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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS Minutes: 97.1 The Monitoring Officer granted a dispensation for all Councillors with regard to the budget papers.
97.2 Councillor Mansel declared an interest as an owner of a second property in the district. |
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MC/23/38 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 25 JANUARY 2024 PDF 162 KB Minutes: 98.1 Councillor Weller raised that in points 87.4 and 87.7 references to 4g pitches should be amended to read 3g pitches.
98.2 Councillor Lay raised that paragraph 74.4 should be amended to read Councillor Andrew Stringer and Councillor Colin Lay declared an interest as Directors of Gateway 14.
98.3 Councillor Lawrence questioned the accuracy of the wording of paragraph 87.11.
98.4 It was agreed that this paragraph be changed to read: - Councillor Lawrence welcomed that the Council had done financial balances between 5g and 3g pitches and similar considerations of financial costs should be used when considering third parties in the future.
It was RESOLVED:-
That subject to the proposed amendments being added to the Minutes, the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2024 be confirmed and signed as a true record.
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LEADER'S ANNOUNCEMENTS PDF 59 KB Minutes: 99.1 The Chair invited the Leader, Councillor Mellen, to make the following announcements.
1. Shortlisted for UK Council of the Year I am delighted to announce that Babergh & Mid Suffolk Councils have been named as a finalist for UK Council of the Year at the prestigious iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards 2024. This is a fantastic recognition for the hard work, innovation and dedication of officers and the progress the organisation has made over the last few years. We can all take pride in this nomination. Although we face many challenges in local government, our officers go the extra mile to deliver for residents and communities. The awards ceremony is on 6 March in London, and I am sure we all have our fingers crossed. I would also like to congratulate our Building Control team, who have won a national industry award for their work on Black Pheasant Barn in Sudbury.
2. Getting the phones answered I am also happy to report an improvement in one important area of our customer service. Getting the council’s phones answered without long delays was an issue that regularly came up on the doorsteps during last year’s election campaign. Our target is to answer phone calls to the council in 1min 45 seconds, and the average wait has been coming down over recent months. So far in February phones have been answered on average in 1 min 9 seconds, an above target performance. I would like to thank Sara Wilcock, Sam Lake and the team for their efforts in achieving this.
3. Deadline for locality awards I am sure all councillors are aware, but I would like to remind you that we have until 22 March to spend any remaining locality award budgets. These are not carried over so do make sure your funds have been allocated. Our website contains guidance as to how locality funding can be spent, including the full eligibility criteria and a breakdown of eligible projects. Also, the grants team stand ready to assist and advise members so that the funding gets out there to support community projects and initiatives. At the end of the financial year, our communications team will be doing a broad celebration of all the ways in which you all have helped communities using the awards.
4. Retrofit solutions conference Finally, I would like to raise awareness of a free event focused on making Suffolk’s older homes more energy efficient, which takes place at The Hold in Ipswich on 6 March. The Retrofit Solutions Conference is open to homeowners, landlords and building professionals. It will feature case studies and expert advice on providing innovative retrofit solutions to help increase energy efficiency in properties of all types. You can sign up on the Green Suffolk website.
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TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF PETITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULES In accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 11, the Chief Executive will report the receipt of any petitions. Minutes: 100.1 None received. |
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QUESTIONS BY THE PUBLIC IN ACCORDANCE WITH COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULES The Chair of the Council to answer any questions from the public of which notice has been given no later than midday three clear working days before the day of the meeting in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12. Minutes: 101.1 None received. |
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QUESTIONS BY COUNCILLORS IN ACCORDANCE WITH COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULES The Chair of the Council, Chairs of Committees and Sub-Committees and Portfolio Holders to answer any questions on any matters in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affect the District of which due notice has been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13. Minutes: 102.1 None received. |
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MC/23/39 EMPTY HOMES AND SECOND HOMES POLICY PDF 198 KB Cabinet Member for Housing and Property Additional documents:
Minutes: 103.1 The Chair invited Councillor Winch, Cabinet Member for Housing & Property to introduce the report.
103.2 Councillor Winch introduced the report and proposed the recommendations. Councillor Walters seconded this motion.
103.3 Councillor Caston questioned how susceptible the Council was to fraudulent second home exemption claims. Councillor Winch responded that the Council was already looking into this and whilst some exemptions were not clear, all applications had to be reviewed. The Shared Revenues Partnership Operations Manager added that processes were already in place and that data matching with other organisations was used to determine activity of properties and if fraud was suspected the application would be referred to the internal fraud team.
103.4 Councillor Patchett queried where second homes that were rented out infrequently fell under the scheme. Councillor Winch responded that to classify as a business, the home had to be let for a minimum of 70 days per year and had to be available to be rented for 140 days of the year.
