The Council Forum of Blackburn with Darwen Council was scheduled to meet on 2nd October 2025. The agenda included motions on the recognition of Palestine and the Chancellor's budget, as well as updates from various committees and executive members. Councillors were also expected to consider updates to the council's constitution.

Motions

Two motions were submitted for consideration at the meeting.

Palestine

Councillor Terri Mahmood was scheduled to propose a motion, seconded by Councillor Salim Sidat, regarding the recognition of Palestine. The motion stated that while the council welcomed the Prime Minister's decision to recognise the Palestinian state, true recognition demanded concrete actions. These included:

• Ending arms sales to countries that use them to harm Palestinians.
• Acknowledging the atrocities committed and taking responsibility.
• Aligning actions with words.
• Aligning with UN directives, such as deploying international peacekeeping forces and supporting Palestinian security forces while ensuring respect for human rights.

The motion urged the government to take tangible steps to address the situation in Palestine, prioritising civilian protection and human rights.

Chancellor's Budget

Councillor Kevin Connor was scheduled to propose a motion, seconded by Councillor John Slater, regarding the Chancellor's budget. The motion stated that the council had a duty to express the fears and concerns of businesses and residents regarding policies that may be taken in the Autumn Budget, as tax increases could further impact on financial and economic hardship.

The motion requested that the Chief Executive write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to propose:

• That the Chancellor keep her promise by not increasing taxes and instead employing efficiencies in government to reduce the nation's debt.
• That serious consideration be given to reversing the increase in Employers National Insurance contributions.
• That sufficient impetus is taken to ensure the Prime Minister's 'Bonfire of the Quangos' is fully achieved.
• That a review be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of public regulatory bodies such as Ofgem¹ and Ofwat².
• Addressing the threshold of the basic band of income tax with a view to raise it in order to protect those on low income.

Governance Update

The council was scheduled to consider updates to its constitution. The updates included:

• Updates to Part 3, Section 16, Officer Scheme of Delegation, to reflect changes to management responsibilities.
• Updates to Part 3, Section 17, Proper Officer Provisions, to reflect the management changes in the Officer Scheme of Delegation.
• Further changes to Part 4, Section 8, Contract and Procurement Procedure Rules, to reflect the enactment of the Procurement Act 2023³.

The council was also scheduled to approve the appointments of Jody Spencer-Anforth, Assistant Director Finance, as the Council's 'Section 151' Chief Finance Officer, and Tony Watson as the Director, Environment & Resident Services.

Updates from Other Committees

The Council Forum was scheduled to receive an update on the progress of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees. The report included updates from the Policy and Corporate Resources, Health and Adult Social Care, Children and Young People, and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee received an Ofsted update and were informed the service received a rating of 'Good' following the official 2025 inspection.

The Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a presentation which provided an overview of the framework used in the Homlessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2026/2031.

The Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a second Climate and Biodiversity update with a focus on the Government's new planning rules.

The Policy and Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee received a report and presentation from the Head of Organisational Development and Workforce Strategy regarding the Council's current workplace profile including gender and disability data.

Reports of the Executive Members with Portfolios

The Council Forum was scheduled to receive reports from the Executive Members with Portfolios. These included reports from:

• Councillor Phil Riley, Leader
• Councillor Julie Gunn, Children, Young People & Education
• Councillor Damian Talbot, Housing and Public Health
• Councillor Jackie Floyd, Adult Social Care & Health
• Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Growth & Development
• Councillor Vicky McGurk, Finance & Governance
• Councillor Jim Smith, Environment & Communities
• Councillor Shaukat Hussain, Digital & Customer Services

Councillor Phil Riley's report included updates on strategic growth, transport, and local government reorganisation. He noted the re-launch of The Hive business network, the transformation of the Exchange building, and the expansion of the Making Rooms creative hub. He also mentioned the £7.6m of investment to help support transport routes in the area, and the £30m plan to improve roads.

Councillor Julie Gunn's report included updates on the Best Start in Life Strategy and Family Hubs Programme, education and schools, and youth justice services. She noted the strategic priorities of universal access to early years support, focus on the first 1,001 days, reducing inequalities, empowering families and communities, and evidence-based practice and innovation.

Councillor Damian Talbot's report included updates on public health, the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2026 - 2031, and the Household Support Fund (HSF) Round 7. He noted that the Calico Group Spark service had been rated 'Good' across all domains by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and that the lowest ever recorded smoking rate at the time of delivery for pregnant mums had been recorded.

Councillor Jackie Floyd's report included updates on integration and neighbourhoods, provider services and intermediate tier services, and the First Point of Contact (FPoC) Hub – Phase 2. She noted the partnership approach to delivering Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs), and the review of in-house provider services.

Councillor Quesir Mahmood's report included updates on illuminated bollard replacement, the road lining programme, resurfacing works, and the Local Transport Plan. He noted that works had been carried out over the summer to replace the borough's 554 illuminated bollards with reflective alternatives, and that over 50 road resurfacing schemes would be delivered, as part of a £12m capital investment programme.

Councillor Vicky McGurk's report included updates on business rates, council tax, benefits, financial services, audit & assurance, corporate procurement and contracts, HR & OD, legal services, and the governance team. She noted that the business rates collection was performing well, and that the changes for second homes that were introduced in April were now fully embedded.

Councillor Jim Smith's report included updates on waste and recycling, waste education and enforcement, public protection and environmental health, the markets service, and leisure services. He noted that the council remained strategically focused on analysing the contents of the borough's household waste and recycling, and that the Environment team had begun the procurement process for its next generation of waste and recycling contracts.

Councillor Shaukat Hussain's report included updates on health and safety, information and communications technology, donation of devices to Blackburn Foodbank, information governance and security (inc. GDPR), and complaints. He noted that the core laptop replacement programme for this year had now been successfully completed, and that new Business Intelligence services had been introduced to improve outcomes in supporting families.

Questions from Members

The agenda allowed for questions from members under Procedure Rule 11.