Stroud District Councillors’ Report

June 2017

Summary of District Council Committee meetings.

Housing – Committee meeting 20 June

Properties at Gloucester Street & Bradley Street, Wotton

The Housing Committee agreed that the four council properties on this site will be demolished with a view to SDC redeveloping the site to build 6-8 new council homes. One of the properties has shown a significant damp problem and major voids on two of the properties would cost above the £30k cap for repairs.

The tenants currently living in two of the properties will receive support to find suitable alternative accommodation, and compensation for the disturbance. Ward councilors have emphasized that the greatest possible consideration will be shown to these tenants in helping them to find new homes, particularly since they have lived in the properties for many decades. No work will start on the site until the tenants have moved.

Sheltered Housing modernization – The re-housing process is proceeding well and all remaining tenants at Dryleaze Court bedsits were due to move into their new homes in Dryleaze House by the end of June. With the Dryleaze Court building due to close, a new laundry facility will be built. Subject to securing planning consent, the laundry is due to be delivered by end July.

New homes & regeneration programme – to date 169 new council homes (of the planned 236 homes) have been completed at sites across the district.

Non traditional homes – a project surveyor has been appointed to to develop an action plan to deal with non traditional homes, following the policy agreed with the Housing Committee. Surveys are due to be completed by end June 2017.

Housing finance – the Housing revenue account outturn for 2016/17 was presented and approved. (see report) £353k of Right to Buy receipts had to be returned to central Government (including £53k interest payments) since the Council is not able to match fund the amount within the time limit and cannot borrow additional funds due to the debt cap imposed on local authority borrowing. To spend remaining Right to Buy receipts within the time limit, 3-4 new homes will be purchased by SDC, rather than built, to ensure the money can be spent within the timescale.

Environment Committee – 29th June 2017.

Refuse Collection

The rising costs of the service contract and the service level agreement between SDC and Ubico are now under deep scrutiny. Cllr Tucker, on behalf of Group Leaders and the Task & Finish Group, has raised many questions with Council senior management and has met twice this last week to help understand the overspend, the unacceptable number of complaints regarding uncollected waste, which is well above that expected at this stage of the project, and the future spend with Ubico and our own vehicle replacement over the next 4 years. A full Review Plan is now in place with realistic dates, which will be monitored at each bi-weekly Leader’s meetings.

However, statistics show that 99.92% of residents are very happy with the refuse collection and are participating in it fully, so much so, that Recycling and Garden Waste collection tonnage is significantly higher than elsewhere in the County and due to this, the financial credits from GCC are correspondingly higher as landfill has almost halved since October 2016. More information is available on website

‘External Bodies’.

A Task & Finish Group was set up in July 2016 to review which external committees, Trusts and other august bodies that Councillors sit on (and there are many!), had some formal legal or governance standing for them to attend. The consideration was that where this did not exist, then SDC support for recommendations would be withdrawn or the numbers of Councillors attending would be reduced to one. However, where SDC are grant aiders, such as the Stroud Citizen Advice Bureau (£40k/yr), then participation would continue, but elsewhere formal involvement would end. The consideration put forward was that Councillors would have more time to partake in their day-to-day duties, but Cllr Tucker, who sat on the T&F Group, considers that most Councillors will still want to support local organisations as before, either through ‘duty’ or interest, so little benefit will be gained. One of the organisation ‘de-listed’ was the Tyndale Monument Trust, but should the Trust agree, Cllr Tucker would like to continue as a member. [Similarly, Cllr Butcher sits on the Stinchcombe Hill Recreational Trust, which is another organisation which is likely to have its support withdrawn, following recommendation at next week’s Community Services Committee & Licensing Committee meeting.]

Self-build.

Following Government part-completed legislation, District Councils are now required to maintain a register of those wishing to self-build their own home. Registration is voluntary, but it is expected that when the Bill is finalized, Councils will be expected to help match land availability with demand. The cost of registering is £25, if you have ‘local’ connections and £75 if you don’t. There is also a subsequent £25 annual fee. This registration does not bypass any of the normal Planning Application processes.

