Agenda, decisions and minutes

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 6^th September 2021.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 6^th September 2021 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

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)

Cllr L Shires declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda item 7: ‘Small Growth Villages Update’ as the local member for Happisburgh.

Cllr A Fitch-Tillett declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda item 7 – Local Site allocations, Cromer. She said that she knew the landowner for the second site but was not a close acquaintance.

There is one of item of urgent business:

Business Rates Pooling – 2022/23

Reason for urgency:        A decision is required by 8^th October 2021.

Please note - a full report will follow shortly

Decision

RESOLVED

1)    North Norfolk re-joins the business rates pooling arrangement with Norfolk County Council and other Norfolk district Councils subject to the financial forecasts demonstrating this would result in additional growth being retained;

2)    That the power be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Chief Finance Officer to agree the detailed pooling and governance arrangements for the pool with Norfolk County Council and other Norfolk Districts.

Reason for the decision:

To maximise the amount of additional business rates income that is retained in Norfolk and invested in Norfolk

There was one item of urgent business: ‘Business Rates Pooling 2022/2023’

The Leader explained that this had come forward as an urgent item because the Council needed to indicate by 8^th October whether it wished to pool jointly for business rates arrangements with Norfolk County Council and other Norfolk District Councils for the 2022/23 financial year. She invited the Director of Resources to outline the proposals. He said that it had been agreed, collectively, not to pool for the previous year due to the perceived levels of risk and uncertainty which included potential government reviews and the unknown impact of Brexit. However, following discussion at Norfolk Leaders’ Group on 23^rd September the consensus was that re-establishing the pool would be beneficial subject to consideration of the individual assessment of business rate projections. He added that it should be noted that, as with previous years, not all districts would need to join the pool for it to be established. He concluded by saying that there was a caveat in the recommendations that joining the pool was dependent on the figures projected by the other authorities.

Cllr C Cushing said that the report indicated that the pooling arrangement had been beneficial in previous years and he asked for more detail on this. The Director of Resources replied that it amounted to approximately £0.5m to NNDC and £10m countywide.

Cllr J Rest referred to page 4 of the report and the reference to Norwich City Council being above the safety net threshold. He asked for more information on this. The Chief Technical Accountant explained that it referred to how much growth there was above the baseline level set by the Government. The safety net was set at 92.5% of the business rates baseline and if any authority fell below this then level then the Pool would have to ‘top’ it up.  Norwich City had had no growth above the business rates baseline and not been able to contribute any levy but they had not been in a safety net position, so no contribution from the pool had been required.

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

RESOLVED that

1)    North Norfolk re-joins the business rates pooling arrangement with Norfolk County Council and other Norfolk district Councils subject to the financial forecasts demonstrating this would result in additional growth being retained;

2)    That the power be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Chief Finance Officer to agree the detailed pooling and governance arrangements for the pool with Norfolk County Council and other Norfolk Districts.

Reason for the decision:

To maximise the amount of additional business rates income that is retained in Norfolk and invested in Norfolk

To receive oral questions from Members, if any

Recommendations from Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party 13^th September:

Small Growth Villages update:

Resolved to recommend to Cabinet:

That the decision to remove Happisburgh from the list of Small Growth Villages be reversed and that the Planning Policy Manager in consultation with the Chair of the Working Party and local Member be authorised to make the final decision on the status of Happisburgh as late in the Plan preparation process as possible having regard to the circumstances at the time.

Local Plan Site Allocations Cromer:

Resolved to recommend to Cabinet:

That land west of Cromer adjacent to Norwich Road is included in the Reg19 Local Plan as an allocation for approximately 400 dwellings, sports pitches, elderly persons’ accommodation, open space and supporting infrastructure and that development of the site accords with a single comprehensive master plan and phasing agreement.

That land at Clifton Park is NOT allocated in the Reg19 Plan for approx. 55 dwellings, elderly care accommodation and public open space,subject to confirmation that it does not constitute a CWS designation and does not meet the criteria for such a designation.

Decision

RESOLVED:

Small Growth Villages:

To reverse the decision to remove Happisburgh from the list of Small Growth Villages and to authorise the Planning Policy Manager (in consultation with the Chairman of the Working Party and the Local Member) to make the final decision on the status of Happisburgh, having regard to the circumstances at the time.

Local Plan Site Allocations Cromer:

That land west of Cromer adjacent to Norwich Road is included in the Reg19 Local Plan as an allocation for approximately 400 dwellings, sports pitches, elderly persons’ accommodation, open space and supporting infrastructure and that development of the site accords with a single comprehensive master plan and phasing agreement.

That land at Clifton Park is not allocated in the Reg19 Plan.

In the absence of Cllr Toye, Portfolio Holder for Planning, the Leader invited Cllr A Brown, Chairman of the Planning Policy & Built Heritage Working Party, to introduce this item. Cllr Brown said that the site allocations for Cromer were the final phase of the site allocations and approval would enable the Working Party to move to the next stage of the Plan – Regulation 19.

It was proposed by Cllr S Butikofer, seconded by Cllr R Kershaw and

RESOLVED:

Small Growth Villages:

To reverse the decision to remove Happisburgh from the list of Small Growth Villages and to authorise the Planning Policy Manager (in consultation with the Chairman of the Working Party and the Local Member) to make the final decision on the status of Happisburgh, having regard to the circumstances at the time.

Local Plan Site Allocations Cromer:

That land west of Cromer adjacent to Norwich Road is included in the Reg19 Local Plan as an allocation for approximately 400 dwellings, sports pitches, elderly persons’ accommodation, open space and supporting infrastructure and that development of the site accords with a single comprehensive master plan and phasing agreement.

That land at Clifton Park is not allocated in the Reg19 Plan.

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

In the absence of the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Leader informed members that there were no recommendations from the committee to Cabinet.

Decision

Resolved to recommend to Full Council:

that Full Council shall resolve that under section 11A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, and in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Finance Act 2012 and other enabling powers one of the following applies:

Recommendation 1

(a)            The discounts for the year 2022/23 and beyond are set at the levels indicated in the table at paragraph 2.1.

(b)            The premium for long term empty properties (those that have been empty for a consecutive period longer than 24 months) is set at 100% of the Council Tax charge for that dwelling

(c)            The premium for long term empty properties (those that have been empty for a consecutive period longer than 60 months) is set at 200% of the Council Tax charge for that dwelling

(d)            The premium for long term empty properties (those that have been empty for a consecutive period longer than 120 months) is set at 300% of the Council Tax charge for that dwelling

(e)            To award a Council Tax Hardship Discount of 100% as per the policy attached at Appendix B, under the provisions section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended)

(f)             To continue to award a local discount of 100% for eligible cases of care leavers under section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended).

(g)            That an exception to the levy charges may be made by the Section 151 Officer in conjunction with the Portfolio holder for Finance, on advice of the Revenues Manager in the circumstances laid out in section 3.6 of this report.

Recommendation 2

(a)            those dwellings that are specifically identified under regulation 6 of the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings)(England) Regulations 2003 will retain the 50% discount and;

(b)            those dwellings described or geographically defined at Appendix A which in the reasonable opinion of the Head of Finance and Asset Management are judged not to be structurally capable of occupation all year round and were built before the restrictions of seasonal usage were introduced by the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, will be entitled to a 35% discount.

Reasons for the decision:

To set appropriate council tax discounts which will apply in 2022/23 in accordance with the legal requirements and to raise additional council tax revenue.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, Cllr E Seward, introduced this item. He explained that this was an annual report that would go to Full Council for final approval. He said that there was a small change this year, with the introduction of a new hardship relief fund under Section 13A powers. It would be funded by the District Council but as there had only previously been a couple of cases a year it was not anticipated to be financially burdensome.

The Leader commented that it was very disappointing that the regulations did not allow the Council to further increase the tax on empty properties.

It was proposed by Cllr Seward, seconded by Cllr S Butikofer and

Resolved to recommend to Full Council:

that Full Council shall resolve that under section 11A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, and in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Finance Act 2012 and other enabling powers one of the following applies:

Recommendation 1

(a)            The discounts for the year 2022/23 and beyond are set at the levels indicated in the table at paragraph 2.1.

(b)            The premium for long term empty properties (those that have been empty for a consecutive period longer than 24 months) is set at 100% of the Council Tax charge for that dwelling

(c)            The premium for long term empty properties (those that have been empty for a consecutive period longer than 60 months) is set at 200% of the Council Tax charge for that dwelling

(d)            The premium for long term empty properties (those that have been empty for a consecutive period longer than 120 months) is set at 300% of the Council Tax charge for that dwelling

(e)            To award a Council Tax Hardship Discount of 100% as per the policy attached at Appendix B, under the provisions section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended)

(f)             To continue to award a local discount of 100% for eligible cases of care leavers under section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended).

(g)            That an exception to the levy charges may be made by the Section 151 Officer in conjunction with the Portfolio holder for Finance, on advice of the Revenues Manager in the circumstances laid out in section 3.6 of this report.

Recommendation 2

(a)            those dwellings that are specifically identified under regulation 6 of the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings)(England) Regulations 2003 will retain the 50% discount and;

(b)            those dwellings described or geographically defined at Appendix A which in the reasonable opinion of the Head of Finance and Asset Management are judged not to be structurally capable of occupation all year round and were built before the restrictions of seasonal usage were introduced by the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, will be entitled to a 35% discount.

Reasons for the decision:

To set appropriate council tax discounts which will apply in 2022/23 in accordance with the legal requirements and to raise additional council tax  ...  view the full minutes text for item 145.

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: Duncan Ellis, 01263 516330, Duncan.ellis@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Decision

RESOLVED

To approve the Procurement Strategy 2021 - 2025

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, Cllr Seward, introduced this item. He explained that the previous strategy had been reviewed and updated in light of Covid 19 and to reflect the Corporate Plan priorities. He referred Members to paragraph 8.2 of the report which outlined the Council’s promotion of environmental excellence and innovation in the context of combatting climate change to help minimise environmental impact.

Cllr J Rest, Chairman of the Governance, Risk & Audit Committee, said that the strategy had been considered by the Committee at their meeting on 18^th September and it was supported , with no proposed amendments.

Cllr A Fitch-Tillett commented that she would like to have seen a stronger emphasis on attracting apprenticeships. Cllr R Kershaw, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth agreed but said that there was ongoing work in this area with the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) Fund which was developing and strengthening support for apprenticeships.

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

RESOLVED

To approve the Procurement Strategy 2021 - 2025

Decision

RESOLVED

To adopt the Customer Service Strategy

Reason for the decision:

To ensure a high standard of customer service is provided across the organisation.

Cllr L Shires, Portfolio Holder for Organisational Resources, introduced this item. She explained that it was a strategy for customer service across the Council – not just the Customer Services team. She drew Members’ attention to Customer Service week which was being celebrated across the Council.

Cllr J Rest referred to Appendix 2, ‘Customer Charter and Standards’ and the heading ‘if you telephone us’. He asked the Portfolio Holder for the reasons behind setting 2 minutes, 30 seconds as the allocated time to respond to a call. He said that this seemed particularly long compared to other companies, where 3 – 5 rings was the standard length of time. Cllr Shires said that it was important to set the context and understand the customer journey. It took two minutes just to get through the options menu. The focus was on prioritising customers to get the response they needed first time. She said this was more important than answering quickly and then re-directing. She added that she was comfortable with the current response target as it would reduce over time.

Cllr C Cushing said that he could not see any targets for reducing the number of dropped calls. He said that he had advised that the current figure was 20% and had hoped to see action to address this. Cllr Shires replied that the Council received an average of 278 calls a day, with 14 being unanswered. She said that there were a variety of reasons for this – including the customer hanging up through choice because they had found an alternative. She said that work was being undertaken on informing people where they were in the queue and providing the option of leaving a voicemail service to leave a message. Cllr Cushing said that the figure provided by Cllr Shires indicated that only 5% of calls were dropped. He asked why he had been previously informed that it was 20%. Cllr Shires said that the higher figure represented calls received across the wider organisation, not just Customer Services, adding that when calls were transferred between handlers it was counted as a dropped call. The Leader said that the metrics that had been used were not the best – any calls that went to voicemail were also counted as ‘dropped’.

