Agenda and minutes
Venue: Conference Chamber, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU
Contact: Claire Skoyles: Democratic Services Officer
Email: democratic.services@westsuffolk.gov.uk
Items
No. |
Item |
264. |
Minutes PDF 444 KB
To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on
13 December 2022 (copy attached).
Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on 13 December
2022 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the
Chair.
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265. |
Chair's announcements PDF 108 KB
To receive announcements (if any) from the
Chair.
A list of civic events/engagements attended by
the Chair and Vice-Chair since the last ordinary meeting of Council
held on 13 December 2022 are attached.
Minutes:
The Chair reported on the civic engagements
and charity activities which he and the Vice-Chair had attended
since the last ordinary meeting of Council on 13 December 2022.
Attention was drawn to a number of events, as
outlined in the paper attached to the agenda.
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266. |
Apologies for absence
To receive announcements (if any) from the
officer advising the Chair (including apologies for absence).
Minutes:
Apologies for absence were received from
Councillors Michael Anderson, Trevor Beckwith, Mick Bradshaw, Max
Clarke, Rachel Hood, David Nettleton and Cliff Waterman.
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267. |
Declarations of interests
Members are reminded
of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary or local non
pecuniary interest which they have in any item of business on the
agenda no later than when that item is reached and, when
appropriate, to leave the meeting prior to discussion and voting on
the item.
Minutes:
Members’ declarations of interest are
recorded under the item to which the declaration relates.
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268. |
Leader's statement (Paper number: COU/WS/23/001) PDF 116 KB
Paper number: COU/WS/23/001
attached.On this occasion, an
additional document ‘West Suffolk – The Story So
Far’ will be circulated to members separately
by email and will be published alongside the Leader’s
Statement
here prior to the meeting.
Council Procedure Rules 8.1 to
8.3. The Leader will submit a report (the Leader’s
Statement) summarising important developments and activities since
the preceding meeting of the council.
Members may ask the Leader questions on the
content of both his introductory remarks and the written statement
itself.
A total of 30 minutes will be allowed for
questions and responses. There will be a limit of five minutes for
each question to be asked and answered. A supplementary question
arising from the reply may be asked so long as the five minute limit is not exceeded.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the
Council, presented his Leader’s Statement as outlined in
paper number: COU/WS/23/001. On this occasion, an
additional document ‘West Suffolk – The story so
far’ was circulated to members separately by
email and published alongside the Leader’s Statement prior to
the meeting.
In his introductory remarks, Councillor
Griffiths:
a. Tributes:
acknowledged the tragedies caused to the people of Turkey and Syria
following the impact of the devastating earthquakes in these
countries. Recognition was also given to the fact that on 24
February 2023, this would mark the first anniversary of the Russian
Invasion of Ukraine. West Suffolk would continue to play its part
in helping people that were fleeing from this war torn country.
b. West Suffolk
– ‘The story so far’: made reference to the
additional document that accompanied the written Leader’s
Statement and outlined a number of the achievements made over the
last four years since West Suffolk Council came into existence.
c. Suffolk Public
Sector Leaders: reported that a £1.5 million Supported
Food Network initiative had been agreed to support people across
the county with the cost-of-living challenges. Working with new and
existing food outlets, including food banks, more stock would be
provided to ensure a range of enhanced support was available to
meet local needs. In addition,
£175,000 funding had been agreed to support vital initiatives
to tackle and prevent rough sleeping across Suffolk.
d. Improving housing
and supply: reported on two new initiatives to improve private
housing conditions as well as increasing the number of affordable
homes across Suffolk. Suffolk’s district and borough councils
had secured £2.2 million of Government Private Rented Sector
Pathfinder Programme funding over two years, which would be used to
improve the standard of private rented homes in the county. To
complement this work, the Suffolk Housing Board had been awarded
£20,000 from the Local Government Association Housing Advisor
Programme.
e. Screen
Suffolk: reported that all local councils had signed a new five
year contract with Screen Suffolk. It was estimated that the
positive economic impact for Suffolk was £14.5 million since
the company began its service in the county in 2016.
f. Market
Thoroughfare: was pleased to announce that the vastly improved,
Market Thoroughfare in Bury St Edmunds was due to open on 22
February 2023. This scheme was part of the town centre masterplan
to deliver a wider pedestrian link while keeping the frontage of
The Old Post Office.
The Leader responded to a range of questions
relating to:
a. Emergency
planning: that he was not aware of
apparent proposals by the US Government to return NATO nuclear
weapons to RAF Lakenheath, and as such he had not received any
recent guidance from Government ministers or the Ministry of
Defence as to the actions this Council should take in the event of
incidences involving NATO weapons. The US Government was not
obliged to consult with the Council regarding its potential plans;
however, should any information relating to this matter be
forthcoming, it would be ...
view the full minutes text for item 268.
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269. |
Public participation
Council Procedure Rules Section 6.
Members of the public who live or work in the district may put
questions about the work of the council or make statements on items
on the agenda to members of the Cabinet or any committee.
(Note: The maximum time to be set aside for
this item is 30 minutes, but if all questions/statements are dealt
with sooner, or if there are no questions/statements, the Council
will proceed to the next business.)
Each person may ask one question or
make one statement only. A total of five minutes will be
allowed for the question to be put and answered or the statement
made. If a question is raised, one supplementary question will
be allowed provided that it arises directly from the reply and
the overall time limit of five minutes is not exceeded.
If a statement is made, then the Chair may
allow the Leader of the Council, or other member to whom they refer
the matter, a right of reply.
The Constitution allows that a person who
wishes to speak must register at least 15 minutes before the time
the meeting is scheduled to start.
We
urge anyone who
wishes to register to speak to notify Democratic
Services by 9am on the day of the meeting so that
advice can be given on the arrangements in place.
As an alternative to addressing
the meeting in person, written
questions may be submitted by members of
the public to the Monitoring Officer no
later than 10am on Monday 20 February 2023. The written
notification should detail the full
question to be asked at the meeting of the
Council.
Minutes:
The following members of the public spoke
under this agenda item:
1. Richard O’Driscoll, a
resident of the district, asked a question in connection with the
£300,000 one-off allocation to Abbeycroft Leisure (subject to approval of the
budget for 2023/2024) to assist them through their current
financial pressures; however, he felt that this would still result
in job losses and rising prices. He stated that it could cost
£27 for a family of four to swim and asked whether it was now
time for the Council to restore a regular annual grant to provide
long term security and to ‘make
sport for all’ a reality by bringing the cost of
leisure down.
In response, Councillor Joanna Rayner,
Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Community Hubs, stated
that the ‘regular grant’ or management fee the Council
had paid to Abbeycroft had reduced to
zero from next year. This was as a result of the multi-million pound investment the Council had put into
its leisure estate over the last six years. Councillor Rayner
provided details of the benefits achieved across the district
as a result of the investment.
As a valuable partner, Councillor Rayner
reiterated the support the Council had provided to Abbeycroft during the pandemic and the current
challenges it now faced; however, it also expected them to be an
efficient well run business (as they
are) so the Council could be confident that tax payers money was
put to good use. As a social enterprise, any profit made must
support their community objectives.
Before concluding her reply by explaining
other beneficial services provided by Abbeycroft to support those on low incomes; the
impact of the significant increase in costs to run leisure centres
with swimming pools; and the health and well-being benefits that
leisure facilities provided, Councillor Rayner informed Mr
O’Driscoll and those present that:
a. The Council’s
intervention had averted job losses. If the Council had not
stepped in with financial support significant job losses would have
potentially been a possibility as pools would have had to close
(albeit temporarily).
b. A family swim at
Bury St Edmunds costed £18.50, not £27 and for those
residents who had a loyalty card (that costed £4 for a year)
that cost reduced to £17.50. Councillor Rayner
reiterated that there were not many activities you could do as a
family for less than £20.
2. Nigel Wolstenholme,
Chairman of the Bury St Edmunds branch of the Royal British Legion
(RBL) highlighted an event on 5 May 2023 that the RBL was hosting
to commemorate King Charles III Coronation. He was pleased to
report that support had been offered by Councillor Robert
Everitt’s locality budget; however, he specifically asked
how, generally, was the Council able to support community groups
looking to organise events to celebrate the Coronation in May.
In response, Councillor Robert Everitt,
Portfolio Holder for Families and Communities stated that many
community groups would be looking to organise events themselves to
celebrate the Coronation. The Council would ...
view the full minutes text for item 269.
