Agenda and minutes

*HC 50            

No apologies were received. 

Members are invited to declare any personal or disclosable pecuniary interests, including the nature and extent of such interests they may have in any items to be considered at this meeting.

            If Councillors have any questions relating to predetermination, bias or interests in items on this Agenda, then please contact the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

*HC 51            

Members were invited to declare any interests in the items of business to be discussed and these were recorded as follows:

Cllr M Ewings declared a personal interest in agenda item 7: ‘Revenue Budget Proposals for 2021/22’ (Minute HC 55 below refers) and specifically recommendation 6 by virtue of being the Chairman of Tavistock Youth Café and remained in the meeting during the debate and vote on this item. 

Minutes of meeting held on 8 December 2020

*HC 52           

The Minutes of the Hub Committee meeting held on 8 December 2020 were confirmed as a correct record.

*HC 53

There were no questions submitted by the Public

*HC 54         

Members were presented with the Hub Committee Forward Plan setting out items on the agenda for Hub Committee meetings for the next four months. 

The contents of the Forward Plan were agreed, with the addition of the Public Space Protection Order report to be brought to the Hub Committee meeting on 16 March 2021.

HC 55                 

The Leader presented Members with a report that set out the latest budget position for the Revenue Budget for 2021/22 and highlighted specific points for consideration, including the pressures inherent on the Council due to the Covid Pandemic; that Revenue Support Grant from Central Government was now nil; and that the receipt of £70,000 Lower Tier Service Grant had helped the Council to present a balanced budget for 2021/22. 

Following the Leader’s request for Members to input into the Report on the Business Case for providing additional funding to the Community Safety Partnership (Appendix F of the attendant report), there followed a full discussion, with the resultant alternative recommendation to part iv) of this item.  Following proposal, and seconding, this alternative proposal was approved.

It was then reSOLVed that the Hub Committee recommendED to Council:

i)         The increase in Council Tax for 2021/22 of £5 (Band D of £241.63 for 2021/22 – an increase of 10 pence per week or £5 per year – equates to a 2.11% increase);

ii)        The financial pressures shown in Appendix A of £434,000;

iii)       The net contributions to/(from) Earmarked Reserves of £42,500 as shown in Appendix A;

iv)      The proposed use of £192,772 of New Homes Bonus funding to fund the 2021/22 Revenue Budget as set out in 4.24 of the report;

v)        The savings of £344,200 as shown in Appendix A;

vi)      To request that officers undertake further research before a final decision is taken for additional funding to be allocated to the Community Safety Partnership, with this research being reported back to Members as soon as is practically possible;

vii)     That the Total Net Expenditure of the Council is £7,301,695 for 2021/22;

viii)   To transfer £281,404 (the fifth tranche of COVID funding as set out in 11.2 and 1.11 of the report), into a COVID Earmarked Reserve, to protect against future COVID losses in 2021/22;

ix)      That the level of reserves as set out within this report and the assessment of their adequacy and the robustness of budget estimates be noted. (NOTE. this is a requirement of Part 2 of the Local Government Act 2003).

x)       The Environmental Health charges in Appendix D, with no proposed increases for 2021/22;

xi)      The level of fees and charges set out for Planning Applications and Enforcement in Appendix E, with no proposed increases for 2021/22;

xii)     The proposed fees and charges for Street Naming as set out at the end of Appendix E;

xiii)   The proposed Section 106 Monitoring fee shown at the end of Appendix E;

xiv)   That delegated authority is given to the Section 151 Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to set the Local Land Charges as appropriate for cost recovery; and

xv)     That delegated authority is given to the relevant Head of Practice in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to adjust Fees and Charges within their service area by inflation at suitable periodic intervals, reporting to the Hub Committee as deemed appropriate.

HC 56                

The Leader presented Members with a report that set out the Capital Programme proposals for 2021/22 and highlighted the £100,000 for replacement of IT hardware and a payroll and Human Resource software, both of which were confirmed as a 50:50 cost split with South Hams District Council. 

It was then reSOLVed that the Hub Committee recommend to Council:

a)       The Capital Programme for 2021/22, which totals £1,075,000 (Appendix A); and

b)    The funding of the 2020/21 Capital Programme of £1,075,000 from the funding sources set out in Section 4.

*HC 57            

The Lead Member for Performance and Resources presented Members with a report that outlined the financial position as at 30^th November 2020 for the purposes of budget monitoring.  The meeting noted that all capital projects were within the individual capital budgets approved by Members. 

Members’ attention was drawn to a new table in Appendix C of the attendant report which highlighted Section 106 deposits showing list and expiry dates.  Section 106 training would been arranged for Members in the near future, which would include a presentation on a proposed new process that would involve local Members being informed on the receipt of Section 106 monies, and give working examples.

The new process was intended to increase Members’ awareness of projects in hand and ensure these projects were completed in a timely manner.  The training would also look at the involvement of Devon County Council in relation to the Section 106 element for education and transport.

Following the training, officers agreed to bring a report back to Members outlining Section 106 monies due to be spent in the next three years.

It was then RESOLVED that the contents of the report be endorsed.

HC 58           

The Leader presented the Hub with a report that outlined the draft Devon Districts’ Procurement Strategy.

Following a question from a Member regarding some missing information in Column 4 of the table on page 89 of the agenda papers, the lead officer confirmed this information would be added and the updated report would be made available to the public.

During the questions, it was confirmed that collaboration with Devon County Council and Plymouth City Council was already in operation and opportunities for future collaboration on projects such as energy were being explored.  These were noted as being relevant to part 2) of the recommendations.

The Leader confirmed that officers were currently reviewing what procurement could be achieved locally and would then set stretch targets for increased local buying to be achieved.  Following the request from one Member, officers agreed to analyse the top five categories of spend and would bring this information back to the Financial Stability Review Group within the next few months. 

It was then RESOLVED that the Hub Committee:

1.    Note the progress made in delivery of the previous Devon Districts Procurement Strategy 2014-2018;

2.    Consider any West Devon specific priorities or objectives which we should explore to be incorporated into the strategy delivery plan; and

3.    RECOMMEND to Council to adopt the Devon Districts Procurement Strategy 2019-2022 (including the objectives set out in recommendation 2). 

*HC 59         

Following a review of the Minutes arising from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 10 November 2020:

Minute O&S 43: Safeguarding: Annual Update

It was RESOLVED:

That the Hub Committee ADOPT the revised Safeguarding Policy (as attached at Appendix A of the presented agenda report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting).

(NOTE: THESE DECISIONS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MINUTES HC 55, HC 56, AND HC 58 PART 3, WHICH ARE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL COUNCIL MEETING ON 16 FEBRUARY 2021, WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE FROM WEDNESDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2021 UNLESS CALLED IN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCRUTINY PROCEDURE RULE 18)