Agenda and minutes

AGREED      that that minutes of the meeting held on 12 February 2019 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no declarations of interest.

In addition to the Council recording in accordance with usual practice, Radio Newark were in attendance to record parts of the meeting.

The Chairman made presentations to the following winners of the staff Pride Awards for 2018:

We’re Proud of You Award – Helen Ellison (Health Improvement Officer)

Unsung Hero Award – Maria Brambles (Landlord Liaison Officer)

Team of the Year Award – Housing Options

Mark Henry Award – Terry Bailey (Anti-Social Behaviour Officer)

In accordance with Council’s Statutory Petitions Scheme, Julia Smith presented a petition to the Council in relation to ‘Protecting Newark’s Green Spaces’. Specific reference in the petition was made to the planning permission granted for proposed additional car parking to the rear of the former Municipal Offices, Balderton Gate, Newark. 

The petition called upon the Council to:

·      discuss the issue and to put a halt to any site work planned whilst a full review was carried out;

·      form a working party to provide public engagement including participation with professional people who had relevant experience to the issue with a further report being presented to Council; and

·      overturn the planning consent (18/01917/FUL) of November 2018 in order that the cherished green space behind the former Balderton Gate Registrar Office and the trees currently growing therein be retained.

The written petition, containing 408 signatures, was presented to the Chairman. This was supplemented by an online petition which had 1770 ‘signatures’ at the latest count. Given the petition had over 500 signatures in total this was opened up for debate by the Council.

In response to the presentation, the Leader of the Council advised of the reasoning behind the decision of the Planning Committee to grant the aforementioned permission.  He advised that the local businesses involved with the Totally Locally Scheme had requested that additional free parking be provided.  He also added that an ageing population, the fear of crime and difficulty in accessing shops all added to the continued use of private vehicles and the need for parking spaces. He referred to the efforts being made to working alongside public transport providers to enhance services.

In respect of the planning permission the Leader advised that this could not be extinguished but that the Council’s implementation of the scheme could be put on hold in order to allow for further discussions. 

Members of the Council were supportive of the review of the scheme adding comments in relation to the planting of more trees in general and more consideration being given to the protection of trees and hedges. 

Following the conclusion of the debate, Councillor D Lloyd moved and Councillor Mrs Crowe seconded that “the current project to create additional car parking spaces be put on hold with only remedial works being undertaken and the Director Growth & Regeneration be tasked with reviewing the scheme”.

This proposal on being put to the meeting was declared carried unanimously. 

The Council considered the report of the Leader of the Council relating to the Revenue Budget and Council Tax Setting for 2019/2020.

The report indicated that, in setting the level of Council Tax for 2019/2020, it was necessary to consider the requirements of the Council Tax Collection Fund for 2019/2020.  This incorporated the District Council’s Council Tax Requirement, Parish Council Precepts and the Council Tax requirements of Nottinghamshire County Council, the Nottinghamshire Police & Crime Commissioner and the Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service.

The Policy & Finance Committee, at its meeting held on 21 February 2019, recommended that the District Council's Council Tax Requirement for 2019/2020, excluding Parish Council precepts, should be £11,979,190 as detailed in the Council's Budget Book for 2019/2020.  As part of the budget process, the views of the operational committees had been taken into account along with views of the Commercial Ratepayers through the statutory consultation.

It was reported that all Parish Council precepts had been received.  Parish precepts totalled £2,925,108.18.  Consequently the total Council Tax Requirement for the District Council was £14,904,298.18.

Nottinghamshire County Council had set a precept on Newark & Sherwood District Council’s Collection fund for 2019/2020 of £57,229,267.  The Nottinghamshire Police & Crime Commissioner has set a precept on Newark & Sherwood District Council's Collection fund for 2019/2020 of £8,503,783.80 and the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service had proposed a precept on Newark & Sherwood District Council’s Collection fund for 2019/2020 of £3,093,976.91.

Circulated to the Council were proposed amendments received from the Labour Group to the Revenue Budget 2019/2020 and following years.

Councillor D.J. Lloyd moved and Councillor K. Girling seconded the recommendations as detailed in the report with one further resolution that the Chief Executive be requested to ensure that the budget development proposals as submitted by the Labour Group be fully considered and developed into proposals for consideration by the new Council following the elections in May 2019.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

(a)     the recommendations as set out in the report and attached as Appendix A to these minutes be approved; and

(b)     the Chief Executive consider the Labour Group’s proposed amendments to the Revenue Budget 2019/2020 and following years as circulated at the meeting.

In accordance with Procedure Rule No. 28a.1 a recorded vote was taken as follows:

The Council considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive / Director - Resources and Section 151 Officer which set out the proposed Capital Programme for the period 2019/20 to 2022/23.  Following the Policy & Finance Committee’s consideration of the Capital Programme at its meeting on 21 February 2019 and in accordance with Financial Regulation 6.2.3, the final programme was recommended to Council for approval.  Attached as Appendix 1 to the report was the report submitted to Policy & Finance Committee held on 21 February 2019 which detailed the resources available, the Council’s existing committed programme and the priority schemes identified.

The Capital Programme for 2019/20 to 2022/23 proposed investment of £91.3m over the 4 year programme, including Housing Services £58m (made up of Property Investment and the New Build Programme) and General Fund £33.3m (made up of various general fund projects). The expenditure was financed by a combination of Government grants, third party contributions, capital receipts, revenue support (through the Major Repairs Reserve) and borrowing.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

(a)     the General Fund schemes shown in Appendix A and the housing services programme shown in Appendix B be approved as committed expenditure in the Capital Programme;

(b)     the Capital Programme be managed in accordance with Financial Regulation 6.2.3;

(c)     in accordance with the delegation to the Section 151 Officer in the Council’s Constitution to arrange financing of the Council’s Capital Programme, the Capital Programme for the financial years 2019/20 to 2022/23 be financed to maximise the resources available, having regard to the provisions of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and subsequent legislation; and

(d)     any changes above the limit delegated to the Section 151 Officer (i.e. £10,000), either in funding or the total cost of the capital scheme, be reported to the Policy & Finance Committee for consideration.

The Council considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive / Director - Resources and Section 151 Officer which sought approval for the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2019/20. This Statement incorporated the Borrowing Strategy, Investment Strategy and Treasury Prudential Indicators updated in accordance with the latest guidance. The Statement was attached as Appendix A to the report.

AGREED (unanimously) that:

(a)          the Treasury Management Strategy 2019/20, incorporating the Borrowing Strategy and the Annual Investment Strategy be approved;

(b)          the Treasury Prudential Indicators and Limits be approved; and

(c)          the Authorised Limit Treasury Prudential Indicator be approved.

The Council considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive / Director - Resources and Section 151 Officer which sought approval for the Capital Strategy 2019/20 which incorporated the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy and Capital Prudential Indicators. The Strategy had been updated in accordance with the latest guidance.

The Capital Strategy outlined the principles and framework that shaped the Council’s capital decisions. The principal aim was to deliver a programme of capital investment that contributed to the achievement of the Council’s priorities and objectives as set out in the Corporate Plan.  The Strategy was attached as appendices to the report.

AGREED      (unanimously) that Council approves each of the following key elements:

(a)     the Capital Strategy 2019/20;

(b)     the Capital Prudential Indicators and Limits for 2019/20, contained within Appendix A to the report;

(c)     the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy Statement as contained within Appendix C to the report, which sets out the Council’s policy on MRP; and

(d)     the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy as contained with Appendix D to the report.

The Council considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive/Director – Resources and Section 151 Officer which sought approval for the Investment Strategy for 2019/20. This Strategy met the requirements of statutory guidance issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in January 2018.  The definition of an investment covered all of the financial assets of the Council as well as the other non-financial assets that the organisation holds primarily or partially to generate a profit including investment property portfolios. The Strategy therefore may include investments that were not managed as part of normal treasury management delegations. A copy of the Investment Strategy was attached as Appendix A to the report.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

(a)     the Investment Strategy 2019/20 be approved; and

(b)     the Investment Prudential Indicators and Limits be approved.

The Council considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive/Director – Resources and Section 151 Officer which sought approval for the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2019/20 to 2022/23. A copy of the Plan was attached as an Appendix to the report.

The MTFP was a Corporate Plan to assist both Members and Officers to manage the Council’s finances within a clear framework.  It set out the Council’s spending plans to support its strategic priorities over the current financial year and the following three years and detailed how that spend would be funded through grants, fees and charges, local taxation, reserves and other income.

The MTFP showed that whilst the Council managed to balance the budget for 2019/20 because of prudent decisions made in the past, future funding of its services would depend on its ability to raise additional income, otherwise it would need to make up funding gaps by increasing Council Tax or/and depleting its general fund reserves.

The MTFP was due to be refreshed during June 2018 to reflect the expectations of future income and expenditure however this was deferred to enable strategic input from the new Chief Executive and Leader of the Council.

AGREED      (unanimously) that:

(a)     the Medium Term Financial Plan for 2019/20 to 2022/23 be approved; and

(b)     the change in the minimum level of General Fund Balance, as set out in paragraph 1.8 of the Medium Term Financial Plan, from a 15% of Net Budget Requirement to a fixed balance of £1.5m, be approved.

The Council considered the report of the Director – Governance & Organisational Development which sought approval of the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20.  In accordance with Section 38(1) of the Localism Act 2011 the Council was required to produce a Pay Policy Statement for each financial year.  The Pay Policy Statement set out the authority’s policies for the financial year relating to:

•   the remuneration of the authority’s lowest-paid employees (together with a definition of “lowest-paid employees”) and the reasons for adopting that definition;

•   the relationship between remuneration of Chief Officers and that of other officers (pay multiples); and

•   the remuneration of Chief Officers.

A copy of the Pay Policy Statement for 2019 was attached as an Appendix to the report.  It was noted that the Statement had been updated to:

•   include a link to the new pay and grading arrangements for officers engaged on NJC terms to reflect the nationally agreed scale points negotiated as part of the two year settlement;

•   include amendments to the paragraph on Living Wage given that the Council will be paying an amount equivalent to the Living Wage (£9.00 agreed during November 2018) as part of its substantive pay and grading arrangements following implementation of the revised pay scale; and

•   reflect revisions to the management structure arising from the recent restructure.

The Policy & Finance Committee, at their meeting held on 21 February 2019, recommended the Pay Policy Statement to the Council for adoption.

AGREED (unanimously) that the Pay Policy Statement for 2019/20 be approved.

The Council considered the report of the Director – Governance & Organisational Development which sought approval of the Community Plan 2019 – 23. Following the change in political and managerial leadership, the Council’s current Corporate Plan had been renewed and refreshed. This was partly in response to a renewed focus on the ‘Cleaner, Safer, Greener’ agenda and also in recognition of the need for greater clarity and understanding about what the Council was trying to achieve which was one of the recommendations from the 2016 Peer Review.  The Vision and Values for the Council had also been reviewed and updated to better reflect the Council’s purpose.

The development of the revised objectives included within the Community Plan had been updated and refined following consultation with a range of stakeholders including lead Members, the Senior Leadership Team and Business Managers. The Council also undertook a consultation exercise with residents and other key stakeholders between October and December 2018 so that findings from the survey could be used to sense check the objectives within the plan and where appropriate refinements made.  A copy of the Plan was attached as an Appendix to the report. 

AGREED (unanimously) that the Community Plan for 2019 - 2023 be approved.

The Council considered the report of the Director – Growth & Regeneration which set out the findings of the Inspectors Report into the Newark & Sherwood Amended Core Strategy Development Plan Document Examination, sought approval to formally adopt the document as a Development Plan Document (DPD)/Local Plan within the Newark & Sherwood Local Development Framework (LDF), and sought approval to adopt changes to the Newark & Sherwood Adopted Policies Map.

The Inspector had completed his examination of the DPD and presented his conclusions in an Inspector’s Report. This was received by the Council on 25 February 2019. The Inspector’s Report contained the recommendation that the submitted DPD was sound, subject to a number of modifications and should be adopted. The Inspector’s Report identified four mains issues upon which the soundness of the plan rested and these issues detailed to Members.

AGREED      (with 31 votes for and 2 abstentions) that:

(a)     the report be noted;

(b)     the Council adopt the Amended Core Strategy Development Plan Document, as amended by the modifications set out in Appendix A and B to the report, as a Local Plan and part of the Newark & Sherwood Local Development Framework; and

(c)     the amendments (as set out in Appendix C to the report) to the Newark & Sherwood Local Development Framework Adopted Policies Map be approved.

The Chairman advised that this item had been withdrawn from the Agenda.