It was proposed by Cllr L Shires, seconded by Cllr R Kershaw and

RESOLVED

To adopt the Customer Service Strategy

Reason for the decision:

To ensure a high standard of customer service is provided across the organisation.

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)

Decision

RESOLVED

To agree the use of uncommitted fee income and reserves to fund the proposed additional posts within for the revised ‘People Services’ service grouping and to earmark the uncommitted fee income and the required level of reserves to support the funding of the structure for the next 2 years.    

Reasons for the decision:

To provide capacity to deliver an enhanced service in support of the Corporate Plan objectives and maximise the opportunities to lever in external funding and income to expand the offering further

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Benefits, Cllr Fredericks, introduced this item. She said that following the creation of a new ‘People Services’ directorate, the Assistant Director had identified a number of challenges and opportunities for the service and had proposed changes to the structure, including additional posts, to provide capacity to deliver an enhanced service in support of the Corporate Plan objectives and to maximise opportunities to lever in external funding and income. She thanked the officers for their hard work in preparing the report.

Cllr Gay, seconded the proposals, saying that the report provided a clear portrait on what would happen and how it would benefit residents.

Cllr C Cushing said that it was proposed to allocate £0.5m into management roles when the focus should be on streamlining and creating efficiency. He said that this was the wrong direction and asked the Portfolio Holder how it could be justified. Cllr Fredericks replied that it was being funded from money that was already held in reserves. The service area in question dealt with the general public on a daily basis and requests for support had increased considerably during the pandemic. The proposed structure sought to address this growth in demand and provide help more quickly.

The Assistant Director for People Services said that the majority of funding for the service came from Government and the proposal set out how it could be spent in the most effective way by bringing several services together. The focus now would be on prevention rather than crisis management.

Cllr E Withington said that she was supportive of the proposals.

Cllr V Gay referred to paragraphs 1.9 and 1.10 which set out how the proposals would enable the Council to attract additional funding and generate income.

Cllr Cushing asked whether performance targets would be put in place to measure the benefit of the money spent on salaries for the new posts. The Assistant Director for People Services replied that targets were set for key areas such as preventing homelessness, reducing the number of people in temporary accommodation and ensuring that homeless people could be housed in the District rather than beyond. She added that it was hard to put metrics against social benefits but the focus was on quality and helping those facing complex situations.

Cllr J Rest asked whether it was possible to provide information on how many people were currently being assisted with all of these services and how many more would be helped with an increase in staff and funding. The Assistant Director for People Services replied that such figures were reported on a monthly basis in meetings with the Portfolio Holder and via the Council’s performance management system.

The Deputy Leader, Cllr Seward, said that paragraph 3.2 set out how success would be measured and this had been requested by Cabinet. He said that the service was currently struggling to deal with a rise in homelessness and not being able to process Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) promptly. He added that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 148.

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)

Decision

RESOLVED

That Cabinet support the recommended uses of the £2.516 of housing reserves to fund the continuation of posts and restructure of Peoples Services, continuation of community-led housing activity and an energy officer role (as set out in paragraphs 2.1 – 2.11)

That Cabinet support use of the remaining £890,246 of reserves to accelerate housing delivery (as set out in paragraphs 2.12 – 2.25), including the purchase of two further units of temporary accommodation for homeless households.

That Cabinet gives delegated authority to a Chief Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Benefits, for the purchase of the specific properties within the overall re-allocated budget of £640,000 (with all purchases subject to an independent valuation and survey). 

Reasons for the decision:

To provide authority for expenditure over £100,000

Cllr W Fredericks, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Benefits, introduced this item. She explained that the report provided information on the proposed use of housing reserves, currently totalling £2.516m. The report sets out plans and commitments already in place to use some of the funding, i.e. continuing to fund the Community Enabler post and ensuring some grant funding remains for community-led housing as well as recommending that funding is used to support a dedicated energy officer role to help deliver many of the energy efficiency projects included in the agreed Housing Strategy. It also highlighted proposals for maintaining and strengthening staffing resources in Peoples Services, which had been discussed earlier in the agenda.