103.5 Councillor Caston questioned whether it had been considered if people needed to leave their homes due to education and left them empty. Councillor Winch responded that the detailed list of exemptions had not been published. The Shared Revenues Partnership Operations Manager added that owners of second properties would be written to enquire into their circumstances and the Council had the ability to waive premiums under exceptional circumstances if required.
103.6 Councillors debated the issues including whether the policy would have an impact on housing availability in the district, and the fairness of the scheme.
By 29 votes for and 1 against.
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That Council approve the empty homes and second homes premiums policy for 2024-25 attached in appendix A.
1.2 That Council delegate authority to the Director of Housing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property to make technical amendments to the policy to ensure it meets the criteria set by Government and the Council.
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MC/23/40 GENERAL FUND BUDGET 2024-2025 AND FOUR-YEAR OUTLOOK PDF 1 MB Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting of the Council, the names of Councillors who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting shall be recorded in the Minutes of that meeting.
At its meeting on 7th February 2024, Cabinet considered Paper MCa/23/42, the General Fund Budget for 2024/25 and four-year outlook. Paper MC/23/40 now includes all the relevant updated information plus the tax base, precepts and council tax band information at parish level, together with the necessary recommendations.
Additional documents:
Minutes: 104.1 The Chair invited Councillor Eburne, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, to introduce the report.
104.2 Councillor Eburne introduced the report and proposed the recommendations. Councillor Mellen seconded this motion.
104.3 The Chair invited Councillor Whitehead to introduce the amendment as detailed in the tabled papers.
104.4 Councillor Whitehead proposed the budget amendments as set out in the tabled papers. Councillor Caston seconded this amendment.
104.5 Councillor Eburne rejected the amendment.
104.6 Councillor Lawrence outlined the borrowing debt currently owed by the Council and stated that he did not support the amendment due to these debts.
104.7 Councillor Hicks supported the amendment and highlighted the surplus that the Council had along with the dividend from Gateway 14 and how a rise in Council Tax could affect residents.
104.8 Councillor Mellen outlined that the administration did not approve of the amendment as whilst the Council were in a good financial position the future was uncertain. He highlighted that the raise in Council Tax was below the inflation rate and would prevent larger increases in the future.
104.9 Councillor Winch outlined the mandate the Council had for community lead projects and how collaboration between communities and the Council was necessary to undertake projects.
104.10 Councillor Linder stated that he did not support a raise in Council Tax during the Cost of Living Crisis.
104.11 Councillor Davis outlined that when there were inflation rates of 6% in 2022, and 10% in 2023 the Council did not increase Council Tax and this impacted the real value of the council tax collected, so an increase of 2% now was modest recovery. Additionally, the Council Tax increase from the Council was at a lower level than at other levels of government.
104.12 Councillor Stringer outlined that the amendment was a short-term solution and unpredictable impacts from external sources could be mitigated by the rise in Council Tax and surpluses should be used to provide value for money in Council services. He added that small increases to Council Tax gave a greater stability to the Council and would allow the Council to put residents first.
104.13 Councillor Caston outlined that the proposed working group would be open to any option and as the Council was in a good position it would be good to give back to residents.
104.14 Councillor Scarff stated that he supported small increases in Council Tax within the base budget, and he raised concern on the uncertainty of one year funding from Central Government and how this meant long-term financial security was unpredictable.
104.15 Councillor Row outlined that in the long term the increase of Council Tax would benefit residents and decrease their costs as it would increase their access to Council services.
104.16 Councillor Patchett outlined that he had been reassured by Cabinet on the Council Tax rises and that due to the current inflation rates valuations on CIFCO could be uncertain in future.
104.17 Councillor Whitehead outlined that the proposed working group would have been politically balanced giving the ... view the full minutes text for item 104.
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MC/23/41 HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT (HRA) 2024/25 BUDGET PDF 372 KB Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting of the Council, the names of Councillors who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting shall be recorded in the Minutes of that meeting.
At its meeting on 7th February 2024, Cabinet considered Paper MCa/23/43, the Housing Revenue Account Budget for 2024/25. Paper MC/23/41 now includes all relevant updated information and the necessary recommendations.
Additional documents: Minutes: 105.1 The Chair invited Councillor Eburne, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources to introduce the report.
105.2 Councillor Eburne introduced the report and proposed the recommendations. Councillor Winch seconded this motion.
105.3 Councillor Matthissen asked for more detail on the issue of compliance. Councillor Winch responded that as gas and electricity checks were behind the Council self-referred to the regulator, and the Council had made progress on their notice. Councillor Eburne added that following the referral fire safety issues were also discovered and it was requested that issues with damp and mould be addressed under the referral.
105.4 Councillor Hicks referred to recommendation E in the report and questioned whether the utility charge to tenants would be lowered if charges fell. Councillor Eburne responded that if costs did fall charges would be reduced. The Finance Business Partner – HRA added that the utility charge costs were backdated costs from the previous year.
105.5 Councillor Mansel questioned whether the increased charges in recommendations D and E in the report made the Council cost neutral. The Finance Business Partner – HRA responded that work was ongoing for cost neutrality, and low costs were taken so tenants were not overcharged.
105.6 Councillor Scarff questioned whether sheltered housing schemes would be made more energy efficient to reduce the increase in cost to tenants. Councillor Eburne responded that sheltered housing had been identified as an area that needed work and was currently being reviewed.
105.7 Councillor Caston queried the time period used to calculate the increased charge as it was when energy charges were above average. Councillor Eburne responded that under the rules in which the accounts work in the HRA this time period was used, however looking forward to these rules could be changed under the upcoming 30-year business plan.
105.8 During the debate, Councillor Patchett outlined that the funding model agreed by the Council in 2012 was a model that relied on interest only loans that needed to be refinanced, and a solution to this model was needed.
105.9 Councillor Mansel highlighted that the Council did not have any other option on the HRA and whilst this was not an easy decision for the Council to make groups needed to work together to find a solution going forward.
105.10 Councillor Scarff highlighted the period of 5 years with 1% rent reductions enforced by central Government and uncertainty due to Government restrictions on when rents could be raised or reduced, and that the Council would have been in a different position if restrictions were not enforced.
105.11 Councillor Carter outlined that essential services needed to be sustained and maintained and the backlog on maintenance and repairs which could not get worse as it would create further costs.
105.12 Councillor Stringer highlighted that the Council did not know when the HRA was originally agreed that rent reductions would be enforced by Central Government, and a better way to run this was needed.
105.13 Councillor Hicks stated that he did not support the report and increase ... view the full minutes text for item 105.
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MC/23/42 JOINT CAPITAL, INVESTMENT AND TREASURY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 2024-2025 PDF 1 MB Joint Chair of Joint Audit and Standards Committee
At its meeting on 29th January 2024, Joint Audit and Standards Committee considered Paper JAC/23/19, the Joint Capital, Investment and Treasury Management Strategies. Paper MC/23/42 now includes all the relevant updated information, together with the necessary recommendations.
Minutes: 106.1 The Chair invited Councillor Matthissen, Joint Chair of the Joint Audit and Standards Committee to introduce the report.
106.2 Councillor Matthissen proposed the recommendations as set out in the report. Councillor Patchett seconded this motion.
106.3 Councillor Hicks queried whether the Council was still investing in the Schroder Income Maximiser L Income Fund. Councillor Matthissen responded that the Council was currently investing in the fund however investments would be reviewed. The Assistant Manager – Financial Accountant added that a series of workshops would be held with officers, Councillors, and financial advisors to balance the return of investments and keep in line with ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) policy.
106.4 During the debate Members raised issues including the Council’s investments in non ESG funds.
By 29 votes for and 1 against.
It was RESOLVED: -
That the following be approved:
1.1 The Joint Capital Strategy for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28, including the Prudential Indicators, as set out in Appendix A.
1.2 The Joint Investment Strategy for service and commercial investments for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28, as set out in Appendix B.
1.3 The Joint Treasury Management Strategy for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28, including the Joint Annual Investment Strategy as set out in Appendix C.
1.4 The Joint Treasury Management Indicators as set out in Appendix D.
1.5 The Joint Treasury Management Policy Statement as set out in Appendix G.
1.6 The Joint Minimum Revenue Provision Policy Statement as set out in Appendix H
1.7 The amendment to the 2023/24 Joint Minimum Revenue Provision Policy Statement, also set out in Appendix H
1.8 That the key factors and information relating to and affecting treasury management activities set out in Appendices E, F, and I be noted.
1.9 That Workshops to inform and guide the evolution of the Councils investment portfolio be scheduled.
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COUNCILLOR APPOINTMENTS PDF 63 KB To agree the following appointments:
Named substitutes for Planning Committee Colin Lay David Penny Anders Linder Adrienne Marriott Minutes: 107.1 Councillor Mellen proposed the appointments as set out in the agenda and tabled papers. Councillor Eburne seconded this motion.
By a unanimous vote.
It was RESOLVED: -
That the Councillor appointments as set out in the agenda and tabled papers be approved.
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MOTIONS ON NOTICE Minutes: 108.1 There were no motions on notice. |