Meetings

Meeting Details

Policy and Resources Committee
8 Feb 2022 - 18:00 to 20:00
Occurred

**PLEASE NOTE** This meeting will be held in the Council Chamber**

This meeting will be held in public and in person at the Town Hall, Great Yarmouth.

 

 If you wish to attend in person please could we ask where possible, you indicate in advance that it is your intention to do so. This can be completed by contacting memberservices@great-yarmouth.gov.uk. We will ask for contact details to be given incase of the need to contact you (in the event of a COVID 19 Outbreak). Public Seating will also at this time remain limited.

 

Councillors and Officers attending the meeting will be undertaking a lateral flow test in advance prior to the meeting. They will also be required to wear face masks when they are moving around the room but may remove them once seated. We would like to request that any external attendees or public speakers attending the meeting do the same to help make the event safe for all those attending. Information about symptom-free testing is available here.

 

Please note : This meeting will not be available for viewing via the Councils Youtube channel

  • Documents
  • Attendance
  • Visitors
  • Declarations of Interests

Documents

Agenda

Standard Items
1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
To receive any apologies for absence. 


1

 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Myers.

 

 

 

2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

You have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter to be discussed if it relates to something on your Register of Interests form. You must declare the interest and leave the room while the matter is dealt with.

You have a Personal Interest in a matter to be discussed if it affects
•    your well being or financial position
•    that of your family or close friends
•    that of a club or society in which you have a management role
•    that of another public body of which you are a member to a greater extent than others in your ward.
You must declare a personal interest but can speak and vote on the matter.

Whenever you declare an interest you must say why the interest arises, so that it can be included in the minutes. 

2

 

Councillors Wells & Williamson declared a personal interest in item 7 as they were Board Members on the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust.

 

Councillors Flaxman-Taylor, Grant & Williamson declared a personal interest in item 19 as they were Members of the Wellesley Member Working Group.

 

However, in line with the Council's Constitution, they were allowed to both speak and vote on the matters.

 

 

 

3 pdf MINUTES (154Kb)

 

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on the 30 November 2021.

 

 

 

 

3

 

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2021 were confirmed.

 

 

 

4 pdf FORWARD PLAN (59Kb)

 

Report attached.

 

 

4

 

The Committee received and considered the Forward Plan.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee note the Forward Plan.

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

5

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Senior Performance & Data Protection Officer.

 

The Senior Performance and Data Protection Officer gave an update on performance for the third quarter of 2021/22, October to December 2021 where progress was assessed against targets which were set at the start of the financial year. The report also provided an update on the position of key projects that were linked to the corporate priorities from The Plan 2020-2025. A summary of progress for the suite of key projects and individual highlight reports for each of these key projects was presented in Appendix 1 of the report. The performance measures, at Appendix 2, gave a comprehensive overview of how the authority, as a whole, was performing which covered most Council functions.

 

Councillor Wainwright asked for clarification in regard to HN02 on page 46 of the agenda report and highlighted the lack of communication between housing officers and customers. The Director of Housing reported that the online application form would go live on the Council's website in may this year and a communications plan would be implemented moving forwards.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee agree that:-

 

(i) All measures to be monitored during the next quarter; and

 

(ii) All key projects will continue to be monitored over the next quarter with the aim of maintaining a green status and where possible attaining a green status for those key projects which are currently amber.

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

6

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Strategic Planning Manager.

 

The Strategic Planning Manager reported that Local Development Orders were adopted for Beacon Park and South Denes in 2012, following the designation of the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone.  The Local Development Orders were given a lifetime of 10 years following adoption.  As a result, the Beacon Park Local Development Order would expire on 30th March 2022 and the South Denes Local Development Order would expire on the 15th May 2022.  

 

The Strategic Planning Manager reported that the Beacon Park Local Development Order was a short document which set out what development was permitted within the area covered by the order. It was accompanied by a Design Code setting out the design requirements which development proposals must accord with.

 

The Beacon Park Local Development Order permits the following uses:
Site investigation
Office and light industrial development
Solar Panels on buildings 
Electronic communications. 

 

The Strategic Planning Manager reported that the permissions granted by the order were subject to several conditions to ensure well-planned development, including compliance with the Design Code.  The Design Code sets out specific design parameters which developments being undertaken under the Local Development Order needed to adhere to, which included height limits, plot ratios and car parking standards. 

 

The Strategic Planning Manager asked the Committee to approve the Beacon Park Local Development Order as proposed which was appended at  Appendix 1 and the Design Code which was appended at Appendix 2 to the agenda report.

 

Councillor Wells reported that he fully supported the Local Development Order and asked for an update regarding the South Denes LDO. The Strategic Planning Manager reported that an ecologist would be appointed to look at the concerns of Natural England regarding the impact of the LDO on the protected habitat and that it was planned to bring a report to Committee in late May/early June 2022. Councillor Grant for clarification regarding the concerns of Natural England. The Strategic Planning Manager reported that part of the LDO was situated in the Outer Thames Estuary SSI which housed the foraging territory of the Red-Throated Diver and Little Terns and Natural England were concerned that the noise for the development would disturb their natural habitat.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the Committee approve the Beacon Park Local Development Order as proposed which was appended at  Appendix 1 and the Design Code which was appended at Appendix 2 to the agenda report.

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

7

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Strategic Planning Manager & HAZ Project Manager.

 

The Strategic Planning Manager reported that the scheme comprised of a series of projects and workstreams which collectively tackled problems of empty, redundant and neglected buildings through repair and re-use, transforming dilapidated properties into new homes, shops and community spaces. Through capital projects, it would repair and restore the historic environment and public realm and encourage property owners to invest in conservation improvements to restore historic character through a scheme of small grants. The project strategically aligned with the Future High Street Fund and Town Deal Investment Plan actions and objectives and would deliver a significant community benefit and included a number of physical improvements to the historic environment, a mapping project, community engagement and the preparation of design guides. 

 

The design guides would cover shopfronts, extensions, repairs and public realm together with an umbrella guide. The first design guide to be prepared was the Shopfront Design Guide.  The guide would help support the grant system for shopfront repairs but would also be a planning policy document to help determine applications involving shopfronts.  Therefore, it was proposed that that the document was adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The Policy and Resources Committee approved a first draft of the SPD on 27th July 2021 which formed the first stage of consultation.  Consultation took place between 9th August 2021 and 20th September 2021. A Consultation Statement had been prepared and was appended to this report as Appendix 1, which included the responses in full and how they had been addressed in the final draft of the Supplementary Planning Document.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee approve the final draft of the Great Yarmouth Shopfront Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document for consultation.

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

8

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Head of Customer Services.

 

The Head of Customer Services reported that in December 2021, the Government announced the new Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund, known as CARF, as part of a range of measures to help businesses through the pandemic. CARF was a one-off business rate relief to support businesses which had been affected by the pandemic but who had been ineligible for the Extended Retail Discount which covered Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors, and excluded those that were eligible for the Nursery Discount.

 

The Head of Customer Services reported that the Section 31 grant funding for Great Yarmouth had been confirmed at just over £1.8 m. This relief was available to reduce chargeable amounts in respect of the year 2021/22  only. It was for the Local Authority to determine the level of relief for individual business properties and the overall scheme.  Section 2.1 of the report outlined the Government guidance in relation to the businesses ineligible which included empty properties and Local Authorities and Parishes. In designing the scheme, the Council has collaborated with other Norfolk authorities to produce a framework in which the scheme could be effectively administered.

 

Following Government guidelines, there were two considerations in choosing the design of the scheme:-

(i) Either a direct award - based on a flat - rate - percentage of net-rates payable; or   

(ii) by an application process.

In order to make the CARF scheme as simple as possible and make the awards quickly, the recommended scheme was to grant the relief through a direct award based on a flat - rate  percentage process. The scheme is outlined in Section 4 of the report, but in summary, this means that we will be awarding 23% relief to eligible businesses with a cap set for a maximum of £20,000 on the net rates payable. It was estimated that this would use over £1.6 m of the funding which would leave £116 k which could be used as a safety net.

 

The Head of Customer Services requested that the Committee endorse the recommended Covid -19 Additional Relief Fund scheme, as summarised in the report and detailed at Appendix A.

 

The Chairman reported that this was an excellent scheme.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee endorse the recommended Covid -19 Additional Relief Fund scheme, as summarised in the report and detailed at Appendix A.

 

 

 

9 pdf RECOGNITION AWARDS (207Kb)

 

Report attached.

 

 

9

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Head of Marketing and Communications and the Head of Inward Investment.

 

The Head of Inward Investment reported that this report outlined a proposal to run a new Recognition Awards ceremony, with the inaugural one planned for spring 2022, to recognise the achievements of individuals from the Borough of Great Yarmouth during a time of considerable challenge. It was proposed that the inaugural ceremony be held in 2022, and it was recommended that the Council hosted the event every 4 years, and as such, this report provided an overview of both the nomination process and the criteria for proposing nominees and selecting final award recipients.

 

Councillor P Carpenter proposed three amendments to the proposed criteria as follows which was seconded by Councillor Wells:-

 

2.2  Nominations would be proposed by any elected member, with all nominations to meet all the criteria as laid out in section 2.3 below. All final chosen nominees would require support from the Leader, Shadow Leader and Chief Executive Officer, as such, require unanimity. An equality impact assessment will be undertaken throughout the selection process.

 

2.3 Criteria for nomination:
      Nominees must:
• Have been born, and/or raised, educated or lived within the Borough
• Achieved success amounting to national or international recognition
• Or a positive ambassador and a role model for the Borough.

2.4 All nominations will be presented to the group leaders with justification and evidence as to how each nominee meets all of the qualifying criteria. Should there be more than three nominees the Leader of the Council, Shadow Leader & Chief Executive Officer will reserve the right to choose the final recipients of the awards based on the quality of the justification provided

 

Councillor Wainwright reported that he had not been consulted on the proposal which was both disconcerting and disappointing as Shadow Leader.

 

Councillor Williamson reported that it was vital to get the awards criteria right and asked that the item be deferred for further consultation with Members.

 

Councillor B Walker was disappointed that only three nominations could be put forward as this would result in a large number of deserving local residents missing out on the opportunity to be considered for an award.

 

The Chief Executive Officer apologised for the paper being presented to Members at such short notice. The report had intentionally been written with a light touch as it was intended to amend the report following consultation with members at the meeting.

 

Councillor Flaxman-Taylor proposed that the second bullet point at paragraph 2.3 should be taken out and the remaining two bullet point re-worded better.

 

Councillor B Walker reported that he was concerned that Members would be putting forward nominations without the nominees prior permission.

 

Councillor A Wright agreed with Councillor Walker as he could see all sorts of issues arising from the proposed criteria culminating in only three people deciding the final three award nominations.

 

Councillor Plant reported that he welcomed the awards which were an excellent idea and had come at exactly the right time to honour local heroes who had served the residents of the borough in an exemplary manner during the pandemic.

 

Councillor Wells supported the proposal but asked that an amendment be made to paragraph 1.3 as follows. This was seconded by Councillor P Carpenter - 

1.3 Given all this, the Council is proposing to celebrate a small number of individuals & local organisations (maximum of 3), acknowledging their outstanding contribution to the Borough and beyond.

 

Councillor P Hammond asked whether the limit of three nominations could be relaxed in the first year to allow the council to honour more well-deserving local residents and organisations alike.

 

Councillor Wainwright reported that he did not oppose the Awards but was asking for the item to be deferred to allow Members more time to consider the many amendments that had been made to the criteria eligibility this evening, to ensure that the criteria was all-encompassing and inclusive to recognise our diverse community of local individuals and groups.

 

The Chairman reported that a proposal had been made by Councillor P Carpenter and seconded by Councillor Wells that the criteria would be delegated to the Leader, Shadow Leader and CEO, taking into account all the suggested amendments made at the meeting.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee:-

 

(i) Agree to the holding of a Recognition Awards ceremony via a 4-yearly cycle,


(ii) Consider and agree that the nomination, criteria and selection process be delegated to the Leader of the Council, Shadow Leader & Chief Executive Officer, including those amendments made at the meeting as follows:-

 

(a) 1.3 Given all this, the Council is proposing to celebrate a small number of individuals and local organisations (maximum of 3), acknowledging their outstanding contribution to the Borough and beyond. The Council is proposing to run a Recognition Awards ceremony, with the first to take place in Spring 2022 to therefore bring positivity to the Borough and celebrate those who deserve recognition for their endeavours.



(b) 2.2 Nominations would be proposed by any elected member, with all nominations to meet all the criteria as laid out in section 2.3 below. All final chosen nominees would require support from the Leader of the Council, Shadow Leader and Chief Executive Officer, and as such, require unanimity. An equality impact assessment will be undertaken throughout the selection process



(c) 2.3 Criteria for nomination; Nominees must:-
• Have been born, and/or raised, educated and lived within the Borough
• Achieved success amounting to national or international recognition
• A positive ambassador and role model for the Borough.



(d) 2.4 All nominations will be presented to the group leaders with justification and evidence as to how each nominee meets all of the qualifying criteria. Should there be more than three nominees the Leader of the Council, The Shadow Leader and the Chief Executive Officer will reserve the right to choose the final recipients of the awards based on the quality of the justification provided.

 

(iii) Agree to the hosting of the first Awards ceremony in the Spring of 2022.

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

10

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

 

The Finance Director reported that the fees and charges for 2022/23 had been reviewed in detail to inform the budget setting for 2022/23. Members would recall that 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. 

 

The Finance Director reported that the proposed fees and charges for 2022/23 were included at Appendix A to the report at page 170 of the agenda report. For 2022/23, all fees had increased in line with the policy by either RPI plus up to 2% or RPI only, with the exception of some which had remained frozen, for example, some of the events and housing charges or where it was felt that the current charges remained competitive. There were a number of new charges proposed and these were outlined from paragraph 2.11 of the agenda report and at Appendix B, on page 196 of the agenda report.

 

The Finance Director reported the detailed appendix to the report which outlined the proposed fees to be implemented from April 2022 for which the associated income assumptions had been used to inform the budget position for the same period. The recommendations were detailed on page 166 of the agenda report which was asking the Policy and Resources Committee to approve those fees and charges as included in Appendix A; and recommend to Council those included in Appendix B of the agenda report. 

 

Councillor Wainwright asked for clarification as to which fees and charges could be approved by the Policy & Resources Committee and those which could only be approved at Full Council. The Monitoring Officer explained that those fees encapsulated within the Council's Fees and Charges Policy could be agreed by Policy & Resources Committee and those that fell outside of this needed to be ratified by Full Council.

 

Councillor Wainwright reported that the Council's Policy was RPI + 2% and asked whether the Council could deviate from this set formula. The Chief Executive Officer reported that this was possible but then it wall fall outside of the policy and would need to go to Full Council to be ratified.

 

Councillor Wainwright asked for clarification as to the rate of RPI at the present time. The Finance Director reported that this was 4.9% as of September 2021. Councillor Wainwright further reported that the increase to fees and charges would be a total of 6.9%. As the residents of the Borough had had a difficult couple of years due to the pandemic, Councillor Wainwright proposed that the increase to fees and charges be increased by RPI only which would equate to an increase of 4.9%. Councillor Wainwright pointed out that the increase in the hourly cost to park in one of the Town Centre car parks would rise from £1 to £1.20 equating to an increase of 20%. Large increases in the cost to park in Gorleston and Caister would also result in line with bringing these charges in line with those charged in Great Yarmouth.

 

Councillor Wainwright explained that he wanted to encourage people to visit Great Yarmouth and urged Members not to support the proposed 6.9% increase and wished to make an amendment that all Fees and Charges detailed at pages 176 & 177 of the agenda report to increase by RPI only and that this be ratified by Full Council on 22 February 2022. This amendment was seconded by Councillor A Wright.

 

Councillor Wells reported that he could understand and appreciate that local residents had had a difficult two years during the pandemic but the proposal was such a significant change to the budget at this late stage of the proceedings. This would leave a funding gap of a significant amount of money for the Council to find in these difficult times when we needed a balanced budget and he did not think that an amendment of this magnitude was a credible proposal.

 

Councillor Wainwright highlighted that his party had had no input into this budget proposal and that they had only been briefed by the Finance Director last night.

 

The Chairman put the amendment that the Fees & Charges be raised by RPI only to the vote. This motion was lost.

 

Following a vote, it was RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee approve those Fees and Charges for the financial year 2022-23 as included in Appendix A; and recommend to Council those included in Appendix B of the agenda report. 

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

11

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Finance Director which presented the Council's Investment Strategy for recommendation  to Council.

 

The Finance Director reported that the investment strategy covered some of the areas within the Council’s other strategies, such as the Capital Strategy and the Treasury Management Strategy, in particular, it focused on commercial and service investments. It recognised the ongoing implications of decisions taken on commercial and service investments now, and in the past, had on future revenue budgets. This provided the framework for specific investment decisions that might be presented as part of a business case in the coming financial year. The recommendation at page 197 of the agenda report is that the Policy and Resources Committee recommend the Investment Strategy to Council for approval.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee recommend the Investment Strategy 2022-23 to Council for approval.

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

12

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

 

The Finance Director presented the Council’s Capital Strategy for approval. As a Council, we were required to set a capital strategy each year to provide an overview of capital expenditure and how it was to be financed, recognising how capital spend contributed to local service provision. It covered the General Fund, Housing Revenue Account and commercial capital spend & financing.

