Venue: King Edmund Chamber, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich. View directions
No. | Item | ||
---|---|---|---|
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Rachel Eburne and Councillor Diana Kearsley. |
|||
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS BY COUNCILLORS Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
|||
MCa/18/35 TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 8 OCTOBER 2018 PDF 383 KB Minutes: It was Resolved:-
That subject to Councillor Whitehead’s title being changed to Cabinet Member for Finance on page 4 of the Minutes, the Minutes of the meeting held on the 8th October 2018 were approved as a true record. |
|||
TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF PETITIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCIL'S PETITION SCHEME Minutes: 70.1 There were no petitions received. |
|||
QUESTIONS BY COUNCILLORS Minutes: 71.1 Councillor Otton asked the Cabinet Member for Environment, if he was aware of a survey being conducted about Waste Services and if so what was the cost of this?
71.2 In response the Cabinet Member for the Environment, stated that he was unaware of the survey. Councillor Barker, Lead Member for Waste, added that the survey was likely to being carried out by Serco, but agreed that members should be kept informed of this.
71.3 Councillor Otton also asked the Returning Officer why she had received a document detailing the result of the Bosmere by - election that was incomplete?
71.4 In response the Returning Officer confirmed that whilst he did not know why that particular form was incomplete the correct results were showing on the website.
|
|||
MATTERS REFERRED BY THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY OR JOINT AUDIT AND STANDARDS COMMITTEES Minutes: 72.1 There were no matters referred. |
|||
MCa/18/36 FORTHCOMING DECISIONS LIST PDF 749 KB Please note the most up to date version can be found via the website:
https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/the-council/forthcoming-decisions-list/
Minutes: 73.1 There were no matters raised. |
|||
MCa/18/37 GENERAL FUND FINANCIAL MONITORING 2018/19 - APRIL TO AUGUST 2018 PDF 515 KB Cabinet Member for Finance Decision: MCa/18/37 – GENERAL FUND FINANCIAL MONITORING 2018/19 – APRIL TO AUGUST 2018
It was RESOLVED:-
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes:
· There was overall, a net favourable variance of £1,648k which was an improvement of £1,472k since the first report. The improved favourable position could be attributed to CIFCO (223K), Gateway14 (262k) and Business Rates (880K) · Favourable improvements in Development Management (£172K) and Strategic Planning (87K) · Unfavourable variances included Housing Solutions (Homelessness) £33k and PV panels (13K).
74.2 Councillor Whitehead went on to say that the Growth and Efficiency Fund detailed on page 28 of the report included the commitments in 2018/19 which would result in a remaining balance of £2.2m by March 2019.
74.3 The General Fund Capital Fund had been updated to include carried forward amounts from 2017-18 and included the £16.5m for Gateway14.
74.3 Councillor Whitehead then MOVED the recommendations in the report which Councillor Flatman SECONDED.
74.4 Councillor Otton asked the Cabinet Member for Finance if there was a reason why the Council had switched to long term borrowing and if it was right that the Council used the New Homes Bonus to support the budget?
74.5 In response the Cabinet Member for Finance stated that in terms of borrowing both the Gateway 14 and CIFCO, by using very low interest short term borrowing the Council had made some savings which had been banked. However, going forward when investing in long term assets it made sense to have borrowings, timings and long-term investments more balanced out. At the moment it was easy to borrow money cheaply, however with future uncertainties including Brexit, the Council did not want to find itself in a position where either credit was unavailable or was available at a high price. So it made sense to bank the savings now and try to balance the original short term borrowing that had been undertaken, by balancing it out with long term borrowing in-line with the investments that were long term investments. The borrowing would level out over time because of the timings and nature of the investments. In terms of the use of the New Homes Bonus to support the budget, each year the Council looks at how it could balance the budget without using the New Homes Bonus (NHB), in the last few years the Council has had to make modest use of the NHB to balance the budget. However, if the Council finds that it has a healthy positive variance then that bonus is banked and put into the Growth and Efficiency fund to use on worthwhile projects.
74.6 Councillor Otton also raised concerns relating to the CCLA and the 47k adverse variance in the Health and Safety budget and asked if there was an update on the Regent Theatre. She also queried whether the business rate retention figure was correct and why there was no mention of the contingency fund in the report?
74.7 In response the Corporate Manager for Finance stated that the CCLA was a long-term investment, however the Council’s investment advisors ... view the full minutes text for item 74. |
|||
Cabinet Member for Housing Decision: MCa/18/38 – HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT (HRA) FINANCIAL MONITORING 2018/19 – APRIL TO AUGUST 2018
It was RESOLVED:-
1.1 That the potential or likely variations in relation to the HRA both Revenue and Capital compared to the Budget be noted.
