Agenda and draft minutes

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

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors S A Bagshaw, B C Carr, J Couch, H Crosby, S Kerry and H G Khaled.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

Council is asked to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on held on 17 December 2025, 2 January 2026 and 28 January 2026.

The minutes of the meetings held on 17 December 2025, 2 January 2026 and 28 January 2026 were confirmed as a correct record.

The Mayor gave a brief résumé of his engagements since the previous Council meeting.

To inform Members of the proposed pay allowance rates for Members for 2026/27 based on the Cabinet governance model.

The recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel were debated, including the recommendation for a rise in allowances and that £600 be added to the basic allowance.

RESOLVED that:

1.       £600 be added to the basic allowance for 2026/27.

2.       Members’ Allowances be increased by 3% for 2026/27.

At its meeting on 3 February 2026 Cabinet considered the Pay Policy for 2026/27 prior to its submission to full Council. The Pay Policy statement for 2026/27 set out the Council’s policies relating to the remuneration of its senior officers, the remuneration of its lowest paid employees. Each Local Authority had a statutory obligation to publish an annual Pay Policy Statement.

RECOMMENDED to Council that the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 be approved.

The Council debated the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27, as required by the Localism Act 2011.

RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement 2026/27 be approved.

To make appointments to committees and working groups.

Members considered the appointments to Committees in accordance with the schedule laid before the meeting.

RESOLVED that:

1.               Councillors A Cooper and E Winfield be added as substitutes to the Chief Officer Employment Committee.

2.               Councillor H Land be added as a substitute to the Chief Officer Employment Committee.

3.               Councillor D D Pringle replace Councillor J M Owen on the Chief Officer Employment Committee.

4.               Councillor S J Carr replace E Williamson on the Licensing and Appeals Committee.

To approve the capital and revenue budget proposals together with the Capital Strategy, Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Strategy, Investment Strategy and the General Fund Medium Term Financial Strategy. (Members should note that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment Regulations 2014, there will be a recorded vote on this item).

The Council debated the capital and revenue budget proposals together with the Capital Strategy, Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Strategy, Investment Strategy and General Fund Medium Term Financial Strategy and Business Plans.

It was stated that there was a continuing serious economic context for local government but the Council had delivered another “no cuts to jobs and services” budget, which led the way in housing, house building and the environment. The budget would focus on a diverse programme of continued investment in Broxtowe’s town centre regeneration, council house delivery, parks and open spaces, and an exciting cultural offer, which continued to support financial sustainability, and improve the residents and tenants’ lives.

It was proposed by Councillor P J Owen and seconded by D D Pringle that the following amendment be made to the budget.

“The Council shall –

• Reduce the General Fund revenue budget by £205,600 thereby resulting in a 0% increase for the Broxtowe Borough Council element of the Council Tax (a ‘tax freeze’).
• The cost of the tax freeze be funded by an increase in the Council’s employee savings target from the proposed £800k to up to £1.0m with the remaining shortfall being met by an additional withdrawal from General Fund Reserve balances.

The Council is therefore asked to RESOLVE that:

• Resolution 1 bullet point 2 be amended to read ‘The General Fund revenue budgets as submitted be reduced by £200,000 to allow for the additional employee savings target.”
• Resolution 1 bullet point 4 be amended to read ‘The Council Tax Requirement for 2026/27, including special expenses (but excluding local precepting requirements), be £7,010,792.
• Resolution 1 bullet point 5 be amended to read ‘An amount of £765,934 be withdrawn from the General Fund reserves and an amount of £439,883 be taken from General Fund earmarked reserves in 2026/27.’
• The figures provided in resolutions 2, 3, 4 and 5 be amended accordingly to reflect the reduction in the Broxtowe Borough Council basic Council Tax amount for a band D property from £198.61 to £192.93.”

The debate on the amendment was had. On being put to the meeting the motion was defeated. The vote was recorded and the voting was as follows:

The debate progressed on to the original motion.  It was noted that the proposed budget included the work on Bramcote Leisure Centre. There were concerns about flooding, Local Government Reorganisation and the Housing Regulator’s report. There  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103.

The following item of urgent business was submitted by Councillor G Bunn:

This Council notes the appalling state of roads throughout Broxtowe and the lack of on-street parking enforcement when cars park blocking the pavement or parking on double yellow lines, both of which are the responsibility of Nottinghamshire County Council and create a substantial risk to Broxtowe residents’ health and safety.

Figures show the percentage of roads managed by Nottinghamshire County Council that they classified as ‘should have been considered for maintenance’ in the latest figures, showing the scale of the issue and the significantly higher percentages of poor roads in Nottinghamshire compared to the national average

Anecdotal evidence suggests that percentages have increased significantly, with pothole complaints across Broxtowe becoming an almost daily occurrence. This is a significant health and safety issue, both for road users and pedestrians.

This Council acknowledges consistent reductions in local government funding from central government under successive governments since 2010, increasing pressure on services provided by local government and also their reliance on council tax revenue. Central government cut grant funding by 40.1% in real terms between 2009/10 and 2019/20, from £51.8bn to just £31.0bn (2025/26 prices). The proportion of local authorities’ income from council tax rose from 34.1% in 2009/10 to 45.6% in 2024/25, from a third to nearly half of their overall income. This is a regressive form of taxation that increases the difficulties faced by low income households and districts with large amounts of lower band housing, making it hardest to support services in the areas of highest need. In Broxtowe, Council tax now makes up nearly 50% of the council’s income, with the income received from central grants and business rates (NNDR) having increased by just 2.85% from 2025/26 to 2026/27, below the rate of inflation.

This Council notes, however, that Nottinghamshire County Council has just set their budget increase at 3.99%. In cash terms, this means a Band D property will see the county council tax element rise by £75.59 a year, to £1,970.13. (In contrast, Broxtowe Council has increased their rates byjust 2.94%, which for a Band D property is an additional £5.51 for the year. This is expected to lead to additional revenue of £26m for Nottinghamshire County Council in 2026/27.

In total, Nottinghamshire County Council’s funding has actually increased by over 31% in 2026/27 compared to 2025/26, due to an extra £160m from central government along with the increase in council tax.

Rather than using this significant uplift to fix the roads, however, as they promised to do if they were elected the Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council’s budget instead proposes a significant £1.7m reduction in the amount spent on road maintenance and renewals:

This Council therefore resolves to:

·       Write to Notts County Council to demand that they acknowledge the significant deterioration and its impact and take immediate and comprehensive action to address the state of roads in Broxtowe and across the County.

·       Call on Notts County Council to update their Local Highways Maintenance Transparency Report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104.