CABINET
Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Monday 11 June 2012 at the Council
Offices, Holt Road, Cromer at 10.00am.
Members Present:
Mr K Johnson (Chairman)
Mrs A Fitch-Tillett
Mr T FitzPatrick
Mr T Ivory
Mr John Lee
Mr W Northam
Also attending:
Mrs L Brettle
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Ms V Gay
Mr G Jones
Mr N Lloyd
Mrs B McGoun
Mrs A Moore
Mr P W Moore
Mr R Oliver
Ms B Palmer
Mr J Perry-Warned
Mr R Shepherd
Mr B Smith
Mrs V Uprichard
Mr G Williams
Mr J Wyatt
Mr D Young
Officers in
Attendance:
Also in
Attendance:
12.
The Chief Executive, Corporate Director (N. Baker) the Head of
Finance (for items 19, 20 and 21)the Technical Accountant (for item
20) the Housing Services Manager (for item 22) the Coast and
Community Partnerships Manager (for item23),
The press
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
None
13.
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2012 were confirmed as a correct record
and signed by the Chairman.
14.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None
15.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None
16.
Cabinet
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
11 June 2012
Member(s)
17.
Minute
No.
Item
Interest
Mr K Johnson
North Norfolk Housing
Strategy 2012-2015
Personal and non
prejudicial as a
Member of the Board
of Victory Housing
Trust
Mr T Ivory
North Norfolk Housing
Strategy 2012-2015
Personal and non
prejudicial as a
Member of the Board
of Victory Housing
Trust
Mr N Lloyd
North Walsham Sports
Centre Joint User Agreement
Personal and non
prejudicial as the
Council’s appointed
representative to the
North Walsham
Sports Hall
Management
Committee
MEMBER TRAINING DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT GROUP
RESOLVED that
the minutes of the meeting of the Members’ Training, Development and Support
Working Group held on 28 February 2012 be received.
18.
PLANNING POLICY AND BUILT HERITAGE WORKING PARTY
RESOLVED that
The minutes of the meeting of the Planning and Built Heritage Working Party held on
23 April 2012 be received.
19.
2011/12 OUTTURN REPORT
Mr W Northam, Portfolio Holder for Financial Services, introduced this item. He
explained that the report presented the outturn position for the revenue account and
capital programme for the 2011/12 financial year. Details were provided of the more
significant year-end variance and of recommended contributions to earmarked
reserves for future spending commitments. An update to the current capital
programme was also included.
The outturn position on the revenue account as at 31 March 2012 showed an
underspend for the year of £241,601. The general fund balance remained within the
current recommended level.
Members discussed the report:
a) Ms V Gay sought clarification regarding the underspend on coastal protection and
the unspent pathfinder project grant. She was particularly concerned about the
unfilled vacancy within the coastal team. Mr W Northam responded that the
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11 June 2012
vacancy would be filled once the senior management restructure was completed.
He added that there was a large reserve in place to enable the Council to
respond to all their commitments regarding coastal work and the Pathfinder
project. Mrs A Fitch-Tillett, Portfolio Holder for Coastal Issues said that there was
still significant work to be done in relation to the slip road and the replacement
steps at Happisburgh. In response to a further question from Ms V Gay regarding
the timeline for appointing a new member of staff, the Chief Executive said that
various options were being considered, including the outsourcing of some work.
b) Mrs B McGoun was concerned that budgeted expenditure in relation to the North
Norfolk Youth Voice had not been incurred. She sought assurance that the
allocated sum would still be spent on youth projects. The Chief Executive said
that the variance occurred when the Communities Team was restructured. The
responsibility for working with youth groups had not been reallocated as yet but
this would be addressed as part of the Council’s localism agenda. In response to
a further question regarding a 14% saving on environmental strategy, the Head of
Finance explained that these costs had previously been charged to revenue and
were now transferred to capital. She agreed to provide further information on the
£25,585 recharge from Computer Services to Member Services.
c) Mr D Young sought clarification on whether the £20,000 relating to the Strategic
Housing and Choice Based Lettings system was slippage or additional funding.
