Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2023 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Apologies for absence from the meeting were received from Councillors L Edge, R Newmark and J Rogerson.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any disclosable pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interest in respect of matters contained in the agenda.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interests.

The Chairman welcomed Mr Terry Hill who spoke on behalf of Whalley Educational Foundation in respect of agenda item 33 – UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for members to consider the Council’s latest budget forecast and decide what action needs to be taken to meet the financial challenges that lay ahead.

In preparing the budget forecast both national and local circumstances were considered. The forecast would be particularly challenging because of major issues such as unknown government funding, changes to Government and major funding streams, inflation levels and pay rises, cost-of-living impact on demand for services, and assumptions on interest rates. Any of these issues would have a major impact on the Council’s budget and were rapidly evolving. The report included a diagram showing the percentage split of how the net budget for 2023/24 was financed.

In creating the budget, a number of assumptions had been made.

The Council had assumed that the Pay Offer of £1,925 per full time employee up to SCP 43, and 3.88% for Heads of Service and 3.5% for the Chief Officer, would be accepted by the unions for the 2023/24 financial year. It was estimated this would cost between £550k and £600k. The budget had allowed for a 5% increase which meant we could anticipate an additional £170k above what we had estimated.

The Bank of England had forecasted that the Bank Rate would stay higher for longer before falling back. The budget assumed average returns on investments over the life of the forecast based on interest rates of 4% for 2024/25, 3% for 2025/26 and 2% for 2026/27 The forecast also assumed the level of Council investments would be £20m.

It was estimated the Council would retain £2.2m in business rate growth in 2023/24 and 2024/25 (and would use £2m to fund the revenue budget for each of the two years). Not all authorities had benefited from business rate growth and the Government were considering resetting the business rates baselines which would significantly reduce the amount of future growth the Council retained. For 2025/26 it was assumed the Council would retain £1.2m (and use £1m to fund the revenue budget).

The Council had benefitted significantly from the new homes bonus scheme (NHB) over many years. For some time, the Government had indicated that the NHB scheme was going to end. They had also stated that a consultation paper would be issued over the summer months. However, nothing had been issued therefore the future forecast assumed no NHB income.

In 2023/24 the Council received a one-off Funding Guarantee. It was assumed that core Government funding would continue for the life of the forecast with no increase but that the Council would receive Transitional Protection in some form to reflect reduced Core Spending Power. However, it was stressed that this assumption was made in the absence of any information regarding key reforms.

Council Tax increases of £5 each year and a tax base increase of 1% each year were estimated for the life of the forecast. It was explained that a £5 increase would generate approx. £120k each year and a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 269.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report to the Committee to approve an additional capital programme scheme to enable the replacement of the financial server operating system. The scheme would also see an upgrade to the reporting software and a system version upgrade.

The Council has a number of servers running Windows Server 2012 R2 which would be de-supported by Microsoft in October, and therefore required upgrade. There were some options for extended support, but the most cost-effective way forward was to upgrade to the 2019 version.

There were three elements of upgrade work that would be undertaken, in respect of the server, Business Objects query tool, and the Civica Financials software. The upgrade work would be undertaken by Civica UK limited together with assistance from the Council’s in-house ICT team. The work would be completed within the financial year at a total cost of £13,500.

The Council received Section 31 New Burdens funding for costs around data transparency, and it was proposed to use some of these resources that were in earmarked reserves to fund the scheme.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approve the new capital programme scheme for the 2023/24 financial year for the Financials System Server Upgrade and associated software upgrades at a cost of £13,500.

2.    Approve the use of transparency code new burdens monies that are within earmarked reserves to fund the new capital scheme.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for Committee to approve an additional capital programme scheme to enable the bulk replacement of the Council’s mobile phone handsets.

A review had been undertaken which assessed the provision of mobile phones for staff for work purposes. The assessment of future needs identified that the cost of replacement and additional handsets could not be funded through existing budgets. The request for the new capital scheme covered the procurement of over 100 new mobile phone handsets at a total cost of £30,000, the majority of which would be refurbished ‘good as new’ handsets.

