Agenda and minutes

The Chair asked members to join him in a minutes silence in remembrance of former District Councillor, Garry Bull.

To receive a presentation from the Chairman’s charity – Norfolk Charities – Norfolk Wheely Boat’.

Representatives from the Chair’s nominated charity for the year, ‘Norfolk Charities, Norfolk Wheely Boat’, gave a presentation to members on the work that they did.

To receive apologies for absence, if any.

Apologies were received from Cllrs Batey, Bayes, Housden and Paterson.

To confirm the minutes of the Annual meeting of the Council held on 21 May 2025.

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Council held on 21st May were approved as a correct record, subject to the following amendment: Cllr S penfold had been recorded as present when he had sent his apologies.

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 (see attached guidance and flowchart)

None received.

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 the Chairman’s communications, if any.

The Chairman spoke about recent civic events that he had attended:

24 May – Cromer & Sheringham Operatic & Dramatic Society, Performance of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

08 June 2025 – Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council Civic Service & Reception

20 June 2025 - High Sheriff of Norfolk's Garden Party, Elsing Hall

28 June 2025 – Royal British Legion Armed Forces Day, Northrepps

12 July 2025 – Vice-chair attended afternoon tea with the Mayor of Wisbech

14 July 2025 – Opening of 3G sports pitch in Cromer

To receive announcements from the Leader of the Council.

The Leader began by speaking about the recent loss of Garry Bull. He commended his strong commitment to public service, saying that he was know for his outstanding contribution to North Walsham, having served as Mayor of the town and then more recently as a District Councillor. He said that he would be greatly missed and sent condolences to his family and friends.

The Leader then spoke about recent key issues. He said that the annual accounts had now been published and thanked the Finance team for their hard work.

For the Local Plan, current work continued on agreeing modifications and preparing for the upcoming 6-week consultation period which would run from 4^th August to 15^th September.

Work continued on preparing the final submission for a 3 unitary model and there would be an extraordinary meeting of Full Council on 17^th September for members to consider the proposals. He thanked town and parish council representatives for attending recent sessions on local government reorganisation (LGR) in Fakenham and Mundesley. There would be more sessions in the Autumn.

Cllr Adams then spoke about other achievements across the Council, including the 3G pitch at Cromer, the re-opening of the Leas play park at Sheringham and the completion of the Mundesley coastal defence works. He said that he was delighted to inform members that Green Flags had been retained at Sadler’s Wood, Pretty Corner and Holt Country Park.

The Leader then spoke about recent flooding incidents across the district. He thanked members for their responses and support.

In conclusion, he urged all members to enjoy the summer and explore the many events taking place across the district. Tourism was doing really well at the moment and many businesses were continuing to thrive, despite some of the challenges faced on a national level. He said that two further locations had been confirmed for banking hubs at Cromer and North Walsham and discussions were continuing with Nationwide at Fakenham to discuss the future of services there.

To consider any questions or statements received from members of the public.

There were two public speakers, Ms M Harriss and Ms C Howard. The Chairman invited them to speak.

Ms Harriss spoke about the business group, Shop Fakenham, which had been set up to promote the town centre as a vibrant place to visit. Efforts were underway to reinstate the monthly farmers market and a website had been set up to showcase events in the town. They had collaborated with local groups and received funding from the Chamber of Trade.

She said that the town was rich with Victorian and Georgian buildings but one of them, 9 Norwich Street, remained derelict behind scaffolding. It was an eyesore and Shop Fakenham had set up a petition to urge NNDC to take action.

Ms C Howard then spoke about the petition. She said that 2000 people had signed it and it had sparked conversations about the town and its future. She said that Fakenham was beginning to thrive once more. The Thursday market was a huge attraction and there was plenty of parking and easy access to the bus network. 9 Norwich street was holding the town back. It was a striking Victorian building, leading to an arcade – one of the last of its kind. It was upsetting to see it declared unsafe in 2019 and there had been no visible progress since then. She concluded by saying that the site could be a viable commercial asset and urged the Council to take action. The petition was handed to the Democratic Services Manager.

The Leader, Cllr Adams, thanked both speakers for attending the meeting. He said that he appreciated that progress with the site was not visible but reassured them that discussions were ongoing. The Council did not own the premises so it was challenging and although there were some legislative powers, they had to work within the legal constraints and could not ‘play their cards openly’. He said that it was an extremely complex case and there were leaseholders affected too. He said that he would be happy to meet with Ms Harriss and Ms Howard, along with Cllr J Toye, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Growth, to discuss their concerns.

In conclusion, the Leader said that NNDC was not alone in dealing with challenging properties such as this, citing Dereham and Great Yarmouth as nearby towns with similar issues. He urged the Government to give local councils more powers to address such issues.

To approve changes to appointments to committees, sub-committees, working parties and outside bodies, as proposed by the Group Leaders.

The Chairman asked the Group Leaders if they had any changes to appointments to Committees, sub-committees, working parties or outside bodies.

Cllr T Adams said that he wished to make the following changes:

-        Cllr J Boyle to replace Cllr S Penfold as Vice-Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee

-        Cllr A Fletcher to replace Cllr J Boyle as Vice-Chair of the Governance, Risk & Audit Committee (GRAC).

-        Visit North Norfolk was to be added to the approved list of Outside Bodies, with Cllrs L Withington and L Shires appointed as representatives. Cllr Withington would also be Chair of the Board.

-        Cllr S Butikofer to replace Cllr J Toye as the appointed representative on the Police & Crime Panel and the Norfolk Countywide Community Safety Partnership Scrutiny sub-panel, with Cllr J Toye to be appointed as substitute for both bodies.

To receive reports from Cabinet Members on their portfolios.

Cllr T Adams - Executive Support & Legal Services

Cllr H Blathwayt – Coast

Cllr A Brown – Planning & Enforcement

Cllr W Fredericks – Housing and People Services

Cllr C Ringer – IT, Environmental & Waste Services

Cllr L Shires – Finance, Estates & Assets

Cllr J Toye – Sustainable Growth

Cllr A Varley – Climate Change & Net Zero

Cllr L Withington – Community, Leisure & Outreach (Including Health & Wellbeing)

Members are reminded that they may ask questions of the Cabinet Member on their reports and portfolio areas but should note that it is not a debate.

No member may ask more than one question plus a supplementary question, unless the time taken by members’ questions does not exceed 30 minutes in total, in which case, second questions will be taken in the order that they are received (Constitution, Chapter 2, part 2, section 12.2)

The Chair invited Portfolio Holders to add any further information to their written reports, where required.

Cllr W Fredericks, Portfolio Holder for Housing & Benefits, said that there was an amendment on page 45 of the agenda pack. Where it stated 33 Homeless + priority need, it should state ‘unintentionally homeless’ not ‘intentionally’. She said that her list of meetings attended also incorrectly included Joint Staff Consultative Committee (JSCC).

Cllr H Blathwayt also highlighted an error in one of the meetings listed as attended.

Cllr L Withington informed members that the Leas Play park had been opened in Sheringham and it had been full of children within a few hours. She asked members to promote the Pretty Corner Woodland Fair which was taking place on 29^th July.

The Chairman then invited members to speak:

Cllr R McDonald asked Cllr A Varley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Net Zero, for more information on the ‘Make my House Green’ scheme. Cllr Varley replied that it had been very successful so far. Engagement with the company had been encouraging and the partnership with them had been about spreading the word about solar PV panels. He went onto speak about NNDC’s Net zero project in Stalham and one of the main issues raised by the community was insufficient information on available products and schemes and the ‘Make my House Green’ project had proved to be a good starting point. A few households had already taken part and had solar panels installed. He added that everyone was advised to get at least three quotes before proceeding with purchasing a product. He then updated members on carbon savings from solar projects and said that they now stood at 2703 kg.

Cllr L Vickers asked the Leader Cllr T Adams about 9 Norwich Street, Fakenham. She said that the public speakers had already highlighted the positive attitude of the town and she sought assurance that there was a clear plan of action in place and that local members would be kept aware of any developments. Cllr Adams replied that any obstruction to the footway was the responsibility of Norfolk County Council (NCC) and as he had already stated, he could not discuss the matter publicly as it could damage any progress being made. He added that he wanted to see the matter resolved and that the obstacles were legal issues which would take time. Cllr Vickers said that she would like more transparency and that local members were not being kept informed. In response to Cllr Adams comment that local members had been involved, Cllr J Punchard said that there had been no contact from officers on the matter and he had raised this at the last 3 Full Council meetings.

Cllr N Dixon asked the Leader if he saw any opportunity, as devolution progressed, to achieve efficiencies and quality improvements through the delivery of services and democratic governance without increasing council tax. If so, could he outline what they would look like. Cllr Adams replied  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

The following recommendations to Full Council were made by Cabinet at the meeting held on 7^th July:

Please note that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting took place after the Full Council agenda was published. The Chairman will provide a verbal update at the meeting of any recommendations made in relation to any of the items listed below.

1.    Cabinet Agenda Item 8: Outturn report 2024/2025

RESOLVED to recommend the following to Full Council:

a)  The provisional outturn position for the General Fund revenue account for 2024/25 (as shown in Appendix A);

b)  The transfers to and from reserves as detailed within the report (and Appendix C);

c) The surplus of £0.622m be transferred to the General reserve to mitigate future funding shortfalls.

d) The balance on the General Reserve of £2.825m following the transfer outlined above.

e) The surplus of £0.384m relating to retained business rates be transferred to the Business Rates reserve.

f) The financing of the 2024/25 capital programme as detailed within the report and at Appendix D.

g) The updated capital programme for 2025/26 to 2030/31 and scheme financing as outlined within the report and detailed at Appendix E;

h) Approval of additional funding to cover capital project overspends of £10,816 as detailed in paragraph 5.7.

i) The roll-forward of existing capital project funding from 2024/25 into 2025/26 as detailed in paragraph 5.9.

j). To note the addition of £55,000 towards the New Play Area (Sheringham, The Lees) to be funded from the Asset Management Reserve in 2025/26 for a total project budget of £120,000

k) The addition of £6,081 towards the Cromer Offices LED Lighting in the Capital Programme to be funded from Capital Receipts in 2025/26 for a total project budget of £178,796.

l) The addition of £20,000 towards the Public Conveniences (Sheringham & North Walsham) project in the Capital Programme to be funded from Capital Receipts in 2025/26 for a total project budget of £565,514.

m) The addition of the Holt Eco Learning Space scheme for £100,000 into the 2025/26 Capital Programme to be funded by an external contribution.

2.    Cabinet Agenda item 9 – Treasury Management Outturn Report 2024/2025

RESOLVED to recommend the Treasury Management outturn position to Full Council for approval

3.    Cabinet Agenda Item 10 – Debt Recovery 2024/2025

RESOLVED to recommend that Full Council

1. approves the annual report which details the Council’s write-offs, in accordance with the Council’s Debt Write-Off Policy and performance in relation to revenues collection.

2. approves the continued delegated authority as shown in appendix 2 for write offs.

1.     Cabinet Agenda Item 8: Outturn report 2024/2025

Cllr L Shires, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Estates & Property Services, introduced this item. She highlighted improvements that had been made to the financial management and monitoring processes in the last year and said that the year end position was now projected every time budget performance was monitored and this provided clearer visibility and control over outcomes. Cllr Shires said that the Period 4 Budget Monitoring report last year had forecast a large deficit and through a combination of financial planning and cost control throughout the Council, the gap had been closed and the year had ended with a General Fund surplus of just over £600k. She then outlined the ‘standout’ figures, including an underspend on employee-related costs, tight controls on supplies and services and the generation of £2m in income due to planning, car parking and housing related grants.

Cllr Shires said that the initial plan had been to draw down approximately £4m from reserves and this had now been significantly reduced due to the surplus to just over £2m. This left £24m in reserves which would help with managing future pressures. Investment in local communities had continued through the last financial year, including capital projects such as coastal protection, public conveniences, solar panel installation at Victory leisure centre and supporting affordable housing.

