Agenda and decisions

Executive Summary

This report provides an update on the Council’s financial performance and projected full year outturn position for 2025/26 for the revenue account, capital programme, reserve statement and budgeted savings performance as at the end of January 2026.

As at 31 January  2026, the General Fund Forecast Outturn position for 2025/26 is a surplus of £0.383m. This is after adjusting for all known variations and full year forecasting by service managers.

Options considered

This is an update report on the Council’s financial position and so no other options were considered.

Consultation(s)

This is an update report on the Council’s financial position and no other consultations were considered.

Recommendations

Members are asked to consider the report and recommend the following to full Council:

a)       Note the contents of the report and the current forecast year end position.

b)       Seek approval of Full Council to increase the 2025/26 capital budget for Disabled Facilities Grants to £2,317,266. This is to reflect the addition of £118,204 of grant award towards the scheme

c)        To use the Extended Responsibility Producer grant of £1,312,840, which was previously forecasted to be an in-year contribution to reserves, to offset relevant in year recycling expenditure.

d)       That the resulting underspend of £1,312,840 in the respective recycling revenue budgets be transferred to the General Reserve to mitigate future unfunded new burdens.

Reasons for recommendations

To update members on the current budget monitoring position for the Council.

Background papers

Budget report, Budget Monitoring reports

Wards affected

All

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Lucy Shires

Contact Officer

Daniel King

Assistant Director Finance & Assets

daniel.king@north-norfolk.gov.uk

01263 516167

Executive Summary

This report sets out the Treasury Management activities undertaken during the third quarter of the 2025/26 Financial Year. This is to give members a regular update on treasury management activities.

Options considered

This report must be prepared to ensure the Council is compliant with the CIPFA Treasury Management and Prudential Codes.

Consultation(s)

Cabinet Member

Section 151 Officer

This report has been prepared with the assistance of MUFG Treasury Services, the Council’s Treasury advisors.

Recommendations

To recommend to Full Council that the Treasury Q3 Report 2025/26 is noted

Reasons for recommendations

Updating Members demonstrates compliance with the Prudential Code to ensure adequate monitoring treasury management activity.

Background papers

The Council’s Treasury Management Strategy 2025/26.

Treasury Management Q1 Report

Treasury Management Mid-Year Report

Wards affected

All

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr. Lucy Shires

Contact Officer

James Moore/Daniel King

Executive Summary

This report provides an update on the progress made to deliver the Corporate Plan 2023-27 Action Plan for 2025-26

Options considered

This is a report on the progress being made to deliver against the Council’s Corporate Plan.

Consultation(s)

The named officer for each action in the annual action plans has been asked for their assessment of progress, to identify any issues impacting on anticipated delivery and to propose actions they will take to address any slippage or uncertainty around delivery in the coming months.

Recommendations

Cabinet is invited to note the contents of the report and provide comments on any items they feel appropriate.

Reasons for recommendations

That Cabinet is aware of the progress made to deliver their priorities for the year 2025-26 and are asked to provide comment on progress so that officers have a steer on any items that are not on track for delivery.

Background papers

Corporate Plan 2023-27

Annual Action Plan 2025-26

Wards affected

All

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Tim Adams

Contact Officer

Steve Hems, Director for Communities and Chair of the Performance and Productivity Oversight Board

Email:- steve.hems@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Executive Summary

This report and accompanying appendix present the 2023 – 2027 Corporate Plan Annual Action Plan for the period April 2026 – March 2027 to Cabinet for approval.

Options considered

The actions detailed in the Annual Action Plan have been developed in support of the five themes in the adopted Corporate Plan recognising the increasing pressure on the Council’s budget, the moves towards establishing a Combined Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk and Local Government Reorganisation which will change the context in which the District Council operates and works over the next two years, alongside continuing with Business As Usual maintaining service delivery for the district’s residents until any proposals for new unitary councils in Norfolk are agreed and put in place.

The actions proposed seek to balance the capacity of the organisation to deliver, taking into account the staff and financial resources available to the Council, the increased resource and focus required in supporting the transition of services into any new unitary council(s) and the potential to access external funding or partnership resources, with the aspirations laid out in the Corporate Plan.

In this respect it is recognised that as the process of local government reorganisation moves forward beyond the Government announcing its preferred option for new councils in Norfolk in the next two or three months there will be increasingly less scope for the Council to deliver against the actions proposed in the 2023 – 2027 Corporate Plan as focus and resource needs to shift to establishing the new unitary authority/ies.

Consultation(s)

The development of the 2026/27 Annual Action Plan has therefore been later than in previous years. This has been due to the LGR process and the lateness of the Government publishing the 2026/27 local government financial settlement impacting on the setting of the Council’s 2026/27 budget.

The 2026/27 Annual Action Plan has involved internal processes of consultation and engagement with regards to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and preparation of the 2026/27 budget, which was approved by Full Council at its meeting of the 18^th February 2026,after discussion by Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny processes.

