Agenda item

General Fund Capital Programme Update and New Bids

Meeting of Council, Thursday, 28 November 2019 2.00 p.m. (Item 8f)

Cabinet

RECOMMENDED THAT COUNCIL

Approve:

(a) The allocation of additional funding of £545,000 from the Renewables Reserve to complete the footpath lighting upgrades given the environmental benefits, acknowledging that a full report would be submitted to Cabinet for approval that outlines the programme of work, timescales, costs and payback period;

(b) The allocation of funding of £1,300,000 from the Renewables Reserve for a range of energy efficiency and green energy measures at South Cambridgeshire Hall, acknowledging that a full report would be submitted to Cabinet for approval that outlines the range of modifications and enhancements proposed, costs and payback period;

(c) The revised General Fund capital programme for the period 2019/2020 to 2024/2025, reproduced at Appendix C of the report of the Head of Finance, to reflect the new scheme bids, amendments to the programme and the reprofiling of expenditure identified in the report.

Decision:

Council

AGREED

1. The allocation of additional funding of £545,000 from the Renewables Reserve to complete the footpath lighting upgrades given the environmental benefits, acknowledging that a full report would be submitted to Cabinet for approval that outlines the programme of work, timescales, costs and payback period;

2. The allocation of funding of £1,300,000 from the Renewables Reserve for a range of energy efficiency and green energy measures at South Cambridgeshire Hall, acknowledging that a full report would be submitted to Cabinet for approval that outlines the range of modifications and enhancements proposed, costs and payback period;

3. The revised General Fund capital programme for the period 2019/2020 to 2024/2025, reproduced at Appendix C of the report of the Head of Finance, to reflect the new scheme bids, amendments to the programme and the reprofiling of expenditure identified in the report.

Minutes:

Councillor John Williams, the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance, moved the recommendation of the Cabinet, at its meeting held on 6 November 2019, regarding the Capital Programme update and new bids. In so doing, he reported that the schedule of new bids included funding for two Business Plan priorities:

(i) £545,000 in 2020/21 for essential investment in footpath lighting upgrades, given the level of need and energy consumption benefits; and

(ii) £1.3 million for a range of energy efficiency and green energy measures at South Cambridgeshire Hall.

Money for both projects would come from the established Renewables Reserve. Councillor John Williams noted that responsibility for street lighting was complex and, therefore, he explained which authority was responsible for which category of street lighting within the District. He additionally clarified that only footway lighting which was the responsibility of this Council or where the parish council paid for the electricity, would fall within the remit of this project.

Councillor Neil Gough seconded the motion.

During discussion:

· Councillor Nick Wright noted that this issue had been raised some time ago in the Climate and Environment Advisory Committee and questioned why it had taken so long to bring forward the project.

· Councillor Heather Williams welcomed the initiative to install solar panels at the Waterbeach depot but was concerned that this project had not been budgeted for. She commented that, conversely, there appeared to have been little or no expenditure on certain other projects, such as the telephony replacement project, for which budget provision had been made. Whilst recognising that things changed, Councillor Heather Williams cautioned against not spending in line with the budget.

· Councillor Peter Topping indicated a preference for spending from the Renewables Reserve rather than from the Transformation Reserve but believed that the Council should look wider than its own buildings in taking forward energy efficiency proposals.

· Referring to the comment about lack of budget, Councillor Pippa Heylings referred to her understanding that the previous climate and environment budget of £100k had been cut by the former administration. However, there had been no expenditure from the Renewables Reserves fund and this had therefore been used to take forward the energy efficiency initiative in order to take advantage of the last of the Government’s feed-in tariffs and to bring in income to the Council.

· Councillor Bridget Smith commented that the strategy would not be just to spend reserves, it was important to invest in the transformation project because it would drive efficiencies and help deliver the future sustainability of the Council. She additionally defended the energy efficiency measures proposed for South Cambridgeshire Hall and argued that the Council needed to demonstrate its own sustainability credentials and to lead by example if it expected partners and developers to embark on a programme of decarbonisation.

· Councillor Deborah Roberts expressed concern at the proposal to spend £1.3 million on the energy efficiency and green energy measures identified in the report and questioned the value to the District’s residents.

· Members referred to the previous refusal by the Planning Committee of an application to install solar panels over the car park at South Cambs Hall.

· Councillor Neil Gough re-iterated that it had been important to take the initiative to proceed with the solar panel project at Waterbeach in order to take advantage of the feed-in tariffs before they ended. He additionally referred to the significant work needed to get the footpath lighting upgrade project to implementation stage and echoed earlier comments about the need for the Council to lead by example by reducing the environment and carbon footprint of the Council’s buildings.

Responding to earlier questions and comments and summing up on the motion, Councillor John Williams:-

· Observed that reserves had been used in the previous Council to balance the budget;

· Commented on the need to reassess the Council’s telephony requirements having regard to the “Council Anywhere” project;

· Emphasised that the solar panel initiative at Waterbeach depot had been pursued in order to take advantage of the Government feed-in tariffs and to secure income for the Council; and

· Stated that the previous budget for footpath lighting upgrades had been inadequate and that it had been necessary to review the current stock and the budget and this was why it had not been possible to bring forward the upgrade proposals more quickly.

Upon being put to the vote, votes were cast as follows:

In favour: (37)

Councillors Henry Batchelor, John Batchelor, Ruth Betson, Dr. Shrobona Bhattacharya, Anna Bradnam, Tom Bygott, Dr. Martin Cahn, Grenville Chamberlain, Graham Cone, Dr. Claire Daunton, Dr. Douglas de Lacey, Clare Delderfield, Sue Ellington, Neil Gough, Jose Hales, Bill Handley, Geoff Harvey, Dr. Tumi Hawkins, Pippa Heylings, Mark Howell, Steve Hunt, Alex Malyon, Peter McDonald, Brian Milnes, Dawn Percival, Judith Rippeth, Nick Sample, Bridget Smith, Hazel Smith, Dr. Ian Sollom, Peter Topping, Dr. Aidan Van de Weyer, Bunty Waters, Heather Williams, John Williams, Eileen Wilson and Nick Wright.

Against: (1)

Councillor Deborah Roberts

Abstain: (0)

Council

RESOLVED:

To approve:

1. The allocation of additional funding of £545,000 from the Renewables Reserve to complete the footpath lighting upgrades given the environmental benefits, acknowledging that a full report will be submitted to Cabinet for approval that outlines the programme of work, timescales, costs and payback period;

2. The allocation of funding of £1,300,000 from the Renewables Reserve for a range of energy efficiency and green energy measures at South Cambridgeshire Hall, acknowledging that a full report will be submitted to Cabinet for approval that outlines the range of modifications and enhancements proposed, costs and payback period;

Supporting documents: