Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Sue Cooper

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

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

The meeting noted the fire evacuation arrangements.

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

None.

To consider any recommendations to Cabinet from other committees. 

None.

To consider the head of housing and environment’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of housing and environment’s report which sought adoption of the Empty Homes policy and to delegate authority to the head of housing and environment to make minor amendments to the policy in future.

The Cabinet member for community well being presented the report and highlighted what the policy sought to achieve. She went on to inform Cabinet that by adopting the policy a proactive approach to bringing homes back into use would be implemented with the addition of a staff member to deliver this. The Cabinet member for community informed Cabinet that the number of empty homes was calculated based on council tax data and that through the proposed positive engagement more properties may be brought back into use.

Cabinet welcomed the officer report and were keen to ensure that effective communications were employed to ensure the wider community were aware of the policy. Cabinet noted that there was wider benefit to bringing homes back into use than the financial cost including provision of housing for those in need and reduction in anti-social behaviour associated with empty properties.

RESOLVED to:

(a)       approve the adoption of the Empty Homes policy;

(b)    authorise the head of housing and environment to make minor amendments to the policy in the future. 

To consider the head of policy and programmes’ report. 

Cabinet considered the corporate performance report and the climate action plan performance report for quarter 3, 2023/24, being the period October to December 2023.

Cabinet welcomed the reports and highlighted areas of the council’s achievements particularly noting the useful highlights page on page 25 of the agenda pack.

It was highlighted that feedback had been taken on board to include the dates the report applied to and to make the report more high level with links to the website where greater detail could be found. Cabinet members were encouraged to include links to the reports in their parish reports.

Cabinet also noted it had been pleased to see specific reference to the reports and how they will be used by the scrutiny committee included in the scrutiny work plan.

RESOLVED: to note the Corporate Performance Report and Climate Action Plan Performance Report for quarter 3, 2023/24.