Recommendations

That the Cabinet approves the Corporate Plan Annual Action Plan for 2026/27.

Reasons for recommendations

Sound management of the authority’s staff, property and financial resources to deliver projects and initiatives which support improved service delivery and positive outcomes aligned to the previously agreed Corporate Plan themes and seeks to position North Norfolk’s residents, communities and businesses strongly in the context of proposals to establish a Norfolk and Suffolk Combined Authority and the process of local government reorganisation in Norfolk which will see the establishment of new unitary council(s) in Norfolk in March 2028.

Background papers

2023 – 2027 Corporate Plan

Wards affected

All

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Tim Adams, Leader of the Council

Contact Officer

Steve Blatch, Chief Executive

Email:-steve.blatch@north-norfolk.gov.ukTel:- 01263 516232

Executive Summary

This report covers the next steps for the authority in terms of Local Plan making.

Firstly, it recommends that the North Norfolk Local Plan 2024-2040 should be reviewed in line with government expectations and statute requirements. Secondly, it recommends that the Council continues in its work to inform and influence the future production of a Spatial Development Strategy including engagement, evidence gathering and collaborative work through the Norfolk Strategic Planning Framework.

Options considered

An option remains not to progress a plan review.

Consultation(s)

Portfolio holder

Recommendations

That Cabinet resolves:

1) To progress the review of the NNDC Local Plan in line with Government expectations and statute requirements.

2) To continue working to inform and influence the future production of a Spatial Development Strategy including engagement and collaborative work through the Norfolk Strategic Planning Framework.

Reasons for recommendations

To maintain an up-to-date Local Plan and to comply with statutory requirements in order to provide appropriate planning policy and guidance for the district.

Background papers

Plan-making regulations explainer - GOV.UK

This is an explainer of the emerging regulations for the new plan-making system. We anticipate that the regulations will be enacted early this year. 

Rollout of the new Local Plan-making system - GOV.UK
This is an explainer around the roll out of the new plan-making system, including transitional arrangements. The full regulations underpinning this are expected to be in force in early 2026.

New System Plan Funding - GOV.UK

This details the funding available for local authorities committed to bringing a plan forward early in the new plan making system process.

Wards affected

All

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Andrew Brown

Contact Officer

Iain Withington, Planning Policy Manager iain.withington@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Executive Summary

This is the Council’s first Biodiversity Duty report, which relates to the statutory duty first introduced by Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act in 2006, that was further strengthened by the Environment Act 2021 (Sections 102 and 103).

The duty requires all public authorities in England to actively conserve and enhance biodiversity when exercising their functions and, legally requires them to publish a Biodiversity Duty report to provide the specific information to evidence how the duty has been met.

As North Norfolk District Council’s first consideration of the Biodiversity Duty, the report covers the following required matters:

• Section 1 sets out the Council’s approach to conserving and enhancing biodiversity within the reporting period, January 2022 – December 2025 in relation to its strategies, policies, objectives, and actions for biodiversity.
• Section 2 reflects on the projects and actions that will continue to deliver direct and indirect biodiversity enhancements during the next three-year reporting period, January 2026 – December 2028.
• Section 3 details the Council’s actions to meet biodiversity net gain obligations. These include evidence of the biodiversity net gains resulting from biodiversity gain plans that have been approved between February 2024 - December 2025.
• Section 4 considers the monitoring tools that have and will continue to be utilised in order to track

and report on the Council’s relevant priorities, strategies and policies for the next reporting period (2026-2028).

To meet the statutory requirements, the Council’s Biodiversity Duty report must be published within 12 weeks of the reporting period’s end. With a reporting period ending 31 December 2025, the Council’s publication deadline is 25 March 2026.

Appendix A – The Biodiversity Duty Report (2022-2025)

Options considered

As a legal requirement, no other options have been considered.

Consultation(s)

The Biodiversity Duty report has been informed by internal consultation with a number of different services within the Council that contribute directly and indirectly to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

Recommendations

That Cabinet:

1)    Endorse the publication of the Biodiversity Duty report by no later than 25 March 2026 in order to comply with the statutory requirements of the Environment Act 2021.

2)    Agree the subsequent reporting period for the next Biodiversity Duty report to be from 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2028.

3)    Delegates authority to the Assistant Director for Planning to make any further necessary amendments, as required.

Reasons for recommendations

A legal requirement for public authorities to publish their first Biodiversity Duty Report by no later than 26 March 2026.

Background papers

NNDC Corporate Plan (2023 to 2027)

Environmental Charter (November 2025)

Decarbonisation Strategy (2025 – 2028)

Decarbonisation Action Plan (June 25 – March 27)

North Norfolk Local Plan 2024 – 2040 (December 2025)

Wards affected

All

Cabinet member(s)

Cllr Andrew Brown

Contact Officer

Ben Jervis, Senior Landscape Officer

Ben.jervis@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Caroline Dodden, Senior Planning Officer

Caroline.dodden@north-norfolk.gov.uk