The Head of Finance confirmed that it was slippage. In response to a further
question regarding Grassed Area Deposits, the Head of Finance explained that
the budget was allocated to revenue before being transferred to the reserve. This
applied to the Local Strategic Partnerships budget too. Mr Young then queried
the budget allocated to Earmarked Reserves, he was concerned that there was
no plan to spend any money from the reserves until beyond 2016. The Chief
Executive explained that there was a need to maintain reserves at a certain level
due to uncertainty over future funding. Mr W Northam added that £300,000 had
been allocated to the general reserve to ensure a balanced budget.
d) Further concerns were raised regarding delays to coastal projects. The Chief
Executive said that a copy of the coastal works programme would be circulated to
all Members.
The Chief Executive advised Members that in future any technical questions relating
to financial reports should be submitted in advance of the meeting or directed to the
financial team.
RECOMMENDED to Full Council
a) The final accounts position for the general fund revenue account for 2011/12;
b) The transfers to and from reserves as detailed in the report;
c) To transfer the surplus to the restructuring reserve;
d) The financing of the 2011/12 capital programme as detailed within the report;
e) The balance on the general reserve of £1,948,590 at 31 March 2012;
f) The updated capital programme for 2012/13 to 2013/14 and the associated
financing of the schemes as outlined within the report and detailed at Appendix E.
20.
ANNUAL TREASURY MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR 2011/12 AND STRATEGY
UPDATE FOR 2012/13
Mr W Northam, Portfolio Holder for Financial Services introduced this item. He
explained that the report sets out the Treasury Management activities actually
undertaken during 2011/12 compared with the Treasury Management Strategy for
the year. An update for alternative investment options for 2012/13 was included.
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11 June 2012
Mr W Northam drew Members’ attention to the decision taken in December 2011 to
reduce the Council’s exposure to the European Investment Bank (EIB) by selling
£4m of its bond holding. The gain made on the sale had been placed into an
earmarked reserve and was available to be released to the General Fund. He
concluded by saying that in the future, the Council would invest in collective
investment schemes focusing on property investment.
Members discussed the report:
1. Mr G Williams asked whether the Council would consider direct investment in
property – particularly in local town centres. He added that such investment could
help achieve various policy objectives. Mr W Northam replied that it was an
option that had been considered and it would be reassessed when the economy
was more stable. The Technical Accountant said that a pooled property fund
allowed the Council to spread the risk further. The Chief Executive added that the
Council was considering a local investment strategy. This would sit outside of
normal treasury investment and she referred Members to the Housing Strategy.
2. Mr D Young asked for further details regarding the LAMIT and Lime Property
Funds. He wondered whether they could be sold and what sort of yields could be
achieved. The Technical Accountant explained that they were long-term
investments and it was possible to withdraw money but it would take longer. He
said that yields were better than fixed-term deposits with banks, at just above 5%
but acknowledged that they were more volatile.
3. Mr P W Moore asked for clarification on the figure invested of £105,410 for
internally managed (short term) investments. The Technical Accountant
explained this was the total value of investments placed in the year and was a
turnover figure giving an appreciation of total investments placed (and
subsequently matured) during 2011/12.
Mr W Northam proposed that the second recommendation was amended to:
‘When appropriate, consideration be given to a proportion of the investment portfolio
being invested in the LAMIT and Lime Property Funds’. Cabinet agreed the
amendment.
RECOMMENDED to Full Council
That the Council be asked to RESOLVE that
a) Treasury Management Annual Report for 2011/12 is approved.
b) When appropriate, a proportion of the investment portfolio is
invested in the LAMIT and Lime Property Funds.
21.
DEBT RECOVERY 2011/12
Mr W Northam presented this item. He explained that the collection of Council tax
and Non-Domestic rates had been particularly challenging during this financial year
due to the economic recession and the introduction of 100% rates on empty NonDomestic properties. The collection targets had been adjusted to reflect the potential
impact of the introduction of the replacement revenues system and ongoing
economic difficulties. Despite this, the collection target of 98.6% had been achieved
and the officers involved should be congratulated on their hard work.
Members discussed the report:
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11 June 2012
1. Mr D Young queried the performance indicators for in-year collection. He said
that there appeared to be a shift from 1.4% of uncollected debt to 1.7% and that
this differed to the figures that were discussed in December 2011 when it was
implied that there would be an improvement in the debt collection rates. Mr W
Northam said the shift reflected the reality of the overall economic situation. The
Chief Executive added that the target for 2012/13 was set 12 months previously
and would be revisited on the outturn.
