the report had been presented, Members discussed the following matters in detail:

·             The procurement of an external provider for the food waste collection service and the implications for other waste collection services.  Cabinet was advised that existing services would be unaffected and would continue to be delivered inhouse.

·             The potential for the risks to the authority arising from the introduction of a food waste collection service to be reduced through procurement of a third party to deliver the service.  Officers explained that these risks would also be shared with Redditch Borough and Wyre Forest District Council by undertaking joint procurement.

·             The consultation that had already been undertaken with representatives of the Trades Unions and staff employed in the Waste Collection team to explain the rationale for the proposed way forward in this instance.

·             The soft market testing exercise that had been undertaken by five Worcestershire authorities, including Bromsgrove District Council, prior to this date and the extent to which the lack of interest expressed by private sector  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59/24

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented the Final Council Tax Support Scheme 2025/26 for Members’ consideration.

Cabinet was advised that the Council Tax Support Scheme had not been amended and remained largely the same as the version that had been approved in 2024.  The only difference was that the whole scheme had been uprated by 1.7 per cent in line with the approved increases in national benefits.  The Council brought in this banded scheme in 2021 and the full review undertaken in the previous year’s budget suggested that most Councils now used this type of matrix. 

The Council spent circa £5 million on Council Tax Support through the collection fund, with 70 per cent paid for by Worcestershire County Council, 13 per cent paid for by Bromsgrove District Council, 12 per cent paid for by the West Mercia Police and 5 per cent covered by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

There were circa 1,800 pension aged people living in the District who were receiving Council Tax Support (paid for by the Government) and 2,300 working aged residents.

Members welcomed the report and in doing so commented on the importance of the Council Tax Support Scheme in terms of providing support to some of the most vulnerable residents living in the District.

During consideration of this item, Members noted that the name of the lead Portfolio Holder should have been included in the table on the first page of the report.

RECOMMENDED that the council tax reduction scheme be retained for the 2025-26 tax year, subject to the uprating of income bands by 1.7 per cent in-line with increases to national benefits.

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented the Council Tax Base 2025/26 report for Cabinet’s consideration.

Members were advised that this was a statutory report which was required to allow precepting authorities to calculate how much Council Tax they would raise in the upcoming financial year.

The figures provided in the report were based on data on the Council Tax system as at the 30^th November 2024 adjusted for:

·             The latest dwelling numbers.

·             Discounts and exemptions such as Council Tax Support.

·             An allowance of 1 per cent for non-collection of Council Tax (with Members being advised that the Council’s in year collection rate was approximately 98.5 per cent.)

·             The new Council Tax base was 38,359.9 Band “D” equivalent properties (Members were informed that the previous financial year this figure had been 37,997.7).

The report had been pre-scrutinised at a recent meeting of the Finance and Budget Working Group.  During the meeting, Members had requested a breakdown of the number of properties in each band in the District.  The following information had subsequently been confirmed, which was highlighted with Cabinet Members for consideration:

·             Band A – 3,952 properties

·             Band B – 7,459 properties

·             Band C – 9,342 properties

·             Band D – 8,056 properties

·             Band E – 7,212 properties

·             Band F – 3,849 properties

·             Band G – 2,924 properties

·             Band H – 381 properties

Members were asked to note that whilst these figures added together might seem to differ from the Council Tax Base figure, this was because the Council Tax Base focused on Band D equivalent numbers.

The Finance and Budget Working Group had also questioned which areas of the District were impacted by the Trent River Management Area in terms of flood defences.  Officers confirmed that this included parts of Hollywood, Wythall, Frankley and Rubery.  Confirmation was provided that flood defence area information was included in the report as these figures were needed by Worcestershire County Council, which was the responsible lead authority for flood defences.

