Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr N Housden and Cllr P Fisher.

None.

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

None received.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 13^th January 2020.

Minutes from the meeting held on 13^th January 2021 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

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.

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 requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.

None declared.

To consider any petitions received from members of the public.

None received.

To consider any requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, and notified to the Monitoring Officer with seven clear working days’ notice, to include an item on the agenda of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

Cllr A Brown requested that the Committee consider the viability of implementing a food waste collection service across the District.

At the meeting held on 13^th January 2020, Cllr A Brown requested that the Committee consider the viability of implementing a food waste collection service across the District. The DFC attended to provide an update on the process and implications of implementing a food waste collection service:

The DFC stated that during procurement of the current waste contract, a costed option for food waste collections had been included, which could be implemented at any point during the contract, provided reasonable notice was given. He added that there would be an additional cost to deliver this service, and at the time that the contract was agreed, it was not considered that the benefits would outweigh the costs. It was reported that the Government’s Environment Bill was passing through the parliamentary process, and was likely to include a number of provisions included in the Waste and Related Services Strategy, such as the mandatory collection of food waste. It was noted that the Government were likely to introduce food waste collections in 2023, though this could be subject to change. The DFC stated that it was normal for the Government to provide additional burdens funding when introducing legislation of this kind, and it was therefore prudent to wait until the exact requirements were known prior to implementation.

Questions and Discussion

   i.          Cllr A Brown asked whether any preparations or discussions had taken place with the Contractors, or whether this would be delayed until the outcome of the Environment Bill was known. He added that he wished to place on record his thanks to the Waste Collection Team for their continued hard work under difficult circumstances. The DFC replied that conversations with the contractor on the introduction of a food waste collection service had taken place, and would likely resume once the outcome of the Environment Bill was known, though no discussions had taken place on the potential for an earlier introduction. It was noted that there would be significant costs involved in implementing food waste collections, and these would not be covered by new burdens funding if implemented prior to becoming mandatory. As a result, the DFC advised Members that it would be prudent to wait until the outcome of the Environment Bill was known, before implementing the service. He added that an independent review of a countywide food waste collection scheme had been completed, which included consideration of cost mitigation by County Council returning the benefit of avoided disposals to Districts as recycling credits. It was noted that this would only be viable if all avoided disposal costs were returned to Districts, and would also require residual waste to move to three or four weekly collections, which could be challenging for residents.

  ii.          Cllr A Brown noted that food waste collection had been well received elsewhere, and noted that he was happy with the response at the current time. The Chairman suggested that it could be useful to request a report to consider the full implications of food waste collections at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 141.

To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee’s reports or recommendations:

At the meeting held on Monday 1^st February 2021, Cabinet RESOLVED to accept the following recommendations from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee:

CAR PARK INCOME DATA - JULY - SEPTEMBER 2019 AND 2020

RESOLVED

1. That promotion of the Council’s annual and seasonal parking permits is increased.

2. That consideration is given to reviewing potential opportunities for new car parking sites, where appropriate.

3. That consideration is given to offering limited free parking arrangements to encourage support of the District’s high streets.

2021/22 BASE BUDGET & PROJECTIONS FOR 2022/23 TO 2023/24 AND MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY

RESOLVED

1. That the Council continues to lobby for greater certainty on future levels of funding support from Central Government.

2. That efforts are continued to identify potential savings options within the 2021/22 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

The DSGOS informed Members that the recommendations from the Car Parking Income Data report and the Base Budget report had all been accepted by Cabinet.

LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW

(Papers relied on the write the report and which do not contain exempt information)

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Lucy Hume, 01263 516246, lucy.hume@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Cllr E Seward – Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets introduced the report and informed Members that whilst deficits were forecasted in future years, the Council continued to fund services and deliver a balanced budget. He added that whilst the Council remained prudent, it was uncertainty around future levels of financial support from Central Government that were the key cause of forecasted deficits. Cllr E Seward stated that it was important to ensure that the Council was operating as efficiently as possible, whilst still being able to meet its corporate objectives. He added that there had been plans to commence efficiency savings proposals in the 2020/21 financial  year, but Covid-19 had limited the resources available to undertake these exercises. It was reported that work would soon begin on a zero base budgeting exercise, alongside a request for departments to consider the impact of a 10% reduction in service budgets, a review of fees and charges, and the creation of an asset repair fund.

