Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet met to discuss local government reorganisation, the council's strategy for the next four years, and improvements to the county's transport network. They agreed to put forward two proposals for local government reorganisation to the council, approved a new council strategy, and agreed to continue funding the development of a mass rapid transit business case for Gloucestershire.

Local Government Reorganisation

The cabinet agreed to refer two proposals for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire to the council for consideration.

The two proposals are:

• Creating a single unitary authority for the whole county
• Creating two unitary authorities, based on an East/West division of existing districts

The decision follows an invitation from the Minister of State on 5 February 2025, asking councils to work together to develop a proposal for a single tier of local government.

A third proposal had been developed by Gloucester City Council, known as the 'Greater Gloucester' option, but it was not recommended for consideration because it had not undergone the same rigorous assessment and financial scrutiny as the other two options.

Councillor Lisa Spivey, Leader of Council clarified that the phrase 'joint conversations' related to informal conversations between the seven councils and trade unions. She recognised the importance of being open and honest with staff throughout the process of local government reorganisation.

Council Strategy 2025-2029

The cabinet approved the Council Strategy 2025-2029 – ‘A stronger future, built together’ for recommendation to Full Council on 12 November. The strategy sets out the direction for Gloucestershire County Council over the next four years, with the ambition to build a fairer, greener, and more inclusive county.

The strategy is structured around four key themes:

• Children & Young People Thrive
• Strong, Healthy Communities That Care
• A Place to Be Proud Of
• An Open, Fair and Sustainable Council

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Scheme

The cabinet agreed to continue to fund the development of a mass rapid transit business case for Gloucestershire and an early scheme development programme. The scheme aims to deliver high-quality, zero-emission public transport, with the initial business case work suggesting that this is best achieved through a bus-based system known as bus rapid transit or BRT¹. The aim would be to provide more frequent and faster bus services linking Cheltenham, Gloucester and surrounding areas.

The cabinet resolved to:

1. Enter into a legal agreement with the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) authorities (namely Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucester City Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council) for the purpose of Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) accepting the sum of £1 million CIL funding that has been ringfenced for allocation to strategic projects by the CIL Joint Committee in its decision report dated 4th March 2025.
2. Draw down the full sum of £1 million CIL funding allocated by the above CIL authorities to part-fund the engagement of WSP UK Ltd described in recommendation 3 below; and
3. Engage GCC’s highways professional services supplier, namely WSP UK Limited, under GCC’s Highways Professional Services Contract (2025-2029), to undertake Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) business case and early scheme development and delivery work.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) was undertaken in relation to the proposed change to assess whether it has a disproportionate impact on people who share a protected characteristic. The EqIA found that all ages may be affected by mass rapid transit (MRT), with people who do not have access to a private car, van, motorbike or scooter being most impacted. The old and young are much less likely to hold driving licences or have access to a private vehicles.

Positive Relationships Gloucestershire (PRG)

The cabinet sought delegated authority to procure a Framework Agreement and call-off of contracts under it, relating to the provision of behaviour change support for perpetrators of domestic abuse, i.e. the service known as Positive Relationships Gloucestershire (PRG).

The cabinet resolved to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Fire to:

1. Conduct a competitive procurement process in respect of a four-year single provider Framework Agreement for the supply of the council's Positive Relationships Gloucestershire service. The Framework Agreement shall be awarded to one provider who will deliver services under the following Lots:

*   Lot A: Core service delivery, perpetrator behaviour change and early response interventions
*   Lot B: Local delivery of the 'Drive Project'.
*   Lot C: Provision of specialist perpetrator training for professionals.

1. Appoint the preferred sole tenderer to this single provider Framework Agreement.
2. Award a call-off contract for the supply of the core service and intervention delivery under Lot A to the sole appointed supplier under the above Framework Agreement. The proposed call-off contract will continue for an initial period of four years and include an option to extend its term for a further period of two years on its fourth anniversary (i.e., four + two years), a separate Cabinet decision shall be sought to authorise this extension. This call-off will include a break clause on its second anniversary.
3. Award, subject to the financial limit set out in the Resource Implications section of this Report below and any subsequent funding allocations, as many call-off contracts as may be required by the council under Lots A - C of the Framework Agreement and to also exercise any extension options under them. If the value of any individual proposed call-off contract exceeds £500,000, a separate key decision shall be sought to authorise this.
4. Enter into a Funding Agreement with the Gloucestershire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) under which the council will receive a funding transfer from Gloucestershire OPCC for the purpose of part-funding (i.e., 30%) of the cost of the call-off contract described in Recommendation 3 (on the basis described in paragraph 15 of this report).
5. Enter into a s256 agreement with the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) under which the council will receive a funding transfer from the ICB for the purposes of part-funding (i.e., 18%) the cost of the call-off contract described in Recommendation 3 (on the basis described in paragraph 15 of this report).

