Agenda and decisions

AGREED that Cabinet:

(a)     approve the submission of the extension application by 19 December 2024;

(b)     approve the extension of the three staff for £137,000 funded by the Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation, to be added to the establishment for 2026-27; and

(c)     approve a budget in 2026-27 of the remaining £172,000 of the £309,000 funded by the National Portfolio Organisation Grant.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)     consider the report on the public consultation on the Kiddey sculptures at Appendix B to the report;

b)     consider the comments from the Policy, Performance and Improvement Committee at Appendix A to the report;

c)     confirm the earlier, in principle decision taken on 4 June 2024, to site the Kiddey sculptures at Castle House, Newark;

d)     add a sum of £87,430 to the capital programme funded by the Change Management Reserve, to fund the installation at Castle House; and

e)     give delegated authority to the Director - Communities and Environment, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to enter into an agreement with Newark Town Council for a loan of the Kiddey Sculptures.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)         review and note the responsibilities of the Council (both Members and officers) as a housing authority in relation to consumer regulation;

b)         note the progress and planned engagement with the Tenant Participation Advisory Services (TPAS) on creating a new, strengthened tenant engagement structure;

c)          note how feedback and insight from the tenant engagement survey 2024 will be used alongside Tenant Satisfaction Measures performance and learning from complaints, to inform the workplan for service improvement for next 18 months;

d)         note that the results of the TPAS re-engineering project will be reported to the Policy and Performance Improvement Committee in June 2025 to scrutinise the detailed action plan, proposals for implementation and endorse for approval by the Tenant Engagement Board and Cabinet; and

e)         approve and endorse a bespoke training session for all Members, to be led by the Tenant Engagement team, to raise awareness and understanding of the Council’s obligations regarding tenant engagement and the broader consumer regulations.

AGREE that Cabinet:

a)       as landowner, promotes a scheme which will deliver 207 units with an initial split of 133 market and 74 social units;

b)      alongsidethis, continueto negotiatewith Homes England to maximise the affordable housing on the scheme through grant funding and a further report will be brought forward at the appropriate time;

c)       increase the HRA Capital budget by xx (financed by the Major Repairs Reserve) to xx to allow for future inflation and contingency;

d)      the Revenue loss of xx due to the change from Affordable Rent to Social Rent and a reduction in units from 100 to 74 be noted; and

e)       give delegated authority to the Director - Housing, Health & Wellbeing in consultation with the Director – Resources / S151 Officer and Portfolio Holder for Housing to negotiate and enter into the development agreement and subsequent JCT agreements, subject to planning permission, costs remaining withinthe approvedbudget envelopeand risk profile.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)    notes the delivery of the Community Grant Scheme in 2024-25 to date; and

b)    continue to budget for the Community Grant Scheme for 2025-26 to 2028-29.

AGREED that the Contaminated Land Strategy as set out in Appendix 1 to the report be approved.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)       approve the future development plan (Option 4) as set out in the attached study at Appendix A and described in the report;

b)       approve that a planning application is prepared and submitted for the permanent siting of the glass bulking facility at the Lorry Park in Newark;

c)        approve a first phase investment of £669,000 including contingency, inflation, and fees, at Brunel Drive and Farrar Close and equivalent budget being added to the Capital Programme for 25/26, in line with the timescales and phasing set out in the report; and

d)       give delegated authority to the Directors of Communities and Environment and Housing, Health and Wellbeing, in consultation with the Portfolio Holders, to tender and deliver the phased programme of investments in line with the indicative timescale set out in the report.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)       note and support the proposed approach to create a usable community space at ground floor and single residential apartment at upper floors for long-lease sale to the market;

b)       approve amending the existing committed Capital budget from £353,000 to £373,000 in order to cover the costs of delivering a) above;

c)        delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Director – Resources authority to enter into a lease with the Lincoln College Group (LCG) for use of the ground floor and basement as a Community Information Hub for a minimum period of 3 years and to proceed with the long-leasehold sale of the apartment at upper floors, including the imposition of any necessary service changes for both uses approved;

d)       delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive and Director – Resources authority to include within the terms of c) above a rent-free and service charge free period of 12 months, with rent for subsequent years being jointly sought by the LCG, CVS, and this Council from any revised Newark Long Term Plan for Towns (LTPfT) which shall be capped at a maximum of £9,000 per annum until 31^st March 2029; and

e)       subject to c) and d) above to conclude necessary fit-out costs for the Community Information Hub, providing the envelope remains within the revised capital budget of £373,000.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)     note and welcome the progress and achievements of Newark Towns Fund projects; and

b)     note the future of Long-Term Plan for Towns Programme following the Autumn Statement in October 2024.

AGRED that Cabinet:

a)      note the report, including the updates associated with the LUF 3 Programme;

Ollerton Project

b)      approves a capital budget of £500,000, financed initially by borrowing, to be replaced by the LUF 3 grant when received, to enable essential project development works associated with the Ollerton scheme, prior to the Council receiving a Memorandum of Understanding, as detailed in section 1.6 of the report;

Clipstone Project

c)      approves a capital budget of £200,000, financed by borrowing initially, to be replaced by LUF 3 grant when received, to enable essential project development associated with the Clipstone scheme (Phases 2 and 3), prior to the Council receiving a Memorandum of Understanding, as detailed in section 1.9 of the report;

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

d)      approves an amendment to the existing delegation to the S151 Officer, Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Resources and Director of Planning and Growth, to include the acceptance of apartial (or full), LUF 3 grant of up to £20m, via an MoU, as detailed in sections 1.12 and 1.13 of the report; and

e)      notes the existing and proposed financial commitments immediately eligible for repayment by MHCLG, subject to a finalised partial, or full MoU, as detailed in section 1.13 of the report.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)      approve the publication of the Infrastructure Funding Statement, which has been produced in accordance with the legislative requirements, before the end of the calendar year; and

b)      approve consultation with Parish Councils and Parish Meetings on CIL meaningful proportion issues as set out in section 2 of the report.

AGREED that Cabinet:

a)      note the report;

b)      approve the preparation of a new Local Plan for Newark & Sherwood; and

c)      adopt amendments to the Local Development Scheme as set in Section 2 of this report and Appendix A, to come into force on 17 December 2024.

The Committee will be invited to resolve:-

‘To consider resolving that, under section 100A (4) of the Local Government

Act 1972, the public be 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 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.’

None.

Categories of “Exempt Information”

Under Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended

1. Information relating to any individual.

2. Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.

3. Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

4. Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising

between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.

5. Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

6. Information which reveals that the authority proposes –

(a) to give under any enactment a notice under or by  virtue of which requirements are imposed on a person : or

(b) to make an order or direction under any enactment.

7. Information relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime.