Agenda item

To receive an annual report from the Leader of the Council, in accordance with Standing Order 38.

NOTED the annual report provided by the Leader of the Council on the work of the Council and state of the borough.

The Mayor then moved on to advise members that the Leader’s Annual Report would be provided verbally. She then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt, as Leader of the Council, to present his Annual Report on the work of the Council and State of the Borough.

Councillor Muhammed Butt opened his annual report by reflecting on the continued impact that the pandemic was having on the borough, and sharing his relief (albeit cautious) that all members and staff present had been fortunate to have avoided its worst extremes, which had led to the loss of almost 900 lives across the borough.

Whilst sharing his optimism at the safe and effective impact of the vaccines along with the increased testing capacity also now available, he reminded everyone of the need to ensure that the wider measures in terms of social distancing, wearing of masks and washing of hands were also maintained.  This was in order to reduce the spread of the virus and risk of infection and allow residents to continue living with the increased freedom and flexibility so highly valued, recognising how quickly things could worsen if a more reckless approach was taken.

Alongside tackling and responding to the pandemic, Councillor Muhammed Butt also highlighted a need to recognise the wider difficulties currently face by many local residents in relation to the increasing cost of living, availability of secure and affordable housing, unstable nature of the labour market and lack of community connection.  Whilst reflecting on the impact of the pandemic and current challenges being faced by residents, the Leader also felt it was important as part of his report to highlight the positive action being taken by the Council in order to address these issues and maximise the support and opportunities available.  These included:

·                The measures being taken to tackle the climate emergency, which threatened not only current but also future generations.

·                Confronting and intervening to address historic and institutionalised inequality and discrimination.

·                Working to maximise support and access to opportunities in order for local residents to prosper.

In summing up, Councillor Muhammed Butt felt it was important to recognise the importance of all of the above as shared objectives.  This would involve a need for real and lasting partnerships within and between the many and varied communities, neighbourhoods and organisations across the borough in order to ensure everyone was able to move forward together whilst also continuing to support the most vulnerable within their communities.

The Mayor thanked the Leader for his Annual Report and then advised that she would open up the debate for contributions from other members, starting with a response from the Conservative Group.

In responding to the Annual Report Councillor Kansagra, as Leader of the Conservative Group, felt it was important to highlight the level of funding received by the Council from central government in support of its work responding to the pandemic.  Whilst recognising the efforts of the Council in responding to the pandemic locally, he felt it should be remembered that this been as supported by significant funding provided from government. Concern was also expressed that it appeared a proportion of the funding received had not yet been spent, given the challenges still needing to be addressed in the recovery from the pandemic, with the Council encouraged to ensure all funding was fully utilised.

The Mayor then moved to invite contributions from other members.   As no other members indicated they wished to speak the Mayor invited the Leader to sum up and close the debate on his Annual State of the Borough Report.

Councillor Muhammed Butt began his response by emphasising the role he felt the governments ongoing austerity measures had played in creating the inequalities which had been highlighted by the pandemic.  In contrast, he took the opportunity to highlight and commend the work undertaken by the Council in stepping in to fill these gaps and ensure the necessary support was provided for local residents, especially those more vulnerable members of society.  He also assured members about the level of available funding, which would continue to be fully utilised in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for residents.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Muhammed Butt for his response and advised that this concluded the debate.  As a result, it was therefore was RESOLVED to formally note the Annual State of the Borough Report.