Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 13 February 2024 (copy enclosed). 

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 13 February 2024 were agreed and signed by the Leader.

(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.)

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To set out the current financial position for the Council at the end of the third quarter of 2023/24 (report of the Deputy Chief Executive – Corporate (S151) enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Deputy Chief Executive – Corporate (S151 Officer) which set out the current financial position for the Council at the end of the third quarter of 2023/24.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Commercialisation, UKSPF and Levelling Up presented the report.

This year continued to be challenging with high inflation impacting on contract uplifts, power, pay and fuel. Pressures within homelessness continued to be an area of concern, and market downturn generally as the economy reacted to high interest rates and cost of living increase impacts fed through. The impact of the pay award had now been included in the outturn forecast.

Revenue Outturn

The revenue outturn forecasted a deficit position of £340,000 at the year-end (Table 1 in Appendix A provided the detail).

The following issues were raised for the Cabinet’s attention:

·       The largest change since Q1 was within the Finance area of the budget. A £426,000 movement had taken place in respect of Finance, this related mainly to £186,000 rent allowances, and £80,000 rent rebates as a result of not being able to reclaim full subsidy for Homelessness cases in particular Bed and Breakfast. The Portfolio Holder for this area had been supporting the officer team to investigate opportunities for minimising and mitigating this impact.  These movements could be subject to further change at the end of the financial year. In addition, there has been some duplication of income streams that were previously separately funded, totalling £98,000, that had now been adjusted for. Plus, there has been an increase in external audit fees - this was an increase being seen across all audit areas.

·       In relation to General Fund Assets, car parking income was not performing as well as expected. However, with changes to working practices in the service and the procurement of new car parking machines, improvement going forward was expected. Work was currently being undertaken to look at Garage sites and their income generally and new tenants for Priory Road were being investigated.  The overspends were largely offset by an underspend in Programmed Building Maintenance.

·       In Leisure and Culture, there was a pressure from the loss of a tenant at the South Holland Centre and again the service was looking at options for addressing this budget impact.

·       With regards to Neighbourhoods, there had been additional pressures from Agency Staff and the impact of the pay award - this has been partly offset by unbudgeted income. The service was continuing to look at options for managing Agency Staff pressures.

·       With regards to Planning, members were reminded of a recent increase in fees and charges. This income stream was always an area that struggled during an economic downturn and would continue to be monitored closely.

·       Homelessness continued to be an area of significant focus and attention.

·       On a positive, Investment Income continued to over-perform due to better than anticipated interest rates.

·       Adjustments for Minimum Revenue Provision relating to vehicles had been made.

The 2023/24 budget included a savings efficiency target of £887,000  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

To adopt the Housing Damp, Condensation and Mould Policy, risk assessment and to delegate minor and operational changes to the Assistant Director – Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Operational Housing (report of the Assistant Director – Housing enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Housing, which requested adoption of the Housing Damp, Condensation and Mould Policy risk assessment, and delegation of minor and operational changes to the Assistant Director Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Operational Housing.

The Portfolio Holder for Communities and Operational Housing presented the report.

The following points were raised:

·       The priority appeared to be around the habitable areas of the home – were out-buildings not covered?  Clarification was required regarding this.

o   The Portfolio Holder for Communities and Operational Housing advised that this was an industry-wide approach, which focussed on habitable areas.  The Risk Assessment form at Appendix B broke down the areas to be considered however, the document could be made clearer if needed.

o   Officers responded that there was reference to conversion of non-habitable spaces under the section relating to tenants’ responsibilities – it would be expected that tenants would advise the Authority of any such conversion but agreed that the Policy could be made clearer as to why notification was needed.

·       Under the ‘No Access Issues’ within Appendix A, clarification was sought as to whether this was in addition to the normal access requirements which the Authority’s tenancy agreements had.

o   The Portfolio Holder for Communities and Operational Housing advised that the Damp, Condensation and Mould Policy sat alongside other Council policies.  Access to undertake remedial issues was often a problem, but all efforts would be made documented and followed up.  This was one of the areas that the Portfolio Holder was tracking on a monthly basis with the Assistant Director – Housing.

DECISIONS:

1)    That the Housing Damp, Condensation and Mould Policy be adopted;

2)    That the Damp, Condensation and Mould Risk Assessment tool be adopted;

3)    That minor operational amendments be delegated to the Assistant Director – Housing, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Operational Housing.

(Other options considered:

·       Do nothing – do not adopt the Damp Condensation and Mould Policy. This option is not recommended – it is good practice to have a Policy in place to ensure that Officers, Members and Tenants understand the priorities and objectives and the reasoning behind them.

Reasons for decision:

·       To ensure the Council has a clear approach for the management and control of damp condensation and mould across the housing stock for the welfare and safety of tenants. Ensuring that the Councils housing stock remains decent and does not deteriorate through failure to address issues arising from damp condensation and mould.

·       The proposed policy and accompanying risk assessment were presented to the Policy Development Panel on the 6 February 2024. The Panel noted there had been a shift in the sector to ensure robust arrangements were in place to effectively manage and control damp condensation and mould. The panel noted that pathways for reporting issues should be centrally triaged to ensure an appropriate response.

·       It was widely noted that several property factors could be contributing towards damp condensation and mould issues  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

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.

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