1.2 That, subject to any further budget variations that arise during the rest of the financial year, the shortfall in funds of £555k, referred to in section 5.6 of the report, be noted;
1.3 That the revised 2018/19 Capital Programme referred to in Appendix A and section 5.10 be approved.
Reason for Decision: To ensure that Members are kept informed of the current budgetary position for both HRA Revenue and Capital Budgets.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: a) Transfer funds of £555k from the Strategic Priorities reserve to support the deficit.
b) At this early stage in the year, make no recommendation for the transfer of funds from reserves.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None
Minutes: 75.1 Councillor Wilshaw introduced the report and informed Cabinet that the HRA was forecasting a deficit of £1.217K as at the end of August 2018 which was an adverse variance of £555k for the year.
75.2 The main reasons for the variance were planned maintenance – heating costs were £100k higher than budget mainly due to an increase in material costs, together with additional work identified during whole housing surveys. Void repairs were also reflecting a £177K adverse variance following the use of external contractors in order to reduce the let of empty properties by 23 days and BMBS reflected an adverse variance of £198k for the year - an improvement of £170k following the closure of 2000 outstanding jobs.
75.3 Further work will be undertaken following the recent announcement that the HRA debt cap will be abolished from the end of October. The outcome of this will be reported as part of the 2019-20 budget report.
75.4 Councillor Wilshaw then MOVED the recommendations which Councillor Whitehead SECONDED.
75.5 Councillor Whitehead asked a question relating to the work carried out by Blue Flame and the controls that the Council had in place to monitor this?
75.6 In response the Assistant Director for Housing confirmed that Blue Flame were a contractor that provided a whole house servicing contract. This would mean that a property would get an annual service where they were not just servicing and inspecting gas parts but also any electrical and mechanical items in the property at the same time. If they highlighted significant items to be replaced, then mechanical or electoral surveyors would consider whether or not those repairs or improvements were required either then or as part of a programme of activity in the future.
75.7 Councillor Gowrley sought confirmation that if there was significant cost this could be capitalised?
75.8 In response the Assistant Director for Housing confirmed that this was the case and presented some facts around Mid Suffolk housing stock including the fact the Council had completed 369 heating installations in the past 3 years with 37 being funded through “Warm Homes Funding” to provide air source heat pumps.
75.9 Councillor Otton asked why the decision was made to sell a high number of shared ownership housing and also asked how successful the installation of air sourced heating pumps had been?
75.10 The Assistant Director for Housing informed Cabinet that he would need to check the reasoning behind the decision to sell the shared ownership housing and report back to Cabinet. With regards to the air source heat pumps the Council endeavoured to fit air source heat pumps to all 1 and 2 bedroomed properties where mains gas was unavailable. Whilst it was desirable to fit sustainable heating to all properties it was not always possible due to the age and construction of the property. Air source heat pumps are not installed where the insulation values of a property cannot be raised to a sufficient level.
75.11 Councillor Morley raised concerns relating to ... view the full minutes text for item 75. |
|||
Cabinet Member for Organisational Delivery Additional documents: Decision: MCa/18/39 – HALF YEAR SIGNIFICANT RISK REGISTER 2018/19 – UPDATE AND SUMMARY OF WORK UNDERTAKEN
It was RESOLVED:-
.1 That the content of this report, supported by Appendix A and B, be approved.
Reason for Decision: To provide assurances that risk management processes in place are robust and effective.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: Risk management as an activity must accomplish the following tasks: identify concerns; identify risks and risk owners; evaluate the risks as to likelihood and consequences; assess the options for accommodating the risks and prioritise the risk management efforts.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes: 76.1 Councillor Morley introduced the report and informed Cabinet that the report provided Cabinet with the half year significant risk register and a summary of the work of the Audit and Risk Management Services during the first six months of the year.
76.2 The current risk register had 28 risks, 17 were scored as medium, 9 as high and 2 very high. Since the register was last reported to Cabinet in March 2018, two new risks had been added to the register, Gateway14 - relating to the income and capital projections and economic outcomes not being delivered and agile working arrangements. This risk was originally 5e (covering both public access and agile working arrangements) but this had now been split. Consideration of a new risk relating to Brexit was also being undertaken and was the subject of county wide discussion at the moment. A further update would be provided when available.
76.3 Councillor Morley then MOVED the recommendations in the report, which Councillor Flatman SECONDED.
76.4 Councillor Otton asked why with the current issues relating to the five-year land supply the risk was not classed as significant and marked in red?
