Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Brine, Fryer, Gray, Hurst, Housden, Job, John Jones, Kay, Mossman, Patrick, Pearcy, Pearson, Ross and Tipper.

To receive declarations of interest.

There were none.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2023.

The Chair confirmed that a small amendment had been made to the Minutes to show Cllr Kay as the Vice-Chair instead of Cllr Hall.

RESOLVED    That the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2023 were approved as a correct record.

To receive announcements from the Chair of Council, Leader of Council or Chief Executive.

Councillor Stephen Davies congratulated Councillor Green on her appointment as the Conservative Group Leader. Councillor Green thanked Councillor Davies for his hard work and support whilst he was Group Leader.

Councillor Cornell congratulated Councillor Drury-Layfield on his appointment as the Community Independents Group Leader. Councillor Drury-Layfield thanked Councillor Cornell for the compassion and kindness she had shown during her time as Group Leader.

Councillor Braun announced that a new prospectus for the Stroud District had been launched, the Natural Place was an online prospectus which aimed to stimulate investment and reflected the values of the Stroud District.

The Chair of the relevant Committee will answer questions from members of the public submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures laid out in Section 3, Paragraph 8, of the Constitution.

Public questions were submitted. They were answered by the Leader of Council, Councillor Braun. A supplementary question was also answered. (Refer to the recording of the meeting and Agenda Item 5).

Environment Committee – 30 March 2023

The Chair of Environment Committee will present this item.

To update Council on the method of Ubico fleet replacement over the next four years and agree the required budget.

Councillor Turner, Chair of Environment Committee, introduced the report and advised that out of the 77 vehicles in the fleet that Ubico operated, 24 were due for replacement. The report outlined the decision making process and the options available. The Environment Committee recommended that the Council undertake option 3 which would mean that light vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes would be replaced where possible with electric vehicle options and extensive trials would be undertaken for larger vehicles to ensure that there was no impact on operational reliability.

Councillor Green asked for clarification on section 1.3, Councillor Turner advised that it meant they would take the opportunity to look at rounds and ways the rounds could be delivered with different types of vehicles to make improvements.

Proposed by Councillor Turner and seconded by Councillor Drury-Layfield.

Councillor Drury-Layfield commended the work of the Community Services Manager and encouraged everyone to support the transitional step.

Councillor Watson advised that they had spoken at length at Environment Committee regarding the use of fuels to ensure that they did not cause the displacement of food crops. She encouraged Ubico to consider circular economy opportunities by using recycled fuel.

Councillor Turner thanked the Community Services Manager and Ubico and asked the Council to support the decision.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

To consider the revised Complaints & Feedback Policy.

Councillor Studdert-Kennedy, Chair of Audit and Standards Committee, introduced the report and confirmed that the Committee had agreed to recommend the revised policy to Council at their meeting on the 18 April 2023. He advised that the policy reflected changes to best practice, the Service Standards and Values and Behaviours the Council had adopted. The new policy would help to ensure a consistent level of service across the whole Council. Councillor Studdert-Kennedy drew Members attention to the key timescales included in the policy.

In the absence of any questions, Councillor Studdert-Kennedy proposed and Councillor Stephen Davies seconded.

Councillor Stephen Davies stated that they had spent a lot of time at Audit and Standards Committee discussing the report and wanted to ensure that complaints were handled effectively for residents of the district, he offered his support for the new policy.

The Chair advised that he found the flow chart included in Appendix B very useful to help understand the process that would be followed.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

See Agenda Item 5 for the deadline for submissions.

There were none.

Domestic abuse can affect anyone, destroying families and lives, leaving lasting physical and emotional scars, and having a particularly devastating impact on children and young people. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 was introduced to strengthen the response across all agencies, provide further protections for those experiencing domestic abuse and put in place enhanced measures to bring perpetrators to justice.

Council notes that:

·         The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places a statutory duty on first tier councils (county and unitary councils) to Prepare a Domestic Abuse Strategy. Gloucestershire County Council has prepared a Domestic Abuse Strategy 2021-24:  https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/2110605/gcc-domestic-abuse-strategy.pdf

·         The District Council plays an important role in the delivery of the Domestic Abuse Strategy, working in multi-agency partnership with the County Council and others including the Police, the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) and Stroud Beresford Women’s Refuge, our current charity of the year.

·         The District Council is working on the preparation of a Domestic Abuse Policy relating to tenants and tenancies, and another relating to staff, as well as reviewing its Safeguarding Policy and training, including in relation to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Council resolves that:

·         Officers are asked to prepare a report for consideration by the Strategy and Resources Committee to set out this Council’s role in addressing Domestic Abuse within the context of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the County Council’s Domestic Abuse Strategy. The report should include:

o   Recognition of the need for the preparation of a clear and concise overarching District Council Domestic Abuse Strategy to show how the different strategies and policies of different councils and council services relate to each other, provide appropriate support and protection to victims and address the perpetrators of Domestic Abuse.

o   Recognition that the preparation of the above strategy will be led by the Strategic Director of Communities, who chairs the cross-service Safeguarding Group.

o   Consideration of how Members are to be involved in the preparation of the above strategy and other Domestic Abuse policies as appropriate and in the identification of any gaps, potentially through a Working Group or Task and Finish Group to complement the cross-service Safeguarding Group chaired by the Strategic Director of Communities.

o   Reference to the need for cross-service and staff / Member work to identify any gaps in provision and recommend how these will be addressed.

o   Consideration of further training needs for staff and Members in relation to Domestic Abuse. 

·         The overarching District Council Domestic Abuse Strategy referred to above will be brought to a future meeting of relevant committees for consideration.

Councillor Trina Davis presented the Motion and stated that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men were victims of domestic abuse. She acknowledged the great work that the Council were already doing around domestic abuse but felt that more could be done. She stated that having a Working Group and a dedicated strategy in place would be a huge step forward.

Councillor Edmunds asked whether they knew how many refuges were in Gloucestershire as more than 2,500 child protection referrals regarding domestic abuse had been made in Gloucestershire in 2021. Councillor Stephen Davies advised that refuges were not the only solution and that every domestic abuse case was different with the victims requiring different support.

Councillor Green welcomed the Motion and urged Councillors to support it.

Councillor Turner advised that they had seen some good work carried out by the County Council and she had recently undergone training. She asked whether the Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service could be highlighted on the Members Hub webpages.

Councillor Braun thanked Councillor Davis for bringing the Motion to Council and highlighting an important issue that affected over 2 million people across the UK.  She confirmed that the Council worked closely with the County Council but was interested in what more could be done.

Councillor Watson as a member of the Member Development Working Group highlighted the low uptake by Members of some training courses which would help Councillors know what to do.

Councillor Stephen Davies stated that the County Council had a greater responsibility however the District Council did a huge amount of good work but didn’t have any documents to highlight this. He asked Council to support the Motion.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

This Council is committed to defend the human rights of all our residents, and to fulfil our public sector equality duty to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people.

In 2019 this Council committed to join the Lift the Ban Coalition calling on the UK Government to change the law to give people seeking asylum the ability to seek work. The Council also committed to appropriate provision to support asylum seekers in Stroud District, including promotion of education and training to enable them to better integrate into the District and play an active role in the success of the local economy.

Since then, the Council has played an important role in cooperating and partnering with other Gloucestershire councils and GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) to support asylum-seekers and refugees fleeing war and persecution, from Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and other countries.

This Council notes that:

·         At the end of 2021, around 89 million people were forcibly displaced across the world. Of these, 27 million were refugees, whilst 53 million were internally displaced within their country of origin.

·         Of all the refugees in the world, 72% are living in countries neighbouring their country of origin, often in developing countries. The UK is home to approximately 1% of the refugees who were displaced across the world.

·         In 2022, 75% of initial asylum decisions made by the UK Government resulted in a grant of asylum or other form of protection.

·         The Government has brought forward yet another immigration bill, at a time when there are currently no safe routes to the UK for nationalities of many countries most likely to be granted asylum including those with family members in our local communities.

·         People who arrive irregularly, when there are no safe and legal routes available to them, would never be allowed under the provisions of the new Illegal Migration Bill, to access the asylum system. Instead, they are likely to be detained and / or left destitute, without the right to work and in limbo indefinitely.

·         The Illegal Migration Bill would also remove vital protections for women and children, and victims of trafficking, meaning they could all face detention.

This Council resolves to:

·         Condemn the Illegal Migration Bill, which it considers to be in opposition to fundamental tenets of international human rights law, and represents an attack on migrants’ rights.

·         Commit to defend the rights of all people in our communities to live side by side in dignity and to continuing to welcome those who make our district their home.

·         Call on the Home Secretary to:

a)    Withdraw the Illegal Migration Bill.

b)    Commit to resourcing an asylum system that can deliver fair and timely asylum decisions.

c)    End the Home Office contracts with providers of temporary, often poor quality and unsuitable accommodation for asylum seekers.

·         Call on the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities to open discussions with local authorities about the best ways and resources needed  ...  view the full agenda text for item CL.083

Councillor Cornell presented the Motion and advised that the UK had been a key signatory to the refugee convention in 1951 which aimed to protect refugees. On the Government website it stated that the aim of the Illegal Migration Bill was to “make it unambiguously clear that, if you enter the UK illegally, you should not be able to remain here. Instead, you will be detained and promptly removed either to your home country or to a safe country where any asylum claim will be considered.” She stated that evidence showed that the bill was unlikely to work, the UK only currently had an agreement with one country willing to accept asylum seekers and this agreement was not currently operational. Asylum seekers who were not removed to another country would remain in the UK indefinitely with no legal status and would not be able to work. It was not clear how the government planned to provide suitable accommodation for those who were not granted status. Furthermore she stated that the bill would not deter people from arriving in the UK as evidence showed that refugees had limited knowledge on asylum policies and this was not the largest factor in them making decisions as to where to go. She asked for the government to drop the bill and create safe and legal routes for people to travel to the UK to claim asylum.

