Minutes:
The Leader provided the following announcement:
“Good evening Members, this is our first council meeting since the
[meeting] 26 May. I hope everyone has had a great summer break, […] I'm
delighted that once again we are able to meet in the Chamber and you will have
noticed that we have reverted to a more typical layout, […] with restrictions
having eased, we are attempting to get the balance right between enabling more
normal operations whilst still being mindful that the virus has not gone away.
In the last week in Melton there were 313 cases per 100 000, which is still
high and across the country around 200 people lose their lives every day. We
cannot be complacent but we must be thankful of the incredible vaccination
effort and it is worth reminding ourselves that through our partnership with
the CCG, Melton had one of the first vaccination centres open in the region and
over 83 percent of residents are now double jabbed. Members we have talked many
times about the way the Council responded to the pandemic and I remain
incredibly proud of our team and all they achieved.
I look forward to Cabinet receiving the findings of the review
undertaken by the Scrutiny Task and Finish Group into the impacts of the
pandemic on people and considering how we can do more to help. I'm also
delighted that we were the first council in the region to provide kickstart
placements introduced by the government as part of the response to the
pandemic. [The placements] seek to provide job opportunities and skills
development for young people. We currently have four colleagues and placements
across a range of services including housing repairs, lifeline, assistive
technology and the Melton lottery [and] they are making a real valuable
contribution in some important areas and hopefully acquiring some great skills
for the future too.
I am equally proud of the way in which the Council has stepped in
as a catastrophe was unfolding in Afghanistan. This Borough has a proud
association with our armed forces and given so many Afghans support over the
years, [so] it was only right that Melton Borough Council led the early
response in offering to help those most in need. We look forward to welcoming
the two families we have pledged to resettle alongside those who are likely to
make use of the MOD housing in the area. The groundswell of support for our
actions and offers of assistance from the local community has also been
extremely heartening.
Another impact of the pandemic has been a significant increase in
the use of digital media and following the launch of our new accounts system
last year, I’m delighted that, earlier this month, we launched our new council
website. The new platform is far more accessible than the old one and meets the
highest quality standard which is great to see. On our agenda this evening we
have a number of important matters to attend too, but I wanted to specifically
highlight the recommendation from Cabinet regarding the developer contribution
supplementary planning document. As you know, securing the MMDR is one of the
Council's top priorities [and] we have been working extremely hard with our
County Council colleagues to make this possible. The adoption of the SPD is a
key part of that and it shows the commitment this Council is making, […] there
is more to be done and further reports will be brought forward to the Council
over the coming months, but tonight I am sure members will want to support the
adoption of the SPD before us.
Finally, I would like to formally welcome Michelle Howard, our new
Director for Housing and Communities and also Deputy Chief Executive, to the
Council. Michelle joined us at the end of July and I'm sure all Members will
join me in wishing her a long and successful career at the Council.”