Agenda, decisions and minutes

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 11^th July 2022.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 11^th July 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive questions and statements from the public, if any.

There were no public questions or statements.

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.

There is one item of urgent business:

Norfolk Business Rates Pool

There was one item of urgent business:

1.     Norfolk Business Rates Pool 2023-2024

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets asked the Interim S151 Officer to introduce this item. She explained that it was brought forward as an urgent item due to the short time frame imposed by the Government. The deadline was the 22^nd September and the invitation to respond had been received in August. The proposal for 2023-24 was to continue the Norfolk Pool with the same membership and governance arrangements as the current year, with Norfolk County Council continuing to be the lead authority.  The aim of the Pool was to maximise the retention of locally generated business rates and to ensure that it supports the economic regeneration of the wider Norfolk area. The Interim S151 Officer said that if all Norfolk authorities agreed in principle to continue the Norfolk Pool then forecasts will be produced through the budget setting process and reviewed by the Norfolk S151 Officers,  allowing time to revoke the Pool if it was deemed too risky.

Cllr A Brown asked why there was such a short notice period imposed by Government. The S151 Officer replied that it was a similar timescale every year and usually came to Cabinet as an urgent item.

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

RESOLVED

To continue in the Norfolk Business Rates Pool for 2023-24 with the same governance arrangements as the current Pool

Reason for the decision:

To retain the NNDR income within Norfolk for re-investment to support economic regeneration.

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 requries that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (see attached guidance and flowchart)

Cllr L Shires declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 14: North Walsham Market Place Improvement Scheme, as the County Council member for North Walsham East.

To receive oral questions from Members, if any

a)    Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party – 15 August 2022

THE GLAVEN VALLEY CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL & MANAGEMENT PLAN 2022

Recommended to Cabinet:

b)    Cabinet Working Party for Projects – 18 May 2022

To receive the draft minutes (attached)

Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party – 15 August 2022

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Chairman of the Working Party, Cllr Brown, introduced this item. He explained that it was the second part of a two part appraisal which focussed on the surrounding landscape of the Glaven Valley. The appraisal report was available in full on the Council’s website. He said that it was a very rare designation as there were few rural conservation areas in the country. He thanked the Planning Policy team and the consultants, Purcell, for all their work.

It was proposed by Cllr A Brown, seconded by Cllr V Gay and

RESOLVED

1.    To approve the draft appraisal for public consultation

2.    That following consultation, the appraisal is brought back to Cabinet for adoption.

Cllr C Cushing referred to the draft minutes of the Cabinet Working Party for Projects meeting held on 18 May, which were included in the agenda for noting. He asked about the Fakenham Roundabout project and said that he had been asking for an update for several months. He said that he was aware that the project was in jeopardy due to the cost escalation and he asked when a further update would be provided. The Chief Executive replied that the costs had risen beyond the 2019 estimate prepared by independent consultants, which had been £1.8m. The costs were now estimated to be £2.8m, with a 30% contingency. This meant that there was not a full funding package in place to resource the project. He said that he had written to County Council colleagues to see if there was an opportunity to use the underspend from any other projects so that work on the roundabout could commence in the Autumn – to avoid any impact on summer tourist traffic.

Cllr Cushing said that it seemed very unlikely that the project would be able to commence by the start of November, given the need for pre-planning requirements and the securing of materials. The Chief Executive said that he could not provide a further update at this time. It was a complex project that required upfront investment. It was an integral part of the large housing development in Fakenham and if the scheme was not fully funded, then there would have to be further discussions with the landowner and developer as to how it could be funded to allow it to proceed. Cllr Cushing asked when a decision would come to Cabinet. The Chief Executive replied that if there was a full funding package in place, the necessary authority was already established so that it did not need to come back to Cabinet. He added that he was not able to advise on a timetable and said that he would notify local members of any developments as soon as he was aware of them. The Leader acknowledged Cllr Cushing’s concerns and said that the Council would continue to press for action on this project.

Cllr L Shires also referred to the roundabout and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

At the meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on 20^th July, recommendations were made to Cabinet on the following two items:

1.    Agenda Item 11: Councillor Call for Action – the impact of second homes and holiday lets data report

2.    Agenda Item 12: Environment & Quality of Life Scrutiny Panel – Public Conveniences Review

(The recommendations are attached in full).

There were two sets of recommendations from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 20^th July:

1.    Councillor Call for Action – the impact of second homes and holiday lets data report

The Chairman explained that there were six recommendations for Cabinet to consider.

Cllr W Fredericks suggested that it might be appropriate to wait until Professor Hilber had provided a presentation to members as that may provide additional information and context.

Cllr J Toye, said that as seconder of the Councillor Call for Action (CCfA), he felt that there were some very good recommendations regarding supporting the Regeneration and Levelling Up Bill, however, there could be some changes going forward that would need to be considered. Regarding consultation with town and parish councils, where there was a local tariff and 20% of houses which were second homes were not paying this, then it was being spread across a small number of houses. He said he supported Cllr Fredericks proposal to defer consideration of the recommendations until Professor Hilber had briefed members.

