The Tewkesbury Borough Council's Executive Committee met to discuss the council's flooding response, and to recommend to council the adoption of a Peat Free Policy and a Pesticide Policy. The Executive also approved the renaming of the Transform Working Group to Future Ready Working Group, and noted the Executive Committee Forward Plan.

Tewkesbury Borough Council's Flooding Response

The Executive approved Option Two of the Flooding Response Report as the preferred option, and a virement¹ of £15,000 from the Medium Term Financial Strategy reserve for one-off costs. They also approved the draft Sand Bag Policy, delegating authority to the Director: Communities to make inconsequential changes in consultation with the relevant Lead Member.

The council does not have any specific responsibilities when it comes to flooding events, but as a category one responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, it has duties to:

• assess the risk of an emergency occurring
• maintain plans to ensure it can continue to perform its functions if an emergency occurs
• maintain plans for preventing, reducing, controlling or mitigating the effects of an emergency
• maintain arrangements to warn the public and provide information and advice if an emergency is likely to occur or has occurred

The council was considering three options for its response to flooding:

• Option One: Gold Star Option - a high level of co-ordination by the council and a high level of reliance on the parish councils.
• Option Two: Mid Range Option - an enhanced approach including a significant commitment to community engagement.
• Option Three: Minimum Service Option - placing much more responsibility on individuals and communities.

The preferred mid-range option includes a commitment to community engagement during a flooding event, whilst still engaging with parish councils in vulnerable areas to support with sandbag deployment. Communications and the use of data are key elements of this option.

The new Sandbag Policy assumes that parish councils will have a larger role to play, facilitated by the borough council.

Peat Free Policy

The Executive recommended to council that the Peat Free Policy be adopted.

The current UK government has confirmed that some peat-containing products will be banned from sale from 2027, with some exceptions remaining in place until 2030. Tewkesbury Borough Council will look to ban the use of peat-containing products on its land by December 2025 and look to be recognised as a 'peat-free authority'.

The objective of this policy is to ensure that Tewkesbury Borough Council does not knowingly enlist the services of any company that uses peat compost for any of its landscaping or horticultural projects on all council owned land and in any green space of council owned properties.

Pesticide Policy

The Executive recommended to council that the Pesticide Policy be adopted.

The current UK government has reiterated its stance to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides and has produced a National Action Plan for Pesticides (NAP) 2025, which aims to reduce environmental risks associated with pesticide use by 10% by 2030. Tewkesbury Borough Council will look to ban the use of pesticides on its land by December 2025 and look to be recognised as a 'pesticide-free authority'.

The policy sets out Tewkesbury Borough Council's position on the use of pesticides on its land by 'staff' (Ubico) and contractors.

Transform Working Group / Future Ready Working Group

The Executive approved the renaming of the Transform Working Group to Future Ready Working Group with revised Terms of Reference as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

Future Ready is the council's transformation programme to ensure it is in the best possible position to join a new unitary authority in 2028. It builds on the principles of high performance i.e. strong culture, data-driven decisions, and continuous improvement, while focusing on readiness for change.

Feedback from the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The Executive noted feedback from Councillor Matt Dimond-Brown, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, on matters discussed at its last meeting.

Councillor Dimond-Brown's report highlighted the following key issues by portfolio:

• Corporate Resources (Finance, Governance, Workforce)
• Community & Housing
• Young People
• Climate & Environment
• Growth & Development (Planning, Economic Development, Garden Town)

Of particular note were concerns about youth engagement priorities, Section 106² / CIL management, and planning enforcement policy.

Executive Committee Forward Plan

The Executive noted the Executive Committee Forward Plan.