RESOLVED that the amount calculated by Bromsgrove District Council as the Council Tax Base for the whole area for 2025/26 is approved at 38,359.9 as detailed in appendix 1 to include the individual parish elements

The Strategic Housing Services Manager presented the Disabled Facilities Grant Ombudsman’s report for Cabinet’s consideration.

Members were advised that this was a statutory report which needed to be presented for Cabinet’s consideration.  The Local Government Ombudsman had concluded that there had been maladministration in relation to the provision of Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funding support to a local resident.  There had been a number of partner organisations involved in this complex case, including Bromsgrove District Council, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT), Worcestershire Children’s First and other bodies.  All partners had received criticisms in the report and recommendations had been made by the Ombudsman to address the issues that had been identified.

Since the report had been issued by the Ombudsman, the Council had been working to address the recommendations detailed in the report.  This had included taking a lead on communications and the introduction of a form for the DFG process that residents could sign to indicate that they understood and were satisfied with the works that would be undertaken using the funding.

Following the presentation of the report, Members expressed their disappointment that this situation had occurred in this instance.  There was general agreement that lessons needed to be learned from the situation to ensure that services improved in future.  As part of this process, the suggestion was made that the new form that had been introduced for the DFG scheme should involve tripartite approval; from the Occupational Therapist involved in undertaking an assessment of an applicant; from the applicant; and from the Council.  It was suggested that this would be particularly helpful for more vulnerable applicants, who might require additional support, as well as providing an audit trail.  Officers agreed to review and update the form accordingly.

RESOLVED that

1)          the content of the report be noted; and

2)          the actions implemented in response to the recommendations of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman be endorsed.

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Tranche 1 report (following consultation) 2025/26 to 2027/28.  In presenting this report, an update in respect of consultation feedback was circulated at the meeting (attached at Appendix 1 to the minutes).

Members were reminded that at the Cabinet meeting held on 10^th December 2024 the Tranche 1 MTFP was presented.  This report had then been considered prior to consultation with the public and other stakeholders.  The authority had subsequently consulted on the Tranche 1 budget proposals.  This budget consultation opened on 5th December 2024.  As part of the consultation process, an email invitation was sent to members of the Bromsgrove Community Panel to take part in the consultation.  The survey was also promoted on a variety of social media channels.  The survey closed at 12 noon on Thursday 2nd January 2025.  The response rate from the community panel members had been 48 per cent.   There were a total of 278 valid responses received overall.

In terms of responses to specific questions, Members were referred to Question 2, which provided a breakdown of the consultation responses by location.  The highest percentage of returns had been received from Aston Fields, Belbroughton and Romsley, and Bromsgrove Centre.  Question 16 provided a breakdown of the age ranges of the people who filled out the questionnaire.  Members were asked to note that the vast majority were aged over 50.

The survey had asked respondents to rank the three most important services they felt the Council should invest in.  In the feedback received, these had been:

·             Local Economic Development and Employment (47.1 per cent of respondents).

·             Community Safety (44.6 per cent of respondents).

·             Maintenance of the Landscape and Environment (43.8 per cent of respondents)

In questions where respondents were asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with particular suggestions, six of those responses entailed well over 50 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing.  Only two had responses lower than 50 per cent - these being:

·             Do you agree that the Council should invest more in our front-line services to cover increases in fuel? (At a 49.6% approval rate.)

·             Do you support fees and charges (this excludes parking) rising by 4% to keep them in line with inflation and rising staffing costs? (At a 40.2% approval rate.)

The highest approval rating, at 86.2 per cent, was to the question - Do you agree that the Council should invest in economic development in order to support local businesses, start-ups, the town and local centres and to prioritise local skills?

Two further questions were asked about what level of increase to Bromsgrove District Council's proportion of Council Tax residents supported.  The answers to this were:

·             61.5 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with a 1.99 per cent increase.

·             This dropped to 45.8 per cent for a 2.99 per cent increase.

The survey had also included two free test questions:

·       Please let us know your suggestions for investing in the district to increase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63/24