Venue: Frink Room (Elisabeth) - Endeavour House. View directions
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS Minutes: Councillor Busby declared an Other Registrable Interest in Item 12 due to being Vice-Chair of Chapel Community Trust.
Councillor Osborne declared an Other Registrable Interest in Item 13 due to being a Trustee of Sudbury and District Citizen Advice
Both Councillors left for the duration of the respective items.
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BCa/22/16 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 5 JULY 2022 PDF 92 KB Minutes: It was RESOLVED: -
That the minutes of the meeting held on the 5 July 2022 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.
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BCA/22/17 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON THE 8 JULY 2022 PDF 84 KB Minutes: It was RESOLVED: -
That the minutes of the meeting held on the 8 July 2022 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.
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TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF PETITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S PETITION SCHEME Minutes: None received.
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QUESTIONS BY COUNCILLORS Minutes: None received.
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MATTERS REFERRED BY THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY OR JOINT AUDIT AND STANDARDS COMMITTEES Minutes: There were no matters referred by the Overview and Scrutiny or the Joint Audit and Standards Committees.
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FORTHCOMING DECISIONS LIST Please note the most up to date version can be found via the website:
Forthcoming Decisions List » Babergh
Minutes: There were no comments made for the Forthcoming Decisions List.
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BCA/22/18 GENERAL FUND FINANCIAL MONITORING 2022/23 - QUARTER 1 PDF 200 KB Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Investments.
Decision:
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That, subject to any further budget variations that arise during the rest of the financial year, the net expenditure overspend position of £782k and forecast reserve movements, referred to in section 5.5 and Appendix A of the report, be noted. 1.2 The revised 2021/22 Capital Programme referred to in Appendix B and section 5.9 be noted.
REASON FOR DECISION To ensure that Members are kept informed of the current budgetary position for both General Fund Revenue and Capital. Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: At this stage in the year, the financial position is for noting only. Any Declarations of Interests Declared: None Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 41.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward invited the Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Investments, Councillor Busby to introduce the report.
41.2 Councillor Busby delivered an overview of the report and moved the recommendations as detailed, and Councillor McLaren seconded the recommendations.
41.3 Councillor Osborne queried if the expected future changes to the waste service had been taken into considerations and whether the shortfall of temporary accommodation arrangements had been included in the budget for this year.
41.4 Councillor Ward responded that a possible increase in cost of the Removal and Waste Service (RAWS) would be included in next year’s budget should RAWS change in the coming years.
41.5 Councillor McLaren questioned how the contract for the Shared Revenues Partnership (SRP) would impact the cost to the Council.
41.6 The Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Investments stated that the budget for SRP was likely to increase next year as there were currently a high number of vacancies within the service which would be filled by next year.
41.7 Councillor Ward questioned how to relate table 4.14 to table 5.4 in the report in order to understand the high level of inflation in relation to the £812K forecast as estimated impact o the budget.
41.8 The Director for Corporate Resources clarified the purpose of table 4.14 and advised that the table would be amended for clarification.
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That, subject to any further budget variations that arise during the rest of the financial year, the net expenditure overspend position of £782k and forecast reserve movements, referred to in section 5.5 and Appendix A of the report, be noted; 1.2 The revised 2021/22 Capital Programme referred to in Appendix B and section 5.9 be noted. REASON FOR DECISION To ensure that Members are kept informed of the current budgetary position for both General Fund Revenue and Capital
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BCA/22/19 HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT (HRA) FINANCIAL MONITORING 2022/23 - QUARTER 1 PDF 173 KB Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Investments. Decision:
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That, subject to any further budget variations that arise during the rest of the financial year, the adverse variance of £527k, referred to in section 6.5 of the report, be noted. 1.2 The 2022/23 revised Capital Programme referred to in Appendix A and section 6.12 be noted.
REASON FOR DECISION To ensure that Members are kept informed of the current budgetary position for both the HRA Revenue and Capital Budgets. Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: At this stage in the year, the financial position is for noting only. Any Declarations of Interests Declared: None Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 42.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward invited the Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Investments, Councillor Busby to introduce the report.
42.2 Councillor Busby provided an overview of the main points in the report and moved the recommendations in the report.
42.3 Councillor Osborne seconded the recommendations.
42.4 Councillor McLaren referred to paragraph 4.3 and asked whether rents had been increased year on year. In response the Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets and Investments stated that rent increases and decreases were determined by Government.
42.5 The Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Osborne stated that rents had just caught up to the rent level from five years ago, and that Members would determine the level of rent in due course once the Government had provided the rent levels for the coming year. However, it would be difficult to increase the rent due to the cost-of-living crisis. She ensured Members that the Government would be fully informed of the rent situation.
42.6 Members debated the issues including the challenges for the Council’s Housing Service, the new build and acquisition programme and that the Housing Revenue Programme had ambitions targets set for the next few years.
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That, subject to any further budget variations that arise during the rest of the financial year, the adverse variance of £527k, referred to in section 6.5 of the report, be noted. 1.2 The 2022/23 revised Capital Programme referred to in Appendix A and section 6.12 be noted. REASON FOR DECISION To ensure that Members are kept informed of the current budgetary position for both the HRA Revenue and Capital Budgets.
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BCa/22/20 QUARTER 1 PERFORMANCE PDF 2 MB To note the information contained within the papers for the performance across the whole Council for the period 1 April to 30 June 2022 giving the opportunity to reflect and comment on progress made against the key priorities aligned to the Corporate Plan 2019 – 2027.
Cabinet Member for Customers, Digital Transformation and Improvement.
Minutes: 43.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward introduced the Quarter 1 Performance item on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Customers, Digital Transformation and Improvements, who had forwarded his apology for the meeting.
43.2 Councillor McLaren referred to the Health of the Organisation slide in the papers and asked if figures could be provided for the number of staff included under the total number of days lost to sickness. The Director for Customers, Digital Transformation and Information responded that the level of sickness for staff was very low in comparison to similar authorities and that she would provide the exact number outside of the meeting.
43.3 Councillor Osborne asked for clarification of the 6% decrease in the emails received by Customer Services, and for details of the type of email responses sent by the Council to residents.
43.4 The Director for Customers, Digital Transformation and Improvements stated that the priority was to respond to in-person enquiries and telephone calls and that emails were responded to throughout the day in quieter times. She would provide a response to the contents of the response email outside of the meeting.
43.5 Councillor Gould queried if there had been an increase in attendance to the free swimming sessions for children provide by the Council during half term, and the Director for Customers, Digital Transformation and Improvements advised that she would provide a response to this outside of the meeting.
The Quarter 1 Performance was noted.
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BCa/22/21 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) - CIL Expenditure September 2022 PDF 720 KB Decision: It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That the CIL Expenditure Programme (September 2022) and accompanying technical assessment of the CIL Bids (forming Appendices, A and B) which include decisions on this CIL Bid for Cabinet to make and to note as follows: - Decisions for Cabinet to approve: - Ringfenced Infrastructure Funds and Local Infrastructure Fund.
Decisions for Cabinet to note: Delegated Decisions – Ringfenced and Local Infrastructure Funds.
1.2 Cabinet are also asked to note and endorse this CIL Expenditure Programme which includes the position in respect of approved CIL Bids from Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. (Appendix ... view the full decision text for item 44. Minutes: 44.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward, introduced the report on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Planning, who had forwarded his apology for this meeting.
44.2 Councillor Ward moved the recommendations in the report, which was seconded by Councillor Osborne.
44.3 During the debate Councillor Osborne and Councillor Ward expressed their support for the Gainsborough House CIL bid and Members considered the CIL bids proposed and the delegated decisions for CIL bids brought to Cabinet.
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 That the CIL Expenditure Programme (September 2022) and accompanying technical assessment of the CIL Bids (forming Appendices, A and B) which include decisions on this CIL Bid for Cabinet to make and to note as follows: - Decisions for Cabinet to approve: - Ringfenced Infrastructure Funds and Local Infrastructure Fund.
Decisions for Cabinet to note: Delegated Decisions – Ringfenced and Local Infrastructure Funds.
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Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing Decision: It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet considers the report from Joint Overview and Scrutiny and agrees its response to the recommendations in the report as detailed in paragraph 4, and in line with the Council’s response to the Cost of Living Crisis and the five point plan that will look at a better system of connectivity between partners, including the CAB, the Council and system wide partners.
REASON FOR THE DECISION
To respond to the recommendations in the report from the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 1.1 Recommendation A & B: The O & S Committee thanked both CABs at the December meeting and were assured both CABs are operating effectively and efficiently and responded well to all questioning from members 1.2 To accept or reject: · Recommendation C: The Councils take a single view of debt and implement an integrated system for dealing with housing rent and council tax debt; · Recommendation D: Contact be made with foodbanks with a request that their clients are referred to the CAB for advice on nutrition and budgeting and cookery skills classes; and · Recommendation E: Remote virtual operation capability for CAB and other bodies should be provided on an accelerated programme as a matter of urgency defining locations, IT equipment and applications, training, and connectivity. · Recommendation F: That the 3-year rolling funding arrangement in place for Sudbury & District CA be subject to indexation on an annual review basis. · Recommendation G: That the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee review the CAB in December 2022 · Recommendation H: That extra funding be provided to Sudbury Citizens Advice to enable greater provision for debt advice across the whole district. The Councils Cost of Living 5 Point Plan and appointment of a dedicated Cost of Living Co-ordinator, agreed at Cabinet (BCa/22/3) on 8th June 2022, will address recommendations C-F & H, and identifies a ‘one off’ 30% uplift provided to the Sudbury and District CAB 2022/23 annual revenue grant. Any Declarations of Interests Declared: Councillor Osborne declared an Other Registrable Interest due to being a Trustee of Sudbury and District Citizen Advice. Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes: 45.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward invited the Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing, Councillor McLaren to introduce the report.
45.2 Councillor McLaren provided background details and a summary of the recommendation.
45.3 Councillor McLaren moved the recommendation in the report which was seconded by Councillor Malvisi.
45.4 Councillor McLaren stated that the Citizens Advice (CA) faced a dark future and that the proposed uplift of 30% would support the excellent service they provided to residents.
45.5 Councillor Busby queried why the CA provided advice on food, nutrition and cookery, as this should be provided by the local food banks. He also disagreed with the proposed indexation of the funding provided by the Council to the CA.
45.6 In response the Director for Communities informed Members that a 30% uplift in funding had been provided to Sudbury and District CA in July and that the rolling review would not be undermined by the uplift.
It was RESOLVED: -
That Cabinet considers the report from Joint Overview and Scrutiny and agrees its response to the recommendations in the report as detailed in paragraph 4, and in line with the Council’s response to the Cost of Living Crisis and the five point plan that will look at a better system of connectivity between partners, including the CAB, the Council and system wide partners.
REASON FOR THE DECISION
To respond to the recommendations in the report from the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
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BCa/22/23 TREE CANOPY COVER SURVEY - PROPOSALS TO CABINET PDF 358 KB Cabinet Member for Environment Additional documents:
Decision:
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 The Cabinet resolves to publish in full the web maps and canopy cover survey data on the Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ website. 1.2 The Cabinet resolves to develop a formal Tree Planting Strategy to guide all future tree planting within the District to ensure that, where possible, the greatest benefit is achieved. 1.3 The Cabinet resolves to identify feasible canopy cover percentages for each ward, options for delivery of planting to achieve this target and the creation of a vision for the future. 1.4 The Cabinet resolves to delegate authority to the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Travel along with the Director of Operations to complete these actions. REASON FOR DECISION The Tree Canopy Survey has, for the first time, provided quantifiable evidence to prove the value of trees as an incredible natural capital asset. Publishing the data will be invaluable in helping people understand the benefits of trees. Developing a strategic delivery model for increasing canopy cover across Babergh District ensures we are planting the right tree in the right place to provide benefits to residents and wildlife. Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: Option One: Publication of the ward-by-ward Babergh Tree Canopy data online in the form of interactive web maps and a detailed report, attached in Appendix a. Option Two: Internal use of the data only. This is not the recommended option as the canopy cover data encompasses the entire land area in the district and provides information which could benefit other organisations, parishes, and individual residents. Any Declarations of Interests Declared: None Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 46.1 The Chair, Councillor Ward invited the Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Gould to introduce the report.
46.2 Councillor Gould introduce the report and thanked the Officers for the work undertaken.
46.3 Councillor Gould moved the recommendations in the report, which was seconded by Councillor Malvisi.
46.4 Members agreed that the report was excellent, and the data would be useful.
46.5 In response to Councillors’ questions the Corporate Manager for Public Realm explained that the Survey would lead into a strategy, and further that DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) would deliver a strategy in 2024, which would place a high emphasis on tree planting. Consideration for the types of trees and where they would be planted would be included in the Council’s strategy. Parish Councils were already involved in where tree planting would take place in their parishes and work was being undertaken to develop this further.
46.6 In response to Councillor Malvisi’s question regarding suitable availability of land to plant trees on, the Cabinet Member for Environment responded that these issues would be considered in the strategy.
It was RESOLVED: -
1.1 The Cabinet resolves to publish in full the web maps and canopy cover survey data on the Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ website. 1.2 The Cabinet resolves to develop a formal Tree Planting Strategy to guide all future tree planting within the District to ensure that, where possible, the greatest benefit is achieved. 1.3 The Cabinet resolves to identify feasible canopy cover percentages for each ward, options for delivery of planting to achieve this target and the creation of a vision for the future. 1.4 The Cabinet resolves to delegate authority to the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Travel along with the Director of Operations to complete these actions.
REASON FOR DECISION The Tree Canopy Survey has, for the first time, provided quantifiable evidence to prove the value of trees as an incredible natural capital asset. Publishing the data will be invaluable in helping people understand the benefits of trees. Developing a strategic delivery model for increasing canopy cover across Babergh District ensures we are planting the right tree in the right place to provide benefits to residents and wildlife.
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