 

The Finance Director reported that the capital strategy was intrinsically linked to a number of strategies; namely Treasury Management, Investment, Asset Management and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The last of these startegies recognised the ongoing impact of capital financial decisions taken now on future budgets. In light of this, the capital strategy considered the risks around the capital spend and how these were mitigated, as well as the sustainability of the planned spend.

 

The Finance Director highlighted paragraphs 3.6 and 3.7 of the strategy on page 216 of the agenda report, which referred to the liability benchmark. Table 7 highlighted that the Authority exceeded the liability benchmark in 2020/21. This was because the Council had held investments above its preferred limit; £34.3m held rather than £12m, at the end of the year. This was because the Council had held increased cash balances in 2020/21 as the Government had provided funds in advance of spend, to support Councils cash flows during the COVID response. This position was not anticipated to continue. 

 

The Finance Director pointed out to the Committee that the wording for paragraph 3.7 of the report should read as follows; the table shows that the Authority expects to remain borrowed within its liability benchmark for this and future years, rather than above the benchmark. 
The recommendation as included on page 208 of the agenda report is that the Policy and Resources Committee recommend the Capital Strategy to Council for approval. 

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee  recommend the Capital Strategy 2022-23 to Council for approval. 

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

13

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

 

The Finance Director reported that this report presented the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for approval. Treasury management was the management of the Council’s cash flows, borrowing and investments, and the associated risks. The Council had borrowed and invested substantial sums of money and was therefore exposed to financial risks including the loss of invested funds and the revenue effect of changing interest rates. The successful identification, monitoring and control of financial risk were therefore central to the Council’s prudent financial management and the strategy was the overarching document for this.

 

The Finance Director reported that the strategy set limits on the types and levels of investments recognising the risk exposure and the borrowing strategy continued to address the key issue of affordability, without compromising the longer-term stability of the debt portfolio. This strategy was linked to the capital strategy and the investment strategy. 
As with the capital strategy, the Finance Director highlighted Table 3; paragraph 2.7 on page 225 of the strategy, which referred to the liability benchmark. The benchmark was exceeded in 2021 due to the Government providing funds in advance of spend to support Council’s cash flows during the Covid response. This was not anticipated to continue in future years.
The recommendation as at page 221 of the agenda report, is that Policy and Resources Committee recommend the Treasury Management Strategy to Council for approval. 

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee recommend the Treasury Management Strategy 2022-23 to Council for approval. 

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

14

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

 

The Finance Director reported that the HRA 2022/23 budget reflected the spending and income plans for 2022/23 and the future 4 years, as the landlord to approximately 5,778 dwellings and 368 leaseholder homes. 

 

The Finance Director reported that the opening reserve balance for 2021/22 was £8.6m. The 2022/23 opening reserve balance was forecast to be £6.4 million, reflecting a 2021/22 forecast deficit of £2.2 million. Rent setting, following the end of the 1% reduction to all social rents in 2019/20, was budgeted to increase at a rate of CPI + 1%. For 2022/23 this will be 4.1%.

 

The Finance Director reported that service charges were also increasing this year, but this was completed on a cost neutral basis. Capital budgets continued at an increased level following the stock condition survey in 2017/18. Budgeted works continued to reduce the existing level of non-decency identified within the stock, as well as addressing the newly arising need going forward. To further support continuing works and included within the HRA 2022/23 budget, was a provision to undertake a further stock condition review.

 

The Finance Director reported that with effect from 1 April 2021, the regulations around the use of Retained Right to Buy receipts were changed, with the proceeding budgets reflecting the change in profile spend of receipts going forward. The HRA continued to meet its retained receipts requirements, with the Affordable Housing budget for 2021/22 and 2022/23 including an additional budget beyond the minimum expenditure required. Year to date, Right to Buy sales had reflected a significant decline in comparison to prior years, this appeared to be an ongoing and this had been used to inform the budget for 2022/23. The Council had completed a total of 9 sales in 2020/21, together with 13 completed sales in 2021/22, to the end of Quarter 3, this compares to 27 completions in the 2019/20 financial year. The reduction in sales would have a current and future year impact, this would be monitored going forward and any change in financing incorporated within the HRA business planning. 
The recommendations can be found on page 239 of the agenda report and the Committee is being asked to approve the recommendations to Council.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee recommend the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2022-23 to Council for approval.

 

 

 

 

 

Report attached.

 

 

15

 

The Committee received and considered the report from the Finance Director.

 

The Finance Director presented for consideration ahead of approval by Council, the 2022/23 revenue and capital budgets for the general fund. The budget had been informed by the one-year provisional local government finance settlement for the 2022/23 financial year which was announced in December 2021. The final settlement was announced yesterday and the final position resulted in an additional £80,000 of funding for 2022/23. This would reduce the reported deficit to £169,205 for next year. 

 

The Finance Director reported the detail of the budget together with the assumptions used to inform the position, which were included within the report from page 259 of the agenda report and also within the appendices. Section 3.6 of the report provided a summary of the new savings proposals that had been factored into the budget for delivery in the coming year. 

 

The Finance Director reported that the Council continued to hold a number of earmarked reserves which together with the general reserve provided some financial stability. The use of reserves should only be seen as a one-off source of funding and in order to present a budget for 2022/23 it had been necessary to make a transfer from other reserves of just under £169,000 to fund the forecast gap. The recommended level of the general reserve for the coming year was £3.5m and this has been informed by the policy framework for reserves as included at Appendix E of the report. 

 

The Finance Director explained that the report also included for approval a number of capital bids as listed at Appendix G, some of which would be subject to more detailed business cases ahead of releasing funds. Whilst the report presented for approval the budget for 2022/23, the high-level future financial forecasts had been included for information. As the report outlined, the outcomes of the fair funding review and business rates review were expected in the coming year, which would inform future funding from 2023/24 onwards. As further announcements were made, the medium-term financial strategy would be updated accordingly. The recommendations were on page 259 of the agenda report and the Committee were being ask to make the recommendations to Council for approval.

 

Councillor Plant thanked the Finance Director for the excellent report delivered during unprecedented times.

 

Councillor Plant proposed that Members Ward Budgets for the amount of £1k each, a total of £39k, be retained for the 2022-23 financial year to be funded from the additional £80k windfall funding received from Government and not from Reserves. This motion was seconded by Councillor Grant.

 

The Chairman thanked the Finance Director and her team for all their hard work and dedication to produce this budget and wished it to be minuted that the Committee commended them for their efforts.

 

Councillor Wainwright thanked the Finance Director and her team for the timely manner in which they got the Covid grants out to local businesses in their time of need.

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That the Committee recommend the General Fund Budget report 2022-23 to Council for approval with the amendment agreed at the meeting to retain Ward Budgets at £1k per Member.

 

 

 

 
16 ANY OTHER BUSINESS
To consider any other business as may be determined by the Chairman of the meeting as being of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration.

16

 

The Chairman reported that there was no other business being of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration at the meeting.

 

 

 

17 EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC
In the event of the Committee wishing to exclude the public from the meeting, the following resolution will be moved:-

"That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12(A) of the said Act."

17

 

RESOLVED:-

 

That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12(A) of the said Act.

 

 

 

18 CONFIDENTIAL MINUTES
19 CONFIDENTIAL REPORT - WELLESLEY RECREATIONAL GROUND

Attendance

Name
Sue Hacon
NameReason for Sending ApologySubstituted By
Adrian Myers  
NameReason for AbsenceSubstituted By
Ron Hanton  

Declarations of Interests

Member NameItem Ref.DetailsNature of DeclarationAction
Emma Flaxman-Taylor19Is a Member on the Wellesley MWGPersonalAllowed to both speak & vote on the item.
Andy Grant19Is Chairman of the Wellesley MWG.PersonalAllowed to both speak & vote on the item.
Paul Wells7Is a Member on the GYPT BoardPersonalAllowed to speak & vote on item.
Bernard Williamson7Is the Chairman of GYPTPersonalAllowed to both speak & vote on the item.
Bernard Williamson19Is a Member of the Wellesley MWGPersonalAllowed to both speak & vote on the item.

Visitors

 

 

Councillor Smith (in the Chair); Councillors P Carpenter, Flaxman-Taylor, Grant, P Hammond, Hacon, Plant, Wainwright, Wells, Williamson, B Walker & A Wright.

 

Ms S Oxtoby (Chief Executive Officer), Ms K Sly (Finance Director), Ms C Whatling (Monitoring Officer), Mrs K Blakemore (Strategic Director), Mrs M Lee (Head of Customer Services), Mrs M Burdett (Head of Inward Investment), Mrs N Turner (Housing Director), Mr J Wedon ( Senior Performance & Data Protection Officer), Mr S Hubbard (Strategic Planning Manager), Mr J Goffin (Media & Communications Manager) & Mrs C Webb (Executive Services Officer).

 

Mr D Zimmerling (IT Support).

 

 

 

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