Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies and to be notified of the attendance of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D Bagshaw, S A Bagshaw, H Crosby, K A Harlow, H Land, W Mee, D D Pringle and M Radulovic MBE.

Members are requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interest and/or other interest in any item on the agenda.

Councillors D L MacRae, R D MacRae, S P Jeremiah, S Paterson and R E Bofinger declared other-registerable interests in item 12.1 due to their involvement with Stapleford Community Group, minute number 33.1 refers.

Councillor E Williamson declared an other-registerable interest in item 12.4, minute number 33.4 refers.

Council is asked to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2025 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

To receive announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor gave a brief résumé of his engagements to date and congratulated Lewis Bull on being the Council’s Employee of the Year and the Elections Team for the being selected as Team of the Year.

A vote of thanks was proposed by Councillor G Marshall and seconded by a number of councillors, including Councillors T Cullen, L A Ball, R D MacRae, S J Carr, P J Bales and D K Watts, for Ruth Hyde OBE, the Council’s Chief Executive, who was due to retire in September 2025 after 19 years of service.

To receive a report from the Leader and to receive questions and answers on the report should there be any.

In the absence of the Leader the Deputy Leader informed the Council of some of the issues that were facing Broxtowe and the future of Broxtowe, alongside some of the positive projects that the Council had been working on. These included the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, the pause of the next phase of the electrification of the Midland Mainline, the progress of the new Steven Gerrard Academy, the creation of the CEDARS project and the replacement Brinsley Headstocks.

To receive the Youth Mayor’s update on Broxtowe Youth Voice activities.

The Broxtowe Youth Mayor, Toby Goldszmit, updated the Council on his duties since his appointment.

To receive questions from members of the public.

The following question was submitted by Mr Ian Cooper for the Leader of the Council:

“Do you think it is acceptable that the Planning Department openly admit they do not know how to calculate the radius density as described in the Article 4 SPD which effectively makes this section of the SPD unenforceable? Furthermore, do you think it is acceptable that the Planning Department have prepared inaccurate reports for the Planning Committee?”

In the Leader’s absence, the Deputy Leader responded that the Council does not accept that there is an inability to calculate radius density in respect of HMOs or that the HMO SPD is unenforceable. Within the Council’s Statement of Case for the planning appeal, the Council provided two scenarios for calculating the radius approach due to the proximity of existing purpose-built student accommodation to the appeal site. The SPD had been used to support the refusal of numerous other planning applications for HMOs in the Article 4 area and has therefore been successfully applied on a number of occasions.

The reports to planning committee were correct at the time of publication and  Mr Cooper was advised that he could submit his own findings directly to the Planning Inspectorate if he disagreed with the report, and that advice was duly acted upon.

The Portfolio Holder for Resources and Personnel Policy presented his report and responded to questions by stating that there was a trade-off between vacancy management and service delivery. It was further stated that budgets were published regularly at Cabinet meetings.

The Deputy Leader presented the Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Asset Management report and responded to questions by stating that he was in discussion over the Council’s involvement in investing in ethical issues.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing presented her report and responded to questions by stating that she was proud of the Council’s housing stock and the amount of work that had gone into its maintenance. That included the staff who acted in a compassionate manner.

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Health presented her report and in response to questions stated that the event of Friday 18 had become a quiet success in Beeston and it was planned to expand the event to Kimberley. Following a question by Councillor E Winfield it was stated that in the first year of the event there had been no payments to performing artists, although there had in the second year.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Climate Change presented her report and stated that climate change was worrying and not a hoax. The WISE scheme was a twelve-month project which would maintained for that time.

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety presented her report and stated that vehicle crimes were a priority across the Borough and informed councillors that they should report crimes whenever possible.

The Council is asked to NOTE the Annual Scrutiny Report 2024-25.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the Annual Review of Scrutiny and thanked the Members and Officers for the roles they had undertaken with scrutiny throughout the past year.

There were no petitions to be presented.

“This Council recognises the work of Stapleford Community Group, who purchased the flagpole installed in 2017 at Walter Parker VC Memorial Square – a site owned by Broxtowe Borough Council.

Since then, the Group has organised regular public flag raising ceremonies in partnership with the Council and other local organisations, marking key national and civic occasions such as Armed Forces Day, Remembrance Day, and the patron saints' days of the UK.

These events foster community spirit, have wide public support, and are regularly attended by local Mayors.

This Council resolves to:

1. Formally recognise Stapleford Community Group’s ongoing efforts.

2. Confirm continued support for these events.

3. Ensure officers remain available to assist with coordination where possible.”

The motion was proposed by Councillor S J Carr and seconded by Councillor E Williamson.

“This Council recognises the work of Stapleford Community Group, who purchased the flagpole installed in 2017 at Walter Parker VC Memorial Square – a site owned by Broxtowe Borough Council.

Since then, the Group has organised regular public flag raising ceremonies in partnership with the Council and other local organisations, marking key national and civic occasions such as Armed Forces Day, Remembrance Day, and the patron saints' days of the UK.

These events foster community spirit, have wide public support, and are regularly attended by local Mayors.

This Council resolves to:

1. Formally recognise Stapleford Community Group’s ongoing efforts.

2. Confirm continued support for these events.

3. Ensure officers remain available to assist with coordination where possible.”

An amendment was proposed by Councillor G Marshall that the Combined Service Group be added to the second paragraph of the motion. Both Councillors S J Carr and E Williamson accepted the amendment.

On being put to the meeting the motion was carried.

(Having declared other-registerable interests in the item Councillors R D MacRae, D L MacRae, J W McGrath, S Paterson and R E Bofinger left the meeting for the item before discussion or voting thereon.)

“This Council while acknowledging the possible health benefits of e-bikes are greatly concerned about the way some individuals are using them.

The dangers posed to pedestrians and to vehicles are becoming more prominent. In the last few weeks we have seen several collisions between e-bikes and vehicles, including a police car. I have also heard stories of pedestrians being rode into or having very close misses.

In order to help mitigate the effects of these e-bike users this Council:

1.     Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the East Midlands Mayor and to Nottingham’s Police and Crime Commissioner to come together to formulate a plan for more police checks on e-bikes to ensure they meet current legislation restrictions.

2.     Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the MPs representing our Borough to formally raise with the government the dangers and risks e-bikes pose.

3.     Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to undertake a review of the current legislation around e-bikes and make the changes necessary to make them safer.

In this letter this Council makes the following suggestions to be reviewed:

·       That the current 15.5 mph limit be reduced,

·       That e-bikes should be registered &

·       That a new e-bike licence should be introduced and a training course undertaken before usage.”

The motion was proposed by Councillor A G W A Stockwell and seconded by Councillor P J Owen.

“This Council while acknowledging the possible health benefits of e-bikes are greatly concerned about the way some individuals are using them.

The dangers posed to pedestrians and to vehicles are becoming more prominent. In the last few weeks we have seen several collisions between e-bikes and vehicles, including a police car. I have also heard stories of pedestrians being rode into or having very close misses.

In order to help mitigate the effects of these e-bike users this Council:

1.     Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the East Midlands Mayor and to Nottingham’s Police and Crime Commissioner to come together to formulate a plan for more police checks on e-bikes to ensure they meet current legislation restrictions.

2.     Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the MPs representing our Borough to formally raise with the government the dangers and risks e-bikes pose.

3.     Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport to undertake a review of the current legislation around e-bikes and make the changes necessary to make them safer.

In this letter this Council makes the following suggestions to be reviewed:

·       That the current 15.5 mph limit be reduced,

·       That e-bikes should be registered &

·       That a new e-bike licence should be introduced and a training course undertaken before usage.”

An addition was suggested that ‘e-scooters’ be added to the motion where ‘e-bikes’ where mentioned. The addition was accepted by the proposer and seconder.

On being put to the meeting, the motion was carried.

“This council notes:

That local government has endured repeated cuts over the last 15 years, amounting to more than a 27% real terms cut in core spending power since 2010. Further research by UNISON suggests that councils across England, Wales and Scotland will face a collective funding shortfall of £3.5bn by the financial year 2024/25 and a cumulative funding gap of £7bn by 2025/26. Between 2018-2023, 7 councils issued section 114 notices, including Nottingham City Council, with many others coming close to doing so.

