Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J. Elledge. It was noted that Councillors D. Forsythe, J. Stanley and H. Warren-Clarke would be in attendance for the meeting, however, they would be arriving late.

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.

Councillor R. Hunter declared an other registerable interest in respect of Minute Item No. 75/25 concerning the first Question on Notice for consideration at the meeting in respect of Nailer’s Yard in that he was employed by HS2.

Councillor C. Hotham declared a pecuniary interest in respect of Minute Item No. 76/25 concerning the second Motion on Notice for consideration at the meeting in respect of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) in that he was the owner of an HMO. Councillor Hotham left the room for consideration of this item and took no part in the debate nor the vote thereon.

The Chairman took the opportunity to wish Members, Officers and residents a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

This was echoed by the Head of Paid Service who wished all in attendance Seasons Greetings.

The Leader announced that there had been a change of membership to the Cabinet and an update to the portfolios as detailed below:

• Councillor K. May - Cabinet Member for Strategic Partnerships, Economic Development and Enabling
• Councillor S. Baxter - Cabinet Member for Local Government Reorganisation and Climate Change
• Councillor S. T. Nock - Cabinet Member for Finance
• Councillor K. Taylor - Cabinet Member for Planning, WRS and Strategic Housing
• Councillor S. Webb - Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Leisure and Culture
• Councillor P. Whittaker - Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Community Safety

The Leader took the opportunity to welcome Councillor S. T. Nock to the Cabinet and thanked Councillor B. McEldowney for his work whilst a member of the Cabinet. Councillor May also wished Members Season’s Greetings.

A period of up to 15 minutes is allowed for members of the public to make a comment, ask questions or present petitions.  Each member of the public has up to 3 minutes to do this.  A councillor may also present a petition on behalf of a member of the public.

There were no comments, questions or petitions from the public for consideration on this occasion.

The Chairman confirmed that no urgent decisions had been taken since the previous meeting of Council.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item; no longer than 10 minutes for  presentation of the report and then up to 3 minutes for each question to be put and answered.

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) and Strategic Housing presented the report for Members’ consideration.

Information was provided on Development Management, and it was noted that the operational scope of the development management services was wide. It maintained a range of environmental and historical information,provided informal and pre-application guidance, as well as undertaking the day-to-day statutory process of determining planning applications and appeals in accordance with the Development Plan. As a measure of work coming into the Planning department, it was reported that eight hundred and sixty-two planning applications had been received in 2024 and to date in 2025 eight hundred and thirty-three planning applications had been received.

In terms of major applications, the Council determined roughly four or five applications each quarter, this number had been consistent over the last few years. In addition, approximately twenty-seven pre-application requests were submitted each quarter. It was noted that these figures were rising when compared to 2024 and 2025. Performance for speed consistently exceeded central Government targets with over ninety-two per cent of major applications and eighty-seven per cent of minor applications being determined within an agreed time scale. Quality measures remained below the ten per cent figure for both major and minor applications.

Members were informed that the Development Management team undertook a restructure of its administrative roles which were implemented in 2025. This had resulted in the successful recruitment of two Senior Planning Officers.

The Development Management team took part in a design coding workshop with Strategic Planning colleagues. This related to the Government drive to see improved design in new developments.

Efforts had been made to assist all Planning Officers to achieve chartership status and it was noted that the Royal Town Planning Institute attended sessions at Parkside to provide support and guidance for Officers.

The Planning Team continued to work with Wyre Forest District Council to support the discharge of biodiversity net gain function on applications.

Members were thanked for their patience and for the substantial time they had given in respect of Strategic Planning over what had been a challenging year. Consultation on the draft Development Strategy had dominated the work for the Strategic Planning Department. Preparing a Local Plan was one of the most significant roles that the department undertook and Councillor Taylor thanked the Officers who had done an excellent job, particularly when going out to consult with residents. It was noted that there were still uncertainties surrounding this process, but it was clear that the Government expected Councils to bring forward a Local Plan as quickly as possible.

The Local Plan process was set firmly within legislative framework, and this process would continue in line with that and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Work was being undertaken as part of the review alongside the Planning Advisory Service (PAS).

Enforcement was also included within this portfolio and Planning Enforcement was part of this, along with several other areas of enforcement. The enforcement procedure was slow due to the quasi-judicial nature of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72\25

To consider the recommendations from the meeting of the Cabinet held on 19^th November 2025.

Council considered the outstanding recommendations arising from the meeting of Cabinet held on 19^th November 2025.

Medium Term Financial Plan Budget Update and Consultation Report

The Cabinet Member for Finance presented the Stage One update of Bromsgrove District Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2026/27 to 2028/29, alongside the proposed budget consultation.

