Agenda and minutes
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Contact: Rosemary Cole Sheena Jones
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apologies Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
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Declarations of Interest To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 4th November 2015 were submitted.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 4th November 2015 be approved as a correct record. |
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Overview and Scrutiny Board (a) To receive and note the minutes (b) To consider any recommendations contained within the minutes Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 26th October 2015 were submitted.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 26th October 2015 be noted. |
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Churchfields Multi Storey Car Park Improvements Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet considered a report on proposed capital works required to improve the condition of Churchfields Multi-Storey Car Park and to address the problems caused by vandalism.
It was reported that the Overview and Scrutiny Board had considered the report at their meeting on 23rd November and had supported the proposals.
The Portfolio Holder and the Head of Environmental Services reported on the current condition of the Car Park and in particular referred to the stairwells which needed cleaning and repainting and the need to replace damaged doors.
It was noted that a survey had been carried out by the Crime Prevention Design Advisor from West Mercia Police who had advised on the work to be undertaken. The report had also highlighted the need to take measures to prevent access outside the normal Car Park opening hours.
It was intended as part of the works to improve the lighting and the fire alarm system and to improve the procedures around the lock up arrangements and the cleaning and maintenance regime. It was anticipated that the improvement works together with the new arrangements proposed would assist in partnership working with the Police and would enhance support to address any Anti Social Behaviour issues.
Cabinet Members supported the proposed actions but it was requested that officers ensure that all potential areas in the vicinity which could be points of unauthorised access were addressed. The Head of Environmental Services referred to the potential for additional work to be undertaken within the proposed budget figure.
RESOLVED that the improvement works to Chuchfields Multi – Storey Car Park be approved.
RECOMMENDED that the 2015/16 Capital Programme be increased by £80,500 to include the proposed works to the Churchfields Multi – Storey Car Park and that the necessary funding be released from balances.
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Debt Recovery and Write Off Policy Additional documents: Minutes: The Cabinet considered a report on a revision to the Write Off Policy to enable changes in best practice to be taken into account and for procedures to be streamlined.
Members noted that the Policy would ensure that all services were taking a consistent approach to the write off of irrecoverable debts and that the new Policy reflected new working practice and changes to the reporting regimes which had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.
The Director of Finance and Resources reported that the policy would clarify and formalise the framework arrangements in place and would facilitate officers working with those in debt to try to find satisfactory solutions.
RESOLVED that the Write Off Policy contained in Appendix 1 to the report be approved.
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Finance Monitoring Report Quarter 2 Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet considered a report on the Council’s financial position for revenue and capital for the period April to September 2015.
The Director of Finance and Resources and the Portfolio Holder for Finance highlighted a number of issues in respect of revenue spending, however it was noted there were no significant overspends.
In respect of capital it was noted that there would be a re profiling of the budget for some schemes where works would not be commencing until 2016/17.
RESOLVED that the current financial position in respect of revenue and capital as detailed in the report be noted.
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Fees and Charges 2016/17 Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet considered a report on fees and charges to be levied on services provided by the Council and used as the basis for income targets in the Medium Term Financial Plan 2016/17 to 2018/19.
Members were aware that following the recommendation at the previous Cabinet meeting, any proposed increases other than statutory charges would need to be considered by Council. Members noted the charges set out in 3.3 of the report which officers felt it was appropriate to increase, together with the reasoning behind the proposed increase in each case.
The Head of Environmental Services reported that the fees relating to trade waste and cess pool services were closely linked to charges levied on this Council by Worcestershire County Council. At present it was not know if the County Council intended to increase these charges, but if this was the case the charges levied by this Council would need to be increased accordingly to avoid a loss making position.
RESOLVED that the fees and charges as set out in Appendix 1 to the report in respect of which there was no proposed increase be approved.
RECOMMENDED (a) that the fees and charges as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, in respect of which there was a proposed increase (an explanation of which was set out in paragraph 3.3. of the report) be approved: (b) that if there proves to be a need to reflect increased charges made by Worcestershire County Council, as referred to in the preamble above, the setting of fees in respect of trade waste and cess pool services to reflect such increases be delegated to the Director of Finance following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance.
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Medium Term Financial Plan 2016/17 - 2018/19 - Update Presentation Minutes: The Director of Finance and Resources gave a brief presentation on challenges and issues around financial planning for 2016/17 – 2018/19.
The presentation mainly focussed on the central government Comprehensive Spending Review and the impact this would be likely to have on this Council. It was noted that at present there was a lack of detailed information on levels of grant and other issues such as changes to the Business Rates regime and potentially to the New Homes Bonus scheme.
It was noted that there would be additional information available on 16th December when final details of the settlement would be released.
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