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270. |
Referrals report of recommendations from Cabinet (Report number: COU/WS/23/002) PDF 138 KB
Report number: COU/WS/23/002
A. Referrals
from Cabinet: 7 February 2023
1. Treasury management
report (December 2022)
Portfolio
holder: Councillor Sarah
Broughton
2.
Treasury Management Strategy 2023 to 2024 and Code of
Practice
Portfolio
holder: Councillor Sarah
Broughton
3.
Budget and Council Tax setting 2023 to 2024 and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2023 to
2027
Portfolio
holder: Councillor Sarah
Broughton
(The recommendations emanating
from this item, together with Cabinet’s
approval of the recommendation contained in Report number:
CAB/WS/23/005 ‘Recommendation of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny
Committee: 26 January 2023 - delivering a sustainable medium-term
budget’ have been incorporated into the
main budget setting report due to be considered later on this Council agenda at Agenda item
8. No decision is therefore
required at this stage.)
Minutes:
Council considered the referrals report of
recommendations from Cabinet, as contained within report number:
COU/WS/23/002.
A.
Referrals from Cabinet: 7 February 2023
1. Treasury
management report (December 2022)
Approval was sought for the Treasury
Management Report for the third quarter of the 2022 to 2023
financial year.
Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder
for Resources and Property, drew relevant issues to the attention
of Council.
In response to a question, Councillor
Broughton stated that whilst she understood Councillor Julia
Wakelam’s concerns regarding a request that there be no
potential investments in industries that were contributing to the
climate emergency, the details provided in this report referred to
investments placed with banks and building societies in the
main.
On the motion of Councillor Broughton,
seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder, it was put to the vote and with
the vote being 50 for the motion, none against and three
abstentions, it was
Resolved:
That the Treasury management report
(December 2022), as contained in Report number: FRS/WS/23/001, be
approved.
(Councillors Dawn Dicker and Roger Dicker left
the meeting during the consideration of this item and did not
return. They did not vote on this item.)
2. Treasury
Management Strategy 2023 to 2024 and Code of Practice
Approval was sought for the Treasury
Management Strategy 2023 to 2024 and Code of Practice.
Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder
for Resources and Property, drew relevant issues to the attention
of Council, including that the Chartered Institute of Public
Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Treasury Management Code of
Practice required that, prior to the start of the financial year,
the Council should formally approve a Treasury Management Policy
Statement and Investment Strategy, setting out the Council’s
treasury management policy and strategy for the forthcoming
year.
The Treasury Management Strategy Statement
2023 to 2024 was attached as Appendix 1 to Report number
FRS/WS/23/002 and the Treasury Management Code of Practice attached
as Appendix 2. The report also included
additional supporting information on treasury advisors; borrowing
strategy; investment strategy counterparty ratings and interest
rate projections.
On the motion of Councillor Broughton,
seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder, it was put to the vote and with
the vote being 50 for the motion, none against and three
abstentions, it was
Resolved:
That:
1.
The Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2023 to 2024, as set out
in Appendix 1 to Report number FRS/WS/23/002, be approved.
2.
The Treasury Management Code of Practice, as set out in Appendix 2
to Report number FRS/WS/23/002, be approved.
3. Budget and
Council Tax setting 2023 to 2024 and Medium Term Financial Strategy
2023 to 2027
The recommendations emanating from the
Cabinet’s consideration of this report, together with its
approval of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee’s
recommendation contained in Report number: CAB/WS/23/005
‘Delivering a sustainable medium-term budget’ were
incorporated within the main budget setting report, which was
considered next on this agenda.
No decision was therefore required at this
stage.
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271. |
Budget and Council Tax setting 2023 to 2024 and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2023 to 2027 (Report number: COU/WS/23/003) PDF 758 KB
Report number: COU/WS/23/003
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Council considered this report, which
presented the proposals for budget and council tax setting in 2023
to 2024 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023 to
2027.
West Suffolk Council
had an exemplary track record in robust financial management which
had meant it continued to deliver high quality services as well as
meeting the strategic vision of the authority.
This was despite a
series of challenges. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic which had
not only reduced income (Government policy had been that councils
created income to supplement reduction in national funding) but
also costs to the Council in playing its role to support
communities and businesses. All UK authorities were now facing
tough financial challenges caused by issues such as soaring
inflation, cost of living and energy prices, the war in Ukraine and
changes to the way communities spend which reduced income. National
finances had been reduced significantly over the last decade for
local councils and added burdens had been placed on authorities too
during this time.
The 2023 to 2024
budget had been created not only to be balanced and sustainable but
as an investment in the priorities of the district’s
residents and businesses. It was designed to make the communities
of West Suffolk greener, healthier and more prosperous.
Members considered
the report in detail, which included the following issues for
securing a balanced budget for 2023 to 2024 and plans for the
medium term from 2023 to 2027, together with corresponding detailed
appendices:
Section 1:
Summary: which included reference to continuing investments in a
range of initiatives to meet priorities; continuing to concentrate
on the Council’s health and wellbeing agenda; the inclusion
of an additional £240,000 investment per annum in the waste
and grounds maintenance team, together with a £1.3 million
(2023 to 2027) for capital investment in parks, open spaces,
heritage and other attractions.
Section 2:
Context: which included reference to the Council’s robust
financial planning and management enabling
the Council to deliver both services and the strategic aims of West
Suffolk despite the pressures on
local government finances; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
the Council’s finances, including the role of the Council in
supporting residents and businesses throughout the pandemic; the
medium term budget plans (beyond April 2024) being prepared in the
context of significant uncertainties around the current economic
climate and Government policy; ‘Investing in our Growth
Agenda’; the Council’s transformation programme; and
further detail on the Council’s plans to achieve net zero
carbon emissions by 2030.
Section 3: Local
government finance settlement: which included reference to the
Revenue Support Grant; Rural Services Delivery Grant; Services
Grant; the future of New Homes Bonus; the new Funding Guarantee
Grant; business rates and business rates reliefs;
Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief
and Supporting Small Business Relief; Local Authority Housing Fund;
Collection Fund deficits and council tax referendum
limits.
Section 4: Council
tax for 2023 to 2024: which included reference to changes to the
Long Term Empty Property Premium and Second Homes
arrangements
Section 5: ...
view the full minutes text for item 271.
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272. |
Calendar of meetings 2023 to 2024 (Report number: COU/WS/23/004) PDF 123 KB
Report number: COU/WS/23/004
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Council considered this report, which sought
approval for the proposed calendar of meetings for West Suffolk
Council in 2023 to 2024.
Councillor Carol Bull, Portfolio Holder for
Governance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Council,
including that in 2022/2023, the
frequency of some meeting dates had been adjusted to help avoid
cancellations that had been evident in the previous year. Some
additional reserve dates for Council and Cabinet had been included
in the calendar and these were used where required. This saw less
meetings being cancelled where there were no items requiring a
decision. This same approach was adopted for the 2023/2024
calendar.
Under current legislation,
where some meetings were able to be operated entirely virtually
(for example, Staff Consultative Panel, Financial Resilience
Sub-Committee) it was envisaged that this practice would continue
and would be at the discretion of the Chair of the relevant
body.
It was also important to note that a corporate
hybrid meetings/audio visual equipment project was currently still
ongoing and the outcome of this may influence future meeting
operation. The venues for holding meetings would
therefore be reviewed throughout the year.
In
view of the district council elections being held on
4 May 2023 and the Annual Meeting of Council arranged for 23 May
2023, it was proposed that the first post-election Cabinet meeting
should be held on 13 June 2023. Therefore, the Cabinet meeting
which was scheduled on 30 May 2023 as part of the 2022/2023
calendar was to be removed and members were asked to note this
change.
On the motion of
Councillor Bull, seconded by Councillor John Burns, it was put to
the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was
Resolved:
That
the Calendar of Meetings 2023 to 2024, as attached at Appendix A to
Report number: COU/WS/23/004, be approved.
(Councillors Simon Cole and Don Waldron left
the meeting during the consideration of this item and did not
return. They did not vote on the item.)
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273. |
Any other urgent business
To consider any business, which
by reason of special circumstances, should in the opinion of the
Chair be considered at the meeting as a matter of
urgency.
Minutes:
There were no matters of urgent
business considered on this occasion.
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In this section
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