Information

Thursday 17 November: BBC Online: “Rent costs mean we keep having to move home”

According to a survey conducted by ComRes for the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire Programme, 76 per cent of people want the Government to regulate parts of the private rental sector.

Friday 18 November: BBC Online: Councils spent £3.5bn on temporary housing in last five years

Councils in Britain have spent more than £3.5 billion on temporary accommodation for homeless families in the last five years, data obtained by the BBC shows.

Friday 18 November: BBC Online: Affordable home building dips to 24-year low

The number of affordable homes built in England in 2015/16 fell to its lowest for 24 years, new government data shows.

Monday 21 November: Independent Online: Up to a third of homeless young people turned away when they seek help from their local council, research reveals

Up to one in three young people seeking help from their local council because they are homeless or about to become homeless are being turned away unaided, new research has found.

Monday 21 November: Guardian Online: Outcry over lack of cash for flood defences as storm hits south of UK

The Government has been accused of being “all talk and no action” on flood defences, as Storm Angus brought flooding and power cuts to the south of England.

Monday 21 November: Financial Times: Tory county councils attack “unfair” funding cities

Conservative-run county councils have criticised the Government for its “unfair” and “arbitrary” distribution of economic growth funds, which they say are biased towards cities.

Tuesday 22 November: Times: “Pay to stay” social housing dropped

Thousands could keep their council homes after the Government abandoned a reform by former Chancellor George Osborne.

A list of decisions currently within the call-in period is available on the Council’s website.

The call in procedure is set out in full in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, ‘Scrutiny and Overview Committee Procedure Rules’. 

Cabinet

APPROVED   the HRA Medium Term Financial Strategy as set out in Appendix 1 to this report, including:

·      changes in financial assumptions as detailed in Appendix B to the HRA MTFS

·      mid-year revenue budget changes, as detailed in Appendix D to the HRA MTFS, which impact future forecasts for the HRA

·      mid-year capital budgets changes, as detailed in Appendix E to the HRA MTFS

·      update to the new build schemes included in the Housing Capital Investment Plan, incorporation of the latest budgetary figures in respect of new build schemes, and re-phasing of expenditure in line with anticipated build timetables

·      changes in anticipated receipt and use of capital resources for the HRA, as included in Appendix H to the HRA MTFS

·      recognition of the delegated decision to acquire a number of existing market homes, thus utilising retained right to buy receipts with the required timescales.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 November and so the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 November at 5pm. If not called-in this decision can be implemented on Friday 25 November.

Cabinet

APPROVED the Strategic Risk Register and Matrix set out in Appendix D-E, incorporating the proposed changes set out in paragraph 28 of the report.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 November and so the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 November at 5pm. If not called-in this decision can be implemented on Friday 25 November.

Cabinet AGREED

(a)  That the priority areas set out in paragraph 8 below be retained as the basis for consultation on, and to inform the development of, a Corporate Plan for 2017-2022, and

(b)  That the Interim Chief Executive be authorised to agree consultation arrangements, based on the outlines set out in paragraphs 19-20 below, in consultation with the Corporate and Customer Services Portfolio Holder.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 November and so the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 November at 5pm. If not called-in this decision can be implemented on Friday 25 November.

Cabinet

NOTED           the General Fund forecast at Section 4 and Appendix A of the attached report;

APPROVED   the assumptions underpinning the MTFS (Section 3)

INSTRUCTED           the Head of Finance to bring forward detailed draft estimates for 2017/18 based on the assumptions and issues contained in this report for consideration by Cabinet in the new year.

INSTRUCTED           the Executive Management Team (EMT) to identify and develop other options for meeting the MTFS additional income / savings requirement.

This decision was first published on Thursday 17 November and so the deadline for call-in is Thursday 24 November at 5pm. If not called-in this decision can be implemented on Friday 25 November.

Cabinet AGREED to:

(i)         Consent to the Secretary of State making an Order to establish the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (Appendix A).

(ii)        Consent to the Council being a constituent member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority with effect from the commencement date determined by the final Order.

(iii)       Authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to consent to the final draft Order and associated documents, specifically:

-       to agree minor drafting amendments to the Combined Authority Order to be laid before Parliament;

-       to consent to the Council being included within the draft Parliamentary Order thereby reflecting this Council’s decision.

(iv)       Authorise the Combined Authority to have a power to issue a levy to the constituent Councils in respect of any financial year. (This will be subject to the inclusion of a unanimity clause in the Combined Authority constitution on this specific matter).

(v)       Recommend to the Combined Authority that the costs of establishing the Combined Authority, holding the elections in May 2017 and running the Combined Authority (including Mayoral Office) for 2016/17 and 2017/18 are funded from the gain share grant provided by Government (as outlined the financial implications section of the report).

(vi)       Appoint Councillor Peter Topping, Leader of the Council, to act as Council's appointee to the Shadow Combined Authority and once established, to the Combined Authority.

(vii)      Appoint Nick Wright, Deputy Leader of the Council, to act as the substitute to the above.

(viii)     Note the outcome of the public consultation on the establishment of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority as outlined in paragraph 5.1 and 5.2 and Appendices 2A - 2D.

(ix)       Note the timetable for the implementation of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution Order as summarised in paragraph 16.

(x)        Note the Government's response to the outline business case for Housing capital investment funds secured as part of the devolution deal as set out in Appendix 3.        

(xi)       Agree, in principle, for a protocol requiring the Council Leader and the representative on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to report to each meeting of Council setting out the activities and decisions related to their respective roles within the Combined Authority.

(xii)      To request that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Civic Affairs Committee engage their fellow committee members with a view to devising and agreeing the wording of a protocol for inclusion in the Council’s constitution.

Please click on the link below to find details of decisions made by officers under delegated authority:

https://www.scambs.gov.uk/content/access-information