Issue - meetings

To consider and approve a revision to the Disposals and Acquisition Policy.

i.  Endorse the continuation of the disposal and acquisition thresholds for land and property as previously approved by Council in July 2015; and

ii.  Approve a revision to the Policy as follows:

‘When land is disposed of within a Town or Parish Council area and where there is no likelihood of any consequential development funding returning to the Parish Council (e.g. Community Infrastructure Levy or S.106), that following disposal the Parish Council receives 10% of any capital receipt received by the Council, subject to agreement by the Cabinet’.

Prior to the commencement of presentation of the report, Councillor D Tysoe declared a non-statutory disclosable interest by virtue of being the Parish Clerk to Ellington Parish Council.

Having received a recommendation from the Corporate Governance Committee at their meeting on 20 July 2016, the Cabinet considered a report by the Head of Resources (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) to approve an amendment to the Disposal and Acquisition Policy.

Given the relatively slow use of the Policy over the past 12 months, it was proposed that the current thresholds remained unaltered. 

There were parcels of land in the District that were too small to enable a Parish or Town Council to benefit from development funding.  The amendment to the Policy would, where the District Council opted to dispose of development land for commercial gain, enable the respective Parish or Town Council to receive 10% of any capital receipt.

Referring to the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny (Performance and Customers) Panel the Cabinet suggested that a website link to the map on the Cambridgeshire County Council website which identified its assets be made available on the District Council website.

Having noted the comments of the Corporate Governance Committee, the Cabinet discussed whether there should be criteria to ensure that the capital receipt was allocated specifically for infrastructure and not for items such as new furniture for village halls.  There were some diverging opinions as any criteria should not be too prescriptive as the money was a windfall to any benefitting Parish or Town Council.  It was noted that the suggested amendment did include that the 10% capital receipt would be subject to agreement by the Cabinet at which point a stipulation could be made as to now the money should be allocated.  In the meantime the Cabinet agreed that the Head of Resources and Executive Member for Strategic Resources should consider such stipulation.  Whereupon the Cabinet

RESOLVED

i.  to endorse the continuation of the Disposal and Acquisition thresholds for land and property as previously approved by Council in July 2015; and

ii.  approve a revision to the Policy as follows:

‘When land is disposed of within a Town or Parish Council area and where there is no likelihood of any consequential development funding returning to the Parish Council (e.g. Community Infrastructure Levy or S.106), that following disposal the Parish Council receives 10% of any capital receipt received by the Council, subject to agreement by the Cabinet’.

The Panel is to receive a report by the Head of Resources on the recommendation of the Corporate Governance Committee to amend the Disposals and Acquisitions Policy.

With the aid of a report by the Head of Resources (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Amendment to Disposals and Acquisitions Policy – Recommendation from the Corporate Governance Committee was presented to the Panel.

Members were informed that if the Council sells a piece of land within a Town or Parish Council and no Community Infrastructure Levy or Section 106 would be received then the Town or Parish Council will receive 10% of the revenue from the sale.

During the consideration of the matter, the Panel thought the suggestion from the Corporate Governance Committee to replicate a map of assets from the Cambridgeshire County Council website onto the District Council Website would be useful and Members indicated that would like it actioned on.

Members expressed that they wanted reassurance that the full maintenance costs had been considered by the Cabinet when deciding to acquiring assets. The Panel,

RESOLVED

that it supports the revision of the policy and encourages the Cabinet to endorse the continuation of the thresholds and approve the revision to the Policy.

(At 9.16pm, during the consideration of this item, Councillors J A Gray and J M Palmer left the meeting.)