Questions and Discussion

   i.          The Chairman sought clarification that the approach to the Council’s finances was a mix of prudence and patience, to wait and see what level of financial support would be offered by Central Government. Cllr E Seward replied that there was an element of waiting for the outcome of spending reviews, though there were also plans to implement several savings proposals in the summer. He added that some proposals would remain as back up options, if the financial situation further deteriorated. The Chairman asked for an indication of the urgency that the savings proposals identified in Appendix E would be treated. Cllr E Seward replied that these proposals would be considered in due course alongside those already mentioned, and added that some were more viable than others. He added that he was open to providing updates on the progress of delivering these proposals as and when available. The Chairman noted that some of the proposals would take considerable time to deliver, and asked whether this had been taken into account. Cllr E Seward replied that planning work would begin in March, with proposals ready for implementation in autumn.

  ii.          Cllr A Varley thanked officers for the report and asked why the MTFS had returned to the Committee as a separate report. The Chairman replied that the MTFS had always been a separate report on the Committee’s Work Programme, and that this was the standard approach to review details of the strategy.

iii.          Cllr L Withington stated that the MTFS showed prudence and the planned consideration of options, and asked whether an update on the proposals could be provided in June.

iv.          Cllr W Fredericks reiterated her comments from the previous meeting, that the Council should continue to lobby Central Government and local MPs for greater clarity on future levels of financial support.

 v.          Cllr G Mancini-Boyle referred to the spending required to maintain Comer Pier, and asked whether there was a long-term strategy or any fresh ideas. He then referred to gate fees for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 143.

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Lucy Hume, 01263 516246, lucy.hume@north-norfolk.gov.uk       

Cllr E Seward – Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets introduced the report and informed Members that it was a statutory requirement to agree the strategy on an annual basis. The CTA added that the strategy had to be approved in advance of the new financial year, and noted that there had not been any substantial changes.

Questions and Discussion

It was proposed by Cllr P Heinrich and seconded by Cllr W Fredericks that the report be recommended to Full Council for approval.

RESOLVED 

To recommend to Full Council that the Capital Strategy and Prudential Indicators for 2021-22 are approved.

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Lucy Hume, 01263 516246 lucy.hume@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Cllr E Seward – Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets introduced the report and informed Members that it was a statutory requirement to approve the Investment Strategy on an annual basis. The CTA added that the strategy had been updated following guidance from MHCLG.

Questions and Discussion

It was proposed by Cllr P Heinrich and seconded by Cllr H Blathwayt to recommend the report to Full Council for approval.

RESOLVED

To recommend to Council that the Investment Strategy is approved.

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Lucy Hume, 01263 516246 lucy.hume@north-norfolk.gov.uk

Cllr E Seward – Portfolio Holder for Finance and Assets introduced the report and informed Members that it was a statuary report that required approval on an annual basis. The CTA added that the strategy was a continuation from previous years with additional context in relation to the low interest rates caused by Covid-19.

Questions and Discussion

   i.          Cllr P Heinrich asked whether any modelling had taken place to determine the potential impact of negative interest rates. The CTA replied that the treasury advisors were closely monitoring the potential for negative interest rates to be introduced, though it remained unlikely. She added that whilst negative interests rates would have an impact on the Council, extensive modelling had not been undertaken at present, due to the low likelihood of them being introduced. It was suggested that more detailed modelling would be completed if this likelihood increased.

  ii.          Cllr A Varley proposed that the report be recommended to Full Council for approval and Cllr E Spagnola seconded the proposal.

RESOLVED

To recommend to Council that the Treasury Management Strategy Statement is approved.

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:

Emma Denny, Democratic Services Manager, 01263 516010

The DSM introduced the report and informed Members that three decisions had been  reported to Cabinet in February. The first related to the discretionary business grant scheme, the next on commencing consultation of the Council Tax support scheme, and the final decision related to a payment for supporting the test and trace scheme.

RESOLVED

To note the report.

To receive and note the update on the Sheringham Leisure Project.

Cllr V Gay – Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Wellbeing and Culture introduced the report and informed Members that there had been no change in the budget. It was reported that whilst careful consideration had been given to reopening the existing Splash facility, it had been determined that demolition would be brought forward in order to complete phases one and two of the project by 12^th August. Cllr V Gay referred to previous discussion of the communications of the project, and noted that search terms had likely been the cause of updates not displaying correctly. She added that searching for Sheringham Leisure Centre would provide up to date news releases, time lapse videos and plans. The ADSG noted that there had been a request for the demolition costs to be outlined, which was reported as approximately £161k, with work to commence shortly.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          Cllr L Withington stated that there was a general understanding in Sheringham that the early demolition was the result of a change in circumstance caused by Covid-19, and that residents appreciated that Splash had been kept open for as long as possible. She added that given the cost savings, and taking into account that Splash may have only opened for a matter of weeks, it was now prudent to progress with an early demolition.

      ii.          Cllr V Gay thanked officers and Members for their input monitoring the project and noted that the demolition costs were not additional and had been included in the original budget.

    iii.          Consideration was given to the frequency of ongoing updates, and it was agreed that updates would continue on a monthly basis.

RESOLVED

To note the report.

Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Steve Blatch, Chief Executive

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

Tel:- 01263 516232

The CE introduced the report and informed Members that it covered the period from October to December 2020, during which time the District saw a rising number of cases leading to a second lockdown in November. It was reported that progress had been made on a number of corporate priorities including climate change, temporary accommodation and Sheringham Leisure Centre. The CE noted that a return to processing business grants had required considerable resource, though this had not impacted services, and that the report had been brought to Scrutiny in advance of Cabinet to provide information in a more timely manner.

Questions and Discussion

   i.          Cllr C Cushing referred to the installation of electric vehicle charging points in Fakenham, and asked whether any update  on progress was available. Cllr N Lloyd replied that EVCPs in Wells, Sheringham, Cromer and Holt were online, and it was expected that Fakenham points would soon be connected, though he was yet to receive confirmation. Cllr L Shires added that she would seek to provide a full written answer, and noted that issues had arisen in North Walsham, and the Council was now looking for an alternative site which she would provide an update on in due course.

  ii.          Cllr A Brown referred to housing delivery targets, and asked to place on record his thanks to officers for working hard to meet these targets, and for their efforts in preparing the new Local Plan.

iii.          Cllr G Mancini-Boyle congratulated relevant officers for preparing the carbon reduction strategy outlined in the report.

iv.          Cllr L Withington referred to progress on climate change actions, and asked whether these could be brought together in a wider briefing. The DSGOS noted that the draft Environmental Charter was expected to come forward for pre-scrutiny in the coming months, and there was potential for this to come alongside a wider briefing. The CE suggested that if Members wanted more information on actions taken to address climate change, then it would be possible to include additional information on request. The PPMO stated that performance data was now publicly available, with a single page for all climate related data and actions.

RESOLVED

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

To note the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.

The DSGOS informed Members that the Committee had changed its working practices to factor in more pre-scrutiny, meaning that several items of business on the Cabinet Work Programme had already been reviewed or were planned for review by the Committee. It was noted that this included the Equality and Diversity Policy, that was expected to come for pre-scrutiny in March, and go to Cabinet for approval in April/May.

RESOLVED

To note the Cabinet Work Programme.

To receive an update from the Scrutiny Officer on progress made with topics on its agreed work programme, training updates and to receive any further information which Members may have requested at a previous meeting.

The DSGOS informed Members that the crime and disorder briefing was expected to take place in March, and a request had been made for the PCC to address issues of domestic abuse and wider policing issues in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic. He added that the draft Environmental Charter was expected in the coming months.

It was clarified, following a question from Cllr L Withington that the Committee would continue to adopt a pre-scrutiny approach where possible.

RESOLVED

To note the Work Programme.

To pass the following resolution, if necessary:

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