The new equipment would greatly improve the ability of staff to undertake their roles, notably when away from the main offices or depot, allowing better reactive responses to issues that may arise around the Borough. The handsets would also provide better security and safety for staff whilst working alone or remotely.

It was hoped that future replacements could be programmed through the five-year capital programme.

Members felt that the scheme was necessary and further discussed that the option be explored to provide Members, and in particular Group Leaders, with mobile devices. This would greatly improve communication channels for Members, who due to strict security controls, were only able to access Councillor emails on their Council supplied tablet device.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approve the inclusion of a new capital programme scheme in 2023/24 financial year for mobile phones at a cost of £30,000.

2.    Approve the use of Covid new burdens monies that are within our earmarked reserves to fund the new capital scheme.

3.    Approve Officers to consider providing mobile devices to Members, and other opportunities for Councillors to access emails.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for Committee to consider the allocation of concurrent function grants for 2023/24.

It was explained that Concurrent functions were services provided in some parts of the Borough by the Borough Council, and in others by a Parish or Town Council. The Council had supported Parish and Town Councils with net revenue expenditure on these functions with reimbursement of 25% of the expenditure. The functions eligible for support by the grants were listed in the report. 25 applications were to be considered for support with a total net expenditure of £106,629, therefore the 25% grant support amount requested totalled £26,657.

It was asked if the scheme could be widened to include other functions such as car parks and war memorials.  The Director of Resources and Deputy Chief Executive explained that the eligible areas of spend included in the scheme were ones where the Council paid for services in some parts of the borough but parishes or Town Councils paid for them in other areas of the borough.  It was suggested a report be brought back for members consideration regarding the areas included and excluded under the scheme.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1. Approve the payment of grants to parish and town councils under the grant scheme conditions and totalling £26,657.

2. Agreed a report be brought back for members consideration regarding the areas included and excluded under the scheme.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

The Chief Executive submitted a report seeking approval from Committee for the Corporate Strategy Working Group to develop a new Corporate Strategy for 2023-27.

The Corporate Strategy set out the strategic direction of the Council for any given period and provided a focus to ensure that the services the Council delivered met the needs of the communities. The 2019-2023 Strategy had a four-year scope therefore Committee had agreed in January 2023 that, following the local elections in May 2023, the Council would develop a new Strategy covering 2023-2027.

It was recommended that the Working Group develop the Corporate Strategy for 2023-27 for approval and adoption by the Committee on 23 January 2024. The Working Group would consider:

·         The findings of the 2023 Residents Survey and other strategic plans and strategies such as the Climate Change Strategy, the Local Plan, and the Economic Business Plan.

·         Whether Council priorities, objectives, key actions and KPIs were still relevant and if changes were required.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the review of the new Corporate Strategy 2023-2027 by the Corporate Strategy working group, taking into account the findings of the 2023 People’s survey and other strategic plans and documents as noted in the report.

Report of the Director of Economic Development & Planning enclosed.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating Members on the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) and seeking approval for utilising the majority of the funding via a grant scheme and utilising some of the funding to deliver electric vehicle charging points.

The Council successfully submitted an addendum to the UKSPF investment plan which had resulted in an award of £433,680 of capital funding to be invested in rural capital projects. £75,000 was available in the current financial year (2023/24) with a further £358,680 available in 2024/25.

A draft grant scheme had been considered by the UKSPF Working Group on 18 August 2023. The Working Group supported the grant scheme, and their recommendations were included in the report. The challenge of spending this years (2023/24) £75,000 allocation had been discussed and the Working Group considered that a proportion of the funding could be used to facilitate the provision of electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs) in some of the Council’s rural car parks. A feasibility report had been conducted and the findings were included in the report. The Working Group recommended that up to £50,000 of the 2023/24 REPF funding be used to install charging points in the locations as noted in the report.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approve grant criteria for the REPF capital grant scheme.

