It was RESOLVED:-

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

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 Aldham Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to a local referendum.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.1     The local planning authority may propose to make a decision on a recommendation that differs from that set out by the Examiner in their report. 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 below, this option has been discarded.

1.2     The recommended option as set out below is that the local planning authority agree that this Neighbourhood Plan proceed to a local referendum.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

It was RESOLVED:-

That Cabinet recommended the draft corporate plan (2019 – 2027) to Council (as visually represented in paragraph 4.5 of the report) to replace the Refreshed Joint Strategic Plan (2016 – 2020).   

Reason for Decision:To ensure that Babergh and Mid Suffolk have an appropriate corporate plan in place,designed to address the challenges and seize the opportunities facing the districts, and their organisations, for the foreseeable future. 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  The Councils’ existing “Refreshed Joint Strategic Plan” is due to expire in 2020 and therefore needs replacing. The options that informed the development of the draft corporate plan are contained within Appendix A of the report.  

Any Declaration of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

It was RESOLVED:- That approval was given to begin the process of negotiating a long-term lease arrangement with Orwell Housing Association for the two Extra Care Sheltered Housing Schemes; William Wood House and Sydney Brown Court. 

Reason for Decision:  The existing contract cannot be extended any further due to the length of time it has been in existence and the extensions historically provided. A decision on the long-term future of the sites is required to give all stakeholders security.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.1           Option to Re-tender

The Council could re-tender the contract to provide the services for residents at William Wood House and Sydney Brown Court. This exercise was last carried out in 2004 and the market has not been tested since then.  However, this option does not address the fundamental issues pertaining to the increasing costs and resources required to maintain and manage these properties as Extra Care facilities.

1.2           Option to sell

The Council has the option to sell the properties. It is estimated that it would take approximately 12 to 18 months to properly market the properties. 

The 2019 report estimates a sale price for each of the properties to be in the order of £2,500,000 to £3,000,000. The report warns that these estimates may need to be adjusted downwards as the rent is capped by the resident’s tenancy agreements.

It was assumed that any sale would take place with sitting tenants and would constitute a stock transfer.  The alternative would be to decant the tenants to other accommodation or wait for the schemes to become empty over time in order that vacant buildings could then be sold. Both options would come with significant challenges and risks, and this report has not explored them in detail.

1.3           Option to Lease:

If this option is agreed, then the Council’s objective would be to grant a lease on a Full Repair and Insurance (FRI) basis, whereby the leasee is made responsible for all internal and external repairs and maintenance of the buildings, other structures and grounds, together with the providing adequate insurance for the buildings and their contents.

A commercial rent for the care homes would be in the order of £200,000pa to £250,000pa for each care home. However, this estimate of the rent may need to be adjusted downwards:

·       as the rent is capped by the resident’s tenancy agreements; and/or

·       if the leasee is to be made responsible for certain planned capital expenditures to upgrade the care homes.

If this option is adopted, then the Council’s Strategic Assets Team has enough expertise to negotiate the terms and conditions of the lease.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None

It was RESOLVED:-

1.1           That a business case is developed by officers which explores the opportunities a Joint Venture would create to deliver Building Services.

1.2     That a business case, with a preferred option for the delivery of Building Services is presented to Cabinet, by early 2020, for a decision.

Reason for Decision: The delivery of an efficient and effective, value for money building service continues to present a range of challenges. To ensure we provide the highest level of service to our tenants whilst managing costs, the development of this business case would explore the opportunities and benefits to deliver services within an alternative business model in the future.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

1.2           The first option is the ‘Status Quo’ in which officers would continue to manage and develop the Building Service in accordance to the current Business Plan.

1.3           The second option is to consider alternatives to the current business model, which could include outsourcing the service or finding an alternative partner to enter into a joint venture with. However, these have been discounted because there are no immediate opportunities to develop these options.

Any Declarations of Interest Declared: None

Any Dispensation Granted: None