Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 14 September 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 September 2022 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Please declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests that you may have relating to any specific matters which may be discussed at the meeting.

No declarations were made.

Please see the briefing note, which does not accompany this agenda but will be circulated prior to the meeting.

a)    Honorary Alderman Mike Skinner

The Chairman passed on his condolences to the family of Mike Skinner, former County Councillor, who sadly passed away last week. Mike had been a member of the Council for many years, representing St Mark’s, St Paul’s and St Peter’s, until 2013. He was also Chair of Council between 2002 and 2003.

Several members spoke of their sadness at Mike’s passing. They spoke of a gentleman who spoke his mind when necessary, and who continued to take an interest in his community even after stepping down as a councillor. They expressed their condolences to Mike’s family and friends.

A minute’s silence was held in Mike’s memory.

b)    Liberal Democrat Political Researcher

The Chairman welcomed Tim Cobbett, Liberal Democrat Political Researcher, who commenced in his role at the Council on 3 October 2022.

c)    Head of Democratic Services

The Chairman congratulated Stephen Bace on his appointment as Head of Democratic Services.

d)    Cyber awareness training for councillors

Members were reminded to complete the training on their devices.

e)    Beachley Barracks

The Chairman informed members that on 31 August 2022, himself and Cllr Andrew Gravells were hosted by Lieutenant Colonel Colin Oliver MBE, Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion The Rifles at Beachley Barracks, based in Gloucestershire.

As the Member for the Armed Forces Covenant, Councillor Gravells had been working to establish links with all of the armed forces sites in the County. During the meeting, it was discussed how they could work together to promote the armed forces covenant, support members of our armed forces community, and recognise their outstanding contributions.

f)     Budget Scrutiny

Members were reminded that the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 4 January 2023 would be budget scrutiny day. Further details would be shared shortly but all members were welcome to attend, particularly for the items relating to any scrutiny committee they sat on.

g)    Remembrance Service

Members were reminded that the Armistice Day Remembrance Service would be taking place at 10.55am on Friday 11 November 2022 in Shire Hall Reception.

h)    Chairman’s Charity

The Chairman promoted the Gloucestershire Academy of Music, which was celebrating its 40^th anniversary, as his chosen charity for the year.

The Chairman spoke of the importance of music bringing communities together, as an educational tool, and for promoting wellbeing. The Academy had been established in the Forest of Dean and now had over 2000 participants across the County from all backgrounds.

The Chairman asked members to support the charity by taking an interest in and visiting the academy, and by spreading the academy message.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

To answer any written public questions about matters which are within the powers and duties of the County Council.

The closing date for receipt of questions was 10am on Monday, 31 October 2022.

However, questions that relate to reports on the agenda may be submitted up to 10am on Wednesday, 2 November 2022.

Please send questions to the Chief Executive marked for the attention of Stephen Bace (email stephen.bace@gloucestershire.gov.uk)

Questions received and proposed responses do not accompany this agenda but will be circulated prior to the meeting.

Fifty-six public questions were received. The following supplementary questions were asked:

Question 4 – Steve Gower stated that the response to his question did not acknowledge the existence of a ‘do not place’ list for homeless people, and stated that there should be an independent public inquiry. He asked the Cabinet Member whether they acknowledged that people were dying because they were on this list.

Cllr Kathy Williams stated that she had never heard of the list, but was concerned by the claims. She proposed that she meet with the member of public on the issue so that she could ask officers to investigate.

Question 6 – Philippa Schwartz stated that all cattle on Minchinhampton and Rodborough commons were hit by a vehicle at least once in their lives and many had to be euthanized as a result. She asked the Cabinet Member whether it would be acceptable to introduce traffic calming measures should the local community raise the money to do so.

Cllr Dave Norman replied that he had committed to meeting with the member of the public to discuss the issues in the new year.

Question 10 – Simon Craske asked whether the savings that could be made by changing the bus timetable for the afternoon TCS8 school bus could be used to provide an additional Rissington bus in the mornings.

Cllr Philip Robinson explained that the savings would not extend to the provision of an additional bus and would mean withdrawing another bus, creating a problem elsewhere. He added that this would add costs to the Home to School Transport budget which was already forecast to be overspent.

Question 12 – Liz Skelt asked for reassurance that the chaos of the Churchdown road works and closures would not reappear.

Cllr Dom Morris recognised the challenging circumstances and explained that the infrastructure work was compounded by safety, utility and cycling scheme works. He added that his team were holding fortnightly meetings with the agencies involved to mitigate this one off layering.

Question 17 – Neil Kenning asked the Cabinet Member to ask the ITU to investigate whether the solution for the return TCS8 school bus could also be applied to the outgoing journey.

Cllr Philip Robinson agreed that he would ask ITU to look at the issue again.

Question 19 – Chris White asked, in reference to the planned Tewkesbury Garden Town, when the Local Transport Plan (LTP) would be updated and whether this would include a consultation.

Cllr David Gray advised that the LTP would be revised in due course and that he would come back to the member of the public regarding an exact date.

Question 24 – Alan Mossman asked the Cabinet Member if arrangements could be made for him to speak to engineers regarding the costs of changing the length of a delay for pelican crossings.

Cllr Dom Morris agreed that he would arrange for this to take place.

Question 28 – Alan Mossman asked whether the answer the Cabinet Member had provided to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107.

Cllr Stephen Davies, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, to present the Corporate Parenting Report

Cllr Stephen Davies, Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, presented the Corporate Parenting Report.

He advised that the Corporate Parenting Group had last met in September, at which members noted that a new Adoption Medical Adviser and Named Doctor for Children had been appointed; the health team had worked with Ambassadors to adopt ‘Language that Cares’; access to dental care was improving; and that the rate of foster carer recruitment was increasing.

Cllr Davies informed members that the Council had collaborated nationally to the development of a film called ‘Childhood’. Additionally, a new young people’s area had been established in Shire Hall, and a Care Leaver Celebration of Achievement event had been planned for March 2023.

In an update on Trevone House, members were informed that an independent review had been launched to investigate the issues.

Members were informed that care leavers had achieved good exam results in the Summer, with a higher rate of children in care and care leavers in higher education than at any other time in the past four years.

It was noted that the Holiday Activities and Food Fund Programme had reached 60 percent of those eligible for free school meals, and that the Household Support Fund had been efficiently distributed.

Finally, it was noted that the number of children in care had increased to 869 at the end of September, however this was consistent with trends nationally and amongst local comparators. However, the number of readmissions to care had reduced.

One member asked how the Council would support foster carers affected by costs going up. In response, Cllr Davies explained that the budget process was currently being looked at.

Several members asked why the Corporate Parenting Report had not addressed the death that had occurred in Trevone House. Cllr Davies responded that as the incident was still under investigation, the details could not be discussed publically.

A further member asked for reassurance that the children in Trevone House were safe, and asked that early help be built into services to prevent children from coming into care. In response, Cllr Davies assured the member that any recommendations emerging from the independent review at Trevone House and the investigation into the specific incident would be built into future plans. Additionally, Cllr Davies recognised the importance of early care and the importance of the role of Family Hubs moving forward.

One member encouraged all members to sign up to support young people in care. Cllr Davies commented, in response, that he would be asking members to volunteer to be involved in the care leavers award event.

A member asked that equal support for children experiencing deprivation in rural areas be provided this winter. Cllr Davies responded that the Holidays Activities and Food Programme was difficult to make viable in rural areas given the number of people experiencing deprivation in those areas. He advised that the Household Support Fund could provide these families with support.

There was a final question from a member as to how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 108.

To receive petitions, if any, without discussion.

Cllr Graham Morgan presented a petition on beginning the process of implementing School Streets on Sneyd Wood Road to Cllr Dom Morris, Cabinet Member for Highways and Flooding.

Cllr Ben Evans presented a petition for coordinating the roadworks in and around Churchdown to Cllr Dom Morris.

Cllr Alan Preest presented a petition on adult social care issues in Primrose Hill to Cllr Carole Allaway Martin, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Commissioning.

Cllr Lynden Stowe presented a petition calling for a zebra crossing on Stratford Road, Mickleton, to Cllr Dom Morris.

908: Motion Violence Against Women and Girls

Proposed by: Cllr Kathy Williams

Seconded by: Cllr Phil Robinson

This council believes that women and girls deserve to live free from intimidation, violence and harassment. This council condemns all violence against women and girls (VAWG) and notes that it can take many forms, including physical, financial, and emotional.

We want Gloucestershire to be the safest county in the UK for women and girls.

We welcome the launch of the Home Office’s ‘Enough’ campaign which seeks to educate the public by highlighting VAWG and its various forms. 

We are also pleased that our Police and Crime Commissioner has made VAWG one of his top priorities in his Police and Crime prevention plan. We are particularly grateful to the work of the OPCC, Gloucestershire Constabulary and Gloucester City Council in securing more than £1 million from the Government’s Safer Streets Fund to eradicate VAWG from Gloucestershire and note especially the introduction of the ‘Flare App’ which gives women the opportunity to anonymously report inappropriate behaviour directly to the police.  

To ensure that this county is the safest in the country for women and girls, we propose that:

·         The council strives to become the first public body in Gloucestershire to receive a ‘White Ribbon Accreditation’ for its commitment and work to end male violence against women.

·         We write to all public bodies and Head Teachers in the county asking them to become White Ribbon Champions to show a clear signal that Gloucestershire stands united against VAWG

·         We invite the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office and Gloucestershire Constabulary to run a session for all councilors on the nature of VAWG in Gloucestershire and what we can all be doing in communities to tackle it.

·         We will also utilise our strong relationships with Head Teachers to invite them to a similar session to ensure that they are supported in combatting VAWG in schools so that we can prevent unhealthy and dangerous behaviours in young people.

We ask the Adult Social Care and Communities Scrutiny Committee to investigate and produce a report for cabinet on any steps the county council can be taking to end VAWG in Gloucestershire.  

Motion 909: Action to Tackle River Pollution 

Proposed by: Cllr Wendy Thomas

Seconded by: Cllr David Drew

Council welcomes the report on river pollution from the Restoring Our Rivers Task Group. The pollution of our rivers is a threat to public health and a cause of public concern. Council calls for the law on sewage spills into rivers to be strengthened, increased funding for Environment Agency monitoring and enforcement, fines on water companies per discharge event and the use of that income to support environmental pollution clean ups rather than this going back directly to H.M. Treasury

Motion 910: Tackling the crisis in NHS dentistry

Proposed by: Cllr Linda Cohen,

Seconded by: Cllr Paul Hodgkinson

This Council is concerned about the quality and cost of dentistry in Gloucestershire

This Council believes that every Gloucestershire resident should have a right to  ...  view the full agenda text for item 110.

Motion 908 – Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

Cllr Kathy Williams proposed, and Cllr Philip Robinson seconded the motion included in the agenda.

Cllr Williams shared that the police in England and Wales are estimated to receive 100 calls per hour from victims of domestic abuse. On 1 March this year, the Home Secretary launched a multi-communication campaign called ‘Enough’ which included, amongst other things, the simple acts people could take against perpetrators of abuse. She welcomed the excellent cross-working relationships Gloucestershire had on this issue. The Police and Crime Commissioner had made it one of his top priorities in the Police and Crime Prevention Plan, and, working alongside Gloucester City Council, had secured £1m from the Government. Safer Street Fund which had funded the roll out of the Flare App. The app provided a way women and girls could anonymously report instances of inappropriate behaviour directly to the police. Cllr Williams concluded her introduction by giving an overview of the recommendations in this motion.

Cllr Robinson in seconding the motion stressed the important part that schools can and should play. Schools were tailormade settings for addressing these issues, both in terms of helping and supporting young women and girls to recognise and act against violence and aggression in all its forms, but also the need to support and educate young men and boys so they too learnt what was and was not acceptable, and how their unacceptable behaviour affected their victims.

Cllr Cate Cody pledged support for the motion on behalf of the Green Party and stressed that all forms of violence and intimidation needed to be eradicated worldwide. She had personal experience of making behaviour changes on a daily basis, such as avoiding walking alone in quiet areas or late at night. Freedom of space should be a fundamental liberty but for many women it was not. She echoed that men and boys should be called out for inappropriate behaviour as well and needed to be more aware and careful about the language they used.

Cllr Rebecca Halifax welcomed this motion whole heartedly. She stated that structural inequalities had always contributed towards the problem of male violence against women and a quarter of the way through the 21^st century, those inequalities still very much existed.

The councillor shared a very personal account of the violence and intimidation she had experienced throughout her life, including experience of sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sexual abuse in the workplace. Statistics demonstrated that violence against a woman was often carried out by someone they knew well, on average a woman is killed every 3 days by a current or former partner, with almost 50% of these murders happening after they had left the relationship. 

Cllr Halifax stressed that the justice system had not been there for her. The police had not protected or listened to her when fleeing domestic abuse and she had felt unable to report sexual abuse or violence due to the still present stigmas  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110.

Up to 45 minutes is allowed for this item.

To answer any written member questions about matters which are within the powers and duties of the County Council.

The closing date for receipt of questions was 10am on Monday, 31 October 2022.

However, questions that relate to reports on the agenda may be submitted up to 10am on Wednesday, 2 November 2022.

Please send questions to the Chief Executive marked for the attention of Stephen Bace (email stephen.bace@gloucestershire.gov.uk)

Questions received and proposed responses do not accompany this agenda but will be circulated prior to the meeting.

As background information, the Cabinet Member Decision Statements over the period 6 September 2022 to 31 October  are available on the GCC website -

https://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/mgDelegatedDecisions.aspx?XXR=0&&DR=06%2f09%2f2022-31%2f10%2f2022&ACT=Find&RP=0&K=0&V=0&DM=3&HD=0&DS=2&Next=true&NOW=01112022094021&META=mgdelegateddecisions

Sixty-three member questions were received. The following supplementary questions were asked:

Question 1 – Cllr Chris McFarling requested that the Council meet with representatives from the New Forest to discuss the successful implementation of 40mph on Forest of Dean roads.

Cllr Dave Norman commented that he would be comfortable to enter into dialogue with the New Forest if the Council could learn from them, however he felt that the Forest of Dean and New Forest were different areas in respect of their highways. He added that the Gloucestershire Road Safety Partnership would be relaunched in December, which could engage with anyone who had something to offer on moving road safety forward across the County.

Question 2 – Cllr Tim Harman asked that the Cabinet Member ask the Communications Team to promote the information already available to young people about social media.

Cllr Philip Robinson agreed that he would.

Question 3 – Cllr Chris McFarling asked how GCC could promote the importance of decreasing carbon emissions with district councils before carbon budgets were exhausted in 2025.

Cllr David Gray explained that Climate Leadership Gloucestershire was working across the district councils and partners to promote and accelerate actions to address climate change.

Question 7 – Cllr Chloe Turner requested to receive regular reviews of Brunel’s environmental performance.

Cllr Lynden Stowe would ask an officer from the pensions team to speak with the member about monitoring the environmental performance of Brunel.

Question 8 – Cllr Chloe Turner asked what the Council was doing under its obligations to preserve the ecologies of the Site of Special Scientific Interest in Minchinhampton and Special Area of Conservation in Rodborough.

Cllr Dom Morris advised that there was a low accident record in this community and that more would follow with the new road safety policy on empowering communities.

