Agenda item

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 would improve cross border policing and increase community safety.

 

In seconding the Motion, Councillor P. Whittaker expressed his thanks to Councillor E. Gray for proposing the Motion on Notice and recognised the importance of this cross border working with police colleagues to support Bromsgrove as a safe place to live and work.  Councillor H. Jones, as the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel was urged to raise this matter at the next meeting of the panel, and to ask how collaboration between West Mercia Police and West Midlands Police was carried out and dealt with. 

 

During consideration of this item, an amendment was proposed to the wording of this Motion by Councillor J. Robinson.  The amendment was detailed as follows:

 

“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.  Therefore, this Council calls on the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board to invite the Police and Crime Commissioner to one of their panels.”

 

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

 

There was detailed debate in respect of this amendment. The areas raised included the following:

 

·       The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was the strategic lead for West Mercia Police rather than operational. Concerns were raised that if he was invited to a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, there was the potential for questioning to be focussed more on operational matters. It was with this in mind, that it was suggested that if the amendment was agreed there would be a need for questions to be asked on strategic matters only.

·       It was acknowledged that the PCC had attended other elected Member meetings along with Senior Police officials, such as Parish Council meetings and Worcestershire County Council meetings. At these meetings, it was noted that operational matters had been discussed and actioned effectively.

·       Members also noted that scrutiny should consider strategic matters as part of their considerations in order to hold all elected officials to account to achieve the best outcomes for the residents of Bromsgrove.

·       The impact of cross border policing and its importance to the residents of Bromsgrove.

·       Members noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Board was responsible for its own work programme. If Members were keen to have a discussion such as this at one of its meetings, then Members of the Board could request that it be placed on the Board’s work programme.

·       It was also noted, however, that there had been precedence at the previous Council meetings in referring Motions on Notice for discussion by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

 

Councillor H. Jones reported to Council that, at meetings of the West Mercia Police and Crime Panel, she held the PCC to account and had worked hard to implement projects that greatly improved the safety and security of those living in Bromsgrove.

 

Members expressed their eagerness to receive updates such as these in the future as it would help to provide transparency of the issues discussed at West Mercia Police and Crime Panel meetings.

 

In accordance with Procedure Rule 18.3 a recorded vote was taken on the amendment as follows:

 

Members voting FOR the amendment:

 

Councillors S. Ammar, A. Bailes, J. Clarke, S. Colella, S. Evans, C. Hotham, R. Hunter, D. Nicholl and J. Robinson (9).

 

Members voting AGAINST the amendment:

 

Councillors S. Baxter, A. Dale, J. Elledge, D. Forsythe, E. Gray, H. Jones, B. Kumar, M. Marshall, K. May, B. McEldowney, S. Nock, J. Stanley, K. Taylor, H. Warren-Clarke and S. Webb (15).

 

Members voting to ABSTAIN on the amendment:

 

Councillors R. Bailes, S. Peters and P. Whittaker (3).

 

Therefore, the vote on the amendment was lost.

 

A further amendment was subsequently proposed to the wording of this Motion by Councillor C. Hotham.  The amendment was detailed as follows:

 

“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.  At the end of this, the Bromsgrove District Council representative bring back a report to this Council on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s response.”

 

Councillor E. Gray, as the proposer of the original Motion, confirmed that she was happy to incorporate this amendment into the wording of the Motion and this therefore became part of the Substantive Motion for debate.

 

Members asked whether, if the Motion was agreed, the report would be provided verbally or in written form. It was confirmed that this information would be provided at a later date.

 

On being put to the vote it was

 

RESOLVED that

 

“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.  At the end of this, the Bromsgrove District Council representative bring back a report to this Council on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s response.”

 

Inclusivity of Play Areas with the District

 

Council considered the following Motion on Notice, submitted by Councillor S. Robinson (as Councillor S. Robinson had submitted her apologies for this meeting the Motion on Notice was proposed by Councillor J. Robinson):

 

 

“This Council resolves to ask Cabinet if they can ensure that all new and refurbished playgrounds are inclusive by design, with an aspiration that all children are able to access a majority of features.”

 

Prior to the consideration of this Motion on Notice it was announced by Councillor R. Hunter that an alteration to the proposed Motion had been accepted. The alteration was as follows:

 

“This Council resolves to ask Cabinet if they can undertake to always consider from the outset, inclusivity as part of the planning and design process of new and refurbished playgrounds.”

 

In presenting the updated Motion, it was noted that play areas were vital for the residents of Bromsgrove and in implementing the Play Audit earlier in the year, there had been a missed opportunity in terms of including accessibility and inclusivity for play areas in the decisions made. It was hoped that this Motion would serve to rectify this for all those who utilised the play areas within the District.

 

In seconding the Motion, Councillor K. May stated it was important that play areas achieved a range of purposes including being as inclusive as possible for as many children as possible.  The importance of consulting with children who used the play areas would be helpful in understanding needs for these locations in the future.

 

There was a programme for providing new and enhanced play areas across the District. This programme included the provision of accessibility features and some accessible equipment.

 

Members had been debating the play provision for some time indicating several key areas that they would like to be considered.

 

It was important to manage this in a context that considered the District’s priorities for play and the actions that had already been taken to meet these.

 

Detailed knowledge in relation to Council sites was available, and the Council was working to acquire knowledge regarding other non-council sites, to ensure that a strategic approach was taken in the delivery of the enhancement programme.

 

Members had all been clear that play provision was a priority for the remainder of the life of the Council prior to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). To achieve this for the benefit of all residents, the current capital programme for play needed to be revisited to understand what further funding would be required to meet aspirations and accelerate delivery overall.

 

During the discussion of this Motion, the following was highlighted:

 

·       Play areas were vital for the District and needed to be accessible for all.

·       Several examples of consultation had taken place at play areas where refurbishment was underway. This had been extremely valuable in understanding the needs of the residents and particularly the children, who used these spaces. It was important that the changes and inclusion of equipment was evidence based, and this could only occur if the correct users of the equipment were consulted.

·       The consideration of equality and diversity needs for those users of the play areas was extremely important.

·       It was necessary to separate the design process for these play spaces and the ongoing implementation of the Play Strategy to leave a legacy for the residents of the District.

 

In summing up, Councillor J. Robinson thanked Ms G. and Ms K. Crosby-Reed for highlighting this issue for the consideration of Council and for attending the meeting to ask questions regarding this matter.

 

On being put to the vote it was

 

RESOLVED that

 

This Council resolves to ask Cabinet if they can undertake to always consider from the outset, inclusivity as part of the planning and design process of new and refurbished playgrounds.