Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 September 2019 (copy enclosed). 

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 10 September 2019 were signed by the Leader as a correct record.

(Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a Councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.)

There were no Declarations of Interest.

No questions were raised under the Council’s Constitution (Standing Orders).

There were no matters subject to call-in.

There were no matters arising from the Policy Development and Performance Monitoring Panels.

To outline the proposed three-year plan of improvements for Holbeach and Spalding that can be delivered to enhance the town centres and provide future opportunities (report of the Executive Director Place enclosed)

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director – Place, which outlined the proposed three-year plan of improvements for Holbeach and Spalding that could be delivered to enhance the town centres and provide future opportunities.

Members commented that with regard to future potential improvements to other towns, there would be the benefit of lessons learned from this project.

It was also important that the basics (for example ensuring a litter-free environment) were dealt with, that the needs of the local people were catered for and that communities and groups were involved in the process.

 DECISION:

a)    That the Town Centre Improvement Plan as outlined in Appendix 3, be agreed.

b)    That works associated with the Improvement Plan be funded from the Growth and Investment reserve up to a value of £500,000 investment over 3 years.

c)    That a 3 year fixed term post be added to the establishment to co-ordinate and undertake works as part of the Town Centre Improvement plan.

d)    That the Executive Director for Place, in consultation with the Deputy Leader of the Council and Deputy Leader of Cabinet, be given delegated authority to commit resources up to the value of £500,000 to deliver the agreed Improvement Plan.

e)    That the Town Centre Steering Group for Spalding be established to act as a consultative body to gather community and business input.

f)     That the suggested governance arrangements for the Holbeach Future High Street Fund business case development be agreed and that these be used to deliver proposed actions set out for Holbeach in the proposed Town Centre Improvement Plan.

g)    That the sum of £150,000 granted from the Future High Street Fund for the purposes outlined in paragraph 1.15 be accepted.

(Other options considered:

·         To do nothing.

Reasons for decision:

·         Both the towns of Holbeach and Spalding face significant challenges particularly around the viability of their high streets. It is fundamental to the growth and prosperity of both towns and the wider population of South Holland that actions are taken to secure the future of them both.

·         The Town Centre Improvement Plan brings together a series of activity including quick wins to establish a ‘track record’, foundation building (getting the fundamentals right) and data harvesting to establish a baseline of evidence. This provides a robust position to move forward each year, building on successes or changing direction for further outcomes.

·         The success of Holbeach in moving forward to the next stage of the Future High Streets Fund provides further opportunity to develop plans. The delivery of a number of the actions outlined in the report and Appendix 3 would demonstrate the commitment of South Holland to improving the town centres and therefore be fundamental to securing a successful bid for capital funding.

·         Both towns are scheduled to take a significant amount of housing and infrastructure growth in the future. The Improvement Plan allows further residential opportunities to be identified and plans developed that are effective place shapers of the town centres. As part of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

To set out the proposed protocol for how the Community Reserve can be spent (report of the Executive Director Place enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director - Commercialisation (S151) which outlined a proposed protocol for how the South Holland Community Reserve would be used to provide loans to Parish Councils for capital works.

DECISION:

a)    That the proposed Protocol as set out in the report be agreed.

b)    That the arrangements set out at 5.3.1 that were required to enact this decision be noted.

(Other options considered:

·         To do nothing.

Reasons for decision:

·         Significant benefits would be brought to South Holland residents by utilising the Community Reserve in the way set out in the report.  It would enable the council to support Parish Councils to invest in their communities in a sustainable way).

To provide an update on the progress of public toilet task and finish group recommendations reported in January 2019 and propose future options (report of the Portfolio Holder Place and Executive Director Place enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Place and Executive Director – Place, which provided an update on the progress of public toilet task and finish group recommendations reported in January 2019 and proposed future options.

DECISION:

a)    That the toilets of Spalding and Holbeach be re-configured and updated as suggested in option two within the report.

b)    That the new public toilets be fitted with payment facilities to charge  users a minimum of 20p.

c)    That Vine Street toilets be decommissioned as a public toilet and an alternative use of this building be considered.

d)    That Capital funding for the recommended option be released from the Market Towns programme.

e)    That the Executive Director for Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Place, be given delegated authority to complete any associated actions necessary to enable the commencement of re-configuring the toilets and initialising charges for use.

