Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence received from Cabinet Members.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 September 2023 as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 September 2023, be confirmed and signed.

To note any declarations of interest made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interest must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

There were no declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests made by Cabinet Members.

To receive any public participation in accordance with the Council’s public participation scheme.

There was no public participation.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet approve the current draft of the Tenant Engagement Strategy for consultation purposes with the Council’s Tenants and relevant stakeholders before a final draft is presented to Cabinet and Council in early 2024.

KEY DECISION:

Yes

PORTFOLIO:

Housing and Homelessness

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Homelessness reported he was delighted to present the Tenant Engagement Strategy.  A significant amount of work had gone into the draft strategy which had been discussed with the Tenant Involvement Group and it had received wide ranging support.

The Tenant Engagement Manager reported that the Strategy had been written in response to The Charter for Social Housing Residents – Social Housing White Paper and the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023.  It took into account best practice and had been developed in partnership with residents.  There were four strategic priorities underpinning the Strategy in order to ensure that tenants were placed at the heart of housing services, that their experiences can drive and shape services as well as hold the Council to account.  The priorities sought to listen to our tenants; put tenants first; know our tenants and support engagement and promote how we communicate with tenants.

Members spoke in support of the draft Strategy.  A member sought confirmation that there would be extensive consultation on the strategy.  This was confirmed by the Portfolio Holder and noted that any feedback received would be fully considered.

It was also questioned by a member how the proposed focus on engagement activities would be representative considering groups in communal settings may have specific views relating to their blocks.  In response, the Tenant Engagement Manager acknowledged that it was a four year strategy and there was a lot of work to be carried out.  The Housing Hubs would be utilised in the community and that all housing teams would be involved in listening to the voice of tenants in order to understand what the Council does well and what could be done better.  It was also recognised that different tenants and communities might prefer different methods of engagement.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet:

(a)   Agree to the proposed introduction of a framework for CIL expenditure (Appendix A) to align funds to identified infrastructure needs;

(b)   Agree to release £1m of CIL in 2023/2024 to fund local infrastructure in the short term;

(c)   Approve to the publication of the Town and Parish council CIL information note at Appendix C;

(d)   Agree to the proposal to report back to Cabinet by the end of the calendar year 2024 with a review of the allocation of the £1m and to finalise the framework for future years; and

(e)   Agree to establishing a Task and Finish Group to review the proposed CIL allocations so that they may directly advise the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy.  The terms of reference and composition of the Group will be agreed by the Leader of the Council in consultation with Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy, as an Executive Advisory Task and Finish Group.

KEY DECISION:

Yes

PORTFOLIO:

Planning and Economy

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy supported the recommendations in the report.  He looked forward to working with members, through a Task and Finish Group to consider the proposed CIL allocations in order to spend money on much needed infrastructure projects.

The Planning Implementation and Monitoring Team Leader confirmed that the report proposed a new system, which would include working with the local town and parish councils to seek the submission of funding bids in order to allocate and spend the CIL money.  The bidding round would be opened from mid October until mid December.  Officers would provide the necessary information and support to the Towns and Parishes in order to seek the best proposals.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate confirmed his support to the proposals noting that infrastructure was necessary to follow development.  It was important to ensure that work was carried out to deliver the right results with the limited resources available.

Non Cabinet members welcomed the recommendations contained in the report.  A member spoke about the clarity given within the report on the type of projects which could be considered as infrastructure projects and that the guidance provided would help the Towns and Parishes in their bid submissions.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet recommend to Council;

(a)   That the revised MTFP forecasts, as outlined within the report and appendices be adopted;

(b)   That the options identified to close the budget gap for 2024/25 and through to 2027/28 are developed further;

(c)   That the Fees and Charges Policy set out in section 4f of the report be adopted; and

(d)   That the reporting timeline as set out in section 6 of the Cabinet report be agreed

KEY DECISION:

Report to Cabinet and Council.

PORTFOLIO:

Finance and Corporate / Housing and Homelessness / All

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate presented the report.  He highlighted he was delighted the Medium Term Financial Plan showed that the Council was in a strong financial position to deliver on all front line services for residents in the short term.  However, it was not possible to hide behind the pressures in the plan for the General Fund for the financial years 2025/26 and 2027/28 where the funding with the realignment of the business rates would cause significant financial pressures.  It was necessary to look how these could be addressed at an early stage before they were upon us.

In relation to the Housing Revenue Account, there were challenges in order to deliver additional affordable housing as well as the greener housing agenda which would be at a significant cost to the Council.  Work would continue with officers to deliver on this.

The Strategic Director Corporate Resource & Transformation reported that this was the first update of the Medium Term Financial Plan since the budget had been agreed in February.  He highlighted section 4 (General Fund) of the report and spoke about the funding assumptions which had been made.  This included the business rate reset, Government support and pay.  He drew attention to the fact there were risks associated with those assumptions, such as the rise in inflation, cost of homelessness and pay and price increases.  There was a forecast deficit over the next four years of in excess of £3.5m.  It was therefore necessary to work towards closing the gap between the budget requirement and funding available, by making savings and to consider income growth. 

The Council had an excellent track record at being proactive in its approach to decision making.  Indeed, the following Cabinet report on the agenda was forward thinking about the decision to be taken, in relation to fees and charges.  This would have the potential to create additional headroom to address the budget deficit and create opportunities to reinvest in Council priorities.  This was a strong position for any authority to be in.

There was a different set of challenges for the Housing Revenue Account, as set out in Section 5 of the Cabinet report.  Significant capital expenditure was required to improve Council owned housing to EPC rating of C by 2030.  This was combined with an aspirational priority to increase the number of council owned properties, as well  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet recommend that Council approve:

       i.          that the 2024 town & village and amenity car park tariffs be increased by £1.00 per tariff, except for the 1-hour tariff which will remain at £1.00, and the “up to 20 hours” tariff which will increase by £3.

      ii.          that the 1-hour tariff is applicable in all car parks throughout the year.

     iii.          that the increase in charges for NFDC parking clocks

be agreed; namely;

·        Short stay annual clocks from £30.00 to £40.00

·        Long stay annual clocks from £140.00 to £220.00

·        Long stay quarterly clocks from £40.00 to £65.00

    iv.          that the Council allocate 4 days of free parking in town centre car parks to support local businesses during December 2023, as detailed in section 7 of the report.

      v.          that the Keyhaven fees and charges as detailed at Appendix A to the Cabinet report be approved.

    vi.          That the intention to develop a Parking Strategy is noted.

KEY DECISION:

Report to Cabinet and Council

PORTFOLIO:

Environment and Sustainability

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability presented the report.  He thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Panel for its input and comments.  The approach to the fees and charges in the current economic climate was felt to be fair and balanced and the recommendations were fully supported.  Moving forwards, the Portfolio Holder reported that the development of a parking strategy was essential and he looked forward to working with members of a Task and Finish Group.

The Assistant Director for Place Operations reported that the fees and charges for car parking and Keyhaven moorings were proposed to be introduced from 1 January 2024 and therefore needed to be determined in the autumn.  There were 44 Council owned car parks in the District and the council also sold short and long stay car parking clocks to 32,000 people.  Historically, the District Council had not raised car parking charges, in some cases they had not increased since 2018.  The proposed charges were set out in the recommendations.  Benchmarking had been carried out with other comparable local authorities, in Fareham and Christchurch.

There was a proposed price increase to the short and long stay parking clocks and this cost had also been benchmarked.  It was proposed that a Parking Strategy be developed on the longer term development of the service.

In relation to Keyhaven Moorings, a 10% increase was recommended across all fees and this was comparable with other mid-stream moorings in Lymington and Hamble.

Some non Cabinet members raised concern about the rise in parking charges and in particular to the parking clock, suggesting this was a significant percentage price increase, particularly in relation to the long stay parking clock.  It was felt that people could stop using town centre car parks, opting to park on the street as an alternative.  There could potentially be a detrimental impact on local businesses, particularly those who might purchase the clocks for their members of staff.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.