Agenda Item 2__
CABINET
Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Monday 15 October 2012 at the Council
Offices, Holt Road, Cromer at 10.00am.
Members Present:
Mrs A Fitch-Tillett
Mr T FitzPatrick
Mr T Ivory
Mr K Johnson (Chairman)
Mr J Lee
Mr W Northam
Mr R Oliver
Also attending:
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Ms V Gay
Mrs P Grove-Jones
Mr P High
Mrs A Moore
Mr P W Moore
Ms B Palmer
Mr R Reynolds
Mr E Seward
Mr B Smith
Mr D Young
Officers in
Attendance:
Also in
Attendance:
47.
The Chief Executive, the Head of Finance, the Technical Accountant,
the Housing Services Manager, the Strategy Team Leader, the Coast
and Community Partnerships Manager and the Community Projects
Manager.
The press
LEADER’S COMMUNICATIONS
The Leader welcomed Councillor Rhodri Oliver to the Cabinet.
48.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
None received
49.
MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2012 were confirmed as a correct
record and signed by the Chairman.
50.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None received
51.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None received
52.
Cabinet
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
1
15 October 2012
None
53.
MEMBERS TRAINING DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT GROUP
RESOLVED that
the minutes of the meeting of the Member Training Development and Support Group
held on 22nd May 2012 be received subject to the following amendment on page 2,
paragraph 7:
‘An article had been put in the Members’ Bulletin regarding a £70.000 fine for a
council that had mislaid paper records containing sensitive information’.
54.
JOINT STAFF CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
RESOLVED that
The minutes of the meeting of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee held on 25
June 2012 be approved.
55.
TREASURY MANAGEMENT – INVESTING IN POOLED PROPERTY FUNDS
Mr W Northam introduced this item. He explained that Cabinet and the Overview and
Scrutiny Committee had recommended that further consideration should be given to
investing a proportion of the investment portfolio in pooled property funds when
appropriate. With interest rates and investment returns likely to remain low for a long
period, now was an appropriate time for the Council to consider alternative asset
classes for its investments. The Council’s treasury advisors, Arlingclose, suggested
that £5m was a suitable initial size of investment for NNDC to make into a property
fund. For a deposit of this size, it was not felt to be worth diversifying between two
funds and it was proposed that the Council invested with the LAMIT Fund.
Depending on the amount available for investment in the future, an additional
allocation could be made to property at a later date through the Lime Fund.
Options considered:
Investment in other types of pooled investment funds has been considered, together
with a continuation of the current strategy of only investing in cash orientated
investments, but these options do not offer the potential of a higher return for the
Council when compared to the pooled property funds.
Members discussed the report:
a) Mrs A Moore was concerned that £5m amounted to approximately a quarter of
the capital fund. The Technical Accountant replied that the money was from core
investments and had been there for many years. He added that it needed to be a
substantial amount to ensure a decent return.
b) Mr P W Moore said that Arlingclose had always advised the Council well in the
past. He asked how quickly the money could be accessed if required. Mr W
Northam replied that it could withdrawn on a monthly basis. If a large amount was
required then it may take longer as a property may need to sold to fund the
request.
c) Mr D Young sought further information on the reserves that would be established
if the investments in LAMIT went ahead. The Technical Accountant explained that
as the returns from this type of investment could fluctuate over time it was
suggested that reserves were established to smooth out the return to the
Cabinet
2
15 October 2012
Revenue Account. Mr W Northam added that security was paramount. The
LAMIT had been operating for 30 years and was highly regarded.
d) Mr D Young requested that the Council considered investing in the Norfolk Credit
Union at a future date.
It was proposed by Mr W Northam, seconded by Mr J Lee and
RESOLVED
That delegated powers be given to the Portfolio Holder for Resources and the
Section 151 Officer to invest in the Local Authorities Property Fund (LAMIT) and
Aviva Lime Property Fund as appropriate.
Reason for the Decision:
To diversify the Council’s investments and secure a higher return than existing
investments.
56.
NORTH NORFOLK HOUSING STRATEGY 2012-2015 (SUPPORTING
VULNERABLE PEOPLE TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY)
Mr T Ivory introduced this item. He explained that this was the third and final
document in the suite of housing strategy documents. It considered how vulnerable
people could be supported to live independently within the community and contained
a detailed action plan for the period 2012-2015.