Question 15 – Cllr Cate Cody asked for clarification regarding the £8million funding for the A46/M5 project.

Cllr David Gray explained that £2million had already been spent with £6million remaining, however he would seek clarification on the exact figures.

Question 19 - Cllr David Willingham asked on behalf of Rowanfield residents what was being done to replace the bus service that linked residents to the centre of Cheltenham and the hospital.

Cllr Philip Robinson stated that GCC had done everything it could regarding the provision of services by Stagecoach. He explained that the tendering process for services had just come to a close and results were expected in the next few days. However he acknowledged that given the difficult market, not all routes may be replaced at this stage.

Question 21 – Cllr Roger Whyborn requested that a list be provided of parishes and districts who had made known to GCC their view of wanting to see 20mph schemes introduced, and those who had passed resolutions to that effect.

Cllr Dom Morris explained that the new road safety policy would take this County on a journey to vision zero, and would show why the debate needed to move towards  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Chair of the Constitution Committee to present the report from the meeting held on 10 October 2022.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Chair of the Constitution Committee, presented the report of the Constitution Committee meeting held on 10 October 2022.

Council was asked to consider three recommendations from the Constitution Committee relating to the draft Gloucestershire Code of Members’ Conduct; the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Partnership; and Monitoring Officer changes to the Constitution. The recommendations were set out in the report attached to the agenda for this meeting.

It was understood that the Constitution Committee had discussed and considered at length the recommendations, as well as considering an item on the order of council motions, at their meeting.

One member emphasised the importance of ensuring that the work of the Gloucestershire Health and Wellbeing Partnership was effectively scrutinised.

Some members commented that they felt the draft Gloucestershire Members’ Code of Conduct fell short of public expectations relating to the scope of the Code of Conduct and the differentiation of behaviour when a member is acting in an official capacity or in a personal capacity.

Cllr Hawthorne explained in response that this issue was debated by the Constitution Committee. It was felt that the draft Code of Conduct addressed the fine balance and that each case raised would be considered based on its individual merits.

On being put to the vote it was

RESOLVED that the recommendations as set out in the Constitution Committee report be approved.

Council to receive the report from the Monitoring Officer.

Rob Ayliffe, Director of Policy, Performance and Governance, and Monitoring Officer, presented the report on the review of Gloucestershire County Council divisional boundaries by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, and asked Council whether they supported the resolution as included in the report attached the agenda for this meeting.

On being put to the vote it was

RESOLVED that the Council submit a formal request to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, that in determining the future pattern of electoral divisions for Gloucestershire County Council, the Commission retains single-member divisions in all cases.

Cllr Phil Awford, Chair of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, will

present the report which provides a summary of recent scrutiny committee

activities. Scrutiny Committee Chairs to answer questions:

Cllr Philip Awford, Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Chair

Cllr Andrew Gravells, Health Chair

Cllr Stephan Fifield, Adult Social Care and Communities Chair

Cllr Andrew Miller, Children and Families Chair

Cllr Vernon Smith, Environment Chair

Cllr Matt Babbage, Economic Growth Chair

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Fire and Rescue Chair

Cllr Steve Robinson, Gloucestershire Police and Crime Panel Chair

In addition the final report of the Scrutiny Task Group on Rivers is attached.

Cllr Phil Awford, Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, presented the report which provided a summary of recent scrutiny committee activities.

One member welcomed that the report had been updated to include more detail than previously.

Cllr Colin Hay to present the annual report which was considered at the committee meeting on 30 September 2022.

Cllr Colin Hay, Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee, presented the Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report.

Cllr Hay highlighted the work carried out by the Committee over the past year, notably its consideration of the strategic risk register, and thanked officers and members for their contributions.

One member queried whether the Audit and Governance Committee could consider exempt items in its upcoming work plan, such as on cyber security and issues relating to Trevone House.

Cllr Hay responded that the Committee could go into exempt session at any time, however some of the issues raised by the member might best be considered by the relevant scrutiny committees.