Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday 14 January 2020, 6.00 pm

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Conference Chamber West (FR1-09), West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU

Contact: Claire Skoyles: Democratic Services Officer  Email: claire.skoyles@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

76.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

No apologies for absence were received.

77.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 194 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2019 (copy attached).

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2019 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

78.

Open Forum

At each Cabinet meeting, up to 15 minutes shall be allocated for questions from and discussion with, non-Cabinet members.  Members wishing to speak during this session should if possible, give notice in advance.  Who speaks and for how long will be at the complete discretion of the person presiding.

Minutes:

No non-Cabinet Members in attendance wished to speak under this item.

79.

Public Participation

Members of the public who live or work in the District are invited to put one question or statement of not more than three minutes duration relating to items to be discussed in Part 1 of the agenda only. If a question is asked and answered within three minutes, the person who asked the question may ask a supplementary question that arises from the reply.

 

A person who wishes to speak must register at least 15 minutes before the time the meeting is scheduled to start. 

 

There is an overall time limit of 15 minutes for public speaking, which may be extended at the Chairman’s discretion.

Minutes:

No members of the public in attendance had registered to speak.

80.

Report of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 November 2019 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/001) pdf icon PDF 153 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/001

Chairman of the Committee: Cllr Ian Houlder

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton                

Lead Officer: Christine Brain

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and noted this report, which informed Members of the following substantive items discussed by the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee at their meeting held on 28 November 2019:

 

1.       Internal Audit Mid-Year Progress Report 2019-2020;

2.       2019-2020 Performance Report (Quarter 2);

3.       Delivering a Sustainable Medium Term Budget 2020-2021;

4.       Mid-Year Treasury Management Report and Investment Activity (April – September 2019);

5.       Health and Safety Sub-Committee (Verbal Report); and

6.       Work Programme 2020.

 

Councillor Ian Houlder, Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that separate reports were included on this Cabinet agenda for Items 3. and 4. above.

81.

Report of the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee: 17 September and 17 December 2019 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/002) pdf icon PDF 320 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/002

Chair of the Joint Committee: Cllr Sarah Broughton

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton       Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and noted this report, which informed Members of the following substantive items discussed by the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee at their meetings held on 17 September and 17 December 2019:

 

A.      17 September 2019:

 

The Joint Committee was inquorate for this meeting therefore only a few items were discussed and noted, as indicated below:

 

1.       Governance and Reporting Arrangements relating to Internal Audit (Item deferred to 17 December 2019);

2.       Joint Committee ARP Brochure (Item deferred to 17 December 2019); 

3.       Performance Report and Service Updates – July 2019:

a. Joint Committee Performance Report July 2019;

b. Service Updates;

4.       ARP Financial Performance;

5.       Welfare Reform Update;

6.       Review of the Anglia Revenues Partnership Constitution (Item deferred to 17 December 2019);

          and

7.       Forthcoming Issues.

 

B.      17 December 2019:

 

1.       Governance and Reporting Arrangements relating to Internal Audit;

2.       Review of the Anglia Revenues Partnership Constitution;

3.       Performance Report and Service Updates:

a. Joint Committee Performance Report – October 2019;

b. Service Updates;

4.       ARP Financial Performance;

5.       Welfare Reform Update;

6.       ARP Strategy Refresh;

7.       The Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) Service Delivery Plan;

8.       ARP Joint Committee Partnership Budget;

9.       Joint Committee ARP Brochure; 

                   and

10.     Forthcoming Issues.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance and Chair of the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that a separate report was included on this Cabinet agenda for Item 2. above.

 

Attention was particularly drawn to the Joint Committee ARP Brochure, which had been designed for the partner councils to be used on an internal basis only. Its purpose was set out in section 2.1.3 of the report and had been circulated to the Cabinet for information. Members also particularly noted the detail of section 2.2.3 of the report, which related to current issues and performance of ARP.

82.

Recommendations of the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee: 17 December 2019 - Review of the Anglia Revenues Partnership Constitution (Report No: CAB/WS/20/003) pdf icon PDF 170 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/003

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton       Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       the revised Partnership Agreement attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/WS/20/003, be approved to have effect from 1 April 2019; and

 

2.       subject to approval by each partner authority, the revised agreement be signed and sealed by the Council (and each other partner authority).

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report which sought approval for proposed changes to the Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) Constitution following its review by the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee.

 

Attached as Appendix 1 was the proposed revised Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Agreement. The revision to the terms of reference had been produced by the ARP’s Operational Improvement Board, as previously agreed by the Joint Committee. These amendments were largely required as a result of the creation of the new councils in East and West Suffolk; however, this also provided the opportunity to make other changes, as set out in the report. The Joint Committee was now recommending to all the partner authorities, approval of the revised Partnership Agreement.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance and Chair of the Joint Committee, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that the proposed changes to the ARP Constitution would ensure the ARP and its Joint Committee was operating within the most up to date governance arrangements.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

1.       the revised Partnership Agreement attached as Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/WS/20/003, be approved to have effect from 1 April 2019; and

 

2.       subject to approval by each partner authority, the revised agreement be signed and sealed by the Council (and each other partner authority).

83.

Recommendation of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 November 2019 - Delivering a Sustainable Medium Term Budget 2020/2021 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/004) pdf icon PDF 243 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/004

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton       Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

Decision:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL (as part of the budget setting process): 25 February 2020

 

That the proposals detailed in Section 2 and Table 1 of Report No: PAS/WS/19/019, be included in securing a balanced budget for 2020/2021 and the medium-term financial plans.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which sought approval for budget proposals for inclusion to secure a balanced budget for 2020/2021 and in the medium term.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that a range of budget proposals had been assessed and updated following previous consideration by the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee. The update was to reflect developing trends and revised information as it became available as far as possible.

 

Table 1 that had been considered by the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee and reproduced in Report No: CAB/WS/20/004, provided a set of proposed actions and solutions to reduce the identified budget gaps between 2020-2024.  

 

Work would continue to monitor the trends included in Table 1, including driving to agree the assumptions that would close the remaining budget gap for 2020/21 for presentation to Council on 25 February 2020.

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL (as part of the budget setting process): 25 February 2020

 

That the proposals detailed in Section 2 and Table 1 of Report No: PAS/WS/19/019, be included in securing a balanced budget for 2020/2021 and the medium-term financial plans.

84.

Recommendation of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 November 2019 - Treasury Management Report September 2019 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/005) pdf icon PDF 142 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/005

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton       Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

Decision:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

 

That the Treasury Management Report (September 2019), being Report No: FRS/WS/19/004, be approved.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which was recommending to Council, the approval of the Treasury Management Report for the period from 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2019.

 

Following the creation of West Suffolk Council, the total amount invested at 1 April 2019 was £42,750,000 and at 30 September 2019 £46,900,000. 

 

The 2019-2020 Annual Treasury Management and Investment Strategy set out the Council’s projections for the current financial year.  The budget for investment income in 2019-2020 was £142,141 which was based on a 0.90% target interest rate of return on investments.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that as at the end of September 2019, interest earned during the second quarter of the financial year amounted to £194,249 against a profiled budget for the period of £71,070; a budgetary surplus of £123,179.  The budgetary surplus related to higher than expected cash balances due to slippages in the Capital programme and also the favourable interest rates secured on the investments carried over from the previous councils.

 

As at the end of September 2019 a total of £14.5m had been borrowed internally from available cash balances. This had meant the Council had not had any additional borrowing over the long-term £4m loan.

 

Members also noted assumptions on borrowing for the capital projects included within it, alongside the current £4m external borrowing in respect of the previous Newmarket Leisure Centre build. This new borrowing requirement was based around three specific projects, as outlined in the report.

         

A summary of the capital borrowing budget for 2019-2020 was also noted, together with a summary of capital borrowing for quarter two; borrowing and income – proportionality; current borrowing as at 30 September 2019 and other market considerations.  The Government’s unexpected announcement on 9 October 2019, which stated they would be raising the margin applied to Public Works Loans Board loans by 1%, was of particular concern to the Cabinet.

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

 

That the Treasury Management Report (September 2019), being Report No: FRS/WS/19/004, be approved.

85.

Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document - Adoption (Report No: CAB/WS/20/006) pdf icon PDF 228 KB

Report No: CAB/WS/20/006

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sara Mildmay-White   Lead Officer: Julie Baird

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       the Schedule of Responses set out at Appendix A to Report No: CAB/WS/20/006, be noted; and

 

2.       the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/006, be approved for adoption.

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which sought approval for adoption of an updated version of the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document.

 

This Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) updated and replaced the original Affordable Housing SPD for West Suffolk produced in October 2013. Following changes to National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2019 which included a wider definition of Affordable Housing and how this may influence future housing delivery across West Suffolk, it was considered prudent to update the SPD at this time.

 

Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, Portfolio Holder for Housing, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet including that a draft version of the Affordable Housing SPD was subject to a nine-week public consultation between 24 July 2019 and 30 September 2019, in accordance with the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement. A total of 11 responses had been received and a summary of these representations and the schedule of changes recommended were contained in Appendix A.  Appendix B contained the amended version of the SPD as a result of those recommended changes. A summary of the main issues raised during the consultation were contained in paragraph 2.1.3 of the report.

 

In response to question, the Cabinet was informed that the document did not form part of the Local Plan but was guidance to accompany it. Neighbourhood Plans did form part of the Local Plan and were considered as material considerations when determining planning applications.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

1.       the Schedule of Responses set out at Appendix A to Report No: CAB/WS/20/006, be noted; and

 

2.       the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/006, be approved for adoption.

 

86.

Recommendations of the Grant Working Party: November 2019 - Community Chest 2020/21 (Report No: CAB/WS/007) pdf icon PDF 286 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/007

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Robert Everitt           Lead Officer: Davina Howes

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021, as previously approved in 2018/2019 as part of two-year funding agreements, be noted, (papers EXC/SA/18/013 and 014 refer) namely:

 

a.       Bury Drop in          £12,288

b.       Fresh Start – New Beginnings    £11,600

c.       Gatehouse            £10,000

d.       Haverhill Community Trust (separate project to that listed in (2)(l) below.) £25,168

          e.       REACH (separate project to that listed in 3(a)below) £9,360

          f.       Relate (separate project to that listed in 3 (b) below.)£2,000

g.       Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) £5,000

h.       The Voluntary Network – Community Transport

            (separate project to that listed in 4 (u) below.) £15,800

i.        The Voluntary Network – Connect and Support

          (separate project to that listed in 4 (u) below.) £17,961

 

2.       the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021, be approved, namely:

 

a.       Befriending Scheme – Haverhill Community Kitchen £4,420

b.       Second Chance Stroke Group    £3,500

c.       Steel Bones  £3,500

d.       Suffolk Mind £4,500

e.       Sharing Parenting – Special Needs (separate project to that listed in 4(j) below) £17,000

f.       Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care         £8,000

g.       Alumah CIO £5,870

h.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice – across West Suffolk

(separate project to that listed in 4(k) below) £240,000

i.        HomeStart Mid and West Suffolk – Sensory (separate project to that listed in 4(m) below)          £14,000

j.        Our Special Friends          £3,500

          k.       Bury Theatre Workshop   £4,000

l.        Haverhill Community Trust  (separate project to that listed in 1(d) above) £14,750

m.      Newmarket Day Centre CIO       £10,000

n.       The Erskine Centre, Chedburgh£5,000

o.       The Turner Hall, Newmarket      £5,000

 

3.       Subject to the budget setting process for 2021/2022, and subject to the satisfactory submission of evidence-based reports detailing the benefits and success of each individual project in 2020/2021, the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022, be approved, namely:

 

2020/21                2021/22

 

a.            REACH                   £10,000                £10,000

(separate project to that

listed in 1(e) above)

 

          b.       Relate                    £4,500                  £5,000

(separate project to that

listed in 1 (f) above)

 

4.       No Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 be awarded to:

 

a.       Art Branches;               

b.       Castle Fields Pre-School;  

c.       Fine not Fine;            

d.       Memories and Golden Community Hub;

e.       St Nicholas Hospice Care;

f.       Suffolk Young People’s Health Project;

g.       The Reader;

h.       Best Before;

i.        EPIC Dad;

j.        Sharing Parenting – Community Outreach (separate project to that listed in 2(e) above);

k.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice – Outreach (separate project to that listed in 2(h) above);

l.        Green Light Trust;

m.      Home-Start Mid and West Suffolk – Volunteering (separate project to that listed in 2 (i) above);

n.       The Resume Foundation;

o.       Basketball Outreach;

p.       Clare Swimming Club;

q.       Couch Casters;

r.       Mildenhall Girl Guides;

s.       The Kinetic Science Foundation;

t.       The Tree Appreciation;

u.       The Voluntary Network (separate project to that listed in 1(h) and (i) above);

v.       West Suffolk Hive CIC;

w.      All Saints Church – Cornerstone;

x.       Fledglings Pre-School, Brandon;

y.       Horringer Pre-School;

z.       Lakenheath Peace Memorial Hall;

aa.     Racing Centre, Newmarket; and  ...  view the full decision text for item 86.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which sought approval for the recommendations of the Grant Working Party following its consideration of applications for Community Chest funding in the 2020/2021 financial year.

 

Applications for Community Chest funding for 2020/2021 closed on 30 September 2019.  A total of 45 applications were received from a wide variety of organisations as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.  The total value of the applications received was £911,806.33.

 

The Community Chest budget for 2020/2021 was £466,733. £109,177 of the 2020/2021 budget was committed in 2018 for second year funding, as listed in Appendix 1 and noted by the Cabinet. The remaining budget available for 2020/2021 was therefore £357,556.

 

There were a number of potential synergies between the applications and as such they were grouped into various categories as set out in section 2.3 of the report. Each application was required to be evaluated by the Working Party in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in Appendix 2 of the Grant Working Party report and was considered in turn.

 

Councillor Robert Everitt, Portfolio Holder for Families and Communities, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet and commended the Grant Working Party for their sterling work. Before making any further comments, with the agreement of the Chair, he invited Councillor Jim Thorndyke, Chair of the Grant Working Party to provide a summary of their work.

 

Councillor Thorndyke informed Cabinet that the Working Party had met on three occasions in November 2019 to consider each application and to make appropriate recommendations for Community Chest funding (if any). The main challenge faced by the Working Party was that over £900,000 worth of funding had been applied for and following the removal from the 2020/21 budget of funding already allocated in 2018 as part of two year funding agreements, a budget of just over of £357,000 remained. A significant amount had been applied for by Citizens Advice, and therefore following a sizeable allocation to this organisation, the budget was depleted further for allocation to other applicants. 

 

Councillor Thorndyke explained that the Working Party planned to meet in March 2020 to consider how the consideration of the applications could be improved and how the scheme could be better communicated to organisations to try and reduce the number that were unfortunately turned down for Community Chest funding this year.

 

Councillor Thorndyke thanked the Working Party for its work and also officers from the Families and Communities team. He particularly commended the depth of knowledge for enabling organisations that were turned down or had a reduction in Community Chest funding to be signposted to alternative grant schemes and sources of funding. This provided some reassurance that projects may still come to fruition.

 

Councillor Everitt acknowledged the benefits to organisations of the discretionary Community Chest grant scheme and whilst the Council faced ongoing financial challenges, he was pleased that the scheme currently remained available to offer some help to eligible organisations. He recognised the extremely difficult task undertaken by the Working  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

87.

West Suffolk Rural Taskforce - Final Recommendations (Report No: CAB/WS/20/008) pdf icon PDF 203 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/008

Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths           Lead Officer: David Collinson

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       the recommendations proposed by the West Suffolk Rural Taskforce, as attached at Appendix A to Report No: CAB/WS/20/008, be adopted; and

 

2.       it be agreed that a report be received in six months to understand the actions that have been undertaken in respect of the Rural Taskforce’s work.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which sought approval for the final recommendations of the West Suffolk Rural Taskforce.

 

Following its establishment in June 2019, the Rural Taskforce had undertaken a thorough review of issues facing residents, communities and businesses in more rural areas (villages and outlying dwellings (as opposed to those in more urban areas)).  This review was undertaken by firstly seeking evidence from officers on the challenges faced by different rural communities in West Suffolk, including demographic evidence, examples of good practice and national level strategic documents.  As set out in section 2 of the report, a survey was produced for residents and community groups followed by a series of workshops held in four different rural locations of the district. The outcomes of the survey and workshops enabled the Taskforce to identify the following three theme areas, which then became the focus of further work:

 

1.       Digital Connectivity, Access to Health and Transport

2.       Appropriate and Affordable Housing

3.       Communication, Working Together across Communities and Young People

 

The Chair invited Councillor Mike Chester, Chair of the West Suffolk Rural Taskforce to draw relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet.  He explained that following the above survey and workshops, for each theme area, a dedicated workshop was held with guests invited from a wide range of relevant organisations including transport and infrastructure providers, public sector partners, housing associations and community groups.  This enabled the Taskforce to focus on the specific challenges and priority areas for action.

 

As required by the Taskforce’s terms of reference, attached as Appendix A was the proposed action plan which had been produced to address the key elements that had arisen from the survey and workshops. In particular, Cabinet had requested that the Taskforce:

 

·         develops options as to how to address the key issues identified by rural communities, and

·         advises on how rural considerations can be included in future Council processes and decision making.

 

Councillor Chester highlighted a typographical error within the action plan, as follows:

 

Under the theme of Digital Connectivity, Access to Health and Transport, this had an outcome which should have stated:

 

Better connected rural places, where people are able to stay safe, healthy and well, build relationships and community and access skills, education and jobs.

 

Members commended the extensive work of the Taskforce and it was considered that the proposed recommendations and actions were sensible and achievable. It was acknowledged that the actions could be taken forward and be integrated, as far as possible, into the future work of the Council across Members’ portfolios whilst recognising that a number of actions would be led by others and therefore the Council would have an influencing and lobbying role in respect of these particular actions.

 

Recognition was given to the positive correlation of the proposed recommendations and actions with the three key policy framework documents of the Council, namely the West Suffolk Strategic Framework, Medium Term Financial Strategy and the development of the new West Suffolk Local Plan and welcomed the progress review  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

88.

Update on the Work of the West Suffolk Environment and Climate Change Taskforce (Report No: CAB/WS/20/009) pdf icon PDF 254 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/009

Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths           Lead Officer: Jill Korwin

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       progress made by the Taskforce to date be noted and support be confirmed for the approach being taken, including the following proposals under consideration outlined in section 1 of Report No: CAB/WS/20/009:

 

a.       Explore ways we can reduce and measure our carbon use through systems used in the sector such as carbon budgeting, consideringthe aim to become a carbon neutral authority by 2030;

 

b.       Explore and embed where possible new ways of working and processes that are more environmentally friendly that could have wider benefits, such as cost savings or health improvements.

