Items
| No. |
Item |
1. |
To Receive Apologies for Absence
|
2. |
Substitutes
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3. |
Public Questions & Statements
To receive questions / statements from the
public, if any.
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4. |
Minutes  PDF 265 KB
To approve as a correct record the minutes of
the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on the
12th of November 2025.
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5. |
Items of Urgent Business
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.
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6. |
Declarations of Interest PDF 721 KB
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.
|
7. |
Petitions From Members of the Public
To consider any petitions received from
members of the public.
|
8. |
Consideration of Any Matter Referred to the Committee by a Member
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.
|
9. |
Nomination of Representative to the Norfolk Health Overview Select Committee (NHOSC)
(9.35 –
9.45am)
To Nominate and Recommend to Full Council a
representative to sit on the board of the Norfolk Health Overview
Select Committee.
|
10. |
Responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee's Reports or Recommendations
To consider any responses of the Council or
the Cabinet to the Committee’s reports or
recommendations:
|
11. |
Anglian Water Update
(9.50 –
10.20am)
Progress report on Anglian Water actions
following June Meeting and any updates to be noted.
|
12. |
Reporting progress implementing Corporate Plan 2023-2027 Action Plan to end of Q2 PDF 245 KB
(10.20 –
10.40am)
To review the Council’s performance and
make any recommendations to Cabinet.
|
Reporting progress implementing Corporate Plan
2023-27
Delivery against Action Plan 2024/25 and 2025/26
– to end of Quarter 2 – 1 July 2025 to 30 September
2025
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|
Executive
Summary
|
This report provides an update on the progress
made to deliver the Corporate Plan 2023-27 Action Plan for
2025/26
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Options
considered
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This is a report on the progress being made to
deliver against the Council’s Corporate Plan.
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Consultation(s)
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The named officer for each action in the
annual action plans has been asked for their assessment of
progress, to identify any issues impacting on anticipated delivery
and to propose actions they will take to address any slippage or
uncertainty around delivery in the coming months.
|
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Recommendations
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Invited to note the contents of the report and
provide comments on any items they feel appropriate.
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Reasons for
recommendations
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That cabinet are aware of the
progress made to deliver their priorities for the year 2025/26 and
are asked to provide comment on progress so that officers have a
steer on any items that are not on track for delivery.
|
|
Background
papers
|
Corporate Plan 2023/27
Annual Action Plan 2025/26
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Additional documents:
|
13. |
Council Tax Discount Determinations 2026/2027 PDF 189 KB
(10.40 –
10.50am)
To review the Council Tax Discount
Determinations and make recommendations to Full Council.
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Council Tax
Discounts & Premiums Determination 2026-27
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Executive Summary
|
This report sets out the proposed level of council tax
discounts which shall apply to classes of dwelling for the
financial year 2026-27.
|
|
Options considered.
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The recommendations take advantage of the
options from the reforms included in the Local Government Finance
Act 2012 as amended to incentive homes back into use and generate
council tax income.
|
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Consultation(s)
|
The legislation provides local authorities
with the power to make changes to the level of council tax discount
in relation to classes of property. The Council has to approve its determinations for each financial
year. The calculation of the tax base for 2026-27 will be made on
the assumption that the determinations recommended below will
apply.
In accordance with the relevant legislation these
determinations shall be published in at least one newspaper
circulating in North Norfolk before the end of the period of 21
days beginning with the date of the determinations. [Awaiting legal advice whether the Council can
publish on its website instead]
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|
Recommendations
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Recommend to Full Council 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 that:
1)
The discounts for the year 2026-27 and beyond are
set at the levels indicated in the table at paragraph
3.1.
2)
To continue to award a local discount of 100% in
2026-27 for eligible cases of hardship under Section 13A of the
Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended) and that the
Revenues Manager has delegated authority to make Discretionary
Reductions under the Hardship Policy up to the value of £4k
as indicated in the associated policy in Appendix
B.
3)
That an exception to the empty property levy charges
may continue to be made by the Revenues Manager in the
circumstances laid out in section 4.2 of this
report.
4)
The long-term empty-property premiums for the year
2026-27 (subject to the empty premium exceptions shown in Appendix
C) are set at the levels indicated in the table at paragraph
4.2
5)
To continue to award a local discount of 100% in
2026-27 for eligible cases of care leavers under Section 13A of the
Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended).
6)
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 as set out in paragraph 2.1 of this
report.
7)
Those dwellings
described or geographically defined at Appendix
A which in
the reasonable opinion of the Revenues Manager 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.
8)
A new second homes premium of 100% as detailed in
paragraph 4.3 (subject to the ...
view the full agenda text for item 13.
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Additional documents:
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14. |
Temporary Accommodation review PDF 471 KB
(10.50 –
11.20am)
To analyse the effectiveness of the Councils
Temporary Accommodation portfolio – making recommendations to
Cabinet (if needed)
|
Executive
Summary
|
This report analyses the performance and value
for money of the council’s portfolio of homes used for
Temporary and other homelessness accommodation (TA) in 2024/25.
In summary the analysis shows that, compared
to nightly paid accommodation, our own TA delivers significant
savings as well as a considerable improvement to the lives of those
accommodated.
The performance of our TA has improved
greatly, and in 2024/25 alone our TA saved us more than £640k
compared to use of nightly paid inferior accommodation. Over the
last four years (2021/22-24/25) savings have totalled
£1.36m
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|
Options
considered
|
The council has invested significant amounts
of capital into a portfolio of properties for homeless households.
It is important to understand the performance of these properties
to ensure they deliver value for money.
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Consultation(s)
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Officers in Finance, Housing Options, Property
Services, Estates and Climate & Environmental Policy
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Recommendations
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This report is for information, it is
recommended that Overview & Scrutiny review the report
|
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Reasons for
recommendations
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To ensure TA offers a value for money VFM
alternative to meet our legal duty to offer temporary accommodation
to homeless households.
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Background
papers
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Additional documents:
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15. |
NHOSC Report PDF 191 KB
(11.20 –
11.30am)
Update from recent NHOSC meeting.
|
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Work Programmes
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16. |
The Cabinet Work Programme PDF 295 KB
To note the
upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.
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17. |
Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme and Update PDF 307 KB
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.
Additional documents:
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18. |
Exclusion of the Press and Public
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.”
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