Decisions

The Chief Executive submitted a report for committee to consider the appointment of any working groups under the remit of this committee for the municipal year 2022/23.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the continuance of the Local Development Plan working group with the following membership –

Councillors A Brown, J Clark, R Sherras, J Rogerson, L Edge and S O’Rourke.

RESOLVED: That the application be approved subject to the following conditions:

1.      The development must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this permission.

REASON: Required to be imposed by Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

2.      The permission shall relate to the development as shown on Plan Reference;

Location Plan received 28^th March 2022

Proposed Plan – amended 17^th May 2022

REASON: For the avoidance of doubt as amended plans have been received and to ensure that the development is carried out in accordance with the submitted plans.

3.      The materials to be used on the external surfaces of the development as indicated within the approved details shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: In order that the Local Planning Authority may ensure that the materials to be used are appropriate to the locality and respond positively to the inherent character of the area.

4.      The building hereby approved shall be used for agricultural purposes only (as defined in Section 336(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990); in conjunction with the remainder of the holding as identified in the supporting information submitted with the application.

For the avoidance of doubt, should the building at any time cease to be used for this purpose or cease to be part of the holding as defined within the submitted/approved information then the building shall be removed, and the site reinstated to its original condition in accordance with a methodology and timings to be agreed with the Local Planning Authority.

REASON: To define the scope of the permission hereby approved and to ensure that the building is used solely for agricultural purposes connected with the activities/functions associated with the existing holding.

(Terry Longden spoke against the above application)

RESOLVED: That the application be approved subject to the following conditions

Time Scale for Implementation of Consent

1.         The development must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this permission.

REASON: Required to be imposed by Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Approved Plans and Documents 

2.         Unless explicitly required by condition within this consent, the development hereby permitted shall be carried out in complete accordance with the proposals as detailed on drawings:

·         22 0468 Floor Plans and Elevations

·         22 0468 Location Plan

·         22 0468 Site Plan

REASON: For the avoidance of doubt and to clarify which plans are relevant to the consent.

Materials

3.         The materials to be used on the external surfaces of the development as indicated on 22 0468 Floor Plans and Elevations shall be implemented as indicated.

            REASON: In order that the Local Planning Authority may ensure that the materials to be used are appropriate to the locality.     

RESOLVED that the application be approved for advertisement consent for the amended following development:

Erection of twenty 2500mm x 750mm Aluminium/Composite boards to surround a football pitch on two adjacent sides

Subject to the following conditions:

1.      The permission shall relate to the development as shown on:

Advertisement Location Plan

Site Plan

Board Details

REASON:  For the avoidance of doubt as amended plans have been received and to ensure that the development is carried out in accordance with the submitted plans.

2.    The advertisements hereby permitted shall be removed from the site on or before 21st June 2027 and the site restored to its former condition to the full satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority unless a further advertisement consent has been granted by the Authority.

REASON:  In the interests of visual amenity.

3.    Any structure or hoarding erected or used principally for the purpose of displaying advertisements shall be maintained in a safe condition.

REASON:  In the interests of visual amenity.

4.    Where an advertisement is required under these Regulations to be removed, the removal shall be carried out to the reasonable satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority. 

REASON:  In the interests of visual amenity.     

5.    No advertisement shall be sited or displayed so as to obscure, or hinder the ready interpretation of, any road traffic sign, railway signal or aids to navigation by water or air, or so as otherwise to render hazardous the use of any highway, railway, waterway or aerodrome (civil or military).

REASON:  In the interests of visual amenity.

6.    Prior to the installation of the advertisement boards hereby approved the rear of the advertising boards shall be painted dark green and this colour shall be maintained in perpetuity.

REASON:  In the interests of visual amenity of the area and to ensure the advertisement boards blend into the surrounding area.

7.    The advertisement boards hereby permitted shall only be displayed during the football season (August to May inclusive) and shall be removed from site and placed into storage during June and July each calendar year.

REASON:  In the interests of visual amenity and to reduce the impact on the AONB by removing the signage when the pitch is not in use by the football club.

8.    Prior to the erection of the advertisements hereby approved a plan detailing the location of the advertisement boards shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The advertisement boards shall be affixed to the south side of the pitch with the advertisements facing north. Thereafter the boards shall be erected in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: To define the permission and in the interests of the visual amenities of the area

(Councillor S Hore was given permission to speak on the above application)

The Director of Resources submitted a report requesting committee’s approval to write off council tax and business rates debts where the company had been dissolved.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve writing off £3,463.36 in business rates with £60.00 costs and £2,988.59 of Council Tax Debts and £60.00 costs where it has not been possible to collect the amounts due.

