Agenda

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2023.

To be advised of any additional items of business which the Mayor decides by reason of special circumstances shall be taken as matters of urgency at this meeting. Items will be considered at the end of the agenda.

To receive verbally from Members any disclosures which they are required to make in accordance with the Council's code of conduct or in pursuance of Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. This is in addition to the need for such disclosure to be also given when the relevant matter is reached on the Agenda.

To receive such communications as the Mayor may decide to lay before the Council and to acknowledge the long service of three members of staff.

Question from Councillor Sutton to the Executive member for Planning:

“In relation to residential development in the borough, can the Executive member please confirm:

(a)  How many new homes the borough is expected to complete per year over the next five years, including any overspill agreed to be taken from Leicester City

(b)  Over the last five years, how many have been completed versus the target?

(c)   Several applications have been refused on the grounds that they are outside the settlement boundaries. Is there room to build what we have to, inside the present settlement boundaries?”

Response from Councillor Crooks:

“Thank you for your question. In response:

(a)  The council’s trajectory shows delivery of 2,424 dwellings in the five year period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027. This is proposed completions only and does not take account of any overspill from Leicester City, of which none has been agreed

(b)  From 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2022 a total of 1,947 dwellings were completed. This is against a target at the time (changing through the five years) of 2,289 dwellings

(c)   In the past five years to 31 March 2022, completed dwellings (on major sites, greater than 10 dwellings only) were 941 on greenfield sites and 417 on brownfield / previously developed land. It is not considered that going forward, with an annual target of 472 dwellings plus 5% buffer, that there is sufficient brownfield / previously developed land to meet these housing targets.

To deal with petitions submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15.

Mr Mayor, Members, as this is our last full Council meeting prior to Christmas I would like to extend my warm Christmas wishes to you all for a safe and Merry Christmas. You will note my statement has, on the whole, a Christmas theme to it.

Christmas lights

On Friday, 17 November we launched the festive season with our annual Christmas light switch on and firework display, sponsored by the Showman’s Guild. We drew bumper crowds who enjoyed the live music and Fosse 107 radio.

I would like to extend my thanks to all officers involved in putting on the event and those volunteers who helped support the evening.

Free parking for Christmas period

I am pleased to announce that shoppers can park for free in Lower Bond Street, Trinity West and Castle car parks after 9am in the four Saturdays leading up to Christmas on the 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd December. I would also remind everyone that parking is free on Sundays throughout the year and shoppers can also park for free in North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) car park on these Saturdays before Christmas.

Whilst recognising the financial challenges that everyone is facing this Christmas, I hope the free parking offer will encourage residents to support their local high street, market and hospitality venues.

BID success

I am pleased to confirm that Hinckley BID secured its fourth five-year term, following a successful ballot of over 400 businesses in the town centre. 74% of eligible businesses voted in favour of a further five-year term. The BID works closely with the council in promoting our annual joint events programme and in showcasing what the town has to offer along with providing support to local businesses.

Hollycroft Park – People’s Choice Awards

Sticking with the Christmas cheer, I am delighted that Hollycroft Park, Hinckley, has been listed nationally by the public as one of their most impressive green spaces as part of the 2023 People’s Choice Awards – a top 10 park in the country. This builds on recent success in securing a Green Flag award.

This is fantastic news and thank you to everyone who voted for the park. To be recognised as one of the top 10 favourite parks in the country rightly acknowledges the amazing contributions of our staff, the Friends of Hollycroft Park and all our volunteers and visitors that make this such a great place to visit at the heart of our community.

Our new big bin service launched

I am delighted to announce that our new big bin service has been launched and take up is going well. This service is aimed at those who are throwing out numerous items which are too big to fit in a standard waste bin, but do not have enough to fill up a skip. Details of the service can be found on the council’s website and have been published to the media and in the Borough Bulletin.

I would  ...  view the full agenda text for item 8.

To receive for information only the minutes of the Scrutiny Commission meeting held on 26 October 2023.

To seek support for the regeneration of the flats at Peggs Close, Earl Shilton.

To seek support for adoption and implementation of the Green Space Strategy and Delivery Plan.

To seek approval of the review outcomes in relation to polling districts and polling places.

Appendix C to the report (maps) are available on the website alongside the agenda.

Addendum to report:

Paragraph 3.6.11: disregard lines 2 and 4 and substitute with “no changes to the polling district boundaries and polling place for DAC and DAD”.

Appendix C: disregard map 2.

To inform Council of the statutory increase in planning fees and approve the amendment to the scale of fees & charges.

To seek approval of the Medium Terms Financial Strategy for 2023/24 to 2027/28.

The Scrutiny Commission gave consideration to this report at its meeting on 26 October. An extract from the minutes of that meeting is attached.

To seek endorsement for the new corporate plan.

To appoint one representative for a term of three years with effect from December 2023.

To appoint four representatives for a term of three years with effect from December 2023.

This motion has been deferred to the next meeting at the request of the mover and seconder.

“This Council notes:

A recent cross-party emergency summit hosted by Eastbourne Borough Council, alongside the District Councils Network and attended by 158 local authorities (half of all local authorities in England), discussed the national crisis relating to homelessness and temporary accommodation. Ordinary working families and single people are caught up in a housing crisis that is no fault of theirs. Local authorities across the country spent £1.7bn on temporary accommodation in the last financial year.

Homeless presentations to the borough council have risen by 93% from 2020/21 to 2022/23 and continue to rise. Our spend on temporary accommodation during this time has more than doubled. A combination of new responsibilities from the Homelessness Reduction Act, private sector rents being beyond the means of many people and the lack of affordable housing options for people to move into has created this crisis. The lack of secure housing has a wider socio-economic impact on health, mental wellbeing, childhood development, productivity and communities.

This Council supports the outcomes of the emergency cross party summit and urgently requests that the government:

1.    Raises local housing allowance rates to a level that will cover at least 30% of local market rent and commit to annual uprating.

2.    Provides urgent additional funding to local authorities for discretionary housing payments of £100m in 2023-24 and £200m in 2024-25.

3.    Provides a £150m top-up to the homelessness prevention grant for 2024-25.

4.    Reviews the cap for housing benefit subsidy rate for local authority homelessness placements.

5.    Develops new policy to stimulate retention and supply in the privately rented sector.

6.    Gives councils the long-term funding, flexibility and certainty needed to increase the supply of social housing.”

Supplementary agenda: The following amendment will be proposed by Councillor Bray and seconded by Councillor Bools as mover and seconder of the original motion:

Amend point 1 to read:

“1.        Commit to an annual uplifting of the local housing allowance rates to ensure it continues to cover at least 30% of local market rent”.

“This Council notes that while we welcome technological advances and development, there is an increasingly wide digital divide between those who have access to online services and those who don’t.

The Ofcom report of 2022 notes that 6% of households in the UK do not have access to online services. In Hinckley and Bosworth this would mean there are approximately 6,600 people who are unable to access digital services and these people are likely to be the most vulnerable in our communities, so those with disabilities, the young and the old and those on low incomes.

Therefore, this Council agrees to:

1.    Appoint a Digital Divide Champion to take an active lead in this area.

2.    Ensure all council services are available to all our residents and put in place action plans to resolve any deficits.

3.    Work with council partners to maximise digital skills for local residents and address digital poverty.

4.    Ensure that the implementation of future online services does not increase the digital divide and any future online developments take this into account.

5.    Call upon Leicestershire County Council and the government to ensure that their own services, government offices, national corporations and banks that utilise online services do not negatively impact on those who are unable to access digital equipment in line with the Equalities Act 2010.”

Supplementary agenda: In the absence of Councillor L Mullaney, this motion will be seconded by Councillor C Gibbens.

“Once more we are looking forward to the festive season.

This motion proposes that this Council notes that the people of Ukraine are approaching their second Christmas at war and reaffirms its support for the Ukraine.

This motion further acknowledges the continuing work and support given to Ukrainian refugees by officers of this council and residents across the borough.

Lastly, this motion seeks to recognise and welcome the efforts and contributions made to our communities by Ukrainians who have made their new homes in the towns and rural communities throughout Hinckley & Bosworth.”