Agenda item

Agenda Item 7 - Budget Monitoring Report 2019/20 - Period 6

To recommend that Council:

Approves the increases to the capital programme budgets for the schemes identified within paragraph 6.2 of the report. The funding for the first five schemes is to be financed from capital receipts, the £4.5m for the waste vehicles is currently anticipated to come from borrowing, the estimated average annual impact of the borrowing is estimated to be in the region of £600k per annum and will be taken account of as part of the waste contract award and the 2020/21 budget process.

(The Overview & Scrutiny Committee will consider this recommendation at their meeting on 13 November (after publication of the Council agenda) The Chairman will therefore provide a verbal update to Council on 20^th November)

Agenda Item 9 - Corporate Plan 2019 - 2023

To recommend that Council:

Adopts the Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee considered the Draft Framework of the Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023 at meetings on 9 October and 16 October. Several recommendations were made to Cabinet for consideration at their meeting on 04 November 2019)

Agenda Item 7 – Budget Monitoring Report 2019/20 – Period 6

Cllr E Seward introduced the Report and drew Members attention to a factual error on the Business Rates Pool. It was made clear that South Norfolk District Could was still a member of the BRP, and that despite the risks presented by the NHS business rates appeal that was making its way through the courts, the BRP continued unchanged for the time being. In relation to projects that NNDC had intended to use its BRP return to fund, it was confirmed that the A148 recommendations remained, but would not be actioned until the outcome of the NHS case was known.

It was clarified that the North Walsham High Streets and Heritage Action Zone funding had been agreed by Cabinet in October, rather than by Council as stated in the Report.

Cllr N Dixon – Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee stated that the Committee supported and understood the reasoning behind the request for £4.5m of funding for the purchase of waste contract vehicles outlined in the Report. On the NHS business rates appeal, he asked whether this could be added to the Corporate Risk Register. Cllr E Seward replied that the sooner the outcome of the case was known the better, and that he would be happy for the issue to be included on the Corporate Risk Register. He then Thanked Cllr N Dixon for his support on the funding required for the purchase of the waste contract vehicles.

The Recommendations were proposed by Cllr E Seward and seconded by Cllr S Bütikofer.

RESOLVED

That Council approves the increases to the capital programme budgets for the schemes identified within paragraph 6.2 of the report. The funding for the first five schemes is to be financed from capital receipts, the £4.5m for the waste vehicles is currently anticipated to come from borrowing, the estimated average annual impact of the borrowing is estimated to be in the region of £600k per annum and will be taken account of as part of the waste contract award and the 2020/21 budget process.

Agenda Item 9 – Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023

Cllr S Bütikofer – Leader of the Council introduced the item, and said that she was delighted to propose the plan, that would set out the aims and principles of NNDC for the next four years. She stated that the Plan captured the ambition and promises of the administration, and that the delivery plan would come to Council in February 2020.

Cllr N Dixon sought to provide input from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and stated that it was the first time in his experience that the Committee had ever been given the opportunity to review the Corporate Plan. He noted that all Members had been invited to submit written questions on the Plan, and the process had resulted in a very time efficient review. He suggested that the validation of key themes had been limited to the provided by the environmental consultation, but overall it had been a beneficial process. Cllr S Bütikofer stated that it was important to stress that the administration had reached out to all Members for their input on the plan. She then thanked Members of the Scrutiny Committee for their input, and noted that only one of the recommendations had not been accepted, as a better name for the Customer Focus theme had not been forthcoming.

The recommendation was proposed by Cllr S Bütikofer and seconded by Cllr R Kershaw.

RESOLVED

That Council adopts the Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023.