2. Mr N Lloyd said that it was important that the debt collection target should not be
lowered further.
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
22.
NORTH NORFOLK HOUSING STRATEGY 2012-15 (HOUSING AND
INFRASTRUCTURE)
Mr K Johnson, Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing introduced this item. He
explained that this strategy was the first in a series of three separate documents
reflecting the key areas supporting the delivery of new housing and infrastructure.
This first document set out the vision for the strategy and contained a detailed action
plan for the period 2012/2015 which would support the delivery of new homes across
the district.
Members discussed the report:
a) Mr G Williams said that he was pleased to see a clear link between the housing
strategy and the corporate plan. He agreed that more flexibility was needed to
ensure the delivery of housing across the district and sought assurance that
developers would not be ‘let off the hook’ regarding affordable housing. Mr K
Johnson said that this would not be the case.
b) Mr J Perry-Warnes asked for information regarding the number of empty homes
that would be ready for occupation this year. Mr K Johnson explained that the
plan to bring empty homes back into use was a target only and that the Council
hoped to influence owners through the threat of compulsory purchase orders. The
aim was to bring 100 empty homes back into occupation over the next 3 years,
with a target of 40 during the first year. He added that the Council did not have
access to a precise list of empty homes only unfurnished second homes. The
issue of empty homes would be covered in the second housing strategy.
c) Mrs L Brettle was concerned about the phrase ‘everyone in North Norfolk should
have the opportunity to buy or rent a decent home at a price they can afford’ –
she felt that the wording could be better. Mr K Johnson explained that the phrase
was taken directly from the Corporate Plan. In response to a further comment that
from Mrs L Brettle that there was no mention of the allocation of affordable
housing, Mr K Johnson said that the allocation policy would form part of the Local
Lettings Agreement and this would be covered by the second housing strategy
document.
d) Mr G Jones asked how many empty homes had been subject to a compulsory
purchase order. The Legal and Democratic Services Manager said that one
property in Weybourne had been brought back into use. A second property was
not yet fit for occupation but work was being carried out to upgrade it and a third
property could be subject to a compulsory purchase order (CPO), following
enforcement action. Mr G Jones asked whether there were any other ideas in the
pipeline, he felt that the use of CPO’s did not seem to be effective. Mr T Ivory
said that it was never envisaged that CPO’s would need to be used on a regular
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11 June 2012
basis. It had always been intended that the threat of a CPO would indicate the
Council was serious about tackling the problem. Ultimately the Council should be
judged on the number of empty homes that were brought back into use not the
number of CPO’s issued.
e) Mr G Jones suggested that the Council should consider holding a conference to
get ideas from other local authorities and housing organisations on how to deal
with housing problems. Mr K Johnson said that he did not feel that further
discussions would be helpful at this stage. He added that there was a Housing
Strategy workshop arranged for 20th June 2012 and all Members were
encouraged to attend.
f) Mr R Oliver said that even during better economic times it was hard to achieve
targets for housing development. He asked what the Council had put in place to
ensure that a higher target could be achieved. Mr T Ivory explained that the
Council now had allocated sites across the district. He acknowledged that there
was a need for a more radical way of thinking to address the problem and this
would be addressed in the subsequent strategy documents.
g) Mr P W Moore said that Members were often aware of empty properties within
their wards and that they could provide housing officers with the details. It was
agreed that this was a good idea.
RECOMMENDED to Full Council
The adoption of the North Norfolk Housing Strategy (Housing and Infrastructure)
23.
THE BIG SOCIETY FUND
Mr T Ivory, Portfolio Holder for Localism and the Big Society, introduced this item. He
apologised that local Members had not been notified about applications to the Fund
and said that all Members would be notified in future.
He explained that Full Council had delegated responsibility for determining
applications for up to £10,000 to a newly created Big Society Fund Board. The
inaugural meeting had been held on 21 May and Mr Ivory had been elected as
Chairman and Mr P High as Vice-Chairman. The majority of first round applications
were successful and the Board made total grants of £81,776.
