Please contact: Lydia Hall
Please email: lydia.hall@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Please direct dial on: 01263 516047
03 November 2015
A meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of North Norfolk District Council will be held in
the in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer on Wednesday 11th November
2015 at 9.30am.
Please note: The bell will ring at 11.00am so that Members can observe two minutes silence.
At the discretion of the Chairman, a short break will be taken after the meeting has been running for
approximately one and a half hours.
Members of the public who wish to ask a question or speak on an agenda item are requested to arrive
at least 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. It will not always be possible to accommodate
requests after that time. This is to allow time for the Committee Chair to rearrange the order of items on
the agenda for the convenience of members of the public. Further information on the procedure for
public speaking can be obtained from Democratic Services, Tel: 01263 516010, Email:
democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Anyone attending this meeting may take photographs, film or audio-record the proceedings and report
on the meeting. Anyone wishing to do so must inform the Chairman. If you are a member of the public
and you wish to speak on an item on the agenda, please be aware that you may be filmed or
photographed.
Sheila Oxtoby
Chief Executive
To: Mrs S Butikofer, Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds, Mrs J English, Ms V Gay, Mrs A Green, Mr M Knowles,
Mr P Moore, Mrs M Prior, Mr E Seward, Mr B Smith, Mr D Smith and Mr N Smith.
All other Members of the Council for information.
Members of the Management Team, appropriate Officers, Press and Public.
If you have any special requirements in order to attend this
meeting, please let us know in advance
If you would like any document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative
format or in a different language please contact us.
Chief Executive: Sheila Oxtoby Corporate Directors: Nick Baker & Steve Blatch
Tel 01263 513811 Fax 01263 515042 Minicom 01263 516005
Email districtcouncil@north-norfolk.gov.uk Web site northnorfolk.org
AGENDA
1.
TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2.
SUBSTITUTES
3.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To receive questions from the public, if any
4.
MINUTES
(page 1)
(9.30 – 9.35am)
To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee held on the 14th October 2015.
5.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be considered as a
matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.
6.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the
following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requires that declarations
include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.
7.
PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
To consider any petitions received from members of the public.
8.
CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A MEMBER
To consider any requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, and notified to the
Monitoring Officer with seven clear working days’ notice, to include an item on the agenda of the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
9.
RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S REPORTS OR
RECOMMENDATIONS
To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee’s reports or
recommendations.
10.
TOURISM UPDATE
(page 12)
(9.40 – 10.10)
To receive an update on tourism in the district.
11.
BUDGET MONITORING – PERIOD 6
(page 22)
(Appendix A – p.29) (Appendix B – p.30) (Appendix C – p.33)
(10.10 – 10.25)
Summary:
This report summarises the budget monitoring position for
the revenue account and capital programme to the end of
September 2015.
Options considered:
Not applicable
Conclusions:
The overall position at the end of September 2015 shows
an under spend of £541,614 to date for the current
financial year on the revenue account, this is currently
expected to deliver a full year variance of £126,000.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
1) Cabinet note the contents of the report and the
current budget monitoring position;
Cabinet
Decision
Reasons for
Recommendations:
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer
Telephone
Email
12.
To update Members on the current budget monitoring
position for the Council.
Councillor W Northam
All
Karen Sly
01263 516243
karen.sly@north-norfolk.gov.uk
HALF YEARLY TREASURY MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR 2015/16
(page 39)
(Appendix D – p.44) (Appendix E – p.47)
(10.25 – 10.50)
Summary:
This report provides information on the Treasury
Management activities undertaken in the first six months
of 2015/16.
Options considered:
It is a requirement of the Chartered Institute of Public
Finance & Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Code of Practice for
Treasury Management that this mid-year review is
prepared and presented to Full Council.
Conclusions:
That the treasury activities for the half-year have been
carried out in accordance with the CIPFA Code and the
Council’s Treasury Strategy.
Recommendations:
That the Council be asked to RESOLVE that the Half
Yearly Treasury Management Report for 2015/16 is
approved.
Council
Decision
Reasons for
Recommendations:
The recommendation is being made in compliance with
the CIPFA Code.
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on to write the report and which do not contain exempt information)
Arlingclose Report Template – Semi-Annual Treasury Report 2015/16
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer
Telephone
Email
13.
Councillor W Northam
All
Tony Brown
01263 516126
tony.brown@north-norfolk.gov.uk
INFORMATION AND ADVICE SERVICE
(page 49)
(Appendix F – p.58) (Appendix G – p.62) (Appendix H– p.64)
(11.05 – 11.35)
Summary:
In January 2015 Cabinet resolved to accept the following
recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
meeting held on 10th December 2014:
Citizens Advice Bureau Provision in North Norfolk
1. To investigate commissioning generic or specific advice and
support services on the basis of an analysis of needs. A
service specification would then be identified whereby any
suitably qualified organisation which could include existing
Citizens Advice Bureaux but also other voluntary and
community groups or statutory organisations could be invited to
submit a proposal to deliver services in North Norfolk. Where
appropriate, this would include working collaboratively with
Norfolk County Council and other District Councils in the
County.
•
•
•
•
Conclusions:
This report provides an update to Cabinet on the:
Collaborative working that has been undertaken with Norfolk
County Council and other District Councils in Norfolk.
The process followed to seek proposals to commission a
generic information and advice service in North Norfolk
The proposals received for the delivery of an Information and
Advice Service in North Norfolk.
The outcome of the commissioning process and makes a
recommendation for the appointment of a new three year
generalist Information and Advice service
Collaborative working has resulted in greater
understanding of the issues and needs of North Norfolk
residents in respect of information and advice as well as
the benefits of a jointly commissioned Information and
Advice Service in North Norfolk.
Through the commissioning process and at no additional
financial cost to NNDC a proposal has been received for
the provision of a quality assured, generic Information and
Advice Service with improved stakeholder engagement,
co-ordination and accountability as well as an expansion
and increase in how, where and when Information and
Advice services are delivered.
The provision of an Information and Advices Service will
also contribute towards the achievement of North Norfolk
District Council’s (NNDC’s) Corporate Plan 2015 – 2019
Health and Wellbeing Priority - “providing support and
advice to people who are vulnerable and / or struggling
with issues which are negatively impacting on their lives”.
Recommendations:
Cabinet
Decision
It is recommended that Cabinet:
1. Agree that North Norfolk District Council enters
into a three year partnership agreement with
Norfolk County Council to enable the pooling of
North Norfolk District Council and Norfolk County
Council budgets for information and advice
services for the three year period starting
January 2016. The pooled fund to be used to
fund the provision of a new three year
Information and Advice Service for North Norfolk
at a combined annual cost of £109,000 (NNDC
£66,323 NCC £42,677) in accordance with
recommendations 2 and 3.
2. Agree that subject to the agreement of a
satisfactory contract terms incorporating quality
and service monitoring arrangements and the
inclusion of break clauses and an appropriate
partnership agreement between Mid Norfolk
Citizens Advice and Norfolk Citizens Advice that
North Norfolk District Council and Mid Norfolk
Citizens Advice enter into a three year contract
for Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice to provide a
generalist Information and Advice Service for the
North Norfolk District Council area at an annual
cost not exceeding £109,000
3. Delegate authority to the Head of Economic and
Community Development in consultation with the
Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing to
negotiate and settle with Mid Norfolk Citizens
Advice satisfactory contract terms.
4. Agree that North Norfolk District Council
Overview and Scrutiny Committee will receive a
report every six months on the outcome of the
contract monitoring and performance review
meetings.
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer,
telephone
and e-mail:
Councillor B Palmer
All
Sonia Shuter
01263 516173
sonia.shuter@north-norfolk.gov.uk
14.
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY ANNUAL REPORT
(page 78)
(11.35 – 11.45)
To receive the Overview & Scrutiny Annual Report for 2014-2015
15.
THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
(page 84)
(11.45 – 11.50)
To note the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.
16.
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME AND UPDATE
(page 86)
(11.50 – 11.55)
To receive an update from the Scrutiny Officer on progress made with topics on its agreed work
programme and to receive any further information which Members may have requested at a
previous meeting.
17.
EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
To pass the following resolution, if necessary:
“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded
from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely
disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph _ of Part I of Schedule 12A (as
amended) to the Act.”
18.
TO CONSIDER ANY EXEMPT MATTERS ARISING FROM CONSIDERATION OF THE PUBLIC
BUSINESS OF THE AGENDA
Agenda item no._______4_______
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
Minutes of a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 14 October
2015 in the Council Chamber, North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer at
9.30 am.
Members Present:
Committee:
Mr P Moore (Chairman)
Mrs S Butikofer
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Ms V Gay
Mrs A Green
Mr M Knowles
Mr B Smith
Mr N Smith
Officers in
Attendance:
The Chief Executive, the Head of Legal, the Health and Communities
Officer, the Admin Support Officer (Promotion and Arts) the Democratic
Services Team Leader and the Democratic Services Officer
Members in
Attendance:
Mrs P Grove-Jones, Mr P W High, Mrs A Moore, Miss B Palmer, Mr N
Pearce, Mr R Reynolds, Mr G Williams
49. APOLOGIES
Mrs J English, Mr E Seward, Mr D Smith
50. SUBSTITUTES
None.
51. PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None.
52. MINUTES
The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 16 September 2015 were
accepted as an accurate record subject to the following amendment:- that the wording
‘Ms V Gay said that to continue to improve suggested a reward’ was removed from
Minute 13.
53. ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
There was one item of urgent business at the Chairman’s request. The Chairman
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
1
14 October 2015
explained to the committee that he had invited the Chief Executive to respond to any
questions regarding the recent request from Great Yarmouth Borough Council to share
a Chief Executive and Section 151 officer with NNDC on an interim basis.
The Chief Executive said that Council had agreed to explore opportunities to share
senior management arrangements at the meeting on 23rd September 2015. The
preparation of a business case was underway and workshops had been arranged to
give Members the opportunity to put forward any issues or to raise concerns. She then
explained that since then, Great Yarmouth had moved forward quite quickly with the
proposals to share a Chief Executive and s151 Officer, with the request going forward
for approval at their Council meeting on 15th October. No timescales had been specified
and if the proposal was agreed by Great Yarmouth BC then it would come before
Council at NNDC for a decision. A special Council meeting had therefore been arranged
for 21st October and there would be two items on the agenda: Devolution and Shared
Services.
The Chief Executive reiterated that this would only be a temporary arrangement and the
Council would not commit to a permanent arrangement until there had been the full
opportunity to explore the case for such an arrangement and the risks had been fully
assessed. She added that the business case would look more widely at sharing senior
management and that it was an ‘in principle’ decision at the moment.
The Chairman thanked the Chief Executive and invited Members to ask questions:
1. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds asked when the interim arrangement would start if it
was agreed by both councils. The Chief Executive replied that Great Yarmouth
BC’s Interim Chief Executive finished on 6th November so it would start after that
date.
2. Ms V Gay queried the s151 Officer arrangement and asked whether it would only
be in terms of those duties or whether it would include wider financial duties. Ms
Gay also asked whether it could be inferred that Great Yarmouth BC was losing
faith in their own s151 officer by choosing NNDC’s instead. The Chief Executive
replied that the post would be as Chief Finance Officer and would include the
management of the accountancy team but there would not be a wider remit. She
went onto say that Great Yarmouth currently had an interim s151 Officer who
had been supplied by an agency. That person had recently left and the Council
did not currently have a s151 Officer in post. With the Interim Chief Executive
role also finishing soon it seemed beneficial to deal with both posts together.
3. Ms V Gay commented that the s151 Officer ensured the integrity of the whole
organisation and she had concerns about resilience at NNDC. She concluded by
asking how long the interim arrangement would last for. The Chief Executive
replied that the business case would look at reasonable timeframes and a report
would be made to both Councils in sufficient time for a decision to be made. This
would be for the benefit of both councils as if an agreement could not be reached
Great Yarmouth BC would need sufficient time to recruit.
4. Ms V Gay queried why NNDC had been chosen by Great Yarmouth BC. The
Chief Executive replied that this was a question for the workshops that had been
arranged for Members but that Waveney and Suffolk Coastal DC already had
shared arrangements and that Broadland DC tended to look towards Norwich.
5. Mrs A Moore said that she was concerned about the additional pressure put on
the staff involved and the likely impact on their family life. The Chief Executive
said that she could not speak on behalf of the Head of Finance but that she had
indicated that was looking forward to the challenges that the role might present.
6. The Chairman, Mr P W Moore said that as a previous Portfolio Holder for
Finance, he knew that the s151 Officer was a critical post and he had some
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
2
14 October 2015
concerns that the Council would be losing a key person during the budget
preparation period. The Chief Executive agreed that there were some risks and
some benefits. She said that NNDC would be recruiting a Chief Accountant and
that the post could be more attractive to some candidates as it could give them
the opportunity to work across two councils. She said that there had been
difficulties in recruiting to this post in the past but that moving forward it could
now be advantageous to both councils.
7. Mr P W High asked what would happen if NNDC did not support Great Yarmouth
BC’s request. The Chief Executive said that the Monitoring Officer to Great
Yarmouth would provide advice to them.
The Chief Executive concluded by reiterating that the proposal was only for an interim,
temporary arrangement and that a lot of the issues being raised were important for
longer term arrangements and that this could be an opportunity to ‘road test’ how
sharing a senior management team would work.
54. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None.
55. PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None.
56. CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A
MEMBER
None.
57. RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S
REPORTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS
None.
58. PRESENTATION BY EASTLAW
Members received a presentation by the Head of Legal, Emma Duncan, outlining the
work of the Council’s legal service, eastlaw.
The Chairman thanked the Head of Legal for an informative presentation and invited
Members to ask questions:
1. Mr R Reynolds commented that a lot of members recognised what eastlaw had
achieved. He queried how big the team was and how they dealt with work that
required a QC. The Head of Legal replied that there were 6 full-time lawyers and
2 part-time locums. Each time the team the team took on more work they grew
again. She said that when they took on the legal work for Kings Lynn BC they
had managed for 9 months with a limited number of staff and in future she would
like to re-think this approach. There were also 3 administrative staff who
provided support and covered debt collection and FoI requests. She said that
they were litigation contention specialists and that was what the team sold best.
A lawyer employed for £30k a year could easily generate £80k in fees.
2. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds said that Members were very proud of eastlaw and
that when she had recently attended an event at Kings Lynn BC in her capacity
as Chairman, the members there had also been full of praise.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
3
14 October 2015
3. Ms V Gay commented that many people made the assumption that working in
local government was not rewarding or challenging and that if anyone ever said
this to her she always told them about eastlaw. She went onto say that the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee had previously heard about some service
areas having difficulty in recruiting and she wondered whether the Head of Legal
had a view on this. The Head of Legal replied that she had experienced the
opposite. Having won a number of national awards, eastlaw had a nationwide
reputation and found it easy to recruit. She went onto say that people were
attracted to working for eastlaw for a variety of reasons including finding the work
interesting, an easy commute and the opportunity to engage with the local
community. She said that eastlaw was different from the rest of the Council in
that they were allowed to be innovative and were willing to take risks which gave
the team the freedom to be creative.
4. Mrs P Grove-Jones said that there had been an accelerated curve of recruitment
and fee income and she was concerned that the team could get too big and lose
sight of their local connections. She also wondered whether the move to share
more services would impact on them. The Head of Legal replied that the loss of
focus was a long way off but something that she was aware of. The team was
firmly rooted in NNDC and if this was lost at all then they would re-evaluate their
approach. Being outside of NNDC did not appeal and would not benefit. She
anticipated that eastlaw would be self-financing within the next two years and
when they reached that point that would be the time to decide whether to
concentrate on what they currently did or to expand. In response to a further
question from the Chairman as to whether the eastlaw team were still local
government officers, the Head of Legal confirmed that this this was the case and
that it was important for their identity. NP Law had lost that personal contact
when they formed and that was one of the reasons why eastlaw remained in
contact with their clients throughout the whole process.
5. Mrs A Moore queried a variation in staff costs included within the benchmarking
information provided to Members. The Head of Legal confirmed that this was not
what staff were paid as it included recharges.
59. CULTURAL SERVICES
Miss B Palmer, Portfolio Holder for Cultural Services, spoke ahead of a presentation on
arts and cultural services across the District. She said that the Council invested £91k in
initiatives relating directly to the arts. This resulted in 1,167 events with over 94k people
attending. Key arts and cultural projects and activities supported by NNDC included
Orchestras Live, Sheringham Little Theatre, Cromer Museum, the Belfry Arts centre and
the Garage. The report circulated to Members showed that NNDC’s support for the arts
brought significant social, cultural and economic benefits to individuals, communities
and businesses across the District.
The Administrative Officer for Promotion and Arts then showed a short film outlining
various arts projects supported by the Council.
The Chairman said that he had not realised that the Council did so much and it indicated
that they did a very good job. He invited Members to ask questions:
1. Mrs P Grove-Jones said that she was asking a question on behalf of Councillor
Sue Arnold regarding the location of the art gallery in the upper corridor and
whether it could be moved to a more public location. The Administrative Officer
for Promotion and Arts replied that this had been considered for a while and that
ideally it should be located in the reception area. The only issue would be where
to hang the pictures as flat walls were required. Mrs P Grove-Jones said that
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
4
14 October 2015
boards could be purchased for such purposes.
2. Ms V Gay said that she agreed with Mrs Grove-Jones point as the art work was
for sale and all opportunities to maximise sales should be explored. She then
asked about the future of the Council’s relationship with Cromer Museum as
£20k had been given to them in 2014/15. The Administrative Officer for
Promotion and Arts replied that the Council had agreed to cover this financial
year. They were holding quarterly meetings with the Museums Service and were
continuing to support the museum for now but future support was a decision for
Cabinet. The Chairman added that the Museum needed security to enable them
to plan ahead and that it would be helpful to have clarity on this.
3. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds said that arts and culture were crucial for the
wellbeing of North Norfolk residents and she wondered how NNDC compared to
other districts in terms of funding art services. The Administrative Officer for
Promotion and Arts said that she would look into this and provide a response.
4. Mr N Smith commented that people suffering from depression benefitted from
access to the arts and wondered whether the Council could co-operate more
with mental health charities. The Health and Communities Officer said that she
was conscious of the value of art for health and wellbeing and that the Council
was constantly exploring the relationship and how it could be improved.
5. Ms V Gay thanked Mr Smith for bringing this issue up. She said that it was very
important for rural isolation and that the Council could lobby for doctors to
prescribe art classes as they did for fitness classes. The Health and
Communities Officer agreed that ‘social prescribing’ was being explored by the
Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and that the Council was in discussions
with them.
6. Mr G Williams said that the level of provision that the Council achieved for under
£100k was impressive. Arts and culture was an integral part of North Norfolk life.
There were also clear economic benefits as successful events attracted people
to the area to live and to visit. It could aid recruitment and the Council’s £100k
investment could also lever in further funding. He concluded by saying that arts
and culture was part of the ‘glue’ that held communities together and he would
be interested to see benchmarking against other local authorities. He then asked
the Portfolio Holder whether she agreed that arts and culture was an important
service for NNDC. Miss Palmer replied that she did and that was very important
for all residents including children. The Chairman added that he agreed and said
that it was important that the Council recognised that the provision of cultural
services could have a significant impact on people’s lives.
7. Mr B Smith commented on the new hospital in Mundesley which would have 28
beds. He suggested that NNDC could support them by providing arts events to
help with their mental welfare.
8. Mrs A Moore said that tourism was vital to the district and that there should be
more attractions under cover.
9. Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds, Chairman of the Council, referred to one of her
nominated charities, the Wensum Centre in Fakenham. She said that the local
doctor’s surgery would not display any of the charity’s posters as it was not
funded by the NHS and they could not refer patients to it, even though a local
doctor had set up the charity. The Scrutiny Officer suggested that the Clinical
Commissioning Group could be invited to attend a committee meeting to
respond to queries on this and mental health support generally. The Chairman
agreed and suggested that the Council should also put pressure on where it
could.
The Health and Communities Officer asked whether the Committee would like to receive
an annual update on arts and culture across the District. The Committee agreed that
they would.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
5
14 October 2015
60. THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
The Committee NOTED the Cabinet work programme.
61. OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY UPDATE
The Committee NOTED the Overview & Scrutiny work programme.
The meeting concluded at 11.10 am
_____________________________
Chairman
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
6
14 October 2015
7
8
9
10
11
Agenda Item No____10________
UPDATE ON TOURISM ACROSS THE DISTRICT
Summary:
This report provides an update on tourism in North Norfolk in
terms of an overview of the 2015 season.
Cabinet Member(s):
Cllr Nigel Dixon
Ward(s) affected:
All wards in North Norfolk
Contact Officer, telephone number and email:
Jose Socao, 01263 516303, jose.socao@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Context
1.1
This report provides an overview of the performance of the tourism sector in North
Norfolk. It uses a range of data sources to give an overall impression of performance and
future outlook.
1.2
Tourism continues to have a key role to play in contributing towards the local economy.
The latest available estimates1 in 2014 place the total value of the visitor economy in
North Norfolk at £470 million compared to £435 million in 2013, an increase of 8.1%. This
includes £120.4 million spent by British residents during their staying trips in the District
and £17.6 million spent by international visitors on their trips.
1.3
The table below shows an increase in day trippers over the last three years which may be
attributed to more people tending to travel less distance for pleasure. The trend for visitors
taking shorter breaks from year to year leads to continued drop in staying trips and lesser
number of staying nights in 2014. This trend is the same at Norfolk level and England
level with reduction in staying trips of 0.9% and 9% respectively. However, there seems to
be renewed consumer confidence to spend resulting in an increase of 11% in the staying
trips value. This is almost the same increase at Norfolk level of 10.8% and much better
than at England level (which had a 3% lower spend). North Norfolk accounted for 18% of
all staying visitor trips to Norfolk (19% of nights and 19% spend) in 2014.
2012
Day trips volume
Day trips value
Staying trips volume
Staying trips value
Number of staying nights
Average length of stay
1.4
1
2013
5,948,000
£220,173,000
571,000
£124,937,000
2,452,000
not available
6,733,000
£230,338,000
568,600
£124,321,000
2,934,000
5.16
2014
7,451,000
£247,512,000
545,600
£138,047,000
2,614,000
4.79
Variation
(2013-2014)
10.7%
7.5%
-4.0%
11.0%
-10.9%
-7.2%
The visitor economy supports an estimated 10,543 tourism related jobs or about 26.4% of
all employment within the District, which is higher than the Norfolk percentage of 16.8%.
This is an 8.9% increase in supported employment compared with 2013. Tourism
employment is made up of those working in the following sector groups: accommodation;
food and beverage serving activities; passenger transport, vehicle rental and travel
agencies and cultural, sports, recreational and exhibition / conference activities.
Economic Impact of Tourism – North Norfolk 2014, Destination Research.
12
1.5
NNDC thus continues to recognise that tourism is a critical component of this District’s
economy and consequently the Corporate Plan 2015-2019 includes the following
statement:
“We will capitalise on our tourism offer both inland and along our historic coast by
- Investing.in our assets to support the tourism economy and promote the ‘Deep
History’ concept
- Encouraging a private sector lead to tourism promotion with support in developing
a strong brand.”
2.
Overview of the 2015 season
Tourism Businesses
2.1
The visitor economy in the District is dominated by independently owned tourism
businesses, mostly small and medium enterprises which offer unique and distinctive
tourism products. There are a variety of attractions and accommodation providers which
cater to different types of visitors coming to North Norfolk.
2.2
Over 100 visitor attractions are located in the District, ranging from the traditional family
attractions to museums, historic properties, country parks, gardens, art galleries, industrial
workplaces, heritage and visitor centres. The charts below show the number of
accommodation providers and static caravans within the District. The static caravans
rented to general visitors are mostly in holiday parks spread across coastal and
countryside towns and villages.
13
2.3
The District continues to get new investment in built attractions and in the past couple of
years has seen the opening of Davenport’s Magic Kingdom (contains one of the largest
collections of magic memorabilia in the world) and Wroxham Miniature Railways (claimed
to be the UK’s largest indoor model railway display). Recent developments in new
facilities of North Norfolk’s existing attractions also show the optimism in the industry. To
name a few of those investments:
-
North Norfolk Railway received £450,000 from the Coastal Community Fund for
the wider development of its site which will include a new shop, office, Tourist
Information Centre (TIC) and public toilets (expected to open next spring).
-
Pensthorpe Natural Park invested £1.25 million into a new environmentally friendly
indoor play facility (called Hootz House) this summer, to complement its new
outdoor adventure play area which opened last year.
-
Hilltop Outdoor Centre added a new £35,000 giant Air Jump to their activity
equipment, which is claimed to be the first of its kind in England.
-
Cromer Pier and Pavilion Theatre, voted Pier of the Year for 2015, had almost
£2m investment from the Council to works to the pier’s decking and structure, its
new restaurant, gift shop and box office. It hosts the only remaining 'end of the
pier' show in Europe.
-
Holkham Hall is investing £4.5 million into a new exhibition space, café and
restaurant, larger shop and indoor events facility, which will create exciting new
and improved facilities for visitors to the hall and park.
-
BeWILDerwood launched last summer its new £375,000 Sky Maze, made up of
connecting tunnels, walkways and bridges, cargo nets and spiral staircases,
zigzag beams and spectacular vantage points.
2.4
Holiday parks and caravan & camping sites have also invested heavily in developing their
product and introducing many environmental initiatives including landscaping and
improving the range of facilities on site. Many hotels have updated their offer, by, for
example, refurbishing rooms and visitor amenities whilst retaining a traditional feel.
2.5
A brief tourism questionnaire was sent out to the membership database of Visit North
Norfolk Coast and Countryside Ltd (VNNC&C) and Broads Tourism to provide an
14
indication of recent business performance (Easter to August 2015) and the level of
confidence amongst them, compared to the same period last year.
2.6
Findings from the survey showed that out of the 27 businesses which participated:
-
2.7
more than half (52%) had more visitors or bookings compared with last year (16%
had the same volume)
more than half (54%) of the respondents also reported an increase in visitor spend
(17% having the same)
there were high levels (84%) of satisfaction with recent performance, with 48%
saying they were ‘very satisfied’ with their business performance
a very large proportion of businesses (92%) felt confident for the remainder of the
year, suggesting that many think this year will be a significant improvement on
2014’s performance (which was also a good year).
The survey showed that investment in marketing and PR has been a key activity leading
to improved business performance. Venue improvements were also identified as an
important influence. The relative importance of other influences on improved performance
is shown in the chart below.
Actions influencing performance
25
20
15
10
5
20
14
7
6
3
0
7
2
7
6
Tourist Information Centres (TICs)
2.8
NNDC manages and operates TICs in Cromer, Sheringham and Holt (the management of
the Wells-next-the-Sea TIC service having been transferred to the Wells Maltings Trust
last year). The table below shows comparative visitor numbers.
TIC
Cromer
Sheringham
Holt
a
2.9
2013 visitor
numbers
only until end of August 2015
390,813
82,322
36,956
2014 visitor
numbers
b
262,298
85,419
36,727
Variation
(2014-2015)
2015 visitor
numbersa
b
167,548
76,024
38,342
footfall counter broke down during some periods
-36%
-11%
4%
The Sheringham TIC service (and premises) were transferred to the North Norfolk
Railway (NNR) on 28 September. Demolition of the current building and public toilets has
commenced this autumn with target reopening of the new TIC on 1 April next year. The
Council is providing £154,000 for this capital build. It is anticipated that the redevelopment
15
of the site and the joint operation of the NNR and the TIC will significantly improve the
visitor experience, the quality of the facility and consequently visitor numbers.
2.10
Community/volunteer groups, charities and other local authorities manage other TICs in
the District and neighbouring areas as shown in the table below.
TIC / Visitor Centre
(Norfolk)
Wells-next-the-Sea
Mundesley
Hunstanton
Great Yarmouth
Hoveton
Toad Hole
Operator
2014 visitor
numbers*
2015 visitor
numbers*
Wells Maltings Trust
Community group
63,811
7,313
38,141
51,356
6,863
41,084
-20%
-6%
8%
Great Yarmouth
Borough Council
Broads Authority
Broads Authority
47,326
42,380
-10%
44,223
22,952
39,483
23,000
-11%
0.2%
Borough Council of King’s
Lynn and West Norfolk
Variation
(2014-2015)
*April to September only
2.11
Whilst the visitor numbers to TICs fluctuated over the last three years, they are still
recognised as an important part of the District’s tourism infrastructure. Information
provision is an essential element of marketing and it also encompasses information given
to visitors at the destination, be they casual day visitors or those on a longer break. Such
information is traditionally provided through TICs via personal interaction with staff,
brochures, leaflets and computer terminals. Tourist information centres can do much to
enhance visitors’ enjoyment and can be instrumental in generating repeat visits.
3.
Supported tourism partnerships, organisations and projects
Visit North Norfolk Coast and Countryside Ltd (VNNC&C)
3.1
Visit North Norfolk Coast and Countryside Ltd (VNNC&C) was established to promote the
whole North Norfolk area as a year-round visitor destination. The Council has supported
the company with a total funding of £105,000 over the last three years under a Service
Level Agreement (SLA) which will end on 31 March 2016.
3.2
The table below shows the performance of the organisation against the indicators set out
in the SLA.
No of members
Facebook likes
Twitter followers
Enewsletters
PR
3.3
Initial baseline
115
300
100
12 per year
2013 Sept
146
536
598
11 consumers
 £30K pa press
coverage equivalent
 10 press visits/yr
£578,000
7 press visits
2014 Sept
154
769
1,827
11 consumers
10 trade
£631,000
16 press visits
2015 Sept
188
2,906
4,914
14 consumers
6 trade
£500,000
18 press visits
In the last 18 months, significant changes have taken place, the biggest of these being the
engagement of businesses with the organisation as a result of the formation of a
marketing panel and the provision of networking events, with a consequential growth in
membership. The networking events held at different venues across the area every
quarter have been well attended (on average around 50 tourism businesses, both
members and non-members of VNNC&C). These have provided a valuable opportunity
for the businesses which attended to share their experiences with one another, learn
about the activities of VNNC&C and contribute their views and ideas that can further
enhance the tourism offer of North Norfolk.
16
3.4
A new fully-responsive website (www.visitnorthnorfolk.com), e-communications program
and brand have also been delivered, with efforts now focussed on strengthening the
search engine optimization (SEO) and content-rich format of the website. The chart below
shows the growth in overall traffic to the new website compared with the same period last
year.
Website audience analytics
400,000
350,000
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
356,622
188,612
93,475
45,097
Sessions
June-Aug 2014
June-Aug 2015
76,776
36,572
Users
Pageviews
3.5
Presence on various social media networks (such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and
YouTube) enabled VNNC&C to showcase the fantastic tourism offer of the District to a
wider audience all over the world and to interact more with potential visitors. Twitter
activity in particular continues to gain momentum each month, with 64.1k profile visits,
1,255 new followers and 1.17 million tweet impressions in August alone (compared to 825
profile visits, 202 new followers and 20.8k tweet impressions in January).
3.6
The organisation has had a focus on proactive marketing activity. VNNC&C’s 2015
marketing campaign #YEAROFDISCOVERY2 consists of stimulating video clips,
representing different aspects of the area being launched at the beginning of each month
and promoted via e-communications, social media, PR and web activity. The film themes
are listed below with their corresponding number of views on YouTube as of 20 October
2015.








Stargazer – 206 views (been live three weeks)
The Performer – 343 views
The Boat Builder – 292 views
The Gardener – 620 views
The Artisan – 326 views
The Birdwatcher – 817 views
The Oyster Catcher – 647 views
The Kitesurfer – 2,332 views
3.7
Novel monthly competitions are also being run on Facebook to help generate interest and
traffic. These have surpassed all expectations, with entrant figures topping 1,000 in some
months. Not only are these competitions encouraging engagement and further social
media activity, but also supplying VNNC&C and the involved businesses with valuable
data from Facebook users.
3.8
‘Mad As A March Hare’ provided PR support to VNNC&C from January to September
2015, organising familiarisation trips to journalists to showcase the lovely places and
variety of things to do in the area. Creative PR campaigns were run throughout the
season which generated good media coverage and interest from all over the country.
These novel campaigns included: the ‘world’s most expensive shots for Valentine’s day’
(with Galton Blackiston), ‘relocation of Nelson’s Column to Pensthorpe Natural Park’ (on
2
http://www.visitnorthnorfolk.com/get-inspired/year-of-discovery
17
April Fool’s day), ‘dog friendly businesses and dog beach inspector’ (in May) and ‘Father
Christmas holidaying in North Norfolk’ and ‘Princess Trail’ (both during the summer). The
PR campaigns have so far resulted to 318 million total Opportunities To See3 and
projected rate card value4 of £1.28 million.
3.9
The new Brand Manager, Kayla Dunne, who started in September brings extensive PR
and marketing skills and experience. She will be building upon the success of VNNC&C to
develop and deliver new campaigns that can further promote North Norfolk as a premier
visitor destination.
3.10
Together with neighbouring authorities, NNDC needs to consider the nature of its support
to VNNC&C and ways in which the tourism promotion and development activity might
further build upon the successful platform that now exists. This will culminate in a proposal
to Cabinet before the end of the current SLA.
Broads Tourism
3.11
Broads Tourism is a forum for businesses and organisations located or operating in the
Broads area. Its purpose is to provide a strong unified voice for Broads tourism-related
businesses, with a focus on improving the visitor experience and promoting the Broads as
a high quality and environmentally sustainable destination.
3.12
NNDC is involved, along with tourism businesses and other economic interests in the
Broads area. Increasingly, Broads Tourism is fulfilling a role of coordinating the delivery of
tourism activities across the Broads, including taking overall responsibility for the
emerging ‘Sustainable Tourism Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2020’ for the Broads (out
for consultation later this year).
3.13
Broads Tourism had a successful ‘Enjoy the Broads’ campaign, which included a website
and printed brochure using the Broads Tourism branding, with additional opportunity to
use the new Broads National Park branding. Following on from a successful ‘plein air’
painting event in the Broads last year, ‘A Brush with the Broads’ attracted even more
artists from around the world.
3.14
The Broads Outdoors Festival had 200 well-attended events. These included the Horning
Boat Show (linked to the Festival for the first weekend), links also to ‘National Mills
Weekend’ and a taster weekend, encouraging people to try various activities.
3.15
Another project of Broads Tourism during the year is ‘Love the Broads’, a visitor ‘giving
scheme’ that involves visitors providing donations to participating businesses, which in
turn remit them to the scheme’s funding pot. It has raised £17,000 so far, from which a
number of businesses benefited from project grants. Broads Tourism also supported the
Broads Authority’s successful £2.6 million first stage bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF) for the Water, Mills and Marshes Landscape Partnership Scheme. With partner
input, this amounted to a £4 million project overall.
4.
Other related initiatives
Visit Norfolk
4.1
Visit Norfolk is responsible for promoting the whole county of Norfolk as a premier tourism
destination, to attract leisure and business visitors throughout the whole year. It supports
the local destination management organisations (DMOs) such as VNNC&C and Broads
Opportunities To See – the number of times that a person is likely to see a particular advertisement, used as a
measure in advertising
4
Projected rate card value (also referred to as Advertising Value Equivalent or AVE) – the equivalent cost of the
generated PR coverage if placed as paid advertisement
3
18
Tourism in raising awareness for this beautiful county and its city, boroughs and districts
in the minds of potential visitors from around the world.
4.2
New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Norfolk County Council support the core
funding of Visit Norfolk in the total amount of £144,000 over the next three years with an
aim that it will become self-sufficient after that period. NNDC along with other local
authorities, local destination management organisations (DMOs) and tourism
organisations in the county contribute to Visit Norfolk’s marketing campaign fund and
have a seat on the Visit Norfolk Board.
4.3
During the last two years, Visit Norfolk has concentrated on raising the profile of Norfolk to
national and international visitors through the website, PR, marketing campaigns, ecommunications, networking events and other activities in coordination with VNNC&C and
other local DMOs.
4.4
Visit Norfolk has produced a series of videos5 highlighting the various exciting activities
and charming places around the county for every type of visitor. These have been shared
across Geocast TV’s travel video network of partner blogs and websites. Related content
posts on the videos have also been actively shared on partner social media websites. The
films have now garnered a total of 1.91 million views since September 2014.
4.5
Visit Norfolk, along with New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and Norfolk County
Council, funded the ‘Access A11 Areas’ campaign to promote the easier journey for
visitors to Norfolk with the completed A11 dual carriageway. Posters were produced and
displayed at key locations in London, M11 and A14 in spring 2015. Stunning North Norfolk
images were used on some of those posters.
4.6
E-communications consist of sending a monthly trade newsletter to 4,500 businesses and
a monthly consumer newsletter to 76,000 individuals, generating revenue circa £1,500
each. Via social media, Twitter followers have increased from 3,500 in 2013 to 12,600
through daily engagement. As a result of these activities, Visit Norfolk is placed 6th overall
and 3rd amongst the counties in the inaugural English Tourism Social Media Index6
released early this year.
Norfolk Museums Service (NMS)
4.7
Norfolk Museums Service manages the diverse group of ten award-winning museums
owned by the County and District Councils across Norfolk and cares for the important
collections within them. It is now regarded as one of the leading museum services in the
UK, being recognised in 2014 as an Arts Council Major Partner Museum, one of 16
museums and museum consortia tasked with providing leadership to the sector.
4.8
The Council has provided funding support to Norfolk Museums Service in order to help
meet the operational costs of Cromer Museum (£20,000 this year). This contribution helps
secure other benefits to Cromer Museum, such as senior management support;
education/outreach and schools service; contribution of NMS staff in key areas of service
delivery (e.g. programming, event delivery, education, display, conservation, specialist
curatorial advice and commercial development); building maintenance through Norfolk
County Council’s building maintenance fund; and improvements to the museum to help
achieve carbon reduction targets.
http://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/Norfolk-digital-films.aspx
This is an annual league table of the 126 tourism bodies in England ranked according to the best use of social media
by their official social media channels (http://www.englishtourism.socialmediaindex.co.uk).
5
6
19
4.9
Provisional figures for 1st Quarter this year showed an increase on last year’s figures as
follows:
Financial Stream
Admissions
Admissions income
Retail Income
Total Income
2015/2016
(provisional YTD)
6,745
£8,676
£4,012
£14,699
2014/2015
(Actual YTD)
6,401
£8,101
£3,894
£14,340
2015/16 %
Variance
up 5%
up 7%
up 3%
up 2.5%
4.10
This year’s figures for Cromer Museum so far reflect a similar pattern to Great Yarmouth
Museums. Last year’s records were the highest to date; therefore this steady growth in all
areas is a great achievement, attributed to good management of sites, well attended
events and new innovative projects with effective media support. With schools admission
still to be finalised, NMS anticipates at least matching last year’s totals.
4.11
Last year, Cromer Museum secured over £42,000 in funding to purchase and put on
display a nationally important collection of photographs by pioneering North Norfolk
photographer Olive Edis. The photographs were taken by Edis between 1905 and 1955.
They include stunning sepia images of Cromer and Sheringham fishermen and a rare
series of autochromes, the first true colour photographs. Apart from this exhibition,
Cromer Museum hosted over 20 public events throughout the year which attracted over
11,500 participants.
4.12
NMS also provides a leadership role within the museum sector, offering help and support
to other museums in the region, including the 17 independent museums across North
Norfolk which is the highest concentration in the county.
Deep History Coast (DHC)
4.13
The aim of this project is to provide a national profile for the outstanding natural and
archaeological attractions across North Norfolk in order to generate significant tourism
visits from the rest of the UK as well as overseas. This will also become the ‘brand’ that is
used for wider promotion and marketing to attract investment to the area.
4.14
‘Deep History Coast’ is a term coined to describe some of the oldest and most significant
remnants of the ancient settlement of Europe, found along the North Norfolk coast. These
include the following important fossil discoveries:



West Runton mammoth – 700,000 years old, discovered between 1990 and 1995,
considered to be the most complete and largest mammoth skeleton ever found
Happisburgh handaxe – 500,000 years old, found in 2000, the earliest known
handaxe in Britain
Happisburgh human footprints – between circa 1 million and 0.78 million years
ago, found in 2013, the earliest evidence of hominin footprints outside Africa.
4.15
Whilst there is widespread knowledge and high levels of interest in these finds, it is
disparate and the connections with local communities have sometimes been poor. A
significant project under the North Norfolk Coastal Change Pathfinder programme (at
Happisburgh) did much to ‘reunite’ the local community with their ancient past and this
project is intended to build on that methodology. The intention is to use ‘Deep History
Coast’ as a new ‘brand’ around which a multiplicity of interests (including local
businesses, community representatives and academics) can be coordinated through a
common purpose and commonly held objectives.
4.16
In August, NNDC won a £10,000 grant from the Department for Communities and Local
Government to establish a Coastal Community Team (CCT) to develop the DHC concept.
20
This will culminate in the production of an ‘economic plan’ setting out how this project will
contribute to the development of activities in support of the local economy.
5.
Conclusion
5.1
The current positive outlook for North Norfolk’s visitor economy has been due to its high
quality, good value and varied tourism offer. It is a ‘mature’ destination that is well
promoted and marketed effectively to a wide audience, yielding clear benefits to the local
economy. The local visitor destinations, tourism assets, accommodation and attractions
have kept abreast with visitor expectations and with the demands of the industry. This
can, however, be further propagated by concentrating efforts on a coordinated approach
to marketing the area, based upon the emerging unique selling point of the Deep History
Coast initiative.
21
Agenda Item No______11______
BUDGET MONITORING REPORT 2015/16 – PERIOD 6
Summary:
This report summarises the budget monitoring position
for the revenue account and capital programme to the
end of September 2015.
Options considered:
Not applicable
Conclusions:
The overall position at the end of September 2015
shows an under spend of £541,614 to date for the
current financial year on the revenue account, this is
currently expected to deliver a full year variance of
£126,000.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
1) Cabinet note the contents of the report and
the current budget monitoring position;
Reasons for
Recommendations:
To update Members on the current budget monitoring
position for the Council.
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on the write the report and which do not contain exempt information)
System budget monitoring reports
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Cllr Wyndham Northam
Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Karen Sly, 01263 516243,
Karen.sly@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Introduction
1.1.
This report compares the actual expenditure and income position at the end
of September 2015 to the Updated budget for 2015/16. The Original Base
Budget as agreed by Full Council in February 2015 has been updated for inyear virements and roll forwards from previous periods.
1.2
The base budget for 2015/16 included savings and additional income totalling
£222,000 to be delivered in the year. Section 3.1 of this report includes the
latest position on both of these areas
2.
Budget Monitoring Position – Revenue Services
22
2.1
The General Fund Summary at Appendix A shows the high level budget
monitoring position at 30 September 2015 which shows a year to date
variance of £541,641 underspend. Of the underspend against the profiled
budget, £506,811 is in relation to the service variances and £40,550 is in
relation to the treasury management position. Details of these variances are
included within sections 2.3 and 2.7 respectively in the report. Appendix B
provides further details of the individual service variances.
2.2
Variances are reported against the updated budget in Appendix A. Any
budgets and reserves affected will be updated accordingly.
2.3
The following table shows the over/under spend to date for the more
significant variances this is compared to the updated budget.
Table 1 – Service Variances
Over/ (Under)
Spend to Date
against
Updated
Budget
£
Assets and Leisure
Car Parking – The favourable variance to the end of
period 6 largely reflects income from pay and display
ticket sales above the profiled budget. Although the
full year effect of the additional income is likely to be
reduced by the reduction in excess charge notices.
As this service is demand led and seasonally
influenced the level of income will continue to be
closely monitored. For the current time a full year
variance of £30,000 is currently forecast.
Estimated
Full Year
Variance
Against
Updated Budget
£
(75,266)
(30,000)
Markets – The full year variance and variance to date
is reflective of the current reduction in market fees.
2,692
5,000
Industrial Estates – The variance to date is mainly due
to reduced rental following vacation of premises
during the year.
18,073
5,000
Investment Properties – The majority of the variance
to date reflects a shortfall of income against the
profiled budget, mainly in relation to the Grove Lane
Depot and also where insurance claims are
outstanding.
Community, Economic Development and Coast
Community and Localism – The variance reflects prior
year grants which have been allocated but the funding
has not yet been drawn down.
Customer Services
IT Support Services – Of the variance against the
profiled budget to the end of period 6 £31,800
represents an underspend on employee expenditure
due to vacant posts. No full year saving is currently
anticipated as this funding will be required to support
the digital transformation. Of the remaining variance
£14,660 relates to an underspend on phone rentals.
37,763
25,000
(58,875)
0
(58,013)
0
23
Table 1 – Service Variances
Over/ (Under)
Spend to Date
against
Updated
Budget
£
(30,714)
Estimated
Full Year
Variance
Against
Updated Budget
£
0
(60,998)
0
(50,839)
(30,000)
Benefits and Revenue Management – Employee
savings due to a vacant post for which there is
expected to be a full year saving.
(39,108)
(50,000)
Corporate Finance – Employee savings due to a
vacant post pending further review of options to fill the
post.
(27,444)
(20,000)
Corporate and Democratic Core – The variance to
date includes some outstanding provisions from
2014/15 for which the invoices have not yet been
received for the external audit. The full year effect is in
relation to bank charges for the year.
(25,010)
0
167,834
0
(65,056)
(20,000)
Media and Communications – The variance to date is
made up of underspends on employees costs and
also lease rentals for the reprographics equipment.
Environmental Health
Waste Collection and Disposal – The underspend to
date is made up of a number of variances within the
service against the profiled budget including, a vacant
post which has recently been appointed to, a provision
made in the 2014/15 accounts which was less than
anticipated, additional fee income from garden, bulky
and trade waste customers. The level of
contamination within the recycling materials continues
to be monitored to identify any in year financial
implications.
Financial Services
Benefits – The variance to date is mainly due to
employee vacancies within the team. Appointments to
three posts have been recently made, although there
will be a full year saving which has been reduced
slightly by the use of overtime with the service.
Organisational Development
Registration Services – The variance to the end of
period 6 reflects the costs of the May elections for
which the claims for reimbursement at yet to be made.
The deadline for the submission of the claims is not
yet due and is currently anticipated that there will be a
full recovery of costs as applicable.
Planning
Development Management – The favourable variance
showing at the end of period 6 reflects income
received compared to the profiled budget. To date
additional income of £105,000 has been received
above the profiled budget to the end of September.
24
Table 1 – Service Variances
This has been offset by additional employee related
costs for temporary staffing and agency. The overall
position continues to be monitored, although it is
currently anticipated that there will be a full year
underspend in the service. and some of the income
will be required for the service restructurings.
Building Control – Of variance at the end of period 6,
£12,400 is due to the trainee post being filled later in
the year than budgeted. The remainder relates to
income received above the level budgeted. Overall
there is currently expected to be a full year favourable
variance of £30,000 although this will be allocated to
the earmarked reserve in line with the ring-fencing of
surpluses for the service.
Planning Support – The budget assumed a saving
from previous years, this is not likely to be achieved in
the year.
Property Information – The budget allowed for the
transfer of the land charges service to the Land
Registry during the year. The timescales for the
national project have now slipped for which there will
be a resulting full year effect due to the service
continuing to be provided by the District Council. This
has resulted in income being received in the year
above the budget which is expected to be £81,000 for
the year. The remainder of the full year effect relates
to a new burdens grant received in the year.
TOTALS
Over/ (Under)
Spend to Date
against
Updated
Budget
£
Estimated
Full Year
Variance
Against
Updated Budget
£
(30,017)
0
1,057
20,000
(91,457)
(112,000)
(385,378)
(207,000)
3
Budget Monitoring Position – Savings and Additional Income
3.1
The budget for 2015/16 included savings and additional income totalling
£222,000 within the service areas. The detail for each of the service savings
is included at Appendix D. Table 2 below summaries the current position for
each service heading.
Table 2 – Savings and Additional
Income 2015/16
Corporate Savings
2015/16
Base
Budget
£
101,000
2015/16
Movement
from the
Base
Budget at
P6
101,000
0
2015/16
Updated
Budget
£
Finance
96,000
96,000
0
Environmental Health
25,000
25,000
0
222,000
222,000
0
Total
25
4
Non Service Variances
Investment Interest – to Period 6 2015/16
4.1
The interest budget for 2015/16 anticipates that a total of £430,610 will be
earned from treasury investments and loan interest from loans to Broadland
Housing Association. Overall an average balance of £19.6m is assumed, at
an average interest rate of 2.2%.
4.2
At the end of period 6, a total of £240,875 had been earned, resulting in a
surplus against the year to date budget of £24,989. The rate of interest
achieved was 1.58% from an average balance available for investment of
£30.4m.
4.3
The loans to Broadland Housing Association were anticipated to be made
early June but, as planning permission has not yet been granted, the loans
have not yet been advanced. The budget assumed two loans would be made
- £2.75m at 3.25% and £0.75m at 5%. The delay in making these loans has
contributed to the lower rate of interest to date, and also the higher
investment balance.
4.4
The LAMIT pooled property fund continues to perform well and a return of
3.0% has been assumed in the first 6 months of the year. Investment
balances remain higher than budget.
4.5
The total return which will be achieved in the year depends on a number of
factors including the timing of the loans to Broadland Housing Association
and the performance of the recent investments in the pooled funds, and no
change to the interest budget is being proposed at this stage. Investments
opportunities and strategy have been considered with the Council’s Treasury
advisers, Arlingclose, and further investments in covered bonds and under a
Repurchase Agreement providing enhanced security are planned. Details of
the treasury activity undertaken in the first 6 months of the year are included
in the Treasury Management Half Yearly Report included on this Agenda.
Retained Business Rates
4.6
The 2014/15 outturn position highlighted a favourable variance in relation to
the local retention of business rates which allowed for a transfer to the
earmarked reserve. The operation of the business rates retention scheme
means that any deficit on the collection fund for business rates in the year
would need to be taken account in future years when determining the shares
of the business rates to be allocated (between the district, County and Central
Government). The earmarked reserve is available to mitigate any significant
in-year impact on the budget of surpluses and deficit to avoid significant
fluctuations year on year.
4.7
The latest monitoring position for the current year is showing a reduction in
the level of business rates income compared to the full year budget. This is
largely due to a greater level of reliefs being granted for mandatory reliefs,
which include small business rate relief and charitable occupation relief.
Whilst the reduction in income due to reliefs is mitigated by a section 31 grant
that is received in the year, the impact of the reduction in income collected
will not influence the financial position until the following year. Furthermore
the appeals provision has been increased to reflect the additional appeals in
respect of GP health centres. These factors will all impact on the forecast levy
for the year which will reduce resulting in a ‘underspend’ on the general fund
in the year.
26
4.8
The culmination of these factors is currently forecast to give a net surplus
compared to the budget for the current year, although it will be recommended
that the surplus is transferred to the earmarked reserve to mitigate the
implications and fluctuations in 2016/17 onwards.
5.1
Budget Monitoring Position – Summary
5.2
The following table provides a summary of the full year projections for the
service areas along with an updated use of reserves figure where applicable.
Table 3 - Summary of Full Year Effects 2015/16
Service Areas (Table 1)
Treasury Management
Transfer/Use of Reserves
Total
Estimated
Movement
From Original
Base
£
(207,000)
0
81,000
(126,000)
6
Budget Monitoring Position – Capital
6.1
Members were provided with an updated capital programme for both current
and future years as part of the Period 4 Budget Monitoring report that was
reported to Members in September 2015. Appendix C shows the latest
position for the updated programme together with detail of spend up to Period
6 and comments on individual schemes where applicable.
6.2
The capital programme has been updated to reflect the additional £20,000
budget required to finance the landscaping works for the property in Market
Street North Walsham, which was approved as part of the Period 4 Budget
monitoring report.
6.3
In addition to this at the Cabinet meeting of the 5th October 2015, three further
capital schemes were approved, of which two have now been included within
the revised appendix.
6.4
A budget of £60,000 has been included for the Implementation of a council
wide Document and Records Management System, to be funded from the
budget previously identified in respect of Business Efficiency and Digital
Transformation. A further £44,000 has also been released from this budget to
finance the Implementation of a Web Content Management System.
6.5
The third scheme which received approval was the compulsory purchase of
the former Shannocks Hotel in Sheringham. At the current time the purchase
price is not yet known, and as such it is not possible to include this scheme
within the capital budget appendix. Once the purchase cost and compulsory
purchase fees have been determined, this scheme will be added to the
current capital programme.
27
6.6
Further to these changes, one amendment has been made to the capital
programme which is shown at appendix D. The budget for the Cromer Pier
and West Prom Refurbishment Project has been reduced by the sum of
£200,000 to reflect the fact that FLAG funding is no longer available to finance
the scheme. Due to timing constraints associated with FLAG funding it is not
possible to undertaken eligible works within the required timescales, and as
such the scheme funding has been reduced accordingly.
7
Conclusion
7.1
The revenue budget is showing an estimated full year under spend for the
current financial year of £126,000. The overall financial position continues to
be closely monitored and it is anticipated that the overall budget for the
current year will be achieved.
8
Financial Implications and Risks
8.1
The detail within section 2 of the report highlights the more significant
variances including those that are estimated to result in a full year impact.
8.2
The Original base budget for 2015/16 included service savings and additional
income totalling £222,000, these are still on target to be achieved. The
progress in achieving these is being monitored as part of the overall budget
monitoring process and where applicable corrective action will be identified
and implemented to ensure the overall budget remains achievable.
8.3
The estimated outturn shown in Table 1 will continue to be monitored during
the year and where applicable will be transferred to reserves.
9
Sustainability - None as a direct consequence from this report.
10
Equality and Diversity - None as a direct consequence from this report.
11
Section 17 Crime and Disorder considerations - None as a direct
consequence from this report.
28
Appendix A
General Fund Summary P6 2015/16
YTD
Updated
Budget
£
YTD
Actuals
£
2,229,553
0
5,732,713
612,761
3,867,714
3,053,550
978,221
1,461,866
737,615
71,690
862,348
282,412
944,888
1,877,705
504,956
701,480
689,414
83,430
769,166
175,353
871,689
1,718,369
662,437
506,424
(48,200)
11,740
(93,182)
(107,059)
(73,199)
(159,336)
157,481
(195,056)
1,590,237
25,342
387,506
97,038
2,146,374
135,678
41,771
58,913
(50,098)
(108,772)
4,576,042
340,370
849,651
1,199,503
274,013
896,528
Net Cost Of Services
17,936,378
5,983,094
5,476,282
(506,811)
4,482,859
7,977,237
Non Service Expenditure/Income
Capital Charges
Contributions To/From Reserves
External Interest Paid
Interest Receivable
Precepts Of Parish Councils
Retirement Benefits
Revenue Financing For Capital
Non Service Expenditure/Income
(5,630,696) (1,048,374) (1,048,374)
(698,980)
0
0
0
0
22
(426,390) (216,289) (256,861)
1,760,520 1,760,520 1,760,520
289,815
0
0
1,113,506
0
0
(3,592,225)
495,857
455,307
0
0
22
(40,572)
(0)
0
0
(40,550)
0 (4,582,322)
0 (698,980)
0
(22)
0 (169,529)
0
0
0
289,815
0 1,113,506
0 (4,047,532)
Income
Central Government Grants
Council Taxpayers
(4,145,594) (2,411,082) (2,405,335)
(10,189,059) (5,533,695) (5,533,695)
5,747
0
0 (1,740,259)
0 (5,334,853)
Income
(14,334,653) (7,944,777) (7,939,030)
5,747
0 (7,075,112)
9,500 (1,465,826) (2,007,441)
(541,614)
4,482,859 (3,145,407)
Name
Net Cost Of Services
Assets & Leisure
Corporate
Community and Economic Development
Customer Services & ICT
Environmental Health
Finance
Organisational Development
Planning
Surplus/Deficit
Full Year
Updated
Budget
£
29
YTD
Variance
£
Commitme Remaining
nts
Budget
£
£
Appendix B
Service Area Summaries P6 2015/16
Assets & Leisure
Cost Centre
Car Parking
Markets
Industrial Estates
Surveyors Allotments
Handy Man
Parklands
Administration Buildings Svs
Property Services
Parks & Open Spaces
Foreshore
Community Centres
Sports Centres
Leisure Complexes
Other Sports
Recreation Grounds
Pier Pavilion
Foreshore (Community)
Woodlands Management
Cromer Pier
Public Conveniences
Investment Properties
Leisure
Cctv
Total Assets & Leisure
Full Year
YTD Updated
Updated
Budget
Budget
£
£
(1,209,835)
(986,483)
66,301
(3,539)
(15,683)
(5,252)
3,320
1,662
(5,223)
6,296
5,399
(17,549)
107,490
115,869
0
(3,885)
461,746
212,010
193,832
103,170
20,396
10,142
291,834
110,292
649,505
300,593
100,221
89,716
10,389
4,503
103,300
88,817
400,159
227,295
198,742
98,782
43,724
70,949
669,317
340,855
95,726
(5,253)
0
18
11,668
5,832
2,229,553
737,615
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
Remaining
Budget
£
(1,061,749)
(847)
12,821
1,940
7,391
(19,976)
124,551
8,436
211,997
83,073
10,498
107,363
287,822
93,262
4,074
86,975
225,963
103,172
35,232
324,782
37,763
(957)
5,832
£
(75,266)
2,692
18,073
278
1,095
(2,427)
8,682
12,321
(13)
(20,097)
356
(2,929)
(12,771)
3,546
(429)
(1,842)
(1,332)
4,390
(8,492)
(16,073)
43,016
(975)
0
£
278,201
16,146
3,302
0
0
1,047
141,801
17,039
234,229
8,255
376
119,907
169,255
32,407
4,904
135,147
157,837
68,014
8,102
165,719
25,018
3,532
0
£
(426,287)
51,003
(31,806)
1,380
(12,614)
24,328
(158,861)
(25,475)
15,520
102,503
9,522
64,564
192,428
(25,448)
1,411
(118,822)
16,360
27,556
27,615
178,816
32,945
(2,574)
5,836
689,414
(48,200)
1,590,237
(50,098)
Corporate
Cost Centre
Full Year
Updated
Budget
£
YTD Updated
Budget
£
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
Corporate Leadership Team
Legal Services
0
0
0
71,690
£
(4,136)
87,566
£
(4,136)
15,876
Total Corporate
0
71,690
83,430
11,740
30
£
Remaining
Budget
£
3,261
22,081
875
(109,647)
25,342
(108,772)
Appendix B
Community and Economic Development
Cost Centre
Health
Arts & Entertainments
Museums
General Economic Development
Tourism
NNflag Project
Coast Protection
Pathfinder
Regeneration Management
Comm & Econ Dev Mgt
Housing (Health & Wellbeing)
Housing Strategy
Community And Localism
Coastal Management
Total Community and Economic
Development
Full Year
Updated
Budget
£
YTD Updated
Budget
£
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
Remaining
Budget
0
67,922
0
214,340
55,110
0
589,338
0
24
0
108,174
6,840
(179,400)
0
£
(11,061)
67,959
0
216,717
55,661
10,180
589,148
62
(11,076)
1,742
99,171
(1,828)
(238,275)
(9,235)
£
(11,061)
37
0
2,377
551
10,180
(190)
62
(11,100)
1,742
(9,003)
(8,668)
(58,875)
(9,235)
£
0
112,981
20,000
443,648
124,278
0
1,123,600
0
0
0
256,784
3,513,726
137,696
0
0
19,512
0
66,720
20,588
717
253,095
0
150
0
0
26,286
0
437
£
11,061
25,510
20,000
160,211
48,029
(10,897)
281,357
(62)
10,926
(1,742)
157,613
3,489,268
375,971
8,798
5,732,713
862,348
769,166
(93,182)
387,506
4,576,042
Customer Services & ICT
Cost Centre
Full Year
Updated
Budget
£
YTD Updated
Budget
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
It - Support Services
Tic'S
Homelessness
Customer Services Housing
Graphical Info System
Media & Communications
Customer Services - Corporate
0
244,510
368,251
0
0
0
0
£
(28,504)
126,618
179,482
(1,428)
6,220
12
12
£
(86,517)
117,228
185,264
(9,131)
4,869
(30,702)
(5,659)
£
(58,013)
(9,390)
5,782
(7,703)
(1,351)
(30,714)
(5,671)
Total Customer Services & ICT
612,761
282,412
175,353
(107,059)
£
Remaining
Budget
£
38,537
15,631
23,245
0
0
10,454
9,172
47,980
111,651
159,742
9,131
(4,869)
20,249
(3,513)
97,038
340,370
Environmental Health
Cost Centre
Commercial Services
Rural Sewerage Schemes
Travellers
Public Protection
Street Signage
Pest Control
Environmental Protection
Dog Control
Env Health - Service Mgmt
Waste Collection And Disposal
Cleansing
Environmental Strategy
Community Safety
Civil Contingencies
Total Environmental Health
Full Year
YTD Updated
Updated
Budget
Budget
£
£
471,640
233,133
370,675
185,337
99,960
72,468
90,319
38,914
33,562
8,959
16,572
8,310
549,803
265,945
60,304
28,924
0
12
1,339,151
(246,084)
638,723
250,946
29,147
14,075
21,973
10,989
145,885
72,960
3,867,714
944,888
31
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
£
£
Remaining
Budget
£
232,517
182,949
72,936
35,499
7,504
7,688
262,543
27,585
(1,645)
(307,083)
260,930
14,826
7,386
68,053
(616)
(2,389)
468
(3,415)
(1,455)
(622)
(3,402)
(1,339)
(1,657)
(60,998)
9,984
751
(3,604)
(4,908)
5,575
0
18,346
8,567
2,165
71
19,554
7,587
7,960
1,737,033
330,819
8,598
0
100
£
233,548
187,727
8,677
46,252
23,893
8,813
267,706
25,132
(6,315)
(90,799)
46,974
5,722
14,587
77,733
871,689
(73,199)
2,146,374
849,651
Appendix B
Finance
Cost Centre
Local Taxation
Benefits
Discrectionary Payments
Non Distributed Costs
Benefits & Revenues Mgmt
Corporate Finance
Internal Audit
Central Costs
Corporate & Democratic Core
Total Finance
Full Year
YTD Updated
Updated
Budget
Budget
£
£
559,429
367,850
1,030,227
722,376
95,051
93,761
290
112,104
0
0
0
0
0
(31,998)
0
(2,736)
1,368,553
616,348
3,053,550
1,877,705
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
£
358,650
671,537
93,412
111,452
(39,108)
(27,444)
(41,882)
414
591,338
£
(9,200)
(50,839)
(349)
(652)
(39,108)
(27,444)
(9,884)
3,150
(25,010)
1,718,369
(159,336)
£
Remaining
Budget
18,369
8,431
0
0
0
6,311
74,434
0
28,133
£
182,410
350,260
1,639
(111,162)
39,108
21,134
(32,552)
(414)
749,082
135,678
1,199,503
Organisational Development
Cost Centre
Full Year
Updated
Budget
£
YTD Updated
Budget
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
£
Remaining
Budget
£
£
£
Human Resources & Payroll
Insurance & Risk Management
Policy & Performance Mgt
Registration Services
Members Services
0
0
0
433,722
544,499
2,624
(17,928)
(12)
248,004
272,268
17,430
(35,329)
(6,082)
415,838
270,580
14,806
(17,401)
(6,070)
167,834
(1,688)
26,586
0
0
9,722
5,463
£
(44,015)
35,329
6,082
8,162
268,456
Total Organisational Development
978,221
504,956
662,437
157,481
41,771
274,013
Planning
Cost Centre
Development Management
Planning Policy
Conservation, Design & Landscape
Major Developments
Building Control & Access
Planning Support
Head Of Planning
Property Information
Total Planning
Net Cost of Services
Full Year
YTD Updated
Updated
Budget
Budget
£
£
515,124
257,574
266,624
125,826
225,038
112,524
185,991
92,994
87,930
43,968
0
18
0
(6)
181,159
68,582
YTD Actuals
YTD Variance Commitments
£
192,518
115,119
110,821
94,947
13,951
1,075
868
(22,875)
£
(65,056)
(10,707)
(1,703)
1,953
(30,017)
1,057
874
(91,457)
£
Remaining
Budget
9,717
0
1,800
295
350
1,407
0
45,344
£
312,889
151,505
112,417
90,750
73,629
(2,482)
(868)
158,690
1,461,866
701,480
506,424
(195,056)
58,913
896,528
17,936,378
5,983,094
5,476,282
(506,811)
4,482,859
7,977,237
32
Appendix C
GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME - 2015/16
Scheme
Scheme Total
Current Estimate
Pre 31/3/15 Actual
Expenditure
Current Budget
2015/16
Actual to P6
2015/16
£
£
£
£
Variance to
2015/16 Current
Budget
£
Comments
Updated
Updated
Budget 2016/17 Budget 2017/18
£
£
Updated
Budget in
Future Years
£
Jobs and the Local Economy
North Norfolk Enterprise Innovation Centre
50,000
10,295
39,705
0
(39,705)
0
0
0
Rocket House
77,084
36,485
40,599
184
(40,415)
0
0
0
Public Conveniences (Plumbing and
Drainage)
15,000
12,303
2,697
466
(2,231)
0
0
0
Mundesley Road Car Park Resurfacing
70,000
615
69,385
59,906
(9,479)
0
0
0
135,000
35,454
99,546
47,808
(51,738)
0
0
0
Car Park Refurbishment 2015/16
53,108
0
53,108
0
(53,108)
The tender process is due
within the next few
months, with works to be
complete by the end of the
financial year.
0
0
0
Public Convenience Water Heater
Improvements
10,000
0
10,000
0
(10,000)
This budget is requested
for virement to cover
additional works
undertaken on the Pier
Public Convenience
0
0
0
410,192
95,152
315,040
108,364
(206,676)
0
0
0
Annual programme
0
594,970
169,796
(425,174)
499,277
1,054,890
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
North Norfolk Enterprise and Start Up Grants
Works have been
completed at the car park,
and it is fully operational.
Housing and Infrastructure
Disabled Facilities Grants
Housing Associations
Housing Loans to Registered Providers
Annual programme
0
504,543
0
(504,543)
3,500,000
0
3,500,000
0
(3,500,000)
33
The transfer of Blowlands
Depot has been
completed, and the
Housing Association works
will be due to start on site
later in the financial year,
at which point payment of
these monies will be due.
GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME - 2015/16
Scheme
Parkland Improvements
Scheme Total
Current Estimate
Pre 31/3/15 Actual
Expenditure
Current Budget
2015/16
Actual to P6
2015/16
£
£
£
£
Variance to
2015/16 Current
Budget
£
100,000
4,437
95,563
4,482
(91,081)
3,600,000
4,437
4,695,076
174,278
1,409,000
1,184,417
224,583
40,023
37,671
1,418,631
1,304,161
Comments
Updated
Updated
Budget 2016/17 Budget 2017/18
£
This scheme is going out
to tender during October,
as Architects and
Electricial plans are now
available.
£
Updated
Budget in
Future Years
£
0
0
0
(4,520,798)
499,277
1,054,890
0
0
(224,583)
0
0
0
2,352
0
(2,352)
0
0
0
114,470
17,411
(97,059)
0
0
0
(9,967)
A review of lighting along
the promenade is currently
being undertaken, with any
future expenditure to be
based on the review
outcome.
0
0
0
(517,617)
Designs for the
redevelopment are now
available for consideration
at the next Project Group
Meeting. The budget has
however, been reduced by
the £200k of FLAG funding
following issues in terms
of the ability to spend the
monies within the required
timescales
0
0
0
The works are ongoing
and it is anticipated that
the programme will be
delivered by the end of the
financial year.
0
0
0
Coast, Countryside and Built Heritage
Gypsy and Traveller Short Stay Stopping
Facilities
Sheringham Beach Handrails
Cromer Pier Structural Works - Phase 2
Sheringham Promenade Lighting
Cromer Pier and West Prom Refurbishment
Project
Refurbishment Works to the Seaside Shelters
Cromer Coast Protection Scheme 982 and
SEA
Pathfinder Project
Cromer to Winterton Scheme
Coastal Erosion Assistance
79,500
615,000
69,533
42,062
9,967
572,938
0
55,321
149,500
109,184
40,316
8,918
(31,398)
10,400,000
3,447,172
6,952,828
47,165
(6,905,663)
0
0
0
1,967,015
1,683,217
283,798
0
(283,798)
0
0
0
122,000
91,486
30,514
0
(30,514)
0
0
0
90,000
16,678
73,322
0
(73,322)
0
0
0
34
GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME - 2015/16
852,105
323,895
46,726
Variance to
2015/16 Current
Budget
£
(277,169)
804,000
279,957
524,043
220
2,221,000
307
69,693
Sheringham Gangway
136,737
46,570
Repairs and Renewals Grants - Flood
Protection Works
368,294
Ostend Targeted Rock Placement and
Coastal Adaptation
Cromer Pier - External and Roofing
Improvements to Pavilion Theatre
Scheme
Scheme Total
Current Estimate
£
1,176,000
Pre 31/3/15 Actual
Expenditure
Current Budget
2015/16
Actual to P6
2015/16
£
£
£
Comments
Updated
Updated
Budget 2016/17 Budget 2017/18
£
£
Updated
Budget in
Future Years
£
0
0
0
(523,823)
0
0
0
660
(69,033)
2,151,000
0
0
90,167
53,317
(36,850)
0
0
0
368,294
0
230,273
230,273
0
0
0
55,000
0
55,000
220
(54,780)
0
0
0
20,000
0
0
0
0
0
20,000
0
21,071,700
9,532,814
9,367,886
460,231
(8,907,655)
2,151,000
20,000
0
North Lodge Park
197,000
732
196,268
0
(196,268)
0
0
0
North Walsham Regeneration Schemes
(Including Market St North Walsham)
102,045
18,929
83,116
46,555
(36,561)
The landscaping works for
Market Street are currently
out to tender.
0
0
0
54,370
12,535
41,835
3,816
(38,019)
Works are complete, and
the final invoices are
awaited.
0
0
0
100,000
86,190
13,810
8,440
(5,370)
0
0
0
Splash Roof Repairs
73,630
9,563
64,067
0
(64,067)
NNDC are due to meet
with the contractors to
establish a timescale for
the completion of the
works.
0
0
0
Steelwork Protection to Victory Pool and
Fakenham Gym
27,500
33
14,967
0
(14,967)
Works are due to
commence within the next
few months.
0
12,500
0
Cabbell Park
64,000
7,915
56,085
49,330
(6,755)
The major works in relation
to Cabbell Park have been
completed.
0
0
0
Storm Surge
Sheringham West Prom
Mundesley - Refurbishment of Coastal
Defences
This expenditure is fully
funded by receipt of grant
from DEFRA.
Localism
Victory Swim and Fitness Centre
Play Areas
35
GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME - 2015/16
Scheme
Scheme Total
Current Estimate
Pre 31/3/15 Actual
Expenditure
Current Budget
2015/16
Actual to P6
2015/16
£
£
£
£
Variance to
2015/16 Current
Budget
£
Comments
Updated
Updated
Budget 2016/17 Budget 2017/18
£
178,500
0
178,500
0
(178,500)
Holt Country Park
12,500
0
12,500
0
Fakenham Gym
62,500
0
15,000
Splash Pool - Steelworks
35,000
0
907,045
Trade Waste Bins/ Waste Vehicle
The first capital
contribution towards this
scheme is due to be paid
within the next month.
£
Updated
Budget in
Future Years
£
0
0
0
(12,500)
0
0
0
0
(15,000)
30,000
0
17,500
0
0
0
0
35,000
0
135,897
676,148
108,141
(568,007)
30,000
47,500
17,500
272,700
254,666
18,034
0
(18,034)
0
0
0
Personal Computer Replacement Fund
205,583
162,603
42,980
0
(42,980)
0
0
0
Waste Management & Environmental Health
IT System
232,427
226,332
6,095
0
(6,095)
0
0
0
0
0
0
North Norfolk Railway
Delivering the Vision
Further purchases will be
made once the relevant
appointments have been
made to the new Assets
and Leisure staffing
structure.
75,000
63,190
11,810
0
(11,810)
Procurement for Upgrade of Civica System
317,312
198,214
119,098
0
(119,098)
0
0
0
e-Financials Financial Management System
Software Upgrade
33,000
21,506
11,494
0
(11,494)
0
0
0
250,570
172,301
78,269
0
(78,269)
0
0
0
10,000
0
10,000
9,100
(900)
0
0
0
100,000
0
100,000
0
(100,000)
0
0
0
Telephony Procurement
90,000
7,933
82,067
43,585
(38,482)
0
0
0
Web Infrastructure Upgrade
71,500
647
70,853
38,950
(31,903)
0
0
0
New Print Solution - Multi Function Devices
60,000
53,599
6,401
0
(6,401)
0
0
0
Asset Management Computer System
Administrative Buildings
Cash Receipting System Upgrade
Planning System (Scanning of Old Files)
36
The tender process is
being undertaken for the
replacement fire alarm and
lighting systems.
GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME - 2015/16
Scheme
Scheme Total
Current Estimate
Pre 31/3/15 Actual
Expenditure
Current Budget
2015/16
Actual to P6
2015/16
£
£
£
£
Server Replacement
100,000
100,000
0
Variance to
2015/16 Current
Budget
£
0
Comments
Updated
Updated
Budget 2016/17 Budget 2017/18
£
0
Works are progressing
well in regard to
Fakenham Connect, and
the DWP are due to move
into the offices in
November.
£
Updated
Budget in
Future Years
£
0
0
0
0
0
0
126,000
0
126,000
77,167
(48,833)
GIS / Web Based Mapping Solution
20,000
0
20,000
0
(20,000)
0
0
0
Recording and Audio Equipment
20,000
0
20,000
0
(20,000)
0
0
0
Upgrades to Accolade and Idox
25,000
0
25,000
0
(25,000)
0
0
0
Wheeled Bins (Purchased from Kier)
66,750
0
66,750
59,638
(7,112)
0
0
0
Wheeled Bins
40,000
0
40,000
25,550
(14,450)
0
0
0
150,000
0
150,000
0
(150,000)
0
0
0
10,000
0
0
Fakenham Connect and Cromer Office Works - DWP
Environmental Health IT System Procurement
Once the DWP are in the
offices, further
consideration will be given
to progressing these
works.
Fakenham Connect Roof Works
30,000
0
20,000
0
(20,000)
Stonehill Way Fire and Security System
15,000
0
0
0
0
0
15,000
0
Document and Records Management System
60,000
0
60000
0
(60,000)
0
0
0
Web Content Management System
44,000
0
44000
0
(44,000)
0
0
0
2,414,842
1,260,991
1,128,851
253,991
(874,860)
10,000
15,000
0
28,403,779
11,029,291
16,183,001
1,105,006
(15,077,995)
2,690,277
1,137,390
17,500
2,310,046
0
0
0
0
380,231
0
0
0
0
0
1,137,390
0
0
0
0
0
17,500
Capital Programme Financing
Grants
Other Contributions
Asset Management Reserve
Capital Project Reserve
Invest to Save Reserve
Capital Receipts
8,765,813
247,965
3,983
1,038,670
70,853
5,131,286
37
GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROGRAMME - 2015/16
Scheme
Internal / External Borrowing
TOTAL FINANCING
Scheme Total
Current Estimate
Pre 31/3/15 Actual
Expenditure
Current Budget
2015/16
Actual to P6
2015/16
£
£
£
£
924,431
16,183,001
38
Variance to
2015/16 Current
Budget
£
Comments
Updated
Updated
Budget 2016/17 Budget 2017/18
£
0
2,690,277
£
0
1,137,390
Updated
Budget in
Future Years
£
0
17,500
Agenda Item No____12______
HALF YEARLY TREASURY MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR 2015/16
Summary:
This report provides information on the Treasury
Management activities undertaken in the first six months
of 2015/16.
Options considered:
It is a requirement of the Chartered Institute of Public
Finance & Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Code of Practice for
Treasury Management that this mid-year review is
prepared and presented to Full Council.
Conclusions:
That the treasury activities for the half-year have been
carried out in accordance with the CIPFA Code and the
Council’s Treasury Strategy.
Recommendations:
That the Council be asked to RESOLVE that the Half
Yearly Treasury Management Report for 2015/16 is
approved.
Reasons for
Recommendations:
The recommendation is being made in compliance with
the CIPFA Code.
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on to write the report and which do not contain exempt information)
Arlingclose Report Template – Semi-Annual Treasury Report 2015/16
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Cllr Wyndham Northam
All
Contact Officer, telephone number and email:
Tony Brown
01263516126
tony.brown@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Introduction
1.1
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s Treasury
Management Code (CIPFA’s TM Code) requires that authorities report on the
performance of the treasury management function at least twice yearly (midyear and at year end).
1.2
The Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for 2015/16 was approved by
Full Council on 25 February 2015, and this sets out the anticipated treasury
activities for the year. The Council has invested substantial sums of money
and is therefore exposed to financial risks including the loss of invested funds
39
and the revenue effect of changing interest rates. This report covers treasury
activity and the associated monitoring and control of risk.
2.
UK Economy
2.1
The UK economy has remained resilient over the first six months of the
financial year. Although the growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) slowed
in the first quarter of 2015 to 0.4%, year-on-year growth to March 2015 was a
relatively healthy 2.7%. In the first quarter of the financial year, GDP growth
bounced back and was confirmed at 0.7%, with year-on-year growth showing
slight signs of slowing, decreasing to 2.4%. GDP has now increased for ten
consecutive quarters, breaking a pattern of slow and erratic growth since
2009.
2.2
Inflation, as measured by the annual rate for consumer price inflation (CPI)
briefly turned negative in April, falling to -0.1%, before fluctuating between
0.0% and 0.1% over the next few months. In the August Quarterly Inflation
Report, the Bank of England’s projections for inflation remained largely
unchanged from the May report with the Bank expecting inflation to gradually
increase to around 2% over the next 18 months, and then remain there for the
near future.
2.3
Further improvement in the labour market saw the unemployment rate for the
three months to July fall to 5.5%. Average earnings excluding bonuses for
the three months to July rose 2.9% year-on-year.
2.4
The outcome of the UK general election, which was largely fought over the
parties’ approach to dealing with the consequences of the structural deficit
and the pace of its removal, saw some very big shifts in the political
landscape and put the key issue of the UK’s relationship with the EU at the
heart of future politics.
3.
Debt Management
3.1
The Council has remained debt-free. The Capital Programme included with
the period 6 budget Monitoring Report assumes expenditure will be financed
using currently available resources, for example capital receipts, government
grants and revenue contributions. This has lowered the overall treasury risk
by reducing the level of investments and avoiding external debt, and
continues to be the most cost effective way of funding capital expenditure.
3.2
As capital projects are reviewed and considered, the funding source and
financial impact will be evaluated and used to inform the decision making on
the method chosen.
4
Investment Activity
4.1
The Investment Guidance from the Department for Communities and Local
Government, gives priority to security and liquidity, and the Council’s aim is to
achieve an interest return commensurate with these principles.
4.2
The table below gives Members an appreciation of the investment activity
undertaken in the first six months of 2015/16, showing the position at the start
and end of the period, together with the transactions during the period. The
percentages show the investment return achieved for each investment
category.
40
Balance
01/4/2015
Invested
Matured
Balance
30/9/2015
£000s
£000s
£000s
£000s
%
Term Deposits & Money
Market Funds
5,010
64,365
(58,545)
10,830
0.42
Certificates of Deposit
4,250
6,000
(5,750)
4,500
0.66
Covered Bonds
4,500
0
0
4,500
1.30
LAMIT Pooled Property
Fund
5,000
5,000
6.08
6,000
0.85
30,830
1.58
Pooled Funds
Total
6,000
18,760
76,365
(64,295)
4.3
Security of the capital sum remained the Council’s main investment objective.
This was maintained by following the Council’s investment counterparty policy
set out in its Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2015/16.
4.4
Counterparty credit quality was assessed and monitored with reference to
Credit Ratings (the Council’s minimum long-term counterparty rating of A- (or
equivalent) across the rating agencies Fitch, S&P and Moody’s); credit default
swaps; GDP of the country in which the institution operates; the country’s net
debt as a percentage of GDP; sovereign support mechanisms and potential
support from a well-resourced parent institution and share price.
4.5
The original budget for 2015/16 anticipated that £430,610 would be earned in
interest from investments and loans, from an average balance of £19.6m at
2.2%. In the first 6 months of the financial year the average amount invested
was £30.4m at an average rate of interest of 1.58%, resulting in an overall
interest return of £240,875.
4.6
Investment balances remained higher than budget in the six month period and
the opportunity was taken to make further investments in pooled funds. The
most appropriate funds were selected in consultation with the Council’s
treasury advisers, Arlingclose, and £3m was invested in the Royal London
Cash Plus Fund, and £3m in the Payden & Rygel Sterling Reserve Fund.
4.7
The Royal London fund is rated AAA and offers the opportunity for enhanced
returns over the liquidity money market funds which the council currently uses.
The fund manager aims to achieve this through a diversified portfolio of cash
instruments and short-dated fixed income assets. The sum invested can be
withdrawn with 2 days’ notice if necessary, and income earned is distributed
quarterly. The fund has a performance benchmark of 7 day LIBID +0.75%
before fees. The Payden fund operates in a similar way and so far an average
of 0.85% has been earned from these investments.
5.
Credit Risk and Counterparty Update
5.1
Counterparty credit quality as measured by credit ratings is summarised
below. The table below and charts at Appendix D show that, compared to the
Arlingclose client base (for English non-metropolitan district councils), the
41
credit quality of the Council’s investments at the end of June 2015 on a value
weighted basis was better than the client base average of 4.35. On a time
weighted basis the average was again better than the client base figure of
3.62 indicating the high credit quality of the Council’s long-term investments.
Date
Value
Weighted
Average –
Credit Risk
Score
Value
Weighted
Average –
Credit
Rating
Time
Weighted
Average –
Credit Risk
Score
Time
Weighted
Average –
Credit
Rating
31/03/2015
AA
3.37
AAA
1.43
30/06/2015
AA
3.50
AAA
1.23
Scoring:
Value weighted average reflects the credit quality of investments according to
the size of the deposit
Time weighted average reflects the credit quality of investments according to
the maturity of the deposit
AAA = highest credit quality = 1
D = lowest credit quality = 15
Aim = A- or higher credit rating, with a score of 7 or lower, to reflect current
investment approach with main focus on security
5.2
Appendix E also includes a chart showing the rate of return on the total
investment portfolio. The chart shows that at the end of June 2015 the
Council had achieved the second best rate of return on its investment portfolio
compared to all other Arlingclose clients. The chart must be viewed in the
context of the Council’s Investment Strategy and reflects both the capital
growth and income from investments. The result is due in large part to the
investment in the LAMIT pooled property fund made on the advice of
Arlinclose who facilitated the Council’s entry into the fund at the (lower) bid
price.
6.
Compliance with Prudential Indicators
6.1
The Council can confirm that it has complied with its Treasury Prudential
Indicators in the first six months of 2015/16 as set out in Appendix ?
7.
Conclusion
7.1
In compliance with the requirements of the CIPFA Code of Practice this report
provides members with a summary of the treasury management activity
during the first 6 months of 2015/16. As indicated in this report none of the
Prudential Indicators have been breached and a prudent approach has been
taking in relation to investment activity with priority being given to security and
liquidity over yield.
8.
Implications and Risks
8.1
The treasury management activities in the first 6 months of 2015/16 have
been undertaken in accordance with the Treasury Management Strategy
Statement 2015/16.
42
9.
Financial Implications and Risks
9.1
The financial implications and risks of treasury decisions have been
considered in the light of advice from the Council’s treasury advisor and this
report confirms that the Council considers that security and liquidity are the
primary objectives of its prudent investment policy.
10.
Sustainability
10.1
This report does not raise any issues relating to Sustainability
11.
Equality and Diversity
11.1
This report does not raise any issues relating to Equality and Diversity.
12.
Section 17 Crime and Disorder considerations
12.1
This report does not raise any issues relating to Crime and Disorder
considerations.
43
Appendix D
Credit Score Analysis
Long-Term
Credit Rating
Score
AAA
1
AA+
2
AA
3
AA-
4
A+
5
A
6
A-
7
BBB+
8
BBB
9
BBB-
10
Not rated
11
BB
12
CCC
13
C
14
D
15
44
45
46
Appendix E
1
1.1
2
2.1
2.2
Compliance with Prudential Indicators
The Council complied with the Prudential Indicators for 2015/16, which were
set on 25 February 2015 as part of the Council’s Treasury Management
Strategy Statement.
Treasury Management Indicators
The Council measures and manages its exposures to treasury management
risks using the following indicators.
Security: The Council has adopted a voluntary measure of its exposure to
credit risk by monitoring the value-weighted average credit score of its
investment portfolio. This is calculated by applying a score to each
investment (AAA=1, AA+=2, etc.) and taking the arithmetic average, weighted
by the size of each investment.
Actual
Target
Portfolio average credit score
2.3
6.0
A credit score of ‘6’ equates to a long-term rating of ‘A’ (Fitch and S&P) or A2
(Moody’s).
Liquidity: The Council has adopted a voluntary measure of its exposure to
liquidity risk by monitoring the amount of cash available to meet unexpected
payments within a rolling three month period, without additional borrowing.
Actual
Target
Total cash available within 3 months
2.4
2.5
3.5
£3m
£2m
Interest Rate Exposures: This indicator is set to control the Council’s
exposure to interest rate risk. The upper limits on fixed and variable rate
exposures, expressed as the proportion of net principal borrowed (i.e. fixed
rate debt net of fixed rate investments, will be:
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
Estimate
Estimate Estimate
%
%
%
Upper Limit for Fixed Interest Rate
Exposure
Actual
100%
Upper Limit for Variable Interest
Rate Exposure
100%
Actual
93%
100%
100%
100%
100%
7%
The purpose of the limit is to ensure that the Council is not exposed to interest
rate rises on any borrowing which could adversely impact the revenue budget.
Variable rate borrowing can be used to offset exposure to changes in short
term rates on investments. However, the Council does not anticipate entering
into a borrowing during the period of the Strategy. These limits therefore
allow maximum flexibility for fixed or variable rate investments and investment
decisions will ultimately be made on expectations of interest rate movements
as set out in the Strategy.
47
2.6
Fixed rate investments and borrowings are those where the rate of interest is
fixed for the whole financial year. Instruments that mature during the financial
year are classed as variable rate.
2.7
Maturity Structure of Fixed Rate borrowing:
2.8
This indicator highlights the existence of any large concentrations of fixed rate
borrowing needing to be replaced at times of uncertainty over interest rates
and is designed to protect against excessive exposures to interest rate
changes in any one period, in particular in the course of the next ten years.
2.9
It is calculated as the amount of projected borrowing that is fixed rate maturing
in each period as a percentage of total projected borrowing that is fixed rate.
No borrowing was undertaken in the first six months of the financial year, and
the Council does not anticipate borrowing in 2015/16 (other than for short
periods for cash flow purposes). However, should the Council require to
borrow for the long-term, the limits provide the flexibility to borrow fixed rate
loans in any of the maturity bands below.
Lower Limit Upper Limit
Actual
Maturity structure of fixed
for
2015/16
for
2015/16
For
2015/16
rate borrowing
%
%
%
under 12 months
0
100
0
2.12
12 months and within 24
months
0
100
0
24 months and within 5 years
0
100
0
5 years and within 10 years
0
100
0
10 years and above
0
100
0
Principal Sums Invested for Periods Longer than 364 days: The purpose
of this indicator is to limit exposure to the possibility of loss which may arise as
a result of the Council having to seek early repayment of the sums invested.
The limits on the total principal sum invested to final maturities beyond the
period end will be:
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
Limit on principal invested beyond year
£12m
£12m
£12m
end
Actual
£4.5m
£4.5m
£4.5m
48
Agenda Item No______13____
Information and Advice Service
Summary:
In January 2015 Cabinet resolved to accept the
following recommendations from the Overview and
Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 10th December
2014:
Citizens Advice Bureau Provision in North Norfolk
1. To investigate commissioning generic or specific
advice and support services on the basis of an analysis
of needs. A service specification would then be
identified whereby any suitably qualified organisation
which could include existing Citizens Advice Bureaux
but also other voluntary and community groups or
statutory organisations could be invited to submit a
proposal to deliver services in North Norfolk. Where
appropriate, this would include working collaboratively
with Norfolk County Council and other District Councils
in the County.
This report provides an update to Cabinet on the:
• Collaborative working that has been undertaken
with Norfolk County Council and other District
Councils in Norfolk.
• The process followed to seek proposals to
commission a generic information and advice
service in North Norfolk
• The proposals received for the delivery of an
Information and Advice Service in North Norfolk.
• The outcome of the commissioning process and
makes a recommendation for the appointment of
a new three year generalist Information and
Advice service
Conclusions:
Collaborative working has resulted in greater
understanding of the issues and needs of North Norfolk
residents in respect of information and advice as well as
the benefits of a jointly commissioned Information and
Advice Service in North Norfolk.
Through the commissioning process and at no
additional financial cost to NNDC a proposal has been
received for the provision of a quality assured, generic
Information and Advice Service with improved
stakeholder engagement, co-ordination and
accountability as well as an expansion and increase in
how, where and when Information and Advice services
are delivered.
The provision of an Information and Advices Service will
49
also contribute towards the achievement of North
Norfolk District Council’s (NNDC’s) Corporate Plan 2015
– 2019 Health and Wellbeing Priority - “providing
support and advice to people who are vulnerable and /
or struggling with issues which are negatively impacting
on their lives”.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that Cabinet:
1. Agree that North Norfolk District Council
enters into a three year partnership
agreement with Norfolk County Council to
enable the pooling of North Norfolk District
Council and Norfolk County Council
budgets for information and advice
services for the three year period starting
January 2016. The pooled fund to be used
to fund the provision of a new three year
Information and Advice Service for North
Norfolk at a combined annual cost of
£109,000 (NNDC £66,323 NCC £42,677) in
accordance with recommendations 2 and 3.
2. Agree that subject to the agreement of a
satisfactory contract terms incorporating
quality and service monitoring
arrangements and the inclusion of break
clauses and an appropriate partnership
agreement between Mid Norfolk Citizens
Advice and Norfolk Citizens Advice that
North Norfolk District Council and Mid
Norfolk Citizens Advice enter into a three
year contract for Mid Norfolk Citizens
Advice to provide a generalist Information
and Advice Service for the North Norfolk
District Council area at an annual cost not
exceeding £109,000
3. Delegate authority to the Head of Economic
and Community Development in
consultation with the Portfolio Holder for
Health and Wellbeing to negotiate and
settle with Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice
satisfactory contract terms.
4. Agree that North Norfolk District Council
Overview and Scrutiny Committee will
receive a report every six months on the
outcome of the contract monitoring and
performance review meetings.
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
50
Cllr. Becky Palmer
All wards in North Norfolk
Contact Officer, telephone number and email:
Sonia Shuter, 01263 516173, sonia.shuter@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Background
1.1
North Norfolk District Council had an annual grant funding agreement with
Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau (£51,310) and Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice
Bureau (£15,404) towards the delivery of their key objectives and core service
provision in North Norfolk. These agreements ended on 31st March 2015.
1.2
A report was presented to Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) Committee in
December 2014 (Appendix F) in response to expressions of concern
mainly around the provision of some areas of the service delivered by
Norfolk Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) in North Norfolk specifically North
Walsham. Representatives from both CABs attended O&S to give
presentations about their services and to respond and address concerns
raised.
1.3
O&S considered a range of options for future service provision and made the
following recommendations which were agreed by Cabinet on 6 January
2015:


To investigate commissioning generic or specific advice and support services
on the basis of an analysis of needs. A service specification would then be
identified whereby any suitably qualified organisation, which could include
existing CAB but also other voluntary and community groups or statutory
organisations, would be invited to submit a proposal to deliver services in
North Norfolk. Where appropriate, this would include working collaboratively
with Norfolk County Council and other Councils in the County.
To extend the current Service Level Agreement with the Citizen’s Advice
Bureaux for 6 months whilst the needs analysis and tender exercise is
undertake.
2.
Collaborative working
2.1
Norfolk County Council (NCC) also had a grant agreement with Mid Norfolk
(£38,508) and Norfolk CAB (£287,404) towards the delivery of their core
service.
2.2
In discussion with NCC it was agreed it would be beneficial to invite all District
Councils to a meeting with NCC to identify the individual funding
arrangements that each District had with the three CAB’s in Norfolk and
gather their views on the services provided.
2.3
It was identified that each District Council had a different arrangement with
the CAB service in their area. The amount of grant funding to CABs varied,
some District Councils gave a grant towards generalist advice service
provision, and others funded a specific service such as debt advice. In
addition to CAB funding some Councils also gave a grant to other
organisations for the provision of information and advice services.
51
2.4
All District Councils that gave a grant to Norfolk CAB reported a level of
concern around service quality, consistency and performance monitoring.
One District Council cancelled their contract due to noncompliance. This
contradicted the view given by Norfolk CAB that any concerns previously
about service provision in North Norfolk were a result of a merger with North
Walsham Bureau in 2012.
2.5
Norfolk County Council arranged for a short survey to be sent to all Town and
Parish Councils in Norfolk to identify any funding contribution they made
towards information and advice services and their views on the service
provided. This identified that the Town and Parish Councils that gave a grant
to CABs tended to be those where a bureau or face to face service was
available. CABs do offer a county wide telephone service and web based
service however many Town and Parish Councils where there was no face to
face service felt that CABs did not provide a service in their area. This
demonstrated the value and importance placed on a face to face service.
2.6
These discussions also highlighted that Citizens Advice Bureaux are
generally well-known, respected and valued organisations. It also identified
that in terms of generalist advice they are the main organisations providing
services in Norfolk.
2.7
On 11th May 2015, Norfolk County Council, Adult Social Care Committee
agreed to re commission all three Citizen’s Advice Services in Norfolk for the
provision of information and advice services. However, the grant offered to
Norfolk and Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice was reduced in total by £42,677.
This amount was calculated by Public Health to be the combined cost of the
current services provided by Norfolk and Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice in North
Norfolk. The £42,677 was therefore identified as the contribution from Norfolk
County Council towards the provision of the new co commissioned
Information and Advice Service in North Norfolk.
3.
North Norfolk Information and Advice Service
3.1
The aim and focus of the new service needed to be able to respond to key
user issues identified from the monitoring of the current information and
advice service such as benefits, debt, housing, finance, employment,
consumer, immigration and family matters. It also had to take account of the
challenges of delivering a service in a rural area. In addition, the service
provider must ensure it is aware of and can provide appropriate advice,
support and information in response to the implications and challenges arising
from changes in law, policy and service provision e.g. Introduction of the Care
Act 2014 and Universal Credit.
3.2
Outcomes to be achieved:


North Norfolk residents will be proactively supported and empowered to gain
knowledge and skills to help them prevent or deal with on-going or recurring
problems and difficulties that impact and affect them.
North Norfolk residents will be helped to understand their rights and the
support available to them so that reliance on statutory services is reduced,
delayed or avoided.
52
3.3
Outputs to be delivered:
 Provision of a comprehensive, accessible high quality, district wide, free
impartial and equitable needs led generalist information and advice service
for people aged over 16.
 Active engagement and partnership working with relevant statutory and
voluntary organisations to ensure effective communication, joint working and
cross agency referrals to meet individual needs and to address the local
challenges arising from changes in law, policy and service provision.
3.4
It was recognised that to allow sufficient time for a robust commissioning
process to take place that it was not realistic to expect a new service to start
on 1st October 2015. It was therefore agreed to extend the existing services
for a further three months and for a new service to start on 1st January 2016.
3.5
The appropriate procurement route was considered. As the total maximum
cost of the contract for the provision of the Information and Advice Service is
£327,000, the procurement of the service is eligible to be undertaken using
the Light Touch Regime of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in relation
to contracts for “Other Community, Social and Personal Service” (CPV Code
98000000-3). On this basis, the procurement was undertaken using the
principles endorsed within the European procurement rules to ensure
transparency, equal treatment and proportionality.
3.6
Information inviting effective, innovative and creative proposals from suitably
qualified organisations interested in delivering the service as well as a
detailed description of the service required was advertised on NNDC’s
website from 21st July to 5th September 2015 (Appendix G). There was also
information on Norfolk County Council’s website with a link to the relevant
NNDC web page. Providers of existing information and advice services in
Norfolk were notified directly of the proposal opportunity. In addition it was
circulated via Voluntary Norfolk’s electronic newsletter and via the Norfolk
Community Advice Network. The procurement was therefore advertised
widely. The information for tenderers included details of the outcomes
required from the service and how tenders would be assessed.
3.7
It was agreed that a Panel comprising of NNDC officers and Members (Cllrs.
Tom Fitzpatrick and Becky Palmer), an officer from NCC and a representative
from North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group would assess and shortlist
the proposals and receive a presentation from the shortlisted organisations.
3.8
By the closing date of 5th September two proposals had been received; one
from Age UK Norfolk and another from Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice in
partnership with Norfolk Citizens Advice (previously known as Citizens Advice
Bureau’s)
3.9
Unfortunately the proposal received from by Age UK Norfolk would only offer
an information and advice service to people age over 50. No other proposal
had been received for a service aimed specifically at people under aged 50
therefore it was agreed that the Age UK proposal was not eligible for
consideration. A letter was sent to Age UK Norfolk advising them of this and
offering a meeting to consider other joint working opportunities.
53
3.10
Mid Norfolk and Norfolk Citizens Advice submitted a joint proposal (Appendix
H) with Mid Norfolk as the lead organisation. National Citizens Advice policies
meant that a Citizens Advice service could not bid to take over a service that
was currently provided by another Citizens Advice service i.e. neither Mid
Norfolk nor Norfolk Citizens Advice could submit a proposal to be the sole
provider of the Information and Advice Service in North Norfolk.
3.11
The Panel considered the proposal and whilst identifying a number of areas
that required further information and clarity considered that the proposal could
meet the identified outputs and outcomes and was eligible for consideration.
3.12
Mid Norfolk and Norfolk Citizen’s Advice were invited to give a presentation to
the Panel and answer questions about their proposal on Thursday 1st
October. Overall the Panel felt that the presentation and subsequent
discussion confirmed that proposal should meet the identified outputs and
outcomes. They were pleased to note that for slightly less funding than that
currently given as a grant contribution by NNDC and NCCs that the
information and advice service proposed both an increase in the number of
venues and locations of face to face advice services to all seven of the
market towns in North Norfolk plus the provision of a service in Mundesley. It
would also provide two self-help kiosks which would be located in venues in
Cromer and Fakenham as well as weekday support through the telephone
advice line and an improved interactive web site whereby users could via the
internet communicate directly with an advisor. In response to the requirement
to improve access to face to face advice services the proposal confirmed that
the provision of late night and weekend advice services would be explored.
3.13
Mid Norfolk and Norfolk Citizen’s Advice advised that they were still in
discussion regarding the venues and times of the face to face advice services
but confirmed that they would offer services in two dedicated offices in North
Walsham and Holt as well as venues such as foodbanks and Sure Start
Centres.
3.14
The Panel asked how the partnership arrangement between Mid Norfolk and
Norfolk Citizens Advice would work and were advised that Mid Norfolk would
be the lead organisation and would have a partnership agreement with
Norfolk Citizen’s Advice to deliver services in identified locations.
3.15
Whilst there were still some areas of the proposal that the Panel felt needed
clarity such as stakeholder and user engagement, proposed partners and
partnership working it was felt that these could be addressed through the
Service Level Agreement.
3.16
The two options regarding the Information and Advice service discussed by
the Panel for recommendation to Cabinet were:


Not to award the contract and re advertise
Offer the contract to Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice in partnership with
Norfolk Citizens Advice subject to sight and acceptance of the
partnership agreement between the two advice services and a robust
Service Level Agreement which covered the outstanding areas of
concern. This would be regularly monitored and reviewed with break
clauses.
54
3.17
The difficulty in providing generalist advice services in a rural area was
recognised and it was considered that nothing would be gained by re
advertising the service as demonstrated by the limited number of proposals
received.
3.18
Whilst there had been concerns on occasions about services previously
provided by Norfolk Citizen’s Advice, Norfolk County Council had re
commissioned them to provide services across Norfolk and it was felt that the
new information and advice service proposal should address many of the
identified services issues and concerns.
3.19
It was also acknowledged that Citizen’s Advice are a well-known, respected
and valued provider of information and advice services and that the integrated
service offered by the proposal will increase and improve the quality, quantity
and availability of information and advice services in North Norfolk.
4.
Conclusion
4.1
In response to the issues and concerns identified during the previous grant
agreement NNDC and NCC have gone through an open and robust
commissioning process.
4.2
The implementation of the proposal for the Information and Advice Service to
be delivered by Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice in partnership with Norfolk
Citizens Advice will meet the identified service outputs and outcomes. It will
also increase the quality, type, range, location and frequency of information
and advice services.
4.3
The integrated service will improve the consistency and equity of the service
and should offer the opportunity for volunteers on occasion to move between
services or operate from another location to ensure face to face services are
fully operational across all tiers of service provision.
5.
Implications and Risks
5.1
NCC and NNDC have committed to co-commission an Information and
Advice Service for North Norfolk. The implication of not offering the service to
Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice in partnership with Norfolk Citizens Advice is that
residents in North Norfolk at a time of significant change in terms of benefit
and social care provision would not have services available to support and
empower them to deal with the issues and challenges they may face.
5.2
There is a risk that people will keep referring to past issues and not recognize
the improvements and opportunities for closer user, stakeholder and
partnership working that the new integrated service will provide.
5.3
In terms of reputational risk the importance of working with the provider(s) to
publicly endorse, promote and raise the profile of the new service is
recognised, as is the need to put systems in place to closely monitor the
service and ensure regular engagement with the service provider(s).
55
5.4
The three year Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Mid Norfolk Citizens
Advice as the lead organisation will require agreed monitoring data to be
submitted to NNDC every six months. The SLA which will be subject to an
annual review will have a break clause which would enable the contract to be
ended earlier if the terms of the SLA are not being met.
5.5
In addition, Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice as the lead organization will enter
into a formal partnership agreement with Norfolk Citizens Advice to deliver
the Information and Advice Service. Mid Norfolk Board of Trustees will
monitor the services provided through the partnership agreement to ensure
the required levels of service, outputs and outcomes are met. They will have
the authority to deal with any performance or service issues which could
affect the viability of the service or its continued funding during the three year
period.
6.
Financial Implications and Risks
6.1
NNDC will enter into a three year financial agreement with Norfolk County
Council to enable the annual transfer of NCC’s financial contribution towards
the Information and Advice Services to NNDC.
6.2
NNDC’s current funding contribution towards for the provision of the existing
information and advice services is £66,714 per annum. NNDC’s funding
contribution towards the provision of the information and advice service
starting on 1st January 2016 will reduce slightly to £66,323. However, as
detailed in the report, with greater user, partnership and stakeholder
engagement as well as an increase in the type, location and range of
information and advice services available it is considered that an improved
service will be delivered.
7.
Sustainability
7.1
There will be a three year funding commitment from both NNDC and NCC
towards the provision of Information and Advice Services.
7.2
The service will be reviewed annually and discussions commence at the start
of the third year of the agreement to consider future provision.
8.
Equality and Diversity
8.1
The service description specifically identified the need to ensure that the
service provided is accessible to people with additional needs and minority
groups and is also available to those who work and need advice outside of
normal working hours.
9.
Section 17 Crime and Disorder considerations
9.1
There are no specific crime and disorder considerations
10.
Health and Wellbeing Issues
56
10.1
The impact of financial issues, debt, poor or inappropriate housing,
unemployment, consumer or family problems can all have a negative impact
on a person’s mental, physical and social health and wellbeing.
10.2
Appropriate, accessible and good quality information and advice are essential
to empower and support people to access employment, entitlements and
services, resolve complex issues, make informed decisions, exercise choice
and play a full part in their community and society.
57
Appendix F
Citizens’ Advice Bureau’s (CAB’s)
1. Background
North Norfolk District Council currently has a grant funding agreement with Norfolk Citizen’s Advice
Bureau (£51,310) and Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau (£15,404) as a contribution towards the
delivery of their key objectives and core service provision in North Norfolk.
Representatives from both bureaux attended a meeting of NNDC’s Scrutiny Committee on
Wednesday 12th November 2014 and gave a presentation about the services they provide in North
Norfolk. These included information about particular issues experienced in terms of demand or
capacity.
The presentations identified areas of concern in relation to service provision and engagement
particularly in relation to Norfolk CAB. It also prompted a number of generic and bureau specific
questions from Councillors and members of the public.
The answers to some questions were not available at the meeting. As the responses to questions are
not recorded verbatim both CAB were asked to formally respond in writing to relevant questions
raised:
 In the CAB report which formed part of the Scrutiny papers
 By members of the public in attendance at the meeting
 By Councillor’s in attendance at the meeting
The questions were circulated to both bureau on Thursday 13th November with a request that
written responses were received by Friday 28th November. These responses plus the information
recorded in the minutes of the meeting would help inform Members discussions regarding the CAB
when they were discussed again at Scrutiny on 10th December 2014.
2. Grant Agreement 2014 - 2015
Mid Norfolk CAB
In addition to the information in the Scrutiny minutes, the responses from Mid Norfolk CAB to
relevant questions were received on 17th November and are attached to this report. Mid Norfolk has
sent information about their customer satisfaction survey which took place over a two week period.
Cllr David Young who represents NNDC as an observer at the Mid Norfolk Board meetings also sent
some generic information for Members consideration.
Based on the responses to questions there are no significant concerns in relation to Mid Norfolk CAB
and its compliance with the current grant agreement it has with NNDC. It is noted that:
 The location of one outreach service has changed from Melton Constable to Briston. This
was due to the premises where the service was located in Melton Constable closing.
 A Stakeholder Forum has not been established, however Cllr David Young attends Mid
Norfolk CAB Board meetings as an observer.
 There are difficulties with the Advice Line telephone service. A significant number of calls are
not answered. However, people can phone the Holt Bureau directly for advice.
1
58
Norfolk CAB
A summary of the responses from Norfolk CAB to the questions raised at Scrutiny are given in the
minutes. A written response to questions in the CAB report which formed part of the Scrutiny
papers, those raised by members of the public and Councillor’s in attendance at the meeting was
requested by and received on 28th November and is attached to this report.
The answers to the questions received still leave several key concerns outstanding in relation to
Norfolk CAB and its compliance with the current grant agreement with NNDC. In particular it is noted
that:









Whilst stated that the Wells outreach service was part of a lottery funded project pre
merger, the grant agreement signed by Norfolk Cab for the last two years included an
outreach service in Wells. This has not been delivered.
There are difficulties with the Advice Line telephone service. A significant number of calls are
not answered. There is currently no provision for people to phone directly to bureaux in
North Walsham and Fakenham. Whilst following a successful pilot a call back system is
proposed, no time scale is given for its implementation and the difficulties with accessing
the service by phone continue.
Norfolk CAB website is currently unavailable (and has been for some time). No timescale for
this key information source to be available again has been identified.
A reduction has been reported in the number of days North Walsham bureau is open to the
public and type of advice service available i.e gateway (triage) as opposed to generalist
advice. It is advised that all volunteers are now trained to basic level and in North Walsham
two have become generalist advisors. It is unconfirmed as to the current impact on the
bureau opening times.
A lack of generalist advisors has meant some people requiring generalist advice being
redirected to Norfolk CAB outside the district or increasingly to other providers such as Mid
Norfolk CAB and Age UK Norfolk. This has been confirmed by other providers although
Norfolk CAB report this figure to be very low.
In its monitoring report Norfolk CAB identified that volunteer numbers are significantly
lower than the optimum although recruitment is on-going.
Should the bureau be required to move from its current location in North Walsham and have
to rent accommodation it would cause additional financial difficulties and the service
provision re evaluated.
A Stakeholder Forum has not been established. There is no regular direct engagement with
identified NNDC Members, although promises have been made that engagement will be
reviewed as a matter of urgency.
Fakenham and North Walsham bureaux failed their audit. There are mixed messages in
relation to the reasons for this and the extent to which this links into the service “pre
merger”.
In summary, both Mid Norfolk and Norfolk CAB are providing a service in North Norfolk. However, in
relation to Norfolk CAB there has clearly been a reduction in service provision, in availability and
depth of advice. The grant agreement states that NNDC should be advised of potential or actual
changes in service provision that could impact on ability of Norfolk CAB to fully meet the grant
agreement. This has not happened, communication and engagement with Norfolk Cab compared to
Mid Norfolk CAB has been poor. There appears to be differing opinions on the quality, type and
2
59
availability of the service provided. However, the concerns in relation to service provided by Norfolk
CAB have been raised with NNDC from several sources including members of the public, Councillors,
and other voluntary and statutory organisations.
It is accepted that the merger was a very difficult time and the impact of that was significant.
However, the merger happened over two years ago and it is acknowledged that progress is being
made with respect to addressing the “quality” issues cited as reasons for the poor audit score;
however the concerns relating to the extent of the service availability of advisors etc appears not to
have engendered the level of confidence in the service that is needed for it to attract and retain
sufficient volunteers.
3. Local authority funding arrangements with CABs
To further inform Scrutiny, informal discussions have been held with some other authorities in
regarding their funding arrangements with CABs. The majority of the local authorities advised that
they will shortly be reviewing their funding arrangements.
Norfolk County Council has arranged a meeting on 5th December to which all District Councils have
been invited. This will to identify both county wide needs and local priorities, with a view to
achieving a more joined up approach to organisations investments in Advice and Information
services.
Norfolk County Council
Through a grant agreement annual funding is given towards the core services provided by the CABs
as follows:
 Mid Norfolk CAB - £38,000
 Norfolk CAB - £287,000
It is up to each CAB to decide how they apportion the funding across the geographical area they
cover.
Broadland District Council
No contribution to core service. Norfolk CAB is currently funded to provide a dedicated debt advisor
which is based at Broadland District Council offices.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
An annual grant of £30,000 is currently given to Norfolk CAB towards the provision of its core
service.
Norwich City Council
No contribution to core service. Norfolk CAB is currently funded to provide a debt advice service in
Norwich. A review of service provision and need in Norwich has been undertaken. As a result the
Council intends to use an “outcomes based” approach to the commissioning of services.
Organisations will be invited to submit proposals that demonstrate how they would deliver a service
which would meet the identified outcomes.
West Norfolk
An annual grant of£76,091 is given to Norfolk CAB for the provision of generalist advice. There is a
historical rolling Service Level Agreement.
3
60
4. Provision of Advice Services from 1st April 2015
NNDC recognises the value of and need for quality and accessible advice and support services across
North Norfolk.
In addition to CABs there are a number of other organisations such as Age UK, Shelter, Equal Lives,
Christians Against Poverty which provide a range of advice services. Some of these are located in
North Norfolk whilst others provide a drop - in service or visit clients in their own homes. NNDC has
no grant agreements for advice services with these organisations.
The concerns that have been raised in relation to the current funded provision of advice and support
services, particularly in relation to Norfolk CAB, have identified a range of options for future service
provision. They would all require further consideration in relation to impact and effect. There are
also reputational and confidence issues both in terms of the provider of a service and NNDC’s
effective use of funding.
Options include:
1. Continue with the current core service contribution grant arrangements with Mid Norfolk
and Norfolk CAB, with revised grant agreements to reflect an agreed level of service in
relation to outputs, outcomes, governance, communication, monitoring and scrutiny to
better reflect geographic and service need.
2. Commission generic or specific advice and support services. A service specification would be
identified whereby any suitably qualified organisation which could include existing CAB but
also other voluntary and community groups or statutory organisations could be invited to
submit a proposal to deliver services in North Norfolk.
3. No longer provide external grant funding for advice and support services. Instead enhance
internal services to provide advice services in particular in relation to debt, housing and
benefits, which are the main areas of identified need.
In summary, the current grant agreements end on 31st March 2015. It is appropriate and timely that
the provision of advice and support services is reviewed.
Following consideration of the responses to the questions received and this report, Scrutiny’s views
on the existing grant agreement and options for future service provision would be welcome.
4
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Appendix G
North Norfolk Information and Advice Service
Appropriate, accessible and good quality information and advice are essential to empower
and support people of all ages to access employment, entitlements and services, resolve
complex issues, make informed decisions, exercise consumer choice and play a full part in
their community and society.
North Norfolk District Council and Norfolk County Council wish to jointly commission for a
period of three years a generalist Information and Advice Service across the geographic
area covered by North Norfolk District Council. North Norfolk is the lead commissioner for
this service. Effective, innovative and creative proposals are invited from suitably qualified
organisations interested in delivering a service that will ensure the following outcomes are
achieved and outputs delivered:
Outcomes
 North Norfolk residents will be proactively supported and empowered to gain
knowledge and skills to help them prevent or deal with on-going or recurring problems
and difficulties that impact and affect them.
 North Norfolk residents are helped to understand their rights and the support
available to them so that reliance on statutory services is reduced, delayed or avoided.
Outputs
 Provision of a comprehensive, accessible, high quality, district wide, free, impartial
and equitable needs led generalist information and advice service
 Active engagement and partnership working with relevant statutory and voluntary
organisations to ensure effective communication, joint working and cross agency
referrals to meet individual needs and to address the local challenges arising from
changes in law, policy and service provision.
Your proposal should clearly describe how your service will achieve these outcomes and
outputs and must contain a researched and evidenced rationale for service delivery giving
regard to the rural and demographic profile of North Norfolk in terms of:




Delivery methods
Accessibility
Partnership working and user involvement
Communication, reporting and performance monitoring
The successful organisation(s) will be required to demonstrate good standards of
governance, quality assurance and financial accountability. Additional supporting
information and documentation such as references and relevant organisational and
financial policies and procedures may be required.
The expected start date for the commencement of the service is Monday 4th January 2016.
The maximum funding available for the provision of the service is £109, 000 per annum
62
which is to be used exclusively for the provision and delivery of services in North Norfolk
District Council area. The proposal for a service that covers the whole of the North Norfolk
District Council area may be made from a single or partnership of organisations.
Proposals should not exceed 2,500 words should be sent together with a completed budget
template by post to:
Sonia Shuter
Health and Communities Officer
North Norfolk District Council
Holt Road
Cromer
Norfolk
NR27 9EN
“North Norfolk Information and Advice Service Proposal” should be written clearly on the
envelope. Deadline for receipt of proposals is 5pm Friday 4th September 2015
Shortlisted organisations will be invited to give a presentation to commissioners and
stakeholders and to answer questions on their proposed service on Friday 18th September.
Commissioners will assess the proposals on the following basis:
How the proposed delivery methods will achieve the identified
outcomes and outputs in the service description, in particular
ensuring good quality information and advice and preventing
recurring problems
How effectively the proposed delivery arrangements will ensure
the service is accessible to people who need it throughout North
Norfolk and how many unique clients it is proposed will be
supported by the service
How the proposed delivery arrangements will utilise partnership
arrangements and involve customers in shaping the service
Effectiveness of proposed methods for reporting and evidencing
outcomes and performance to commissioners
40%
20%
20%
20%
If you require any further information please contact Sonia Shuter Health and Communities
Officer email sonia.shuter@north-norfolk.gov.uk, phone 01263 516173
63
Appendix H
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
Overview and Scrutiny Annual Review 2014 – 2015
Chairman’s Introduction
This is the eleventh report by North Norfolk District Council’s
Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which gives an overview of
the Committee’s activities over the past year and its plans for
the future as well as explaining the aims and functions of
Overview and Scrutiny.
This report covers the last year of the Council that was elected
in 2011. The committee continues to play a valuable role in
reviewing and discussing the Council's financial position and
performance. The Committee has continued to focus on
issues of concern to local residents. In particular, the
Committee has looked at such issues the services offered by
the Citizens Advice Bureaux, the impact of the tidal surge of
2013 and mental health provision. In January we had a Councellors’ Call for Action over
residential permits and pay and display parking, proposed by Norfolk County Council.
I should like to thank my Vice Chairman Cllr Norman Smith and Democratic Services
Officers Emma Denny and Lydia Hall for their help and support throughout the year, and
also Tessa Gilder-Smith who left in August 2014.
My ethos is to encourage full participation. Portfolio Holders are expected to present
reports relating to their responsibilities and residents of the District and representatives
from the town and parish councils are welcome to attend any of the Committee's meetings
so they can learn more about the Council's work and how it is scrutinised. Members of the
public are also entitled to ask questions and make contributions. Several have done so
during our meetings and in fact, interest in the items has been so strong that meetings can
take longer than anticipated.
Councillor Peter Moore
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
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78
2014/2015
1. What is Scrutiny?
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is the Council’s watchdog, ensuring that the
Cabinet is held to account and is carrying out the Council’s aims as well as getting the
best value for money as a result of its decisions. Originating from the Local
Government Act of 2000 Scrutiny Committees not only keep an eye on the Council but
can also review the work of other bodies such as the Police, our utility providers and
the voluntary sector.
As outlined within the Council’s Constitution, the Committee’s terms of reference are
as follows:

To scrutinise and review decisions or other actions taken with respect to nonexecutive functions.

To make reports or recommendations to the Full Council or to the Cabinet about
one or more particular issue(s), service(s) or matter(s), which affects North
Norfolk and its residents. Reports or recommendations may be carried out on
whatever issue, service or matter the Scrutiny Committee thinks fit and may be
carried out on any subject if the Full Council or the Cabinet requests it to do so.

To carry out best value reviews.

To act as the Council’s Crime and Disorder Committee.

To produce an annual report to Council on the work of the Committee over the
year.

To ensure effective scrutiny of the treasury management strategy and policies.
The remit of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee also includes undertaking policy
review and development, monitoring performance management, promoting community
well-being and improving the quality of life in the District. Scrutiny is Member-led and
independent of political party arrangements. At North Norfolk District Council the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee is chaired by a member of the opposition. Scrutiny is
a function which belongs to, and benefits the whole council.
2. Who gets involved in Scrutiny?
a) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee take a
pro-active role throughout the process, attending pre-Agenda meetings and steering
and scoping the direction of questioning and investigation. They attend, when
appropriate, meetings with relevant officers at other authorities or with other bodies,
and participate in internal and external training.
b) The Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members – Scrutiny is different from other
committees and calls for Members with investigative and creative minds who are
prepared to “do their homework” out of the Council Chamber and to think outside of
the usual committee framework, tailoring the method of review to suit the topic.
c) Cabinet Portfolio Members are always expected to attend meetings of Overview
and Scrutiny which involve their portfolio. The aim is that the Portfolio Member, as
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2014/2015
d)
e)
f)
g)
well as the officers, should respond to questions and, where appropriate, introduce
the topic.
All non-Executive Members are invited to attend, to ask questions or to suggest
topics for scrutiny.
Officers are involved in a number of ways – those directly involved in supporting the
Scrutiny process and those who are called to make reports to the Committee.
Invitees and Witnesses can be called not just from within the Council, but from
partners and utilities providers.
The public are always welcome to attend meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee and to suggest areas of public concern that they would like to see
tackled by the Committee. A pro forma to request scrutiny of a topic can be found
on page 6.
3. Overview and Scrutiny Activities
Scrutiny activities include:
a) Scrutiny of Decisions made by Cabinet – Call-ins. The Overview and Scrutiny
Committee can “call in” a decision which has been made by the Cabinet but not yet
implemented. This enables the Committee to consider if the decision is appropriate
and it may recommend that the Cabinet reconsiders the decision.
b) Commenting on Budget Proposals – Budget Monitoring and Draft Budget reports
are cyclical items on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme.
c) Pre - Scrutiny:
 Commenting on and making input into Corporate Priorities
 Contributing to the Development of Draft Policies
 Looking at key agenda items before they go to Cabinet.
Pre – Scrutiny enables greater co-ordination between the Cabinet and Scrutiny
work programmes ensuring Overview and Scrutiny Committee input into key
agenda items, thus reducing the likelihood of Call–ins.
d) Performance Monitoring – this is a regular cyclical item on the work programme.
Performance Monitoring reports are a useful tool in highlighting areas which may
require further investigation. They are equally important for showing areas of the
Council’s work which are going particularly well!
e) Presentations – the Committee may request presentations from external bodies on
an item of interest. These are usually followed by a question and answer session to
gain a further insight into the chosen subject.
f) Reviews – the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may choose to look at a topic in
depth and over a period of time. This could be undertaken by the whole Committee
or by a Task and Finish Group.
g) Petitions – the Committee considers petitions received from members of the public.
These can be submitted electronically or in hard copy
4. The work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2014 - 2015
There have been a number of areas of work carried out by the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee over the year:




Holding the Cabinet to account
Budget monitoring
Pre-scrutiny
Review work
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
Petitions
Minutes and reports of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings can be found
on the Council’s website via the link below:
http://www.northnorfolk.org/apps/committees/default.asp?pathh=Scrutiny%20Committee
a) Call-in
The Committee did not Call-in any Cabinet decision during 2014/15. However, they
did have a ‘Councillor Call for Action’ on car parking in Cromer and Sheringham.
b) Budget Monitoring
Budget Monitoring reports were received in September and November 2014 and
February and March 2015. Reports have also been received on the Local
Investment Strategy, Treasury Management and Debt Management. The Financial
Strategy was also considered by Scrutiny.
c) Pre-scrutiny
Pre-scrutiny in the year 2014/15 was a review of the information and advice service
provided by Citizens Advice Bureaux Norfolk and Mid-Norfolk. The Committee
recommended that Cabinet looked at the funding NNDC provided and this started a
process regarding provision for the district.
d) Review work
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee has continued to review specific areas of
service provision within the Council. Regular updates have been received on the
waste contract, the Big Society Fund, the work of the Enforcement Board, the
Business Transformation Project and Tourism.
e) Petitions
Two petitions were received. One was regarding the proposals to move the market
place and taxi rank in Cromer and the second was about the proposals put forward
by Norfolk County Council for residential car parking permits and pay and display
spaces in both Cromer and Sheringham. This topic was raised through a
‘Councillors’ Call for Action’.
5. Successes and challenges
During 2014-15, the Committee received several presentations on topics of interest to
them. These included the planning service: overview and future, the Police and Crime
Commissioner, Better Broadband for Norfolk, the services provided by the Citizens
Advice Bureaux in the District and car park management and pricing. These sessions
were well attended by Members and enabled the Committee to ask some probing
questions. It is anticipated that the regular updates will continue to be received during
2015/16 on the changes to services for the CAB.
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2014/2015
There was a special meeting in July, in addition to the scheduled meeting, which
looked exclusively at housing in the District. Reports on the Housing Association,
Passiv Housing, Homelessness and the Housing Allocation scheme were all
scrutinised and discussed.
There were two visits arranged for the Committee; a visit to the Ambulance Hub in
Hellesdon and a visit to a local Passivhaus scheme.
Challenges for 2015/16 include:

Focussing on topics of interest to residents of the District. The committee is
keen to continue to look at housing provision across the district more closely –
continuing their focus on affordable housing.

Continuing to monitor performance against the Annual Action Plan.

Continuing to review areas of interest to committee members and local
residents including tourism, leisure, cultural services and further reports on the
progress in service provision of the CAB.
6. Members of the Committee 2014 – 2015
Councillors: Peter Moore – Chairman
Norman Smith – Vice-Chairman
Annie Claussen-Reynolds, Virginia Gay, Ann Green, Benjamin Jarvis, Barbara
McGoun, John Perry-Warnes, Roy Reynolds, Richard Shepherd, Peter Terrington.
7. How to get in touch with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Members of the public wishing to find out more about the scrutiny process are
requested to contact Democratic Services at democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
If you have any topic suggestions for scrutiny please use the form attached at the end
of this document.
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2014/2015
If you would like this document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative
format or in a different language please contact democraticservices@northnorfolk.gov.uk
Request form to raise an item for Scrutiny Review
Councillors should be asked to carry out the following scrutiny review:
Please give your reasons (continue on a separate sheet if necessary)
Name:
Address:
Daytime Tel No
Email:
Signature
Date
Please return this form to Democratic Services, Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer,
NR27 9JW
Tel 01263 516047
Email: democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
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2014/2015
North Norfolk District Council
Agenda Item 15
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2015 to 31 January 2016
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Cabinet
02 Nov 2015
Coastal
Partnerships
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Rob Goodliffe
Coastal Management
Team Leader
01263 516321
Cabinet
02 Nov 2015
Information &
Advice Service
Becky Palmer
Tom FitzPatrick
Sonia Shuter
Health &
Communities Officer
01263 516173
Cabinet
30 Nov 2015
Tom FitzPatrick
Scrutiny
09 Dec 2015
Business
Transformation
Update
Sean Kelly
Head of IT &
Business
Transformation
01263 516276
Cabinet
30 Nov 2015
Enforcement
Board Update
Judy Oliver
Nick Baker
Corporate Director
01263 516221
Status / additional
comments
2 Nov 2015
30 Nov 2015
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
84
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 November 2015 to 31 January 2016
30 Nov 2015
Sky Lanterns
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Steve Hems
Head of
Environmental Health
01263 516182
Cabinet
05 Jan 2016
Housing Strategy
John Rest
Scrutiny
13 Jan 2016
Nicola Turner
Team Leader –
Strategy
01263 516222
Council
24 Feb 2016
Cabinet
05 Jan 2016
Business Growth
& Investment
Opportunities
Strategy
Nigel Dixon
Michelle Burdett
Cabinet
05 Jan 2016
Communications
Strategy
Tom FitzPatrick
Sue Lawson
Communications &
PR Manager
01263 516 344
Cabinet
January 2015
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
85
Agenda item 16
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME 2015/2016
Period November 2015 – January 2016
November
Tourism update
Budget Monitoring Period 6
Treasury Management Half
Yearly Report
Information & Advice Service
Overview & Scrutiny Annual
Report
Nigel Dixon
Rob Young
Karen Sly
Wyndham Northam
Tony Brown
Wyndham Northam
Becky Palmer
Sonia Shuter
Emma Denny
Cyclical
Becky Palmer
Karl Read
Sue Arnold
Nicola Baker
Requested by Committee
John Rest
Duncan Ellis
Tom FitzPatrick
Sean Kelly
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Steve Hems
Requested by Committee
Cyclical
Cyclical
Cabinet report
Annual
December
Leisure Strategy
Planning Services and
Changes
Requested by Committee
January
Police and Crime
Commissioner
Office and Building
Maintenance
Business Transformation
update
Waste Update
86
6 months cyclical
6 months cyclical
TBC
Clinical Commissioning
Group: Ageing population
Dementia and related mental
health issues
Regulation of Investigatory
Powers Act- Policy
Public Transport
Nick Baker
Angie-Fitch Tillett
87
Date tbc – policy under
review
Outcomes and Actions
Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (NHOSC)
15 October 2015
Agenda Report Title
Item
Number
5.
Chairman’s announcements
Outcomes and Actions
6.
Ambulance response times
and turnaround times
Noted the information presented. NHOSC may return to the subject in
a year’s time.
7.
NHS workforce planning in
Norfolk
Agreed to write to:-
The Committee’s congratulations to be sent to Cllr Sandra Bogelein on Maureen Orr
the birth of her son.
1. The Secretary of State for Health and the Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State for Care Quality – expressing
disappointment at the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State’s
response to the committee’s enquiry regarding progress
towards a fair share of Service Increment Funding to Teaching
Increment for Norwich Medical School and raising the issue of
primary care workforce availability for the forthcoming winter.
2. The Local Enterprise partnerships in Norfolk and
Cambridgeshire expressing disappointment that they did not
accept the committee’s recommendation to work with local NHS
organisations and Higher Education Institutes to consider
innovative ways to support recruitment of healthcare students
and workers to Norfolk.
8.
Forward work programme
Action By Whom
Agreed the proposed programme
88
Maureen Orr
Copied to:Representatives attending the NHOSC meeting for NHS / other organisations
District Council Members of NHOSC
Member Support Officer - Christine Byles
CCG engagement contacts (x5)
Health and Wellbeing Board support officer – Linda Bainton
Healthwatch Norfolk – Chris MacDonald
89