Agenda item

The Leader began his announcements by paying tribute to Jina Paterson who had recently passed away. He added that Jina was responsible for the idea of building a memorial garden in memory of her husband, George, and this is now looked after by the Council.

The Leader welcomed Councillor Margaret Clay, who was elected on 2 November. In doing so he repeated his best wishes for her predecessor, Charlie Pitt Miller. The Leader thanked Mr Faulkner for an election campaign conducted with honesty and integrity and confirmed that there would be no off-street parking charges.

The Leader informed Council that he would be publishing a document in January covering a wide range of Council business including the following:

• Outlining that the plan for a second Doctor’s surgery at the Melton Sports Village has been abandoned and that the preferred location is Parkside. Discussions with the NHS are progressing well and soon a timetable for the creation of a second Doctor’s surgery would be published.
• The new Leisure Services contract.
• An update on the Rutland and Melton Levelling Up Fund implementation.

The Leader held a meeting with the National Grid on 11 November and Severn Trent Water on 28 November. The meeting covered current problems and future plans and that a full report would be provided to Members and Parish Councils in January. Linking to this, the Leader said that flooding, sewage and electrical issues at Freeby Close, Melton Mowbray had occupied his time. The Leader would work with Officers and other agencies to establish an action plan building on work already undertaken.

Members were informed that the Leader attended the Remembrance Service on 12 November which isn’t just a civic duty but a personal homage. He extended his thanks to Councillor Ian Atherton for his assistance on the day.

The Leader thanked the BID Manager, Shelagh Core; Councillor Sharon Butcher; Council staff; the Town Estate and many others for making the Christmas Lights switch on a success.

Council was informed that on 30 November, the Leader joined Councillors Pat Cumbers and Tim Webster at the Let’s Get Melton Moving awards evening. The Leader was moved by the range of nominees, their ages, life experiences, endeavours and accomplishments. He thanked Officers for making the event a brilliant success.

The Leader informed Council that on 22 November he had attended a meeting of the Leicestershire Districts at Hinckley.

Members were informed that, on 5 December, the Leader had chaired the second Local Advisory Board overseeing the roll out of the programme for the UKSPF and that there would be a full update report in January.

The Leader stated that on 6 December he had met with Melton Brooksby college, a senior Regional Manager for the Department of Education and a Further Education Commissioner to discuss the status of their part in the Levelling Up Fund project. The Leader would report updates in due course.

Members were informed that the Leader had attended a webinar on 7 December with the new Minister for Local Government Finance. The Minister confirmed that the routine consultation on the annual settlement would be published on 18 December. The Leader stated that the lateness of the consultation has made the job of preparing the budget and council tax proposals more complicated.

The Leader also informed Members of the correspondence he has been involved with since the last Council meeting:

• Correspondence had been received from Ministers in the Ministry of Defence thanking the Council for its assistance in housing Afghan refugees and had requested further cooperation.
• The Leader had written to the Police and Crime Commissioner to complain about statements regarding Anti-Social Behaviour and crime in Melton.
• The Leader had written to Alicia Kearns MP to thank her for her interview with Andrew Marr and her statement in the House of Commons in relation to the attacks in Israel on 7 October.