Agenda and minutes

To authorise the Chairman to sign, as a correct record, the Executive Decisions made by Cabinet on 18 January 2022 (copy attached).

No Member having raised concern when asked by the Chairman, it was

RESOLVED – That the Chairman be authorised to sign, as a correct record, the Executive Decisions made by Cabinet on 18 January 2022.

To receive the Delegated Executive Decisions made by Portfolio Holders or Officers on 12 January 2023 and 26 January 2023 (copies attached).

No Member having raised concern when asked by the Chairman, it was

RESOLVED – That the Chairman be authorised to sign, as a correct record, the Delegated Executive Decisions made on 12 and 26 January 2023.

To receive declarations by Members of interests in respect of items on this Agenda and to consider any dispensations.

Members are reminded that, in accordance with the revised Code of Conduct, they are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable interests which have not already been declared in the Council’s Register of Interests.  (It is a criminal offence not to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest either in the Register or at the meeting.)

Members may, however, also decide, in the interests of clarity and transparency, to declare at this point in the meeting, any such disclosable pecuniary interests which they have already declared in the Register, as well as any other registrable or other interests.

If a Member requires advice on any item involving a possible declaration of interest which could affect his/her ability to speak and/or vote, he/she is advised to contact the Monitoring Officer at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

No declarations of interest were raised under this item.

To consider whether the items in Part II of the Agenda should be considered in the presence of the press and public.

RESOLVED – That if required, discussion regarding the items in Part II on the agenda be dealt with the following exclusion of the press and public.

Any member of the public who wishes to ask a question, make representations or present a deputation or petition at this meeting should apply to do so by no later than 0:01am (one minute past midnight) two working days before the meeting.  Information on how to make the application can be obtained by viewing the Council’s Website www.southlakeland.gov.uk or by contacting the Committee Services Team on 01539 733333.

(1)        Questions and Representations

            To receive any questions or representations which have been received from members of the public.

(2)        Deputations and Petitions

            To receive any deputations or petitions which have been received from members of the public.

No questions, representations, deputations or petitions had been received in respect of this meeting.

To note the contents of the Forward Plan which is due to be published on 7 February 2023 (copies will be circulated prior to the meeting).

The Leader and Promoting South Lakeland and Innovation Portfolio Holder informed Members that the Forward Plan had been published on 7 February 2023 and had been circulated ahead of the meeting.

RESOLVED - That the contents of the Forward Plan published on 7 February 2023 be noted.

To consider an affordable housing grant of £300,000 sought by the Castle and Coast Housing Association to support its core objective of enhancing their new build developments to be as sustainable and as energy efficient as possible.

Summary

The Housing Portfolio Holder presented a report regarding an affordable housing grant to maximise the sustainability credentials of Crookfield Phase 3 at an affordable rent contributing towards the target of 1000 affordable homes for rent set out in the Council Plan.

Members were informed of a £300,000 affordable housing grant sought by Castle and Coast Housing Association to support the core objective of their new build developments being as sustainable and energy efficient as possible. The strategy aligned with current changes in Building Regulations of no gas boilers by 2025/ future Homes Standard and net zero by 2050. The Crookfield Phase 3 proposals set out a 100% affordable housing scheme being delivered that would provide twenty new build homes in Staveley, including ten affordable rent bungalows and 10 affordable rent houses.

The Housing Portfolio Holder stressed the importance of providing affordable housing in South Lakeland and highlighted the high demand  and the social benefit of providing affordable housing for local people to remain in the area they are connected to.

In response to a query raised by Members relating to drainage and sewerage issues, the Community Led Housing Officer informed Members that a financial appraisal had been included at Appendix 2 to the report which set out the works to deal with any drainage issues.

The Leader and Promoting South Lakeland and Innovation Portfolio Holder requested a written response to a query regarding an archaeological survey on the site, which was close to the route of the Roman road from Watercrook to Ambleside.

Members expressed their support for the scheme and hoped that the Council’s commitment to provide affordable housing would be continued in the future.

