Stratford-on-Avon District Council scheduled a meeting of its full Council for 2.00pm on Monday 9 December 2024. The reports pack for the meeting lists a number of topics that were scheduled for discussion during the meeting. It also includes minutes from the previous meeting of the full Council that was held on 14 October 2024.

Substitute membership of Overview and Scrutiny Committee

A report from the Audit and Standards Committee recommending that the Council’s constitution be amended to allow substitute members to attend meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was included in the meeting pack.

The report suggested that substitute members should be permitted to attend meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee provided they had undertaken the appropriate training. It also requested that the wording in the constitution relating to training for substitute members be amended to clarify which training courses were mandatory.

Motions on Notice

The meeting pack included four motions that were submitted in advance by Councillors.

Protecting Our Most Vulnerable Pensioners From Being Cold This Winter

The first motion, submitted by Councillor Whalley-Hoggins, expressed concern about the impact of the national Labour government’s proposal to restrict Winter Fuel Payments to pensioners who receive Pension Credit.

It claimed that the policy would disproportionately affect residents of Stratford-upon-Avon District, particularly those living in rural areas who are more likely to be reliant on off-grid heating. It also claimed that Age UK and The Countryside Alliance had both criticised the policy for potentially increasing social injustice and health risks, particularly among vulnerable people who might be eligible for Pension Credit but don’t claim it.

The motion proposed that the Council take a number of actions, including:

• Launching an awareness campaign to encourage people to claim Pension Credit.
• Asking the council leader to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging her to review the policy.
• Signing the ‘Save the Winter Fuel Payment for Struggling Pensioners’ petition by Age UK.
• Writing to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ask for funding for a campaign to increase awareness of Pension Credit and other benefits.
• Encouraging local efforts to promote the uptake of Pension Credit.

Family Farms and Farmers

The second motion was also submitted by Councillor Whalley-Hoggins. This motion expressed concern about the impact on family farms of changes to Inheritance Tax relief announced in the 2024 Autumn budget. The motion claimed that these changes represented a broken promise by the Labour government not to introduce a ‘Family Farm Tax’.

The motion argued that the policy would damage the ability of farmers to pass their farms on to their children and would damage food security by forcing families to sell their farms. It also criticised the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, for suggesting that farmers should ‘do more with less’.

The motion proposed that the Council should:

• Ask the council leader to write to the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs expressing its dismay at the decision and calling on the government to abandon the policy.
• Ask the Cabinet and Management Team to engage with local farmers to offer support.

Bus Fare Cap

The third motion was submitted by Councillor Petrovic. The motion expressed concern about the impact of the government's decision to raise the cap on bus fares from £2 to £3 in 2025. It claimed that the 50% rise would affect the poorest in society the most.

The motion proposed that:

• Stratford-on-Avon District Council should write to government ministers calling for the £2 cap to be restored.
• Warwickshire County Council should work with Stratford-on-Avon District Council to apply to the government’s Bus Fund.

Support for Reinstating the Stratford Southbound Rail Link

The fourth motion was submitted by Councillor Parker. This motion proposed that the Council should formally support the reinstatement of the Stratford Southbound Rail Link.

The motion claimed that reinstatement of the line would:

• Reduce traffic congestion in Stratford-upon-Avon.
• Provide a sustainable alternative to car travel.
• Unlock housing and commercial development, in particular at Long Marston and Meon Vale.

The motion proposed that the Council should:

• Support the reinstatement of a single line from Stratford-upon-Avon station to Honeybourne junction.
• Support the inclusion of the southbound rail link in the South Warwickshire Local Plan.
• Lobby the government to ensure that Long Marston Garden Village has a rail station.
• Work with a number of partner organisations, including Warwickshire County Council, Worcestershire County Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Wychavon District Council, Cotswold District Council, the West Midlands Rail Executive, Midlands Connect, Great Western Railway, Network Rail, and the Department for Transport, to develop the scheme.

The motion proposed that it should be referred to the Cabinet for their consideration.

Calendar of Meetings

A report was included in the meeting pack from the Audit and Standards Committee recommending that the Council adopt its draft calendars of meetings for 2025/26 and 2026/27.

The report noted an update to both calendars, which proposed moving meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee from Friday to Wednesday. The report explained that this would allow more time for the Committee to produce written feedback for the Cabinet.

Urgent Business – Outside Bodies Appointments

A report was included in the meeting pack from the Audit and Standards Committee recommending that Councillors Adam and Keighley be appointed as the Council’s Parish Champions. The report explained that the Council’s previous Parish Champion, Councillor Perteghella, had been elected as Member of Parliament for Stratford-upon-Avon in the General Election held in July 2024 and no longer had the capacity to fulfil the role. The report therefore proposed that the position be split between the two new appointees.

Adoption of the Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/24

The meeting pack contained a report from the Cabinet recommending that the Council adopt its Infrastructure Funding Statement for 2023/24.

The Infrastructure Funding Statement is a document that local authorities are required to publish each year. It sets out:

• How much money the Council has received from developers to spend on infrastructure. These funds are known as the Community Infrastructure Levy.
• How the money has been spent or is due to be spent.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge that local authorities can choose to impose on developers undertaking new building projects in their area. It is intended to ensure that developers contribute to the costs of infrastructure that is needed to support new development.

Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Principles for the period January 2025 to January 2028

The report pack included a report from the Regulatory Committee recommending that the Council adopt its Gambling Act 2005 Statement of Principles for the period January 2025 to January 2028.

The Gambling Act 2005 requires local authorities to publish a statement setting out how they will promote the following objectives when exercising their functions under the Act:

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime.
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
• Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.