Agenda item

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: 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 January to March 2021, which had been an unprecedented period for the Council due to Covid-19. He added that up to 80% of staff had worked from home during the period covered by the report, and a considerable amount of resource had been diverted to the Covid-19 response, which had required reprioritisation of the Council’s key objectives. It  was noted that the reprioritisation had reduced the number of key objectives eighteen, in addition to maintaining core services. The CE stated that from summer 2020, the Planning Service had returned to its normal workload, with caveats on its face to face services. It was noted that the key achievements for the Council included working with partners to deliver 108 new affordable homes, with 43 new homes delivered by Flagship Group on a brownfield site, in addition to the commencement of the Meadow Walk  extra care housing scheme. The CE stated that the Council continued to deliver on its climate, coast and environment objectives with the installation of EV charging points, 20k trees planted with plans for an additional 40k, and the successful hosting of Environment Forum events to consult on the newly agreed Environmental Charter. It was noted that the majority of focus on sustaining business growth focused on the payment of grants, to the sum of £120m with 30k more payments than a normal year. Other achievements included the appointment of consultants and the development of a cultural programme for the NW HAZ project, and the ongoing work on the new Sheringham Leisure Centre.

Questions and Discussion

       i.          The Chairman read a statement on behalf of Cllr A Fitch-Tillett who was unable to attend due to social distancing limitations. It was noted that the Coastal Management achievements had been overlooked within the report, despite the coast being of significant importance to the Council. The performance of the area was described as good, with an operational report available for circulation amongst Members.

      ii.          The CE noted that he had responded to Cllr A Fitch-Tillett and accepted the importance of the Coast to the Council, but stated that during the period covered by the report, there were no major actions on coastal adaption projects warranting inclusion. He added that the Team continued to work on projects such as the Mundesley and Cromer coastal protection schemes which had secured funding of £2.8m. It was noted that the Coastal Management Team had also prepared a briefing for local stakeholders in Bacton and Walcott to respond to public interest around performance of the Sandscaping Scheme.

     iii.          The DSGOS read a question on behalf of Cllr V Holliday who was unable to attend the meeting, and had asked whether the Council had access to a performance benchmarking service. The CE replied that the Council used LG Inform for benchmarking purposes, and any specific concerns could be raised for review. It was noted that the Council used to belong to a group of similar authorities for comparative purposes, though the validity of these groups had now diminished.

    iv.          Cllr C Cushing raised concerns that the financial sustainability strategy was not included within the Council’s priorities, given the future deficits forecasted. He added that the status of some priorities also appeared unduly generous, with little reason given for their status, whilst objectives appeared unclear. Action 6.3.3 on taking a strategic approach to commercial development opportunities was given as an example, for which no supporting information on methodology or updates had been provided. The CE replied that that a more strategic approach for the acquisition of properties was being developed, and if necessary officers could provide further details. He added that the Council was in the process of developing proposals for the former publics toilets at Melbourne Slope, as well as advertising the vacant site at North Lodge Park. It was suggested that the use of car parks and public conveniences could be reviewed in the future, though it was deemed inappropriate during the Pandemic.

      v.          Cllr E Seward stated that the Council had to start early on developing the 2022-23 budget, and whilst not complacent, it was often the case that forecasted deficits decreased. With regards to developing a financial sustainability strategy, he stated that commercial development opportunities had been impacted by changes to legislation limiting commercial investment.

    vi.          The CTA referred to issues raised regarding limitations on commercialisation projects, and stated that CIPFA would be backing this position which made it difficult for authorities to comply with the prudential code, making commercial projects unviable for local authorities. She added that there was still no confirmation of the fair funding review or whether the business rates retention scheme would be effective from April 22, which would have a significant impact on the Council’s ability to balance the budget. It was noted that the forecasted deficit was based on prudent assumptions, and it remained unclear at this stage how it would develop. The CTA stated that commercial markets had also been impacted by Covid-19, which meant that previous proposals may also no longer be viable. On the zero based budgeting exercise, Members were informed that this would begin with service planning, followed by the budget setting process. It was suggested that an update on other cost-saving proposals could be expected in September.

   vii.          The Chairman suggested that given the limited understanding of zero based budgeting, it would be helpful to arrange a training session. The CTA confirmed that she could arrange training once the work programme for the project had been established.

  viii.          Cllr L Withington referred to the Meadow Walk scheme, and suggested that it was a good example of what the Council could achieve. She added that it should be used as a positive example for other projects.

    ix.          The Chairman stated that whilst the highlights of the report had been covered, concerns remained that other actions taking place were not being monitored, as they fell outside of the performance monitoring framework.

      x.          Cllr N Housden referred to a priority on page 33 to ‘investigate ways to support and assist affordable housing providers’, and suggested that whilst marked as complete, the comments were too simplistic to understand what had been achieved. He added that positive results should be brought forward for further discussion. The Chairman suggested that this example showed that the performance framework didn’t necessarily provide the required information, which needed to be addressed. The CE replied that whilst the information could be improved, the report aimed to provide performance information on highlight areas to help the Committee identify where performance had not been satisfactory. He added that for a small authority, the Council continued to provide a high number of core and discretionary services to residents and visitors, and the Council had to remain focused on its key priorities to make the most of the limited resources available. The Chairman accepted the comments but suggested that there were points where reporting could be improved.

    xi.          Cllr P Heinrich stated that training on zero based budgeting in relation to local authorities could be helpful, and raised concerns that he could not see a success criteria against which progress was being evaluated. He referred to a priorities on developing support for start-up business and the Youth Council, as suggested that they should be prioritised. Cllr E Seward confirmed that these were important issues that would be progressed as soon as possible.

   xii.          Cllr H Blathwayt stated that the report provided a good overview for identifying areas for scrutiny, and asked whether it was a new report format. The CE confirmed that the report was a new and evolving format, developed to cover the administration’s priorities via the InPhase system. The DSGOS noted that frustrations remained around access to InPhase, and that discussions continued to take place on the purchase of licenses for all Members to provide full access. Cllr N Lloyd stated that InPhase was a significant improvement, and Members had to appreciate that it was a high level report that provided a starting point for discussion.

  xiii.          Cllr A Brown stated that a clear omission from the report was the progress made on the implementation of the Uniform planning system. He added that whilst he was aware of initial teething problems, it would be helpful to monitor implementation under the Customer Focus or Planning priorities.

 xiv.          Cllr S Penfold referred to the 20k trees planted and asked whether this was the total since May 2019, or the number planted during the reporting period. Cllr N Lloyd confirmed that it was the total number planted since May 2019, and in response to a further question, stated that he was nervous about reaching the planting target of the administration. He added that the Council had worked with organisations such as the Woodland Trust and Holkham Hall on projects that had the potential to exceed the target, but it remained a significant task for a small organisation. It was noted that whilst small planting events had continued, social distancing had limited the ability to host large planting events. Cllr S Penfold referred to a North Norfolk biodiversity audit, and suggested that the Council should consider involvement.

   xv.          Cllr L Withington referred to comments made on housing priorities, and suggested that there were positive achievements to be proud of, but suggested that amber and red performance objectives should be given greater attention.

 xvi.          The CE summarised the comments made by the Committee which included sharing a progress note on the Work of Coastal Partnership East and improving reporting on coastal management. He added that the Committee had requested that details of the LG Inform service be shared with Members, and that a request for a briefing on zero based budgeting had been made. It was noted that a request was also made to improve the supporting information provided for amber and red performance indicators, with the required steps for improvement identified, as well as improving the supporting information provided for housing priorities. Finally, it was noted that the Committee had requested that a performance indicator be provided for the implementation of the Uniform planning system under the Customer Focus or Planning Priorities. The comments were proposed as formal recommendations by Cllr H Blathwayt and seconded by Cllr P Fisher.

RESOLVED

1.     To note this report and endorse the actions being taken by Corporate Leadership Team detailed in Appendix A – Managing Performance.

2.     To request that a note on the progress of Coastal Partnership East be shared, and recommend that consideration be given to improving the visibility of performance reporting on coastal management.

3.     To request that details of the LG Inform benchmarking tool be shared with Members for comparative performance analysis.

4.     To request that a briefing be provided to inform Members of the process and timeline of the Council’s Zero-based budgeting exercise.

5.     To recommend that consideration be given to improve the supporting information on amber and red performance indicators, with clear reasons given for designation and the steps required for improvement.

6.     To recommend that consideration be given to improve the supporting information on affordable housing objectives.

7.     To recommend that a performance indicator be provided on the implementation of the Uniform Planning System within the Customer Focus or Planning priority.