In seconding the proposal, the Economy, Culture and Leisure Portfolio Holder echoed member support for the scheme and emphasised the importance of providing affordable housing in South Lakeland.

Decision

RESOLVED – That

(1)   The award of affordable housing grant of £300,000 to Castle and Coast Housing Association be approved in order to maximise sustainability at the Crookfield Phase 3 development in Staveley, on the terms set out in this report; and

(2)   Authority be delegated to the Director of Customer and Commercial Services in consultation with the Finance Lead Specialist (Section 151 Officer) and Legal, Governance and Democracy Lead Specialist (Monitoring Officer), to prepare and enter into the grant agreement with Castle and Coast Housing Association. This is the continuation of a larger scheme currently in build with planning permission.

Reasons for Decision

The proposals link to the Council Plan priority for the construction of 1000 affordable homes to rent by 2025.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

The Council could decide not to fund the additional cost but it would not be supportive of SLDC’s corporate target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and to support a Cumbria-wide target of a carbon neutral County by 2037.

To note the projected year end position based on performance to the end of Quarter 3 2022/23 and officers planned actions to ensure a balanced budget by the end of the financial year.

Summary

The Deputy Leader and Finance and Assets Portfolio Holder presented the Corporate Financial Monitoring report for Quarter 3 of 2022/23.

Members’ attention was drawn to the position at the end of Quarter 2, which had resulted in significant adjustments being made as a result of the projected overspend. The Finance and Assets Portfolio Holder noted that revenue budget monitoring had identified budgets being balanced for 2022/23 as a result of a forecasted revenue year-end underspend of £276,000, carry forward requests of £61,000 and requests for transfers to reserves of £215,000.

The Finance and Assets Portfolio Holder highlighted a request to support the cost of a link corridor between the Kendal Market Hall and Level 5 of the Westmorland Shopping Centre Car Park at a cost of £80,000, officers proposed that this be funded through the NNDR Pool Reserve which was in line with Financial Procedure Rules.

Members’ attention was drawn to the Capital Programme, the value at the end of Quarter 3 stood at £12.419 million as a result of re-profiling request, carry forwards and other amendments being approved by Council in July and December 2022. The Finance and Assets Portfolio Holder noted that Appendix 2 contained further comments and updates on all capital schemes.

Regarding the Treasury Management Update at Appendix 3, the Finance and Assets Portfolio Holder informed Members that the Council’s external borrowing remained at £12.8 million and despite favourable repayment rates it was not felt appropriate to pay off debt in the current rising interest rate environment.

Members thanked officers for their hard work to produce the report.

No comments or questions were raised.

Decision

RESOLVED – That

(1)  The contents of the report and all appendices be noted; and

(2)  The use of the NNDR Pool Reserve of £80,000 for capital works at Kendal Market be approved for a link corridor between the Market Hall and Level 5 of the Westmorland Shopping Centre as detailed in section 3.1.2.

Reasons for Decision

This is a corporate financial update which contributes to sound corporate governance and ensuring that financial resources are available to deliver the Council’s corporate priorities. This works towards delivering all of the Council strategic policies of:

·         Working across boundaries

·         Delivering a balanced community

·         A fairer South Lakeland

·         Addressing the climate emergency

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

There are no alternative options for Appendices 1-3.

Summary

The Leader and Promoting South Lakeland and Innovation Portfolio Holder presented the Council Plan Performance Monitoring report for Quarter 3 2022/23.

The Council retained the vision of “South Lakeland as the best place to live, work and explore”, and highlighted that there were areas where the Council needed to do more and the plan identified four priority areas where activity needed to be focussed to achieve the vision. Targets listed in the report were grouped under these four priorities:

·        Working Across Boundaries – Delivering Sustainable Regional Growth

·        Delivering A Balanced Community – A South Lakeland For All Ages

·        Delivering a Fairer South Lakeland – A South Lakeland for Everyone

·        Addressing the Climate Emergency – A Carbon Neutral South Lakeland

The recent costs of living increases presented a significant challenge for people and businesses, as a result, the Council had put in place many mitigations to help reduce these impacts as listed in Appendix 2 under Strategic Risk No 26. The Council has moved to reviewing the Strategic Risks formally every month to ensure that costs of living mitigations are as effective as possible.

The most recent review during Quarter 3 of 2022/23 showed that 32% of risks had been positioned above appetite, a decrease from the Quarter 2 report. Members’ attention was drawn to the excellent performance of Council Services, with a number of examples from 2022 showing performance better than national averages.

The Leader and Promoting South Lakeland and Innovation Portfolio Holder informed Members that the report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 3 February 2023, but that no recommendations had been passed on to Cabinet.

In response to a query regarding the GSK site and progress on the Ulverston Leisure Centre, the Economy, Culture and Leisure Portfolio Holder highlighted that there were a number of moving parts to the project and that progress was being made.

The Finance Lead Specialist (Section 151 Officer) responded to a query regarding the frequency of Audit Committee meetings. She informed Members that the December meeting had been cancelled as the Audit Committee had met in November and that the next meeting would be held in early March 2023.

In seconding the proposal, the Health, Wellbeing and Poverty Alleviation Portfolio Holder stated that she was proud of the work the Council did to address housing and income inequality as well as helping residents to build resilience.

Decision

RESOLVED – That

(1)   the Summary of Performance as detailed in the report be noted;

(2)   the detailed risks information contained with Appendix 1 be noted; and

(3)   the detailed performance statistics in Appendix 2 be noted.

Reasons for Decision

Performance Monitoring underpins service delivery and provides good value for money. Performance Monitoring supports the delivery of all four Council Plan Priorities.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

The purpose of the report is to receive a performance update. The Council must note successes, monitor progress and take action where appropriate.

To consider urgent items, if any.

Please note - this item was added to the Forward Plan in August 2022 (2 August 2022). This item was not included in the agenda for the 8 February 2023 Cabinet meeting which was initially published on Tuesday 31 January 2023.

This matter is being included as an urgent item of business under Section 100B (4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, as the Leader is of the opinion that it requires consideration without delay. A decision is required because the current contract for the service expires on 31 March 2023 and a procurement exercise for the service has been undertaken for which it is necessary to communicate the outcome to the bidder(s) to facilitate service delivery post 31 March 2023. To delay a decision until the next scheduled meeting of the Cabinet (08 March) would mean that the Council would be unable to communicate the outcome of the procurement exercise to the bidder(s) until a later date which

Copies of the supplementary agenda were circulated ahead of the meeting and were available for inspection by the public in accordance with Regulation 7 (Access to agenda and connected reports for public meetings) of the 2012 Regulations”

The agreement of the Chairman of the council had been sought that due to urgency of this decision the matter be exempt from Call In and be reported to the next Council meeting. This is under paragraph 16(j) of the Overview and Scrutiny Rules within Part 4 of the Constitution.

Summary

The Customer and Locality Services Portfolio Holder presented a report relating to the award of contract for Recycling Bring Site provision.

Members’ attention was drawn to the proposed agreement for four years, with an option for one further year. Recycling Bring Sites provided facilities for the recycling of larger items as well as textiles, demand for which from residents had increased. The existing Bring Site Contract for the provision of recycling banks and collection and disposal of materials was due to end on 31 March 2023.

The Customer and Locality Services Portfolio Holder noted that the contract had been included on the Council’s Procurement Schedule and had been through a tender process, full details of which were included in the Part II Appendix 1 to the report.

No comments or questions were raised.

Decision

RESOLVED – That

(1)  the award of contract for Recycling Bring Site provision to the recommended bidder being the most economically advantageous tender as identified in the Part II Appendix 1 to the report be approved; and

(2)  authority be delegated to the Director of Customer and Commercial Services in consultation with the Specialist Procurement Officer and Legal, Governance and Democracy Lead Specialist (Monitoring Officer) to enter into the appropriate contract on behalf of the Council with the successful bidder.

Reasons for Decision

The proposal links to the Council Plan Priority of addressing the climate emergency by ensuring significant waste reduction sent to landfill.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

The closure of the service and cessation of  ...  view the full minutes text for item CEX/92