Agenda item

a)    Agenda item 8: Net Zero Strategy & Action Plan

 

Recommendation to Council: To adopt the Net Zero Strategy & Action plan and to delegate minor changes required to the final document to the Director for Place and Climate Change, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, Climate Change and The Environment

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee supported the recommendation at the meeting held on 12 January 2022.

 

b)    Agenda item 10: Capital Strategy 2022-2023

 

Recommendation to Council: To approve the Capital Strategy and Prudential Indicators for 2022-2023

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee supported the recommendation at the meeting held on 9^th February 2022.

 

c)    Agenda item 11: NNDC Investment Strategy 2022-2023

 

Recommendation to Council: To approve the Investment Strategy 2022-2023

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee supported the recommendation at the meeting held on 9^th February 2022

 

d)    Agenda item 12: NNDC Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2022-2023

 

Recommendation to Council: To approve the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2022-2023

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee supported the recommendation at the meeting held on 9^th February 2022

 

e)    Agenda item 13: Fees & Charges 2022 -2023

 

Recommendation to Council: 

 

a) To approve the fees and charges from 1 April 2022 as included in Appendix A.

b) That Delegated Authority be given to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and relevant Heads of Service, to agree those fees and charges not included within Appendix A as required as outlined within the report

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee supported the recommendation at the meeting held on 9^th February 2022

 

f)     Agenda item 14: Rate Relief Policy

 

Recommendation to Council:

 

-       That the Revenues Manager has delegated authority to make decisions up to the NNDC cost value of £2k as indicated in Appendix A.

 

-       That the Revenues Manager has delegated authority to make Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) decisions as indicated in Appendix C.

 

-       That the Rate Relief Policy is revised as indicated in Appendix A, B and C.

 

g)    Agenda item 15: Draft Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023/26

 

Recommendation to Council: To approve the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2022-2023

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee supported the recommendation at the meeting held on 12 January 2022

 

h)    Agenda item 16: Car Park Charges Review

 

Recommendation to Council:

 

1.   That the following pricing structure should be introduced:

Standard tariff car parks - £1.20p for first two hours, 80 pence for each further hour and a day rate of £6.00. No change to 30 minute rate.

Resort tariff car parks - £1.50 for the first hour, £1.20p for each further hour, and a day rate of £8.50. No change to 30 minute charge.

Coastal tariff car parks - £1.80 per hour and a day rate of £8.50

Holt Country Park - £2.30 per day

Coaches – 24 hour stay £12, 4 hour stay - £6

Seven day ticket will be based on the 24 hour ticket rate over 4 days, so £34 a week for Coastal and Resort tariff and £24 for Standard

These proposed changes are anticipated to generate in the region of £230,000 additional income per annum

 

2.   That the following changes to car park designations should be made:

 

Sheringham, Chequers car park moves to ‘Coastal’ from ‘Resort’ and that Sheringham, Station Approach car park moves to ‘Resort’ from ‘Coastal’

 

3.   The implementation of  any new pricing changes from July 2022 and instigating   the Car Park order (CPO) consultation process;

 

4.   Budgetary provision of £25k to cover implementation costs resulting from any changes.

 

The Chairman informed Members that the recommendations would be taken in tunr rather than en bloc.

 

a)    Agenda Item 8: Net Zero Strategy & Action Plan

 

Cllr N Lloyd, Portfolio Holder for Environment introduced this item. He said the strategy underpinned the Council’s commitment to addressing climate change. He said this was one of the most pressing problems facing humankind. It had a huge impact on everyone across the globe. He added that councils had important work to do in reducing their own carbon footprint but they also had a role to play in leading by example and taking residents on the journey with them. Cllr Lloyd went onto say that talking climate change was now a corporate activity which reflected the need for a ‘whole council’ approach. Cooperation was required across all service areas and departments. He spoke about the Environmental Charter which set out the Council’s aspirations clearly. The Net Zero Strategy now set out the pathway to decarbonise NNDC’s activities by 2030 whilst also outlining the challenges that existed for North Norfolk as a whole in tackling climate change. He said that it was an evidence based document. Overview & Scrutiny Committee had provided feedback during the development of the strategy and their recommendations had been adopted. A programme of engagement with staff and members had taken place and he thanked everyone for their involvement.

