Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - South Cambs Hall. View directions

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

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

To receive Apologies for Absence from Cabinet members. 

Minutes:

There were no Apologies for Absence.

2.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 44 KB

To authorise the Leader to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2018 as a correct record.

Minutes:

Cabinet authorised the Leader to sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 October 2018.

3.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

Regarding Minute 10 (Mobile Wardens Scheme Grants Criteria):

·        Councillor Sue Ellington declared a non-pecuniary interest as a Trustee of the Mobile Warden Scheme in Swavesey.

·        Councillor Hazel Smith declared a non-pecuniary interest as Chairman of the Milton Parish Council Community Care Committee which oversees the Mobile Warden Scheme in Milton.

4.

Announcements

Minutes:

There were no announcements.

5.

Public Questions

Minutes:

There were no public questions.

6.

Issues arising from the Scrutiny and Overview Committee

Minutes:

Councillors Grenville Chamberlain (Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee) and Brian Milnes (Vice-Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee) were in attendance for this item.

 

Councillor Milnes reiterated his concern about the timeliness of submitting papers for consideration by Committee members. The Leader responded by saying she was aware of the challenges faced and was hopeful that some positive action could be taken to address this issue. Councillor Chamberlain said that a dedicated Scrutiny Officer would ease the situation.

 

Scrutiny and Overview Committee comments specific to items on the current agenda would be conveyed during the consideration of those items.

7.

Northstowe Starter Homes- Strategic Collaboration Agreement pdf icon PDF 305 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet approved the Strategic Collaboration Agreement attached as Appendix A to the report from the Head of Housing Strategy.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval of the Strategic Collaboration Agreement between Homes England and South Cambridgeshire District Council. 

 

The Agreement (attached at Appendix A to the report) set out how the Council and Homes England (formerly known as the Homes and Communities Agency) would work together to reinvest receipts realised through ‘stair-casing’, whereby occupiers could buy additional shares in their Starter Homes.  This followed the deed of variation of the Section 106 Agreement relating to Northstowe Phase 2, approved in December 2017. 

 

The Leader explained that the Agreement sought to protect the Council’s interests in the event of a change in legislation. Councillor Philippa Hart thanked officers for their input, and welcomed the Agreement as addressing unfairness.

 

Cabinet approved the Strategic Collaboration Agreement attached as Appendix A to the report from the Head of Housing Strategy.

8.

Implementation and Adoption of Completed Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) (Land North of Cherry Hinton SPD & Cambridgeshire Flood and Water SPD) pdf icon PDF 259 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet

 

(a)     approved the adoption of the Cambridgeshire Flood and Water

Supplementary Planning Document (with amendments listed in Appendix 1);

 

(b)     approved the adoption of the Land North of Cherry Hinton

Supplementary Planning Document (with amendments listed in Appendix 1); and

 

(c)     delegated any subsequent minor amendments and editing of the SPDs to the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking adoption the Cambridgeshire Flood and Water Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and Land North of Cherry Hinton (LNCH) SPD following adoption of the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan in September 2018.

 

These two SPDs had been prepared in parallel with the South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge Local Plans, allowing further detail to be provided and assist with the implementation of specific proposals.

 

Cabinet

 

(a)     approved the adoption of the Cambridgeshire Flood and Water

Supplementary Planning Document (with amendments listed in Appendix 1);

 

(b)     approved the adoption of the Land North of Cherry Hinton

Supplementary Planning Document (with amendments listed in Appendix 1); and

 

(c)     delegated any subsequent minor amendments and editing of the SPDs to the Joint Director for Planning and Economic Development.

9.

Adoption of Recycling and Waste Operational Policies pdf icon PDF 234 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet

 

(a)             approved the ‘Waste Collection Policies and Procedures’ document as and, in particular, the following three major changes to policy:

 

(i)               Introduction of chargeable additional garden waste bins (South Cambridgeshire District Council only)

(ii)              Change to monthly organic collection during December, January and February (Cambridge City Council only)

(iii)            Change to 6am start time for domestic waste services (Cambridge City Council only)

 

(b)             Delegated to the Director for Health and Environmental Services, in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, and their opposite numbers at Cambridge City Council, the responsibility for approving minor updates to the document to ensure operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking agreement of a single “Waste Collection Service Policies and Procedures” document setting out the service that Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service (GCSWS) would deliver to the residents of both Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

 

Councillor Brian Milnes, Vice-Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee, said that that Committee had discussed home and community composting as a means of reducing the need for a second green bin.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Heather Williams, the Health and Environmental Services Director undertook to clarify the extent of administrative costs relating to the issue of additional green bins.

 

Councillor Peter Topping asked whether there was any evidence that the charge for a second green bin was likely to prompt existing beneficiaries of a second bin to return that bin to the relevant Council. In reply, the Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Health and Licensing said that such residents were being encouraged to retain their additional green bins.

 

Cabinet

 

(a)             approved the ‘Waste Collection Policies and Procedures’ document as and, in particular, the following three major changes to policy:

 

(i)               Introduction of chargeable additional garden waste (green) bins (South Cambridgeshire District Council only)

(ii)              Change to monthly organic collection during December, January and February (Cambridge City Council only)

(iii)            Change to 6am start time for domestic waste services (Cambridge City Council only)

 

(b)             Delegated to the Director for Health and Environmental Services, in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, and their opposite numbers at Cambridge City Council, the responsibility for approving minor updates to the document to ensure operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

10.

Mobile Warden Scheme Grants Criteria pdf icon PDF 173 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet

 

(a)             approved the proposed changes to the Mobile and Community Warden Scheme Grant criteria and guidance notes, as set out at Appendix A to the report from the Head of Sustainable Communities and Wellbeing; and

 

(b)             requested the Grants Advisory Committee to carry out a further review of the Mobile and Community Warden Scheme, in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance, to explore options regarding access to the Scheme throughout South Cambridgeshire, and consider the implications for the Council’s budget from 2020-21 onwards.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report on the Grants Advisory Committee’s proposed amendments to the criteria and guidance notes for the Mobile and Community Warden Scheme Grants.

 

The Leader and Lead Cabinet Member for Finance emphasised their ambition that the Scheme should be made more widely available throughout the District to achieve greater fairness and more effective use of the available funds.

 

The Scrutiny and Overview Committee had not commented on this item.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Peter Topping, the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance clarified that the purpose of the Grants Advisory Committee’s first review of the Scheme had been to consider the current situation.

 

Cabinet

 

(a)             approved the proposed changes to the Mobile and Community Warden Scheme Grant criteria and guidance notes, as set out at Appendix A to the report from the Head of Sustainable Communities and Wellbeing; and

 

(b)             instructed the Grants Advisory Committee to carry out a further review of the Mobile and Community Warden Scheme, in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance, to explore options for increasing access to the Scheme throughout South Cambridgeshire, and consider the implications for the Council’s budget from 2020-21 onwards.

11.

Community Energy Grants Criteria pdf icon PDF 156 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet requested that  the Grants Advisory Committee and Climate Change and Environment Advisory Committee each explore options for the more effective expenditure of community energy funding, and consider implications for the Council’s budget, and that the Chairmen of the two Committees should then jointly formulate a recommendation to Cabinet.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report detailing proposals from the Grants Advisory Committee and Climate Change and Environment Advisory Committee for amending  the guidance notes and application form for the Community Energy Grant scheme, and proposing the re-opening of the scheme.[SI1] 

 

The Deputy Leader and Lead Cabinet Member for Finance both expressed reservations about the proposals, and suggested that the two Advisory Committees should give the review some further thought.

 

Cabinet requested that the Grants Advisory Committee and Climate Change and Environment Advisory Committee each explore options for the more effective expenditure of community energy funding, and consider implications for the Council’s budget, and that the Chairmen of the two Committees should then jointly formulate a recommendation to Cabinet.


 [SI1]

12.

