Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee
Decisions taken at the meeting held on Tuesday, 7 January 2025.
Meeting Time:
7.00 pm
Meeting Venue:
Council Chamber, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB
PRESENT: Councillor Sue Doran (Chair), Councillor Michelle Arnold, Councillor Maureen Attewell, Councillor Chris Bateson, Councillor Lisa Brennan, Councillor Sandra Dunn, Councillor Adam Gale, Councillor Rebecca Geach, Councillor Kathy Grant, Councillor Anant Mathur and Councillor Paul Woodward
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5. Community Wellbeing & Housing Draft Detailed budget for 2025/26 |
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Committee resolved to agree the Community Wellbeing draft detailed budget for 2025/26 and made a recommendation to Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to approve the proposed budget. |
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6. Community Wellbeing & Housing - Draft Detailed capital budget for 2025/26 |
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Committee resolved to agree the Community Wellbeing draft detailed capital budget for 2025/26 and made a recommendation to Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to approve the proposed budget. |
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7. Annual Grant Awards 2025/2026* |
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Committee resolved to:
1. Approve the recommendations of the Grants Panel regarding the proposed recipients of the 2025/2026 community grants, and made a recommendation to Council.
2. Approve the recommendations of the Grants Panel regarding indicative grant funding for the 5 core funded organisations for 2026/2027.
3. Note the other support that Spelthorne Borough Council provides to the voluntary/charity sector.
4. Note the proposal that any underspend from the Council Grants and Better Neighbourhood Grants budget will be carried forward to the next financial year.
5. Note the potential changes to the Discretionary Rate Relief Policy
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8. Eclipse Leisure Centre Additional Spend |
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Committee resolved to:
1. Approve option one (Non-Combustible Timber Upstand) and a budget of £3000 in relation to the sauna coals.
2. Approve option 4, subject to exploring alternative hedging solutions and a budget of £10,000 in relation to the barrier to protect the turfed area.
3. Delegate approval of the final solution in relation to the design barrier to protect the turfed area to the Group Head Community Wellbeing in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee.
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9. Leisure and Culture Strategy |
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Committee resolved to:
1. Approve and adopt the Spelthorne Leisure & Culture Strategy 2025-2035
2. Agree delegated authority to the Group Head, Community Wellbeing in consultation with Chair and Vice Chair of Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee to make necessary changes to the Spelthorne Leisure and Culture Strategy, 2025 – 2035.
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10. Household Support Fund Phase 6 |
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Committee resolved to:
1. Agree the proposed scheme of distribution of Household Support Fund Phase 6 as per preferred option 3.
2. Agree that in the event of any funds being unallocated that they are moved to the “General Allocation Pot” at the end of March 2025.
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11. Community Centre Saturday Opening |
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Committee resolved to:
1. Continue to endorse the Council’s approach of expanding the Community Centres provision to take account of the impact of current cost of living, energy and social isolation crisis on our communities.
2. Continue with the provision of opening at least one community centre within the borough of Spelthorne for 6 days a week, which is currently in place, engaging centre staff to provide the additional provision as per option 2.
3.To agree delegated authority to Deputy Chief Executive Terry Collier in consultation with Chair and Vice Chair of Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee to agree a continuation every 6 months within the permitted budget envelope.
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13. Options for Pricing Meals on Wheels |
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The Committee resolved to make a recommendation to Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to increase the unit price of meals on wheels based on option 3.
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14. Options for pricing OPAL (Older Persons Active Living) Group |
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The Committee resolved to make a recommendation to Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to increase the unit price of OPAL Group based on option 2. |
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NOTES:-
(1) Members are reminded that the “call-in” procedure as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution, shall not apply to the following matters:
(a) Urgent decisions as defined in Paragraph 9. of the Call-in Scrutiny Procedure Rules;
(b) Decisions to award a contract following a lawful procurement process;
(c) Those decisions:
i. reserved to full Council
ii. on regulatory matters
iii. on member conduct issues.
(2) Those matters to which Note (1) applies, if any, are identified with an asterisk [*] in the above Minutes.
(3) Within three working days of the date on which this decision is published, not less than three members from two or more political groups by submission of the standard call-in pro-forma, may ask for that decision to be referred to a meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for review (call-in). The completed pro-forma must be received by the Proper Officer by 5pm three working days after publication of the decision.
(4) The members exercising the right of call-in must not be members of the Committee which considered the matter.
(5) When calling in a decision for review the members doing so must demonstrate the following exceptional circumstances:
a. Evidence which suggests that the decision maker, did not take the decision in accordance with the principles set out in Article 11 (Decision Making); or
b. Evidence that the decision fails to support one or more of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities to the detriment of the majority of the Borough’s residents; or
c. Evidence that explicit Council Policy or legal requirements were disregarded.
(6) Once the request for ‘call-in’ has been deemed valid by the Monitoring Officer the matter will be suspended until the call-in procedure has been exhausted.
(7) The Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant officer, will determine if the interests of the Council or Borough would be prejudiced by a delay in implementing a decision such that the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(8) Where the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting, the Monitoring Officer will arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to review the decision subject to call-in at the earliest possible opportunity.
(9) In exceptional cases, where there is clear evidence that a delay to the implementation of a decision would lead to a specific and significant financial or reputational harm to the Council, a call-in request may be refused by the Chief Executive following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(10) In reviewing a matter referred to it under the call-in scrutiny procedure rules, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee shall follow the procedure for dealing with call-in scrutiny at its meetings as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution.
(11) The deadline of three working days for "call in" in relation to the above decisions by the Committee is the close of business on 13 January 2025.