Minutes:
The Mayor
stated that he wished to provide information in relation to the following
issues.
Covid-19
In terms of
the Covid pandemic, the Mayor stated that the
pandemic had been ongoing for over a year and it had caused problems in relation
to jobs, health and mental health. The uptake of vaccinations had been strong
and the supply of vaccinations was good. The rate of infections had decreased,
and the rate in Middlesbrough was the lowest in the
Tees Valley area at 62 per 100,000. The Mayor stated that considering that Middlesbrough had the most densely populated area and a
high level of deprivation, it was commendable that the rates of infection in
the town, were so low. The Mayor thanked everyone involved in keeping the
levels low.
Anti-social
behaviour
The Mayor
referred to anti-social behaviour in the town. He
stated that there had been a rise in anti-social behaviour
throughout the country. Part of the problem was the fact that children had not
been able to attend school. He urged people to report any instances of
anti-social behaviour to the Police by calling 101
unless it was an emergency.
Investment
in Middlesbrough
The Mayor
announced that the town had received over £40 million in funding from Central
Government in the form of schemes such as Brownfield Land fund money, Future
High Streets fund money and Town Fund money. It would allow the Council to
create more jobs and the workspace for people and attract people to the town.
The Council was working with BCEGI, a construction company that was committed to using local labour. The funding and projects would be mainly
concentrated in central Middlesbrough and
announcements would be made in the near future.
Fly
tipping
The Mayor
stated that the level of fly tipping was bringing the town down. The Mayor
advised that there was a free scheme for collection of bulky items in operation
in Middlesbrough. He stated that an action squad had
been created to tackle the issue. He stated that prior to the action squad
being created, there had been 14 prosecutions in the last two years. Since the
action squad had been in operation, in the last three weeks there had been 40
prosecutions. The team used video evidence to enable prosecutions. The Mayor
thanked those involved in the creation and operation of the team.
Executive
Team
The Mayor
complimented the Executive team on their commitment to their roles, in
particular, the Deputy Mayor and the Executive Member for Communities and
Education. He advised that the Independent Panel on Members Remuneration had
indicated that the two Executive Members should receive an increase in their
Special Responsibility Allowance due to the increase in their portfolio
responsibilities. The Mayor stated that both Executive Members had taken a
significant drop in income to carry out their Executive roles.
Future
for Middlesbrough
The Mayor
stated that things were looking positive for the town. There would be job
losses across the town but not in Middlesbrough Council.
There would be job creation in Middlesbrough and the
town would be at the forefront of ambition, prosperity, energy and achievement.
Councillor
Cooke stated that there were many dedicated community groups in the town and he
queried whether there was any possibility of setting up an accreditation scheme
to recognise the work and dedication of the groups.
The Mayor
stated that the Council had the Boro Heroes Awards
but that was awarded on a monthly basis but this award scheme would not be
appropriate for community groups as there were so many hard working groups in
operation. The Mayor stated that a formal accreditation
scheme was a good idea as people would be able to use it on CVs or job
applications. He invited Councillor Cooke to meet him
in the Gresham Ward for a walk about to share thoughts on the initiative.
Councillor
Wright stated that it was appropriate that the Council mark the one year
anniversary of lockdown. He stated that the community in Ladgate
had lost many good people to Covid, but it was
pleasing to see that Middlesbrough now had the lowest
infection rates in the Tees Valley. Councillor Wright
referred to the £40m investment in the town, particularly the town fund scheme and
queried whether any could be used towards the regeneration of the St Agnes
Church site and he hoped that the Ward would receive a fair share of the
funding.
Councillor
J Walker stated that she agreed with the sentiments regarding the loss of
people to Covid. Councillor
Walker stated that shops and premises had to be closed but she thanked people
for adhering to the rules and those shielding, when required. She congratulated
the Mayor on the establishment of the Fly Tipping Action Squad. Councillor Walker stated that they performed an excellent
service and queried whether the team could be expanded.
The Mayor
thanked Councillor Walker for her comments.
Councillor
M Storey stated that he echoed the Mayor’s thoughts on the one year anniversary
of the Covid pandemic and he commented how pleasing
it was to see communities coming together to help vulnerable people. Dealing
with the pandemic had brought out the best in people. Councillor
Storey highlighted that there had however been a 60% increase in calls to the Refuge
domestic violence hotline. In Central, Newport and Park Ward there had been 419
alcohol related domestic violence crimes. The Council needed to ensure that
there was assistance available to those trapped in domestic violence settings
during the pandemic.
In terms of
anti-social behaviour, the Street Wardens already had
lots of different responsibilities and the Council needed to be careful not to
put too much additional responsibility on the wardens as it would dilute their
effectiveness in other important areas.
Councillor
Storey stated that the £40m investment in the town was good news. About 10% of
the Town’s Fund was based outside the town centre and
he queried whether the figures could be rebalanced to increase the amount to
the areas outside the town centre.
The Mayor
stated that the bid for the Town’s Fund was put together by a Board and it had
been accepted by the Government. The existing bid could not be undone.
Councillor
Coupe said he agreed with the comments about the £40m investment in the town
and agreed that areas outside the town centre should
be included in the bid. Councilor Coupe also commented about the fact that Middlesbrough had the lowest infection rates in the Tees
Valley.