Decisions

The Chief Executive submitted a report to inform Committee of the outcome of consultation on proposed amendments to conditions of licences for drivers and operators, to infringement schemes and the Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing Policy, to reflect the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, as amended by the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 (“the Act”), and to seek Committee’s formal approval of such amendments.

Members were informed that the Council’s Head of Legal and Democratic Services wrote to all Private Hire drivers, Private Hire operators and Hackney Carriage drivers. 

The Council received no responses to this aspect of the consultation.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approved amendment of the conditions, schemes and policy as identified in paragraph 2.1 of the Report.

2.    Approved the introduction of the requirement for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire drivers to undergo training on the equality duties provided by the Blue Lamp Trust

Apologies for the meeting were received from Councillors J Alcock, S Hore, J Rogerson, G Scott and R Walsh

The Council set the dates for the Committee cycle at its Annual Meeting on 9 May 2022.  The dates for the final cycle of meeting include Policy and Finance as being held on 4 April 2023.  This is the same date as close of nominations in the District and Parish elections.  As such the Council’s Chief Executive, Director of Resources and Head of Legal and Democratic Services will be heavily involved in preparing and checking the nomination papers so that the data can be submitted to the printers.

The closing of Nomination is at 4pm on 4 April 2023 and the work checking the nominations is likely to take a considerable amount of time that evening.  It was proposed therefore that the date for Policy and Finance Committee be brought forward a week to 28 March 2023 and that Licensing Committee be brought forward a week to 21 March

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

****Approved and agreed to recommend to Full Council that the date for Licensing Committee be amended from 28 March 2023 to 21 March 2023.****

The Chief Executive submitted a report seeking to determine the annual fees for hackney carriage, private hire, scrap metal and sex establishment licences.

It was recommended to Members that the fees be uplifted by reference to inflation, based on 10.1%.  The exception to this is the cost of a replacement plate and bracket for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licenses, which will remain the same as these are charged at cost and the costs have not increased.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Agreed to set the fees for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licences for the year 2023/2024 as those set out in Appendix 1 of the Report.

2.    Agreed to set the fees for Scrap Metal Dealers Licences for the year 2023/2024 as those set out in Appendix 2 of the Report.

3.    Agree to set the fees for Sex Establishment Licences for the year 2023/2024 as those set out in Appendix 3 of the Report.

The Chief Executive submitted a report to inform Committee of the outcome of consultation on signage on Hackney Carriages and to ask Committee to decide whether there should be an amendment to the Council’s Hackney Carriage Vehicle conditions.

The Council received 11 responses to the consultation.

Members were informed that nine respondents, all being Hackney Carriage drivers, did not support the proposal. The majority (eight) considered that the sign on the roof and plates are sufficient. Three respondents were concerned about additional expenses for drivers, and two expressed concerns about additional expense for the Council.  One driver perceived that passengers are less likely to travel in a vehicle with more signage, and another stated simply that door signage was not required.

Two respondents had stated that they supported the proposal, with one Private Hire licence holder referring to introduction of a possible colour scheme for Hackney Carriages.

Members considered the representations and balanced the views of the licensed trade with the possible public benefit that might arise from adoption of the proposed signage.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed that condition 25 of the Council’s Hackney Carriage Vehicle conditions be amended to require Hackney Carriage Vehicles to display door signage reading ‘Ribble Valley Licensed Hackney Carriage’.

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking Committee to agree the draft revenue budget for 2023/24 for this Committee, for consideration at Special Policy and Finance Committee.

The Council’s three-year budget forecast was last presented to Policy and Finance Committee in September 2022.  With regards to the Council’s overall financial position, Members were reminded that the forecast had predicted the following budget gaps: £1,040,966 in 2023/24, £1,394,296 in 2024/25 and £2,412,914 in 2025/26.

Since the September 2022 forecast, there has been another new prime minister and ministerial team and further increases in inflation, interest rates and energy costs.

A comparison between the assumption made in the Budget Forecast compared with the Provisional Settlement was included for the Committee’s information.

It was highlighted to Members that the significant concern is that the new Funding Guarantee is described as a one-off grant. It was noted that the forecast had assumed that the Council would receive protection via a transition grant each year. This adds considerably more uncertainty to the council’s future financial position and something that will be factored in when an updated 3-year Budget Forecast is produced later in the budget cycle. 

With regards to the 2023/24 draft revenue budget, the estimates have been prepared on the current levels of service, and they allow for pay increases at 5%, and price increases at 7.5% and income at 5%.

The base budget for these inflationary increases has been the Adjusted Original Estimate as referred to in the previous report on the Revised Estimate. This Adjusted Original Estimate brings in the known inflationary adjustments that have already been seen on the 2022/23 Original Estimate. For this committee, the impact of these adjustments to the base budget is minimal.

The difference between the Original Estimate for 2023/24 and the Adjusted Original Estimate for 2022/23 is an increase in net expenditure of £11,770.  This means that the net total movement from the true Original Estimate to the Original Estimate for 2023/24 is £10,670.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the revenue original estimate for 2023/24 for submission to the Special Policy and Finance Committee.

The Director of Resources submitted a report outlining the revised revenue budget for 2022/23 for this Committee.  Members were reminded that at this time of year, the estimates are revised for the current financial year in order to predict the likely outturn.  This also assists in preparing the original estimate for the coming financial year.

Members were advised that whilst Committee income and expenditure may increase or decrease at the revised estimate, items such as our budgeted core government funding and our council tax precept remain fixed. As a result, any compensating movement is within the council’s earmarked reserves and general fund balances.

It was recognised earlier in the year that the Council was facing significant increases in costs due to inflation and pay increases. For this Committee there was a small net decrease in the budget based on the movement of items within the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

The Committee was advised that the difference between the Revised and Adjusted Original Estimate is a further decrease in net expenditure of £26,370 after allowing for transfers to and from earmarked reserves.  This means that the total movement from the true Original Estimate to the Revised Estimate is a decrease of £8,470 or a decrease of £27,470 after movements in earmarked reserves.

A comparison between the original and revised budgets for each cost centre was included for Committee’s information and the key movements were highlighted.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed the revenue revised estimate for 2022/23.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking Committee’s approval of the revised estimate for this Committee’s capital programme for the current financial year.

The revised estimate for this Committee’s 2022/23 capital programme is nil, which is a £54,750 reduction from the previously approved capital budget.

It was proposed to members that the budget of £54,750 on one scheme be moved to the 2023/24 financial year.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE

1.    Approved the 2022/23 revised estimate of nil for this Committee’s capital programme.

2.    Approved the move of £54,750 capital budget from 2022/23 to 2023/24 for the Economic Development Initiatives scheme.

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking for Committee to consider the future capital programme for this Committee, covering the period 2023/24 to 2027/28 for recommendation to Policy and Finance Committee.

The Council usually operates a five-year capital programme, but only a three-year capital programme for 2022/23 to 2024/25 was approved last year.  This is because the Council was awaiting the outcome of the Government’s fair funding review before committing to setting a longer-term five-year capital programme. Committees had however submitted capital scheme bids for 2025/26 to 2026/27 as part of last year’s capital programme review.

There were no already approved capital schemes in the 2023/24 to 2024/25 capital programme for this Committee.

Members were reminded that for this Committee, one capital scheme bid, totally £55,000 was submitted in 2021 for the financial years 2025/26 to 2026/27.  A review of the scheme has resulted in no change to this value. 

No new capital bids were submitted for 2027/28 for this Committee.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Members considered and proposed a future capital programme for this Committee’s services for onward recommendation to Policy and Finance Committee for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28, based on:

• The proposals included in this report; and

• Any capital bid suggestions and amendments that members wished to make, of which there were none.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report updating Members on the Clitheroe Food Festival.  Various options included:

·         One day food festival (same format as previous years)

·         Extend the festival to two days (Saturday and Sunday)

·         Hold a one-day food festival and a different offer on the Sunday.

·         Relocate the food festival either within or out of Clitheroe.

·         Ribble Valley Taste Fest

The Members then discussed the various options proposed.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Officers recommended that the Ribble Valley Taste Fest option is the preferable choice for moving the food festival forward and expanding the festival out to the whole of the Borough. The food festival will conclude the week of events on Saturday 12^th August following the same format as previous years.  Members agreed to this recommendation and instructed Officers to make the necessary preparations for this event.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approved a supplementary estimate of £17,000 on the revenue budget for 2022/23 for temporary staffing to undertake a project to ensure that all HR files are complaint with Data Protection, digitised and stored correctly, over a six-month period, to be funded from the Business Rates Growth Earmarked Reserve.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking member approval on proposals to increase this committee’s fees and charges with effect from 1 April 2023.

Members were reminded that:

·      The annual review of the Council’s fees and charges had been undertaken as part of the budget setting process for the forthcoming 2023/24 financial year.

·      The Budget Working Group met in August 2022 to consider in detail the council’s three-year budget forecast for the financial years 2023/24 – 2025/26.

·      In light of a considerable forecasted budget gap a number of recommendations were approved by this Committee at the September 2022 meeting, including that fees and charges for the 2023/24 financial year should be increased by the rate of the September CPI.

·      For this committee, a minimum 10.1% increase in fees and charges would generate additional income of £19,820 when compared to the current year base budget for those income streams included within the review.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the proposed fees and charges as set out in Annex 1 to the Report.

The Director of Resources submitted a report updating members on the proposals for developing a new Corporate Strategy for 2023-2027 and the reporting of related key performance indicators (KPIs).

Members were reminded that the Corporate Strategy sets out the strategic direction of the Council for any given period, providing a focus to ensure that the services the Council deliver meet the needs of the communities. The 2019-2023 Strategy had a four-year scope but was reviewed annually to ensure that it continued to reflect the changes to priorities that occur over time.

The report noted that following the local elections taking place in May 2023 the Council will develop a new Strategy, which will have a four-year life span, covering 2023-2027.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.   Agreed to develop a new Corporate Strategy for 2023-2027 after the local elections, taking into account:

a.   Findings from the 2023 Peoples’ Survey, and

b.   2021/22 year-end performance data.

2.    Agreed to the performance reporting as set out in the report.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking approval of the draft revenue budget for 2023/24, for consideration at a Special Policy and Finance Committee.

Members were reminded that:

·      The budget forecast was presented to this Committee in September 2022.

·      The forecast considered the Council’s knowledge at that time as it related to Covid19, changes to key funding streams, the cost-of-living crisis and the fast-moving rate of inflation.

·      In September 2022 the forecast predicted an overall budget gap of; £1,040,966 in 2023/24, £1,394,296 in 2024/25 and £2,412,914 in 2025/26

The report set out:

·      The provisional grant settlement.

·      The budget process and how the estimates were prepared.

·      The draft revenue budget for 2023/24 and the main variations.

The Director of Resources explained for this committee:

The difference between the Original Estimate 2023/24 and Adjusted Original Estimate 2022/23 is a further increase in net expenditure of £203,240 after allowing for transfers to and from earmarked reserves. This means that the total movement from the true Original Estimate 2022/23 to the Original Estimate 2023/24 is £599,610, or £443,570 after movements in earmarked reserves. The Director of Resources commented on the major budget variations.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the revenue original estimate for 2023/24 and agreed to submit this to a special meeting of this Committee.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking approval of a revised revenue budget for 2022/23

Members were reminded that:

·      The original estimate for this current financial year was set in March 2022 and that there can be numerous variations to the budget that come to attention of the Council as the year progresses, particularly through the budget monitoring process.

·      At this time of year, the Council revise the estimates for the current financial year to predict the likely outturn. In essence the Revised Estimate becomes the Council's latest forecast for the outturn on the current financial year's budget. This also assists the Council in preparing the original estimate for the coming financial year.

The report noted that the:

·      Council had recognised earlier in the year that it was facing significant increases in costs due to inflation and pay increases. For this committee this extra cost was then estimated at £240,330. The Original Estimate was therefore restated from £2,431,330 to £2,671,660.

·      The difference between the Revised and Adjusted Original Estimate is a decrease in net expenditure of £46,750 after allowing for transfers to and from earmarked reserves. This means that the total movement from the true Original Estimate to the Revised Estimate is an increase of £450, or an increase of £193,580 after movements in earmarked reserves.

The Director of Resources highlighted the main budget variations.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed the revenue revised estimate for 2022/23.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking Members approval and recommendation of a change to the Council’s Committee’s meeting dates.

The Report noted that the closing date of Councillor nominations is at 4pm on 4 April 2023 and the work checking the nominations is likely to take a considerable amount of time that evening.  It was proposed therefore that the date for Policy and Finance Committee be brought forward a week to 28 March 2023 and that Licensing Committee be brought forward a week to 21 March 2023 to accommodate this.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

****Approved and agreed to recommend to Full Council that the date for Policy and Finance Committee be amended from 4 April 2023 to 28 March 2023.****

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a Report updating Members on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Members were reminded that:

·      On 13th April 2022 the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) was launched by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.

·      The Fund would provide £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula rather than a competition. Ribble Valley’s conditional allocation was £1,967,754 over a three-year funding period.

·      On 5^th December 2022 the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) confirmed that the Council’s Investment Plan had been accepted.

·      The Secretary of State had allocated funding for 2022/23 with indicative allocations for the further two financial years up to and including 2024/25.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.Confirmed their agreement to an exemption to our contract procedure rules in terms of the Rail Feasibility Work.

2.Noted the proposed scheme for the Mardale Changing Room refurbishment scheme and estimated cost.

3.Confirmed their agreement to utilising part of this year’s UKSPF allocation to resurface and mark out the car park at Mardale.

4.Confirmed their agreement to an exemption to our contract procedure rules in terms of the Business support for net zero transition & decarbonisation project.

5.Confirmed they would like officers to investigate the feasibility of installing electric vehicle charging points within our village car parks.

The Chief Executive submitted a report seeking members agreement to the adoption of the Returning Officers’ Scale of Fees in connection with the Borough and Parish Council Elections taking place on 4 May 2023 and any other local elections or referenda that might arise in 2023/24.

Members were reminded that:

·      The Representation of the People Act 1983 requires each Council to appoint an officer of the authority as Returning Officer to undertake various statutory duties in relation to election procedures. 

·      The Council must provide the Returning Officer with the necessary resources to enable efficient and lawful delivery of the elections. 

·      The Returning Officer for Ribble Valley Borough Council is the Chief Executive.

The Report noted that:

·      The Council’s overall budget for the Borough and Parish Council elections on 4 May 2023 is £180,000. This does not include the additional costs arising from the introduction of Voter ID for which the Council will receive new Burdens Funding. 

·      The actual cost of the Elections will ultimately depend on the number of contested seats.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed the Returning Officers’ Scale of Fees for 2023/24 Borough and Parish Elections as set out in Section 4 of the Report.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking Committee’s approval for the constitution of an Independent Renumeration Panel to review the Members’ Allowance Scheme.

Members were reminded that:

·      The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 required that the Council make a scheme (“Scheme”) for the payment of Members’ Allowances (Regulations”).

·      The Council’s current Scheme came into effect on 19 May 2019 for a period of 4 years.  The Council must therefore review and agree to make a further scheme prior to that date.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.   Approved the appointment of the proposed Panel as set out in paragraph 3.3 of the Report.

2.    Approved payment of reasonable travel expenses to members of the Panel, arising from their attendance at meetings of the Panel.

The Director of Resources submitted a Report seeking agreement for a revision to the Council’s Corporate Debt Policy (CDP).

Members were reminded that:

·      The Council is required to collect debts across several different departments.

·      These debts can be in relation to a variety of services, ranging from Business Rates, Council Tax and rent for both commercial and residential properties.

The Report noted that:

The Council had made some changes to the policy to correct minor errors, but the changes did not constitute a material impact on the policy.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the Policy attached at Annex 1 to the Report, with minor amendments.

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking Members to consider and approve the recently fully reviewed and revised Anti-Money Laundering Policy.

Members were reminded that:

·      The Anti-Money Laundering Policy was originally developed from best practice guidance issued by CIPFA and was first produced in November 2010.

·      Since November 2010 there have been several revisions to reflect changing regulations.

The Report noted that latest proposed version of the policy, represented a substantial rewrite of the policy.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the Anti-Money Laundering Policy as set out at Annex 1 of the Report.

The Director of Resources submitted a Report updating Members on the alternative support for household energy bills announced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in December 2022 and seeking approval of how the Council would assist BEIS in getting essential support to Ribble Valley residents.

Members were reminded that:

·      The Government committed to providing support to consumers with their energy costs during the winter via the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG)

·      The Government support is primarily delivered directly as a credit to electricity bills and as a reduction to the unit cost of electricity and gas.

·      Around one million households across the UK would miss out on EBSS as they do not directly contract with an electricity supplier. They would instead qualify for £400 assistance via the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSSAF).

·      In addition, the Government had announced the Alternative Fuel Payments (AFP) for households that use fuels other than gas to heat their homes.

·      On 6 December 2022 BEIS provided an update to Local Authorities setting out what the Authorities role would be in getting these payments to eligible households.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.   Noted the additional work required to administer these payments for BEIS and to delegate to the Director of Resources to instigate payments once further detail is provided by BEIS.

2.   Approved the purchase of the NEC Citizens Access Revenues module to help reduce the administrative burden on the Finance and Revenues teams.

3.    Noted that we will have a role in delivering AFP but further detail has not yet been forthcoming.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking agreement to an updated Revenues Discretionary Discount/Relief policy.

Members were reminded that:

·      Local Authorities had the power to grant discretionary Council Tax and Business Rates discounts/reliefs.

·      The Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis had made significant changes in this area, and it was therefore necessary to review the Council’s current policy.

The report noted that the Council had made amendments to the policy to cover the additional support provided by the Government to recipients of LCTS in 2023/24, the extension and increase to 75% of Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief for 2023/24 and the extension of SSB relief for 2023/24.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed the changes to the Revenues Discretionary Discount/Relief Policy for 2023/24.

The Director of Resources submitted a Report updating Members on the introduction of the Government’s Council Tax Support Fund for 2023/24 and seeking approval of the Council’s Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) Scheme for 2023/24.

The Report noted that the Council are required to adopt a Local Council Tax Support Scheme each year as part of the budget setting process.

The report also set out suggestions on how the recently announced Council Tax Support Fund could be used.

The Council are not proposing any significant changes to their scheme for 2023/24 except for those that will keep it in line with the Housing Benefit Scheme and increase applicable amounts and premiums etc.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.   The Committee noted the £55,503 allocation from Government for the Council Tax Support Fund 2023/24 and approved the allocation of up to £45 to each household in receipt of Local Council Tax Support where liability is not nil.

2.   ****To recommend to Full Council our Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2023/24 with minor changes to keep it in line with the Housing Benefit Scheme and uprate applicable amounts and premiums etc ****

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking members to consider the future capital programme for this Committee, covering the period 2023/24 to 2027/28.

Members were reminded that:

·      The Council usually operates a five-year capital programme, but only a three-year capital programme for 2022/23 to 2024/25 was approved last year.

This was due to the Council awaiting the outcome of the Government’s fair funding review before committing to setting a longer-term five-year capital programme.

·      Committees had however submitted capital scheme bids for 2025/26 to 2026/27 as part of last year’s capital programme review.

·      This year, the aim had been to return to a five-year capital programme, covering the period 2023/24 to 2027/28. Therefore, Heads of Service had been asked to review the capital schemes already approved for 2023/24 to 2024/25, review any previously submitted capital scheme bids for 2025/26 to 2026/27; and submit new capital scheme bids for 2027/28.

The report noted that:

·      The proposed amendments to the previously approved capital programme would increase the capital programme by £12,720.

·      If all reviewed bids from the 2021 bidding round and those from the 2022 bidding round were approved, this would increase the proposed capital programme for this committee by £534,300.

·      If all amendments and bids were to be approved, this would result in a proposed capital programme for 2023/24 to 2027/28 for this Committee of fourteen schemes, totalling £753,300.