 

2.       The following initial recommendations be considered and:

 

a.       it be agreed that the Taskforce Terms of Reference are updated to better reflect the working of the Taskforce and link to Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and awareness of environmental challenges, as laid out in section 3;

 

b.       it be agreed to advise the Barley Homes Shareholder Advisory Group regarding future recommendations of the Taskforce;

 

c.       the proposed objectives and amendments for the West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-24 be agreed, as laid out in section 4;

 

d.       it be agreed that the West Suffolk Local Plan should include a specific strategic objective regarding the environment and climate change challenges, as laid out in section 4;

 

e.       the recommendations for the 2020/21 budget, as set out in Section 5, be approved, specifically for up to £18,000 to be available from the Medium Term Financial Strategy Reserve to meet the additional cost of purchase of electric vehicles.

 

Additional Recommendations (Addendum to Report No: CAB/WS/20/009)

 

RESOLVED:

That:

 

f.       The West Suffolk Environmental Statement 2018/19, as contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/009, be noted; and

 

g.       for future years, the Environmental Statement be included in the Council’s Annual Report, starting with the 2019/20 Annual Report, as laid in section 4.2 of Report No: CAB/WS/20/009.

 

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which updated on the work of the West Suffolk Environment and Climate Change Taskforce and sought approval for a number of recommendations put forward in the interim period.

 

Following its establishment in July 2019, the Environment and Climate Change Taskforce had begun a thorough evidence-based review of environment and climate change issues with the purpose of making recommendations back to Cabinet on the further actions the Council could take to address climate change and mitigate adverse impacts on the environment.

 

The Taskforce was expected to present its final recommendations later in 2020; however, a number of initial recommendations had been proposed for consideration at this meeting, which if approved, would help the work of the Taskforce to progress.

 

An additional recommendation was proposed which had inadvertently been omitted from the report and was tabled before Members. The purpose and reason for the recommendation was set out in the original report. The recommendation was as follows:

 

1.       The West Suffolk Environmental Statement 2018/19, as contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/009, be noted; and

 

2.       for future years, the Environmental Statement be included in the Council’s Annual Report, starting with the 2019/20 Annual Report, as laid in section 4.2 of Report No: CAB/WS/20/009.

 

The Chair invited Councillor David Roach, Portfolio Holder for Local Plan Development and Delivery and Member of the Environment and Climate Change Taskforce to present the update and move the recommendations.

 

Councillor Roach explained the approach and methodology of the Taskforce, as set out in paragraphs 2.3 to 2.5 of the report, and how a range of options were currently being developed in respect of each workstream so that final proposals could be presented to Cabinet for approval later in 2020.  In the meantime, initial recommendations were set out in sections 3, 4 and 5 of the report and each were considered in turn.

 

A detailed discussion was held and the Cabinet acknowledged that good progress was being made with general support expressed for the recommendations. Specifically, the following observations and comments were made, that:

 

·         An Air Quality Group had been established in Bury St Edmunds and it would therefore be appropriate for these and other similar environmental groups to work together to achieve common aims.

 

·         In respect of future tree planting, consideration needed to be given to the impact on the landscape and to ensure existing landscapes were protected where necessary; allowance of sufficient time for the trees to grow and embed properly and safely; to plant indigenous species in order to help protect existing plant growth and reduce the potential spread of disease; and to ascertain whether the Council could act commercially in terms of whether the trees could be planted and harvested on a rotational basis to generate an income.

 

·         Greener initiatives potentially needed to be introduced into the existing ageing housing stock in the district and not just provided in new homes. The Council would need to lobby Government regarding such change.

 

·         In respect of reporting CO² savings,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

89.

Draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/010) pdf icon PDF 277 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/010

Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths           Lead Officer: Ian Gallin

 

(Note: This item was deferred by Cabinet on 26 November 2019.)

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

 

That subject to the incorporation of Appendix A (Leader’s Foreword), the draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024, as contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/010 be adopted, taking account of the comments made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report which was recommending to Council, the approval and adoption of the draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework.

