COUNCIL
Minutes of a meeting of North Norfolk District Council held on 24 June 2014 at the Council
Offices, Holt Road, Cromer at 6.00 pm.
Members Present:
Mrs S A Arnold
Mr M Baker
Mrs L Brettle
Mr B Cabbell Manners
Mrs A ClaussenReynolds
Mrs H Cox
Mr N D Dixon
Mrs H Eales
Mrs A M Fitch-Tillett
Mr T FitzPatrick
Mrs A Green
Officers in
Attendance:
21.
Mrs P Grove-Jones
Mr G Jones
Mr P W High
Mr T Ivory
Mrs A Moore
Mr P W Moore
Mr W J Northam
Mr J Perry-Warnes
Mr R Reynolds
Mr E Seward
Mr R Shepherd
Mr B Smith
Mr N Smith
Mr R Smith
Mr R Stevens
Mrs A Sweeney
Mr P Terrington
Mrs V Uprichard
Mr G Williams
Mr P Williams
Mr R Wright
Mr A Yiasimi
Mr D Young
The Chief Executive, The Corporate Directors, the Monitoring Officer, the
Head of Finance and the Democratic Services Team Leader
PRAYERS
The Chairman invited Reverend Anthony Long, Vicar for Scottow and Sloley to lead prayers.
22.
CHAIRMAN’S COMMUNICATIONS
The Chairman said that his first month in office had been very diverse. He had attended the
civic service at North Walsham and celebrated the completion of the restoration of St Benet’s
Abbey at Horning. The Vice-Chairman, Councillor Claussen-Reynolds, had attended two
further events on his behalf – the High Sheriff’s reception and the annual meeting of the West
Norfolk, King’s Lynn and Wisbech Branch of the NSPCC which had provided some very useful
information that would be circulated to all members.
He went on to say that the previous week he had been honoured to attend the First Night
Riders event at Cromer Pier. The UK branch undertook an annual visit to theatres around the
country to raise awareness and generate funds for the Theatrical Guild. This year’s coastal
tour started in Cromer.
The month’s events culminated in in the Municipal Journal Awards at the Hilton Hotel, London,
for which eastlaw, the Council’s in-house legal team, received the award for legal services. Mr
Ivory congratulated them on their great success – which had seen them shortlisted against
several large councils. He then invited the team to come up to the front of the Chamber and
receive their award.
The Chairman concluded by informing members that his nominated charities for his term of
office were the Royal British Legion and the Benjamin Foundation.
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23.
TO RECEIVE DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST FROM MEMBERS
None
24.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Ms V Gay, Mrs B McGoun, Mr R Oliver, Miss B
Palmer, Mr R Price, Mr J Punchard, Mrs L Walker, Mr S Ward and Mr J Wyatt.
25.
MINUTES
The minutes of the annual meeting of Council held on 21 May 2014 were approved as a
correct record.
26.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None
27.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None
28.
APPOINTMENTS
It was proposed by Mr T FitzPatrick and seconded by Mr G Williams and
RESOLVED
To appoint Mrs L Brettle to replace Mr R Reynolds as a substitute on the North Norfolk Joint
Museums Committee.
29.
RECOMMENDATIONS LICENSING AND APPEALS COMMITTEE 7 MAY 2014
AGENDA ITEM 6: LICENSING FEES AND CHARGES POLICY
Mrs H Cox, Vice-Chairman of the Licensing and Appeals Committee introduced this item. She
informed members that this policy had been considered and agreed by the Licensing and
Appeals Committee at their meeting on 7th May 2014.
RESOLVED
To adopt the proposed fees and charges for the licensing function of the Council.
AGENDA ITEM 7: CARAVAN SITE LICENSING FEES
Mrs H Cox introduced this item. She said that there had been a lot of discussion regarding this
report when it was considered by the Licensing and Appeals Committee.
RESOLVED
To adopt the proposed fees for caravan site licences.
AGENDA ITEM 8: LICENSING POLICY FOR SEX ESTABLISHMENTS
Mrs H Cox introduced this item. She informed members that the Licensing and Appeals
Committee had recommended approval of the the policy subject to the following amendments:
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

officer designations following restructuring
clarification of the relevant date of adoption of Schedule 3 of the act as mentioned at
paragraph 1.1 of the document
 confirmation of receipt of consultation from the Health Authority
 a typographical error in paragraph 5.12 of the document
RESOLVED
to approve the Licensing Policy for Sex Establishments subject to the above amendments.
Mr R Wright voted against the resolution.
30.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CABINET 12 MAY 2014
AGENDA ITEM 9: NORTH NORFOLK ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN
Mr T FitzPatrick introduced this item. He explained that the Asset Management Plan 2014/15
to 2016/17 outlined the strategic framework within which the Council managed its property
assets. He drew members’ attention to the commitment to continue the improvement works to
the Council’s car parks.
Mr P W Moore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee confirmed that the
Committee endorsed the recommendations at their meeting on 20 May 2014.
RESOLVED
1. To approve the Asset Management Plan as the basis for the strategic framework for asset
management at North Norfolk District Council, including implementation of the Action
Plan.
2. To approve a capital budget of £110,000 to continue the improvement works to the
Council’s car parks.
31.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CABINET 09 JUNE 2014
a) AGENDA ITEM 10: 2013/14 OUTTURN REPORT
The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Mr W Northam, introduced this item. He explained that the
report presented the outturn position for the revenue account and capital programme for the
2013/14 financial year. He said that he was pleased to report a surplus of £119,011 which
would be transferred to the general reserve. He went on to thank the Corporate Leadership
Team, the Head of Finance and all the staff who had worked so hard. He also thanked the
Chairman and Cabinet for their continued support.
Mr P W Moore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee confirmed that the
Committee endorsed the recommendations at their meeting on 18 June 2014, although they
advised that the LAM beams in the Council office’s roof required urgent maintenance.
Members were invited to speak:
i.
ii.
Council
Mr M Baker queried the cost of spending £30,000 on replacement hardware storage.
The Head of Finance advised that the new equipment would facilitate quicker data
access for a ten year period – as outlined in the Cabinet report.
Mr G Jones commented on the £300,000 reduction in the general reserves and
wondered how significant this was. The Head of Finance acknowledged that the
reserves were lower and this was due to the costs of the storm surge. However, the
additional funding towards the costs of the storm surge was not included at this stage.
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24 June 2014
RESOLVED to approve:
a) The final accounts position for the general fund revenue account for 2013/14;
b) The transfers to and from reserves as detailed within the report (and Appendix C) along
with the corresponding updates to the 2014/15 budget;
c) To transfer the surplus of £119,011 to the general reserve;
d) The financing of the 2013/14 capital programme as detailed within the report and at
Appendix D;
e) The balance on the general reserve of £1,745,452 at 31 March 2014 and forecast balance
of £1,496,220 at 31 March 2015;
f) The updated capital programme for 2014/15 to 2015/16 and the associated financing of the
schemes as outlined within the report and detailed at Appendix E;
g) A capital budget of £30,000 for replacement hardware storage as detailed within 7.2 of the
report.
Mr G Jones voted against the resolutions.
b) AGENDA ITEM 12: DEBT RECOVERY ANNUAL REPORT
Mr W Northam introduced this item. He explained that this was an annual report detailing the
council’s collection performance and debt management arrangements for 2013/14 and went
on to outline the figures for council tax, business rates and sundry debt. He praised officers
for their continued hard work in pursuing the recovery of debts owed to the Council. He
concluded by thanking the Head of Revenues and Benefits, Louise Wolsey, for all of her
support over recent years and wished her a long and happy retirement.
Mr P W Moore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee confirmed that the
Committee endorsed the recommendations at their meeting on 18 June 2014. He said that the
Committee were impressed by the collection success rates.
RESOLVED:
To approve the annual report giving details of the Council’s write-offs in accordance with the
Council’s Debt Write-Off Policy and performance in relation to revenues collection.
c) AGENDA ITEM 13: TREASURY MANAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORT
Mr W Northam introduced this item. He explained that the report set out the treasury
management activities undertaken during 2013/14 compared with the Treasury Management
Strategy for the year. Mr Northam said that this was the first time that the anticipated
investment income for the year was not achieved. However, the LAMIT Pooled Property Fund
had earned more than predicted thus resulting in a smaller overall shortfall. Mr Northam
concluded by thanking the Technical Accountant for all his hard work.
Mr P W Moore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee confirmed that the
Committee endorsed the recommendations at their meeting on 18 June 2014.
RESOLVED:
To approve the Treasury Management Annual Report and Prudential Indicators for 2013/14.
d) AGENDA ITEM 15: CAR PARKING MANAGEMENT AND PRICING
Mr T FitzPatrick introduced this item. He said that Cabinet had decided to review the car park
pricing structure to help local businesses. Consideration was still being given to how to offer a
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24 June 2014
short period of free parking – with one possibility being the introduction of marked bays. He
went on to outline the budgetary implications of the Cabinet decision.
Mr P W Moore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee said that this item had led
to a lot of discussion at the Committee meeting on 18 June 2014 – particularly the issue of
free parking. He said that the Committee would like to be kept informed of progress on this
issue.
Members were invited to speak:
a) Mr G Jones said that the current administration proposed to reduce car park income by
£110K and had not indicated how they intended to replace it. Mr T FitzPatrick replied
that although there was a funding gap, the administration felt that it was important that
they should focus on helping local businesses and residents and the financial impact
would be addressed during the budget process.
b) Mr M Baker referred to section 1.5 of the Cabinet report which indicated that the car
park income from Holt alone was quite considerable. Given this, he queried why the
administration would not address the lack of capacity within the town. Mr T FitzPatrick
responded by saying that there was a lot of work in progress with various stakeholders
to resolve the ongoing issues regarding parking within the town and that the Council
would continue to work towards a remedy for the problem.
c) Mrs H Cox commented that the introduction of short-term free parking would be
beneficial to local residents. Mr R Shepherd agreed, adding that the evening charges
were confusing and he supported their removal.
d) Mr E Seward, local member for North Walsham North, said that he welcomed the
possibility of some free parking bays. He hoped that it would unlock some of the
problems that the town was experiencing and lead to a positive way forward and the
release of County Council funding.
e) Mrs A Moore asked when the proposed changes would be introduced. Mr T FitzPatrick
replied that there was a lead-in time for parking orders. He said that the changes would
be implemented following a 3 month consultation period.
RESOLVED
To approve the following budget implications (detailed within Section 6 of the Cabinet report))
6.1 As indicated above the financial impact is made up of a one-off cost of £10,000 for
the machine changes and signage along with an ongoing full year impact of
£110,000 per annum for the reduction in income (assuming implementation of free
parking option between 9:00 am and 9:30 am).
6.2 There may be some reduction in enforcements costs although these are yet to be
explored further with KL&WN.
6.3 The current financial projections as reported in February 2014 within the budget
report detailed a future funding gap of £239,000 for 2015/16 increasing to £1.3 million
in 2016/17. The changes to car parking charges as recommended within this report
will increase the funding gap by £110,000 from 2015/16 onwards.
6.4 The full year/ongoing budget impact from 2015/16 onwards will need to be
considered as part of the budget process for 2015/16 which will commence later in
the year. For the current financial year, assuming an implementation date of 1
October, the financial impact is expected to be in the region of £32,000 including the
signage/machine software changes and can be funded from existing budgets and the
Asset Management Reserve.
Mr G Jones voted against the resolution.
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32.
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 18 JUNE
2014
Mr P W Moore, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, informed members that
although there were no recommendations from the Committee to Council, he wished to update
them on the following areas that the Committee were focussing on:
a) The Citizens Advice Bureau (Norfolk) would be invited to attend a Committee meeting to
respond to questions from members following the merger between the North Norfolk branch
and the County branch.
b) The Committee was holding an additional meeting on 22nd July to look at housing issues
across the District. All members were welcome to attend.
c) In November, there would be a session on tourism right across the District – including the
Broads. Two external representatives would be attending to give a presentation and
respond to members’ questions.
33.
TO RECEIVE THE APPROVED MINUTES FOR THE UNDERMENTIONED COMMITTEES
RESOLVED
to note the approved minutes of the undermentioned committees:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
34.
Overview & Scrutiny Committee – 12 February 2014
Overview & Scrutiny Committee – 12 March 2014
Cabinet – 14 April 2014
Development Committee – 17 April 2014
Cabinet – 12 May 2014
REPORTS FROM THE CABINET OR MEMBERS OF THE CABINET
Mr G Williams informed members that the Council had received £211,512 of National Lottery
funding from Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund. The funding was for the
three-year long Sports Clubs and Hubs’ project which aimed to deliver a range of sporting and
exercise activities designed to encourage people who currently had difficulty gaining access to
sports facilities – with an overall target of getting 2000 more people playing sport. Emphasis
would be placed on making these activities self-supporting in the longer term. He concluded by
saying that the Council had been successful in receiving the funding because they had
provided an evidence base for the sporting needs across the District, together with a
deliverable plan.
35.
QUESTIONS RECEIVED FROM MEMBERS
Mr G Jones had submitted the following question:
‘What is the full year cost of the proposed changes to car parking charges and given that for
the next two financial years there are massive shortfalls in the revenue budget, how will these
changes be funded?
Mr T FitzPatrick referred Mr Jones to his earlier response to the item on Car Parking
management and Pricing (minute 31d), which he felt had already provided an answer to this
question. Mr Jones queried the shortfall of £110k and whether that included penalty charges
and where the shortfall would be funded from. Mr FitzPatrick replied that the facts were laid
out within the Cabinet report and that the shortfall would be considered as part of the Budget
process.
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36.
NOTICE(S) OF MOTION
None received.
The meeting concluded at 6.47 pm.
_________________________
Chairman
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