(Other options considered:

·         Refurbish some of the current facilities

·         Demolish the current building

·         Do nothing

Reasons for decision:

·         Option two addresses the recommendations of the task and finish group and the feedback received from consultation with residents and visitors to South Holland).

·         The toilets in Holbeach are in need of urgent consideration for refurbishment and due to the number of visitors that are seen in Spalding, the recommendation is to improve the facilities in Spalding and Holbeach as a first phase.  These areas would be ideal to trial the new facilities due to their high usage.

·         Anti-social behaviour and misuse of the toilets is a key issue, and option two would address these problems.

·         The Vine Street toilet block is to be decommissioned as a public toilet due to a number of toilets already being available in the area, , and usage figures being low.  Improvements to the Winfrey Avenue and Sheep Market toilets would be undertaken with the funds resulting from the reconfiguration.

·         Provision of public toilets is not a statutory duty for Local Authorities however, there is a public demand for them and the residents and visitors consulted clearly stated they would like to see them continue and for the quality of them to be improved.)

To provide an update on how the Council is performing for the period 1 April 2019 to 30 June 2019 (report of the Portfolio Holder, Governance and Customer enclosed)

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Governance and Customer which provided an update on how the Council was performing for the period 1 April 2019 to 30 June 2019.

The improvement in sickness absence was noted and that staff should be congratulated for this. 

DECISION:

That the contents of the report be noted.

(Other options considered:

·         Do nothing

Reasons for decision:

·         That the council’s performance is properly scrutinised).

To provide members with information on Quarter 2 (to 30 September 2019) and forecast full year financial position of the Council (report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Executive Director – Commercialisation (S151)  enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Executive Director – Commercialisation (S151) which provided information on the forecast full year financial position of the Council at 30 September 2019.

DECISION:

a)    That the report and Appendix A be noted.

b)    That the estimated position with regard to the contributions to and use of reserves be noted.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

c)     That the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme be approved as set out in table 7 of Appendix A.

(Other options considered:

·         Do nothing

Reasons for decision:

·         To provide timely information to members on the overall financial position of the council).

To seek approval for the write off of uncollectable Council Tax debt (report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and the Executive Director Commercialisation (S151 Officer) enclosed).

(Please note that the appendices to this report are not for publication by virtue of Paragraphs 1 (Information relating to any individual), 2 (Information which is likely to reveal the identity of any individual) and 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and are therefore attached to this agenda as item 15.

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and the Executive Director - Commercialisation (S151) which sought approval for the write off of uncollectable Council Tax debt.

Members noted that the report contained details of individual debts within the confidential appendix A.  The appendix was not for publication by virtue of Paragraphs 1 (Information relating to any individual), 2 (Information which is likely to reveal the identity of any individual) and 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Members agreed that only the principles of the report be discussed and there was therefore no need for the meeting to go into private session for this item.

DECISION:

a)    That the amounts identified in the report be approved for write off.

b)    That the amounts written off under delegated powers be noted.

(Other options considered:

·      To do nothing.

Reasons for decision:

·         All recovery methods available had been considered and where appropriate pursued before making the decision to write off;

·         Officer time can be maximised on greatest returns, at the same time as ensuring robust procedures for debt management are in place across all revenue streams).

To review and consider the parking tariffs for Spalding and Holbeach car parks (report of the Portfolio Holder Place and the Executive Director Place enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Place and the Executive Director – Place, which reviewed and considered the parking tariffs for Spalding and Holbeach car parks.

In response to members’ concerns officers confirmed that they were working with partners at the Castle Sports Complex to ensure that there would be no negative impact on users of the facility.

