Agenda and draft minutes

It was noted that (i) Councillor Liz Vickers had tendered her apologies for absence; and (ii) Councillor Angie Fitch-Tillett was attending as her substitute.

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 22^nd January, 2025.

Minutes of the meeting held on 22^nd January, 2025 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.

There were no items of urgent business.

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.

There were no declarations of interests were received at the meeting.

To consider any petitions received from members of the public.

None received.

To consider any requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, submitted to the Democratic Services Manager with seven clear working days’ notice, to include an item on the agenda of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

None received.

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

None received.

The Committee is asked to respond and comment on the update (Appendix A refers) that addresses the recommendations made by Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s Homelessness Task & Finish group on the reducing the impact of homelessness.

The Committee received a report that provided a response and update on actions to address the recommendations as agreed by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s Homelessness Task & Finish group.

Questions Responses and Discussion

The mains points of the discussion maybe summarised as follows:

The Committee:

                 I.          In response to a question raised by Councillor Boyle it was noted that homeless pods are primarily a temporary shelter that can provide a safe space for people experiencing homelessness that should be used as a stepping stone to permanent housing.

               II.          Noted that the Council’s homelessness problem is not really about rough sleepers. Also, the Council has accessed government grant programs and now has five units of ex-rough sleepers’ accommodation in one-bedroom flats that allows someone a two-year tenancy to enable these individuals get on their feet, to learn useful life skills, and to enable to them move on into more permanent housing. That is not to say that the Council has rejected the idea of homeless pods but that officers are looking to identify the most effective use of temporary accommodation.

             III.          Noted that Councillor Heinrich had expressed his concerns that the private rental sector in North Norfolk is shrinking primarily due to a high influx of holiday homes and second residences that compete with long-term tenants for available housing, pushing up prices and making it difficult to find affordable private rentals in the district. This situation is further exacerbated by a lack of new affordable housing development to meet local needs. Therefore, it was suggested that Councillor Fredericks (Portfolio Holder for Housing & People Services) should write to central government, setting out the situation in North Norfolk regarding the private rental sector reducing housing stock levels and the key reasons for the withdrawals and ask central government for action to address the progressive stock loss and help this Council retain and even grow private sector stock levels.

            IV.          Following comments from Councillor Penfold agreed that housing providers are a key partner in the Council's overall homelessness strategy (1) offering readily available housing options for people at risk of becoming homeless, (2) offering supported housing for those with complex needs, (3) sharing data on housing availability, (4) working together to address homelessness in Norfolk.

              V.          Following comments from Councillors Fredericks and Holliday it was understood that the money generated from the council tax premium on second homes would be used to fund affordable housing and homelessness services.

            VI.          Noted that: (1) there are a significant proportion of second homes in North Norfolk; and (2) following discussions with the county council it has been agreed that from 1^st April, 2025 it will set aside 25% of the council tax premium to fund the services for affordable housing and homelessness in the District.

          VII.          Agreed that the Council should make use of this additional money to address the immediate need for temporary accommodation and the wider issues around housing and homelessness in the area.

        VIII.          Agreed that it would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 257.

The Committee is asked to consider and comment on this report that presents an update on the progress being made in implementing the Corporate Plan 2023-27 Action Plan 2024-25 and to give Cabinet an opportunity to discuss and agree decisions that should be taken regarding any issues raised.

The Committee received a progress report showed that twenty-six of the actions are in progress and on track and nine have been completed. It was noted that (i) one action is identified as red and six actions are identified as amber, (ii) there has been a reduction in the number of actions identified as amber from sixteen in the previous quarter to six; and (iii) the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) have reviewed actions flagged as red and amber in the last quarter.

Questions Responses and Discussion

The mains points of the discussion (Including those issues raised by Councillor Cushing, Hankins, Holliday, Fletcher and Heinrich) maybe summarised as follows:

The Committee:

                 I.          Noted that the activities detailed in the Action Plan have been developed in support of the five themes in the adopted Corporate Plan recognising the increasing pressure on the Council’s budget, the moves towards establishing a Combined Authority for Norfolk and Suffolk under the Government’s English Devolution programme and the proposed Local Government Reorganisation which will change the context in which the District Council operates, alongside continuing with “Business As Usual” to maintain service delivery for the district’s residents until any proposals for new unitary councils in Norfolk are agreed.

               II.          Noted that the actions proposed seek to balance the capacity of the organisation to deliver, taking into account the staff and financial resources available to the Council, the need to focus on supporting the transition of services into any new unitary council(s) and the potential to access external funding or partnership resources, with the aspirations laid out in the Corporate Plan.

             III.          Noted the Council’s had hosted a major summit event in partnership with the Bacton Energy Hub, National Gas and key stakeholders on 14th January 2025. The Bacton Energy Hub (formerly known as Bacton Gas Terminal) has a complex of five gas terminals, which are to be transitioned to Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS). It was noted that the summit had, had three key aims:

1.    To raise with the UK Government the future significant opportunities which operators, local stakeholders and future investors believe exist for the Bacton Energy Hub site in terms of decarbonising the existing natural gas operations, and the development of the CCUS proposals.

2.    Promote the benefits of greater collaboration in securing a renewable electricity supply to Bacton to support the decarbonisation of the existing gas processing and transmission operations and increased electricity and water availability to support potential future hydrogen production at Bacton; and

3.    Seek to agree how the future opportunities for Bacton might be shared with the local community to build community understanding and support for future developments at the site.

            IV.          Noted that the Council is working to (a) develop a deeper understanding of the constraints of existing mobile and digital infrastructure in North Norfolk; and (b) lobby key operators and providers so as to reduce the “digital divide.”

              V.          Agreed that the primary focus should be on enhancing broadband internet access, particularly by rolling out full-fibre networks  ...  view the full minutes text for item 258.

To consider and comment on the report that provides an outline on the progress made in delivering against the actions in the Action Plan over the period to December 2024 when the Peer Review Team returned to the District Council to assess the progress made against the recommendations made in their original report.

The Committee noted:

(A) that following the Corporate Peer Challenge in September 2023, the District Council had developed an Action Plan, as a response to the Peer Challenge recommendations, for delivery over the period to June 2025; and

(B) progress made in delivering against the actions in the Action Plan over the period to December 2024 when the Local Government Associations (LGA) Peer Review Team had returned to the Council to assess the progress made against the recommendations made in their original report.

Questions Responses and Discussion

The mains points of the discussion (Including those issues raised by Councillor Cushing, Hankins and Boyle) is summarised as follows:

The Committee:

1. Noted that it was clear to Peer Review Team that the Committee is working much better with improved attendance, debate, and outcomes.
2. Noted the new strategic oversight boards that had been established in July 2024 to provide clarity of operational and strategic management. With each board being chaired by a director with a focus on monitoring progress and performance and reporting to members by exception.
3. Noted that in regard to of the support offers available for members around devolution and local government reorganisation the LGA will be providing support to councils to help them address specific challenges at all stages of devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR).

In conclusion the Chairman Moved and Overview and Scrutiny committee RESOLVED to:

1. note the report of the Peer Review Team’s, follow up visit to the Council on 12th December 2024.

This report presents the Medium-Term Financial Strategy demonstrates how the Council’s financial resources will used to deliver declared aims and priorities.

It sets out the overall shape of the Council’s budget by determining the level of resources that will be available and how these are currently allocated between services.

This provides a medium-term framework to enable members and officers to develop detailed annual budget allocations.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider and comment on the report.

The Committee received and noted a report that: (i) outlined how Council’s priorities will be achieved by setting out the framework within which resources that are available to the Council over the medium term and the financial challenges facing the Council in terms of future funding gaps; and (ii) through disciplined execution of this strategy, the Council will achieve financial sustainability while continuing to serve the community effectively.

Questions Responses and Discussion

The mains points of the discussion (Including those issues raised by Councillor Cushing, Fletcher and Heinrich) have been summarised as follows:

The Committee:

1. Noted that developing a detailed precise plan to achieve the required savings over the next 3 years has been challenging, as it depends on both internal and external factor. Internal factors include the council's operational efficiency and the ability to innovate, while external factors range from economic conditions and government policy changes to unforeseen global or regional events.
2. Noted whilst higher interest rates have improved returns on investments, the cost of borrowing has increased, therefore meaning that any borrowing either short term to cover potential shortfalls in cash flows, or longer-term borrowing which may be used to cover larger projects becomes more expensive. Therefore, requiring careful consideration in the current interest rate environment as when interest rates are low, the Council earns less on their investments, reducing the income that can support service delivery. When interest rates rise, the cost of servicing debt increases, which can reduce the funds available for other services if borrowing is sought.
3. Noted that given the current uncertainties around issues such as changes to the Local Government funding mechanisms it is essential to identify new opportunities to either increase income, increase efficiency through the redesign of services, explore new partnership models for service delivery etc and this will be one of the main challenges over the medium term.
4. Noted that whilst the Council’s reserves provide some level of comfort over the short term and can be used to address budget deficits this is not a sustainable financial strategy for the medium to long term.
5. Noted that the MTFS had been significantly restructured and redrafted from comments received from this Committee at its meeting of the 13th November, 2024 and approved by Cabinet on 2nd December, 2024 with further work to be undertaken following receipt of the Financial Settlement.
6. Noted the Council generates income through various fees and charges for services provided to residents and businesses. These charges help fund essential services and maintain financial sustainability.
7. Noted there are currently reserves that can be used to fund one-off costs for projects that will deliver a longer-term benefit. e.g. to fund one-off restructuring costs, where a restructuring will deliver a longer term saving for a service and for the implementation and project costs for the Business Transformation programme that will deliver future savings. The use of reserves in this way will be considered as part of the full business case for individual project proposals, taking into account the payback period  ...  view the full minutes text for item 260.

Members are asked to consider and comment on the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.

The Committee received and considered a programme setting out the current work programme of the Councils Cabinet.

Accordingly, the Chairman Moved and Overview and Scrutiny committee RESOLVED to note the current work programme of the Councils Cabinet.

Members are asked to consider, comment and recommend potential items for inclusion on the upcoming Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme.

The Democratic Services (Scrutiny) Officer advised that there had been a change to the workplan since the last meeting.

The Chairman Moved and Overview and Scrutiny committee RESOLVED to that the revised committee’s work plan be agreed.

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.”

The agenda circulated contained no exempt/confidential business and there was therefore no requirement to exclude the press and public to allow for its consideration.