The Chairman referred to the recommendation regarding the doubling of council tax on second homes and said he did have some concerns as the majority of council tax collected went to the County Council.

2.    EQL Scrutiny Panel – Public Conveniences Review and Recommendations report

Cllr H Blathwayt, Chairman of the Scrutiny Panel, introduced this item and outlined the recommendations. He highlighted the urgent recommendation relating to the disposal of campervan and mobile home waste.

The Chairman began by saying that the Administration had made considerable investment in public conveniences in recent years. He referred to the urgent recommendation regarding options for the disposal of campervan waste and said that he had concerns about the Council meeting the cost of any such provision and that it should be borne by the users. He did acknowledge that there was an existing problem with such waste in certain areas of the District.

Cllr N Lloyd said that he was not sure that an independent audit would add anything to the recent work that had already been undertaken regarding a review of the Council’s public conveniences. He said that standardisation of facilities was difficult due to the size and location of existing buildings. He added that he was concerned about the disposal of campervan waste – particularly when they were emptied into public drains that ran onto the beach. He wondered whether the travellers’ sites could be used for the siting of waste disposal units. He felt more consideration should be given as to how to address the problem.

Cllr Blathwayt commented that the chemical used in the waste cartridges was harmful to biodiversity.

The Chief Executive said that he understood that eco toilets, such as the one at Weybourne, would not work effectively if chemicals were poured down them. He added that the main issue regarding the emptying of cassettes into public toilets was that they weren’t designed for bulk waste and often became blocked which required  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item. He said that it would be going to Overview & Scrutiny committee for consideration and then onto Full Council for approval.

Cllr Seward said that the common theme for all of the financial reports coming before this meeting of Cabinet, was that the Council had sound finances which were well managed and the Council was well placed to absorb the costs caused by the ongoing inflationary spiral, without having to cut frontline services. He explained that the Outturn report set out the detail of the Council’s finances between March 2021 and March 2022. He reminded members that when the Budget for this period was set in February 2021, it was a particularly challenging time as it was in the middle of the Covid Pandemic and there was significant financial uncertainty. He was therefore pleased to report that the Outturn report for 2021/22 showed an underspend of £615,740. He said this reflected the Council’s strong financial position – with a good level of reserves, secured long-term investments, no long term borrowing and an upgraded financial strength from silver to a gold ranking. Cllr Seward said that more importantly, this strong financial position had enabled the Council had been able to start or continue with its key priorities, with no increase to Council tax or car parking charges. The substantial income from the Business Rates Pool ensured that the Council could continue to spend on economic growth and regeneration projects.

Cllr Seward concluded by saying that, during a time when many other councils were struggling to maintain service as they faced the challenges of rising inflation and spiralling costs, NNDC was not having to make cuts and he was confident it would be able to weather the financial storm ahead. He thanked the Finance Team for their hard work.

The Chairman invited members to speak:

Cllr C Cushing referred to page 28 of the report and the volatility in the estimates which he said was concerning. He drew members’ attention to section 2.7 - Employee Costs and asked how much the original estimate for pension costs was and how much they had been increased by and whether they would be carried forwards into the current year projections. The Interim S151 officer replied that the large number of variances was due to the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic. There were several Government grants that had been received throughout the year that had not been expected and it had been difficult to anticipate demand on some income streams such as car parking. Regarding employee costs, she said that the majority of the variance reflected was actually an accounting adjustment and was reversed out and was not a true cash variance. In terms of actual cash pension costs, these were reflected in the budget and there was minimal variance.

The Chairman referred to the increase in recycling credit income and asked whether this reflected improved recycling performance. The Director for Communities replied that he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information, and which are not published elsewhere)

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Cllr E Seward, introduced this item. He explained that, as it currently stood, there was expected to be a full year underspend of £472,234. This was mainly due to higher interest rates being received on the Council’s investments. He added that there were inflationary pressures. He then spoke about the anticipated pay award for employees which was now expected to be a 6% increase rather than the predicated 2%. This meant that any underspend may be used to cover this increased pay award.

Cllr Seward then drew members’ attention to two other recommendations. The first related to health and safety works at Mundesley Road car park in North Walsham and the second was regarding major repairs to a listed perimeter wall at the Fakenham Connect site. For the latter, costs had escalated considerably.

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr N Lloyd and

RESOLVED

1)    To note the contents of the report and the current budget monitoring position.

2)    That £30,000 is released from the Asset Management reserve for health and safety works at Mundesley road car park, North Walsham.

To recommend to Full Council:

3)    That £130,000 is released from the Major Repairs reserve to increase the existing capital budget for Fakenham Connect.

Reason for the decision:

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

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced this item. He said that he wanted to reassure members that the Council had no negative exposure to Russia or Belarus in its investments.

