Agenda and decisions

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2026.

To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary, other registerable and non-registerable interests in relation to any Agenda item. See Notes below.

To receive a report providing the detail of the final Revenue and Capital Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

The Cabinet has

(a)  approved the updated Fees and Charges 2026/27 as set out in Annexe B1 and B2 of the submitted report; and

(b)  noted the proposals for the setting of future parking charges and proposals within the main body of the submitted report.

Recommended to Council

(a)  the approval of the overall budget 2026/27 as set out in within the submitted report;

(b)  the approval of the 2026/27 – 2029/30 Capital Programme as set out in Appendix 2b of the submitted report;

(c)  to set the Band D Council Tax rate for Huntingdonshire at £170.86, representing a £5 (3.01%) increase to the current charge;

(d)  the approval of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2027/28 – 2029/30, Capital Strategy, Investment Strategy, Treasury Management Strategy;

(e)  the approval of the Council Tax Resolution as set out in Appendix 8 in the submitted report;

(f)  to endorse the statement of the Section 151 Officer on the robustness of the budget and the adequacy of the Council’s reserves as set out in Appendix 9 in the submitted report; and

(g)  to note the fees and charges 2026/27 as set out in Annexe B1 and B2 in the submitted report.

To receive a report confirming the Council’s updated approach to the strategic allocation and use of CIL, ensuring decisions remain evidence?based, aligned with strategic priorities, and responsive to planning reform and Local Government Reorganisation.

The Cabinet has

(1)  noted the paper and the alignment of the approach with the existing CIL Governance arrangement;

(2)  agreed the approach to the Strategic Allocation of CIL funds as set out in the submitted report forms the Strategic Priority Programme to be delivered as part of the next stage of CIL Governance (approved in 2024);

(3)  agreed the suggested approach in respect of use and assignment of CIL funding, or ‘forward funding’ towards projects which form part of the Councils wider Capital Programme, where those projects would align with the adopted CIL Governance;

(4)  agreed to retain a minimum level of CIL funding of £3-5m, in order to maintain a level of funding available to support future funding rounds;

(5)  noted that the use of CIL funds does not preclude the Council from utilising other funding approaches for future projects should this be required in future; in all cases, this would be subject to detailed assessment at the relevant time;

(6)  delegated authority to the Corporate Director (Place) and the Corporate Director (Finance and Resources and Section 151 Officer) in consultation with the Leader, Executive Councillor for Finance, and Executive Councillor for Planning to determine the level of allocation of CIL funding to be awarded towards projects which form part of the Councils agreed Capital Programme, based on the principles set out in the submitted report; and

(7)  delegated authority to the Corporate Director (Finance and Resources and Section 151 Officer) to undertake all necessary actions to ensure that appropriate governance and financial reconciliation measures are in place.

To receive a report advising of necessary changes to the Lettings Policy in light of changes made to legislation and statutory guidance by the Secretary of State.

The Cabinet has

(1)  approved the amendments to the Lettings Policy, as shown in Appendix 1 in the submitted report; and

(2)  delegated authority to the Corporate Director (Communities), in consultation with Executive Councillor for Resident Services and Corporate Performance, to make minor amendments and statutory changes to the Lettings Policy.

To receive a report seeking approval to adopt the Fleet Renewal and Infrastructure Improvement Strategy, aligning with the Corporate Plan 2023–2028, Climate Strategy and Building Energy Strategy.

The Cabinet has

(1)  adopted the Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy as the strategic approach to transition the Councils fleet to net zero emissions in response to the Council's Climate Strategy commitments and the UK Government's confirmed phasing out of new petrol and diesel vehicle sales (2030) and non-zero-emission HGVs (2040), ensuring alignment with the Corporate Plan 2023–2028, Climate Strategy, and Building Energy Strategy;

(2)  approved the phased delivery model and implementation plan (2025–2035) as set out in the HDC Fleet Programme Report (Appendix 1), including:

·  Phase 1 (2025–2028): Grid upgrade to 800–850kVA and modular charging infrastructure;

·  Phase 2 (2028–2031): Accelerated vehicle roll-out aligned with business case viability; and

·  Phase 3 (2031 onwards): Completion of full fleet transition to zero- emission vehicles to deliver a modern, resilient, and cost-effective low-carbon fleet.

(3)  approved the enabling infrastructure capital investment of approximately £600,000 for depot grid upgrade, trunking and cable installation, and the incorporation of this figure for budget setting for the MTFS from 26/27, noting that this investment represents a long-term enhancement to Council assets regardless of future service arrangements including Local Government Reorganisation (LGR);

(4)  noted that vehicle capital expenditure over the programme period (2025–2035) will be managed through the Council's existing fleet replacement programme and standard budget-setting cycles, with individual business cases approved annually by the Corporate Director of Finance (Section 151) Officer and Corporate Director for Place in accordance with the established Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) financial governance process; and

(5)  delegated authority to the Corporate Director for Place, in consultation with the relevant portfolio holder(s), to explore and develop commercially viable opportunities linked to depot infrastructure, fleet operations, or renewable energy generation that support long-term financial sustainability.

To receive a report setting out the design, delivery and overall process that officers will use to deliver, launch and implement the Habitat Banking Programme in Phase 1 and Phase 2.

The Cabinet has

(a)  noted the update on the Bio4All programme and the partnership work between the Council and CPCA for Phase 1, and how this can be taken forward in an approach for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG);

(b)  acknowledged the environmental, social and economic benefits of Habitat Banking across Huntingdonshire, alignment with existing policies/strategies, and the role of BNG and Habitat Banking in relation to development delivery within the District;

(c)  approved the principle of and approach outlined to phased establishment of Habitat Banks on suitable Council owned land to generate Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units;

(d)  noted the inclusion of a £220,000 capital investment bid and associated income impact within the 2026-2027 MTFS to deliver Phase 1 & 2;

(e)  approved the approach, governance, process, and timeline for full implementation across the district by April 2026 and embedding BNG delivery and management as part of business-as-usual activity; and

(f)  ensured appropriate delegations are in place to enable efficient and effective implementation, delivery of actions, and monitoring pertaining to BNG units as part of business as usual (BAU) and maximise the potential social, environmental and economic benefits of BNG on Council owned land.

To receive a report presenting details of the Council’s financial performance for 2025/2026 as at quarter 3.

The Cabinet has

(1)  considered and commented on the revenue financial performance for the financial year 2025/26 quarter 3, as detailed in Appendix 1 and summarised in paragraph 3.2 in the submitted report; and

(2)  considered and commented on the capital financial performance for 2025/26 quarter 3, as detailed in Appendix 3 and summarised in paragraph 3.3 in the submitted report.

To receive a report informing and updating that One Leisure and the Council have either completed, are in the process of completing, or have deferred some of the actions due to Local Government Reorganisation, providing Councillor’s an opportunity to review, consider and respond on One Leisure’s and the Council’s progress since the 12-month update (July 2025) of the One Leisure Independent Review recommendations, and seeking approval of the newly created One Leisure Vision, Customer Charter, and the new structure of One Leisure’s 3-year business plan

The Cabinet has

(1)  agreed and approved that all outstanding actions from the 12-month update report (July 2025) have been concluded;

(2)  acknowledged and accepted the 7 new actions from within the Year 1 – Transformation Progress Report of Actions & Recommendations from the Long-Term Operating Model for One Leisure undertaken by First Point Management;

(3)  accepted and approved the completion or on-going nature of the 7 actions identified within the Transformation Progress Report of Actions & Recommendations from the Long-Term Operating Model for One Leisure undertaken by First Point Management;

(4)  approved the One Leisure Vision, Customer Charter, and the new structure of the One Leisure 3-year business plan; and

(5)  delegated authority to the Head of Leisure, Health and Environment in consultation with Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Health, to undertake all necessary actions required to implement the aforementioned strategies and embed the vision for One Leisure and its continuous improvement.

To receive a report presenting progress against the actions identified from the Corporate Peer Challenge undertaken in May 2024, and a progress review in March 2025 (Appendix 1).

The Cabinet has

(1)  reviewed and commented on progress made in Quarter 3 of 2025/26, noting that all formal recommendations and suggestions have now been fully met and transitioned to business as usual, with ongoing oversight to ensure they are maintained. A summary is provided in the submitted report, with full details in Appendices one and two in the submitted report; and

(2)  confirmed the action for the Executive Leader and Chief Executive Officer to write to the LGA informing them of completion of the formal CPC action plan and to provide the necessary evidence to support this position

To receive a report providing updates on the annual refresh of the Corporate Plan for 2023-2028 and presenting the actions and key performance indicators for 2026/27 to Council for approval.

The Cabinet has

(a)  endorsed the refreshed Corporate Plan to Council (Appendix A); and

(b)  endorsed the Key Performance Indicator changes (Appendix D).

Recommended to Council

(a)  the approval of the refreshed Corporate Plan (Appendix A); and

(b)  the approval of the Key Performance Indicator Changes (Appendix D).