To receive apologies for absence from Members.

To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest from Members/Officers in

accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct adopted by Council from 1 September 2008. 

To receive for approval the minutes of a meeting of the Council dated 5 October 2016.

 (i) Mayor (or person presiding)

(ii) Members of the Cabinet

(iii) Chief Executive

Question from Councillor RC Jones to the Cabinet Member – Regeneration and Economic Development:-

“It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to be tattooed. However, the LGA are warning that illegal tattooists, known as ‘scratchers’, are offering services to children using cheap equipment bought on-line. They warn that these unlicensed tattooists are taking dangerous shortcuts with Health and Safety and often work from home in kitchens or garden sheds and advertise their services on social media.

It is illegal to work as a tattooist without registering with the Local Council, so what steps are BCBC taking to identify whether there is a problem in the Borough and prosecuting, where necessary, these unlicensed tattooists so we can help protect the health and safety of our youngsters?”

“Make fair transitional state pension arrangements for 1950's women”

‘Hundreds of thousands of women had significant pension changes imposed on them by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 with little or no personal notification of the changes. Some women had only two years notice of a six-year increase to their state pension age.

Many women born in the 1950's are living in hardship. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. Many of these women are already out of the labour market, caring for elderly relatives, providing childcare for grandchildren, or suffer discrimination in the workplace so struggle to find employment.

Women born in this decade are suffering financially. These women have worked hard, raised families and paid their tax and national insurance with the expectation that they would be financially secure when reaching 60. It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute - it is widely accepted that women and men should retire at the same time.

The issue is that the rise in the women's state pension age has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to the women affected, leaving women with no time to make alternative arrangements.

This Council resolves to write to the relevant UK Government Minister to reconsider transitional arrangements for women born on or after 6th April 1951, so that women do not live in hardship due to pension changes they were not told about until it was too late to make alternative arrangements.  This Council will also seek to engage the support of local Members of Parliament to highlight this injustice and support this campaign at a parliamentary level.’

To consider any item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in

accordance with Part 4 (paragraph 4) of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency.