Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 3 September 2024 were agreed and signed as a true record.

The City Council noted that Councillor Sanjida Jobbar was elected as Councillor for St Michael’s Ward in the City on 10 October 2024.

Councillor Jobbar was welcomed to her first meeting of the Council.

1.  Visit of the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork

The Lord Mayor reported that she had welcomed the Deputy Lord Mayor and Deputy Lady Mayoress of Coventry’s twin city of Cork on their recent visit. Honore Kamegni had made history by becoming the first black man to serve on Cork City Council following his election in June 2024.

2.  Death of Former Lord Mayor and Honorary Alderman Joan Wright

The Lord Mayor referred to the recent death of former Lord Mayor and Honorary Alderman Joan Wright who passed away on 18^th September 2024.

Joan had been a Councillor serving the Wyken Ward for 16 years between 1986 and 2002.  During this time, she had been a leading Councillor on issues relating to social services and the environment.  Joan was Lord Mayor during the Millennium year of 1999-2000 and was made an Honorary Alderman in 2012.

Members paid tribute to Joan and noted that a letter of condolence had been sent to her family.

3.  Death of Former Lord Mayor and Honorary Alderman Kiernan Mulhall

The Lord Mayor referred to the death of former Lord Mayor and Honorary Alderman Kieran Mulhall who passed away on 12^th October 2024.

Kieran had been a Councillor for 20 years representing Radford Ward from 1998-2018. During that time, Kieran had served on many Committees and Scrutiny Boards and also served as Deputy Chair of Planning Committee. He was Lord Mayor in 2011/12 and made an Honorary Alderman in 2018.

Members paid tribute to Kieran and noted that a letter of condolence had been sent to his family.

4.  Death of Mr Ratan N Tata GBE

The Lord Mayor referred to the death of Mr Ratan Tata GBE who passed away on 9 October 2024. 

Mr Tata had been granted the Coventry Award of Merit in 2014 and was admitted as an Honorary Freeman of the City of Coventry in September 2015 in recognition of the investment of Tata Steel into Jaguar Land Rover which enhanced and protected the status of car manufacturing in the region, the Jaguar Land Rover brand and particularly the employment of its employees and many subsidy suppliers, supported by the Warwick Manufacturing Group.

Members paid tribute to Mr Tata and noted that a letter of condolence had been sent to his family.

Following the announcements, the Council held a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for Joan, Kieran and Ratan.

RESOLVED that the following petitions be referred to the appropriate Cabinet Member/City Council body:

1.  Petition requesting that the owner of the land situated at the crossroads of Villiers Street and Clements Street engage with the local community on the solution to the recurrent fly-tipping – 32 signatures, presented by Councillor K Caan.

2.  Petition requesting double yellow lines at the junction of Park Court and Birmingham Road – 53 signatures, presented by Councillor T Jandu.

3.  Petition requesting the Council to support its motorcycle and scooter riders by asking the Department of Transport to open a test centre in the City – 130 signatures, presented by Councillor C Thomas.

4.  Petition objecting to the application for a phone mast on the Ponderosa – 33 signatures, presented by Councillor G Ridley.

5.  Petition asking for the Council to make Woodlands Ward Residents road safety a priority – 59 signatures, presented by Councillor J Lepoidevin.

6.  Petition requesting the City Council to work with the West Midlands Police, registered housing providers, Citizen Housing Midland Heart, Orbit and the Salvation Army to take concrete steps to tackle anti-social behaviour and criminal activities in Hillfields and the surrounding areas – 84 signatures, presented by Councillor S Jobbar.

There were no declarations of interest.

From Cabinet, 1 October 2024

The City Council considered a report of the Director of Childrens Services and Education which gave notification that the Coventry Youth Justice Service (CYJS) Youth Justice Plan had been agreed and signed off by its Chair, the previous Interim Director of Childrens Services, and sought Council endorsement of the Plan. Appendices to the report provided: the Coventry Youth Justice Plan - 2023-25 Strategy – Update 2024; and an Equality Impact Assessment.

Youth Justice Services were established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 with the principal aim being to prevent offending behaviour by children and young persons [s.37(1) Crime and Disorder Act 1998].  The Act imposed a duty on each local authority (with its statutory partners: Police, Health, and Probation) to ensure that adequate Youth Justice Services were available in the area. The key tasks of the service were:

•  Management and delivery of diversion work to children at risk of entering the youth justice system and children subject to an out of court disposal, community sentences, and a secure estate sentence

•  Servicing the Youth Court and Crown Courts (in terms of provision of the court team, Bail & Health Assessments, provision of Court Reports)

•  Parenting services and management of Parenting Orders

•  Victim services

The legislation also imposed a duty to complete and submit a Youth Justice Plan each year. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) provided a grant to the Service, outlined delivery expectations and oversaw performance for Services; the plan followed a YJB mandated template.

Cabinet had endorsed acceptance of the Coventry Youth Justice Plan 2023-25 Strategy (Update 2024) at their meeting on 1 October 2024 and recommend that Council endorse the Plan.

RESOLVED that the City Council endorse the Coventry Youth Justice Plan 2023-25 Strategy – Update 2024.

From Cabinet, 1 October 2024

The City Council considered a report of the Director of Adult Services and Housing, which had also been considered by Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) at their meeting on 4 September and Cabinet at their meeting on 1 October 2024.  The report set out the Adult Social Care Annual Report 2023/24 (also referred to as the Local Account). This year the Annual Report mirrored the content of the Self-Assessment, highlighting some of the work being done through examples and spotlights on the support provided. It was intended that the annual report be read alongside the Self-Assessment. Appendices to the report provided: the Annual Report (Local Account) 2023/24; and the Adult Social Care Self-Assessment 2023/24.

The Self-Assessment would be updated annually and presented alongside the Annual Report and provided to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) when the Council was selected for an inspection.

The approach taken to the both the Self-Assessment and Annual Report demonstrated an open approach to successes, challenges and where the Authority could develop further in order to improve outcomes for people with care and support needs and their unpaid carers within Coventry. The Self-Assessment also provided the opportunity to present the context within which CQC would be inspecting Adult Social Care in Coventry.

The production of the 2023/24 report had drawn on the pool of feedback and information that had been gathered over the year from a range of sources including social care staff, Partnership Boards, Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group, providers, partner organisations and people who had been in contact with Adult Social Care, along with their families and carers.

Cabinet, at their meeting, had considered a briefing note detailing the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) consideration of the reports (their minute 10/24 refers) which was appended to the report and set out their recommendations for Cabinet. The Board had recommended that Cabinet accept the recommendations within the report and consider an amendment to the report under ‘Discharges for 2023/24’ to include an additional paragraph giving clarification for the hospital discharge pathways.  Cabinet had agreed the additional paragraph recommended by the Scrutiny Board.

RESOLVED that the City Council receive and note the Adult Social Care Self-Assessment and Annual Report (Local Account) 2023/24.

From Cabinet, 1 October 2024

The City Council considered a report of the Director of City Services and Commercial which had been considered at Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) at their meeting on 26 September and Cabinet at their meeting on 1 October 2024.  The report provided an update on progress achieved since the Coventry Transport Strategy was adopted, including the latest available performance information. The report also sought approval to update the Implementation Plan which accompanied the Strategy to reflect the Council’s latest plans. Appendices to the report provided: the Coventry Transport Strategy Key Performance Indicators Progress Report; and the Coventry Transport Strategy Implementation Plan Update.

Cabinet, at their meeting, had received a briefing note from Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board (3) consideration of the report (their Minute 3/24 refers), that had been circulated, setting out their recommendations for Cabinet’s consideration. The Board recommended that Cabinet agree the recommendations in the report and agreed to find opportunities to promote the innovative projects being delivered to support active travel in the city, such as VLR, Ring and Ride schemes and WM On Demand.

RESOLVED that the City Council:

1)  Approve the updated and amended Implementation Plan (set out in Appendix 2 to the report) which was previously approved by Council on 6 December 2022, and which accompanies the Coventry Transport Strategy.

2)  Delegate authority to the Director of City Services and Commercial and Director of Finance and Resources, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, and the Cabinet Member for City Services, to make variations from time to time to the Coventry Transport Strategy and Implementation Plan.

From the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities, 7 October 2024

The City Council considered a report of the Director of Law and Governance which sought approval from the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities and Council to proposed amendments to the Constitution in relation to changes to the Contract Procedure Rules, Part 3G.

The Constitutional Advisory Panel, at its meeting on 10 September 2024, had agreed with the proposed amendments and the report had also been considered by the Cabinet at their meeting on 7 October 2024.

The report also outlined minor amendments and corrections required to ensure that the Constitution was up to date.

It was noted that the proposed amendments to the Contract Procedure Rules as set out in Appendix A were to align to the forthcoming introduction of the Procurement Act 2023, the proposed changes to the Contract Procedure Rules were summarised in the report.

RESOLVED that the City Council:

(1)  Approve the proposed amendments to the Contract Procedure Rules, Part 3G of the Constitution as detailed in Appendix A to the report and delegates authority to the Director of Law and Governance to make the necessary amendments to the Constitution once the Procurement Act 2023 is enacted. 

(2)  Note the minor amendments and corrections that will be made under delegated authority by the Director of Law and Governance to the Scheme of Functions Delegated to Employees in Part 2M of the Constitution as detailed in Paragraph 3.1 to ensure that the Constitution is up to date.

Report of the Chief Executive

The City Council noted a report of the Chief Executive which informed Council of a decision undertaken by the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance and Resources (Section 151 Officer) following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities and the Leader of the Council. The process was in accordance with the Financial Procedure Rules as set out in the Constitution. The decision was to accept and allocate a grant of £3,538,050 made available by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government pursuant to the grant scheme known as the Local Authority Housing Fund (3). Due to the timescales involved, this decision was reported to Council retrospectively.

Report of the Chief Executive

The City Council noted a report of the Chief Executive which informed Council of a decision undertaken by the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance and Resources (Section 151 Officer) following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources and the Leader of the Council. The process was in accordance with the Financial Procedure Rules as set out in the Constitution.  The decision was to accept and allocate a grant of £3,224,222.30from the Department for Work and Pensions (“DWP”) pursuant to the grant scheme known as the Household Support Fund (HSF). Due to the timescales involved, this decision was reported to Council retrospectively.

(a)  Written Question – Booklet 1

(b)  Oral Questions to Chairs of Scrutiny Boards/Chair of Scrutiny

Co-ordination Committee

(c)  Oral Questions to Chairs of other meetings

(d)  Oral Questions to Representatives on Outside Bodies

(e)  Oral Questions to Cabinet Members and Deputy Cabinet Members on any matter

Councillors O’Boyle, Brown and AS Khan provided written answers to the questions set out in the Questions Booklet, oral responses to supplementary questions were given at the meeting.

The following Members answered oral questions put to them by other Members as set out below, together with supplementary questions on the same matters:

There were no Statements.

"This Council calls for reassurance that no further Council taxpayers money will be spent on the IKEA development as a result of the collapse of ISG."

The following debate was moved by Councillor P Male and seconded by Councillor G Ridley:

"This Council calls for reassurance that no further Council taxpayers’ money will be spent on the IKEA development as a result of the collapse of ISG."

RESOLVED that the Motion as set out above be not adopted.

“Following the Second Reading of the Renters’ Reform Bill in Parliament, Coventry City Council:

·  Welcomes the progress of the Bill and in particular its abolition of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions

·  Notes the Local Government Association’s cross-party analysis that local authorities may require additional funding in this month’s Budget in order to fully enforce the Bill’s provisions

·  Hopes that further legislation may give local authorities greater freedom over housing policy and homelessness, as providing temporary accommodation to families now costs Coventry City Council more than £13 million per year.”

The following debate was moved by Councillor S Agboola and seconded by Councillor A Tucker:

“Following the Second Reading of the Renters’ Reform Bill in Parliament, Coventry City Council:

·  Welcomes the progress of the Bill and in particular its abolition of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions

·  Notes the Local Government Association’s cross-party analysis that local authorities may require additional funding in this month’s Budget in order to fully enforce the Bill’s provisions

·  Hopes that further legislation may give local authorities greater freedom over housing policy and homelessness, as providing temporary accommodation to families now costs Coventry City Council more than £13 million per year.”

The following amendment was moved by Councillor P Male, seconded by Councillor M Lapsa and lost:

After the words “Coventry City Council” in the first paragraph, delete the three bullet points and insert the following:

·  Notes the progress of the Bill.

·  Calls upon the Government to pause the progress of the Bill until an impact assessment has been completed and until a review of the courts has been conducted.

·  Notes that the local use of self-funding, Selective Licensing, would give the local authority greater freedom over housing policy and homelessness.”

The amended Motion now to read:

“Following the Second Reading of the Renters’ Reform Bill in Parliament, Coventry City Council:

·  Notes the progress of the Bill.

·  Calls upon the Government to pause the progress of the Bill until an impact assessment has been completed and until a review of the courts has been conducted.

·  Notes that the local use of self-funding, Selective Licensing, would give the local authority greater freedom over housing policy and homelessness.”

RESOLVED that the Motion as set above as moved by Councillor S Agboola and seconded by Councillor A Tucker, be adopted.