Venue: Frink Room (Elisabeth) - Endeavour House. View directions
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Minutes: 95.1 Apologies of absences were received from Councillors Margaret Maybury and Tina Campbell. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS Minutes: 96.1 There were no declarations of interests. |
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BCa/18/53 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 13 DECEMBER 2018 PDF 232 KB Minutes: It was RESOLVED: -
97.1 That the minutes of the meeting held on the 13 December 2018 be confirmed as a true record |
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TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF PETITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S PETITION SCHEME Minutes: 98.1 There were no petitions received. |
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QUESTIONS BY COUNCILLORS |
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MATTERS REFERRED BY THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY OR JOINT AUDIT AND STANDARDS COMMITTEES Recommendation and draft minute from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 17 December 2018, in respect of Item 12 below, attached as Appendix C to Paper BCa/18/58.
Minutes: 100.1 A draft minute of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on the 17 December 2018 and a recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was attached to item 12, Extension of the Serco Contract 2021 -2018, Report BCa/18/58. |
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FORTHCOMING DECISIONS LIST Please note the most up to date version can be found via the website: https://www.babergh.gov.uk/the-council/forthcoming-decisions-list/ Paper copies will be available at the meeting. Minutes: 101.1 The Cabinet was informed that the Joint Local Plan was not being presented to Full Council this month, but Members were reminded of the briefing taking place on Monday 14 January 2019.
101.2 Councillor Lawrenson asked when the Waldingfield conservation appraisal was coming forward. He understood there had been some debate as to which committee the appraisal should be presented to and that there were other conservation appraisals which were expected to be completed and be presented to Committee.
101.3 The Assistant Director for Law and Governance believed it to be a planning matter but would confirm the correct procedure for Conversation Appraisals outside of the meeting.
101.4 It was confirmed that the Disabled Facilities Grant report would be added to the Forthcoming Decisions List.
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BCa/18/54 DRAFT GENERAL FUND BUDGET 2019/20 AND FOUR YEAR OUTLOOK PDF 863 KB Cabinet Member for Finance
Additional documents: Decision: Decisions Made by Cabinet:
1.1 That the draft General Fund Budget proposals for 2019/20 and four-year outlook set out in the report were endorsed for recommendation to Council on 19 February 2019, subject to further consideration at the next Cabinet meeting on 7 February 2019. 1.2 That the draft General Fund Budget for 2019/20 was based on an increase to Council Tax of £5 per annum (10p per week) for a Band D property, which was equivalent to 3.15%, to support the Council’s overall financial position, which will be considered further at the February Cabinet meeting. 1.3 That a further £25m was invested in CIFCO as set out in paragraph 8.18. 1.4 That a discretionary Care Leavers Council Tax discount of up to 100% was introduced from the 1 April 2019 as set out in section 11. 1.5 That the second empty property premium was increased as per the regulations set out in paragraph 12.9 Reason for Decision: To bring together all the relevant information to enable Cabinet Members to review, consider and comment upon the Councils General Fund budget before the February Cabinet review and recommendations to Council.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: The General Fund Budget for 2019/20 and four-year outlook is an essential element in achieving a balanced budget and sustainable medium-term position. Setting a balanced budget for the coming year is a statutory requirement, therefore no other options are appropriate in respect of this.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 102.1 John Ward, the Cabinet Member for Finance, introduce report BCa/18/54 and stated that the General Fund Budget and the Housing Revenue Account Budget were now separate reports. Major points in the budget were detailed including:
· The projections for the Four-year Outlook was detailed in section 8 and, table 19, at paragraph 8.23, and that the accumulative deficit at the end of this period was £671,000. · The new homes bonus receipts had been used and £3.375 million excluding these receipts. · The general fund draft budget required all of the anticipated 2019/20 new homes bonus receipts of £683,000. · Reliance of reserves amounted to £580,000 to achieve a balance budget. · Council Tax increase would be continued at the maximum level allowed at £5 per year for a band D property for the next 2 years and 3% for the following 2 years. · A growth of 1.64% in the band D equivalent, the number of properties for 2019/20 and 1.5% per annum, thereafter, ensured that council tax revenues would to help offset the ongoing cost pressures. · A provisional Finance settlement of £273,000 was outline in paragraph 4.9 to 4.11. · A additional investment in CIFCO of £25 million was budgeted to produce a net income after interest charges of £109K next year 19/20 and £327K in 20/21 and then an ongoing £435K in the years thereafter. · The capital programme showed that investment faced equally over the two years 19/20 and 20/21 as set out in appendix B. · Section 11 detailed a discretional carer council tax discount of 100%. · A secondary empty property premium would be introduced with a maximum premium of 100% in 2019/20 as outlined in paragraph 12.9.
102.2 Councillor John Ward MOVED the recommendations in the report which was SECONDED by Councillor Simon Barrett.
102.3 Councillor Barrett asked for clarification of the New Homes Bonus which was part of the revenue income. He referred to the figures in paragraph 8.9 which indicated that if 150 houses were deducted from the total number of houses, then only 63 houses were left to generate income.
102.4 The Assistant Director – Corporate Resources, explained that Table 5 showed the actual monetary amounts and not the number of houses, so the actual 7 new homes bonus income was £63,000 for each of the four years.
102.5 Councillor Barrett asked it this meant that there had to be more than 150 new homes build before the Council would be able to collect any money.
102.6 The Chief Executive explained that the Government had intended the New Homes bonus to be an additional grant to encourage developments. The homes in the table would be equivalent to a Band D development but could in reality be a combination of the size of the houses build and council tax bands.
102.7 Councillor Derek Davis asked for clarification of numbers for the New Home’s Bonus on page 23, table 10. The Assistant Director had mentioned £63,000 but in table10 the figure was £683K
102.8 The Assistant Director – orporate Resources ... view the full minutes text for item 102. |
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BCa/18/55 DRAFT HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT (HRA) BUDGET AND FOUR YEAR OUTLOOK PDF 731 KB Cabinet Member for Housing
Decision: Decisions made by Cabinet: -
1.1 That the HRA Budget proposals set out in the report was endorsed for recommendation to Council on 19 February 2019 subject to further consideration at the next Cabinet meeting on 7 February 2019. 1.1 That the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme 2019/20 to 2022/23 and HRA Budget for 2019/20 was endorsed for recommendation to Council on 19 February 2019 subject to further consideration at the next Cabinet meeting on 7 February 2019. 1.2 That the mandatory decrease of 1% in Council House rents, equivalent to an average rent reduction of £0.90 a week as required by the Welfare Reform and Work Act, was implemented. 1.3 That garage rents were kept at the same level as last year. 1.4 That Sheltered Housing Service charges was kept at the same level as last year. 1.5 That Sheltered Housing utility charges was increased by 5% (average £0.61 increase per week). Reason for Decision: To bring together all the relevant information to enable Cabinet Members to review, consider and comment upon the Council’s Housing Revenue Account budget before the February Cabinet review and recommendations to Council.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: The Housing Revenue Account Budget for 2019/20 and four-year outlook is an essential element in achieving a balanced budget and sustainable medium-term position, therefore no other options are appropriate in respect of this. Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes: 103.1 Councillor Jan Osborne, Cabinet Member for Housing, introduce report BCa/18/55, and informed Members of the following correction:
103.2 Paragraph 1.1, page 49, ‘General Fund’ be corrected to ‘Housing Revenue Account’.
103.3 Councillor Osborne then outlined the main issues in the report including:
· That a continuation of the 1% rent reduction would continue as required by the Welfare Reform and Work Act. · That the recent government announcement that local authorities could increase rents by a maximus of CPI (currently 2.6%) +1% for five years from 2020/21 will reduce the impact of these. · That the debt cap in October 2018 would be removed. · That the high value asset levy would not be introduced · That the Right to Buy forecast of a 437K increase in the 2019/20 revenue budget against last year was shown in the table 11.1. · Garage rents would remain at the same level as last year. · A project to reduce of the number of vacant garages would be implemented this year. · A reduction of the rents for housing tenants of 1% would be implemented from April 2019 · Sheltered tenants would receive a 1% reduction in their rent and services charges would be kept at the current level. · It was recommended that an increase in utility charges of 5% should be implemented.
103.3 Councillor Osborne MOVED the recommendations in the report which was SECONDED by Councillor Nick Ridley.
103.4 Members asked for clarification of the project to reduce vacant garages.
103.5 Councillor Osborne responded that a project to identify vacant garages and explore the possibility of regenerating these for housing was being undertaken.
103.6 In response to questions Councillor Osborne would provide a list of vacant garages to Members outside of the meeting.
103.7 Councillor Nick Ridley asked for clarification of the cost for Babergh and Mid Suffolk Building Service (BMBS) and if the figure represented half of the cost of the Service for Babergh District.
103.8 The Assistant Director – Corporate Resources stated that this was correct as the split of the housing stock was approximately 50/50.
By a unanimous vote
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That the HRA Budget proposals set out in the report be approved. 1.2 That the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme 2019/20 to 2022/23 and HRA Budget for 2019/20 be agreed. 1.3 That the mandatory decrease of 1% in Council House rents, equivalent to an average rent reduction of £0.90 a week as required by the Welfare Reform and Work Act, be implemented. 1.4 That garage rents be kept at the same level as last year. 1.5 That Sheltered Housing Service charges be kept at the same level as last year. 1.6 That Sheltered Housing utility charges be increased by 5% (average £0.61 increase per week). 1.7 That in principle, Right to Buy receipts should be retained to enable continued development and acquisition of new council dwellings. 1.8 That the revised HRA Business Plan in Appendix B be noted.
Reason for Decision
To bring together all the relevant information to enable Cabinet ... view the full minutes text for item 103. |
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BCa/18/56 HOMELESS PREVENTION FUND POLICY PDF 116 KB Cabinet Member for Housing
Additional documents: Decision: Decisions made by Cabinet: -
That Cabinet approved the introduction of this policy for 2019/20. Reason for Decision: By approving the implementation of the policy, it will enable the Housing Solutions Officers to prevent or relieve homelessness in more cases and reduce the demands on temporary accommodation.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: An alternative option is to not have a Homelessness Prevention Fund and use the money for alternative things such as staff salaries or temporary accommodation but the lack of one is likely to increase demands on temporary accommodation and increase budgetary demands due to accessing more Bed and Breakfast placements.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes: 104.1 Councillor Jan Osborne, Cabinet Member for Housing, introduced report BCa/18/56 and stated that the current homelessness prevention fund policy was out of date and focused on the historic legislation. The new policy incorporated the new legislation and showed a commitment to prevention rather than cure homelessness.
104.2 The council was grant funded through the flexible homelessness support grant by the MHCLG and in 2019/20 the Council would receive £10,600, which would increase to £25,000 in year 1 19/20 and £35,000 in year 2 20/21. Further funding was expected in 20/21.
104.3 The homelessness prevention fund would be used for a wide range of options and the policy was not too prescriptive about how the money was spend. It was necessary to be flexible, adaptable and creative when preventing homelessness.
104.4 In response to Members questions the Corporate Manager for Housing Solutions explained that when money was being lent to clients to pay back debt, the funds were not always recovered, and that evaluation of the individual circumstance was based on a case by case basis.
104.5 Questions regarding the effect of the Universal Credit was raised and the officer responded that some clients received both, but again this was based on each individual case.
By a unanimous vote
It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet approved the introduction of this policy for 2019/20
Reason for Decision:
By approving the implementation of the policy, it will enable the Housing Solutions Officers to prevent or relieve homelessness in more cases and reduce the demands on temporary accommodation.
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BCa/18/57 JOINT COMMUNITIES STRATEGY PDF 166 KB Cabinet Member for Communities Additional documents: Decision: Decisions Made by Cabinet:
1.1 That Cabinet agreed the consultation approach and timetable for the Joint Communities Strategy described in paragraphs 10.5 and 10.6. 1.2 That the Assistant Director for Planning and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Communities, was given delegated authority to make any minor changes as necessary to the consultation version of the draft Communities Strategy prior to the Strategy going out for consultation. Reason for Decision:
To ensure that Babergh District Council have an up to date Joint Communities Strategy which provided: · Strategic leadership on the key community issues facing the districts; · Coherent and joined up approaches to the way we work with our communities and with partners; · Greater local accountability for decision making; and · A more focused approach to community development which has the greatest impact. Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
1.1 To create a Joint Communities Strategy and publish it for consultation. 1.1 To create a Joint Communities Strategy and not publish it for consultation. 1.2 Not to create a Joint Communities Strategy. 1.3 The Council has prioritised the creation of its Joint Communities Strategy and therefore the question is whether to consult with stakeholders or not. Given the nature of the Strategy it is considered vital that there is appropriate consultation prior to its formal adoption by Full Council. Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 105.1 Councillor Jan Osborne, Cabinet Member for Housing introduced report BCa/18/57 on behalf of Councillor Margaret Maybury, Cabinet Member for Communities.
105.2 The strategy had been developed as a response to some of the bigger community related changes, which had taken place within the Districts and the challenges and opportunities that lied ahead.
105.3 Section 3 of the consultation version detailed the commitments for the strategy, which have been developed through focussed discussions with a cross party group of councillors, external partners, statutory agencies and staff. It was the intention to use the consultation period to clarify these and other issues to develop a more conventional strategy document.
Councillor Osborne MOVED the recommendations in the report, which was SECONDED by Councillor Nick Ridley.
105.4 In response to Members’ questions the Assistant Director for Planning and Communities stated that the last bullet point on page 85 would be removed and that the questions would be more general.
105.5 Some Members was concerned that there were inconsistencies in the strategy and that it was lengthy.
105.6 The Assistant Director outlined the following in response to questions:
· Social prescribing was one of the areas of activity articulated by the focus groups; · Suffolk Costal and East Suffolk District Council both has a similar strategy; · Members had identified the need for a Community Strategy; · The current version was a ‘working’ progress document.
105.7 He continued that reliance of local residents was already a huge part of the Community and it was hoped that the strategy would give a sense of coherence of how to use the resources and to inspire residents to partake in volunteering. He recognised there was a continued pressure for more volunteers. Therefore, it was important that the grant schemes were facilitated to community groups to support them.
105.8 Councillor Frank Lawrenson stated that the use of open questions was likely to make the analysis a challenge. He also suggested that information about the statutory and discretionally services should be fed back to the community. He stated that this should be made clearer in the strategy.
105.9 Councillor Sue Carpendale asked if the strategy delivered social value. She also suggested communities provided feed-back on what was working in their communities. 105.10 Councillor Hinton enquired about the changing demographics and the difference between the two districts. The strategy was specific in relation to the estimated population growth between 2018 and 2036 and he could not get this to correlate with the number of houses being built.
105.11 The Assistant Director, Planning and Communities responded that the estimated population growth was from the statistics for Public Health and that the housing requirements were different due to the change of family structures. However, the strategy did not deliver an answer to housing development requirements and the document did not refer specifically to one district.
105.12 He continued that change in the population demographics would have a significant impact on areas such as volunteering and that some groups, such as the Over 65s and Over ... view the full minutes text for item 105. |
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BCa/18/58 EXTENSION OF SERCO CONTRACT 2021 - 2028 PDF 368 KB Cabinet Member for Environment Additional documents:
Decision: Decisions Made by Cabinet:
1.1 That Cabinet approved to extend the current Household waste and Recycling contract with Serco for a further 7-year period from 2021 to 2028 2.1 That Cabinet agreed to delegate to the Assistant Director, Environment and Commercial Partnerships, in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Environment, to finalise the extension agreement and enter into contract with Serco for an additional 7 years from 2021-2028 Reason for Decision: The decision to extend the current contract offers good value to the Councils and has a lower cost than any other option.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
1.1 The options available to the councils are: - 1.1 Option 1 - Extension of the current Serco contract: based upon the extension proposal provided to MSDC and BDC by Serco. 1.2 Option 2 - Outsourcing: conduct a new procurement exercise and engage an external contractor to deliver the environmental services, this could of course be Serco again. 1.3 Option 3 - In-house: bring the services in-house, or in-sourcing, is another common service delivery model to deliver environmental services. 1.4 Option 4 - Local Authority Company (LAC): deliver the environmental services through a LAC (commonly referred to as a Teckal company), either by setting up a new company or use an existing company founded by another authority to deliver the services. This service delivery model is growing in popularity, although it is still relatively uncommon. Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes: 106.1 Councillor John Ward, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Leader introduced report BCa/15/58 for Councillor Tina Campbell, Cabinet Member for Environment.
106.2 He stated that the purpose of the report was to agree an extension of the joint household waste contract, which expired in April 2021 with the existing provider SERCO. Councillor Ward provided a brief summary of the contract including:
· Currently the Council and SERCO were undertaking a review whereby both parties needed to decide whether there would be an extension and notice to cease or extend the contract needed to be determined by the 1 April 2019. · SERCO estimated that two additional rounds would be needed for the extension to the contract and this equated to additional contract payments of £265,000 a year. · The extension option with SERCO would include the addition of certain key performance indicators which were appended to the report. · This report and the Eunomia report had been scrutinised by both Councils’ Overview and Scrutiny committees, and both committees had provided a unanimous recommendation to endorse the recommendations in the report (Appendix C).
Councillor John Ward MOVED the recommendations in the report, which was SECONDED byCouncillor Frank Lawrenson
106.3 Members agreed that the document was well presented and carefully analysed. Problems with waste collection were generally resolved satisfactorily.
By a unanimous vote
It was RESOLVED: - 1.1 That approval was given to extend the current Household waste and Recycling contract with Serco for a further 7-year period from 2021 to 2028 1.2 To delegate to the Assistant Director, Environment and Commercial Partnerships, in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Environment, to finalise the extension agreement and enter into contract with Serco for an additional 7 years from 2021-2028. Reason for Decision: The decision to extend the current contract offers good value to the Councils and has a lower cost than any other option.
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BCa/18/59 THE ADOPTION OF A SET OF PRINCIPLES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF COUNCIL OWNED TREES PDF 261 KB Cabinet Member for Environment
Additional documents: Decision: Decisions Made by Cabinet:
1.1 That Cabinet approved the set of principles for the management of Council owned trees (Appendix A), subject to an amendment to clarify that the landowner has responsibility for maintaining any community planted trees. 1.2 That the Cabinet recommended the increase in operational budgets outlined in 6.3 Reason for Decision: The decision to agree the principles will allow the Councils to adopt a fair and consistent approach to the management of Council owned trees enabling clear guidance on how the tree resource is to be more sustainably managed.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected Both Councils have the option of not agreeing a set of principles or agreeing an amended set of principles subject to the direction of Cabinet.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 107.1 Councillor John Ward, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Leader introduced report BCa/15/58 for Councillor Tina Campbell, Cabinet Member for Environment.
107.2 Both Babergh and Mid Suffolk owned an extensive stock of trees, which was in excess of 20,000 recorded individual trees.
107.3 In 2017 the White Young and Green report identified that there were no clear policies or procedures relating to trees and their management. This sometimes led to potential conflict with respect as to how the council tree stock was managed. Trees and their management performed a topic that was considered by the multi -party public realm task and finish group in 2018 and the draft tree principles for council owned trees was developed from discussions held at several other meetings.
107.4 Councillor John Ward MOVED the recommendations in the report, which was SECONDED by Councillor Frank Lawrenson.
107.5 Councillor Frank Lawrenson stated that a policy on how the Council managed trees was needed and thought the policy was extremely good.
107.6 Members agreed with Councillor Lawrenson.
107.7 In response to questions regarding who managed tress, it way clarified by the Corporate Manager for Countryside and Public Realm that it would be the responsibility on whomever owned the land on which the tree was growing. The Council would make sure that any planted trees would have that proper protection and it was the duty for the landowner to make sure that any trees and other facilities on the land were fit for purpose and safe for people visiting that land.
By a unanimous vote
It was REOSOLVED: -
1.1 That the Cabinet approved the set of principles for the management of the council owned trees (Appendix A), subject to an amendment to clarity that the land owner had responsibility for maintaining any Community planted trees
2.1 That the Cabinet recommended the increase in operational budgets outlined in 6.3
Decisions Made by Cabinet:
1.1 That Cabinet approved the set of principles for the management of Council owned trees (Appendix A), subject to an amendment to clarify that the landowner has responsibility for maintaining any community planted trees. 1.2 That the Cabinet recommended the increase in operational budgets outlined in 6.3 Reason for Decision: The decision to agree the principles will allow the Councils to adopt a fair and consistent approach to the management of Council owned trees enabling clear guidance on how the tree resource is to be more sustainably managed.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected Both Councils have the option of not agreeing a set of principles or agreeing an amended set of principles subject to the direction of Cabinet.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None
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EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC (WHICH TERM INCLUDES THE PRESS) To consider whether, pursuant to Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public should be excluded from the meeting for the business specified below on the grounds that if the public were present during this item, it is likely that there would be the disclosure to them of exempt information as indicated against the item.
The author of the report proposed to be considered in Part 2 of the Agenda is satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Minutes: By a unanimous vote.
It was RESOLVED: -
That pursuant to Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the business specified in the report on the grounds that if the public were present during that item, it is likely that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information. |
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BCa/18/60 TO CONFIRM THE CONFIDENTIAL MINUTE OF 13 DECEMBER 2018 MEETING Minutes: By a unanimous vote.
It was ResolveD:-
That the confidential minute of the meeting held on 13 December 2018 be confirmed as a true record.
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