Cabinet Member for Finance
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, immediately after any vote is taken at a budget decision meeting of the Council the names of Councillors who cast a vote for the decision or against the decision or who abstained from voting shall be recorded in the Minutes of that meeting.
At its meeting on 4 February 2021, Cabinet considered Paper BCa/20/32, together with an addendum to the General Fund Budget. Paper BC/20/24 now includes all the relevant updated information plus the tax base, precepts and council tax band information at parish level, together with the necessary recommendations.
Proposed amendment from the Green Group also attached.
Minutes:
60.1 The Chair invited the Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Ward to introduce Paper BC/20/24.
60.2 Councillor Ward provided a summary of the General Fund Budget to Members. He thanked the Finance Team and the Section 151 Officers for preparing a balanced budget.
60.3 Councillor Ward MOVED the recommendations in the report which was SECONDED by Councillor Arthey.
60.4 Councillor Jamieson introduced his Amendment, as detailed in the Agenda and MOVED the Amendment.
60.5 Councillor Lindsay SECONDED the Amendment.
60.6 The Chair asked Councillor Ward if he accepted the Amendment, to which he responded that he did not.
60.7 Members debated the Amendment and Councillor Arthey said that though he agreed with many of the issues in the Amendment, this was not the right way to achieve them. He addressed the four parts of the Amendment and thought that just allocating money to address issues was not the way and that this required a more constructive approach.
60.8 Councillor Gould thought that climate change was the biggest challenge faced by the Council and she felt that the Council had to do something and needed to speak up for the people they represented.
60.9 Councillor Malvisi said a plan was being followed in relation to biodiversity and that the issues were being addressed. She detailed the various projects and funding for the bio-diversity projects.
60.10 Councillor Jan Osborne responded to the Housing issues and advised Members that a retrofit programme was being defined and funded. The request in the Amendment was already in the budget for 2021-22.
60.11 Councillor Davis stated that funding for Local Citizens Advice was already in the budget and had recently been scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
60.12 Councillor McCraw thought that the Amendment was not evidence based. He pointed Members to the Budget and that Babergh District Council did not have the money due to serious gaps in the budget for the next couple of years.
60.13 Councillor Maybury stated that she supported the Amendment, though there were some points with which she did not agree. However, she agreed with that planning enforcement required additional support and that training was never a waste of time. Further, that the free pre-application advice for community needs, would be a way to help communities in a post-Covid-19 recovery period. She supported food banks and the funding for an additional Tree Officer to help this department including tree protecting orders.
60.14 Councillor Hinton thought there was some good points within the Amendment but considered if the Council could reduce costs to pay for other services. He questioned why accommodation costs in Endeavour House were going up next year to £128K.
60.15 Councillor Lindsay, the Seconder of the Amendment, asked that the Members supported the Amendment, as it was very modest sums involved in the projects. The Amendment addressed the priorities of the Council and he questioned whether the Cabinet Members and the Leader were doing enough to deal with the issues addressed in the Amendment. He thought it was not enough that officers were talking to developers and that viability was skirted over by Councillor Arthey, however he stated that the Council needed to hold developers to account. He continued that Officers were overworked and could not keep up with the amount of work before them. He asked that Cabinet Members considered staffing resources, as this would have an impact on the priorities for the Council. He asked that Members approved the Amendment as this would not have a huge impact on the reserves but would have an impact on how residents viewed the Council and its projects.
60.16 Councillor Hurren commented that a change of direction required long-term planning and that the Council must employ the right people to do the right jobs.
60.17 Councillor Jamieson was disappointed that some Members would not support any part of the Amendment.
60.18 Councillor Ward said the Council was committed to climate change and was as committed as the Greens. He addressed the issues in the Amendment including the funding for the LCA, the Food Banks and staff resources.
60.19 The Chair informed Members that the Amendment would be divided into four votes and each vote taken separately.
60.20 Part 1 (Planning and Community Needs) of the Amendment as detailed in the Agenda was put to Members for voting.
By 10 votes for and 22 votes against, the Amendment was LOST.
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, the vote was recorded as follows:
