Venue: Civic Suite, Pathfinder House, St Mary's Street, Huntingdon PE29 3TN
Contact: Mrs Lisa Jablonska, Elections and Democratic Services Manager, Tel No. 01480 388004/e-mail Lisa.Jablonska@huntingdonshire.gov.uk
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PRAYER Minutes: The Reverend J Randell of Huntingdon opened the meeting with prayer.
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To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Council and the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council held on 19th December 2018. Additional documents: Minutes: The Minutes of the meetings of the Council held on the 19th December 2018 were approved as correct records and signed by the Chairman. Actions: 2 Minutes. |
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MEMBERS INTERESTS' To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary, non-disclosable pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests in relation to any Agenda item. See Notes below. Minutes: No declarations were received.
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CHAIRMAN'S ENGAGEMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS PDF 181 KB To note the Chairman’s engagements since the last Council meeting.
Minutes: The Council noted those engagements attended by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman since the last meeting (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book). The Chairman reminded Members of the requirement to notify Democratic Services of their absence from forthcoming meetings to enable apologies to be presented and the recent communication regarding car parking arrangements at Pathfinder House.
The Chairman drew particular attention to his support provided for the ‘Time to Talk’ Initiative led by the Council’s Mental Health First Aiders and his request for a presentation to be held at the next meeting of the Employment Committee on this subject. The Chairman also reported upon his attendance at three of the Council’s Leisure Centres and work with the Active Lifestyles Team and an opportunity to take part in various activities to promote the health and well-being, both physically and mentally, of residents of the District.
Actions: 5 Minutes. |
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2019/20 BUDGET AND MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY (2020/21 TO 2023/24) PDF 383 KB The Executive Councillor for Resources, Councillor J A Gray to present for approval –
v The 2019/20 Budget and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2020/21 – 2023/24; v The Fees and Charges Schedule for 2019/20; v The Treasury Management Strategy, the Capital Strategy and the Investment Strategy including the annual prudential indicators and the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy for 2019/20; v The Annual Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement 2019/20; v The formal resolution to determine the Council Tax for 2019/20.
In accordance with Section 30 (2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Council will be required to approve resolutions as to the levels of Council Tax in 2019/20.
In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, the Council will be asked to resolve that a recorded vote be taken on the conclusion of debate on this item.
(Notes: 30 Minutes Presentation 30 Minutes for Questions).
(The reports were considered by the Cabinet at their meeting on 14th February 2019 and it was agreed that they should be recommended to Council for approval). Additional documents:
Minutes: (Councillor L A Besley entered the meeting at 7.14pm)
In conjunction with a report by the Head of Resources and PowerPoint presentation (copies of which are appended in the Minute Book), the Executive Councillor for Strategic Resources presented to Members the 2019/20 Revenue Budget, the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the period 2020/21 to 2023/24, the Fees and Charges schedule for 2019/10, the Treasury Management Strategy, the Capital Strategy, the Investment Strategy and the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy for 2019/20 and other associated matters for the Council’s consideration and approval.
In accordance with Section (30)2 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Council also considered proposals for levels of Council Tax in 2019/20 for various parts of the Huntingdonshire district.
In his opening remarks, Councillor Gray paid tribute the Head of Resources and his Team that had worked hard on the detail of producing the final budget and the efforts involved since the start of proceedings in July 2018. He also thanks his fellow Cabinet colleagues for their support and assistance in their particular areas of expertise, as well as effective contributions from the Overview and Scrutiny Panel Members.
Members’ attention was drawn to the highlights of the budget for the forthcoming year, in particular Councillor Gray reported that the budget gap was now £1.2m by 2023/24 but General Fund reserves was maintained at the 15% minimum requirement. It was noted that the Commercial Investment Strategy was contributing to deliver material benefits and there had been an increase of 20% since its approval in 2015, which was largely attributed to the work of Mrs J Golby, Commercial Estates Manager. Other proposals in the budget included an increase in Council Tax of 2.6% that was deemed affordable for everyone.
Attention was drawn to changes in the budget, including investments in tackling homelessness, intervening earlier to tackle prevention and to ensure that the Council was meeting its statutory obligations. Members also noted the further development of the Waste Management service since the fall in the value of recycled goods and look to develop new innovative ways of working. Councillor Gray reported upon the additional income that was likely to be generated from car parking charges with the change in charging structure through additional dwell times in the car parks. Further savings would be generated from the cessation of highways weed spraying; a contract that had been passed onto us from Cambridgeshire County Council but had been costing the Council more than budget had been allocated by the County Council.
The Council had recognised the importance of leisure and health, through investment in Active Lifestyles and the One Leisure brand to ensure there was access for all to keep active and healthy, thereby reducing pressure on other services such as the NHS. Members further noted the review of the apprenticeship scheme, additional income generated through the Commercial Investment Strategy and the increase in insurance premiums as a result of the fire at Eastfield House and other accidents incurred by ... view the full minutes text for item 62. Actions: 60 Minutes. |
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PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2019/20 PDF 119 KB In compliance with the requirements of Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011, the Executive Councillor for Digital and Customers Councillor D M Tysoe to present the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20 to the Council for approval.
(The Statement was endorsed by the Employment Committee at their meeting on 13th February 2019).
Additional documents: Minutes: In compliance with the requirements of Sections 38 - 43 of the Localism Act 2011, Councillor D Tysoe, Executive Councillor for Digital and Customers presented a report by the HR Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) in connection with the District Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20.
The Statement, which is required to be approved by the Council by 31st March 2019 was now produced annually and detailed the Council’s policies relating to Officer remuneration.
Accordingly and having noted that a copy of the Pay Policy Statement would be publicised on the Council’s website along with data on senior salaries under the Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency 2011, it was moved by Councillor Tysoe, duly seconded and
RESOLVED
that the Policy Statement for 2019/20 be approved.
Actions: 5 Minutes. |
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EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR PRESENTATION Councillor J M Palmer, Executive Councillor for Partnership and Well-Being to present on One Leisure.
(Presentation: 10 Minutes Questions: 10 Minutes). Minutes: Councillor J Palmer, Executive Councillor for Partnership and Well-Being, addressed the Council on Active Lifestyles and One Leisure. A copy of Councillor Palmer’s PowerPoint presentation is appended in the Minute Book.
Members noted that despite the provision of Leisure Services not being a statutory function, in conjunction with the Council’s Corporate Plan of aiming to support people to improve their health and well-being and the Annual Governance Statement, Leisure and Health had contributed to supporting these areas through the Active Lifestyles Team and five Leisure Centres.
Members were apprised with attendance at activities delivered by Active Lifestyles, forecasting to increase to over 55k in 2018/19 against a budget of £192k and reduction in cost of delivering the service by £82k that was expected to reduce further in 2019/20. This was largely attributable to the successes of £1.5m of grant funding to support the service over the past four years. Looking ahead, Councillor Palmer reported upon various proposals to introduce a concessionary pricing scheme for residents on particular benefits or certain degenerative health conditions, expanding the number of classes to increase average attendance and extension to the Exercise Referral Scheme.
In reporting upon One Leisure, it was noted that it delivered nearly 2.25m attendances across the various activities and key to ensuring its continued success is developing a change in approach, through a staffing structure review, reviewing processes and performance management, as well as maximising opportunities for business development to maintain the memberships and compete with the ever increasing private sector provision.
Arising from a question from Councillor Dr N Johnson on the exercise referral scheme and opportunities to work with the Team focussing on the younger age bracket, Councillor Palmer encouraged Councillor Johnson to provide further detail for investigation after the meeting.
Following a question from Councillor T D Sanderson and Councillor D A Giles on the consultant’s report on One Leisure and confidence in achieving the predicted income as identified in the budget, Councillor Palmer explained that the recommendations would be implemented through the implementation of an improvement plan, change in culture and a performance management process to ensure that these targets were achieved.
Councillor Ms S Smith raised a question in relation to a predicted drop in attendances of disabled people from the previous year of over 400, whereby Councillor Palmer undertook to provide a full response after the meeting.
Following praise for Councillor Palmer, Councillor J P Morris questioned how many Members of the Council were One Leisure members, whereby it was reported that 12 out of 52 held memberships and it was explained that the development of One Leisure Champions were starting to report on customer experiences and identify any issues to maintain the levels of memberships at One Leisure.
In relation to a question from Councillor Ms A Diaz on the development of activities to encourage younger people to participate, Councillor Palmer referred back to his summary of provision provided by Active Lifestyles but welcomed opportunities to develop this area further.
Councillor T D Alban ... view the full minutes text for item 64. Actions: 20 Minutes. |
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QUESTIONS TO MEMBERS OF THE CABINET Questions to Members of the Cabinet. Minutes: Councillor J M Morris outlined a series of questions directed towards Councillor J A Gray, Executive Councillor for Resources, on the sale of the Council’s housing stock in 2000, specifically whether the £8,504 cost per property was good value for money, any unspent capital remaining of the £65m and a list of the top five capital projects and amount spent per project. Whereby Councillor Gray confirmed that the receipt per property was net of government levy and not the market value of the house but based on a prescribed formula to ensure the Registered Social Landlord could trade effectively, but confirmed that the value transferred to the Council represented a fair value. He confirmed that no capital receipts remained and the five main capital projects were Pathfinder House and Eastfield House with a combined cost of £24.3m, £15.5m towards social housing schemes, £5m on town centre improvements, £4.8m towards Disabled Facilities Grants and £3.2m on the set up costs of the garden waste wheeled bin scheme District wide. It was also confirmed that the capital receipts were wisely invested for the benefit of the residents of the District.
In response to a question by Councillor T D Alban on development of the Council’s customer service portal, Councillor D Tysoe, Executive Councillor for Digital and Customers, confirmed that the Council had undertaken a soft launch of the portal, with 500 residents already signed up and on-line and over half had logged on out of hours that clearly demonstrated an unmet demand for the offer of services outside normal office hours.
Arising from a question from Councillor P L R Gaskin on an update following the recent letter in the Hunts Post from a resident on progress with the Old Falcon, St Neots, Councillor R Fuller, Executive Councillor for Housing, Planning and Economic Development explained that there had been a misunderstanding with St Neots Town Council as to what action they believed the District Council was undertaking following a motion discussed by St Neots Town Council as the relevant procedures had not been followed. Councillor Fuller further reported upon correspondence between the Town Clerk and Corporate Director (Delivery), whereby the procedures were explained and it was clarified that the Town Council would be required to fund the entire purchase and legal costs under the legal provisions that the Town Council had relied upon to initiate further action. Having received this clarification the Town Clerk had informed the Corporate Director (Delivery) that no further action was required by the Town Council at this time. Councillor Fuller confirmed that positive discussions between the District Council and the owner of the Old Falcon were ongoing and that planning applications for the site were expected to be forthcoming.
Councillor P Kadewere raised his concerns in relation to the recent spate of racist stickers targeting minority groups in St Ives, whereby Councillor G J Bull, Executive Leader, indicated his disapproval of any such behaviour and the Managing Director encouraged concerns to be raised direct with herself or ... view the full minutes text for item 65. Actions: 10 Minutes. |
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CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH COMBINED AUTHORITY - UPDATE PDF 485 KB Councillor G J Bull, Executive Leader to present on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Councillors D B Dew and T D Sanderson to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Decision summaries for recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Board are attached to the Agenda for information.
In accordance with the Protocol agreed at the February 2017 meeting, this item provides an opportunity for District Council Members to ask questions and comment on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority issues.
If Members wish to raise questions or issues requiring a detailed response, it would be helpful if they can provide prior notice so that the necessary information can be obtained in advance of the meeting.
Minutes: In conjunction with the decision summaries of the recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Councillor G J Bull presented an update of their activities. Copies of the decision summaries are appended in the Minute Book. In so doing, Councillor Bull reported upon his attendance at the meeting of the Combined Authority held earlier that day and confirmed that that they had received confirmation from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government approving the recognition of the Business Board as successor to the Local Enterprise Partnership enabling the unlocking of funds for economic generation in this area.
Members noted their discussions, including the award of grant funding from the Affordable Housing Programme to Fenland District Council, the work programme of the second phase of the Strategic Spatial Framework, budget and quarterly performance monitoring, further funding agreed for the University of Peterborough and it was confirmed that the interviews for the Chief Executive would be taking place on 26th March 2019. Councillor Bull also commented upon work being undertaken on confirming details of the East West rail consultation for the Cambridge to Oxford rail connection to ensure the maximum benefit for St Neots to enhance its future growth.
In response, Councillor B S Chapman welcomed Councillor Bull’s comments upon the East West rail connection and questioned how it linked or was in conflict with the Greater Cambridge Partnership plan and Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM). Whereby, Councillor Bull confirmed that he was as keen to ensure that St Neots was well connected and did not anticipate any conflict with the CAM.
Councillors and T D Sanderson and J Neish provided an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee. In particular attention was drawn to discussions at the meeting held earlier that week on 25th February 2019, including concern expressed regarding the retention of an office by the Mayor of the Combined Authority at East Cambridgeshire District Council despite the staff relocation to Alconbury Weald, Strategic Bus Review, probity of the expenditure and income from the Mayor’s Charity Ball and consideration and voting thereon of the call-in request of the management restructure. Councillor Sanderson also reported upon concerns raised by Members in relation to funding for the CAM and the turnover of staff in the position of Chief Finance Officer.
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OUTCOMES FROM COMMITTEES AND PANELS PDF 219 KB An opportunity for Members to raise any issues or ask questions arising from recent meetings of the Council’s Committees and Panels.
A list of meetings held since the last Council meeting is attached for information and Members are requested to address their questions to Committee and Panel Chairmen. Minutes: A copy of the list of meetings held since the last meeting of the Council held on 19th December 2018 is appended in the Minute Book and Members were advised that any issues or questions could be raised in relation to these meetings.
Actions: 20 Minutes. |
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VARIATIONS TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES AND PANELS Group Leaders to report on variations to the Membership of Committees and Panels if necessary. Minutes: The Executive Leader, Councillor G J Bull, announced that he had appointed Councillor J Neish as Assistant Cabinet Member for the ensuing Municipal Year.
On the recommendation of Councillor Bull, it was
RESOLVED
that Councillors Ms A Dickinson and J White be appointed to the membership of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) in place of Councillors L A Besley and J Neish.
The meeting ended at 9.33pm.
Actions: 5 Minutes. |