Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

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 Cabinet meeting held on 6^th March 2026 were submitted for Members’ consideration.

Members raised that following the meeting an error had been identified in the following resolution which referenced a table that had included an error.

The Interim Director of Finance be authorised to make payments under section 90(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 from the collection fund by ten equal instalments between April 2026 to March 2027 as detailed below:-

The correct table should have read: -

This error had now been resolved and a Decision taken under Urgency Procedure Rules on 18^th March 2026. Members requested that this be noted in the minutes for the Council meeting that also took place on 6^th March 2026 prior to their publication.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 6^th March 2026 be approved as a true and accurate record.

There are no outstanding recommendations contained in the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board included in this agenda pack.

Members considered the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 10th February 2026. It was noted there were no outstanding recommendations from this meeting.

It was confirmed that no reports due for consideration at this Cabinet meeting were pre-scrutinised by the Board at its meeting held on 24^th March 2026.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 10th February 2026 be noted.

The Housing Development & Strategy Manager presented the Shared Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2031 for Members’ consideration.

In doing so the following was highlighted:

·       The Homelessness Act 2002 required all housing authorities to have a homelessness strategy in place which was based on a review of all forms of homelessness in their local authority area.

·       It was intended that this Strategy would sit under the existing Worcestershire Strategic Housing Board Plan.

·       In developing the Strategy, a comprehensive assessment of the nature and extent of homelessness across the local authority areas was carried out. This included engaging those who had a lived experience of homelessness, rough sleeping and domestic abuse. A consultation event was held on 30^th September 2025 with partners and stakeholders, to consider housing from both a strategic and client-based perspective. This event included partners from a variety of statutory and voluntary organisations. Going forward the approach to homelessness and rough sleeping would move from crisis to prevention.

·       The new Shared Homelessness Strategy, in partnership with Redditch Borough Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Wychavon District Council and Wyre Forest District Council, built on the success of the Council’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2022-25, which emphasised prevention, intervention, recovery and joined-up systems, which were core themes echoed in the new National Plan. Members were informed that Worcester City Council were not involved in this Strategy and had decided to implement a separate strategy designed to address the specific homelessness and rough sleeping situation experienced in Worcester City area. The local authorities aimed to eliminate unlawful use of Bed and Breakfast facilities for families (beyond statutory short stays) and improve the quality of temporary accommodation and aimed to halve long-term rough sleeping.

·       Local authorities were expected to tackle the structural causes of homelessness by building more affordable and social homes and support the reform of the private rented sector by working with landlords and tenants to help them to sustain their accommodation where possible.

·       The new Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant would provide funding to develop services to support the strategy. Members had previously considered a report which had provided detail on spending priorities for the next three years. Members queried the allocation for this grant. It was explained that the funding was allocated as follows:

-        Total allocation over three years - £1,636,130

o   Homelessness and Rough Sleeping allocation – £1,474,308

o   Domestic Abuse Grant allocation - £111,315

o   Renters’ Rights Act allocation - £50,497

Members thanked Officers for the comprehensive report on such an important matter. It was noted that there was a typographical error contained within the report at paragraph 2.6. It was confirmed that the Councils involved in this Strategy were confirmed as Redditch Borough Council, Malvern Hills District Council, Wychavon District Council and Wyre Forest District Council.

The Executive Director presented the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) Review for the consideration of Cabinet. In doing so, the following was highlighted:

·       The review covered the Bromsgrove District Council’s Local Plan production and the Development Management decision making framework.

·       PAS noted that the Planning service was operating in a complex environment in a District that was made up of eighty-nine per cent Green Belt and had only 2.4 years of housing land supply left which led to speculative development.

·       The report noted that the Council was currently under No Overall Control (NOC). This had led to a greater need for cross party collaboration.

·       Development Management processes were broadly very sound. However, early engagement between Members and Officers was not always consistent with regard to applications.

·       The Review had noted that Planning was increasingly being viewed through a party-political lens rather than a shared Corporate Priority.

·       Trust needed to be rebuilt between Members and Officers.

·       There were significant obstacles in meeting the Local Development Plan timetable, not least in the absence of the national plan making regulations and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

·       There was a need to embed governance arrangements in order to foster cross-party consensus around the Local Plan. This would mean development of a compelling spatial vision, and the completion of the evidence base and working with key partners such as Worcestershire County Council.

·       PAS noted that the Council must create an environment where behaviours reflected shared goals rather than individual political agendas.

·       The report made it clear that Planning was a key Corporate Risk.

·       The political leadership and senior managers needed to support and enable Officers and Members to make difficult but necessary decisions.

·       It was noted that Bromsgrove District Council’s Planning service was at a critical juncture, and that leadership and senior management must have a clear opportunity to address the current risks but also set a new tone for how Councillors, Officers and senior leadership worked together, collectively taking responsibility for how Planning shaped the future of the District.

·       As a result of the Review, fifteen recommendations were made - eight related to Development Management and the decision-making process and seven to the Local Plan development. The recommendations aimed to build consensus, develop an agreed vision, training, resources and improved partner relations. Officers had drawn up an action plan as to how the recommendations could best be delivered, these were included in Appendix 2 to the report.

·       The PAS Review had been presented to Group Leaders at a meeting held on 28^th January 2026. It was also pre-scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny Board on 10^th February 2026. The points raised by the Board were included in Appendix 3 to the report; and the recommendation in respect of joint Member and Officer Planning training was reflected in the action plan.

·       A key recommendation from the Review in order to build political consensus, was that a cross-party Working Group be established with a defined, politically balance membership proportionate to Group size. Given it was important  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92/25

There was no Urgent Business on this occasion.