Options considered:
a) To do nothing. The Housing Strategy would be incomplete if this option was
taken.
b) To complete the document and address the needs of vulnerable people in the
District.
It was proposed by Mr T Ivory, seconded by Mrs A Fitch-Tillett and
RECOMMENDED to Full Council
To adopt the North Norfolk Housing Strategy (Supporting Vulnerable People to live
independently within the Community)
Reasons for the decision:
To adopt the final document in a suite of three, which together form the North Norfolk
Housing Strategy 2012-15. Each document concentrates on a specific area and has
an action plan
57.
HOUSING ENFORCEMENT POLICY
Mr T Ivory introduced this item. He explained that the Council had not had a Housing
Enforcement Policy in place before and the intention was to provide a transparent
approach to the action that would be taken to improve poor dwelling conditions
across the district. It would form part of a wider strategy aimed at bringing together all
the enforcement powers available to the Council and provide a more holistic
approach.
It was proposed by Mr T Ivory, seconded by Mr R Oliver and
Cabinet
3
15 October 2012
RESOLVED to
Adopt the Housing Enforcement Policy
Reasons for the decision:
To provide a transparent approach to improving poor dwelling condition
across the District.
58.
THE NORTH NORFOLK BIG SOCIETY FUND – SECOND ROUND LARGE
GRANT APPLICATIONS
Mr T Ivory introduced this item. More applications had been received than previously
and it had been necessary to be strict in assessing them against the Fund’s criteria to
ensure that funds remained available for eligible and worthwhile projects that might
be submitted in future rounds.
Five applications requesting funding of over £10,000 were submitted. Of these, one
had insufficient information to be considered and two had been deferred pending
further work to investigate a sustainable way forward. Two applications had been put
forward for consideration by Cabinet. The first project sought to provide a multi-use
games area (MUGA) for Erpingham and the second aimed to provide a new National
Coastwatch Institute facility at East Runton.
Members discussed the report:
a) Ms V Gay sought clarification on the application from Erpingham Parish Council.
She felt that as it was proposed to pledge up to £10,000 it could have been
referred to the North Norfolk Big Society Fund Board. Mr T Ivory explained that
whilst the recommendation was for £10,000, the application had been for
significantly more funding and that was why it had been referred to Cabinet for a
decision.
b) Mr P W Moore asked whether the funding for the MUGA was conditional on
obtaining match funding or whether Erpringham Parish Council would receive it
regardless. Mr T Ivory said that it was contingent on the Parish Council finding
the balance and they would only receive the grant once the additional funding
was in place.
c) Mr W Northam said that he was very pleased that Coastwatch had been awarded
a grant.
It was proposed by Mr T Ivory, seconded by Mr J Lee and
RESOLVED
1. To pledge support from the Big Society Fund up to £10,000 to Erpingham Parish
Council, contingent on the balance of funding for the MUGA project being
forthcoming from elsewhere
2. That funding of up to £12,000 be provided to National Coastwatch Institution,
Mundesley in respect of its proposed East Runton facility.
59.
Cabinet
NORTH WALSHAM TOWN CENTRE ENHANCEMENT AND SIGNAGE SCHEME
4
15 October 2012
Mr T Ivory introduced this item. He explained that approval was sought for £46,000
partnership funding support from the Council’s Leadership of Place Programme
budget to contribute to the Market Place improvements and highway signage scheme
that had been initiated by Norfolk County Council and agreed by North Walsham
Leadership of Place Steering Group and constituent local organisations. The total
cost of the scheme was £96,000 and the County Council had a budget of £50,000
that had been approved by their Cabinet in March 2012. The scheme aimed to
improve the physical infrastructure of North Walsham town centre and had been put
forward as a partnership initiative to support the various projects aimed at improving
the overall economic and community well being of North Walsham.
The proposed scheme focused on making improvements to highways, parking and
traffic flows in conjunction with signage improvements. It was anticipated that a safer
pedestrian environment would be provided as a result of the initiative.
The Council were not leading on this project as the County Council had responsibility
for highways.
Members discussed the report:
1. Mr W Northam said that when he had met with North Walsham Town Council
about car parking within the town, they had raised concerns about signage. It was
felt that visitors to the town found it difficult to find the car parks and therefore any
improvements to signage were to be welcomed.
2. Mr E Seward, Member for North Walsham North and Chairman of the Leadership
of Place Project welcomed the proposals. He said that it was a modest scheme
aimed at improving public safety and enhancing the appearance of the town
centre. He added that there was broad consensual support for the scheme from
within the town.
