Minutes:
The Mayor, Councillor J Harper made the following announcement:
The Mayor's ball is forthcoming on March the 8th, we are looking forward to a really lovely night being held at the assembly rooms and we got a lot of civic dignitaries coming from surrounding councils throughout the county. Not too many councillors I am afraid day it has to be said which is a shame because it's a really terrific evening which aims to raise funds for the Mayors charity, but I am sure everyone has their own reasons for not attending but it would have been nice to see a better turnout.
The Leader of the Council, Councillor T Jay made the following announcement:
Councillor Thompson will be taking a short step back from his portfolio and Councillor Cooper will be picking up the slack just in the short interim, thank you.
The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor S Smith, made the following announcement:
I just want to update you all on a recent achievement by the opening of the Home Hub which we successfully accomplished just a few weeks ago. This significant milestone would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of Lee Bates and other individuals associated with Community Together CIC, his clear vision and strong partnership with Tamworth Borough Council has been instrumental in making this initiative a reality. The Home Hub aims to go further to reach vulnerable people by working closely with the Council and community partners, a great example being the Heart of Tamworth partnerships, supporting rough sleeping arrangements for vulnerable people. This year was the first time we submitted a zero count to the government for rough sleeping. Home Hub offers support in various areas of life, such as, skills development, financial, debt advice, rent or mortgage arrears, addiction and recovery, family support, alcohol and substance misuse, mental health support and lots, lots more. All of this, you can get help from the Home Hub. If anyone needs support, please visit the Home Hub at the Community Together CIC website or contact directly on 08081754041. I just want to say thank you again to Lee Bates and all partners and the housing teams at Tamworth Borough Council in working together to help make this happen.
Secondly, I would like to inform you about recent developments regarding the planning application for the site near Moor Lane, Bolehall. Whilst Tamworth Borough Council requested the submission of this application, unfortunately the information provided to support it has been insufficient. As a result, the proposal lacks the necessary details for a full and detailed consideration, including elements that align with validation requirements and policies. In light of this, Tamworth Borough Council have made the decision to draft an enforcement notice, this notice will stipulate the following required actions from the developer; removal of the access track, the existing access track must be taken down; grass seeding, required the area to be re seeded with grass and waste removal, all material on site needs to be properly disposed of. Updates regarding the enforcement notice and its implementation will be provided as frequently as possible.
Lastly, but not least important I would like to update members of the leaseholder charges issue. Last August I stood here and acknowledged the unavoidable reality that our Councils approached to leaseholder charging required revaluation. This decision wasn't easy, it meant deviating from the status quo. In truth this issue had languished for years lacking clarity and resolution. Since then, we have laid the groundwork for a fresh strategic review, emphasising collaboration as a way forward. Tomorrow marks the first meeting of the Leaseholder Collaborative Working Group, bringing together elected members, leaseholders tenant representatives, and independent consultants. We are delighted to share that we have already rescheduled re inspections of leaseholder roofs, which will take place in just a couple of weeks. Both our independent consultants and I, have been actively coordinating with leaseholders to arrange these visits, the upcoming survey process will be enhanced and thorough, offering clear guidance to the survey, crucial factors including roof life expectancy, necessary remedial measures and evidence related to renewal will be robustly considered. I look forward to working with all relevant parties to bring this matter ever closer to a conclusion, thank you.
The Portfolio Holder for Engagement, Leisure and Events, Councillor T Clements made the following announcement:
I just want to say about the Civic Pride Awards that took place a couple of Mondays ago; It was an amazing event to see so many inspirational people in one room, and a little disappointing that as you as you've already said Mr Mayor that only twelve Councillors submitted nominations out of 30. It was a perfect opportunity for everyone to nominate somebody in their ward but maybe next time.
This Thursday is the 29th of February and no I'm not proposing to anybody, it's the first female councillor get together, which I hope will be an ongoing meeting of female minds, so we can put the world to right, at least we'll try. This Sunday as well is the 3rd March and it's the fourth national COVID-19 reflection day in conjunction with Marie Curie and there will be a book in the foyer of St. Edithas Church for members of the public and everyone that visits the church to write their reflections, any memories that they have and then that book will be stored in the castle for future generations to open a later date bit of a time capsule really of people's memories from COVID-19, so I encourage members to go and sign that as well.
Lastly and the same day as the Mayors Ball unfortunately, Friday the 8th of March is International Women's Day. 12 noon at the assembly rooms I will be hosting an event that all Councillors have had a meeting invite to. I'd like some Councillors to respond if that's OK at least to say I can't make it if nothing else. And just as a female councillor of 14 years, I want every female councillor in this room and there's not many of us, to be proud of what they do, to be proud of their achievements and to be proud of standing for election, putting their head above the parapet because it's not easy and in a male dominated world, as you can say there are a few females that have done that, so be proud of what you've achieved ladies, thank you.
The Chief Executive, Andrew Barratt made the following announcement:
I'd like to formally introduce Stephen Gabriel, who will be taking over as our chief executive from the beginning of April to the meeting and also ask, as you know you've given me support over the years, I would ask you to extend the same courtesy to Steven in his role, and formally for the record wish him all the best in his in his future endeavours.