At the same time, pressure on council finances has increased, particularly on the cost of children’s and adult social care since the pandemic. These costs now consume approximately 75% of Nottinghamshire County Council’s total budget, and this percentage is expected to continue to increase without major change.

It is a similar picture under Nottingham City Council, which continues to be unable to produce a balanced budget and resolve its debts. While Broxtowe Borough Council is itself in a relatively stable financial position, its residents are still impacted by the pressures on Nottinghamshire County Council and the reductions on services like libraries, youth centres, and infrastructure maintenance.

The catastrophic state of local government funding in the UK cannot be resolved by making further redundancies, efficiencies, or raising council tax. The government’s focus on local government reform is a red herring that cannot provide the savings needed to continue to deliver the vital services provided by local government, and, if pushed through, will only put many of these services at greater risk while also further increasing the distance between communities and their governance.

Instead of supporting the government’s attempts to push through a damaging reform of local government, this council resolves to:

·       Write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for an immediate suspension of local government reorganisation until the funding situation is resolved and for an urgent review of current budget allocations and a fairer funding solution for local authorities.

·       Call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to support the above letter.

·       Write to Nottinghamshire County Council calling on them to also support a fairer funding review to protect local council services in Broxtowe and wider Notts area.

·       Commit to campaigning to raise awareness of the threats to local services due to underfunding and LGR

• And empower the CEO and leader of Broxtowe Borough Council to act on subsequent opportunities to press this essential issue on the council's behalf to protect vital services for the well-being of residents of Broxtowe.”

Prior to the commencement of the item, it was proposed by Councillor S J Carr and seconded by Councillor B C Carr that the order of business for the remaining items of the meeting amended. On being put the meeting the proposal was defeated. Subsequently, Councillors B C Carr and S J Carr left the meeting.

The motion was proposed by Councillor G Marshall and seconded by Councillor G Bunn.

“This council notes:

That local government has endured repeated cuts over the last 15 years, amounting to more than a 27% real terms cut in core spending power since 2010. Further research by UNISON suggests that councils across England, Wales and Scotland will face a collective funding shortfall of £3.5bn by the financial year 2024/25 and a cumulative funding gap of £7bn by 2025/26. Between 2018-2023, 7 councils issued section 114 notices, including Nottingham City Council, with many others coming close to doing so.

At the same time, pressure on council finances has increased, particularly on the cost of children’s and adult social care since the pandemic. These costs now consume approximately 75% of Nottinghamshire County Council’s total budget, and this percentage is expected to continue to increase without major change.

It is a similar picture under Nottingham City Council, which continues to be unable to produce a balanced budget and resolve its debts. While Broxtowe Borough Council is itself in a relatively stable financial position, its residents are still impacted by the pressures on Nottinghamshire County Council and the reductions on services like libraries, youth centres, and infrastructure maintenance.

The catastrophic state of local government funding in the UK cannot be resolved by making further redundancies, efficiencies, or raising council tax. The government’s focus on local government reform is a red herring that cannot provide the savings needed to continue to deliver the vital services provided by local government, and, if pushed through, will only put many of these services at greater risk while also further increasing the distance between communities and their governance.

Instead of supporting the government’s attempts to push through a damaging reform of local government, this council resolves to:

·       Write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for an immediate suspension of local government reorganisation until the funding situation is resolved and for an urgent review of current budget allocations and a fairer funding solution for local authorities.

·       Call on the Local Government Association to make urgent representations to central government to support the above letter.

·       Write to Nottinghamshire County Council calling on them to also support a fairer funding review to protect local council services in Broxtowe and wider Notts area.

·       Commit to campaigning to raise awareness of the threats to local services due to underfunding and LGR

• And empower the CEO and leader of Broxtowe Borough Council to act on subsequent opportunities to press this essential issue on the council's behalf to protect vital services for the well-being of residents of Broxtowe.”

An amendment was proposed by Councillor P J  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.3

“This Council notes:

The Labour Government’s reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.

We condemn the Bill as an attempt to punish disabled people with cuts designed to achieve minor savings, while doing nothing to help them find and retain employment. This is especially egregious when the initially proposed £5 billion in savings is compared to the outstanding £47 billion “tax gap” from unclaimed tax owed by companies and the very wealthy.

The Bill included a number of amendments as concessions to Labour “rebels” made on the day of the second reading, but serious questions remain:

• Some of the concessions would not apply to new claimants, creating an unjust and illogical two-tier benefit system. There is uncertainty as to whether this would also apply to those having their existing awards reviewed, creating a situation where someone is deemed disabled enough to deserve support one day, but not the next.
• The Universal Credit health top-up will be halved for new claimants, depriving disabled people seeking work of much-needed support.
• Revisions to the already gruelling Personal Independence Payment process would be decided following a review led by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms. This “Timms Review” is intended to be co-produced with disabled people. However, disability rights groups have raised doubts about this, and it may in fact reverse the concessions made during the Bill’s second reading.
  
  

Almost all disabled people want to work. They are not kept out of work by benefits, but, as numerous government reports have shown, by prejudice in the workplace and in the hiring process. We wish to support the people of Broxtowe, of whom approximately 8,100 are disabled, in living dignified lives and having access to the safety net they are entitled to when they need it.

This Council resolves to:

• Condemn the Bill as rushed-through, having ignored the “Pathways to Work” consultation with disabled people, and for harming disabled people rather than helping them into work. The Bill should never have been brought to the House of Commons without first consulting disabled people on what would help them find and stay in work.
• Carry out a Council-led local awareness campaign to alert disabled people in the region to the changes they may face to their benefits and related support.
• Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, formally requesting that the input of disabled people lead the work of the Timms Review and that the recommendations of disabled people be binding.”

The motion was proposed by Councillor G Marshall and seconded by Councillor H Skinner:

“This Council notes:

The Labour Government’s reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.

We condemn the Bill as an attempt to punish disabled people with cuts designed to achieve minor savings, while doing nothing to help them find and retain employment. This is especially egregious when the initially proposed £5 billion in savings is compared to the outstanding £47 billion “tax gap” from unclaimed tax owed by companies and the very wealthy.

The Bill included a number of amendments as concessions to Labour “rebels” made on the day of the second reading, but serious questions remain:

• Some of the concessions would not apply to new claimants, creating an unjust and illogical two-tier benefit system. There is uncertainty as to whether this would also apply to those having their existing awards reviewed, creating a situation where someone is deemed disabled enough to deserve support one day, but not the next.
• The Universal Credit health top-up will be halved for new claimants, depriving disabled people seeking work of much-needed support.
• Revisions to the already gruelling Personal Independence Payment process would be decided following a review led by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms. This “Timms Review” is intended to be co-produced with disabled people. However, disability rights groups have raised doubts about this, and it may in fact reverse the concessions made during the Bill’s second reading.
  
  

Almost all disabled people want to work. They are not kept out of work by benefits, but—as numerous government reports have shown—by prejudice in the workplace and in the hiring process. We wish to support the people of Broxtowe, of whom approximately 8,100 are disabled, in living dignified lives and having access to the safety net they are entitled to when they need it.

This Council resolves to:

• Condemn the Bill as rushed-through, having ignored the “Pathways to Work” consultation with disabled people, and for harming disabled people rather than helping them into work. The Bill should never have been brought to the House of Commons without first consulting disabled people on what would help them find and stay in work.
• Carry out a Council-led local awareness campaign to alert disabled people in the region to the changes they may face to their benefits and related support.
• Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, formally requesting that the input of disabled people lead the work of the Timms Review and that the recommendations of disabled people be binding.”

On being put to the meeting, the motion was carried.

(Having declared an other-registerable interest Councillor E Wiliamson left the meeting for the item before discussion or voting thereon.)

To receive Members’ speeches on ward issues.

There were no Members’ speeches on ward issues.

To receive questions on outside bodies.

There were no questions on outside bodies.

To receive Members’ questions.

A Member’s Question had been submitted by Councillor B C Carr for the Leader of the Council. The question was as follows:

“Over a period of many months myself and Councillor Steve Carr have been contacted by residents very dissatisfied with Nottinghamshire County Council’s occupational therapy service.

Would the Leader agree with me that this service is letting down residents and as a result making it very difficult for this Council to meet its stated objectives within the Aids and Adaptions and Corporate Policies. Namely to support people to live well, safely and independently.

