In addition to any announcements made at the meeting, please see Paper BC/23/13 attached, detailing events attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.
Minutes:
35.1 The Chairman referred Councillors to Paper BC/23/13 for noting.
35.2 The Chairman asked Members of the Council to join her in sending their best wishes to Councillor Busby.
35.3 The Chairman then invited the Acting Leader of the Council to make his announcements.
35.4 Councillor Ward made the following announcements:
“You have all been informed of the changes to the cabinet as a result of Cllr Busby’s decision to step back temporarily from the leadership and his portfolio responsibilities while he undergoes treatment for cancer. I have spoken to Dave a lot and he is receiving prompt medical attention. He is in hospital this week and underwent surgery yesterday afternoon. He sent a message afterwards to say it all went well. I intend to visit him there in the next few days – I know others do too. I hope that we will see him back here soon and benefit from his unique insights and style of leadership.
The Police & Crime Panel met on 14th July 2023 where it elected a new Chair, Cllr Mansell from Mid Suffolk District Council, and Vice Chair, Cllr Ellesmere from Ipswich Borough Council, for the year. Following the May 2023 elections there has been some turnover on the Panel, with 7 new members joining.
I am pleased to report work to modernise the ageing public toilets at Gaol Lane in Sudbury is now under way. This work is expected to take just over four weeks to complete, and temporary toilets will be available during the build. It will include a complete face-lift to provide modern and vastly improved facilities for the town. Babergh District Council has committed over £50k on this important project and we have worked alongside Sudbury Town Council, who own the toilets.
It is part of wider plans to improve public toilets in the town – as you know, funding was also approved this month to progress plans for new toilets, including a changing places facility, at Belle Vue Park.
In the last month, we have been pleased to announce two initiatives to support small and new businesses, which are the lifeblood of our communities.
Babergh has teamed up with MENTA to offer start-up businesses free expert support and guidance. As part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the council was given funding to deliver this scheme, and the programme is open to those in Babergh who are thinking of starting a business, are in the process of starting a business or have recently started their business venture.Meanwhile, businesses in our district can also potentially benefit from a new round of funding thanks to the Rural England Prosperity Fund.
Small businesses and community organisations across the districts will have access to three grants under the fund: the Rural Business Growth Fund, the Rural Culture & Creativity Fund and the Rural Communities Fund.
Eligible projects include net-zero developments, agriculture and farm diversification, visitor economy business expansion, SME investment and diversification, and investment in community facilities in our rural areas.
Small businesses are so important to our district, and I would encourage them to visit our website to check eligibility and explore details of these grants.”
Supporting documents: