Issue - meetings

At the Meeting of the Full Council on 22 July 2025, a Motion (attached at Appendix 1) was submitted under FCR 14 of Appendix 4 of the Constitution.

The Council resolved by a majority vote to refer the Motion to Strategy & Resources Committee.

This report addresses the Motion for the Committee to consider.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with five votes for, 1 vote against and 1 abstention to:

(1)      Note the Motion and agree that no action be taken on any of the items within it, having considered the advice as set out in the report.

The Committee received a report presenting a Motion referred to it at the Meeting of the Full Council on 22 July 2025.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Proposed amendment. Councillor James Lawrence PROPOSED and Councillor Kate Chinn SECONDED the following amendments to the recommendation of the report:

“(1) Reduce the property income equalisation reserve to £5.9 million and the interest equalisation reserve to £600K with the surplus being allocated to capital reserves.

(2) Urgently dispose of 70 East street and any underperforming council owned commercial properties identified in the forthcoming asset review and the capital receipts to be paid into capital reserves.

(3) Proactively use our increased capital reserves for an accelerated 2026/27 capital programme to address needs in the EEBC Building Asset Management Plan 2020 to 2030.

Following consideration, the Committee voted on the proposed amendment. There were 2 votes for and 4 votes against the proposed amendment and accordingly it was LOST. The Committee then returned to the consideration of the substantive recommendation contained within the report.

The Committee resolved with five votes for, 1 vote against and 1 abstention to:

(1)      Note the Motion and agree that no action be taken on any of the items within it, having considered the advice as set out in the report.