Minutes:
The Deputy Leader noted that yesterday the council published its draft financial budget for 2024 to 2025. It proposed a balanced budget for the next financial year and provided an update on the Medium-Term Financial Plan position up to April 2027. All indications were that the council will not need to issue a section 114 notice. The draft budget would be reviewed at the following meetings:
· the Joint Executive Advisory Board on 11 January 2024;
· the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee on 18 January 2024;
· the Executive on 25 January 2024; and to be finally approved by
· Full Council on 7 February 2024
Gratitude was expressed to the finance team for all their hard work towards addressing the council’s financial situation. It was noted that work would continue to ensure the council’s future financial position remained stable.
The council was currently operating 22 bring sites of various sizes and locations across the borough. These were locations where residents could take unwanted textiles, shoes, bottles, and cardboard for recycling. These sites were introduced before good kerbside recycling services were established. As the council now had a much better recycling service - where all the items that residents can take to a bring site could be collected through the usual kerbside recycling collection – the decision had been taken to close them. The bring sites would be closing the week commencing 22 January 2024. It was noted that the sites at Station Parade, East Horsley and Portsmouth Road, Guildford would be converted to recycling points for nearby flats. The council was in the process of letting local communities know about this change (following its approval at Executive on 23 November 2023) in a number of ways:
· signage on the bring sites themselves.
· emails to the landowners affected by this change to our service.
· information on our website containing more detailed guidance as to how to dispose of household rubbish
· social media posts to keep our residents fully informed about the services available through their kerbside collection.
Further updates would be provided in the regular fortnightly councillor update.
Schools and parish councils could now create projects with Crowdfund Guildford. There was still up to £5,000 funding available for community projects in the Autumn round. The deadline to create a project was 31 January 2024
Suitable projects attracting support were those that:
· supported those in need.
· improved rural areas.
· enhanced green spaces.
· promoted wildlife and nature.
· enhanced wellbeing
Any community group or person with an idea was encouraged to connect with Crowdfund Guildford, where they could support ongoing projects and bring their own to life. Crowdfund Guildford website.Crowdfund Guildford was supported by UK Share Prosperity Fund.
Clean Air Night was happening for the first time on Wednesday, 24 January 2024. The council was participating in the Clean Air Night campaign in alliance with Global Action Plan. It was noted that new evidence had discovered that wood burning damaged health and the planet. Clean Air Night was a chance to learn more and to hear expert voices on the myths of wood burning. The council would be sharing posts on social media channels to support the campaign hashtag #CleanAirNight. More information about Clean Air Night could be found by visiting Global Action Plan’s website: www.cleanairhub.org.uk