Issue - meetings

The Lord Mayor advised the recommendations for the following minutes were considered at and voted at the meeting Council budget setting meeting held on 25 February 2026 and would therefore not be debated or voted upon:

·        Minute No. 103 General Fund / HRA Estimates and Capital Programme 2026/27;

·        Minute No. 104 HRA Estimates and Capital Programme 2026/27;

·        Minute No. 105 Capital Strategy 2026-27;

·        Minute No. 106 Treasury Management Strategy Report 2026/27.

·        Minute No. 107 The Prudential Code for Capital Finance.

The minutes of the Executive Committee of 3 February 2026 were presented by the Leader, Councillor Bialyk, and taken as read.

In respect of Minute No. 102 - Exeter Plan: Process for Authorising Proposed Changes Resulting from the examination, the Leader moved the recommendation, seconded by Councillor Wright. Following a vote the recommendations were CARRIED unanimously.

In respect of Minute No. 108 - Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2026/27

In respect of Minute No. 109 – Consultation and Engagement Strategy the Leader moved the recommendation, which was seconded by Councillor Wright. During the debate, the following points were made:

·        the strategy was welcomed as a positive step in strengthening relationships between the Council and the community;

·        there was an importance in establishing clear mechanisms to report back to communities following consultations and asked how this would be implemented;

·        further information on community insights was sought and how these would be shared with Councillors and local communities;

·        there was a need to move beyond small grants and ad hoc networking towards genuine investment in building community capacity;

·        supporting social enterprise organisations as long-term partners was suggested;

·        clarification was sought on how the proposed civic society covenant would operate as a meaningful framework for engagement with the community sector;

·        welcomed the concept of citizen assemblies as a space for deliberative discussion;

·        stressed the importance of two-way dialogue and active listening to improve communication and collaboration with communities;

·        expressed overall support for the strategy and interest in a future iteration being focused on consultation, engagement, and cooperation;

·        the portfolio holder’s commitment to exploring citizen assemblies was welcomed;

·        such initiatives should not be deferred until the new unitary authority was established, which may be more than two years away; and

·        similar arrangements could be implemented sooner, potentially with the shadow authority.

The Portfolio Holder for Climate, Ecological Change and Communities in responding made the following points:

·        many of the points raised were already under discussion;

·        referred to the recent Member briefing on the strategy, which addressed several of these points;

·        expressed personal support in principle for citizen assemblies and confirmed discussions with officers would explore capacity and practical implementation;

·        noted that governance considerations may arise in relation to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and the future unitary authority;

·        confirmed that a civic society covenant was being considered in early discussions with the Strategic Director and service portfolio;

·        advised that further work was still required  ...  view the full minutes text for item 152