Business Plan pdf icon PDF 231 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet

 

1.               agreed that a public consultation be carried out about the following priorities for the 2019-2024 Business Plan

 

·        Economic Development – We will support businesses of all sizes, including rural enterprise and farming, to help create new jobs and opportunities near to where people live.

 

·        Housing that is affordable for everyone to live in – Our focus will be on building vibrant and healthy communities with a range of homes people can genuinely afford to live in. Our communities will have the right facilities and services and be places where people love to live, not just groups of houses.

 

·        Climate and Environment – We will put the environment at the centre of everything we do to create a cleaner, greener future for our communities.

 

·        A 21st Century Council – We will provide our customers with the high quality services that we would expect ourselves, always strive to reduce costs, build on what we are good at to generate our own income and make decisions in a transparent, open and inclusive way.

 

as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report from the Chief Executive. The document and public consultation responses would then inform the further development of a full Business Plan.

 

2.               Agreed that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, be authorised to facilitate public consultation to last from Monday 19 November 2018 until Monday 7 January 2019, with the priorities being published on the Council’s website and in the South Cambs Magazine for comment, and promoted through social media. Businesses receiving the Council’s business newsletter would also be contacted, and Council staff would be briefed and engaged through the Council’s intranet.

3.                

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking agreement of emerging priorities that would form the basis of public consultation, and help to inform the development of a Business Plan for 2019-2024.

 

Councillor Sue Ellington spoke about the importance of health and wellbeing. In response, the Leader said that the priorities would be reviewed taking Councillor Ellington’s comments into account.

 

Cabinet

 

1.               agreed that a public consultation be carried out about the following priorities for the 2019-2024 Business Plan

 

·        Economic Development – We will support businesses of all sizes, including rural enterprise and farming, to help create new jobs and opportunities near to where people live.

 

·        Housing that is affordable for everyone to live in – Our focus will be on building vibrant and healthy communities with a range of homes people can genuinely afford to live in. Our communities will have the right facilities and services and be places where people love to live, not just groups of houses.

 

·        Climate and Environment – We will put the environment at the centre of everything we do to create a cleaner, greener future for our communities.

 

·        A 21st Century Council – We will provide our customers with the high quality services that we would expect ourselves, always strive to reduce costs, build on what we are good at to generate our own income and make decisions in a transparent, open and inclusive way.

 

as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report from the Chief Executive. The document and public consultation responses would then inform the further development of a full Business Plan.

 

2.               Agreed that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, be authorised to facilitate public consultation to last from Monday 19 November 2018 until Monday 7 January 2019, with the priorities being published on the Council’s website and in the South Cambs Magazine for comment, and promoted through social media. Businesses receiving the Council’s business newsletter would also be contacted, and Council staff would be briefed and engaged through the Council’s intranet.

 

13.

Exclusion of Press and Public

Item 14 (HRA MTFS) and Item 15 (General Fund MTFS) contain restricted Appendices. The press and public are likely to be excluded from the meeting during any consideration of those Appendices in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Act). Paragraph 3 relates to information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Minutes:

Cabinet noted that Item 14 (HRA MTFS) and Item 15 (General Fund MTFS) contained restricted Appendices. The press and public would be excluded from the meeting during any consideration of those Appendices in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Act). (iinformation relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

14.

Housing Revenue Account Medium Term Financial Strategies (MTFS) 2018-19 pdf icon PDF 240 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet approved the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as set out in Appendix 1 to the report from the Head of Finance, to include:

 

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

·     mid-year revenue budget changes, as detailed in Appendix D(1) 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, to include recognition of the virement of resource of £1,560,000 from the unallocated acquisition / new build budget for the acquisition of market dwellings, to ensure that right to buy receipts are appropriately reinvested in 2018/19

·     updates in the new build budget and the new build schemes included in the Housing Capital Investment Plan, incorporation of the latest budgetary figures in respect of approved new build schemes, inclusion of new pipeline schemes with associated budgetary provision 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

·     approval of the HRA budget strategy for 2019/20, to include the exemplification of efficiency savings of £142,000, to facilitate the creation of a corresponding strategic investment fund also of £142,000 for 2019/20, with both reducing to £95,000 per annum from 2020/21 onwards for a further 4 years.

