Agenda item

Recommendations from the Cabinet

To consider the recommendations from the meeting(s) of the Cabinet held on 5^th December 2018 and 16^th January 2019.

Any recommendations from 16^th January 2019 will be to follow.

Minutes:

Cabinet Recommendations 5^th December 2018

Bromsgrove District Council’s Response to the Wyre Forest District Council’s Pre-Submission Local Plan

The recommendations from Cabinet in respect of the Council’s response to the Wyre Forest District Council’s Pre-submission Local Plan were proposed by Councillor K. Taylor and seconded by Councillor G. Denaro.

In proposing the recommendations Councillor Taylor explained to Members that this had already been submitted to Wyre Forest due to the time constraints and that if it had been done any later it would have been out of time. He drew Members’ attention to item 6.1 of the response which made it clear that the Council was the Wyre Forest Local Plan was unsound, and that the Council did not consider that the plan was justified, effective or consistent with National Policy. Details supporting this were highlighted within the report, in particular the objection focused on Policy 12 – Strategic Infrastructure and Policy 13 – Transport and Accessibility, together with the evidence base which purported to support them.

Councillor Taylor thanked all those involved in preparing the response and in particular the Ward Councillors from Hagley who had attended the Cabinet meeting to put forward their views and concerns.

Following presentation of the report Members discussed a number of areas within it and Councillor S. Colella thanked both the Portfolio Holder and the Strategic Planning Manager for the detailed response stated that he fully supported it. It was questioned whether the inclusion of this item within the agenda impacted on a Notice of Motion to be considered later in the meeting and Councillor Taylor advised Members that it did not.

The papers had been marked as confidential and Members questioned whether this should have been considered in private session. Councillor Taylor explained that originally the document had been confidential but it was not a public document and as such he was happy for it to be discussed in public.

RESOLVED:

a) that the Officer response to the Wyre Forest Local Plan Review Pre Submission Plan, be approved by Council as its formal response, and that this be confirmed with Wyre Forest District Council; and

b) that delegated authority be given to the Head of Planning and Regeneration to ensure that the Council is represented at the Examination in Public element of the Wyre Forest Local Plan Review.

Finance Monitoring Quarter 2 Report

The recommendation from Cabinet in respect of the Finance Monitoring Quarter 2 Report was proposed by Councillor B. Cooper and seconded by Councillor G. Denaro.

In presenting the report Councillor Cooper advised that it outlined the Council’s financial position at the end of quarter 2 in September 2018. It was early in the financial year to draw any conclusions; however, it appeared that the Council seemed to be on target to achieve a modest under-spend for the full year. The table on page 58 of the agenda suggested that the Council would make a surplus of over £500k but this was misleading because the figures in the table now included the Section 31 Grant given by Central Government for offsetting the costs of small business rate relief. The Council was not certain that this would be given this year so it was not in the original budget. The apparent surplus would go into balances.

The Quarter 2 Report was produced for the Cabinet and was tabled as information for Councillors. However, there was one accounting issue on page 57, that needed Council’s approval; this would not have any impact on the Council’s overall budget position.

The Council had received funding for a Government promoted district heat network feasibility study. A district heating network is a cluster of buildings supplied with heat from a central plant via a network of pipes. Councillor Cooper agreed to send a briefing note on the study to any Councillor who was interested. There was an increase in the 2018/19 revenue budget of £59k for the Bromsgrove District Heating Feasibility Study. This would be funded by a grant of £40k from the Government Heat Network Development Unit, a grant of £5k from North Worcestershire Economic Development & Regeneration and a grant of £14k from Worcestershire LEP.

Following presentation of the report Members discussed a number of areas including:

· Whether the Heat Network Grant related to private or social housing and who would benefit from it. Councillor Cooper explained that this was the very early stages of the project and that he would provide Members with a briefing paper outside of the meeting explaining more details.

· What areas would be covered by the Heat Network Feasibility Study and whether there was a cost to the Council? Councillor K. May provided a brief summary of information she had found on the Heat Network website.

· Whether sites had already been identified where the Heat Network would be located.

· Councillor Cooper re-iterated that Members were merely being asked to transfer funds to the revenue account.

· The shortfall in planning application income and whether this could also be included in the costs that the Council would attempt to recoup from Worcestershire County Council.

RESOLVED that an increase in the 2018-19 Revenue Budget of £59k for the Bromsgrove Heating Feasibility Study be approved and to be funded by a Government Heat Network Development Unit Grant (£40k), NWEDR (£5k) and Worcestershire LEP (£14k).

Cabinet Recommendations 16^th January 2019

Medium Term Financial Plan 2019/20 – 2022/23

The recommendations from the Cabinet in respect of the Medium Term Financial Plan 2019/20 – 2022/23 were proposed by Councillor B. Cooper and seconded by Councillor G. Denaro.

In proposing the recommendations Councillor Cooper explained that the report on the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) was submitted to Cabinet. This was not the final version and was not for discussion at this evening’s meeting. The final version of the MTFP was being prepared and would be discussed by the Finance and Budget Working Group and Cabinet before it was submitted to Council in February for approval. However, there were items in the attached report which related to staff pay which Cabinet has recommending to Council. In the appendix on page 81 of the agenda pack, there was a briefing paper on the National Pay Award and the proposed changes to the local pay model. It was anticipated that no Council employee would have a pay cut as a result of the proposed revision to the pay model. The changes would cost the Council £165,000 over the next four years and these costs had been included in the MTFP that is being finalised. This scheme would be going to formal consultation with the trades’ unions, provided Council approved it.

Following presentation of the report Members discussed a number of areas in more detail:

· The impact of the proposed pay model and whether any staff who were affected by it would be given a transitional period of adjustment.

· It was confirmed that the Trade Unions involved in the consultation would be the Bromsgrove branches of Unison, GMB and Unite.

· The aim was to bring both Redditch Borough Council’s and this Council’s pay models in line with each other, with Redditch carrying out its own negotiations.

· Staff morale and industrial relations and whether this was something which the Overview and Scrutiny Board could consider investigating. Councillor S. Colella commented that he had chaired a Joint review with Redditch Members, in respect of the staff survey and he had been appointed as the “Staff Champion”. Although he highlighted that he had not been invited to any discussions on this in recent months.

· It was suggested by Councillor P. McDonald that a small panel of Members be brought together to meet to two or three times a year to discuss industrial relations and other related issues to ensure that, if necessary, any appropriate actions are being taken to address any issues. The Leader agreed that he would meet with the Group Leaders and the Chief Executive to discuss this matter further.

· Whether the assumptions made within the report should be amended to take account of the impact of the reduction on the New Homes Bonus (NHB) received on the NHB Community Grants Scheme which has been based on a percentage of “new” NHB money received. Members were keen to ensure that this worthwhile scheme continued.

RESOLVED:

a) that the pay model as detailed at Appendix 5i of the report (attached to these minutes), be adopted and implemented with effect from 1^st April 2019; and

b) that a formal consultation be commenced with the Trade Unions, with a view to reaching a Collective Agreement to implement the pay model in line with the revised National Pay Spines.

Fees and Charges 2019/20

The recommendations from the Cabinet in respect of the Fees and Charges 2019/20 were proposed by Councillor B. Cooper and seconded by Councillor G. Denaro.

In proposing the recommendations Councillor Cooper explained that in past years, fees that could be increased were increased across the board by a standard inflationary increase. Understandably, this had criticized by Councillors, especially last year. Heads of Service had taken this on board so this year the approach had been somewhat different, as outlined in paragraphs 3.1 and 3.2 of the report. It remained more important than ever that additional income was generated from Fees and Charges and this year, each fee was assessed to identify how it met the Council’s strategic purposes. Any increases suggested had been based on a robust estimate of firstly, the impact of cost increases and secondly, the demand for the service. Where a general inflation increase had been proposed, RPI of 3% was used; this was the level of RPI in October 2018.

Fees and charges had been considered in the light of the following criteria:

· Was the service to be subsidised by the Council?

· Was the service to break even?

· Was the service to make a surplus, to offset other overhead costs?

The appendix to the report showed all the fees and charges for each service area, with comments on each section. It was noted that part of the appendix was on confidential papers, as it contained fees and charges for some Environmental Services that were commercially sensitive. The schedule of fees and charges had been discussed at the Finance and Budget Working Group where some suggestions were made, which were subsequently approved by Cabinet and are listed on page 2 of the supplementary agenda tabled at this evening’s meeting. They would be incorporated into the schedule of fees and charges.

Cabinet had also felt that there could be more information about what some hire charges included. It was proposed that this information would be included in next year’s schedule of fees and charges. All members of the Council had had the opportunity to question Heads of Service at a special meeting, held before the most recent Cabinet.

Following presentation of the report Councillor S. Baxter took the opportunity to thank the Portfolio Holder and the Finance and Budget Working Group for their work and in bringing forward such a comprehensive report. It was agreed that the approach taken this year was one of the most effective that Members could remember and the cross party work of the Finance and Budget Working Group was recognized as being pivotal in the progress that had been made. It was hoped that these improvement would continue.

Councillor Cooper took the opportunity to thank the Executive Director, Finance and Resources and the Senior Democratic Services Officer for their support and input into the Finance and Budget Working Group.

RESOLVED:

a) that Council approve all fees and charges that are included within Appendix 1 of the report;

b) that Council approve the recommendations from the Finance and Budget Working Group; and

c) that additional information on hire Products be included within future fees and charges reports.

Capital Strategy 2019/20 incorporating Treasury Management Strategy and half year Treasury update

It was noted that the Group Leaders had been advised of the deferral of this item. Councillor Cooper apologised for this and explained that on further consideration and as this was a new requirement, he believed it would be helpful if the Finance and Budget Working Group be given the opportunity to consider it before it was brought before Council. It would therefore be re-considered at the Cabinet meeting in March and be brought back to Council at its March meeting.

Supporting documents: