Agenda and minutes

Councillors Sue Cooper (Chair), Peiter-Paul Barker, Robin Bennett and Leigh Rawlins had all sent their apologies for absence. 

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Councillor Andrea Powell declared a non-pecuniary interest in the corporate services contract exempt agenda item. 

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chairman. 

None

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

John Gilbert spoke on behalf of the Tetsworth neighbourhood planning group, urging Cabinet not to withdraw its financial support to neighbourhood plans. 

To consider the head of finance’s report (Please note that this report is printed in a separate budget papers pack, with the exception of Appendix E that is attached to this agenda). 

Cabinet considered the interim head of finance’s report on the revenue budget 2020/21 and the capital programme to 2024/25.  Cabinet had deferred consideration of the budget on 30 January 2020, to seek Scrutiny Committee’s views. 

The Cabinet member reported that the council was limited to a £5 increase in council tax per Band D property, and had to use reserves to balance its budget for the medium term financial plan.  The budget proposal included the creation of a transformation budget to investigate revenue income generation options during 2020/21.  The proposals also included funding for the climate emergency year one work programme.  There would need to be careful budget monitoring during the year. 

In response to the public speaker, Cabinet recalled that the way the government funded neighbourhood planning had changed, reducing the grant to district councils by £10,000 per plan.  The council would no longer offer grants to community groups as these were now being offered directly by the government.  However, the council would continue to support neighbourhood plans with officer advice through the dedicated neighbourhood planning team, and by funding the costs of examination and referendums. 

Cabinet noted that Scrutiny Committee had considered the budget proposals but had recommended that the councillor community grants budget should not be reduced.  Cabinet agreed that the grant budget should be retained at its current level. 

Car parking fees and charges would remain the same, pending a review during 2020/21.  It was noted that Scrutiny Committee had not made any recommendations on this. 

The Cabinet member for finance moved the budget proposals in their original form, as set out in the report.  Cabinet supported the proposals. 

Cabinet thanked officers for their work on the budget. 

RESOLVED: to

(a)      agree to maintain car park fees and charges at current levels pending a review of fees and charges later in the year;

(b)      authorise the interim head of finance, in consultation with the Cabinet member for finance, to make minor adjustments to the interim head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 30 January 2020 and to the prudential indicators should they prove necessary prior to its submission to Council on 13 February 2020.

RECOMMENDED to Council to:

(c)       set the revenue budget for 2020/21 as set out in appendix A.1 to the interim head of finance’s report to Cabinet on 30 January 2020;

(d)      approve the capital programme for 2020/21 to 2024/25 as set out in appendix D.1 to the report, together with the capital programme changes as set out in appendix D.2 of the report;

(e)      set the council’s prudential limits as listed in appendix E to the report;

(f)        approve the medium term financial plan to 2024/25 as set out in appendix F to the report;

(g)      allocate £500,000 to fund the Communities Capital and Revenue grant scheme; and

(h)      ask officers to review the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2018/19 to 2022/23 following the 2020 spending review and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announcements of changes to the council’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i)         it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 to 7 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

(ii)       the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

RESOLVED: to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i)        it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

(ii)       the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

To consider the head of partnership and insight’s report. 

Cabinet agreed changes to the corporate services contract.