Agenda and draft minutes

1.1      None received.

2.1      None declared.

3.1      None received.

To consider questions from and provide answer to members of the public on any matter in relation to which the Committee has powers or duties and of which due notice has been given in accordance with the Committee and Sub-Committee Procedure Rules.

4.1      None received.

To consider questions from and provide answer to Councillors on any matter in relation to which the Committee has powers or duties and of which due notice has been given in accordance with the Committee and Sub-Committee Procedure Rules.

5.1      None received.

6.1      Councillor John Ward, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets, and Investments, introduced the item to the Committee outlining before Members the forecasted general fund deficit, pay award increments and the pay review, the reduction in planning income, the increase in short term borrowing rates, the proposed savings from the lack of top-slicing to the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders Group, the upcoming pressures, and the assumptions as listed in the report.

6.2      Councillor Whyman questioned if the 4% assumption for the pay award was accurate and if the costs of job movement had been factored into this value. The Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets, and Investments responded that the numbers concerning the pay award were set in stone and therefore accurate, and that job movement was loosely covered by the vacancy management factor.

6.3      Councillor Whyman commented that not having a sufficient pay award resulted in high risks of further costs in later years due to having to recruit new staff. The Chief Executive responded that the pay award was set nationally and was unable to be controlled by the Councils.

6.4      Councillor Jamieson questioned why no assumption had been made for gas and electricity usage. The Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets, and Investments responded that an overall assumption was unable to be made due to the amount of differing contracts.

6.5      Councillor Grandon questioned the reasons for the assumed 0% increase in council tax. The Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets, and Investments responded that the administration had not yet agreed a position on council tax, and that national government had not agreed a settlement limit, so an assumption could not be accurately made at this point.

6.6      Councillor Riley queried how Babergh could be made into an attractive region to develop and invest in to increase the income derived from planning fees and reduce the budget deficit. The Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets, and Investments responded that the reduction of planning income was largely a reflection of the national economy but that the adoption of Part 1 of the new Joint Local Plan demonstrated that Babergh is a suitable place for further development and economic investment.

6.7      Councillor Riley asked for clarification on the top slice from the pooled business rates that was awarded annually to the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders Group (SPSLG). The Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets, and Investments responded that all Suffolk local authorities pooled their business rates, that some of this was top-sliced to the SPSLG to fund county-wide projects, and that it was suggested for 2024/25 that this top-slice would not be awarded to the SPSLG and would instead be retained by Babergh District Council.

6.8      Councillor Smith questioned how a call for voluntary redundancies would impact Mid Suffolk District Council due to the shared workforce. The Chief Executive responded that staff are employed on a single contract and that in the case of any voluntary redundancies Babergh would only retain half of the salary of that position.

6.9      Councillor McLaren queried the vacancy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To review the Council’s Forthcoming Decisions List and identify any items to be brought before the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

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

Forthcoming Decisions List » Babergh Mid Suffolk

7.1      No comments.

To agree the Work Plan.

8.1      Councillor Riley queried why an item relating to the numbers of officers working from home and productivity levels had been removed from the work plan as per the Chief Executive’s advice. The Chair responded that Councillor Riley’s query had been noted and that a further response would be sought from the Chief Executive.

8.2      Councillor Grandon requested that if the committee did consider an item relating to the above if the eventual report could contain comparative data so that the current situation could be assessed against pre-Covid levels. The Chair responded that this would be included.

8.3      Councillor McLaren asked if this topic should be looked into by a task and finish group rather than the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Lead Officer for Overview and Scrutiny responded that data would need to be gathered first and the potential item fully scoped before a decision could be made on the best method to review.

8.4      Councillor Riley requested that the proposed item be considered at the January meetings. The Lead Officer for Overview and Scrutiny responded that discussions would need to be had with Mid Suffolk as to whether to make this a joint item, that there were no joint meetings in January to consider this item if approved by Mid Suffolk, and that there needed to be sufficient time to scope and discuss the item ahead of it potentially coming before the committee.

8.5      Councillor Whyman queried if information on the impact of Part 1 of the Joint Local Plan on decision-making could be incorporated into the upcoming review of the Joint Local Planning Enforcement Plan T&FG scheduled for March 2024. The Lead Officer for Overview and Scrutiny responded that this would be included in further scoping discussions at upcoming Chairs briefings.

8.6      Councillor Jamieson commented that the proposed item regarding planning should not be limited to planning enforcement and should cover a wider remit across planning as requested by Councillors. The Lead Officer for Overview and Scrutiny clarified that these requests would be considered during further scoping discussions and reassured that the relevant Directors had oversight of the initial scoping documents as completed by the Committee in June.