·     noting the early proposals for bids and savings in the HRA, as detailed in Appendix D (2) to the HRA MTFS in advance of formal consideration as part of the HRA Budget Setting Report in February 2019.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report providing it and, subsequently, Council, with an update in respect of the financial position and forecasts for the Housing Revenue Account, allowing review of financial assumptions, approval of any mid-year budgetary changes, approval of any future year business plan changes and agreement of the budgets strategies for 2019/20 and beyond.

 

Councillor Brian Milnes (Vice-Chairman, Scrutiny and Overview Committee) highlighted the potential impart on the long-term strategy, and of Universal Credit.

 

Cabinet recommended that Council approve the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as set out in Appendix 1 to the report from the Head of Finance, to include:

 

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

·       mid-year revenue budget changes, as detailed in Appendix D(1) 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, to include recognition of the virement of resource of £1,560,000 from the unallocated acquisition / new build budget for the acquisition of market dwellings, to ensure that right to buy receipts are appropriately reinvested in 2018/19.

·       updates in the new build budget and the new build schemes included in the Housing Capital Investment Plan, incorporation of the latest budgetary figures in respect of approved new build schemes, inclusion of new pipeline schemes with associated budgetary provision 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.

·       noting the HRA budget strategy for 2019/20, to include the exemplification of efficiency savings of £142,000, to facilitate the creation of a corresponding strategic investment fund also of £142,000 for 2019/20, with both reducing to £95,000 per annum from 2020/21 onwards for a further 4 years.

·        noting the early proposals for bids and savings in the HRA, as detailed in Appendix D (2) to the HRA MTFS in advance of formal consideration as part of the HRA Budget Setting Report in February 2019.  

15.

General Fund Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2019-20 pdf icon PDF 244 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Cabinet

 

a)     Considered and noted the General Fund forecast as set out in Appendix A to the report from the Head of Finance, and:

 

·     Noted the assumptions underpinning the forecast;

·     Noted the indicative revenue pressures and their impact on savings requirements as set out at Appendix C;

·     Noted the amendments to the indicative capital programme and their impact on savings requirements as set out at Appendix D;

·     Instructed the Head of Finance to bring forward detailed draft estimates for 2018/19 based on assumptions and issues contained in this report for consideration by the Cabinet in the new year; and

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

 

b)     Considered and endorsed the amendment to the Ermine Street Housing Business Plan attached at confidential Appendix B and, as a direct result, recommended that Council bring forward lending of £13 million to Ermine Street Housing into 2018/19 by re-phasing the Capital Programme, and bring forward budget from future years to enable the Company to continue the business expansion as agreed by Cabinet and Council in November 2015.

c)     Approved delegation of the use of the Business Efficiency Reserve to the Chief Executive

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report providing it with an update in respect of the financial position and forecasts for the General Fund (GF), allowing review of financial assumptions, approval of any bids and savings and agreement of the budgets strategies for 2019-20 and beyond.

 

 

Cabinet

 

a)     Considered and noted the General Fund forecast as set out in Appendix A to the report from the Head of Finance, and:

 

·     Noted the assumptions underpinning the forecast;

·     Noted the indicative revenue pressures and their impact on savings requirements as set out at Appendix C;

·     Noted the amendments to the indicative capital programme and their impact on savings requirements as set out at Appendix D;

·     Instructed the Head of Finance to bring forward detailed draft estimates for 2018/19 based on assumptions and issues contained in this report for consideration by the Cabinet in the new year; and

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

 

b)     Considered and endorsed the amendment to the Ermine Street Housing Business Plan attached at confidential Appendix B and, as a direct result, recommended that Council bring forward lending of £13 million to Ermine Street Housing into 2018/19 by re-phasing the Capital Programme, and bring forward budget from future years to enable the Company to continue the business expansion as agreed by Cabinet and Council in November 2015.

c)     Approved delegation of the use of the Business Efficiency Reserve to the Chief Executive