Members discussed several of the new schemes being proposed.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Considered and proposed a future 5-year capital programme for this Committee’s services of £753,300 for onward recommendation to the Special Policy and Finance Committee meeting for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28, based on:

·   The proposals included in the report; and

·      Any capital bid suggestions and amendments that members wished to make, of which there were none.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking approval of the 2022/23 revised estimate for this Committee’s Capital Programme.

Members were reminded that:

·      Six capital schemes for this Committee’s original estimate budget, totalling £335,480, had been approved by the Policy and Finance Committee and Full Council at their meetings in February 2022 and March 2022 respectively.

·      The above included two new schemes for 2022/23 and four scheme budgets that had been moved from the 2021/22 capital programme to the 2022/23 capital programme.

Members were also reminded that in addition to the original estimate budget above, the following budget changes had been made so far in 2022/23:

·      One capital scheme was not completed by 31 March 2022 and had unspent budget available at that date.

·      The total unspent budget of £7,020, known as slippage, was moved into the 2022/23 capital programme budget, after approval by this Committee in June 2022.

·      One additional capital scheme with a budget of £13,500 was approved by this Committee in June 2022.

·      As a result of the above, the total approved budget for this Committee’s capital programme of eight schemes would be £356,000. This was set out in Annex 1 to the report.

The report noted that:

·The proposed revised estimate for this Committee’s 2022/23 capital programme was £88,920 for five schemes, which was a reduction of £267,080 from the total approved capital budget.

·It was recommended that budgets on three schemes, totalling £256,600, should be moved to the 2023/24 financial year.

·At the end of December 2022 £81,308 had been spent or committed and that this was 91.4% of the revised estimate capital programme budget for this Committee.

·Of the five schemes in this Committee’s proposed revised capital programme, three schemes are complete and two schemes are expected to be completed in-year.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.   Approved the 2022/23 revised estimate of £88,920 for this Committee’s capital programme, as set out in Annex 1 to the Report.

2.   Approved the move of the following capital scheme budgets from 2022/23 to 2023/24:

·         Brookfoot Footbridge, Ribchester – Replacement of Bridge, £110,000.

·         ICT Infrastructure Refresh, £116,600.

Network Infrastructure, £30,000.

The Director of Resources sought agreement to a draft Revenue Budget for 2023/24 for consideration at Special Policy and Finance Committee.

Members were reminded that a budget forecast was presented to the Policy and Finance Committee in September. This forecast considered the Council’s knowledge at the time regarding changes to key funding streams, and rates of inflation and predicted a budget gap of; £1,040,966 in 2023/24, £1,394,296 in 2024/25 and £2,412,914 in 2025/26.

The report highlighted the key variances for the next financial year for this Committee.

The difference between the Original Estimate 2022/23 and the Original Estimate 2023/24 is £444,620, or £304,110 after movements in earmarked reserves.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the revenue original estimate for 2023/24 and submit this to the Special Policy and Finance Committee.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking approval on proposals to increase this Committee’s fees and charges with effect from 1 April 2023.

Members were reminded that the Council’s fees and charges are reviewed on an annual basis as part of the budget setting process.

The report noted that:

In order to meet inflation pressures on the Council’s budget, Policy and Finance Committee had given guidance for service Committees to consider a 10.1% inflationary increase in the level of income raised from fees and charges.

·         The majority of the 2023/24 fees and charges proposed for this Committee have therefore been increased by the 10.1% inflationary increase and then   rounded up to the next 10p, 50p or £1 dependent on the size of the fee to minimise any problems with small change. However, a small number of fees, when rounding up would have meant the actual fee increase being significantly more than 10.1%, have been rounded down to the nearest 10p.

·         A small number of the proposed fees and charges for 2023/24 have been set on a different basis to the Policy and Finance Committee’s suggested inflationary increase and these were highlighted in the report.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the 2023/24 fees and charges proposed for this Committee as contained in the Annex to the report, for implementation from 1 April 2023.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking approval for the 2022/23 revised estimate for this Committee’s capital programme.

