Venue: Remote Meeting via Zoom
Contact: Mrs Lisa Jablonska, Elections and Democratic Services Manager, Tel No. 01223 739952 / e-mail Lisa.Jablonska@huntingdonshire.gov.uk
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COUNCILLOR JILL TAVENER Minutes: The Chairman referred to some sad news regarding the recent death of Councillor Jill Tavener who had passed away after an illness in February 2021. The Council then observed a minute’s silence in memory of their former colleague.
Following which the Executive Leader and the Leaders of the HDC Independent Group, Liberal Democrat Group and the Labour Group paid tribute to the contributions which Councillor Tavener had made to the District Council and the communities which she had served. Individual tributes were also made by Councillors R J West, T D Alban, G J Bull and D A Giles.
(At 18.05pm during this item, Councillor D Mead joined the meeting).
(At 18.12pm during this item, Councillor B S Banks joined the meeting).
(At 18.16pm during this item, Councillor J C Cooper-Marsh joined the meeting). |
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To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 16th December 2020. Contact: 2 Minutes. Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on the 16th December 2020 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. |
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MEMBERS' INTERESTS To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary, or non-statutory disclosable interests in relation to any Agenda item. See Notes below. Contact: 2 Minutes. Minutes: No declarations were received. |
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CHAIRMAN'S ENGAGEMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS To note the Chairman’s engagements and receive any announcements since the last Council meeting.
Contact: 5 Minutes. Minutes: The Chairman reported that he had no physical engagements to report owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. Regrettably, the Council had been unable to mark the Holocaust Memorial Day this year, an event which the Council has been holding for the past 10 years. It was hoped that it would be possible to resume marking this event from January 2022. |
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2021/22 BUDGET AND MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY 2022/23 TO 2025/26 PDF 293 KB The Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, Councillor J A Gray to present for approval –
Ø The 2021/22 Budget and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2022/23 – 2025/26;
Ø The Fees and Charges Schedule for 2021/22;
Ø The Treasury Management Strategy, the Capital Strategy and the Investment Strategy including the annual prudential indicators for 2021/22;
Ø The Annual Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement 2021/22;
Ø The formal resolution to determine the Council Tax for 2021/22.
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 2021/22.
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 11th February 2021 and it was agreed that they should be recommended to Council for approval). Contact: 60 Minutes. Additional documents:
Minutes: In conjunction with a report by the Chief Finance Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book), Councillor J A Gray, Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, presented to Members the 2021/22 Revenue Budget, the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the period 2022/23 to 2025/26, the Fees and Charges schedule for 2021/22, the Treasury Management Strategy, the Capital Strategy, the Investment Strategy, the Annual Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement for 2021/22 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 2021/22 for various parts of Huntingdonshire District.
With the assistance of a power-point presentation (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book), Councillor Gray proceeded to set out the guiding principles which had been used to put together the Budget for 2021/22. He then went on to outline some of the highlights within the proposed Revenue Budget which included the expected income pressures, the retention of all key services with investment, additional resources to drive economic development and growth, the accommodation of pressure from Covid-related growth and the receipt of ongoing Government support.
Members were reminded that the Budget for 2020/21 was set at £17,688M on a net basis and the forecast outturn was expected at £18,486M. The proposed Budget for 2021/22 included a further 3,684M of growth bids which almost entirely related to the impact of the pandemic. Work had also been undertaken to identify savings and efficiencies and there had been a number of inflation adjustments. The proposed Budget for 2020/21 appears at 20,686M, a picture which did not seem possible in the early part of the year and reflected the hard work which had been undertaken internally and the support from Central Government. A detailed impact of the changes in the Budget from 2020/21 to 2021/22 broken down by service area was provided to members for clarification.
With regard to Capital Expenditure for 2021/22, Councillor Gray went on to outline some of the highlights in this area which included the impact of Covid on the delivery of the programme in the current year, a new focus on town centre improvement plans and a wider focus on seeking more grant funding to lessen the burden on the Council’s MRP.
In terms of Reserve Policies, the Council was in a strong position compared to other Cambridgeshire Authorities because of the decisions which had been made over the previous 10 years and a strong level of usable reserves in comparison to other Cambridgeshire Authorities. The Council had also some years ago established a Budget Surplus Reserve to further build resilience with other earmarked reserves.. It was proposed that the 2021/22 Budget would add £0.76M to reserves before utilising 17% of usable reserves over the course of the period of the MTFS. At the end of this period it was proposed that the use of Reserves would fall to ... view the full minutes text for item 43. |
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PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2021/22 PDF 110 KB In compliance with the requirements of Section 38-43 of the Localism Act 2011, the Executive Councillor for Corporate Services, Councillor D Keane to present the Pay Policy Statement for 2021/22 to the Council for approval.
(The Statement was endorsed by the Employment Committee at their meeting on 10th February 2021). Contact: 5 Minutes. Additional documents: Minutes: In compliance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011, Councillor D Keane, Executive Councillor for Corporate Services presented a report by the Strategic HR Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) in connection with the District Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2021/22.
The Statement which is required to be approved by the Council by 31st March 2021 and produced annually, details the Council’s policies relating to officer remuneration. Once approved it would be published on the District Council’s website.
Having noted that the Statement had been endorsed by the Employment Committee, it was moved by Councillor Keane and duly seconded and
RESOLVED
that the Pay Policy Statement for 2021/22 be approved. |
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QUESTIONS TO MEMBERS OF THE CABINET In accordance with the Council Procedure Rules, all questions –
v Must be relevant to an item for which the Council has powers or duties; v Must not relate to an item which is included elsewhere on the Agenda; v Should be limited to obtaining information or pressing for action; and v Should not exceed two minutes in duration.
Questions should not divulge or require to be divulged, confidential or exempt information. Contact: 20 Minutes. Minutes: Councillor A Roberts took the opportunity to provide feedback to the Executive Councillor for Corporate Services from residents who have been pleased with the way that the District Council has been handling their queries by phone and online, particularly in relation to the ongoing programme of Government grants. Following his question as to how the Customer Services Team had been dealing with this additional workload, Councillor D Keane commended the activities of the team over the last 11 months as the Council has moved to remote working, new technology and increased demands. He reminded Members that the District Council has been a key part in central government support and in helping local businesses during lockdown and he reported that the Call-Centre Team has done a first class job in making sure that business grants calls were dealt with quickly and efficiently. More generally, Councillor Keane then went on to commend employees and the management for the work which had been undertaken to maintain morale and well-being during this difficult time.
Councillor D A Giles questioned whether any consideration would be given to the possible future of Pathfinder House considering the changes in working practises during the last year. In response the Executive Leader reiterated that staff continued to work from the building and that staff within the Customer Services team were also meeting there with members of the public who required assistance. He went on to remind Members that in recent years there had been a move towards the establishment of a Public Sector Hub at the site. The District Council already lets out various parts of the building to other organisations such as Housing Association partners, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Job Centre and Citizens advice and discussions were already ongoing with other agencies who might also be interested in leasing space. He concluded by stating that at executive level, he would not be setting up a feasibility study into the future use of the building. |
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CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH COMBINED AUTHORITY - UPDATE PDF 414 KB Councillor R Fuller, Executive Leader to present on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Councillors S J Corney and P A Jordan to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Councillor G J Bull to provide an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Audit and Governance Committee.
Decision summaries for recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Audit and Governance 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. Contact: 20 Minutes. Minutes: In conjunction with the decision summaries of the recent meetings of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (copies of which are appended in the Minute Book), Councillor J Neish presented an update of the activities of the Combined Authority Board. In doing so, he highlighted the Board’s approval of the project proposals received under the Market Towns Programme Investment Prospectus. In Huntingdonshire, he was pleased to report that 14 bids had been accepted out of a total of 22 for the whole of the County. He also referred to the funding which had been received from the Combined Authority for the Future High Street Fund. The District Council would continue to work to improve Huntingdon, St Ives and Ramsey and a further £300,000 had been invested by the Combined Authority for the feasibility work to look into these.
Councillors S Corney and P A Jordan provided an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee. As part of which, Councillor Corney drew the Council’s attention to the Committee’s discussions on the funding for the Housing Programme which was still outstanding from MHCLG. Councillor Corney also reported that the A141 consultation had gone ‘live’ this week and that the Committee had also discussed how the road networks and public transport would be used post Covid.
Finally, Members were provided with an update on the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Audit and Governance Committee by Councillor G J Bull. In doing so, the Council were informed that a Special Meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee would be held next week to discuss the assurance framework and that a meeting with Ernst and Young, the External Auditors would also be scheduled shortly.
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OUTCOMES FROM COMMITTEES AND PANELS PDF 351 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. Contact: 10 Minutes. Minutes: A copy of the list of meetings held since the last meeting of the Council held on 16th December 2020 is appended in the Minute Book and Members were advised that any issues or questions could be raised in relation to these meetings.
During this item, the Chairman invited Councillor D M Tysoe in his role as Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Flooding Task and Finish Group to provide a brief update on the activities of the Group. The Council were advised that meetings were ongoing between the Group and the Statutory Authorities and it was hoped that a final report would be available by the end of the Municipal Year.
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RESOLUTION TO EXTEND 6 MONTH RULE - SECTION 85 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 PDF 205 KB To consider a report requesting the extension of the 6 month rule for a Councillor on the grounds of ill-health. Contact: 5 Minutes. Minutes: The Managing Director presented a report (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) detailing a request to consider the extension of the six month rule of non-attendance at meetings in relation to Councillor D Wells on the grounds of his ill-health. Whereupon, the Council
RESOLVED
(a) that Councillor D Well’s non-attendance at meetings be approved until the 20th May 2021 in accordance with Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972; and
(b) that the Council’s best wishes be conveyed to Councillor Wells for continued improvement to his health.
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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. Contact: 5 Minutes. Minutes: On the recommendation of Councillor T D Sanderson, it was
RESOLVED
(a) that Councillor S M Burton be appointed to the membership of the Development Management Committee in place of Councillor T D Sanderson .
(b) that Councillor J C Cooper-Marsh be appointed to the Corporate Governance Committee in place of Councillor Burton.
(c) that Councillor T D Sanderson be appointed to the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Performance and Growth) in place of Councillor J C Cooper-Marsh.
The meeting ended at 19.58pm.
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