Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD. View directions

Contact: Kirsty Hunt  01344 353108

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Items
No. Item

12.

Minutes of Previous Meetings pdf icon PDF 350 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meetings of Council held on 20 April, 18 May and 22 June 2022.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 April, 18 May and 22 June 2022 be approved, and signed by the Mayor as a correct record.

13.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

 

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

 

Any Member with an affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

Minutes:

Councillor Heydon declared an Affected Interest in agenda item 5, Executive report in relation to the decision regarding the Settled Site Development Plan for Coopers Hill as he a member of the Joint Venture Board.

 

Councillor Mrs Mattick declared a personal interest in agenda item 5, Executive report in relation to the decision regarding the Settled Site Development Plan for Coopers Hill.

 

Councillor Ms Merry declared a personal interest in agenda item 5, Executive report in relation to the decision regarding the Settled Site Development Plan for Coopers Hill.

14.

Mayor's Announcements pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Minutes:

Supporting Ukrainian Arrivals

 

Councillor Bettison OBE, Leader of the Council reported that to date 154 individuals had registered to come to Bracknell Forest through the homes for Ukraine scheme and 86 guests were known to have arrived. He expanded that 50 DBS checks had been completed and 69 accommodation checks, 57 school places had been processed (28 homes for Ukraine and 29 family visa). 85 guests had been visited by the family link worker and 393 people were on the expressions of interest list and the council had plans and ability to re-match guests to new hosts. A supporting Ukraine event had been held at the Community Hub in Time Square which was attended by approximately 100 people from both. The event was attended by Department for Work and Pensions, the Open Learning Centre, Education, Housing, Community Safety Partnership, Engagement Team, social prescribers, NHS, Involve, Vsi Razom community group. Individual community contacts were being maintained through the Community Engagement Officer. Ongoing fortnightly engagement meetings were being organised with voluntary, community and faith groups to share information, address issues, problem solve and collaborate. Officers from the Chief Executive’s office were working with VSI Razom community group to support a 3-day community festival in Bracknell. Lexicon landlords (Schroders) had approved a licence for 21A-B Princess Square to set up a Community Hub for supporting Ukrainian families. This would be operated by the community group Vsi Razom and the Kerith Church had agreed to sign the agreement until such a time that Vsi Razom was able to do so themselves. Razom were being supported by the Involve, Kerith Centre, the council and other partners to launch the hub for an initial six-month period.

 

Binfield Health and Community Hub

 

The Mayor advised that the new Binfield Health and Community Centre had reached a key milestone in its construction on Monday 11 July, as the project team celebrated its topping out ceremony. The metal deck had been completed on top of the building which was made up of a double height hall, multi-use meeting and activity space, GP consultation and examination rooms and minor procedures room in the Blue Mountain site in Binfield.

 

Pineapple Awards

 

Timothy Wheadon, Chief Executive advised the meeting that the Bracknell Forest Giants event programme had won a prestigious placemaking award. Industry experts had agreed that the Bracknell Forest Giants, which captured the hearts and imaginations of Bracknell town visitors the previous August, were the worthy winners. He was pleased to confirm that the Giants would return to the town centre this summer as part of the Bracknell Forest Festival.

 

Energy Efficiency Awards.

 

Councillor Mrs Hayes, MBE, Executive Member for the Environment was pleased to report that Bracknell Forest Council had won the Regional Council or Local Authority Body of the Year award at the South East Regional Energy Efficiency Awards. Hazel Hill, Sustainable Energy Officer explained to the meeting that the Local Authority of the Year award recognised all the work achieved over the previous year, including:

·        conducting improvement work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

Executive Report pdf icon PDF 135 KB

To receive the Leader’s report on the work of the Executive since the Council meeting held on 20 April 2022.

 

Council is asked to resolve a recommendation in respect of:

  • Climate Change Annual Report

 

The Executive will be meeting on 7 July 2022, if any matters arise at that meeting which require a decision by Council, a supplementary report will be circulated.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Bettison OBE, presented his report on the work of the Executive since that reported at the Council meeting on 28 April 2022. The Executive had met four times on 24 May, 1 June, 21 June and 7 July 2022.

 

The Leader highlighted the following matters that had been considered:

 

The Climate Change Strategy, first published in January 2021, included the requirement to provide annual updates to Council. The action plan consists of 46 projects and key projects delivered in 2021/22 included:

         Energy efficiency improvements

         Implementation of kerbside food waste collection and residual waste change

         Various highways initiatives improving active travel

         CO2 emissions reduced from 6,178 tonnes in 2019 to 5,028 tonnes in 2021

The Climate Change Annual Progress Report was recommended to Council.

 

The Executive had been updated on the Greening Waste Collection which was an important part of Climate Change Strategy. Food recycling was first introduced 1 March 2021 with residual refuse collection frequency extended to 3 weeks. Over 6,000 tonnes of food waste had been collected. Overall recycling rate increased from 43% to 56% with landfill rate reducing from 16% to 7%. This has resulted in Bracknell Forest Council now being in the top 40 authorities for recycling.

 

The Health & Wellbeing Strategy produced by the Health & Wellbeing Board as a strategy for the whole Borough was endorsed by the Executive. The strategy included six priorities:

         Give all children the best start in life

         Provide mental health

         Community connections

         Safety from infectious diseases

         Improve years lived in good health/happiness

         Secure funds for Health & Wellbeing Board priorities

These were underpinned by cross cutting themes of:

         Reducing health inequalities

         Creating healthy environment

         Enhancing seamless care

         Community development for wellness

The strategy dovetailed with the Frimley Integrated Care System strategic ambitions and Council Plan.

 

The two storey, four x five-bedroom building to support adults with learning disabilities would be built for Bridgewell Supported Living and was an important step in modernising residential care services. The procurement of landlord and care/support provider and strategic procurement for design and build agreed

 

A Household Support Fund of £185k had been provided by Department for Work and Pensions but local schemes were needed within guidance framework

         Supermarket vouchers  of £15/child/week to cover Summer/October holiday to children qualifying for free school meals

         Qualifying pension age household (in receipt of housing benefit/Council Tax reduction): one off £100 supermarket voucher in June

         Low income working age disabled and carer households: £50 supermarket voucher

         Care Leavers: £50 supermarket voucher

 

A local extension to mandatory Council Tax Energy Rebate was agreed with a focus on care leavers and support to working age and pensioner households in Council Tax Band E – H who received Income Tax Council Tax support.

 

The Special Education Needs and Disability Written Statement of Action (WSOA) was submitted to Department for Education/Ofsted following the Special Executive meeting on 6 June 2022. The action  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

16.

Annual Standards Report pdf icon PDF 436 KB

To note the report advising Council of activity within its Standards framework from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Minutes:

Council considered the report advising Council of activity within its Standards framework from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk