Agenda and draft minutes

The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2004 as an accurate record with no matters arising.

There were no declarations made.

The Committee received a report detailing the response to fuel poverty in Gateshead, and the interventions undertaken by the Council and its partners to mitigate its impact.

The Council has in partnership with a range of key stakeholders brought together a Gateshead Fuel Poverty Forum and is developing a Fuel Poverty Action Planthat can address the immediate crises often faced by local people as well as tackling some of the longer-term root causes of fuel poverty.

The Council and the Forum works closely with a range of external partners, charities and funders to ensure a suite of support mechanisms exist for residents to access help with energy and fuel related needs, including;

• Green Doctors
• Warm Spaces
• Energy Roadshows
• Winter Warmer Packs
• Local Energy Advice Demonstrator (LEAD) project
• ECO4
• Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS)

In November 2024 the Council’s Energy Services Team submitted an application and expression of interest for the following:

• Application to the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund worth £1.5m
• Expression of interest to the Warm Homes Local Grant, offering grants of up to £30,000

The Committee discussed a government consultation on the future of standing charges, and the Council’s methods of dealing with energy inefficient properties in the Borough.

RESOLVED:

The Committee:

i.                 Noted and received the report.

ii.                Requested for information to be circulated to Members on the locations of fuel poor households within the Borough.

iii.               Requested to receive a further update on this work, encompassing:

a.     The increased Ofgem Price Cap from April 2025 and how it affects energy bills for average households.

b.     Progress on the Gateshead Fuel Poverty Action Plan, to include its main aims, objectives and outcomes to date.

The Committee were asked to consider a new Menopause Policy for approval by the Council.

The purpose of this policy is to raise awareness of perimenopause and menopause symptoms and to recognise the impact these symptoms can have on someone’s daily life including work, encourage open and supportive conversations and to make sure the necessary support is known and made available to employees where required.

The policy is intended to support employees to ensure that they receive the right level of support to manage symptoms and remain at work.

The policy outlines line manager and employee responsibilities and makes it clear that all requests for reasonable adjustments should be submitted on the Inclusivity and Disability Passport and that any agreed adjustments should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they are having the desired effect. Examples of reasonable adjustments a line manager could consider implementing to support employees are included in the policy as an appendix for additional guidance.

The policy also includes signposting to additional sources of information and support.

A communication plan will be developed to ensure that all managers and employees are aware of the policy and its implications and references to the policy will be included within Corporate Induction.

The Committee had the opportunity to comment on the draft strategy prior to its submission to Cabinet for approval.   It was suggested by the Committee that the policy could be sent to all schools in the borough as a model policy that could be adopted by governing bodies.  It was also suggested that an option should be in place for colleagues to be able to speak to a female colleague if requested.

RESOLVED

The Committee:

i.              Noted the report.

The Committee noted the ongoing work detailed in the work programme.

RESOLVED:

The Committee:

i.                 Agreed to the exclusion of press and public from the discussion of the Gateshead Football Club Lease Agreement under Items 16, 17, 18, 19 Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

The Committee received a report in relation to the operation of Gateshead Football Club and Gateshead Stadium.  Members were provided with the opportunity to discuss and ask questions in relation to the content of the report.

RESOLVED

i.              The Committee agreed to note the report.