Tuesday 29th January 2019 Sutton Coldfield Town Hall 7pm Present Cllrs D. Allan (Chairman) L. Allen, A-Higgins, Cairns, Cooper, Cummins, Hodgins, Horrocks, Jolley, Mackey, Mosson, Parmar, Passey, Pears, Pocock, Puri, Raut, Simper, K. Ward, S Ward and Wood. In Attendance Olive O’Sullivan–Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Natalia Gorman, Senior Administrator & Projects Officer. There were sixteen members of the public and one member of the press present. Members of the public were invited to ask questions and make comments about items on the agenda. The Chairman extended a warm welcome to Bonnie Maughan from Coppice Primary School who was in attendance as part of her junior rotary award. Two members of the Local Historical Society spoke encouraging Council to approve that Birmingham City Council carry out a procurement exercise to appoint qualified professionals to carry out a survey of Sutton Coldfield’s Library Archives and Local Studies Collections. Zoe Toft, Trinity ward spoke in favour of Concerts in the Park and asked Council to approve the recommendations set out in item 115c. Zoe commended Concerts in the Park as it brings the community together, attracts visitors to the town and showcases local musical and creative talents and thanked the Town Council for investing in the arts. Philip Owen, Boldmere St Michaels asked Council to support an application they are submitting to Birmingham City Council to extend their lease. Martin Pedley, Boldmere Traders Association & Boldmere Futures Partnership expressed his thanks to the Council for their generous contribution to Boldmere’s Winter Festival held in November 2018. Mr Pedley advised that Boldmere Futures Partnership has reviewed their SAG documentation and will be making positive changes to next years programme. Mr Pedley confirmed that local traders in Boldmere are keen to participate in Sutton Coldfield in Bloom and asked that local high streets are included in a Regeneration Plan for Sutton Coldfield. Mr Pedley spoke of the high number of thefts to local shops in Boldmere. In response the Chairman confirmed that Council would extend an invite to West Midlands Police Commissioner to a future Full Council meeting. Terry Johnson, a Four Oaks resident spoke in support of agenda item 117. John Perks, a Walmley & Minworth resident thanked those involve in ensuring that the damaged Christmas tree in Walmley Village was quickly fixed. 107 Apologies for Absence The Clerk had received apologies from Cllrs Ellis & Griffin. Resolved to accept the apologies. Page | 1 Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Minutes | Tuesday 29th January 2019 108 Mayor’s Announcements The Deputy Mayor updated Council on the Mayor’s engagements. The Mayor reported attendance at Precious Homes and Our Place Community Hub Annual General Meeting. 109 Declarations of Interests Cllr S Ward declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of the finance committee for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). 110 Exclusion of the Press and Public Resolved that due to the confidential nature of the business of item 123 under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s3, members of the public and press will be excluded during discussion of this item. 111 Minutes of the Previous Meeting Resolved to confirm and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on Wednesday 19th December 2018. 112 Matters Arising In response to a question from Cllr Pocock the CEO confirmed that those Councillors nominated to work on the Transport Model had met and a meeting with Birmingham City Council’s John Myatt would take place within a few weeks. The CEO advised the Council would receive a further report on the Transport Model in April. 113 Casual Vacancy Resolved to note that Dominic McDonough resigned from the office of Councillor on 7th January 2019 and that Public Notice if the casual vacancy was given on 10th January 2019. 114 Election Date Resolved to note that ten electors had written to the Returning Officer requesting an election which has been fixed for 28th March 2019. 115 Minutes of Committees a) Planning and Highways Committee – 8th January 2019 Cllr Allan confirmed that there were no items that required Full Council approval. Resolved to note the minutes of the Planning and Highways Committee meeting. b) Amenities, Leisure and Community Services Committee – 17th January 2019 Page | 2 Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Minutes | Tuesday 29th January 2019 Cllr Pears confirmed that there were no items that required Full Council approval. Resolved to note the minutes of the Amenities, Leisure and Community Services Committee. c) Strategy and Resources Committee – 23rd January 2019 Councillor S Ward presented the recommendations of Strategy and Resources Committee in relation to the use of polling cards in the event of a by-election and a Councillor Co-Option Policy where a by-election is not called. Resolved to approve that polling cards would be issued in the event of a by-election. Resolved to approve that the Councillor Co-Option Policy for filling a casual vacancy in those cases where a by-election is not called. Council considered the recommendation of Strategy and Resources Committee for Birmingham City Council to carry out a procurement exercise to appoint qualified professionals to carry out a survey of Sutton Coldfield’s Archives and Local Studies Collections funded by the Town Council with an earmarked reserve of £50,000 being set up towards the work. Resolved to approve that Birmingham City Council carry out a procurement exercise to appoint qualified professionals to carry out a survey of Sutton Coldfield’s Archives and Local Studies Collections, funded by the Town Council with an earmarked reserve of £50,000 being set up towards the work. Council considered the recommendations of Strategy and Resources Committee in relation to Concerts in the Park and: Resolved to approve that the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) be commissioned to perform and compere an open air concert at Sutton park on the evening of Saturday 29 June 2019. Resolved to approve that arts organisations and local community groups be commissioned to provide a varied performance programme on Sunday 30 June 2019. Resolved to approve that the CEO be delegated to be the lead event organiser. Resolved to approve that the Town Council engages JA Productions to provide specialist event management and production. Resolved to approve that the Town Council engages Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS) to provide specialist event planning and production services. Resolved to approve that in line with Financial Regulation 11.1 (d) that the CBSO, JA Productions, and OPUS be commissioned without competition to continue their partnership of working together to ensure the success of the 2019 Concerts in the Park event. This is to build on the knowledge and experience gained in producing previous years events and to avoid the risk of engaging a production partner, without the appropriate experience and track record of working with the CBSO, which could adversely affect the staging of the event. Resolved to approve that the Town Council approves a contribution of £65,000 (inclusive of £4.5k contingency) towards the costs of the event from the budget Concerts in the Park and Something for Everyone events. Resolved to approve that the CEO be given delegated authority to draw up a specification and obtain three quotes for delivery of Box Office arrangements for the event. Page | 3 Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Minutes | Tuesday 29th January 2019 Council Resolved to note the Minutes of Strategy and Resources Committee meeting. d) Human Resources Sub Committee – 19th December 2018 Cllr S Ward confirmed that there were no items that required Full Council approval. Resolved to note the minutes of the Human Resources Sub Committee meeting. 116 Birmingham City Council Urban Centres Consultation The CEO presented the report on the response to Birmingham City Council’s consultation on the Urban Centres Framework (UCF) . The CEO welcomed the acknowledgement within the UCF of the importance of the role that urban centres should play in helping to deliver future economic growth and the identification of Sutton Coldfield as a Centre for Transformation. Concerns were raised however about the lack of clarity and any meaningful detail in terms of how the aspirations set out would be delivered. Concern was also raised about the status of the 2009 Regeneration Framework Supplementary Planning Document which is still extant though out of date adding that t the links between the UCF as a context for the development of future masterplans should be made clearer. The Report identified that Sutton Coldfield would be an ideal candidate for the Government’s Future High Street Fund and urged Birmingham City Council to submit an Expression of Interest for support from this fund for Sutton Coldfield Town Centre. Resolved to respond to the Urban Centres Framework consultation on the basis set out in the report (attached). 117 Notice of Motion submitted by Cllr Puri on 20 January 2019 Cllr Puri read out his motion. Cllr Hodgins suggested an amendment of an additional line to be added to the motion. ‘On 4th September 2018, after an innovative bid, led by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport announced the West Midlands Combined Authority as the preferred partner for their Urban Connected Communities Project. This will see the development of a large-scale, 5G pilot across the region, with hubs in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. This is an unprecedented opportunity for the region to start laying down the digital infrastructure for the future and I would like to propose Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council put forward the case to WMCA and DCMS for Sutton Coldfield to be a part of the ongoing Test Beds and Trials Programme – the first of its kind anywhere in the world.