2.    Approve the grant process for the REPF capital grant scheme.

3.    Authorise the Director of Economic Development and Planning to deliver the scheme in line with the criteria.

4.    Authorise the Director of Economic Development and Planning to seek formal tenders for the provision of electric vehicle charging points on the Council’s car parks at Sabden, Slaidburn, Dunsop Bridge, Chipping and Ribchester (up to the value of £50,000) and award the contract in line with the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules to deliver the new infrastructure this financial year.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the outturn for the financial year 2022/23 in respect of the revenue budget for this Committee. There had been a number of variations in both income and expenditure during the year that had given rise to an overall overspend of £266,162 on the net cost of services. After transfers to and from reserves the overall overspend was £94,792.

Report of the Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive enclosed

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the overall revenue outturn for the year ending 31 March 2023. The final outturn on the general fund revenue account was a deficit of £242k rather than the £537k deficit forecast at the revised estimate. This defict was taken from General Fund Balances resulting in a balance of £2.719m at 31 March 2023. Revenue additions to earmarked reserves was £84k rather than the £649k forecast to be taken at revised estimate, which was further explained in the report. However, after allowing for financing the capital programme the overall net movement taken from earmarked reserves was £376k. The Collection fund showed an overall net surplus of £679k.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the position for the period April to July 2023 of this year’s revenue budget for this committee. The comparison between actual and budgeted expenditure showed an underspend of £347k for the April to July period of the financial year 2023/24. After allowing for transfers to and from earmarked reserves there was an underspend of £317k. The variances were explained in the report, which included the pay award which had yet to be agreed and would likely result in an overspend in this area.

Report of the Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive enclosed

The Director of Resources and Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the overall revenue position for the current financial year for the first quarter up to the end of June 2023. There had been an overall net underspend of £233k on service Committee net expenditure, and investment income was £91k ahead of budget. Therefore, the overall net variance for the first quarter was £324k.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the progress on this committee’s 2023/24 capital programme for the period to the end of July 2023. At the end of July 2023 £615 had been spent or committed. Of the nine schemes in the capital programme at the end of July 2023, five schemes were currently on-track to be completed in-year and four were unlikely to be completed within the financial year.

Progress on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund scheme was also reported, and at the end of July 2023 £86,371 had been spent or committed. Of the four schemes at the end of July 2023, three schemes were currently on-track to be completed in-year and one was unlikely to be completed within the financial year.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the progress on the Council’s approved 2023/24 capital programme for the period to the end of July 2023.

At the end of July 2023 £976,534 had been spent or committed. This was 15% of this Committees overall capital programme budget of £6,506,410.

A summary of progress on the 46 schemes in the capital programme at the end of July 2023 was as follows:

·         Four schemes were complete

·         Twenty-seven schemes were currently expected to be completed in-year

·         Fifteen of the schemes were unlikely be completed in-year, and further detail on the operational progress of each of these schemes was provided in the report.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on the 2022/23 treasury management operations and the outturn calculations of the council’s capital and treasury management prudential indicators. Through careful investment of sums in line with the council’s treasury management strategy the level of risk in the investments has been kept to a minimum. The base rate had increased significantly during the financial year, resulting in a marked increase to the amount of income received form investments when compared to the both the original revenue budget estimate and prior year returns. Debt and investment transactions undertaken during the 2022/23 financial year were within authorised prudential limits and approved treasury management policies and practices.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a monitoring report for information on the treasury management activities for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 July 2023. This included temporary investments, interest on investments, prospects on interest rates, local government bonds agency, borrowing, borrowing requirements, prudential indicators, approved organisations, recent events and exposure to risk.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report informing Committee of the timetable for setting the 2024/25 budget. The timetable was considerably detailed and clearly indicated who was responsible for which actions. This would be monitored in order to meet the deadlines required.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information updating Committee about the progress made with the alternative support for household energy bills announced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in December 2022.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) was primarily delivered directly as a credit to electricity bills and as a reduction to the unit cost of electricity and gas. Households that did not directly contract with an electricity supplier had instead qualified for assistance via the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSSAF), and households that used alternative fuels as their main source of heating also qualified for an Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) via their electricity supplier.

The checks that the Council were responsible for as part of applications processes were noted in the report, following which the Council would make the payment and report the outcome to DESNZ.

The Government had provided new burdens funding to LA’s for this scheme. The Council had been allocated £25,930, 60% of which (£15,560) had been paid in August with the balance of 40% (£10,370) to be paid by October 2023, subject to complying with the conditions and reconciliation process.

This Council had made 329 EBSS AF payments totalling £131,600 and 362 AFP AF payments totalling £72,400 to applicants that met the Government’s criteria.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

The Chief Executive submitted a report for information reporting the findings of the 2023 People’s Survey – Life in Ribble Valley. The 2023 People’s Survey was an important indicator of how residents felt about living in the Ribble Valley and the Council’s services. The Council would the most[MH1]  of the data available and link the findings to decision-making processes and strategic planning including developing a new Corporate Strategy for 2023-27.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

The Chief Executive submitted a report for information about the provisions of the Elections Act 2022 which were due to come into force.

Committee was reminded that the Elections Act 2022 had made a range of changes to electoral law and processes, and the first tranche of changes had included the introduction of Voter ID and new accessibility requirements which were implemented for the elections in May 2023. The second tranche of changes would come into force in advance of the May 2024 polls relating to:

·         Absent Voting

·         Overseas elections

·         EU citizens’ voting and candidacy rights

·         Postal vote handling and secrecy and commonly used names

The changes would apply to the following types of elections:

·         UK Parliamentary elections in Great Britain

·         Local Elections in England – including mayoral elections

·         Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales

Further details and the implications of the above changes were explained in the report.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

The Chief Executive submitted a report informing committee of the Annual Review letter from the Local Ombudsman. The letter related to the year ending 31 March 2023 where the Ombudsman had investigated one complaint, which was upheld. The complaint related to an historic matter which had been reported to Committee previously along with the measures which the Council had put in place to address the matters raised. The Council would continue to work on its equality policies and further reports would be brought to the Committee.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information on debts outstanding for business rates, council tax and sundry debtors. It also updated members on benefits performance, including benefits processing times and overpayment recovery.

Report of the Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive enclosed.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report informing Committee that the Counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy Statement and Strategy, the corporate Debt Write Off Policy, and the Anti-Money Laundering Policy had been reviewed. No changes or updates were required following the review.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed.

The Chief Executive submitted a report informing Committee of the Council’s usage of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) and seeking approval of the revised RIPA policy.

RIPA allowed the Council to carry out directed surveillance and/or use covert human intelligence sources (CHIS) lawfully if it is authorised in accordance with the provisions of RIPA. A revised Code of Practice for CHIS had been published in December 2022 (CHIS Code) therefore the Council’s RIPA policy had been reviewed, and a copy of the track changes within the policy were included in the report.

Committee was informed that the Council had not used its RIPA powers within the last 12 months to date.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Note the usage of RIPA during the period to date.

2.    Approve the amended RIPA policy as detailed in the report.

Report of the Chief Executive enclosed

The Chief Executive submitted a report for information in regard to the creation of the Office for Local Government (Oflog) and the publication of new Best Value Guidance. Oflog would provide authoritative and accessible data, and analysis, about the performance of local government and support its improvement. The report detailed the metrics of data that would be collected.

The Best Value Guidance set out the Government’s view of the characteristics of a well-run authority and included indicators to identify authorities that ultimately could face Statutory Government Intervention. A further report would be brought to Committee once the Best Value Guidance was issued.

Copy enclosed.

The minutes of the Budget working group held on 19 July 2023 were submitted for Committee’s information.

Copy enclosed.

The minutes of the UKSPF working group held on 18 August 2023 were submitted for Committee’s information.

None.

There were no references from Committees.

None.

There were no reports from representatives on outside bodies.

RESOLVED: That by virtue of the next item of business being exempt information under Paragraphs 1 to 3, of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be now excluded from the meeting.

Report of the Director of Economic Development and Planning enclosed.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating Committee on the Household Support Fund Round 4 (HSF4) and seeking approval for a second round of applications.

LCC had confirmed it would be allocating £240,000 to RVBC for the year 2023/24, and the Grant Agreement confirmed that £120,000 would be received in June 2023 and £120,000 in October 2023.

A supermarket voucher application scheme ran initially from 3^rd July until 1^st September 2023, the criteria for which was noted in the report. At the time of the report, 262 vouchers equating to £75,900 had been issued, and 97 applications were awaiting determination and Officers felt these would be processed in a matter of weeks using the remaining funding.

The second round of applications would run from 2 October 2023 to 1 December 2023. Members felt that initially the scheme should be open to new applicants only, and requested an update in January 2024 to consider the amount of funding remaining and if previous applicants could then be considered.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approve a second round of applications with the same criteria as round one to run from 2nd October until 1st December 2023.

2.    Agree that round one applicants would not be eligible to apply again in round two.

3.    Request an update in January 2024 to consider any remaining funding and whether to open up the application process to previously successful applicants.

Report of the Director of Economic Development and Planning enclosed.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating members in respect of the use of the Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation for 2023/24 and seeking approval to continue with one of the identified projects.

In March 2023, Committee resolved to use £300,000 of the 2023/24 UKSPF allocation to give to LCC to undertake improvements on Castle Street. Discussions with LCC had progressed and LCC proposed that the project would be a collaboration agreement, a draft of which was detailed in the report. LCC would design the scheme, run the project, procure the contract and manage the finances, and RVBC would be a member of the project board overseeing the project, and act as a point of contact for the public on the scheme.

The proposed works to Castle Street sought to undertake much needed resurfacing works and an improved road layout. The Council’s contribution to the project secured an enhanced palette of materials over and above those used for standard highway maintenance. LCC had confirmed that without the Council’s contribution no works would be undertaken.

A representative for LCC attended the meeting to present an overview of the proposal and took questions from Members.

Members were keen to strengthen the agreement with LCC; wanted more information on the role of RVBC; reassurance that the RVBC will be consulted in order to ensure proper management; and assurances that the full remit of the works could be completed within budget and without compromise.

Members discussed the proposal at length, and ultimately felt that the project was a good opportunity for Clitheroe which if missed may not be available in the future.

The report also provided Members with an overall update on UKSPF projects to date, and Officers confirmed that further UKSPF Working Group meetings were planned to determine the further project applications under the UKSPF scheme.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Agree that the Council should proceed with the Castle Street Project based on a collaboration style arrangement with LCC as an RVBC project, subject to delegation to the Chief Executive, the Leader of the Council, and the Leader of the Opposition to further negotiate the agreement with LCC.

2.    Note the progress on UKSPF projects to date.

Report of the Director of Community Services enclosed.

The Director of Community Services submitted a report requesting that Committee approve an additional £27,500 be added to the capital programme to carry out urgent roof repairs to the building known as the Youth and Community Centre Towneley Buildings, Berry Lane, Longridge.

The building which was leased from the Council by Lancashire County Council, had undergone damage to the roof due to poor weather and rainwater, resulting in internal damage and causing the internal power supply to malfunction. LCC has relocated its youth and community services until the building was made safe and fit for purpose.

The Council had obtained three quotations for the required works in compliance with its Contract Procedure Rules, and the specification and estimates for the works were included in the report. There was no budget in the capital scheme for the works therefore it was proposed that the works be funded from earmarked reserves, with the sum included as an additional budget within the capital programme for the year 2023/24.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve that the additional budget of £27,500 be added to the capital programme for the year 2023/24 to complete the urgent remedial works to the Centre, as noted in the report. This would be funded from the VAT shelter earmarked reserve.

Report of the Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive enclosed.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report seeking Committee’s approval to write off certain Council Tax and Business Rates debts relating to individuals.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve writing off £11,659.85 of Council Tax debts plus £365.00 costs and £8,098.24 of Business Rates debt plus £240.00 costs where it had not been possible to collect the amount due.

The Director of Resources & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report for information updating Committee on the latest position in regard to the request from Roefield for a further loan.

The loan request had been discussed at the Committee meeting of 20 June 2023 where Committee had resolved that:

Min No: 117

ROEFIELD LEISURE FURTHER LOAN REQUEST RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Request up to date detailed financial information.

2.    Report back to Committee for consideration.

Following review of the information provided it was felt that further figures were required including actual income and expenditure to the end of September 2023 and the Budget forecast for the next financial year.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Note the information supplied and request actual figures up to the end of September once available, and the budget forecast for the next financial year.