An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken in relation to the proposed change to assess whether it has a disproportionate impact on people who share a protected characteristic. The EqIA found that the recommissioning of the PRG service will widen the age range of service users that can access the service, to include young people aged 16-17 to align with the statutory definition of domestic abuse².

Public Notices Advertising Contract

The cabinet agreed to procure a contract for the provision of public notices advertising services. A new contract was required to deliver the services of advertising public notices in the printed press, where the Council still had a statutory duty to do so, e.g. Traffic Regulation Orders and Street Works Notices.

The cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve, without further competition, the award of a Call-Off Contract for the supply of Public Notices Advertising Services, under Lot 2 of the ESPO 3A-24 Advertising Solutions Framework Agreement, to the preferred tenderer, namely Penna PLC, in accordance with the framework's call off without competition criteria. The proposed Call-Off Contract shall be for an initial period of two years and include two 1-year extension options (i.e. 2+1+1 years).
2. Delegate authority to the Executive Director: Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport and Strategic Highways to determine whether to exercise each of the above 1-year extension options.

A member queried why the legislation relating to public notice advertising hadn't yet been changed, despite limited numbers of people relying on print to acquire information.

Supply of Laptops

The cabinet agreed to delegate authority to award multiple call-off contracts to the Most Economically Advantageous Tenderer, under Lot 2 of the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Technology Products & Associated Services 2 Framework Agreement (RM6098), for the supply of Microsoft Surface laptops during a 3-year period, in accordance with the available budget, as part of the rolling laptop replacement programme.

The total capital budget allocated for the programme was £3.562 million over three years, broken down as follows:

• 2025/26: £1.107 million
• 2026/27: £1.619 million
• 2027/28: £836,000

It was recognised that ICT had improved significantly at the Council over the past few years, which had been transformational for staff.

Planning Performance Agreements

The cabinet approved a Gloucestershire County Council Planning Performance Agreements Charter and delegated authority for the County Planning Authority to enter into Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) with future planning applications it has responsibility for.

PPAs are voluntary project management tools for strategic, complex, and resource-intensive planning applications dealt with by the County Council. The County Council is the planning authority for mineral, waste management and public sector infrastructure projects, but not for housing, which is a responsibility for Gloucestershire's districts councils. PPAs promote transparency, efficiency, and collaboration between applicants and the County Council in its role as a planning authority.

The cabinet resolved to:

(a) approve the adoption of the Gloucestershire County Council Planning Performance Agreements Charter set out in the Appendix and (b) delegate authority to the Executive Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, and those officers who the Executive Director authorises in writing (subject to the Executive Director complying with paragraphs 5.7.1 and 5.7.2 of the Constitution) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Business, Economic Development, Planning and Infrastructure to:

1. Formally enter into individual Planning Performance Agreements based on the Charter.
2. Agree any subsequent variations or amendments to an approved Planning Performance Agreement.
3. Secure bespoke fees associated with any Planning Performance Agreement.

An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken in relation to the proposed change to assess whether it has a disproportionate impact on people who share a protected characteristic. The EqIA found that the introduction of a PPA charter may create opportunities for local authority planning officers to engage in discussions at an early stage with prospective applicants as to the way in which they might consider engaging with local communities with their emerging development proposals.

Adoption West: Future Options

The cabinet approved in principle, Gloucestershire County Council’s continued participation in Adoption West as their preferred option for a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA), beyond February 2027 when the current arrangements with Adoption West expire.

The cabinet resolved to:

1. Approve, in principle, Gloucestershire County Council’s continued participation in Adoption West as their preferred option for a Regional Adoption Agency (RAA), beyond February 2027 when the current arrangements with Adoption West expire.
2. Ask the Director of Childrens Services to continue to work with key stakeholders and partners to further develop Adoption West, taking account of:

*   The direction of national policy as it relates to adoption, adoption support and other forms of permanence, and opportunities to expand or enhance Adoption West’s remit.
*   The operational experience gained since March 2019.
*   A comprehensive review of resourcing, structures and oversight to ensure Adoption West operates on a sustainable basis, providing value for money for the participating LAs and delivers good outcomes for children, young people and their adoptive families; and
*   Local Government Reform proposals.

An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken in relation to the proposed change to assess whether it has a disproportionate impact on people who share a protected characteristic. The EqIA found that the service will continue whilst work is undertaken to review the current service and develop future potential service models.

Enterprise Resource Planning implementation/SAP replacement Extension Approval

The cabinet approved an extension to the term of the council's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/SAP Implementation Programme.