The Director of Resources submitted a report updating committee on the Covid 19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) that was announced by the Chancellor on 21 December 2021. A decision on next steps regarding granting relief to eligible applicants was required as well as what to do with the remaining funding.

The Government had issued guidance to local authorities detailing how the scheme should operate and how much each authority had been allocated. The allocation for Ribble Valley Borough Council was £1,239,191.

Members were reminded that they had agreed to open an initial application window for eligible businesses to apply which had closed on 28 February 2022. 33 applications had been received of which 5 had been rejected as they had already received full Small Business Rates Relief or the Expanded Retail Discount.Relief was awarded totalling £161,043.68

A second application window had been opened and all potentially eligible businesses invited to apply. A further 17 applications had been received, three of which had been rejected as they had already received full Small Business Rate Relief or was a duplicate application.

The Director of Resources suggested that each of the applicants should be awarded relief at an initial rate of 50% of the net rates payable for 2021/22 which would result in a total of £42,670.39 of CARF being granted. A third application window could then be opened with the view to bringing a final report to committee on 13 September to determine how to allocate the balance of the funding. Any funding that was not granted by 30 September 2022 would be returned to Central Government.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Agree to award CARF at the initial rate of 50% of the net rates payable for 2021/22 to the eligible applicants detailed in the report, and

2.    Agree to open another application round.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking approval from committee for the new Procurement Strategy covering the period 2022/23 to 2024/25.

She informed committee that the current strategy had been produced many years ago and was outdated. The new strategy was a complete re-write and covered the same themes as the National Procurement Strategy for Local Government, namely Showing Leadership; Behaving Commercially and Achieving Community Benefits.

The strategy included a series of statements regarding the approach to procurement under the themes and how it related to other policies, along with a detailed action plan. This would be reviewed on an annual basis going forward.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the new Procurement Strategy 2022/23 to 2024/25.

The Director of Resources submitted a report on the capital programme outturn for this committee and to seek member approval for the slippage of some budget on one capital programme scheme from the 2021/22 financial year to the 2022/23 financial year.

She reported that four of the five schemes in the revised capital programme had been completed in-year with actual expenditure of £63,822 which was 90% 0f the revised estimate budget. One scheme had not been completed and slippage of £7,020 had been requested to fund expenditure on that scheme in 2022/23.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the slippage of £7,020 budget into the 2022/23 capital programme for the Replacement IT Equipment for Councillors scheme.

The Chief Executive submitted a report to consider the appointment of members to any working groups under the remit of this committee for the municipal year 2022/23.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the continuance of the following working groups and their membership under the remit of this committee –

Voluntary Organisation Grants – Councillors S Atkinson, R Newmark, A Brown and S Fletcher

Budget Working Group – Councillors S Atkinson, S Hore, R Newmark, D Peat, A Brown, J Rogerson, J Hill and S Fletcher

Longridge Assets – Councillors R Thompson, J Clark, J Rogerson, S Hore, S Rainford and S Fletcher

Climate Change – Councillors D Berryman, J Clark, S Bibby, S Atkinson, J Hill, S Fletcher and R Thompson

The Director of Community Services submitted a report informing committee of an approval of an exception to contract procedure rules and requesting approval of a new capital scheme in respect of the remodelling of the reception area in the council offices.

He informed committee that following an incident and subsequent concerns from members of staff regarding their safety, a decision had been made to adapt and improve the security screens in the reception area. Because of the urgency and importance of the piece of work, a request had been made to and approved by the Director of Resources and Head of Legal and Democratic Services for an exemption from normal contract procedure rules on this occasion and the contract had been awarded for the works.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the new capital scheme for the remodelling of the reception area in the council offices at a cost of £13,500 to be funded from the repairs and maintenance earmarked reserve.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking member approval for the slippage of a capital scheme budget from the 2021/22 financial year to the 2022/23 financial year.

Actual expenditure on this Committee’s capital programme was £7,950, which was 15.9% of the revised estimate budget.

One of the two schemes in the revised capital programme were completed in-year.

Slippage of £3000 was requested to fund expenditure on that scheme in 2022/23.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approve the slippage of £3,000 budget into the 2022/23 capital programme for the Economic Development Initiatives scheme.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.