Mr Ivory then outlined the applications that had been received for funding in excess
of £10,000 and requested that Cabinet determined each application in turn. Two of
the applications related to skate parks and he explained that it was important to
ensure that the decisions taken by the Big Society Board were consistent and that as
£10,000 had been awarded to the Skateboarding scheme in Wells, it was proposed
that a grant of £10,000 should also be awarded to the Cromer and Sheringham skate
park organisations. Both awards were subject to conditions.
Two of the applications had been recommended for refusal. In both cases this was
because they did not meet the criteria set out in the Big Society Fund prospectus.
The final application related to the Wells Maltings Trust. It was proposed that this was
deferred to allow further discussion with the Trust and to ensure that an award was
not made without taking into account the support already given to the project by the
Council and the future needs of the scheme. If, following further discussions, it was
felt that an application to the Fund could be supported then the Wells Maltings Trust
would be encouraged to apply again.
Mr Ivory concluded by thanking the Board and officers for their support. He also
thanked the Norfolk Community Foundation for their assistance.
Cabinet
11 June 2012
Members discussed the report:
a) Mrs B McGoun said that of the 14 grants awarded, 10 had been north of North
Walsham and she was disappointed that her ward had not been included. Mr T
Ivory said that he also felt some disappointment that there had been no
applications from his own ward. However, this was just the first round and he
encouraged Members to promote the Fund to their local communities. He
referred them to the Big Society Fund Prospectus which was available on the
Council’s website
b) Mr R Oliver was concerned about the size of the grant awarded to the
Sheringham skate park project. It was considerably less than the £30,000
requested. He stressed that the scheme was well supported within the town and
that there was a lack of other sporting facilities for young people to use. He asked
whether the Portfolio Holder would be prepared to meet with the organisers of the
project to discuss it further. Mr Ivory said that there were several skate park
schemes in the pipeline across the district and Wells had set a benchmark. He
added that some communities, such as Mundesley, had raised a substantial
amount of money themselves to fund their skate parks and this should also be
taken into consideration. He agreed to meet with the organisers to discuss it
further if they wished.
c) Ms V Gay commented that it would be useful for Members to be kept informed of
all applications to the Big Society Fund, including those that had been
unsuccessful. Members may be able to signpost them to other sources of
funding.
d) Mr G Jones said that he was very pleased to see that Stalham Brass Band had
received a grant. He felt that more applications would be received if Members
were able to provide assistance. He suggested that a training session could be
provided to councillors on how to help local community groups make an
application to the Fund. It was agreed that this was a good idea.
e) Mr G Williams said that as a member of the Big Society Fund Board, he agreed
that it was important to be consistent when dealing with applications. He was
concerned that the application from Visit North Norfolk Coast and Countryside Ltd
was allowed to progress as far as it had and that the process should be reassessed. He added that it was important to recognise the impact of the Fund on
equality and diversity across the District and this should be reflected in future
reports to Cabinet.
f) Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds said she was disappointed that no applications had
been received from Fakenham yet but she was encouraged to see a substantial
amount of funding being awarded to youth projects.
Mr T Ivory thanked Members for their comments. He said that members of the Board
were due to meet with potential providers for the capacity building support shortly. He
added that Voluntary Norfolk would be running workshops on this theme in the near
future.
RESOLVED to
Determine the Big Society Fund grant applications in accordance with the Big Society
Fund Prospectus and having regard to the decisions made by the Big Society Board
at its meeting on 21 May 2012.
a) approve grant funding of £10,000 for the Cromer Skate Park Project (subject to
conditions)
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11 June 2012
b) approve grant funding of £10,000 for the Sheringham Skate Park project (subject
to conditions)
c) defer a decision on the application for grant funding on the Wells Maltings Trust
pending further discussions with the applicant
d) refuse grant funding for the Fit Together North Norfolk project because it does not
meet the criteria set out in the Big Society Fund Prospectus (as outlined in
Appendix L of the report)
e) refuse grant funding for Visit North Norfolk Coast and Countryside Ltd because it
does not meet the criteria set out in the Big Society Fund Prospectus (as outlined
in Appendix L of the report)
24.
NORTH WALSHAM SPORTS CENTRE JOINT USER AGREEMENT
The Chairman proposed that this item be deferred to allow for a meeting of the
governors of North Walsham High School and to enable further consultation with
local Members.
RESOLVED to
Defer the item to allow for further consultation
The Meeting closed at 11.38am
_______________
Chairman
Cabinet
11 June 2012