For |
Against |
Abstain |
|
Clive Arthey |
|
Sue Ayres |
|
|
|
Melanie Barrett |
|
|
Peter Beer |
|
|
David Busby |
|
|
Sue Carpendale |
|
Trevor Cresswell |
|
|
|
Derek Davis |
|
|
Sian Dawson |
|
|
Mick Fraser |
|
Jane Gould |
|
|
|
Honor Grainger-Howard |
|
|
Kathryn Grandon |
|
Richard Hardacre |
|
|
|
John Hinton |
|
|
Michael Holt |
|
Bryn Hurren |
|
|
Leigh Jamieson |
|
|
Robert Lindsay |
|
|
|
Elisabeth Malvisi |
|
Margaret Maybury |
|
|
|
Alastair McCraw |
|
|
Mary McLaren |
|
|
Mark Newman |
|
|
Zac Norman |
|
John Nunn |
|
|
|
Adrian Osborne |
|
|
Jan Osborne |
|
Alison Owen |
|
|
|
Lee Parker |
|
|
Stephen Plumb |
|
|
John Ward |
|
TOTAL 10 |
TOTAL 22 |
|
60.21 Part 2 (Biodiversity and Environment) of the Amendment as detailed in the Agenda was put to Members for voting.
By 10 votes for and 22 votes against, the Amendment was LOST
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, the vote was recorded as follows:
For |
Against |
Abstain |
|
Clive Arthey |
|
Sue Ayres |
|
|
|
Melanie Barrett |
|
|
Peter Beer |
|
|
David Busby |
|
|
Sue Carpendale |
|
Trevor Cresswell |
|
|
|
Derek Davis |
|
|
Sian Dawson |
|
|
Mick Fraser |
|
Jane Gould |
|
|
|
Honor Grainger-Howard |
|
|
Kathryn Grandon |
|
Richard Hardacre |
|
|
|
John Hinton |
|
|
Michael Holt |
|
Bryn Hurren |
|
|
Leigh Jamieson |
|
|
Robert Lindsay |
|
|
|
Elisabeth Malvisi |
|
Margaret Maybury |
|
|
|
Alastair McCraw |
|
|
Mary McLaren |
|
|
Mark Newman |
|
|
Zac Norman |
|
John Nunn |
|
|
|
Adrian Osborne |
|
|
Jan Osborne |
|
Alison Owen |
|
|
|
Lee Parker |
|
|
Stephen Plumb |
|
|
John Ward |
|
TOTAL 10 |
TOTAL 22 |
|
60.22 Part 3 (Housing and Climate Change) of the Amendment as detailed on the Agenda was put to Members for voting.
By 8 votes for and 24 votes against, the Amendment was LOST
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, the vote was recorded as follows:
For |
Against |
Abstain |
|
Clive Arthey |
|
Sue Ayres |
|
|
|
Melanie Barrett |
|
|
Peter Beer |
|
|
David Busby |
|
|
Sue Carpendale |
|
Trevor Cresswell |
|
|
|
Derek Davis |
|
|
Sian Dawson |
|
|
Mick Fraser |
|
Jane Gould |
|
|
|
Honor Grainger-Howard |
|
|
Kathryn Grandon |
|
Richard Hardacre |
|
|
|
John Hinton |
|
|
Michael Holt |
|
Bryn Hurren |
|
|
Leigh Jamieson |
|
|
Robert Lindsay |
|
|
|
Elisabeth Malvisi |
|
|
Margaret Maybury |
|
|
Alastair McCraw |
|
|
Mary McLaren |
|
|
Mark Newman |
|
|
Zac Norman |
|
|
John Nunn |
|
|
Adrian Osborne |
|
|
Jan Osborne |
|
Alison Owen |
|
|
|
Lee Parker |
|
|
Stephen Plumb |
|
|
John Ward |
|
TOTAL 8 |
TOTAL 24 |
|
60.23 Part 4 (Travel) of the Amendment as detailed in the Agenda was put to Members for voting.
By 9 votes for and 23 votes against, the Amendment was LOST.
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, the vote was recorded as follows:
For |
Against |
Abstain |
|
Clive Arthey |
|
Sue Ayres |
|
|
|
Melanie Barrett |
|
|
Peter Beer |
|
|
David Busby |
|
|
Sue Carpendale |
|
Trevor Cresswell |
|
|
|
Derek Davis |
|
|
Sian Dawson |
|
|
Mick Fraser |
|
Jane Gould |
|
|
|
Honor Grainger-Howard |
|
|
Kathryn Grandon |
|
Richard Hardacre |
|
|
|
John Hinton |
|
|
Michael Holt |
|
Bryn Hurren |
|
|
Leigh Jamieson |
|
|
Robert Lindsay |
|
|
|
Elisabeth Malvisi |
|
Margaret Maybury |
|
|
|
Alastair McCraw |
|
|
Mary McLaren |
|
|
Mark Newman |
|
|
Zac Norman |
|
|
John Nunn |
|
|
Adrian Osborne |
|
|
Jan Osborne |
|
Alison Owen |
|
|
|
Lee Parker |
|
|
Stephen Plumb |
|
|
John Ward |
|
TOTAL 9 |
TOTAL 23 |
|
60.24 Members returned to the original motion and the Chair invited Members to ask questions.
60.25 Councillor Fraser referred to the implementation of the car parking fees in October 2021 (page 44, paragraph 8.19) and who would be making the decision on the implementation date and asked what would be the criteria on setting that date.
60.26 Councillor Ward explained that it was a not before date, but a date had to be included in the budget process, but that Cabinet would make the decision for the final date based on the success of the high street and businesses. The situation was being carefully monitored before the decision would be made.
60.27 Councillor Maybury asked whether the refunds made to residents for the suspended garden waste collection due to the Covid-19 Pandemic had been taken into account in the General Fund budget, to which Councillor Malvisi, Cabinet Member – Environment, confirmed that they had.
60.28 Councillor Dawson asked for clarification of the date for introduction of parking tariffs in Hadleigh and Councillor Ward reiterated that the decision would be based on business recovery.