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

RESOLVED to recommend to Council

That the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2021/22 is approved.

Reason for the decision:

Approval by Council demonstrates compliance with the CIPFA Codes.

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced this item. He said that the Revenues Team continued to manage debt collection very effectively.

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

RESOLVED to recommend to Council

To approve the annual report giving details of the Council’s write-offs in accordance with the Council’s Debt Write-off Policy and performance in relation to revenues collection.

The Chairman and Leader of the Council, Cllr T Adams, introduced this item. He said that good progress had been made over the first quarter of 2022/23 in areas of core service delivery and key Corporate Plan projects. This was commendable given additional unanticipated demands placed on the Council – including the Ukrainian crisis, the rollout of the Energy Rebate scheme and the impact of the nutrient neutrality regulations. He outlined delivery against the key priority objectives as set out in the Corporate Plan. He said that there had been a lot of positive feedback to the new Outlook magazine which had been issued to all households.

The Chairman invited members to speak:

Cllr C Cushing referred to page 158 and the number of affordable homes being built. He asked how many affordable homes would be built if the nutrient neutrality issue was resolved and how many could be built if the situation remained the same. The Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr W Fredericks, replied that the Council were meeting with local housing associations and requesting that they build out any properties that were not within the nutrient neutrality zone. The Housing Strategy Manager replied that it was anticipated that approximately 40 affordable homes this year. There were a lot of exception housing schemes in the pipeline, that would be delivered in the next few years.

Cllr A Brown, Portfolio Holder for Planning, added that a number of local authorities were seeking to postpone completion of their Local Plans due to the nutrient neutrality issue. He was hopeful that it would not delay the Council’s Local Plan unduly but it was a significant impediment and it would impact on the delivery of affordable housing.

It was proposed by Cllr T Adams, seconded by Cllr E Seward and

RESOLVED

To note the report and endorse the actions being taken by Corporate Leadership Team detailed in Appendix A – Managing Performance.

Reason for the decision:

To ensure the objectives of the Council are achieved.

Cllr R Kershaw, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, introduced this item. He explained that the report set out the scope of impending town centre improvement works and outlined the temporary impacts that they were likely to have and proposals for mitigation.

Phase 1 of the project was now completed and Phase 2 was due to commence on 12the September. Access to all businesses would be maintained throughout the project. To help footfall, free car parking would be provided at nearby council car parks.

It was proposed by Cllr R Kershaw, seconded by Cllr E Seward and

RESOLVED

To note the scope, impacts and implications of the impending Market Place improvement works and to agree the temporary provision of free-for-two-hours parking at Mundesley Road Car Park (including the appropriate provision of suitable spaces for ‘blue badge’ holders) from 12^th September 2022 until 31^st March 2023. If it is not feasible to make such provision in a timely way at Mundesley Road Car Park then Vicarage Street should be the default car park for the concessionary car parking.

Reason for the decision:

To mitigate the potential impact of the impending works on town centre footfall.

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not published elsewhere)

Contact Officer, telephone number and email:

Nicky Debbage, Housing Strategy & Delivery Manager, 01263 516027, nicky.debbage@north-norfolk.gov.uk

The Portfolio Holder for Housing, Cllr W Fredericks, introduced this item. She explained that the report provided information on the purchase of a further property which the Council would use to temporarily accommodate homeless households. This was the 17^th property purchased by the Council for this purpose. There were currently 50 households in temporary accommodation and 500 households on the waiting list for urgent housing.

Cllr L Shires said that she was very proud of the ongoing work that the Council was doing to house often desperate residents. It helped move families away from a crisis situation and for some that were also facing domestic abuse, it enabled them to stay in their communities. She drew members’ attention to a recent rise in evictions in Sheringham (where this property was located) as landlords sought to move their accommodation over to holiday letting. This could have consequences for the housing waiting list in the coming months.

It was proposed by Cllr W Fredericks, seconded by Cllr R Kershaw and

RESOLVED

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Neil Turvey 01263 516124 neil.turvey@north-norfolk.gov.uk

The Chairman welcomed this report. He said that he did not remember the building being used during his lifetime. It was proposed that it was leased for use as an ice cream parlour.

During the course of the marketing period, the Council received 11 enquiries, resulting in two financial proposals. The proposal that was recommended to Members was the one that was considered to be the most financially viable. He concluded by saying that due process was followed in marketing the premises and recommending the preferred tenant.

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

RESOLVED

     1) To Approve Proposal 2

2) That should there be any further negotiations to the lease proposals made to delegate to the S151 Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder and Assistant Director of Finance, Assets & Legal

Reason for the decision:

To provide the best use of the site and to meet the Council’s obligation to secure best financial value. 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr R Kershaw and

RESOLVED

To endorse the proposal as outlined in the exempt appendix

Reason for the decision:

To enable the building that has been refurbished and improved to be fully utilised by tenant occupiers.

To pass the following resolution:

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs _ of Part I ofSchedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”