Recycling Banks.

As there are now adequate road-side recycling collections for paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic etc, etc, it was unanimously agreed that the Recycling Bank Services at Cam and Cainscross should be withdraw as soon as possible, which would save the Council £60k/yr. Support for 3rd Party collection of Textiles, Clothes, CDs, Books and Shoes would continue.

SDC Strategy & Resources Committee (Strategy, overview and governance) – 8th June 2017.

Asset Management.

Discussions were held on the following assets: Brimscombe Port, Stroud Subscription Rooms, Stratford Park and Littlecombe Business Park at Dursley. At the meeting approval was sought to fund the new Business Park units, to be built on allocated land next to the Vale Hospital. The anticipated cost had risen by 10% since conception, but following external audit advice, the scheme was approved and work will start soon, with hopeful completion in late Spring 2018.

Asset Funding.

Funding applications to complete the Stroudwater Canal from Stonehouse to Saul is being sought from Heritage Lottery monies, which, along with grants from SDC, Gloucestershire County Council and County Enterprise Partnerships, totals £18m. The next phase, which will include tunneling under the M5 and traversing the roundabout on the A38 at Whitminster, will be challenging, although technical solutions have already been determined and some preliminary planning is already underway.

Subscription Rooms.

The cost to the Council of running the Subscription Rooms in Stroud is over £400k/year, which cannot continue in today’s austerity and lack of Government funding for District Councils. The options for this Asset of Community Value building are to keep the building under Council control; allowing another organisation to run the Sub Rooms as a public arts and cultural facility or selling the building on the open market. Focused discussions with seriously interested parties continue and business plans are being scrutinised. It is anticipated that there will be an interim report from the Task & Finish Group to the Strategy & Resources Committee in September and a final decision taken by the end of the year.







Community Service and Licensing

CAPITAL PROJECTS MONITORING/Community Buildings Investment

As part of the review of our property portfolio a number of community buildings that Stroud District Council own have been looked at with a view to potentially transferring the freehold interest in order to reduce Stroud District Council’s future revenue commitments.

Stroud Town Centre Assets - £130,000 capital allocation 2017/18. The transfer of Stroud Cemetery, Bank Gardens and Sims Clock to Stroud Town Council was completed on 31 March 2017. An amount of £130,000 was paid on transfer to Stroud Town Council for the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of these assets.

Kingshill House - £100,000 capital allocation. Following a report to Strategy and Resources Committee in October 2016 discussions have taken place with Kingshill House Trust with a view to the Trust taking over the freehold interest from Stroud District Council. A capital budget provision of £50,000 in 2017/18 and £50,000 in 2018/19 has been made as part of a funding package to help assist the transfer. Discussions with the Trust are ongoing and the expectations are that the freehold transfer will take place by the end of 2018/19.

STRATFORD PARK LIDO (Outdoor Pool) - £200,000 capital allocation

A provision of £200,000 has been made in the capital programme to review and improve the outdoor swimming pool which is part of the Stratford Park Leisure Centre and park. Grant funding has been obtained to carry out a high level feasibility study to assess options for transforming and sustaining the outdoor pool. The initial grant funding has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund £10,000 and a Stroud Town Council £2,248 for the feasibility study.

A project team has been set up and, following a tender process, has appointed Tricolor to carry out an appraisal including community consultation from May to October 2017. Following this a business plan will be developed to apply for a further Heritage Lottery Fund grant in the next bidding round in March 2018.

JOINT USE SPORTS CENTRES

Since 1997, Joint Use Service Agreements have been operational between Stroud District Council and School Governors at various schools. A management fee is paid to the respective school to cover hire and cleaning costs. Inflationary increases are permissible by negotiation, to cover utility and other increases.

The long term Marketing Plan implemented to improve Thomas Keble and Maidenhill has failed to attract new users consistently. Some of the strategies have improved aspects in the short term but have not retained numbers over a longer period. New exercise classes have been well attended initially, only to contract rapidly, whilst targeted leaflet drops have only had limited success.