Councillor Studdert-Kennedy asked what alternatives could be considered. Councillor Cornell stated that safe routes were needed so that citizens from other countries e.g. Sudan, could flee to the UK. She also advised that resources needed to be put in place to clear the backlog.

Councillor Green proposed an amendment as laid out with the changes in red below, the amendment was seconded by Councillor Stephen Davies.

Council resolves to:

•        Condemn the Illegal Migration Bill, which it considers to be in opposition to fundamental tenets of international human rights law, and represents an attack on migrants’ rights.

•        Commit to defend the rights of all people in our communities to live side by side in dignity and to continuing to welcome those who make our district their home.

•        Call on the Home Secretary to:

a)     Withdraw the Illegal Migration Bill.

b)     Commit to resourcing an asylum system that can deliver fair and timely asylum decisions.

c)     Welcome the ending of the Home Office contracts with providers of temporary, often poor quality and unsuitable accommodation for asylum seekers.

•        Call on the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities to open discussions with local authorities about the best ways and resources needed to provide good quality long term accommodation for all those in need, including asylum seekers, within our communities.

•        Mandate our Chief Executive to write to the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to this effect.

Councillor Prenter stated that he didn’t think the bill had anything to do with immigration  ...  view the full minutes text for item CL.083

This report brings forward to Council a number of proposed amendments to the Constitution.

The Corporate Director (Monitoring Officer) introduced the report that proposed a number of changes to the constitution, she highlighted the key changes which were expanded in sections 2 – 8. The changes had been considered in part by the Constitution Working Group and the Development Control Committee.

Proposed by Councillor Studdert-Kennedy and seconded by Councillor Braun.

Councillor Watson made an observation regarding the Role Profiles in Appendix E and advised that it was important that all Councillors operated from a minimum knowledge and commitment level. The Role Profiles outlined that this relied on group leaders to encourage members to attend training and meetings. Councillor Watson asked Members whether they needed to consider strengthening this to ensure that Members were participating in relevant meetings and training.

Councillor Studdert-Kennedy asked for assurance that tenancy hearings would remain as a standard duty of Members of the Audit and Standards Committee however other Members would be able to attend in the absence of available Audit and Standards Committee Members. The Corporate Director (Monitoring Officer) confirmed that was correct.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

To inform Members of the feedback from the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge progress review, which took place on 17 January 2023.

The Leader, Councillor Braun, introduced the report and advised that conclusions and comments of the Peer Challenge Team had been included in Appendix A. She highlighted some findings of the Peer Challenge team including the following:

•        Stroud was in many ways a unique place with a strong industrial heritage, but with a real focus on the future.

•        Emphasised the importance of partnership working and the value the council placed on working with communities.

•        Staff were advocates for the Council and the Stroud District.

•        The Council had staff who wanted to work for an organisation that cared, that had a sense of purpose and was doing the right thing, a good employer and provider of services for the right reasons.

The Leader confirmed that any further recommendations for improvement would be included in the relevant service plans.

Proposed by Councillor Braun and seconded by Councillor Bennett.

Councillor Brown said that the report had been very positive about the work with Town and Parish Councils and advised that he would be taking sections of the peer challenge report to his next Parish Council meeting to provide them with an update.

Councillor Cornell expressed her support for the report and stated she was glad that they had the opportunity to reflect on the progress.

Councillor Drury-Layfield was pleased to see the work of the Member Development Working Group acknowledged and paid tribute to the Members of the Working Group who had recently agreed to work towards the Councillor Development Charter.

Councillor Bennett stated that they had received really positive feedback and that it was good to see the progress that had continued.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED To note the feedback report prepared by the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge and the progress made against the Action Plan.

To provide an update on the Ubico Five Year Vision and Business Plan 2023/2024.

The Chief Executive introduced the report and advised that she fulfilled the shareholder function of the Ubico multi services partnership. She confirmed that the Environment Committee had the opportunity to feed into the business plan in December 2022 and had considered the draft business plan in February 2023.

Proposed by Councillor Turner and seconded by Councillor Drury-Layfield.

Councillor Drury-Layfield offered his support for the report and paid tribute to the Ubico workers.

Councillor Turner advised that she was impressed with how open Ubico were with them and appreciated that they always suggested further opportunities.

On being put to the vote, the Motion was carried unanimously.

To agree changes to the membership of Strategy and Resources Committee.

Councillors Nick Hurst and Nick Housden were replaced by Councillors Trina Davis and Lindsey Green on Strategy and Resources Committee.