This report was presented to the Finance and Budget Working Group on 17^th November 2025 and subsequently at a Cabinet meeting on 19^th November 2025.

The report detailed the financial landscape including any significant challenges and the strategy to ensure financial stability for the District.

As in previous years, the budget-setting process was split into two stages:

-        Stage One: This was based on known data up to December 2025 and was presented at this Council meeting.

-        Stage Two: Was to be finalised in January 2026 and approved in February 2026, following the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Members were informed that the Stage One budget report presented to Cabinet had highlighted a challenging financial position for the upcoming years. The forecast included an approved MTFP position as agreed at full Council in February 2025. At this time, the Council had a projected deficit of just under £1million pounds for the fiscal year 2026- 27 and a projected deficit of just under £400,000 for the fiscal year 2027-28.

There were five key factors which influenced these deficit projections. The first being inflationary pressures. It was reported that the Council had experienced increased costs due to inflation. In June 2024, the rate of inflation in the UK was 2 per cent. This peaked at 3.8 per cent in July, August, and September 2025. Whilst there was a welcome fall to 3.6 percent in October, the rate was stubbornly high and above the government target.

The second factor was pay awards. A high proportion of the Council’s costs were salaries and on costs such as pensions and National Insurance contributions. Nationally agreed pay awards had not been fully funded by the Government.

The third impact was a reduction in grant funding. Anticipated reductions in grant funding continued to contribute to the budget gap. The provisional impact of the Fairer Funding Review was still ongoing.

Finally, Local Governement Reorganisation (LGR) would inevitably impact on budgets going forward. The move towards unitary authorities in Worcestershire would significantly alter the local government finance landscape in 2026-27. Consequently, the Council needed to be mindful that the Reserves formed part of this proposal,and any use would need to be factored into the budget setting process.

It was reported that the Council had developed a new budget timetable and would take a strategic approach over the coming months. Financial reporting was now all up to date. However, the accounts were still to be audited.

The Council was adapting its operations to be more sustainable in response to economic and environmental conditions.

One of the key components of the budget process was public consultation which started on 20^th November 2025 and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73\25

Members queried a recommendation in respect of the Windsor Street report considered at the meeting held on 19^th November 2025.

1)    The Assistant Director for Regeneration and Property and the Assistant Director for Legal, Democratic and Procurement Services be given delegated authority to explore this option further and to report back to Cabinet on the outcomes at a later date.

Members requested clarification as to whether the report in respect of Windsor Street would also go to the Overview and Scrutiny Board prior to its consideration at Cabinet. It was confirmed that this was the case.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 19^th November 2025 were noted.

To deal with any questions on notice from Members of the Council, in the order in which they have been received.

Each Councillor scheduled to ask a question may ask up to one supplementary question, which must be based on the original question or the answer provided to that question.

A period of up to 15 minutes is allocated for the asking and answering of questions.  This may be extended at the discretion of the Chairman with the agreement of the majority of those present.

The Chairman explained that five Questions on Notice had been submitted for this meeting.

Question submitted by Councillor C. Hotham

“The Market Hall (Nailers Yard) development appears to be turning into Bromsgrove’s HS2. A vanity project with a huge overspend. Originally, the cost was expected to be £10,399,000. In March 2025 this had risen to £13,474,000. In August 2025 we are told it will now cost around £15,742,000. This is a £5,343,000 funded by the council taxpayers of Bromsgrove. What actions is the Cabinet Member responsible taking to control this 51% cost increase?”

The Cabinet Member for Strategic Partnerships, Economic Development and Enabling provided a detailed response for Members’ consideration.

In doing so, Members were reminded that Levelling Up Funding was allocated to areas to ‘level them up’ and the purpose of this funding was to create jobs and drive growth in areas to give people pride in the places where they lived.

Bromsgrove District Council had £17.694 million of funding committed to the Levelling Up Programme with the understanding that a further £2.425 Million was to be made available via Birmingham City Council as Bromsgrove’s allocation of funding from Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.  The total funding in relation to the Levelling Up Programme was £20,118,612 once the anticipated LEP funding was confirmed.  The LEP funding was approved by the Enterprise Zone Partnership Board in November 2025 and would be progressing to Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet for consideration on 20^th January 2026.

The cost for the Nailer’s Yard project was estimated in 2021 to be £10,399,000 and was now £15,004,552.  This was a 44.29 per cent increase due to inflationary cost increases, the cost of underground obstructions and additional necessary work associated with the culvert that ran through the site. 