To continue operating the centres, continued funding will be required. In addition, thought will need to be given to the future and how equipment replacement would be possible. Gym equipment and a booking system upgrade will almost certainly be required within three years at Thomas Community Services and Licensing Committee 27 June 2017 Agenda Item 10 Keble and Maidenhill. This equates to capital investment of £90k, in addition to the ongoing operating costs.

Termination of the agreements could result in the closure of the centres, or alternative operating models, if the schools take over management. Annual savings of circa. £148K would be realised. In the short term this saving will be lessened by the severance packages payable to staff, most of whom work under 10 hours per week.

As was the case at Wotton Sports Centre, the fitness equipment that we own at Thomas Keble and Maidenhill, could be bequeathed to the school. Current quotes have illustrated a cash value for this equipment of around £4K per site. This would keep alive the possibility of the schools taking on the running of the centres. It would also lessen the impact on the schools that use the equipment in lesson time. Rednock have already acquired the fitness equipment under a separate arrangement.

Stroud District Council Youth Grants

Stroud District Council in partnership with Stroud District Youth Council, are operating a youth grant funding programme again in 2016/17 with money devolved from Gloucestershire County Council.

There are two grant funds: 

They plan to operate only one round this year and the application deadline is:1st September 2017.

Criteria and guidance, the full details of the 2017/18 programme can be found in the criteria and guidance document on the web (see link)

https://www.stroud.gov.uk/community-and-recreation/community-grants/stroud-youth-grant-fund-programme

Local issues

Councillors have taken up complaints of potential illegal caravan parking and usage within the Ward. The Social Housing and Enforcement Teams have been alerted and will respond appropriately if the situation reoccurs.

North Nibley Parish Council are holding a Speed Watch training event in the NN Village Hall in July. Please contact the Clerk if you are interested. elizabethjoakley317@yahoo.co.uk

Following the successful appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, Woodbourne Group have now demolished The Full Moon, Synwell, Wotton. 10 houses will now be built on the site, 3 of which will be ‘affordable’. It is unfortunate that SDC were not able to agree with the developers, to incorporate the adjacent Council owned garages/car park in to the same build, as this will hopefully reduce the visual impact of this build. Discussions with SDC Asset Management teams, as to their proposals for this site, however continue.

Cllr Tucker has been liaising with SDC’s legal team, to see if the number of Councillors sitting on Stinchcombe Parish Council can be increased, to ensure that meetings are quorate. After a search, the rules apparently state that approx. 135 residents would need to sign a declaration for this to happen. A further meeting with Head of Legal is due this week to look at other ways an increase in the number of Councillors could be achieved.

Following resignations, Wotton under Edge Town Council has one Councillor vacancy in the 12 member Wotton Ward and one vacancy for the single seat Wotton South Ward. Rather than selection by co-option, residents have requested an election for these 2 positions. The Wotton South Ward vacancy has been filled unopposed and there will be an election on Wednesday 26th July for the Wotton Ward vacancy. The cost to the Town Council is approx. £6500.

Following refusal by SDC Planners for development at Holywell Farm, Wotton (which was backed by the Town Council), the applicant has submitted an appeal against the decision. It is not known yet when this will be heard.

Wotton Post Office.

The Post Office are recommending that the current service provided at 16 Long Street is moved to the Co-op in Wotton. Consultation on this proposal started on 28 June and will end on 9 August. If approved, it is expected that the change will take place in October/November this year. The same ‘wide’ range of products and services will still be available, with a wider selection of on demand travel money. Opening hours, Monday to Saturday will be from 0800 to 1800. You can share your views on the proposed move through an online questionnaire via the link at postofficeviews.co.uk . When entering the site, you will be asked to enter the code for this branch: 19552399 . Cllr Tucker has forwarded further information to Clerks and Councillors.

Councillor Meetings

Cllr Ken Tucker

Cllr Catherine Braun

Cllr George Butcher



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