Agenda, decisions and minutes

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 09 March 2026

The minutes of the meeting held on 9^th March were approved as a correct record.

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

None received.

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)

None.

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

None received.

To receive oral questions from Members, if any

The Chair advised members that they could ask questions as matters arise during the meeting.

To consider any recommendations referred to the Cabinet by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for consideration by the Cabinet in accordance within the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules

There were no recommendations from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee to Cabinet.

The following recommendations were made by Full Council to Cabinet at the meeting held on 25^th March 2026:

Full Council RESOLVED to ask Cabinet to:

i)              Investigate fly-tipping instances and where suitable evidence exists, take appropriate enforcement action possible against those responsible.

ii)             Ensure all fixed penalty notices for littering and fly-tipping to the legal maximum as appropriate

iii)           Promote regularly the “Lets S.C.R.A.P. fly-tipping” campaign to increase awareness of the householder Duty of Care requirements so that they only use registered waste carriers to dispose of their waste.

iv)            Ensure that all businesses in the district have appropriate Duty of Care arrangements in place and take appropriate action where this is found not to be the case.

v)                  Lobby the Government to amend the Environmental Protection Act 1990 so that the Government take financial responsibility for the removal of fly-tipping waste from private land.

The substantive motion agreed by Full Council is attached for information.

Decision

RESOLVED

To accept the following recommendations from Full Council:

Full Council RESOLVED to ask Cabinet to:

i)       Investigate fly-tipping instances and where suitable evidence exists, take appropriate enforcement action possible against those responsible.

ii)      Ensure all fixed penalty notices for littering and fly-tipping to the legal maximum as appropriate

iii)     Promote regularly the “Lets S.C.R.A.P. fly-tipping” campaign to increase awareness of the householder Duty of Care requirements so that they only use registered waste carriers to dispose of their waste.

iv)      Ensure that all businesses in the district have appropriate Duty of Care arrangements in place and take appropriate action where this is found not to be the case.

v)        Lobby the Government to amend the Environmental Protection Act 1990 so that the Government take financial responsibility for the removal of fly-tipping waste from private land.

The Chair invited Cllr C Ringer, Portfolio Holder for Environmental and Waste Services, to speak on this item. Cllr Ringer proposed that the recommendations were accepted and it was

RESOLVED unanimously

To accept the following recommendations from Full Council:

i)        Investigate fly-tipping instances and where suitable evidence exists, take appropriate enforcement action possible against those responsible.

ii)       Ensure all fixed penalty notices for littering and fly-tipping to the legal maximum as appropriate

iii)     Promote regularly the “Lets S.C.R.A.P. fly-tipping” campaign to increase awareness of the householder Duty of Care requirements so that they only use registered waste carriers to dispose of their waste.

iv)      Ensure that all businesses in the district have appropriate Duty of Care arrangements in place and take appropriate action where this is found not to be the case.

v)        Lobby the Government to amend the Environmental Protection Act 1990 so that the Government take financial responsibility for the removal of fly-tipping waste from private land.

Decision

RESOLVED

(a) Approve the contents of the new Housing Standards Enforcement Policy, attached as Appendix 1 and agree that this policy shall be implemented and take effect from the 1st of May 2026.

(b) Grant delegated authority to the Assistant Director People Services, to make where necessary any minor amendments and updates to the Housing Standards Enforcement Policy required, to reflect any organisational or further legislative changes which take place following implementation

c) Approve the Civil Penalties Policy, attached as Appendix 2 and agree that this policy shall be implemented and take effect from the 1st of May 2026.

(d) Grant delegated authority to the Assistant Director for People Services and Assistant Director Environmental & Leisure Services in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to make where necessary any minor amendments and updates to the Civil Penalties Policy required, to reflect any organisational or further legislative changes which take place following implementation.

Reasons for the decision:

The adoption of these two new policies in place of the Council’s current policies is required to enable the Council to undertake its new duties under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 from 1^st May 2026.

Cllr C Ringer, Portfolio Holder for IT, Environmental & Waste Services, introduced this item. He said that in line with national legislation, these policies needed to be adopted by 1^st May 2026.

He explained that the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduced major reforms to landlord and tenant law, significantly expanding the duties and enforcement responsibilities of local authorities, including enhanced investigatory powers, new tenancy rights, and extended civil penalty provisions, a new Housing Standards Enforcement Policy and a Civil Penalties Policy. In addition, the policies would set out how the Council would apply these new statutory duties, including enforcing new offences, applying increased penalty thresholds, and ensuring consistent and transparent decision making.

He concluded by saying that the changes were welcomed.

Cllr J Boyle, Portfolio Holder for Housing & Benefits, added that it was not clear yet how much additional work would be generated for officers. She added that getting the policies in place to meet the tight timescales had been hard work and she thanked the staff involved.

The Chair thanked them both and said he was confident that in baseline revenue terms, officers could do the work required. Officers were very experienced in this field.

It was proposed by Cllr C Ringer, seconded by Cllr J Boyle and

RESOLVED

(a) Approve the contents of the new Housing Standards Enforcement Policy, attached as Appendix 1 and agree that this policy shall be implemented and take effect from the 1st of May 2026.

(b) Grant delegated authority to the Assistant Director People Services, to make where necessary any minor amendments and updates to the Housing Standards Enforcement Policy required, to reflect any organisational or further legislative changes which take place following implementation

c) Approve the Civil Penalties Policy, attached as Appendix 2 and agree that this policy shall be implemented and take effect from the 1st of May 2026.

(d) Grant delegated authority to the Assistant Director for People Services and Assistant Director Environmental & Leisure Services in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to make where necessary any minor amendments and updates to the Civil Penalties Policy required, to reflect any organisational or further legislative changes which take place following implementation.

Reasons for the decision:

The adoption of these two new policies in place of the Council’s current policies is required to enable the Council to undertake its new duties under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 from 1^st May 2026.

Decision

RESOLVED to

·         Agree to accept the £1.336m of Local Authority Housing Fund grant

·         Use the LAHF grant to part fund the purchase of nine further units of temporary accommodation, including any resources needed to support this

·         Give delegated authority to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Peoples’ Services, to agree the actual purchases of the properties (within the identified budget limits as may be agreed by Full Council).

Reason for the decision:

To seek approval for the Council to accept the LAHF grant and use the grant to help acquire further homes to use as temporary accommodation

Cllr J Boyle, Portfolio Holder for Housing & Benefits, introduced this item. She explained that the Council had negotiated a higher level of grant funding for 2026/27 in Round 4 of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF). The report set out proposals to accept the grant offered (£1.336m) to help purchase a further nine units of Temporary Accommodation for homeless households. She said that the additional funding was welcomed. Every house mattered and made a real difference.

The Chair said that securing this funding showed that the Government recognised the success of the Council in the previous three rounds of grant funding. The impact was significant on an individual level.

It was proposed by Cllr J Boyle, seconded by Cllr L Shires and

RESOLVED to

·       Agree to accept the £1.336m of Local Authority Housing Fund grant

·       Use the LAHF grant to part fund the purchase of nine further units of temporary accommodation, including any resources needed to support this

·       Give delegated authority to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Peoples’ Services, to agree the actual purchases of the properties (within the identified budget limits as may be agreed by Full Council).

Reason for the decision:

To seek approval for the Council to accept the LAHF grant and use the grant to help acquire further homes to use as temporary accommodation

Cllr L Withington, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, invited the Director for Service Delivery to introduce this item.

He began by saying that construction work was progressing. It started on time, although there had been some challenges regarding the schedule of work as the contractor had to re-profile some work due to matters outside of their control. This included issues regarding the steel work required to build the extension to the current sports centre, although he was pleased to say that this was now being erected.

In general, the build was on time and this included improvements to the UK Power Network sub-station on the site to ensure it could take the maximum amount of power. He went onto say that one of the issues associated with the changes to the public sector decarbonisation scheme was that some of the designs around the wet system and underfloor heating needed to be changed.

Referring to the process for the 3G pitch, he said that due to the original Government deadlines, it had been de-coupled from the original planning application. A planning application for the pitch had now been submitted as part of the application process for grant funding from the Football Foundation. Confirmation had now been received that the Football Foundation had given a capital grant for the 3G pitch.

In terms of cashflow, it was currently a bit lower due to the steel work but it was expected to catch up again. The next release of funds from central government in May should take the project up to the completion date.

In conclusion, he said that risks associated with the project had been managed and where possible. The biggest risk was uncertainty associated with the planning permission regarding the 3G pitch.

The Chair thanked him and said he welcomed the progress being made. He thanked everyone involved in the project.

Cabinet AGREED to note the update on the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project.

• The Chair invited the Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Cllr L Withington, to introduce this item. She explained that Officers had been working with the Football Foundation to prepare an application for funding towards the provision of the 3G pitch and that they had heard recently that the award had been approved. The provision of the 3G pitch was an integral part of the bid submission for Levelling Up funding and formed part of the match funding to the grant amount awarded in 2023.

The acceptance of the grant would enable the completion of the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project as submitted to Government and would meet the need identified in the Playing Pitch Strategy

The report set out the options around accepting the Football Foundation grant funding and recommended acceptance of the grant award. She concluded by thanking officers for persevering with the application.

Cllr C Cushing said that as Local Member, he wanted to thank everyone for their hard work in getting the project to this stage. It would help create a sports centre of excellence together with the adjacent sports and fitness centre. It would be used by both Fakenham Academy and local football clubs.

It was proposed by Cllr L Withington, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

RESOLVED

• That Cabinet accepts the Football Foundation grant funding and proceed with the provision of a 91m x 55m FIFA Quality 3G pitch at Trap Lane Fakenham.
• That Cabinet authorises Officers to sign the relevant agreements with the Football Foundation to allow delivery of the 3G pitch provision.

Reasons for the decision:

The provision of the 3G pitch was an integral part of the bid submission for Levelling Up funding and formed part of the match funding to the grant amount awarded in 2023.

The acceptance of the grant will enable the completion of the Fakenham Leisure and Sports Hub project as submitted Government and will meet the need identified in the Playing Pitch Strategy

Decision

RESOLVED

• That Cabinet enters into an agreement with North Norfolk Railway to retain public access to the Station Approach Toilets.
• That Cabinet agrees to the agreement running for a period of 15 years, with break clauses / opportunities to review every 5 years.
• That Cabinet authorises the Director of Service Delivery to negotiate with North Norfolk Railway on the exact terms of the agreement in order to secure the best value for money position possible.

Reason for the decision:

To continue the provision of public access toilets in line with the areas of the Corporate Plan objectives relating to Investing in our Local Economy and Infrastructure and also A Strong, Responsible and Accountable Council

The Chair invited Cllr C Ringer, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Waste, to introduce this item. He began by saying that there had been some anxiety locally regarding the possible loss of the provision of public toilets in this part of Sheringham and that this was a positive step towards securing continuity of such provision.

The Chair thanked the Director for Service Delivery for leading on discussions with North Norfolk Railway (NNR). He said that discretionary facilities such as toilets played a key role in supporting the local economy.

Cllr L Withington said that as a member for Sheringham, she wanted to thank officers for bringing this matter forward. It was important for Sheringham to retain such key facilities and their loss would have a huge impact.

The Director for Service Delivery referred to the second recommendation and sought a steer from members as to how long the agreement should be for. He said that discussions with NNR was around the length of the agreement and he asked whether members wanted to opt for as long as possible. Options ranged from 10, 15 and 25 years.

The Chair said that he would prefer a longer lease with some break clauses to deal with any arising issues. Cllr L Shires, Portfolio Holder for Finance, said that she would favour an arrangement for 10 or 15 years, with regular reviews every 5 years.

Members agreed that 15 years was the preferred length for the agreement with NNR.

The Director for Service Delivery said that NNR had been very accommodating during discussions and he thanked them for their engagement.

It was proposed by Cllr C Ringer, seconded by Cllr L Shires and

RESOLVED

• That Cabinet enters into an agreement with North Norfolk Railway to retain public access to the Station Approach Toilets.
• That Cabinet agrees to the agreement running for a period of 15 years, with break clauses / opportunities to review every 5 years.
• That Cabinet authorises the Director of Service Delivery to negotiate with North Norfolk Railway on the exact terms of the agreement in order to secure the best value for money position possible.

Reason for the decision:

To continue the provision of public access toilets in line with the areas of the Corporate Plan objectives relating to Investing in our Local Economy and Infrastructure and also A Strong, Responsible and Accountable Council

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 paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”

The following item is exempt for the following reasons:

Agenda Item 13: Sheringham Station Approach Toilets

This paper involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3, Part 1 of schedule 12A (as amended) to the Local Government Act 1972. This paragraph relates to:

Para 3.  Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

The public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure for the following reasons:

The information is commercially sensitive, relating to issues around cost of service provision and relevant to the entering into a contract with a third party. Releasing this information would be likely to prejudice the third party and the Council in obtaining best value, in the interests of Council Tax payers, and would reveal commercially sensitive financial information.