Agenda and minutes

Up to 15 minutes are allowed for public participation.  Participants are restricted to 3 minutes each.

None.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the Corporate Policy and Resources meeting held on 13 June were approved as a correct record.

The minutes of the Concurrent Meeting of Corporate Policy and Resources and Prosperous Communities committees held on 11 June were also approved as a correct record.

Members may make declarations of Interest at this point or may make them at any point in the meeting.

None.

Setting out current position of previously agreed actions as at 17 July 2019.

The matters arising report was noted.

Members considered the Progress and Delivery report for period 1 of 2019/20.

The below areas were highlighted:

·         Performance remained below target for the average number of market stalls.  An action plan for markets had been signed off, along with the relocation of the Farmers’ Market;

Members were to receive a progress report on this area at Prosperous Communities Committee in December;

·         A workshop had been held in April on the subject of Home Choices, and a number of areas had been highlighted for improvement actions.

Members then provided comment, and asked questions of officers.  The following information was provided:

·         Home Choices was an important area and both a national and district priority.  A number of changes had been introduced with the aim of improving the service; one of these changes was taking the housing register back ‘in-house’.

·         The presentation and complexity of the housing need had altered dramatically.  More individuals are presenting with drug, drink, debt and anti-social behavioural problems; something more was needed by Members and the public in terms of commentary;

·         The Home Choices team now have the ability to compare themselves against other districts  with help from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) ;

·         The criteria for homelessness was now different.  There was a duty to assist everyone that presented to the Council, but this duty did not extend necessarily to finding housing.  The rates attached to providing accommodation had declined because of the Homelessness Reduction Act.

The main areas of concern in the district were Gainsborough and Market Rasen;

·         There had been an error within the report under ‘Healthy District’ - the number of people using the Leisure Centre.  The numbers were still below target.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Members considered a report setting out the revenue, capital and treasury

management activity from 1 April 2019 to 31 May 2019.

The following points were highlighted:

·         There was a forecast surplus of £379,000, including an approved carry-forward of £19,000.  £361,000 related to interest payable on borrowing;

·         The purchase of an investment property had been completed; the impact of this purchase would be presented as part of the Treasury update at the November meeting of this committee;

·         In terms of treasury management, a return of 1.663% had been achieved for the previous quarter.  Investments totalled £16.5 million;

·         Capital expenditure – the forecast outturn position was £31.813 million;

·         Members discussed the merits of electric car charging points and whether it would be useful to have them in other parts of the district;

·         A portion of the grant received for the High Street Community Clean-up was used for replacement bins on Gainsborough High Street.  Members were keen to discover whether this would be extended to other parts of the district;

·         Following enquiries from Members about the prevalence of blocks of flats within the district, it was revealed that there were no flats above three storeys in the socially rented sector.

RESOLVED to:

a)    accept the forecast out-turn position of a £379k net contribution to reserves as at 31 May 2019;

b)    accept the use of Earmarked Reserves during the quarter approved by the Executive Director of Resources using Delegated powers;

c)    approve the introduction of new fees and charges for Street Naming and Numbering;

d)  approve the use of General Fund Balances of £16.5k for the High Street Community Clean Up;

e)  approve the Capital Budget amendments and accept the current projected Capital outturn;

f)    accept the Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators to 31 May 2019.

To agree to move the date of December’s CPR committee from Thursday 12 December 2019 to Wednesday 4 December 2019.

RESOLVED to change the date of December’s Corporate Policy and Resources Committee meeting from Thursday 12 December to Wednesday 4 December.

The workplan as at 17 July was noted by the Committee.

To resolve that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED that under Section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

The exempt record of the Concurrent meeting held on 11 June was noted.