76.5 In response the Cabinet Member for Planning stated that at the time the report was produced the evidence that the Council had, at that time, was that they had a 6.5 year land supply. Now that an Inspector had challenged that and come up with a different number, the Inspector had tasked the Council to come back with further evidence to support the 6.5 year figure. The risk with regard to the five-year land supply hadn’t changed.
76.6 Councillor Otton queried risk 1e about the demographic of the needs of the district particularly around the aging population and stated that she was not convinced that the Council was acting on the information, she also asked for details under 5a relating to the new IT Board and what outcomes the new IT Board were looking for?
76.7 In response the Chief Executive informed Cabinet that the IT Board was an officer led Board looking at ongoing IT delivery and the partnership arrangements with the County. As for the risk around demographics, the Council was currently out to consultation with the draft Housing Strategy that firmly looked at needs both in terms of demographics as well as in terms of how the Council should be approaching and delivering against that need.
76.8 Councillor Otton then went on to ask about universal credit and how closely this was being monitored and also about risk 5J exploring alternative forms of council structure and what this meant?
76.9 In response the Assistant Director for Housing stated universal credit was monitored in the same way as all other rent arrear cases and in some cases was also monitored in isolation. There was an increase in rent arrears as a result of universal credit but there was an income management strategy in place to deal with this. A paper would be brought to Cabinet ... view the full minutes text for item 76. |
|||
MCa/18/40 PART I - BABERGH MID SUFFOLK BUILDING SERVICES (BMBS) BUSINESS PLAN 2017 - 2023 PDF 226 KB Cabinet Member for Housing Additional documents: Decision: MCa/18/40 – PART 1 – BABERGH MID SUFFOLK BUILDING (BMBS) BUSINESS PLAN 2017 – 2023
It was RESOLVED:-
Reason for Decision: To ensure that BMBS can focus on achieving the ambitious targets set out in the revised Business Plan.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: The other option considered would be the removal of BMBS as a service provider and the work outsourced to Contractors via the competitive tender process. It is deemed that this option is not appropriate at this stage.
Any Declarations of Interest declared: None
Any Dispensation Granted: None Minutes: 77.1Councillor Gowrley sought clarifications as to the purpose of the report?
77.2 In response the Assistant Director for Housing informed Cabinet that the report had been presented to Cabinet on a number of occasions over the year primarily because of the strong and keen interest by Members in relation to figures and performance and being a newly created service area where a directly employed labour force was now managing housing repairs across the two districts. As a result of an internal audit on the financial aspects of the business plan it was felt prudent to bring an update on the financial aspects to Cabinet detailing the updates that had been made and to show the focussed overall net cost of the service and any contingency sitting below the bottom line.
77.3 Councillor Otton queried whether a stock condition survey needed to be undertaken so soon after the last one?
77.4 In response the Assistant Director for Housing stated as a provider in relation to stock condition the Council had recently carried out a stock condition survey, which actually amounted to 23% of stock within the Mid Suffolk district. That included both the external and the internal areas. The stock survey totalled about 800 dwellings and a number of larger blocks of flats as well. That meant that the Council now had up to date accurate stock condition data for that 23%. Best practice suggested that you should be surveying your stock every 5 years, or no more than every 5 years and the previous stock condition data was now some 7 or potentially 8 years old. Having done a sample stock condition survey the Council had been able to clone that data and look at the stock which was not surveyed as part of that process. Based on that data it shows that 63% of the stock was decent and 37% could potentially be non-decent. As a result of this a business case has been worked up to employ 2 stock condition surveyors that would, on a yearly basis survey 20% of the stock across Babergh and Mid Suffolk, and therefore every 5 years it would ensure that all of the stock had been surveyed and the data used to plan future planned and capital maintenance works.
77.5 Councillor Wilshaw asked how this would be funded?
77.6 In response the Assistant Director informed Cabinet that the cost of the stock condition survey would be funded from the housing revenue account. Any business case that was approved to employ staff, would be funded from the housing revenue account as well. A paper would be brought forward to an Administration Briefing solely devoted to stock condition in terms of summarising what had been said today and what the next steps would be.
77.7 Councillor Otton queried whether the decision to employ external contractors would be a Cabinet decision?
77.8 The Assistant Director for Housing replied that the decision would most likely be taken under officer delegations once a robust business case ... view the full minutes text for item 77. |
|||
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: 78.1 The report was dealt with in the public section of the agenda. |
|||
MCa/18/40 PART II - BABERGH MID SUFFOLK BUILDING SERVICES (BMBS) BUSINESS PLAN 2017 - 2023 Minutes: 79.1 The report was dealt with in the public section of the agenda.
|