Cllr Fredericks welcomed the creation of a dedicated energy officer post, particularly with the challenges currently being faced in the energy sector and she hoped that they would be able to work with residents to provide support and advice. She then drew attention to the proposals to convert some shared ownership  to ‘affordable rent’ homes as this was where the greatest demand was. It was hoped that 8 homes could be converted under the proposals. Cllr Fredericks concluded by saying that she also welcomed the proposals to introduce a rent guarantee scheme. This would help those struggling to rent homes in the already fragile private rented sector. If the Council was able to act as a guarantor for possible tenants then the initial hurdle of getting into accommodation would be much easier to overcome. She thanked the officers for their hard work in preparing the report.

Cllr J Rest referred to page 132, section 2.11, which set out the details for the creation of an Energy Officer post. He asked who they would report to. Cllr Fredericks said that it would be the relevant Assistant Director.

Cllr Cushing said that the use of the phrase ‘we anticipate’ sounded hopeful rather than a firm ambition. Cllr Fredericks replied that it should be ‘we intend’.

It was proposed by Cllr Fredericks, seconded by Cllr Shires and

RESOLVED

That Cabinet support the recommended uses of the £2.516 of housing reserves to fund the continuation of posts and restructure of Peoples Services, continuation of community-led housing activity and an energy officer role (as set out in paragraphs 2.1 – 2.11)

That Cabinet support use of the remaining £890,246 of reserves to accelerate housing delivery (as set out in paragraphs 2.12 – 2.25), including the purchase of two further units of temporary accommodation for homeless households.

That Cabinet gives delegated authority to a Chief Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Benefits, for the purchase of the specific properties within the overall re-allocated budget of £640,000 (with all purchases subject to an independent valuation and survey). 

Reasons for the decision:

To provide authority for expenditure over £100,000

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which  ...  view the full agenda text for item 150.

Decision

RESOLVED:

To give authority to the Armed Forces Member Champion and Lead Officer to write a North Norfolk Armed Forces pledge in accordance with this report and ensure actions are implemented within an agreed timescale.

The pledge to be formally signed by the Leader of the Council.

Reasons for the decision:

The pledge will identify specific actions that NNDC will take as an employer and community leader to support members of the Armed Forces Community and achieve the criteria for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.

To ensure that NNDC is able to meet the forthcoming Armed Forces Covenant legislative Duty of Due regard.

Cllr V Gay introduced this item in the absence of Cllr Toye who was the Member Champion for the Armed Forces. She explained that the Council had signed the Armed Forces Covenant on 7^th March 2012 and that legislation would soon be introduced to increase awareness of and improve the delivery of the Covenant in key areas fundamental to a good life, whilst retaining the ability of local service providers to honour the Covenant in the best way to suit local needs. Cllr Gay said that to further demonstrate North Norfolk District Council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and to ensure compliance with the forthcoming legislation, it was proposed that the Council published and signed its own Armed Forces Covenant Pledge. The pledge would include a commitment to achieve the Bronze, Silver and Gold Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) awards

It was proposed by Cllr V Gay, seconded by Cllr A Fitch-Tillett and

RESOLVED:

To give authority to the Armed Forces Member Champion and Lead Officer to write a North Norfolk Armed Forces pledge in accordance with this report and ensure actions are implemented within an agreed timescale.

The pledge to be formally signed by the Leader of the Council.

Reasons for the decision:

The pledge will identify specific actions that NNDC will take as an employer and community leader to support members of the Armed Forces Community and achieve the criteria for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.

To ensure that NNDC is able to meet the forthcoming Armed Forces Covenant legislative Duty of Due regard.

Before closing the meeting, the Leader said that she wanted to congratulate all of the officers involved in winning the award for Digital Finance Project of the Year 2021 at the Public Finance Awards.  She said she was delighted to the see all of the teams involved – including Economic Growth, Finance, Revenues and Customer Services, being recognised for their outstanding work and performance in the issuing of Covid 19 business grants and support for local businesses affected by the pandemic. She concluded by saying that it was a fantastic example of departments working out of their silos across the organisation, and showed what could be achieved when teams worked collaboratively

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.”