Furthermore, would he agree to write to Nottinghamshire County Council expressing these concerns and asking for a review of the service via their Scrutiny system?  Would he agree to an investigation into the feasibility of changing the provider of occupational therapy services to Council tenants?”

In the absence of the Leader, the Deputy Leader responded by stating that the Council encountered a situation where the Occupational Therapist (OT) at the County declined to undertake an assessment of the customer, leaving this Council without a clear reason for the refusal. Despite multiple inquiries with Nottinghamshire County Council to obtain a statement, the reasons for the OT's decision remains unknown. It was evident, however, that the customer was in need of assistance.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, we decided to proceed with the installation of a wet room facility on the ground floor of the property. This decision, while highly irregular and outside the current Adaptations Policy framework, was seen as the right course of action to support the customer's daily life. It was unacceptable to leave the customer without the ability to wash themselves, and with sufficient information and the customer's support, we are confident in our ability to design and install a facility that met their needs.

This case has highlighted the need to work with NCC OT Team, to ensure customers receive an appropriate adaptations service.  Broxtowe Borough Council remains dedicated to the well-being of its residents. This decision reflects the commitment to taking necessary actions, even when they fall outside standard procedures, to ensure that all residents receive the support and care they need. We will also review our current policies and develop alternative mechanisms to address any difficulties experienced, with a view to producing better outcomes for our residents.

Council is asked to NOTE that Councillor T Marsh has advised that he has ceased representing the Labour Group and intends to sit as a representative of the Broxtowe Alliance. There will be an affect on the composition of committees of the Council for the purposes of proportionality which will be considered during a further item on the agenda.

The Council noted that Councillor T J Marsh had advised that he had ceased representing the Labour Group and would now represent the Broxtowe Alliance.

Following Councillor T Marsh’s change of representation proportionality has been affected. Members are asked to RESOLVE that the amendments to the appointments be approved in accordance with the schedule laid before the meeting.

Governance, Audit & Standards Committee

Broxtowe Alliance

K Woodhead(Vice-Chair)                      Substitutes    1. P Smith

R Bullock                                                                  2. R Bofinger

S Dannheimer                                                           3. C M Tideswell

S Jeremiah                                                               4. S Paterson

K A Harlow                                                               5. S Webb

T Marsh

Conservative

M Brown                                               Substitute     1. P J Owen

J M Owen                                            

G S Hills      

Labour

A Cooper                                              Substitutes    1. H J Faccio

E Winfield                                                                 2. W Mee

Broxtowe Independent Group

S J Carr (Chair)                                     Substitute     1. B C Carr

Liberal Democrat Group

A Kingdon                                             Substitute     1. D K Watts

RESOLVED that:

1.     The appointments be made in accordance with the schedule laid before the meeting.

2.     Councillor T Marsh Replace Councillor W Mee as the Council’s representative on the NET Transit Board.

To provide an update for Council on the progress of Local Government Reorganisation in Nottinghamshire.

Members noted a report on the latest position regarding Local Government Reorganisation.

The following motion was considered as an item of urgent business. The motion was proposed by Councillor H J Faccio and seconded by Councillor P J Bales.

“This Council notes:

·       that as the Head of Paid Service and the council’s most highly paid and high profile job, the Chief Executive post is a vital and integral role to the success of this council in providing services to the public.

·       that the recruitment for a new Chief Executive of this authority was paused after concerns were raised about this very important role being advertised only to potential candidates already working at Broxtowe Borough Council.

·       that these concerns were raised by all opposition parties, including a joint letter from the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats, sent on 6 July to the current Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer and HR department, and which was forwarded to the Deputy Leader to answer. This letter asked a number of questions about the procedure and decision making behind the internal-only job advert. No reply to the questions raised in this letter has yet been received.

This Council resolves to:

·       Review the Council’s Constitution and/or Recruitment Policy to make it official policy to advertise all vacancies at Director level and above externally. This will result in open and fair recruitment, a wider pool of talent being given the chance to apply and will ensure that internal candidates are benchmarked against external candidates so that the best candidate for the job can be secured, and we consequently get the best value for money for the people of Broxtowe through the best appointment being made.

·       Commit to seeking advice from the Local Government Association on best practice for senior level recruitment to ensure a robust, challenging and sector-approved interview process.”

On being put to the meeting the motion was defeated.