 

The preparation of the new draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework had been taking place as part of a wider piece of work aimed at ‘Planning for the Future’, in which a joined-up approach was being taken to the Strategic Framework, West Suffolk Local Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

 

The advent of the new council and the aligned timetables of the three documents provided a good opportunity for West Suffolk Council to develop a single, coherent narrative and approach to what councillors wanted to see achieved in West Suffolk in coming years.

 

Councillor John Griffiths, Leader of the Council, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that section 1 of the report detailed the process that had been undertaken to produce the draft Strategic Framework, which included holding Member workshops. The first workshop sought exploration of specific questions, the feedback from which had been used to inform both the Strategic Framework and the initial scoping of the new West Suffolk Local Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy.  The second workshop considered in more detail what might be the best approach to achieving growth in West Suffolk in future years. 

 

The input from Members was then combined with the existing commitments and priorities, plus those of partner organisations, to produce a draft Strategic Framework document.

 

Members noted that in developing the Framework, the key points to acknowledge and as set out in further detail in the report, were:

 

a.       The document was not comprehensive;

b.       It was proposed that the Council’s strategic priorities remained the same.

c.       West Suffolk’s contribution was only part of the picture.

d.       The document included a new emphasis on the Environment and Rural issues.

 

On 14 November 2019, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the draft document and had made a number of comments which were set out in section 3 of the report.

 

Having considered the document (Appendix B), the Leader’s Foreword (Appendix A) and the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Cabinet was supportive of recommending its adoption by Council.

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

 

That subject to the incorporation of Appendix A (Leader’s Foreword), the draft West Suffolk Strategic Framework 2020-2024, as contained in Appendix B to Report No: CAB/WS/20/010 be adopted, taking account of the comments made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

90.

Decisions Plan: 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2020 (Report No: CAB/WS/20/011) pdf icon PDF 285 KB

To consider the most recently published version of the Cabinet’s Decisions Plan

 

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/011

Portfolio Holder: Cllr John Griffiths           Lead Officer: Ian Gallin

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report which was the Cabinet Decisions Plan covering the period 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2020.

 

Members took the opportunity to review the intended forthcoming decisions of the Cabinet; however, no further information or amendments were requested on this occasion.

91.

Revenues Collection Performance and Write-Offs (Report No: CAB/WS/20/012) pdf icon PDF 143 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/012

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton       Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

The write-off of the amounts detailed in the Exempt Appendices to Report No: CAB/WS/20/012, be approved, as follows:

 

(1)     Exempt Appendix 1: Council Tax totalling £11,778.83

 

(2)     Exempt Appendix 2: Business Rates totalling £289,654.00

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which provided the collection data in respect of Council Tax and National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) and sought approval for the write-off of the amounts contained in the Exempt Appendices attached to the report.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of the Cabinet, including the current performance of both council tax and business rates collection, as set out in Section 3 of the report. She reiterated that it was always frustrating to write-off any outstanding debts.

 

The Cabinet agreed with Councillor Broughton’s frustration but commended the work of the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership, and in particular their Enforcement Agency, in trying to do all they possibly could to retrieve outstanding debts.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

The write-off of the amounts detailed in the Exempt Appendices to Report No: CAB/WS/20/012, be approved, as follows:

 

1.       Exempt Appendix 1: Council Tax totalling £11,778.83

2.       Exempt Appendix 2: Business Rates totalling £289,654.00

92.

