Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Swansley Room A and B - Ground Floor. View directions

Contact: Ian Senior  03450 450 500 Email: democratic.services@scambs.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

2.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 158 KB

The Portfolio Holder is asked to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17 January 2017 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder signed, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 17 January 2017.

 

The Portfolio Holder noted that Minute 7 (Work Programme) had indicated that Apprenticeships would be discussed in May. There was no item on the agenda and, subject to officer workloads and advice as to the most appropriate time for bringing forward a report, he said he was prepared to add an item to the agenda for a meeting that would only usually only consider Community Chest grants.

3.

Community Chest: Funding Applications pdf icon PDF 240 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder agreed the following Community Chest funding:

 

Name of applicant

Project description

Total cost of project (£)

Total awarded (£)

Steeple Morden Bowls Club

Replacement windows and fire escape doors.

£3,816

£1,000

Bottisham Swimming Club

Purchase of starting blocks.

£4,000

£1,000

Mother Goose Pre-School

Installation of a new climbing frame

£5,000

£1,000

Bar Hill Pre-School

Replacement surface for play area to improve safety

£1,342

£1,000

Barton Bowls Club

Purchase of equipment to aid expansion of the club. Specifically aimed at recruiting young members

£2,130

£1,000

Coton Village Hall

Replacement of old chairs for the village hall to improve potential for bookings

£2,063

£1,000

Waterbeach Toddler Group

Creation of an outdoor play space in their new premises on the barracks site

£2,773.37

£1,000

Dry Drayton School & Village Association

Purchase of a shed to store 2 marquees + mountain bikes that are owned by the village association

£1,794.00

£1,000

Fen Drayton Village Hall

Purchase of a new sign to promote the village hall

£648.00

£648.00

Cambridge Open Art Exhibition

Purchase of replacement exhibition boards and hanging equipment

£1,461.24

£1,000

Grantchester Cricket Club

Purchase of roll on covers

£4,266.00

£1,000

Hale Road Allotment & Gardening

Purchase & spreading of road planings to improve the carpark surface

£384.00

£384.00

Arthur Rank Hospice

Purchase of equipment for a gardening project

£900

£900

1st Orwell Guides (This application was deffered

Purchase of new lightweight tents

£600

This was deffered

Linton Action for Youth

Repair of roof at drop in centre which facilitates youth work

£400

£400

Comberton Baptist Church

Purchase of games consoles to help create an attractive youth club that can be used as a regular meeting place

£6,892.50

£516.73

Great Chishill Windmill Trust Ltd

Repair & painting of the trestle of Great Chishill Windmill

£1,015.00

£1,000

Linton Cricket Club

Purchase of new safety helmets

£956.25

£956.25

Avenelles Way OAP group

Purchase of chest freezer for the lunch club

£375.00

£375.00

Cambridge St Giles Cricket Club

Installation of showers in the pavilion.

£12,000

£1,000

Whittlesford Warriors Football Club

Purchase of goal posts following pitch expansion

£2,403.08

£1,000

Cambridge Past, Present & Future

Purchase of a lawnmower and accessories

£959.36

£959.36

Croydon Reading Room

Installation of Eco lighting

£2,600

£1,000

Friends of Girton Glebe

Purchase of hall & screen projector

£3,078.00

£1,000

Flambards Residents Association

Purchase of trees for communal green space in Meldreth

£840.50

£840.50

Pampisford Village Hall

Replacement of fencing at the Village Hall

£330

£330

Swavesey Parish Council

Purchase of two Gazebos for community use

£425

£425

Barrington Parish Council

Upgrade of footpath to riverside meadows

£3640

£1,000

Little Shelford Parish Council

Renovation of The Little Shelford Wale playground

£84,100

£1,000

Granchester Parish Council

Outdoor Table Tennis Table

£2245

£1,000

 

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder refused the following applications:

 

Name of applicant

Project description

Total cost of project (£)

 

Total applied for (£)

Reason for refusal

Fen Edge Community Association

Hire of a PA system to use at the festival

£20,000

£1,000

Does not comply with the Community Chest criteria

 

Fen  ...  view the full decision text for item 3.

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder considered a report on recent applications for funding from the Community Chest grants scheme for 2017-18.

 

The Head of Sustainable Communities and Wellbeing reported that the fund available in 2017-18 amounted to £55,000.

 

The Portfolio Holder considered each application against the accepted criteria of the scheme.

 

With reference to the application for £1,000 towards the purchase of replacement exhibition boards and hanging equipment for the Cambridge Open Art Exhibition, the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder declined to decide as the villages covered included Rampton and Cottenham, both of which were within his ward. The Leader would usually have acted in his place but, on this occasion, Councillor Peter Topping also declined to decide because another of the villages covered was Whittlesford, within his ward. There was no constitutional solution to this problem and, to allow officers to report back to the applicant as soon as possible, the Portfolio Holder sought an opinion from Councillor Hazel Smith, the only other Member present. Based on what Councillor Smith said, an award of the total sum applied for was made.

 

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder agreed the following Community Chest funding:

 

Name of applicant

Project description

Total cost of project (£)

Total awarded (£)

Steeple Morden Bowls Club

Replacement windows and fire escape doors.

£3,816

£1,000

Bottisham Swimming Club

Purchase of starting blocks.

£4,000

£1,000

Mother Goose Pre-School

Installation of a new climbing frame

£5,000

£1,000

Bar Hill Pre-School

Replacement surface for play area to improve safety

£1,342

£1,000

Barton Bowls Club

Purchase of equipment to aid expansion of the club. Specifically aimed at recruiting young members

£2,130

£1,000

Coton Village Hall

Replacement of old chairs for the village hall to improve potential for bookings

£2,063

£1,000

Waterbeach Toddler Group

Creation of an outdoor play space in their new premises on the barracks site

£2,773.37

£1,000

Dry Drayton School & Village Association

Purchase of a shed to store 2 marquees + mountain bikes that are owned by the village association

£1,794.00

£1,000

Fen Drayton Village Hall

Purchase of a new sign to promote the village hall

£648.00

£648.00

Cambridge Open Art Exhibition

Purchase of replacement exhibition boards and hanging equipment

£1,461.24

£1,000

Grantchester Cricket Club

Purchase of roll on covers

£4,266.00

£1,000

Hale Road Allotment & Gardening

Purchase & spreading of road planings to improve the carpark surface

£384.00

£384.00

Arthur Rank Hospice

Purchase of equipment for a gardening project

£900

£900

Linton Action for Youth

Repair of roof at drop in centre which facilitates youth work

£400

£400

Comberton Baptist Church

Purchase of games consoles to help create an attractive youth club that can be used as a regular meeting place

£6,892.50

£516.73

Great Chishill Windmill Trust Ltd

Repair & painting of the trestle of Great Chishill Windmill

£1,015.00

£1,000

Linton Cricket Club

Purchase of new safety helmets

£956.25

£956.25

Avenelles Way OAP group

Purchase of chest freezer for the lunch club

£375.00

£375.00

Cambridge St Giles Cricket Club

Installation of showers in the pavilion.

£12,000

£1,000

Whittlesford Warriors  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Revenues and Benefits Quarterly Performance Report for Quarter 3: October - December 2016 pdf icon PDF 220 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder received and noted a report on the current performance of the Revenues & Benefits Section.

 

The Revenues Manager agreed to make small appropriate changes in the way future reports were written, so as to provide greater clarity and improved comparison with the previous year.

 

Regarding Appendix F, the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder welcomed efforts by officers to encourage public houses to claim the relief, to which they were entitled, as a means of improving the viability of such establishments. Members also noted options for making better use of property, such as in the case of post offices.

 

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder congratulated the Revenues Manager and Benefits Manager for another excellent performance report.

5.

Treasury Management Review pdf icon PDF 230 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence work, the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder endorsed the inclusion of the Cambridge Leisure and Ice Centre loan in the Council’s Investment and Borrowing Strategy and Capital Programme.

 

Subject to an assessment of property values, the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder was minded to increase, from £35 million to £45 million, the amount that South Cambridgeshire District Council could invest in Ermine Street Housing.

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder received and noted a report on the performance of the Treasury Management function.

 

The Accountancy Assistant summarised the financial relationship between Ermine Street Housing and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and highlighted options for review. One such option was to increase the amount which the Council could invest in Ermine Street Housing, and the Head of Finance undertook to carry out a feasibility study, including into the potential risks, which included a reduction in the total value of the housing stock. The Portfolio Holder was made aware of Councillor John William’s concern about committing too high a proportion of the Council’s available resources to Ermine Street Housing.

 

Subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence work, the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder endorsed the inclusion of the Cambridge Leisure and Ice Centre loan in the Council’s Investment and Borrowing Strategy and Capital Programme.

 

Subject to an assessment of property values, the Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder was minded to increase, from £35 million to £45 million, the amount that South Cambridgeshire District Council could invest in Ermine Street Housing.

6.

Sickness Absence

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder withdrew this item from the agenda. The confidential report had yet to be finalised, and would be circulated as soon as possible.

7.

Leavers

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder withdrew this item from the agenda. The confidential report had yet to be finalised, and would be circulated as soon as possible.

8.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 243 KB

The Portfolio Holder will maintain, for agreement at each meeting, a Work Programme identifying all matters relevant to the Portfolio which it is believed are likely to be the subject of consideration and / or decision by the Portfolio Holder, or recommendation to, or referral by, the Portfolio Holder to Cabinet, Council, or any other constituent part of the Council.   The Programme will be updated as necessary.  The Portfolio Holder will be responsible for the content and accuracy of the Work Programme.

Minutes:

The Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder noted the Work Programme attached to the agenda.

 

A report on Apprenticeships had been rescheduled for consideration at the meeting in June, subject to agreement between the Portfolio Holder and the Head of People and Organisation Development.

9.

Date of Next Meeting

Tuesday 20 June 2017 at 6.00pm

Minutes:

Those present noted that the next Finance and Staffing Portfolio Holder meeting had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday 20 June 2017, starting at 6.00pm.