Members were reminded that this Committee’s original capital programme for 2022/23 was approved in March 2022. Since then regular reports have been presented to this Committee with regards to the progress of the capital programme. There have also been a number of further approvals and adjustments made during the year. As a result, the total approved budget for this Committee’s capital programme of ten schemes was currently £3,581,040..

The report noted:

·         That the proposed revised estimate for this Committee’s 2022/23 capital programme was £1,397,630, which was a reduction of £2,183,410 from the previously approved capital budget.

·         It is proposed that budgets totalling £2,185,460 on five schemes are moved to the 2023/24 financial year.

·         At the end of November 2022 £401,422 had been spent or committed and this was 28.7% of the revised estimate capital programme for this Committee.

Of the eight schemes in the proposed revised capital programme, three schemes were currently expected to be completed in-year, it was unclear whether spend on wo schemes would be completed in-year and three schemes are on-going grants schemes.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Approved the 2022/23 revised estimate of £1,397,630 for this Committee’s capital programme, as set out in the Annex to the report.

2.    Approved the transfer of the following capital budgets from 2022/23 to 2023/24:

· Clitheroe Market Improvements, £72,600.

· Replacement of Pest Control Van PK13 FJP, £32,280.

· Replacement of Dog Warden Van PE64 EYC, £32,500.

· Equity Share Option Schemes, £422,130.

· Affordable Housing – Longridge, £1,625,950.

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking members to consider the future capital programme for this Committee, covering the period 2023/24 to 2027/28.

Members were reminded that the Council usually operates a five-year capital programme, but only a three-year capital programme for 2022/23 to 2024/25 was approved last year. This was due to the Council awaiting the outcome of the Government’s fair funding review.   Committees had however submitted capital scheme bids for 2025/26 to 2026/27 as part of last year’s capital programme review.

Existing approved schemes had been reviewed along with the previously submitted bids to ensure they reflect the latest inflation levels etc.  New bids had also been submitted for the fifth year of the programme ie 2027/28.

The report noted that:

·         The proposed amendments to the previously approved capital programme would increase the capital programme and associated capital funding required by £1,800.

·         If all reviewed bids from the 2021 bidding round and those from the 2022 bidding round were approved, this would increase the proposed capital programme by £2,688,200, £1,179,000 of this was expected to be funded by Central Government, so this would increase the capital funding required by £1,509,200.

·         If all amendments and bids were to be approved, this would result in a proposed capital programme for 2023/24 to 2027/28 for this Committee of seven schemes, totalling £3,644,700.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed and proposed a future capital programme for this Committee’s services for the period 2023/24 to 2027/28 based on the proposals included in the report, for onward recommendation to Policy and Finance Committee.

The Director of Resources submitted a report seeking agreement to a revised revenue budget for 2022/23 for this Committee.

Members were reminded that:

·         The original estimate for this current financial year was set in March 2022.

·         There can be numerous variations to the budget that come to the Council’s attention as the year progresses, these are highlighted through the budget monitoring process.

·         At this time of year, the Council revise the estimates for the current financial year to predict the likely outturn. In essence the Revised Estimate is the council's latest forecast for the outturn on the current financial year's budget.

The report noted that:

·         Earlier in the year the Council had recognised it was facing significant increases in costs due to inflation and pay increases. For this committee this extra cost was then estimated at £14,150. The Original Estimate was therefore restated from £1,145,680 to £1,159,830.

The largest variances for this committee were highlighted in the report.

·         After allowing for transfers to and from earmarked reserves, the difference between the Revised and Adjusted Original Estimate was a further increase in net expenditure of £25,180.  This meant that the total movement from the true Original Estimate to the Revised Estimate is a reduction of £84,380, or an increase of £39,330 after movements in earmarked reserves.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved this Committee's revenue revised estimate for 2022/23.

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report proposing amendments to the Private Sector grant policy which would allow an improved DFG disabled facilities grant offer to households.

Members were reminded that:

·         The current private sector policy was adopted in October 2020 and has operated for over 2 years.

·         Members’ approval is required to make any changes to the policy. 

·         The Regulatory Reform Order allows district authorities to determine individual private sector grant policies and commit the Better Care Funding allocated by Central Government via Lancashire County Council.

The Report noted that the proposed changes to the existing policy introduced two new discretionary grant offers, these were out in Appendix 1 to the report.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed to the proposed changes to the DFG policy, with the exception that the Dementia Grant would be widened in scope to include all households where there has been a diagnosis of a neurological disorder by a medical practitioner. 

The proposed DFG policy changes would be subject to a period of consultation.  Should no issues of any significance arise and in consultation with the Chair of Health and Housing Committee, the amended policy can be adopted and operational as soon as practicable thereafter.

Agreed that officers are to look into the processes involved regarding OT’s and Contractors to find out if it can be speeded up. 

The Director of Economic Development and Planning submitted a report requesting approval from members to commit to housing grant monies to support Ukraine guests into settled accommodation.

Members were reminded that for each Ukraine guest that is placed through a sponsorship offer in the borough, the Council received a Community Integration grant and a Housing Grant and that a Commitment of the Community Integration was approved by Committee in October 2022.  However, the commitment of the Housing Support Grant had not been reported and approved to date.

The report noted that at the end of a sponsorship arrangement with a host, the Ukrainian guests need to find settled accommodation and that this is most likely to be in the private rented sector.

The report also noted that since the first guests arrived in June 2022, 10 families had moved into their own accommodation, with 9 having moved into private rented accommodation and 1 into social housing.

The proposal as set in the report was to make available to Ukraine households an offer of a cash bond to enable them to cover the first month’s rent and any deposit required to secure a private rented property.  The maximum amount would be £1,600 for a family or £1,000 for a single person. This would be dependent on the monthly rent charged.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Agreed to the proposal to make available a cash bond and deposit to Ukraine guests when required, subject to the relevant checks.

The Director of Resources submitted a report for members to consider as to whether to sign up to the Local Government Association’s (LGA’s) ‘Debate Not Hate’ campaign.

Members were reminded that according to the LGA's 2022 councillor census, seven in ten councillors reported experiencing abuse or intimidation in the last year. 

In addition, the LGA have stated that they are starting to build a picture of the level of abuse and intimidation councillors receive daily for simply carrying out the role in their community.

The Report noted that the ‘Debate Not Hate’ campaign aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in their communities, encourage healthy debate and improve the responses and support for local politicians facing abuse and intimidation and with local elections planned for May 2023, the campaign would be very timely.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Agree to support the LGA’s Debate Not Hate campaign.

2.    Agree to take the item to the next meeting of the Parish Council Liaison Committee (2February 2023)

The Director of Resources submitted a report requesting members approve an update to the Council’s annual leave provision, in line with the Government’s Services Pay Agreement 2022/23.

Members were reminded that In November 2022, the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government services (Green Book) notified the Council of the settled pay agreement for 2022/23. This included changes to annual leave entitlement with effect from 1 April 2023.  Therefore, the minimum paid annual leave entitlement for the Council’s ‘Green Book’ employees would be 23 days with a further 3 days after 5 years of continuous service.

The report noted that:

·         The pay agreement for Chief officers and Chief Executives for 2022/23 does not include the extra days leave as allowances paid to Chief Officers are outside of the pay agreement and determined locally by NJC.

·         The NJC expect that the additional day’s leave would be applied to all NJC staff regardless of existing local arrangements.

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

Approved the additional 1-day annual leave for all NJC staff with effect from 1 April 2023 as announced in the Local Government Services Pay Agreement for 2022/23.

The Director of Resources submitted a report asking members to review, approve and adopt the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24 in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and to recommend the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24 be submitted to Full Council for approval.

Members were reminded that to ensure transparency as to how pay and remuneration was set by the Council, it was a legal requirement for public sector organisations to publish their Pay Policy Statement on an annual basis.

The Pay Policy Statement sets out the existing approach to the remuneration of all posts within the Council. It specifies certain mandatory requirements that must be detailed within the policy.

Members were informed that minor corrections would be made to the Statement before it is submitted for approval at the Council meeting on 7 March 2023

RESOLVED THAT COMMITTEE:

1.    Received the report.

2.      **Approved the Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24 for submission to Full Council at its meeting on 7 March 2023.**