Western Way Development, Bury St Edmunds (Report No: CAB/WS/20/013) pdf icon PDF 479 KB

Report No:   CAB/WS/20/013

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Joanna Rayner          Lead Officer: Alex Wilson

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       subject to resolution 2. below, the external assurance review for the Western Way Development carried out between November and December 2019 be deemed to be satisfactory in terms of progression of the project on the basis approved by Council on 19 September 2019;

 

2.       the action plan set out in Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/WS/20/013 address the key findings of the review be approved and implemented;

 

3.       subject to resolution 2. above and the existing conditions approved by Council on 19 September 2019 being met, the Director be authorised to:

 

a.       adjust the final phase 1 scheme for a replacement leisure centre, the new public service hub and their supporting infrastructure in consultation with the Portfolio Holder and the Council’s Section 151 Officer so that it continues to meet the objectives set out in the Final Business Case; and

 

b.       commence procurement work for the parts of this phase 1 scheme in respect of which the necessary safeguards to the Council are in place; and

 

4.       subject to planning consent being secured, the final award of contract(s) prior to works starting on site be subject to approval by Cabinet.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which contained recommendations for enabling the next stage of the proposed Western Way Development in Bury St Edmunds to progress.

 

Approval was given by Council in September 2019 of the final business case for the Western Way Development. Under the terms of that Council decision, Cabinet was now authorised to deliver the project described in the final business case, and seek external funding, without reference back to Council provided that it met certain tests and conditions, as set out in section 1.4 of the report.

 

Councillor Joanna Rayner, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Community Hubs, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that the project was developing in accordance with meeting those requirements, which included the undertaking of an independent external assurance review. This review was commissioned to Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), property and development specialists. A copy of its full report was attached as Exempt Appendix 2.

 

RLB had not identified any significant issues that would prevent progression of the project; however, there were some areas that they felt needed addressing and as such, RLB had provided a number of recommendations to be taken forward.  Appendix 1 attached to the report contained the full and verbatim recommendations received from RLB.  These were provided in the form of an action plan to ensure each recommendation was acted upon and monitored as suggested by RLB.  In addition, RLB’s main findings were briefly summarised in section 2.6 of the report.

 

Councillor Rayner emphasised that the review had been undertaken by a fully independent specialist. She and Cabinet felt reassured that no significant issues had been identified that would prevent the project from progressing and that it was broadly moving in the right direction.

 

Subject to addressing and monitoring the issues highlighted in the action plan, and subject to planning consent being secured and working effectively with partners, the Cabinet looked forward to this exciting and innovative second stage of the aspirational Public Service Village concept coming to fruition.

 

RESOLVED:

That:

 

1.       subject to resolution 2. below, the external assurance review for the Western Way Development carried out between November and December 2019 be deemed to be satisfactory in terms of progression of the project on the basis approved by Council on 19 September 2019;

 

2.       the action plan set out in Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/WS/20/013 address the key findings of the review be approved and implemented;

 

3.       subject to resolution 2. above and the existing conditions approved by Council on 19 September 2019 being met, the Director be authorised to:

 

a.       adjust the final phase 1 scheme for a replacement leisure centre, the new public service hub and their supporting infrastructure in consultation with the Portfolio Holder and the Council’s Section 151 Officer so that it continues to meet the objectives set out in the Final Business Case; and

 

b.       commence procurement work for the parts of this phase 1 scheme in respect of which the necessary safeguards to the Council are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

93.

Exclusion of Press and Public

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded during the consideration of the following items because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during the items, there would be disclosure to them of exempt categories of information as prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and indicated against each item and, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minutes:

See minutes 94. and 95. below.

94.

Exempt Appendix: Western Way Development, Bury St Edmunds (para 3) (Report No: CAB/WS/20/013)

Exempt Appendix 2 to Report No:        CAB/WS/20/013

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Joanna Rayner          Lead Officer: Alex Wilson

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the Exempt Appendix to this report.  However, no reference was made to specific detail and, therefore, this item was not held in private session.

95.

Exempt Appendices: Revenues Collection Performance and Write-Offs (paras 1 and 2) (Report No: CAB/WS/20/012)

Exempt Appendices 1 and 2 to Report No:     CAB/WS/20/012

Portfolio Holder: Cllr Sarah Broughton       Lead Officer: Rachael Mann

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the Exempt Appendices to this report.  However, no reference was made to specific detail and, therefore, this item was not held in private session.

 

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