60.29 Councillor Dawson commented that the high street had suffered and that the timing of the car parking charges was poor whilst Cabinet had not listened to the proposal of deferment of tariffs. She asked what the criteria was for the decision and who would be making it.
60.30 Councillor Ward responded that car parking charges was not being discussed, but that the implementation date had been pushed back based on the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
60.31 Councillor Gould enquired how the recovery would be measured and Councillor Ward said that Members would be informed in due course.
60.32 Councillor Hurren referred to the service charges for Endeavour House (page 43, bullet point 3) and asked why this had increased. He also questioned the £80K for the hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), as he thought that would have been cheaper than conventional fuel.
60.33 Councillor Ward explained that the cost of HVO was more expensive than diesel fuel and the £88K represented the difference between the two. However, the transport costs saving would mostly cover this cost in the first year of the scheme. It was a green measure, which at times could be expensive but would have a huge impact on the carbon reduction for the Council. He invited the Chief Executive to respond to the service charges question.
60.34 The Chief Executive explained that the Council had a discounted rate for the first two years for service charges at Endeavour House but that this had come to an end. Negotiations for reducing the service charges were being undertaken with Suffolk County Council due to the current situation. As a result of the new ways of working and the success of working from home including agile and remote working because of the Pandemic, the Council was exploring whether as much floor plate space was needed at Endeavour House. This would have an effect on not just service charges but also on rent.
60.35 Councillor Holt ensured Members that he and the Economic team would be working closely with the Sudbury and Hadleigh Chamber of Commerce, including the town centre manager in Sudbury and the Town Councils to evaluate the high street recovery. He encouraged Members to feed back to him any information regarding the town centre recovery. There was a road map in place for recovery set by Government and high street recovery would not really begin until the summer. The car parking charges were not proposed to until after October, though he anticipated that the implementation would not be feasible until early next year.
60.36 In response to Councillor Maybury’s queries on Appendix D, the Assistant Director – Corporate Resources responded that the salary cost of £1.2m for the Chief Planning Officer was in fact for the whole planning team.
60.37 Councillor Barrett questioned the increased costs for the rental agreement at Endeavour House and what action the Council could take in relation to the rental agreement.
60.38 The Chief Executive explained that the length of the rental agreement was ten years and included a break clause after five years. The Council could not change the length of the lease but could have conversations with SCC for variations on the agreement.
60.39 In response to Councillor Maybury’s question regarding the Public Realm Contract, the Assistant Director – Environment and Commercial Partnerships explained that the cost of bringing the service in-house was the same as the cost of the previous Idverde contract. The cost would include a combination of replacement and borrowing new vehicles. The Council would endeavour to convert the vehicles to HVO and purchase electrical vehicles in due course.
60.40 The Chief Executive and Councillor Ward responded to further questions from Members regarding the break clause in the contract for Endeavour House, which was joint with Mid Suffolk District Council.
60.41 Members debated the issues including planning enforcement, car parking charges, that the Council endorsed a green infrastructure and that the Council had a reasonable financial position this year.
60.42 The Chair advised Members that the recommendations would be voted on collectively.
60.43 Recommendations 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 were put to Members for voting.
By 23 votes for, 8 votes against and 1 abstention
It was RESOLVED:-
1.1 That the General Fund Budget proposals for 2021/22 and four-year outlook set out in the report be approved.
1.2 That the General Fund Budget for 2021/22 be based on an increase to Council Tax of £5 per annum (10p per week) for a Band D property, which is equivalent to 2.96%.
1.3 That the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy at Appendix E be approved.
1.4 That the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) be notified of the adoption of the Strategy.
In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.3, the vote was recorded as follows:
For |
Against |
Abstain |
Clive Arthey |
|
|
|
Sue Ayres |
|
Melanie Barrett |
|
|
|
Peter Beer |
|
David Busby |
|
|
Sue Carpendale |
|
|
|
Trevor Cresswell |
|
Derek Davis |
|
|
Sian Dawson |
|
|
|
|
Mick Fraser |
|
Jane Gould |
|
Honor Grainger-Howard |
|
|
Kathryn Grandon |
|
|
Richard Hardacre |
|
|
John Hinton |
|
|
Michael Holt |
|
|
Bryn Hurren |
|
|
|
Leigh Jamieson |
|
|
Robert Lindsay |
|
Elisabeth Malvisi |
|
|
|
Margaret Maybury |
|
Alastair McCraw |
|
|
Mary McLaren |
|
|
Mark Newman |
|
|
Zac Norman |
|
|
John Nunn |
|
|
Adrian Osborne |
|
|
Jan Osborne |
|
|
|
Alison Owen |
|
Lee Parker |
|
|
Stephen Plumb |
|
|
John Ward |
|
|
TOTAL 23 |
TOTAL 8 |
TOTAL 1 |
60.44 The meeting had reached the guillotine deadline and the Chair asked for a proposer and seconder for the meeting to continue.
60.45 Members approved by consensus and none spoke against the proposal.
It was RESOLVED:-
That the meeting continue beyond the guillotine deadline until all the business of the meeting was concluded.
Note: The meeting was adjourned between 8:08pm and 8:16pm.
Supporting documents: