Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D Maycock, J Wade and J Jones

The Mayor Councillor M Greatorex made the following announcement

I would like to welcome Councillor Paul Thompson, welcome and I hope you are going to enjoy your first Council meeting and I would like to congratulate you and Councillor Farrell who won a seat on Staffordshire County Council

Councillor J Oates made the following announcement. 

I would also like to welcome Councillor Thompson to the chamber but would like to re-iterate as per the email I circulated last week that Councillor Thompson will replace former Councillor Ford on his Committee allocation for the rest of the Municipal Year. 

Councillor R Pritchard made the following announcement.

I just want to announce that Tamworth Borough Council received a finalist award in the National Prosper Awards they were one of three shortlisted play areas nationally and I think that is an incredible achievement.  So would just like to thank everybody that has been involved in building that play area for the authority.  

Councillor T Clements made the following announcement.

As people will know Staffordshire Day is on the 1^st of May every year and this year’s theme is Learn Something New.  I would like to ask everyone in this chamber if they could think about something they could learn that’s new, whether that be a language or turning the hoover on in the morning and I want as many photographs and videos if you can do that send to Tania Phillips, just to prove that we as councillors can learn something new and get involved in Staffordshire Day on May 1^st. 

Councillor D Cook made the following announcement. 

Just with your grace I’m not involved in the inner circle of the Conservative party anymore so I’m not sure if any other Councillors who are re-standing or not, but I am aware there are two Councillors in the Chamber who tonight marks their last meeting as Councillors, and it would be remiss of the chamber not to thank them for their service.  First of all, Councillor Dennis Box who is not re-standing his seat in Glascote in May.  I have certainly got to know Dennis very well over the last 12 months and I can tell you he’s got an absolute heart of gold his passion for Glascote and the surrounding area.  He gives everything to the residents he tries to help and what surprised me for a former UKIP Councillor is he’s an absolute raving socialist, former trade union rep and as I say absolute heart of gold.  And of course, Councillor Sheree Peaple, I had a lovely text from her husband this week threating me if I didn’t say some nice things, but I was intending to Madam Mayor.  As we know Sheree as brought a dedication and some passion to certain Scrutiny and Full Council, however, don’t think the community of Tamworth is losing Councillor Peaple because as we know actually Councillor Peaple does so  much in the community especially around the Heart of Tamworth and we know  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL NO. 1

Under Procedure Rule No 11, Councillor R Kingstone will ask the Leader of the Council, Councillor J Oates, the following question:-

When we will see a fully functioning council front desk service return to the town centre?

Councillor Oates gave the following response

Thank you, Councillor Kingstone, for your question I can confirm that the Council as a fully functioning front desk in the town centre and this is located in Corporation Street and it is housed in the building known as the Assembly Rooms

Supplementary

I’m trying to come up with a colourful metaphor to describe what we’ve just heard but I won’t used one to describe the comment made by the Leader of the council.  On the back of what you have just said Councillor Oates and given comments on my social media feed over the recent two weeks since I started a petition to ask this Council to debate the return back to a full service that petition which has been pencilled in for in to be discussed in July depending on how the Council calendar works out and taking into account of over a thousand residents’ concerns, several members of the controlling group actually liking those social media posts, a Cabinet member actually commenting on my post that they could overhear a conversation taking place in the front desk service that you say is being offered.  Ex Council staff who have worked on front desk for many many years saying that the current service is not up to standard and is not safe for the staff that work there.  Feedback from countless users of the service that you say is there at the moment, I say that the desk is not fit for purpose and so do may of the residents of Tamworth.  So, do you really really want the residents of Tamworth to believe that the service you are saying is there is truly deserving of our residents to our vulnerable residents at that.  So to get to the point will you think again and will you save me the embarrassment to you and the controlling group of having to present the petition in July and think again about restoring a proper full desk service to Tamworth town Centre.

Councillor J Oates gave the following response   

Thank you, Mr Kingstone, for his long explanation in terms of the supplementary.  Members of the public can access all council services through Corporation Street in the same way as they could at the previous location. All services are delivered in just the same way as they were when reception was in Marmion House.  We have now housed them in the historic building of the Assembly rooms but they are the same access and the same services we had before. 

Its three years and one day since this Country went into lock down and I hear the comments made around comments on social media and feedback.  We’ve not had a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

(Report of the Portfolio Holder for Voluntary sector, Town Centre, Evening economy & Community Safety)

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Voluntary Sector, Town Centre Evening Economy & Community Safety – Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2023-2028.

To bring before Full Council the Licensing Committee recommendation that they consider the draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2023 – 2028 as suitable for adoption.