Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the 21 October 2021 and 30 November 2021 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

Apologies

 

Apologies were received from Councillors Bond, Cox and McQueen.

 

Mayor’s announcements

 

A minute’s silence was observed to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Public question time was deferred until the 3 March 2022 council meeting.

Resolved (by 25 votes to 0):

      i.         To approve the revised need to borrow over the 30-year life of the business plan, with the first instance of this anticipated to be in 2022/23, to sustain the proposed level of investment, which includes ear-marking funding for delivery of a net 1,000 new homes over a 10-year timeframe.

    ii.         To recognise that the constitution delegates Treasury Management to the Head of Finance (Part 3, para 5.11), with Part 4F, C16 stating; ‘All executive decisions on borrowing, investment or financing shall be delegated to the Head of Finance, who is required to act in accordance with CIPFA’s Code of Practice for Treasury Management in Local Authorities.

   iii.         To recognise that any decision to borrow further will impact the authority’s ability to set-aside resource to redeem 25% of the value of the housing debt by the point at which the loan portfolio matures, with the approach to this to be reviewed before further borrowing commences.

  iv.         To approve capital bids, as detailed in Appendix D (3 ) and Appendix E of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

    v.         To approve the latest Decent Homes and Other HRA Stock Investment Programme, to include reduced expenditure for wall structure and fire safety works and re-phasing of other elements of the programme into later years, as detailed in Appendix E of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

  vi.         To approve the latest budget sums, profiling and associated financing for all new build schemes, including revised scheme budgets for Colville III, Fen Road, Ditton Fields, Aragon Close, Sackville Close and Borrowdale based upon the latest cost information from the Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) and a reduction in unit numbers at Aylesborough Close, as detailed in Appendices E and H, and summarised in Appendix K, of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

 vii.         To approve the allocation of funds from the budget ear-marked for the delivery of 1,000 net new homes to allow buy back of leasehold dwellings and relocation of tenants from Princess and Hanover Court over the next two years, in advance of a final recommendation for the future of the estate which will be presented once the options appraisal and consultation work has been concluded.

viii.         To approve the revised Housing Capital Investment Plan as shown in Appendix K of the HRA Budget Setting Report.

  ix.         To approve the inclusion of Disabled Facilities Grant expenditure and associated grant income from 2022/23 onwards, based upon 2021/22 net grant received, with delegation to the Head of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to approve an in year increase or decrease in the budget for disabled facilities grants in any year, in direct relation to any increase or decrease in the capital grant funding for this purpose, as received from the County Council through the Better Care Fund.

    x.         To approve delegation to the Head of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to determine the most appropriate use of any additional Disabled Facilities Grant funding, for the wider benefit of the Shared Home Improvement Agency.

  xi.         To approve delegation to the Strategic Director to review and amend the level of fees charged by the Shared Home Improvement Agency for disabled facilities grants and repair assistance grants, in line with any decisions made by the Shared Home Improvement Agency Board.

 xii.         To approve delegation to the Strategic Director to review, agree and enter into a revised Shared Home Improvement Agency Shared Service Agreement, in line with recommendations made by the Shared Home Improvement Agency Board.

xiii.         To approve delegation to the Strategic Director, in consultation with the Head of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to draw down resource from the ear-marked reserves for potential debt redemption or re-investment, for the purpose of open market land or property acquisition or new build housing development, should the need arise, in order to meet deadlines for the use of retained right to buy receipts or to facilitate future site redevelopment.

xiv.         To approve delegation to the Head of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to make any necessary technical amendments to detailed budgets in respect of recharges between the General Fund and the HRA, with any change in impact for the HRA to be incorporated as part of the HRA Medium Term Financial Strategy in September 2022.

Resolved (unanimously):

i.               To agree the capital strategy as set out in the report and note the summary capital programme.

 

 

Resolved (unanimously):

i.               To approve the officer’s report, including the estimated Prudential and Treasury Indicators for 2022/23 to 2025/26 (inclusive) as set out in Appendix C.

ii.             To approve the renewal of the £7.5 million loan to Cambridge City Housing Company Ltd (CCHC) for a further term of 5 years from 1 April 2022, at an interest rate of 2.02% per annum.

iii.            To introduce an authorised limit for other long-term liabilities of £2 million, in response to technical accounting changes brought about by the adoption of IFRS 16 (see 7.3 of the officer’s report).

 

 

The Executive presented its budget recommendations as set out in the Council Agenda and as published on the City Council’s website.

The Liberal Democrat Group Members presented the Liberal Democrat Group’s alternative budget as set out in the Council Agenda and as published on the City Council’s website.

 

 

The Green and Independent Group Members presented the Green and Independent Group budget comments as set out in the Council Agenda and as published on the City Council’s website.

 

On a show of hands the Liberal Democrat Group’s alternative budget amendment was lost by:

 

10 votes in favour: Bennett, Bick, Dalzell, Flaubert, Gehring, Hauk, Lee, Nethsingha, Payne, Porrer.

 

To 23 votes against: Ashton, D.Baigent, S.Baigent, Collis, Davey, H.Davies, Dryden, Gawthrope Wood, Gilderdale, Healy, McPherson, Moore, Pounds, Robertson, Sargeant, Scutt, Sheil, Smart, A.Smith, S.Smith, Sweeney, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones.

 

In accordance with the Council’s budget procedure, Councillor Bick moved separately the following proposals, which formed part of the Liberal Democrat Group alternative budget:

 

Reference B0001 (Strengthen planning enforcement within the city) and S0002 (Reduction of Communications team expansion) (pages 436/437 of the agenda).

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

10 votes in favour: Bennett, Bick, Dalzell, Flaubert, Gehring, Hauk, Lee, Nethsingha, Payne, Porrer.

 

To 23 votes against: Ashton, D.Baigent, S.Baigent, Collis, Davey, H.Davies, Dryden, Gawthrope Wood, Gilderdale, Healy, McPherson, Moore, Pounds, Robertson, Sargeant, Scutt, Sheil, Smart, A.Smith, S.Smith, Sweeney, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones.

 

Reference RI0003 (Postpone 2022-23 increase in market stall trader fees) (page 436 of the agenda).

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

10 votes in favour: Bennett, Bick, Dalzell, Flaubert, Gehring, Hauk, Lee, Nethsingha, Payne, Porrer.

 

To 23 votes against: Ashton, D.Baigent, S.Baigent, Collis, Davey, H.Davies, Dryden, Gawthrope Wood, Gilderdale, Healy, McPherson, Moore, Pounds, Robertson, Sargeant, Scutt, Sheil, Smart, A.Smith, S.Smith, Sweeney, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones.

 

Reference CAP0006 (Capital grant for acquisition of acoustic monitoring cameras) (page 439 of the agenda).

 

On a show of hands the proposal was lost by:

 

10 votes in favour: Bennett, Bick, Dalzell, Flaubert, Gehring, Hauk, Lee, Nethsingha, Payne, Porrer.

 

To 23 votes against: Ashton, D.Baigent, S.Baigent, Collis, Davey, H.Davies, Dryden, Gawthrope Wood, Gilderdale, Healy, McPherson, Moore, Pounds, Robertson, Sargeant, Scutt, Sheil, Smart, A.Smith, S.Smith, Sweeney, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones.

 

Unless otherwise stated, all references in the recommendations to sections, pages and appendices relate to Version 2.0 (Council) of the Budget Setting Report (BSR).

 

This can be found via:

Agenda for Council on Thursday, 24th February, 2022, 6.00 pm - Cambridge Council

 

It was RESOLVED to agree the Executive’s budget proposals by:

 

23 votes in favour: Ashton, D.Baigent, S.Baigent, Collis, Davey, H.Davies, Dryden, Gawthrope Wood, Gilderdale, Healy, McPherson, Moore, Pounds, Robertson, Sargeant, Scutt, Sheil, Smart, A.Smith, S.Smith, Sweeney, Thornburrow, Todd-Jones.

 

9 abstentions: Bennett, Bick, Dalzell, Gehring, Hauk, Lee, Nethsingha, Payne, Porrer.

 

To approve the following:

 

i.               Revenue Pressures and Bids shown in Appendix B(b) and Savings shown in Appendix B(c) of the officer’s report.

ii.             Non-Cash Limit items as shown in Appendix B(d) of the officer’s report.

iii.            Bids to be funded from External Funding sources as shown in Appendix B(e) of the officer’s report.

iv.           Delegation to the Chief Financial Officer (Head of Finance) of the calculation and determination of the Council Tax taxbase (including submission of the National Non-Domestic Rates Forecast Form, NNDR1, for each financial year) which is set out in Appendix A(a) of the officer’s report.

v.             The level of Council Tax for 2022/23 as set out in Appendix A (b) and Section 4 [page 17 of the BSR refers].

vi.           Delegation to the Head of Finance authority to finalise changes relating to any further corporate and/or departmental restructuring and any reallocation of support service and central costs, in accordance with the CIPFA Service Reporting Code of Practice for Local Authorities (SeRCOP).

vii.          The proposals outlined in Appendix C(a) for inclusion in the Capital Plan.

viii.        Deletion from the Capital Plan of the Cambridge Junction capital scheme, as set out in Section 6 [page 29 of the BSR refers].

ix.           The revised Capital Plan for the General Fund as set out in Appendix C(c) and the Funding as set out in Section 6, page 29 of the BSR.

x.             The impact of revenue budget approvals and the resulting contribution from reserves to support service delivery [Section 8, page 44 of the BSR refers].

xi.           The allocation of funding on a contingency basis to the collaborative ‘Changing Futures’ programme project [Section 8, page 44 of the BSR refers].

xii.          The resulting level of reserves [Section 8, page 44 of the BSR refers].

xiii.        The Chief Finance Officer’s Section 25 Report included in Section 10 of the BSR [page 65 refers].

xiv.        The schedule of proposed fees and charges for 2022/23 in Appendix F of the officer’s report.