DECISION:

a)    That existing car parking charges be varied and that new charges for Gore Lane and Castle Sports Complex (dry side) as shown in Appendix A be introduced.

b)    That all agreed varied charges be subject to a notice of variation to be published under Section 35C of the Road Traffic Act 1984; such charges to come into effect on 1 January 2020.

c)    That it be agreed in principle, that the South Holland District Council (Off Street Parking Places) (Civil Enforcement) Order 2012 be amended so as to include within the Order:

              i.        The car park at Gore Lane, Spalding, with new charges as agreed under recommendation 1 as above, subject to no impediments being identified.

            ii.        The new area of the Castle Sports Complex car park (dry side) to the rear of the bowling green, with new charges for the whole of the dry side as agreed under recommendation 1 above.

           iii.        If necessary, arrangements made for permits or tickets for regular and casual users of the swimming pool and Castle Sports Complex.

d)    That the Environmental Services Manager be authorised in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Place to:

              i.        Finalise arrangements for the issue of permits or tickets for regular and casual users of the swimming pool and Castle Sports Complex for inclusion, if necessary, within the amended Order.

            ii.        Finalise the necessary notice of proposal and statement of reasons relating to the proposed amendments to the existing Off Street Parking Places Order detailed in recommendation 3 above.

           iii.        Undertake the necessary consultation and equality impact assessment in relation to the proposed amendments to the car parking order and report back to the Portfolio Holder following completion of the consultation process.

           iv.        Determine the position of any parent/toddler parking bays in appropriate car parks.

e) That the Portfolio Holder for Place be delegated authority to:

              i.        Consider the results of the consultation on the proposed amendments to the South Holland District Council (Off Street Parking Places) (Civil Enforcement) Order 2012 and the required Equality Impact Assessment and determine whether or not to amend the Order, including any non-substantial modifications considered appropriate.

            ii.        Consider all and any pricing incentives for the current financial year and future years such as altered pricing structures during festive seasons, subject to publication of any necessary notices of variation under Section 35C of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

(Other options considered:

·      Increase car parking tariffs in Spalding Car Parks including Castle Sports Centre (dry side), in line with the maximum of the average tariffs in the analysis.

·      Increase car parking tariffs in Spalding Car Parks, including  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

Note:         (i)      No other business is permitted unless by reason of special circumstances, which shall be specified in the Minutes, the Leader is of the opinion that the item(s) should be considered as a matter of urgency. 

(ii)     Any urgent item of business that is a key decision must be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution’s Access to Information Procedure Rules.

There were no urgent items.

(The Leader left the meeting following consideration of this item.  The Deputy Leader presided over the remainder of the meeting).

DECISION:

Under section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public were 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 Paragraphs 1,2 and 3 of part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To set out details of a commercial opportunity relating to the potential for the HRA to acquire 7 open market houses on a development site within the district (report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Executive Director – Commercialisation (S151) enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Executive Director – Commercialisation (S151) which provided details of the acquisition of seven open market houses on a development site within the district to be provided as affordable housing.

DECISIONS:

a)    That the business case relating to acquisition of seven homes for the HRA be approved.

b)    That subject to council approval of Recommendation (3) the detail of agreeing the contract, reviewing the due diligence and completing the purchase be delegated to the Executive Director for Commercialisation in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Health.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

c)     To amend the Capital Programme to identify this project as an approved scheme in the 2019/20 budget.

(Other options considered:

·      To do nothing.  Under this option the authority would not proceed with the acquisition of the properties.  The offer would be withdrawn and expected benefits listed within the report would not be realised.

Reasons for decision:

·      The recommendation to proceed with the offer to purchase seven homes relates to the expected benefits as detailed within the report).

To set out the details of a commercial opportunity relating to the potential for the council to acquire 13 units of Affordable Rent tenure housing and 6 units of Shared Ownership on a development site in the district (report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and the Executive Director Commercialisation (S151) enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Executive Director – Commercialisation (S151) which set out the details of the potential for the council to acquire 13 units of Affordable Rent tenure housing and 6 units of Shared Ownership on a development site in the district.

DECISION:

a)    That subject to council approval of the budget, the acquisition of 19 homes including 13 Affordable Rent houses and 6 Shared Ownership dwellings within the district be approved.

b)    That authority to agree contractual matters, associated due diligence, valuations required to purchase the properties and completion of matters relating to the marketing and sale of the Shared Ownership properties included within the acquisition be delegated to the Executive Director – Commercialisation (S151).

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

c)     To amend the budget for the 2020/21 Capital Programme to identify this project as an approved scheme as set out in Appendix A to the report.

(Other options considered:

·      To do nothing.  Under this option the authority would not proceed with the purchase of these properties.  As a consequence, the expected benefits listed within the report would not be realised.

Reasons for decision:

·      The recommendation to proceed with the offer to purchase nineteen homes relates to the expected benefits as detailed within the report).