3. Mr P Moore, Member for North Walsham East, supported the scheme. He said
that signage throughout the town should be looked at – including shop fronts and
that improvements to road and pavement surfaces should also be considered as
there were currently several variations throughout the town centre.
4. Mrs V Uprichard, Member for North Walsham East, said that she was concerned
that the disabled parking and loading bay in Church Street seemed to have been
left out of the proposals.
5. Ms V Gay, Member for North Walsham West, welcomed the improvements but
said that it was important to ensure that they were in keeping with the church and
the surrounding area. She thanked Mr E Seward for all his hard work – recently
and prior to the establishment of the Leadership of Place project.
It was proposed by Mr T Ivory, seconded by Mr W Northam and
RESOLVED
1. To approve £46,000 funding support from the Council’s Leadership of Place
Programme budget, to contribute to the Market Place improvements and highway
signage scheme in support of the Leadership of Place Programme.
2. To confirm that conditional to £46,000 being provided as a scheme contribution by
NNDC that any overspend on the total cost of this amount is covered by Norfolk
County Council from its own budget and that the signage works as part of the overall
scheme are completed within the financial year 2012-13.
Cabinet
5
15 October 2012
3. That officers within both Conservation and Design and Property sections of the
District Council are fully engaged in the detailed design aspects of the schemes with
Highway officers working with Norfolk County Council.
Reasons for the decision:
To improve the existing highways and signage in North Walsham Town Centre,
encouraging better usage of the facilities and the provision of a safer pedestrian
environment.
60.
4/4a MARKET STREET (AND ADJACENT FORMER PUBLIC CONVENIENCES)
NORTH WALSHAM
Mr T Ivory explained that the report sought to address the issues relating to the
Council’s own landholding at a site in North Walsham town centre and recommended
a way forward that would ensure that the derelict building occupying the adjacent site
(number 4 and 4a Market Street was improved). Now that the public toilets had been
relocated to Vicarage Street, it was possible to bring forward a scheme that did not
include the toilet facilities on the site. It was proposed that the Council should, under
the auspices of the ‘infrastructure’ theme of the approved Leadership of Place Action
Plan take the appropriate steps to facilitate the improvement of the site within a
reasonable timescale.
Members discussed the proposals:
a) Mrs A Fitch-Tillett welcomed the proposals. She said that the site had originally
come to the Development Committee seven years ago and it was imperative that
action was taken to improve the site.
b) Mr E Seward, commented that concerns about the site pre-dated his time as a
councillor. Twelve months had been lost over a dispute with the Land Registry
over a small strip of land behind the site, delaying any progress further. He said
that he welcomed private development initiatives but not if it leads to such a log
period of delay and that he supported the Council’s resolve to take action should
it be necessary and would support the recommendations.
c) Mrs V Uprichard sought clarification on the term ‘a reasonable period of time’. Mr
T Ivory said that he felt that had passed already and that if necessary the
compulsory purchase order process could commence. The Chief Executive
added that six months would be allowed for a developer to submit their proposals
then a further 15 months for substantial completion.
d) Ms V Gay commented that the site was a source of great concern to the residents
of North Walsham.
e) Mr P W Moore said that he would prefer tighter timescales. He commented that
the planning system required that certification of ownership must be abided by
and that this may have been the cause of previous problems and delays.
The Leader thanked the Coast and Community Partnerships Manager for his hard
work on a very challenging project.
It was proposed by Mr T Ivory, seconded by Mr R Oliver and
RESOLVED
1) That authority be given to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Corporate
Assets portfolio holder, to agree the transfer of the Council’s asset (site and
building) at the Butchery toilets, North Walsham in accordance with the terms
Cabinet
6
15 October 2012
outlined in this report, to the owner of the adjacent site (4/4a Market Street, North
Walsham); and
2) That authority be given to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Corporate
Assets portfolio holder, to acquire the site comprising 4 and 4a Market Street,
North Walsham, by private treaty for a sum not exceeding £35,000, or by
compulsory means for the sum determined by any confirmed Compulsory
Purchase Order (by reference to Cabinet if necessary), should disposal under
recommendation 1) not be satisfactorily completed within a reasonable period of
time.
Reasons for the decision:
To improve a long-term derelict site within North Walsham Town Centre.
The Meeting closed at 10.50am
_______________
Chairman
Cabinet
7
15 October 2012