Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Cameron & Price.

Councillor Hanton declared a personal interest in item number 11,General Fund Budget Report 2022-23, as he was the Chair of Great Yarmouth Community Safety Partnership which received funding from the Council.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2021 were confirmed.

Proposer:Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon.

CARRIED.

Members received and considered and noted the Service Committee Decision List for the period November 2021 to January 2022.

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon

CARRIED.

Council received and considered the report from the Head of Organisational Development.

The Leader of the Council welcomed back Councillor Stenhouse who had been absent due to a long period of very ill health.

The Leader of the Council reported that Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011 required the Council to produce an annual pay policy statement for the start of each financial year.  It was a legal requirement that Full Council formally signed off this statement and the responsibility could not be devolved to any other person or committee and must be approved by the end of March each year.  The Pay Policy Statement had therefore been updated for the 2022-23 financial year.

The Leader of the Council informed Council that the Pay Policy Statement met the statutory requirements of the Localism Act and it was therefore recommended to adopt the Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23 and to publish it on the Council’s website.

That Council adopt the Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23 and to publish it on the Council’s website.

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Grant

CARRIED

Council received and considered the report form the Finance Director.

The Leader of the Council reported that the fees and charges for 2022/23 had been reviewed in detail to inform the budget setting for 2022/23. The Fees and Charges Policy was approved in December 2019 which provided a clear framework for the annual review and setting of fees and charges as part of the budget process. The policy allowed for annual increases of RPI only or RPI plus up to 2% and also, where applicable, having regard to the cost of the provision of services. Fees and charges proposals for the coming year within the policy were approved by Policy and Resources Committee on 8 February 2022 and the recommendation was that those fees and charges proposals that were outside of the policy be brought to Council for approval and these were included in Appendix B to the report. 

The Leader of the Council reported that these fees had been increased in line with the market retail prices where applicable and also to bring a consistent approach to the car parking charges across the borough, recognising that the fees had remained frozen for a number of years. 

Councillor Wainwright informed Council that fees and charges were agreed by Policy & Resources Committee on the 8 February as per the policy agreed in December 2019, which was RPI plus 2%, although a number of charges were frozen. Since 2019, RPI had increased to 4.9% which meant that some fees and charges would be increased by 6.9% this year, and with inflation rising this year,  the Council could see RPI at 6% or above next year. Councillor Wainwright reported that he would like to see the policy re-visited this year to reflect any changes that might be necessary.

Proposer: Councillor Wainwright

Seconder: Councillor Martin.

AMENDMENT LOST

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon

That Council agree the schedule of fees and charges as set out in Appendix B that fall outside of the Fees & Charges Policy.

CARRIED

Council received and considered the report from the Financial Services Manager

The Leader of the Council reported that the investment strategy was the first of three finance strategy documents that were presented for approval together with the budget each year. 
In particular, it focused on commercial and service investments and recognised the ongoing implications of related investment decisions now, and in the past, had on future revenue budgets. The strategy provided the framework for specific investment decisions that might be presented as part of a business case in the coming financial year.

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon

That Council approve the 2022/23 Investment Strategy

CARRIED

Council received and considered the report from the Financial Services Manager.

The Leader of the Council reported that this report presented the Council’s Capital Strategy for approval, which was again, one of the strategies for approval alongside the budget. 
This strategy provided an overview of capital expenditure and how it was to be financed, recognising how capital spend contributed to local service provision and covered the General Fund, Housing Revenue Account and commercial capital spend & financing.
The capital strategy was intrinsically linked to a number of strategies; namely Treasury Management, Investment, Asset Management and also the Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The last of these strategies, recognised the ongoing impact of capital financial decisions taken now on future budgets. In light of this, the capital strategy also considered the risks around the capital spend and how these were mitigated, as well as the sustainability of the planned spend.

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon

CARRIED

Council received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

The Leader of the Council reported that the final strategy presented for approval alongside the setting of the annual budget, was the treasury management strategy for the forthcoming financial year. The strategy outlined the approach to the borrowing and investment activity and managing these in a prudent way which had regard to security and liquidity ahead of the highest rate of return, and ensuring that sufficient cash was available to meet the capital expenditure plans.

The Leader of the Council reported that the Treasury Strategy covered both the borrowing for the general fund and the housing revenue account, taking into account future borrowing requirements which were aligned to the approved capital programme for the Council as presented within the budget reports. The strategy was considered by the Policy and Resources Committee on 8 February 2022 and would be monitored during the year with a half-year report being made to Members later in the year. 

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Annison

That Council approve the:-

(a) The Treasury Management Strategy for 2022/23,

(b) The Annual Investment Strategy (section 4); and

(c) Operational Boundary and Authorised Limits (Appendix C)

CARRIED

Council received and considered the report from the HRA Service Accountant.

Councillor Grant reported that as the landlord to approximately 5,800 dwellings and 368 leaseholder homes across the Borough, this report presented for approval the Housing Revenue Account Budget for 2022/23 and reflected the spending and income plans for 2022/23 and the following four years for both the day-to-day revenue account and the longer term capital plans. 

Councillor Grant reported that the annual budget included a provision of £9.6m for repairs in the year and just under £9m of capital works to the properties and estates, a significant investment to homes within the borough. This report recommended the annual rent setting and following the end of the 1% reduction to all social rents in 2019/20, this was budgeted to increase at a rate of CPI + 1%, and for next year this would equate to 4.1%. Service charges were also increasing for next year, although this was completed on a cost neutral basis, reflecting increasing cost pressures. 

Councillor Grant reported that the budgeted works within the capital programme continued to reduce the existing level of non-decency identified within the housing stock, as well as addressing the newly arising need going forward. To further support continuing works, the budget allowed for a provision to undertake a further stock condition review which would be used to inform the future budget setting for the stock. 

Proposer: Councillor Grant

Seconder: Councillor D Hammond

That Council approve:-

(i) The increase in rents of CPI + 1%, as set out in the new Rents for Social Housing policy for 2022/23. For 2022/23 this equates to 4.1%,
(ii) The Revenue budget for 2022/23, along with the forecast projections for the period up until 2026/27, including the extended borrowing to support the provision of additional HRA homes,
(iii) The Capital budget for the period 2022/23 to 2026/27,
(iv) The HRA Service charges for 2022/23; and
(v) The revised HRA Capital and Revenue forecasts for 2021/22.

CARRIED.

Council received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

The Leader of the Council presented for approval the revenue and capital budgets for the General Fund for 2022/23. The budget as presented, was the culmination of significant work and had been informed by the one-year local government finance settlement, for which the final announcement earlier this month, confirmed an additional £80,000 of funding for 2022/23, which had allowed for the continuation of the Member ward budgets for a further year. 

The Leader reported that whilst Council was only being asked to approve the budget for 2022/23, the detail in the report did include the following two financial year forecasts, for which there were still budget challenges. As the Council awaited the outcome of the fair funding review and review of business rates, the Council continued to prioritise work aligned to the key themes of the Councils business strategy to reduce the forecast funding gap, which included:-
• ensuring that we operated in the most effective and efficient manner,
• delivering and facilitating growth; be it new homes or business, 
• ensuring that our assets were being utilised in the most efficient way, for example, reviewing opportunities for income generation and also opportunities for disposals where capital receipts could be used to fund the capital programme and deliver ongoing savings to the revenue account; and  
• regeneration. 

The Leader of the Council reported that the regeneration of the borough continued to be a priority and this was being delivered by both Norfolk County Council projects, namely the third river crossing and the Operations and Maintenance development, but also by direct investment by the Borough. For example, this summer we would see the opening of the new Marina Centre on the seafront. The investment of £26m would be a significant boost for the local economy, whilst supporting the health and well-being for the whole borough and be an attraction for visitors all year round.

Furthermore, the Leader reported that the Council was starting to see the benefits from the £13.7m investment from the Government’s future high street fund which would transform and revive Great Yarmouth’s town centre, the first significant project being the redevelopment of the market place for which the first phase was nearing completion. 

The Leader of the Council reported that during the current year, we had received the confirmation of the allocation of £20.1m from the Town Deal Fund, which would deliver a number of projects over the next few years, including a new learning centre in the centre of Great Yarmouth, business incubator units linked to the new Operations and Maintenance campus, restoration and re-purposing of vacant historic buildings and the restoration of the iconic Wintergardens which had been possible by the allocation of nearly £10m award from the National Lottery Heritage Horizon Awards. 

The Leader of the Council informed Members that the report covered the 2022/23 budget only and made recommendations for the setting of the council tax for the borough element, which was in line with the national assumptions of council tax increases, which amounted to a £5 increase for a Band D property per annum, and £3.33 increase for a Band A property. When taken into account with the level of parish precepts for the borough, Great Yarmouth would continue to be one of the lowest nationally. 

The Leader reported that Council continued to hold a number of earmarked reserves which together with the general reserve provided some financial stability. Whilst the transfers from reserves should only be seen as a one-off source of funding, use of reserves in this way could provide one-off upfront funding for projects and schemes that could deliver future savings and efficiencies. 

The Leader of the Council reported that despite the challenges of the last two years, the budget continued to support delivery of vital services to the residents and businesses within the borough including:-
• waste and recycling, 
• grounds maintenance, 
• housing including support for homelessness; and
• essential support to households through local council tax support. 

The Leader of the Council reported that the Council had continued to provide support to businesses throughout the pandemic, through the administration of grants which were now in excess of £66m, that had been paid out since the start of the pandemic. There would also be continued business rate relief of 50% for retail, hospitality and leisure sector for 2022/23. 
In addition, the Council had continued to provide support to our residents and those that were most vulnerable in our communities, including further assistance via council tax hardship and support for energy, food and housing. 

The Leader reported that Members would have heard the recent announcements of the £150 energy rebate scheme which would be paid to all households in council tax bands A to D in April 2022. The Council is aware that there will be some households that do not fall into this criteria and there will be £144m allocated nationally for Council’s to develop their own discretionary scheme. Guidance on discretionary schemes together  with funding allocations had not yet been issued. However, in order to administer a discretionary scheme in a swift manner, it was proposed that delegation be given to the Head of Customer Services and Finance Director, in consultation with myself as the Leader and Councillor Wainwright as the Leader of the Labour Group, to develop our local scheme. 

In summary, the Leader of the Council reported that he was confident that the budget, as presented, continued to support the residents and businesses across the borough, was achievable and supported the delivery of the Corporate Plan and he therefore recommended the budget for 2022/23 as detailed on the agenda report.

The Leader of the Council reported that he would like to thank the Finance Director and her team for their work on the budget, which at times must have been a challenge. I would also like to thank the Head of Customer Services and the Head of Inward Investment and their teams for the way in which they had administered the Covid and ARG grants over the last two years. These grants had been a lifeline to businesses, enabling many to survive over this difficult period.

Councillor Wainwright informed Council that once again Great Yarmouth was being levelled- down instead of levelled-up by this administration and central government, with the borough still having to receive one-off Lower Tier Grants and Services Grants to balance its budgets. 
The revenue support grant increasing by 3.1% (£63,331) to £2,136,919 was way below what the borough actually needed. Councillor Wainwright recalled when Great Yarmouth received from a Labour Government RSG increases of 14% which was still not enough for the Conservatives.

Councillor Wainwright reported that Local Authorities across the country had been given levelling-up monies of approximately £2 Billion, to areas that had lost £25 Billion since 2010, one of those areas being Great Yarmouth.

Councillor Wainwright informed Council that from April 2022, this government would be hitting working families with a £12 Billion hike in National Insurance, the biggest tax hike in 70 years, with personal  tax allowances frozen until 2026, millions to be hit by crippling rises in energy bills, fuel prices and food and with inflation at a 30 year high. Council Tax increase for a Band D Property in Great Yarmouth would be increasing by £61.64 a year without any 
noticeable increase in services. Once again, cuts to local government funding had forced Councils to raise council tax, this being acknowledged by Andrew Procter, Leader of Norfolk County Council, and he asked the Leader of the Council what his response to this was. Councillor Wainwright highlighted that the £150 Council Tax rebate announced by the Government was not a Council Tax Rebate but was actually a £150 payment using council tax records and based on council tax bands.

Councillor Wainwright reported that he would not be presenting an alternative budget or moving amendments much to the dismay perhaps of Councillor Wells, as there was little or no scope to do this, with forecast deficits for the next three years  increasing to £1.9m by 2024/25 and the General Reserve at its recommended balance of £3.5m.

Councillor Wainwright questioned whether the Leader of the Council knew something that he did not and that the Fair Funding review in 2022/23, or the UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation being announced in the Spring, would bring in millions of pounds into the Borough, although he would not hold his breath. 

Councillor Wainwright once again requested that the concurrent funding given to the Parishes amounting to £142,313 in 2022/23 be looked at as there were only two local authorities in the country providing this type of funding, Great Yarmouth being one of them. Did this funding to the parish council's offer value for money, or should GYBS be commissioned to carry out the works or parish councils be responsible to cover this amount. The funding given is for maintenance of Burial Grounds, Beach Cleaning, Parks and Open Spaces and Bus Shelters and for example, two parishes also received monies from the BID totalling £8394. Parish Precepts for 2022/23 would raise by an average of 15% to £596,030 equating to £20.31 for a Band D property. At the same time, Bradwell Parish Council is taking away Football Provision on the Green Lane Playing Field through lack of funds, which I did not vote for. Therefore, I would ask again that these concurrent function grants are looked at again during 2022/23.

Councillor Wainwright summed up that this budget presented to us today was an indictment of the failure of the current administration to grasp the magnitude of the challenges ahead, and their focus now seemed to be moving to a Cabinet System from May 2022, in the hope that this change of governance would make everything alright.

Councillor Myers questioned why there was still an element of social care precept within council tax which resulted in residents paying twice and that the government needed to address this matter urgently.

Councillor A Wright informed Council why his group had been unable to put forward an alternative budget due to the continued funding cuts sustained over the last ten years which had left them unable to do anything. Councillor A Wright alluded to the significant amount of improvement works to the borough and likened them to a beauty pageant as the results would be lovely to look at but would not address the grass root problems of local residents struggling with the cost of living on a daily basis. 

Councillor Talbot reported that she had been listening to the views of local residents on social media who were concerned that the increases in car parking and council tax had been made to cover the increases Members had voted through to increase their Member allowances. 

The Leader of the Council reported that he was constantly talking to the government regarding the Council's four year settlement. The Leader regretted the increase in council tax but reported it was necessary to balance the budget as the Council worked to cover the deficit and advised that a report would be brought back to Council in six months time when it was hoped that the deficit would be covered. The Leader reported that he had asked the S151 Officer to look into the concurrent funding for the parish councils and a report would come to Council. 

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon

That Council approve the following:-

1) The general fund revenue budget as detailed at Appendix A;

2) The Council Tax for 2022/23 for the Borough Council tax be £176.48 (for an average Band D);

3) That the demand on the Collection Fund for 2022/23 be:
a. £5,085,693 for the Borough Council purposes;
b. £596,030 for Parish Precepts.

4) The statement of and movement on the reserves as detailed at Appendix D and within section 8 of the report; 

5) The Policy framework for reserves as detailed at Appendix E; 

6) The updated Capital Programme and financing for 2021/22 to 2022/23 as detailed at
Appendix F;

7) New capital bid proposals at Appendix G;

8) The Minimum Revenue Provision Statement 2022/23 as included at Appendix H;

9) The underwriting of the £3.5million funding for the Learning Centre project as outlined at
section 5;

10) The inclusion of ward budgets for 2022/23 totalling £39,000; and

11) That delegation be given to the Head of Customer Services and the Finance Director, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Councillor Wainwright to develop the local discretionary energy rebate grant scheme. 

CARRIED

That a recorded vote be taken on this item as follows:-

For the motion:- Councillors Annison, Bensly, Bird, Candon, G Carpenter, P Carpenter, Flaxman-Taylor, Freeman, Galer, Grant, Hacon, D Hammond, P Hammond, Hanton, Lawn, Mogford, Plant, Smith, Stenhouse,Thompson & Wells.

Against the motion:- Councillor Talbot

Abstentions:- Councillor Borg, Cordiner-Achenbach, Fairhead, Jeal, Martin, Myers, Robinson-Payne, Smith-Clare, Wainwright, Williamson, B Walker, C Walker, Waters-Bunn, A Wright & B Wright.

Council received and considered the report from Council.

The Finance Director presented for approval by Council, the statutory calculations for the Council Tax Setting for 2022/23 in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992. The report also included the Chief Finance Officer’s report on the robustness of the estimates and adequacy of reserves.

The Finance Director informed Council that this report should be considered alongside the budget report as presented to Policy and Resources Committee on 8 February 2022, as outlined at appendix A.

Proposer: Councillor Smith

Seconder: Councillor Candon

That Council having approved the Budget for 2022/23 as detailed in the earlier agenda
item (Policy and Resources Committee Budget Report, 8 February 2022, as outlined at Appendix A) and considered the Chief Financial Officer’s report on the robustness of the estimates and the adequacy of reserves, agree to:-

(i) Undertake the Council Tax and statutory calculations as set out in section 4 of the report and set the Council Tax for 2022/23; and

(ii) Approve the demand on the Collection Fund for 2022/23 be:-
a) £5,085,693 for the Borough Council purposes;
b) £596,030 for Parish Precepts. 

CARRIED.

That a recorded vote be taken on this item as follows:-

For the motion:- Councillors Annison, Bensly, Bird, Candon, G Carpenter, P Carpenter, Flaxman-Taylor, Freeman, Galer, Grant, Hacon, D Hammond, P Hammond, Hanton, Lawn, Mogford, Plant, Smith, Stenhouse,Thompson & Wells.



Against the motion:- Councillor Talbot



Abstentions:- Councillor Borg, Cordiner-Achenbach, Fairhead, Jeal, Martin, Myers, Robinson-Payne, Smith-Clare, Wainwright, Williamson, B Walker, C Walker, Waters-Bunn, A Wright & B Wright.

Council received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

Councillor Flaxman-Taylor informed Council that in accordance with the Local Government Audit and Accountability Act 2014, the Council was required to appoint and External Auditor. The existing external audit provider (EY) was procured via the Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA) for the period 2018/19 to 2022/23.

Councillor Flaxman-Taylor reported that PSAA was a company limited by guarantee and was incorporated by the Local Government Association in 2014. In 2016 the PSAA was specified by the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government as the appointing person for principal local government and police bodies for audits from 2018/19. PSAA was now undertaking a procurement for the next period of appointment of external auditors and all eligible bodies have been invited to opt into their national scheme for external audit appointments from 2023/24 onward. The Council’s invitation to opt into the national scheme was included at Appendix A to the report. 

Councillor Flaxman-Taylor reported that there were three options available for the appointment of an external auditor for the five-year period from 2022/23: 

Undertake an individual auditor procurement and appointment exercise;

Undertake a joint audit procurement and appointing exercise with other bodies, those
in the same locality for example; or

Join PSAA’s sector led national scheme.

A decision to join the PSSA sector led scheme must be made by Council.
Options 1 and 2 above would require the establishment of an independent auditor panel to
make the appointment, this would be after a local procurement process. The independent
panel would consist wholly or majority of independent members excluding current and former members (or officers). In addition, the panel would be responsible for overseeing the
management of the contract for its duration.

Opting into the national scheme would provide the independence required for the
procurement and appointment process. By undertaking a collective procurement this would
reduce the costs for the sector and the bodies that are part of the procurement. The PSAA option would also deliver the requirement to establish an auditor panel. It was therefore recommended that the Council opt into the national scheme for the auditor appointment process from 2023/24 onward. This report was previously reported to the Audit and Risk Committee on 6 December 2021 whereby the committee agreed to make the recommendation to Council.

Proposer: Councillor Flaxman-Taylor

Seconder: Councillor Galer

That Council agree that Great Yarmouth Borough Council accepts the Public Sector Audit Appointments’ invitation to opt into the sector led option for the appointment of external auditors for the five years from 1 April 2023.

CARRIED.

Council are asked to consider the following Motion on Notice that has been submitted :-

(1) Motion received from Councillors Wainwright, T Wright, B Wright, Williamson, B Walker and C Walker.

Councillor Wainwright reported that following the announcement of the Governments white paper on Levelling up, we are disappointed to learn that any devolution deal for Norfolk does not require the consent of Districts or Boroughs. Gt Yarmouth Borough Council has a long history of delivering for the residents of the Borough. Projects such as the Outer Harbour, Third River crossing, New Energy Park, along with ground breaking public private partnerships such as GYMI, GYTA and more recently the BID. We have also been at the forefront for obtaining £millions of grants over many years with the exemplary work from our Borough officers and lately the joint working of councillors across the political divide and officers have delivered well during the Covid outbreak. We therefore ask that this Council opposes, as it has done before, any proposals for a directly elected Mayor and a Unitary Council for Norfolk, and that Great Yarmouth Borough Council and its residents be allowed to continue determining our own future.

Councillor A Wright reported that an elected mayor was not the way forward for Great Yarmouth and that this Council was perfectly capable of running its own affairs and this should remain so and urged all councillors to support the continuation of local democracy.

Councillor Wainwright apologised to His Worship, The Mayor, Councillor Thompson as he had been amiss and had not requested a recorded vote on this item when he presented the motion to Council.

The Leader of the Council reported that he had asked Councillor Wainwright to withdraw his motion on two or three occasions. The Leader reported that he sat on the Norfolk Sector Leaders Board and was prepared to listen and to see what was on offer and he therefore felt that the motion was premature.

The Leader of the Council proposed that the motion go straight to the vote and that he did not oppose a recorded vote on the item. This motion was seconded by Councillor Wells.

Councillor Wainwright summed up his party's objection to a elected mayor or an unitary council which would encompass the borough and that he was heartened to hear that other local authority leaders in Norfolk were also opposed to this too. Councillor Wainwright had not withdrawn the motion as he wished to put a marker down for Council.

Proposer: Councillor Wainwright

Seconder Councillor A Wright.

MOTION LOST

That a recorded vote be taken on this motion as follows:-

For the motion:- Councillor Borg, Cordiner-Achenbach, Fairhead, Jeal, Martin, Myers, Robinson-Payne, Smith-Clare, Thompson, Wainwright, Williamson, B Walker, C Walker, Waters-Bunn, A Wright & B Wright.



Against the motion:- Councillors Annison, Bensly, Bird, Candon, G Carpenter, P Carpenter, Flaxman-Taylor, Freeman, Galer, Grant, Hacon, D Hammond, P Hammond, Hanton, Lawn, Mogford, Plant, Smith, Stenhouse & Wells.



Abstentions:- Councillor Talbot.

(i) The Leader of the Council, Councillor Smith, reported that he would keep Members informed of talks on Devolution which formed part of the Government's white paper on Levelling Up.