Full council votes on Wednesday on billing the Government for reorganisation and on a lower housing target. Plus a £38.62 an hour fee for big EIR requests.

Warwick District Council holds three public meetings next week, all at Leamington Town Hall. The biggest is full council on Wednesday 30 September. Councillors will debate two motions: one asking the Government to repay what reorganisation has cost the district, and one calling for lower housing numbers in the South Warwickshire Local Plan.

Everything below comes from the agendas and reports the council has published on its committee papers site.

At a glance

Meeting When The item to watch
Audit and Standards Committee Tue 29 Sep, 6pm Fraud team’s savings for 2025/26
Licensing and Regulatory Committee Wed 30 Sep, 5pm Sexual entertainment venue policy to 2031
Full council Wed 30 Sep, 6pm Motions on reorganisation costs and housing numbers

Full council: Wednesday 30 September, 6pm

Agenda and papers.

Motion 1: reorganisation costs. Proposed by Councillor Phillips and seconded by Councillor Day. It notes that the Government paused its local government reorganisation programme on 7 September. It asks the council to:

  • have the chief executive and the finance chief work out the full cost of reorganisation to the council so far, plus any one-off costs caused by the pause
  • have the leader write to the Secretary of State and the district’s two MPs, asking the Government to repay those costs
  • ask for clear answers on the future of reorganisation before councils spend any more
  • ask for time for the boundary commission to set wards if a new council does go ahead

We covered the pause in our report on the Warwickshire reorganisation decision.

Motion 2: housing numbers. Proposed by Councillor Boad and seconded by Councillor Milton. It says the Government’s new method for setting the housing figure in the South Warwickshire Local Plan is “unrealistic and unachievable”, and that it will put “unacceptable stress on the Green Belt”. It asks the leader and chief executive to write to ministers and local MPs asking for the numbers to be reduced, with priority given to avoiding Green Belt land.

For the scale of what the plan already proposes, see our Leamington planning news page.

Charging for environmental information. Cabinet has recommended a new fee for large requests under the Environmental Information Regulations. According to the Cabinet minutes of 9 September:

  • the first 3.5 hours of work on a request stay free
  • after that, the council would charge £38.62 an hour
  • copies and media carry set fees, for example £10 admin on a secure download
  • the fee and the hours would be reviewed in 2027

The council says most requests are answered within three and a half hours. It shares its information team with Stratford-on-Avon District Council, and the two are aligning the policy.

Also on the agenda:

  • The staff gender pay gap report. The mean gap was 8.7%, down 2 points on 2025, and the median gap was 5%.
  • Committee changes, removing Councillor Payne from the employment and scrutiny committees.

Licensing and Regulatory Committee: Wednesday 30 September, 5pm

Agenda and papers.

The committee is asked to recommend a revised sexual entertainment establishment policy for 2026 to 2031. The officer report says:

  • there is one licensed sexual entertainment venue in the district, in Leamington
  • there are no licensed sex shops or sex cinemas
  • the council keeps its nil limit for the town centres of Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth and Whitnash, first set in 2014
  • the consultation drew 31 responses: 10 broadly positive and 20 against such venues
  • officers made no changes after the consultation, and say the policy’s direction is unchanged

A nil limit does not stop anyone applying. Each application is still judged on its merits.

Audit and Standards Committee: Tuesday 29 September, 6pm

Agenda and papers.

The corporate fraud report puts the savings from the fraud team’s work in 2025/26 at £499,425.77. Only £25,225.77 of that is cash. The rest is an estimate of what the frauds would have gone on to cost if they had not been found.

The committee also reviews:

  • the significant risk register
  • internal audit’s progress report and annual report
  • the 2025/26 accounts and annual governance statement
  • treasury management reports on how the council’s cash was invested

Two confidential appendices will be taken in private.

What it means for you

  • You can watch. All three meetings are public, at the Town Hall on the Parade, Leamington Spa, CV32 4AT.
  • Questions and help. Committee services are on 01926 456114 or committee@warwickdc.gov.uk.
  • Motions are not decisions until the vote. We will report how both motions went after Wednesday.

Sources: Warwick District Council agendas published 21 and 22 September 2026, the Licensing and Regulatory Committee report on the sexual entertainment establishment policy, the corporate fraud performance report 2025/26, and Cabinet and Employment Committee minute excerpts.