Cllr Shires said that the Overview & Scrutiny Committee had identified a reporting error on page 91 table 3.2 which should state £36k not £26k in the second column. This had been updated for the Full Council agenda. She then referred to page 99 s5.6(a) and said that she wished to propose that the underspend of £28,476 in the Purchase of Bins capital budget be put towards the cost of providing food waste caddies and moved to an additional capital budget.  This was seconded by Cllr Ringer.

In conclusion, Cllr Shires said that the next budget would be extremely challenging. Early indications from central government regarding funding were not positive. However, this outturn report showed that the choices that been made had been effective and service delivery had been maintained and the reliance on the use of reserves reduced.

Cllr V Holliday, Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee said that the Committee had supported the recommendations, including the transfer of the purchase of bins underspend to a reserve to be used towards the cost of delivering food waste caddies.

The Chair invited members to speak:

Cllr C Cushing said that he welcomed the surplus, however, in October 2024, a deficit of £1m had been forecast and he highlighted variances in tables A and B on pages 90 and 91 of the report. He asked Cllr Shires whether she still had confidence in future budget forecasts, given a possible variance of up to £5m. Cllr Shires replied that previously there had been criticism for having a deficit at the Outturn stage and the budget monitoring process had been changed to ensure that adjustments could be made in-year and everything possible had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

Overview & Scrutiny Committee made the following recommendation to Full Council at the meeting held on 14^th May 2025:

That Full Council approves a change of start time for Overview & Scrutiny Committee meetings from 10am to 9.30am, with immediate effect.

The Chair will provide an update to Full Council on any further recommendations made by the Committee at the meeting held on 16^th July.

1.    To consider any further recommendations to Full Council made by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee at the meeting held on 16^th July 2025.

Cllr V Holliday, Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee said that the Committee had agreed that the start time of meetings should revert to 9.30am. There were no further recommendations but she did update members on Anglian Water’s recent attendance at the June meeting and said that their responses to questions raised would be shared with all members.

It was proposed by Cllr V Holliday, seconded by Cllr J Boyle and

RESOLVED

To approve a change of start time for Overview & Scrutiny Committee meetings from 10am to 9.30am, with immediate effect.

This report will follow.

Cllr S Butikofer introduced this item. She had chaired the recent meeting of the Employment & Appeals Committee. She explained that a panel had been convened on 18^th July for the recruitment of a new Director of Resources (S151 Officer). It was a cross-party panel and members had agreed to the appointment of Don McCallum.

It was proposed by Cllr S Butikofer, seconded by Cllr L Shires and

RESOLVED to

Appoint Don McCallum as Director of Resources and S151 Officer.

Development Committee made the following recommendation to Full Council at the meeting held on 29^th May 2025:

That Full Council approves a change of start time for Development Committee meetings from 10am to 9.30am, with immediate effect.

The Chair of Development Committee, Cllr P Heinrich, introduced this item. He said that the Committee had agreed unanimously to revert to a 9.30am start time for meetings.

It was proposed by Cllr P Heinrich, seconded by Cllr R Macdonald and

RESOLVED

To approve a change of start time for Development Committee meetings from 10am to 9.30am, with immediate effect.

The following recommendations were made by the Licensing Committee (Premises & Gambling) at the meeting held on 9^th July 2025:

GAMBLING STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES 2025

1. Recommends that Full Council approves the publication of the Gambling Statement of Principles 2025.

2.    That the new statement is published, once approved.

Cllr E Spagnola, Vice-chair of the Licensing Committee (Premises & Gambling) introduced this item. She had chaired the meeting of 9^th July. She said that members had fully supported the recommendations.

It was proposed by Cllr E Spagnola, seconded by Cllr C Ringer and

RESOLVED to

1. Approve the publication of the Gambling Statement of Principles 2025.
2. That the new statement is published, once approved.

The following recommendation was made by the Licensing Committee (Regulatory) at the meeting held on 9^th July:

DRAFT TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE POLICY AND HANDBOOK

To adopt the Taxi and Private Hire Policy and Handbook 2025 v5.1with effect from 1

September 2025.

Please see the agenda for the Licensing Committee (Regulatory) to access the full suite of documents: Home | Agenda for Licensing Committee (Regulatory) on Wednesday, 9th July, 2025, 10.30 am

Cllr E Spagnola, Vice-chair of the Licensing Committee (Premises & Gambling) introduced this item. She had chaired the meeting of 9^th July. She thanked officers for their hard work in preparing the handbook. Cllr Ringer added that the Taxi Driver’s Association had played a key role.

It was proposed by Cllr E Spagnola, seconded by Cllr C Ringer and

RESOLVED to

Adopt the Taxi and Private Hire Policy and Handbook 2025 v5.1with effect from 1 September 2025.

Local Government Reorganisation

There are serious concerns about the way this Council is handling the preparation of its Local Government Reform (LGR) proposal and the supporting business case to be submitted to the MHCLG by 26^th September. We call upon the Administration to recognise and remedy the current flaws in the process, and accept the following recommendations:

1. Ensure the ongoing research and proposal presentation work includes cost comparisons for 1, 2 & 3 unitaries including transition, revenue and capital costs and with risk scores covering viability and quality scores for the range of services provided.
2. Address the need to investigate proposed decision-making structures and lines of functionality connecting with town & parish councils, for each Unitary model, to ensure local democratic participation and accountability.
3. Actively involve cross-party councillors in reviewing the research results and preparation of the proposal and supporting business case, either via Overview & Scrutiny or a cross-party working group, to make the process and results transparent and accessible to North Norfolk residents and businesses.
4. To either increase the 8^th – 17^th September period for all councillors to assimilate and respond to the proposal and supporting business case, or provide briefing/feedback sessions during that period to ensure all members are fully informed on all aspects of the proposal and the evidence supporting the selection.

The Chair invited Cllr C Cushing to introduce his motion. He began by saying that it was not about the merits of the various models of unitary authorities that were being explored, but about concerns about the approach the Administration was taking. There was a lack of openness about the analysis that had been undertaken and the opposition groups had been excluded. He said that there had been a different approach at Norfolk County Council, which had been an evidence-led process, comparing all three options. He said that the four recommendations were intended to be constructive and inclusive and he addressed them in turn.

He said any decision should be evidence based and the viability of each option. The needs of residents must be considered and there must be an assessment that showed that key services could still be delivered, without significant cost increases.

Cllr N Dixon seconded the motion and reserved his right to speak.

The Chairman invited the Leader, Cllr Adams to respond the motion.

He began by saying that it was driven by the Conservative group failing to agree a preferred model of LGR. This was an issue that played out across the country, however, he urged them to make the most of the opportunities that had been given to them. He said that there had been an extensive discussion of the proposals in March and he had requested that standing orders were waived to allow the debate to continue for as long as possible. However, the Opposition had abstained on most of the proposals, despite an indication of consensus during the debate. He therefore urged Cllr Cushing to commit to allowing his group to have a free vote on the final submission proposals for LGR in September. He said that LGR was happening regardless of what NNDC wanted and the choice was between a large, behemoth council or a smaller unitary with a better chance of understanding local communities and their needs.

Cllr Adams said that all the authorities involved in the LGR process were undergoing similar actions, including the engagement of consultants to examine data and develop models but it would take time and could not be rushed. All authorities were working from the same, shared data and had signed an agreement regarding this.

It was not possible to compare the various proposals against each other. Each one was unique and focused on distinctive geographic areas, with varying needs and drivers. He said that consultations had been carried out with town and parish councils, more so than other authorities. He added that there was no intention to set up a working group. The Council was at capacity and there were not the resources to support it, without increasing headcount, which he was not prepared to do. Feedback from other authorities indicated that working groups were of limited value and members often got lost in the detail. He concluded by saying that the three unitary option had the backing of several authorities and was cross-party, unlike  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

None Received.

None received.

None Received.

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 item(s) of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph(s) _ of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”