Agenda item

The Council is requested to note the appointment of the Deputy Leader as may be announced by the Leader.

The Council is requested to note the appointment of members of the Executive as may be announced by the Leader.

The Council is requested to note the Executive Portfolios as may be announced by the Leader.

The Council is requested to note the Leaders Scheme of Delegation

(To follow).

The Leader to provide a verbal review of the last municipal year and to report on the proposed policies of the Council for the forthcoming year.

The Leader thanked Members for his appointment and congratulated Councillor Evans on taking up the leadership of the Opposition Group and added that he looked forward to working with him for the mutual benefit of the Council. He expressed his thoughts and condolences to those who had lost loved ones and friends to the coronavirus pandemic. He thanked all involved at the Council in supporting residents and responding to the many queries and calls and felt proud of the NHS, volunteers, key workers, factory workers, neighbours and friends who were supporting people throughout the pandemic and adhering to the government guidelines to keep people safe.

The Leader stated

‘This time last year we had just emerged from the local election and were commencing for the first time with a new form of Cabinet governance. We approved a new brand new constitution and adopted an entirely new set of procedure rules. I would hope members would agree with me that for the most part these have served us well and have allowed us to conduct our business efficiently and effectively.

It is, though, always prudent to keep things under review and mindful of the clarification the Monitoring Officer has just made in relation to the term of appointment for the Leader, I would like to confirm that I have asked for a report to be presented to the next Council meeting which will seek to establish a Constitutional Review working group and associated terms of reference. This will allow us to reflect on our experience over the last year and make any further necessary amendments.

Operating with a Cabinet system for the first time we have seen good progress in a number of areas. We have focussed on improving customer services, undertaking a number of service design reviews and procured new customer engagement technology through IEG4. Despite the current challenges, implementation of this new system is progressing well and we expect the first phase to launch to the public in June as planned.

We have fully gripped the long-standing housing challenge and last November agreed a comprehensive Housing Improvement Plan; representing an ambitious commitment to reinvest in our housing stock and landlord services. Whilst we cannot be complacent, the huge amount of work done on compliance since then has paid dividends both in terms of improving health and safety for our tenants whilst also receiving positive validation from the Regulator. There is much more to be done before we are satisfied and we look forward to the Portfolio Holder and new Director continuing to lead improvements in this important priority area.

We introduced the first public spaces protection order and are taking more action now to tackle environmental crime and became the first Council in the East Midlands to secure Disability Confident Status. We have reviewed our Community Grants scheme and ensured the funding we provide better meets our local priorities and can demonstrate good value for money. We have adopted a new Debt Management Policy to ensure we get the right balance between protecting vulnerable people and securing the income we need and have introduced cashless payment facilities at all our car parks.

The Council’s new Scrutiny Committee has played a key role throughout, providing the right balance between support and constructive challenge. Good decisions are made through effective and transparent debate and I have welcomed Scrutiny’s proactive involvement in a number of the policy areas mentioned earlier. Most notably, Scrutiny’s role in leading the Void improvement work was an excellent first review area and one which has informed and linked perfectly into the Housing Improvement work already underway. My Cabinet colleagues and I look forward to our work with Scrutiny over the coming year.

Following the snap General Election in December 2019 we have built a strong relationship with our new MP and prior to the current pandemic we had made positive progress regarding our efforts to secure a second surgery for Melton. Clearly the current health emergency must take precedence but we will return to these efforts at the right time. Throughout this year the Council has also shown its strength when it unites as a whole, whether through our formal declaration of a climate emergency or through the excellent summer social hosted by the Mayor last Summer. Most particularly though, it is the response to the current pandemic which has shown what value Melton Borough Council can bring to its local community. Within a matter of days the Council had created a completely new infrastructure, establishing support hubs both for our community and local businesses. We have helped hundreds of residents and businesses during this time delivering nearly 1,000 food parcels, over 150 prescriptions and made nearly 1,200 awards of Council Tax support totalling £175,000. We have paid 750 businesses nearly £9.1m in support grants and facilitated the governments extended business rates relief scheme. Officers and members have worked tirelessly to support our communities during the immediate response and we will continue to do so as we tentatively edge towards recovery. I am proud of what we have achieved and want to reassure everyone that we are here for Melton and will continue to be so into the future.

Whilst it feels like an awful lot has happened since, in February, we should not forget that following a significant amount of work and feedback from over 1,700 residents we approved our new Corporate Strategy for 2020 to 2024, alongside setting a balanced budget for the first time in 3 years. As you will appreciate we had to postpone the formal launch of our strategy in April and given all that has occurred since it is necessary for us to take stock and consider what if any changes we now need to make as a consequence. There is much I suspect we will want to retain, but we must also respond to the ‘new normal’ we will face over the coming months and years. Officers are currently working on a timeline for this review and I will update members shortly on this.

Clearly, facilitating growth and promoting and strengthening the Melton economy will remain cornerstones of our strategy, and I was delighted we secured £2.7m of grant funding to support further development of proposals for the Food Enterprise Centre and Health and Leisure Park. There is still much to be done before these come to fruition, something made even more challenging in the current climate, but the steps we are taking now are creating a platform for delivery in the future. There has been progress on delivering the distributor road and whilst discussions with the County Council have been challenging, we have the principles in place for a pioneering infrastructure agreement and will deliver a masterplan for the southern neighbourhood by June to meet the Homes England timescale for the HIF bid. It will then be over to the County Council to decide whether they wish to accept it, but Melton Borough Council can be fully satisfied that there is nothing further they can do to see it delivered.

Announcement of Cabinet and Executive Delegation scheme

I am delighted to announce the formation and membership of Melton Borough Council’s Cabinet for the coming year. This Cabinet will continue to provide leadership and public accountability as we work to respond to the challenges faced by our communities due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as refine and deliver our newly approved Corporate Strategy. We will continue to be a collaborative Cabinet who work with members across the Council to ensure that we respond to the challenges faced by both the Council and the people and communities of Melton.

Following the changes mid-way through the last year I can confirm that we will maintain a 5 member Cabinet for the coming year, including myself as Leader.

Councillor Higgins will continue in his role as Deputy Leader, with an expanded growth and prosperity portfolio; now taking on responsibility for planning delivery and building control. As well as delivering our long term strategic aims, now more than ever we will need to support our businesses to ensure Melton’s economy recovers as quickly as possible.

Councillor de Burle has maintained an excellent grip on our resources over the course of the last year, enabling us to deliver a balanced budget and will continue to do this as he retains the Corporate Finance and Resources portfolio. With the current situation impacting so much on council finances we will need to redouble our efforts to become more business-like, maximise the value of our assets and plug the funding gap.

Following the excellent job undertaken by Councillor Freer-Jones in the last year I have asked her to take on an expanded portfolio, building on the impressive work she has done overseeing our governance changes and engagement work. Her new portfolio of Climate, Access and Engagement will add responsibilities for the Council’s climate change commitments, and wider environment and regulatory functions.

Having made considerable progress in the last year,  Councillor Pearson will continue leading our improvements within the Housing and Communities portfolio, We have made improving the quality of our landlord function and housing stock our top priority and there is still much more to be done over the coming year, Councillor Pearson will also take on responsibility for our waste and grounds maintenance services.

As Melton Borough Council’s Cabinet we look forward to working with all members in tackling the challenges facing our communities and supporting through the current situation. All members will have received an electronic copy of the Portfolios with further details of what each includes, alongside the Executive Scheme of Delegation which is also being implemented. We look forward to working with you.’

(Councillor Evans lost connection at 7.05pm and resumed connection at 7.10pm during the Leader’s speech.)