The additional £4,605,552 had been funded by additional grant funding secured by the Council, an underspend on the public realm project, the LEP funds and a small increase of £165,000 in terms of the Council’s contribution plus a £335,000 contingency should that be required.  The Council committed to contributing 10 per cent towards the Levelling Up Programme. It was confirmed that based on the latest figures the Council’s contribution was confirmed to be just under 10 per cent.

The cost increase to the Bromsgrove council taxpayer was therefore £165,000 not £5,343,000 as suggested. 

The Council had already delivered public realm projects in the High Street under budget; a clean site would be delivered at Windsor Street for housing development which was within budget and a new community hub and commercial building at Nailer’s Yard would be open by summer 2026.

It should also be noted that the Nailer’s Yard site would produce an ongoing revenue stream for the Council once completed through rental income that could offset the Council’s contribution of up to £2.1m.

Over £1 million of additional funding linked to delivering the package of important regeneration schemes for the people of Bromsgrove had been achieved. 

In terms of governance of Levelling Up projects, the programme  ...  view the full minutes text for item 75\25

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.

The Chairman advised Members that two Motions on Notice had been submitted for consideration at this meeting.

Council considered the following Motion on Notice that was submitted by Councillor S. Ammar:

Christmas Light Switch on

“Timely and effective planning is essential for the success of community events that support our local economy. Council expresses concern about the planning process for this year's Bromsgrove Christmas light switch on event, where insufficient notice meant some hospitality businesses missed out on vital opportunities to generate additional income.

Council calls on the Cabinet to ensure that officers set a definitive cut-off date of 30 April 2026 to announce the Christmas lights switch-on date for 2026. This timeline is critical for aligning with hospitality businesses' needs and ensuring they can prepare adequately for the Christmas season.

A proactive approach will enable all our restaurants, cafes, pubs, and shops to participate fully, thus creating a vibrant festive atmosphere while giving local businesses a much-needed boost.”

In presenting the Motion, Councillor Ammar thanked those who had taken part in the Christmas Light Switch on in Bromsgrove High Street, in particular the schools and Members who attended. It had been a successful event however there were some concerns in respect of the planning of the event which had given rise to the Motion presented to Council.

The Motion was proposed by Councillor S. Ammar and seconded by Councillor J. Robinson.

The Leader of the Council provided information on the timeline for the Christmas Light Switch on and explained that this event always took place on the penultimate Saturday in November and that the Rubery Christmas Light Switch on always took place on the last Saturday in November. Therefore, the date for the event in 2026 was 21^st November.

The Leader took the opportunity to thank all those involved for making this year's event a great success, despite the rain during the day.

The details for the light switch on were later than usual this year because of the need to differently manage this very popular event so that there could be a countdown for the light switch on without residents congregating in one place.

Members were assured that dates for the event for 2026 would be shared with businesses in the new year via the business mailing list. The Bromsgrove Centres Manager and Communications team were currently planning a broader communications piece for the new Bromsgrove Town Centre Strategic Framework. This would include a request for businesses to provide updated information to ensure they were informed about high street activities.

The intention was to send this out before Christmas and the mailing list would be monitored and reviewed by Centres Manager.

In the run-up to Christmas events, the Events Team sent display material to those businesses operating near their locations of the light switch. Currently feedback was invited on the recent light switch on event through a recent press release which all Members received from the Communications Team and encouraged to respond to.

The clarification on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76\25

It was noted that there was one item of Urgent Business for Members consideration at this meeting in respect of a review of the Political Balance.

The purpose of the item of business was to provide Members with an opportunity to consider the political balance figures following a change to the membership of political groups at the Council since the last full Council meeting.

It was confirmed that this item was being considered as Urgent Business with the agreement of the Chairman of the Council as there was a requirement for the Council to consider the political balance figures as soon as was practicable after a change occurred to the membership of political groups.

In this instance, a change to the Council’s political balance occurred after the main agenda for this meeting had been published and therefore the item could only be brought forward as Urgent Business.

It was noted that discussions had been held with group leaders about the figures and that the final figures had been tabled for Members’ consideration this evening. These proposed changes were for the remainder of the 2025-26 municipal year

Members were invited to consider two proposals on page three of the supplementary pay papers pack. These were for the remainder

of the 2025 - 2026 municipal year until the next annual meeting of the Council or until the next review of political representation under Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 whichever was earlier.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor K. May and seconded by Councillor P. Whittaker.

RESOLVED that

1)          for the remainder of the 2025/26 Municipal Year, the Committees set out in the table in the appendix to the minutes be appointed and that the representation of the different political groups on the Council on those Committees be as set out in that table until the next Annual Meeting of the Council, or until the next review of political representation under Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, whichever is the earlier.

2)          Members be appointed to the Committees and as substitute members in accordance with nominations to be made by Group Leaders.