 

Cllr N Housden commented that it was a commendable document but it was only a strategy and he was concerned that it omitted to reference ‘greenwashing’. He said that he was aware of Bahamian companies buying farms in the UK and planting spruce and fir which was obliterating indigenous wildlife.  In addition, DEFRA was intending to allow parts of the country to flood to facilitate the import of food from abroad. Traditionally, agricultural land had always had a high value but it could not compete against the huge sums that such companies were willing to pay. He said that in the next 7 years, huge swathes of land lost to greenwashing and it was important that the Net Zero Strategy should reference it to create a barrier and demonstrate that it was prepared to tackle it.

 

Cllr N Lloyd replied that the strategy was a ‘live’ document and he would discuss the matter further with officers. He said that his interpretation of greenwashing was different. He saw it as talking about addressing environmental issues but not taking any action to do so. The document set out a clear strategy, was evidence based and used agreed targets to measure the Councils achievements.

 

Cllr Housden replied that his concern was that if nothing was done then companies could start to encroach into North Norfolk to ‘greenwash’ other activities that they were undertaking.

 

Cllr M Taylor referred to page 25 and the installation of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points across the District. He asked why none had been installed in Stalham. Cllr Lloyd explained that the funding awarded for the scheme was based on the number of properties with no access to off-street parking or street based charge points. He said that a strategy was currently being worked on to expand the scheme and Stalham was on the list for inclusion.

 

Cllr G Hayman welcomed the strategy and he said that he hoped that elements of the action plan would come into effect quite quickly. He was particularly interested in how the Council intended to engage with residents and take them on the journey too. Cllr Lloyd replied that the strategy and action plan set out how the Council intended to achieve Net Zero by 2030 but there had always been a clear ambition to take residents along too. He reference the environmental forums that had taken place and the high levels of attendance indicated the willingness to engage. He concluded by saying that the smallest improvements made towards reducing individual carbon footprints added up to making a big difference.

 

It was proposed by Cllr N Lloyd, seconded by Cllr J Punchard and

 

RESOLVED

 

To adopt the Draft Net Zero Strategy and Action Plan and to delegate minor changes required to the final document to the Director for Place and Climate Change, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, Climate Change and the Environment

 

b)    Agenda Item 10 – Capital Strategy 2022-2023

 

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item and said that he wished to propose the recommendation as set out.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

 

RESOLVED

 

To approve the Capital Strategy and Prudential Indicators for 2022-2023

 

10 members voted against the recommendation.

 

c)     Investment Strategy 2022-2023

 

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item and said that he wished to propose the recommendation as set out.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

 

RESOLVED

 

To approve the Investment Strategy 2022-2023

 

10 members abstained.

 

d)    Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2022-2023

 

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item and said that he wished to propose the recommendation as set out.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr J Rest and

 

RESOLVED

 

To approve the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2022-2023

 

10 members abstained.

 

e)    Fees & Charges 2022-2023

 

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item and said that he wished to propose the recommendation as set out.

 

Cllr G Mancini-Boyle drew members’ attention to the second recommendation to delegate authority to the S151 Officer to agree fees and charges not included within the appendix. He asked why there was no reference in Appendix A to the proposed increase to brown bin charges. He said that at the meeting of Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 9^th February, the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Cllr Seward recommended a 20% increase and he asked why such a large increase was felt acceptable during a time when many households were struggling to pay basic bills.

 

Cllr Seward said that he had advised that the current charge for brown bins was £48.50 and the proposed increase was to £50.00. This was not considered to be high.

 

The Director for Communities explained that there were two elements. The first related to direct debit payments which was as set out by Cllr Seward. For those paying by other methods, the increase was slightly higher at £2.00, and this was to pay for the cost of processing payments.

 

Cllr G Mancini-Boyle said that the cost for customers paying by direct debit was £58.39 and then £68.40 for those residents not paying by direct debit. However, there a further 10% increase to cover the cost of replacing the bins at some point. He said that this should not be a separate increase but should be factored into the price of the bins as they would not all need to be replaced. He felt that this was misleading and should not be dealt with under delegation. It should be set out clearly in the report.

 

The Director for Resources said that there were some areas where certain fees were dealt with under delegation as it was not clear at the time of setting the budget what they would be. He added that there were some fees and charges which were set under delegation as the Council was operating within a competitive market and other providers would be able to undercut the charges if they were published in the public domain. He said that this was explained in detail on page 98, section 2.3.

 

Cllr Mancini-Boyle commented that the authority seemed to be run by officers rather than members. Cllr Seward replied that, if at any point, he, as Portfolio Holder  had felt that the proposals were unacceptable then he would have said so. Cllr Lloyd agreed, saying that officers did consult with members and that the Council operated within a competitive market for trade waste and it made no sense to publish the proposed charges in the public domain.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr J Punchard and

 

RESOLVED

 

That Cabinet agree and recommend to Full Council:

a) The fees and charges from 1 April 2022 as included in Appendix A.

b) That Delegated Authority be given to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and relevant Heads of Service, to agree those fees and charges not included within Appendix A as required as outlined within the report

 

10 members abstained.

 

f)      Agenda Item 14 – Rate Relief Policy

 

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item and said that he wished to propose the recommendation as set out.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr T Adams and

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Revenues Manager has delegated authority to make decisions up to the NNDC cost value of £2k as indicated in Appendix A.

 

That the Revenues Manager has delegated authority to make Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) decisions as indicated in Appendix C.

 

That the Rate Relief Policy is revised as indicated in Appendix A, B and C.

 

10 members abstained.

 

g)    Draft Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023/2026

 

Cllr E Seward, Portfolio Holder for Finance & Assets, introduced this item and said that he wished to propose the recommendation as set out.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr R Kershaw and

 

RESOLVED

 

To approve the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2023/26

 

10 members abstained.

 

h)    Agenda Item 16: Car Park Charges Review

 

Cllr Cushing said that he wished to propose the following amendment:

 

‘That the charges on standard tariff car parks remain unchanged’.

 

He said that the reason for this was that the coastal towns had seen the benefit of the increase in visitors in recent years, whereas inland towns had not. Cllr T FitzPatrick seconded the amendment and said that he agreed that although many visitors had gone to the coast they had not visited the District’s market towns and it was important to protect these.

 

Cllr T FitzPatrick requested a recorded vote.

 

When put to the vote the amendment was not supported. !5 members voted in favour and 19 members voted against.

 

Cllr G Hayman sought clarification on whether the tariffs for coastal car parks were all the same now. Cllr Seward explained that there were two tariffs – coastal and resort. Coastal was higher. He added that it was proposed that the Station Approach car park in Sheringham moved to a ‘resort’ tariff to keep it on the same footing as car parks in Cromer. Cllr Hayman replied that visitors to the coastal towns would not be aware of the different charges and said that an opportunity had been missed. He said that the charging should be at the coastal tariff in such towns and to maximise income generation. He added that car park charges should be reviewed more regularly too.  Cllr Seward agreed with the last point but said that local residents also used car parks in the coastal towns and it was not fair for the burden of higher charges to fall on them.

 

Cllr J Rest commented that season ticket prices were not mentioned. Cllr Seward said this was because they were staying the same.

 

It was proposed by Cllr E Seward, seconded by Cllr J Toye and

 

RESOLVED

 

1.   That the following pricing structure should be introduced:

Standard tariff car parks - £1.20p for first two hours, 80 pence for each further hour and a day rate of £6.00. No change to 30 minute rate.

Resort tariff car parks - £1.50 for the first hour, £1.20p for each further hour, and a day rate of £8.50. No change to 30 minute charge.

Coastal tariff car parks - £1.80 per hour and a day rate of £8.50

Holt Country Park - £2.30 per day

Coaches – 24 hour stay £12, 4 hour stay - £6

2.   That the following changes to car park designations should be made:

 

Sheringham, Chequers car park moves to ‘Coastal’ from ‘Resort’ and that Sheringham, Station Road moves to ‘Resort’ from ‘Coastal’

 

3.   The implementation of  any new pricing changes from July 2022 and instigating   the Car Park order (CPO) consultation process.

 

4.   Budgetary provision of £25k to cover implementation costs resulting from any changes.

 

10 members voted against the recommendations.