Agenda item

Executive Forward Plan

Note: If any Member seeks further clarity, or wishes to raise issues regarding any future Executive agenda item, please contact Member Services before 5.00pm on Monday, 3 September 2018 to ensure that the lead Executive Member(s) and lead officer(s) are aware of this request in advance of the meeting.

 

(NB. the Panel has already requested the following items to be raised at this meeting):

 

(a)   Medium Term Financial Position – Presentation; and

 

(b)   Public Toilet Pay on Entry Contract Award – Verbal Update

 

 

Minutes:

O&S.33/18     

The Panel was presented with the most recently published Executive Forward Plan and proceeded to note the likelihood that the agenda items relating to the: ‘Governance Arrangements Post JLP Adoption’ and ‘Peer Review Report’ would now be considered at a later meeting of the Executive.

 

(a)   Medium Term Financial Strategy – Presentation

 

Having formally requested that the Panel consider the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) before its onward consideration by the Executive, the Section 151 Officer conducted a presentation to Members that also contained ten recommendations.

 

In the ensuing debate, reference was made to:-

 

(a)   some concerns that Development Management Committee Members were disengaged from the process of developing the MTFS.  To offset these concerns, officers confirmed that the MTFS would be a standalone item on the Council agenda for its meeting on 27 September 2018;

 

(b)   the Business Rates Pilot Scheme.  Members considered that the Council had little option other than to submit an application for Business Rates Pilot status for 2019/20.  That being said, the Panel felt it to be very unfair that those local authorities that were located in London did not have to re-apply;

 

(c)    negative Revenue Support Grant.  It was confirmed that the District Council Network was working very hard to obtain a realistic business rates baseline for all District Councils from 2020 onwards;

 

(d)   the use of New Homes Bonus funding.  Such was the level of detail that was contained within the presentation slides in relation to New Homes Bonus funding, that a Member did not feel in a position to reach a view at this meeting;

 

(e)   Earmarked Reserves.  The Panel felt that there was a need for ongoing review of the projects that were allocated within the Earmarked Reserves.  Furthermore, a Member felt that it would be good practice to impose deadlines on such projects;

 

(f)     the recommendations to take specialist pension advice and review the terms and conditions of the Employment Green Book.  In support of the recommendations on the options for the Council’s Pension position and the conditions of the Employment Green Book, Members considered these to be particularly important matters;

 

(g)  the Treasury Management recommendations.  The Panel was of the view that any recommendations it made on External Borrowing levels would be pre-empting the views of the Audit Committee.  As a result, the Panel did not feel it appropriate to make a recommendation on this part of the MTFS at this time.

 

It was then:

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive RECOMMEND to Council that:

 

1.  the strategic intention be set to raise Council Tax by the maximum allowed in any given year, without triggering a Council Tax Referendum, to enable continued delivery of services (NB. the actual Council Tax for any given year will be decided by the Council in the preceding February;

 

2.  an application be submitted for Pilot status for 2019/20, with agreement being given to a 40% District / 34% Devon County Council / 1% Fire split for the 75% scheme.  In the event of the Pilot bid not being successful, then agreement be given to remaining part of the Devon Business Rates Pool for 2019/20;

 

3.  Central Government and Devon MPs be actively lobbied to support a 2019/20 Devon Pilot bid;

 

4.  the Government, Devon MPs and other sector bodies such as the District Councils Network be actively lobbied and engaged with for a realistic business rates baseline to be set for the Council for 2020 onwards;

 

5.  the Council responds to the technical consultation in support of the Government eliminating Negative Revenue Support Grant and continues to lobby for Rural Services Delivery Grant allocations which adequately reflect the cost of rural service provision;

 

6.  for modelling purposes, the Council use £500,000 of New Homes Bonus funding for 2019-20 to fund the revenue base budget and then reduce this level to £400,000 by 2020-21 and £250,000 by 2021-22;

 

7.     the annual level of contributions to Earmarked Reserves (£722,300) and the adequacy of the existing level of Unearmarked Reserves (£1.8 million) and Earmarked Reserves (£8.3 million) be reviewed by Members as part of the Budget Setting process.  (NB. this will assess the adequacy of Reserves levels, in light of future plans and pressures);

 

8.     it takes specialist pension advice on the options for the Council’s Pension position, with the aim of reducing the current contributions, increasing affordability, whilst best managing the pension deficit;

 

9.     it continue with the Local Government Terms and Conditions of Employment Green Book for at least 2019/20.  That a review be undertaken into all options for reducing staff costs by varying terms from the Green Book from 2020/21, with an initial report being presented back before the end of 2018/19.

 

 

(b)   Public Toilet Pay on Entry Contract Award

 

At the request of the Panel, the Community Of Practice Lead – Environment Services provided an update on the Public Toilet Pay on Entry Contract Award.  In so doing, she advised that two tender submissions had been received and, following their evaluation, clarification answers to queries had been sought and received.  It was confirmed that the next step would now be to award the contract.

 

During the subsequent debate, the following points were raised:-

 

(i)  The Panel was assured that the tender documentation had been compiled in such a way to ensure that the Council was not committed to specific Public Conveniences becoming Pay on Entry facilities.  Furthermore, the process of determining exactly which facilities would become Pay on Entry would only be completed following a consultation exercise with the relevant local Ward Members;

 

(ii) In reply to a question, officers advised that the tenderers had been asked to provide a view on what they considered to be the most appropriate means of delivering a Pay on Entry solution at each of the Public Conveniences;

 

(iii) Whilst the Council continued to lobby, the Panel noted that Business Rates were still payable on Public Conveniences.  As part of an upcoming review, officers advised that each of the Rates would be assessed to see if a formal appeal on the Rateable Value should be made to the Valuation Office.

 

 

Supporting documents: