Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest declared.

The minutes of the meeting held on 04 January 2021 were confirmed as a correct record. The minutes would be signed at the next practicable opportunity.

None received.

There were no questions from Councillors.

Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Full minute to follow.

Please note that the most up to date version can be found via the website:

https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/the-council/forthcoming-decisions-list/

The Forthcoming Decisions List was noted.

Monitoring Officer

Full minute to follow.

Cabinet Member for Finance

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That the General Fund Budget proposals for 2021/22 and four-year outlook set out in the report be endorsed for recommendation to Council on 18 February 2021.

1.2          That the General Fund Budget for 2021/22 is based on an increase to Council Tax of 1.66% which equates to £2.80 per annum (23p per month) for a Band D property.

1.3          The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy at Appendix E of the report be endorsed for recommendation to Council on 18 February 2021.

1.4          Subject to approval by Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) be notified of the adoption of the Strategy.

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 for endorsement and recommendations to Council.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: Setting a balanced budget is a statutory requirement, therefore no other options are appropriate in respect of this.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

Full minute to follow.

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That the General Fund Budget proposals for 2021/22 and four-year outlook set out in the report be endorsed for recommendation to Council on 18 February 2021.

1.2          That the General Fund Budget for 2021/22 is based on an increase to Council Tax of 1.66% which equates to £2.80 per annum (23p per month) for a Band D property.

1.3          The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy at Appendix E of the report be endorsed for recommendation to Council on 18 February 2021.

1.4          Subject to approval by Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) be notified of the adoption of the Strategy.

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 for endorsement and recommendations to Council.

Cabinet Member for Finance

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That the HRA Budget proposals for 2021/22 and four-year outlook set out in the report be endorsed for recommendation to Council on 18 February 2021.

1.2          That the CPI + 1% increase of 1.5% in Council House rents, equivalent to an average rent increase of £1.25 a week be implemented.

1.3          That garage rents are kept at the same level as 2020/21.

1.4          That at Sheltered Housing Service charges be increased by £1 per week to ensure recovery of the actual cost of service.

1.5          That Sheltered Housing charges are kept at the same level as 2020/21.

1.6          That the budgeted surplus of £102k be transferred to the Strategic Priorities reserve in 2021/22.

1.7          That in principle, Right to Buy (RTB) receipts should be retained to enable continued development and acquisition of new council dwellings.

Reason for Decision: To bring together all the relevant information to enable Cabinet Members to review, consider and comment upon the Councils Housing Revenue Account budget for endorsement and recommendations to Council.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  The Housing Revenue Account Budget for 2021/22 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

It was RESOLVED:

Cabinet Member for Finance

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That the award from the Hardship Fund is increased from ‘up to £150’ to an amount that exhausts the fund and is made to all working age Local Council Tax Reduction Support cases with a liability for 2020/21.

1.2          That any residual balance, after applying the additional award, is used to fund Discretionary Financial Assistance for residents in exceptional circumstances.

Reason for Decision: To ensure that the Hardship Fund is fully spent by 31^st March 2021 thereby aiding those working age LCTRS taxpayers most in need of support.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.1          Option 1 – Designate additional funds to Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP).

This option is not recommended as there is no need to put additional money into thisfund now because there is still an unspent balance of £57k or 41% of the allocation from the Government for 2020/21.

1.2          Option 2 - Designate additional sums to Discretionary Financial Assistance (DFA) and use these awards to clear council tax arrears.

Making awards of DFA for customers who have arrears would improve the position of the Collection Fund but would penalise those who have made arrangements to bring their debt under control and would set an expectation in relation to future arrears. For this reason, it is not the preferred option.

1.3          Options 3  - Increase the award from the Hardship Fund from ‘up to £150’ to an amount that exhausts the fund.

This is the preferred option because it would apply additional funds to any working age LCTRS customer who had a liability in the year 2020/21 and a balance to pay after LCTRS and any discounts/reliefs had been applied.

Residents have different amounts to pay depending on their entitlement to LCTRS, their property banding and who else lives with them. Allowing a higher allocation from the Hardship Fund would mean more residents had less council tax to pay for the year 2020/21.

Any Declarations of Interests Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

Full minute to follow.

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That the award from the Hardship Fund is increased from ‘up to £150’ to an amount that exhausts the fund and is made to all working age Local Council Tax Reduction Support cases with a liability for 2020/21.

1.2          That any residual balance, after applying the additional award, is used to fund Discretionary Financial Assistance for residents in exceptional circumstances.

Reason for Decision: To ensure that the Hardship Fund is fully spent by 31^st March 2021 thereby aiding those working age LCTRS taxpayers most in need of support.

Cabinet Member for Planning

It was RESOLVED:-

1.1          That Laxfield Parish Council be requested to make the necessary modifications to their Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations.

1.2          That, subject to satisfactory completion of the above (to be agreed by the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning), this Neighbourhood Plan be advanced to a local referendum covering the parish of Laxfield.

Reason for Decision: To enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations under Section 17A of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and to allow the Laxfield Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.1          A Local Planning Authority may propose to make a decision on a recommendation that differs from that set out by the Examiner. If so, it must give its reason why and undertake further consultation before issuing a final decision. As appropriate, this may require the matter to be re-examined. For the reasons set out in section 4 of the report this option has been discarded.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

Full minute to follow.

It was RESOLVED:-

1.1          That Laxfield Parish Council be requested to make the necessary modifications to their Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations.

1.2          That, subject to satisfactory completion of the above (to be agreed by the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning), this Neighbourhood Plan be advanced to a local referendum covering the parish of Laxfield.

Reason for Decision: To enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations under Section 17A of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and to allow the Laxfield Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

Cabinet Member for Planning

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That Wilby Parish Council be requested to make the necessary modifications to their Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations.

1.2          That, subject to satisfactory completion of the above (to be agreed by the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning), this Neighbourhood Plan be advanced to a local referendum covering the parish of Wilby.

Reason for Decision: To enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations under Section 17A of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and to allow the Wilby Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.1      A Local Planning Authority may propose to make a decision on a recommendation that differs from that set out by the Examiner. If so, it must give its reason why and undertake further consultation before issuing a final decision. As appropriate, this may require the matter to be re-examined. For the reasons set out in section 4 of the report this option has been discarded.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

Full minute to follow.

It was RESOLVED:

1.1          That Wilby Parish Council be requested to make the necessary modifications to their Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s recommendations.

1.2          That, subject to satisfactory completion of the above (to be agreed by the Corporate Manager for Strategic Planning), this Neighbourhood Plan be advanced to a local referendum covering the parish of Wilby.

Reason for Decision: To enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations under Section 17A of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and to allow the Wilby Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

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.

Members agreed not to exclude the public.

The confidential minutes of the meeting held on 04 January 2021 were confirmed as a correct record. The minutes would be signed at the next practicable opportunity.