Decisions

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.

The Cabinet will be asked to consider a gateway review for the Western Way Development project, which was a requirement of the full business case for moving into the procurement phase. This has not however, held up the submission of a planning application.

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.

The Cabinet will be asked to consider the final report and recommendations of its Rural Taskforce following its work to develop evidence-based options both to directly address challenges facing the rural areas and also to ensure rural considerations are taken into account in future Council processes and decision making.

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.

The Cabinet will be asked to consider applications for Community Chest funding for 2020/21 (and beyond in some cases).

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

ab.     Risby Village Hall Charity Trust.

 

 

The Cabinet will be asked to consider the recommendations of the Anglia and Revenues Benefits Partnership Joint Committee in respect of seeking amendments to its constitutional agreement.

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).

The Cabinet will be asked to consider the interim findings and recommendations of the Environment and Climate Change Taskforce, which has been established to ensure that the Council uses the opportunity to review and assess its existing activities and future opportunities in response to increased societal awareness of environmental issues.  The Taskforce will explore how the Council can enhance its environmental stewardship, recognising the need for balance with other urgent social and economic priorities.

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.

 

 

The Cabinet will be asked to adopt a new Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document, which has been subject to consultation.

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.

 

The Cabinets will be asked to consider the recommendations of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee and recommend to Council, the approval of the Treasury Management Report 2019-2020 which summarised the investment activity for the period 1 April to 30 September 2019.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: (25 February 2020)

 

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

Further to its consideration on 26 November 2019, the Cabinet will be asked to consider recommendations of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee for recommending to Council on proposals for achieving a sustainable budget in 2020/2021.

 

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.

The Cabinet will be asked to consider writing-off outstanding debts, as detailed in the exempt appendices.

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

The Portfolio Holder for Regulatory will be asked to make a decision on whether consultation should commence on a new Taxi Handbook for West Suffolk Council.

RESOLVED:

 

That changes to the West Suffolk Taxi Policy Handbook be consulted upon, as set out in Section 3 and Appendix A to Report No: CAB/WS/20/014.

In July 2018, the Government updated its statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.’  The document sets out the legislative requirements and expectations of how key partners, including local authorities, should safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults. 

 

West Suffolk Council will therefore review its Safeguarding Policy to reflect the updated guidance.

RESOLVED:

 

That the updated West Suffolk Children and Adult Safeguarding Policy, as contained in Appendix 1 to Report No: CAB/WS/20/015, be approved.