Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Christie and Councillor Whittaker.

Public contributions in accordance with the current scheme.  .(The deadline for registering  to speak is by 2pm Thursday 25 January 2024. To register please email dem.services@torridge.gov.uk).

There were no public contributions.

Members with interests to declare should refer to the Agenda item and describe the nature of their interest when the item is being considered.

Declarations of interest were made when the specific agenda items to which they related were under discussion.

There were no urgent matters brought forward.

To receive the report of the S151 Officer.

Resolved:

That the committee approved the charges for services to be effective from 1 April 2024.

Members were advised of the work that had taken place in setting the fees and charges. The Section 151 Officer noted the report appendices, which listed out the fees for  2023-24 and 2024/25. 

Following a query regarding cemeteries it was confirmed that charges were in relation to all Torridge District Council (TDC) cemeteries, but the crematorium was not included within this report.

Members highlighted resident parking charges for those working from home or on shift.  The Parking Services Supervisor provided clarification regarding the types of available permits and the relevant charges.

The Head of Legal and Governance (& Monitoring Officer) confirmed Proof of Life charges were listed on Page 25 of the agenda.

During discussions the Chief Executive advised members that property rents were not included within fees and charges and would show within the annual budget for TDC.

Councillor L Bright joined the meeting at 10:05

Members asked for further detail regarding exclusive rights to burial and it was confirmed by the Property Manager that these would expire after 25 years. It was confirmed this could be examined when reviewing the management of cemeteries.

The differences in charges for motor homes at car parks was queried and the Head of Communities and Place advised members this was the decision made at a previous Community & Resources Committee and the reasoning behind the decision for higher charges.

Following a query regarding Northam Burrows, commercial rents were explained to members. The Section 151 Officer also agreed to look into garden lease charges.

Following a discussion regarding the local fees for pre-application advice members were advised of the reasons for charging and it was confirmed that this was in line with other Local Authorities and fees were lower than surrounding districts. Further detail was provided regarding the work that had taken place to agree and set the fee charges. 

During discussions Councillor Piper declared an interest due to working as a Planning Agent. 

Councillor Pennington joined the meeting at 10.22am.

Following a query regarding the percentage increase for these fees the Section 151 Officer confirmed that the uplift was by CPI – 6.7% - and rounded up to the nearest £5.

It was proposed by Councillor James, seconded by Councillor Lock and –

Resolved:

That the committee approved the charges for services to be effective from 1 April 2024.

(Vote: For 8, Against 1)

To receive the report of the Strategy, Performance and ICT Manager.

Resolved:

That Members:

·         Recommend to Full Council the growth bid of £45k from 2024/25 onwards, and

·         Recommend to Full Council that the capital programme be increased by £70k (funded through the General Capital Reserve) and that the Wyse PCs be purchased for the reasons outlined in the report.

The Strategy, Performance and ICT Manager introduced the report for members, the purpose of which was to seek approval for funding to purchase new Wyse thin client PCs for every user and a growth bid be added to the revenue budget from 2024/25 onwards for £45k and an increase in the capital programme of £70k in 2024/25.

Strategy, Performance and ICT Manager advised that the current desktop strategy was 5 years old and due for renewal. Members were advised of the report recommendations and the need for the required changes.  The need for future-proofing, a move to subscription based model and the overall costs were highlighted.

Members asked for more detail regarding the disposal of old equipment and the Strategy, Performance and ICT Manager advised there were policies in place regarding the disposal of the equipment, but anything that could be repackaged would be.

During discussion members were advised of the overall plan to move from servers to the Cloud, along with the planned timescales. It was confirmed some servers would remain in use for a few years yet.  Following a query regarding contingency plans the Strategy, Performance and ICT Manager provided some detail on how the implementations would be managed.

Following discussions regarding budgets and costs where the move to subscription services was further detailed.  It was confirmed that there was a marginal increase, but overall the costs remained similar.

It was proposed by Councillor James, seconded by Councillor Piper and –

Resolved:

That Members:

·         Recommend to Full Council the growth bid of £45k from 2024/25 onwards, and

·         Recommend to Full Council that the capital programme be increased by £70k (funded through the General Capital Reserve) and that the Wyse PCs be purchased for the reasons outlined in the report

(Vote: For Unanimous)

To receive the report of the Finance Manager (S151 Officer).

Resolved:

That Members recommend to Full Council

a)     Torridge’s Band D Council Tax for 2024/25 be increased by (2.99%) from £184.00 to £189.50 per year

b)     Torridge’s Net Revenue Budget 2024/25 is £12.194m

c)      The contributions to the Council’s reserves as outlined in paragraph 11.4 are approved.

d)     That in light of the risks to the Council’s finances identified within the report that the Member Working Group continue its work to bring the Council’s budgets back into balance.

That members note:

The Chief Finance Officer (s151 Officer) assurance of the robustness of the budget 2024/25 set out in section 13 of the report.

Note the assumptions and forecast applied to develop the MTFS outlined in section 9.

Note the risks associated with the Budget 2024/25 and MTFS outlined in section 10.

Councillor D Brenton left the meeting at 10:40.

The Section 151 Officer introduced the report, the purpose of which was for Members to consider, formulate and recommend the 2024/25 Budget to Full Council.

The Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) indicates the possible extent of the budget and funding shortfall that the Council will face in the future. It is an aid in identifying the extent of service changes that the Council will need to make to achieve a balanced budget in each financial year up to 2028/29.

A detailed and informative slide presentation was given highlighting the salient points in the report.

Members thanked the Section 151 Officer for the report and highlighted the Council Tax allocations within the presentation, it was felt this detail could be shared with residents.

It was queried how much Torridge District Council (TDC) get back from the money spent on housing the homelessness.  The Section 151 Officer explained the dependencies on housing placement, and it was confirmed that the figures highlighted related to TDC spend specifically. 

Members raised property assessments, building maintenance and progress on energy efficiency measures and asked where this was highlighted within the budget. The Section 151 Officer explained how the TDC budget would be used in relation to building maintenance and advised that larger scale projects would be funded through capital bids.

The Chief Executive also advised of plans to look at the energy efficiency of the Leisure Centre buildings and reminded members of the potential funding bids being explored. Members were advised that, if successful, a match funding bid would potentially come back to Committee. It was also noted that energy efficiency was also built into the larger scale projects TDC work on.

The role of the Budget working group in finding efficiencies within the budget was noted, however it was also explained that the margins would continue to get tighter whilst trying the balance the budget.  The importance of balancing the budget and protecting reserves were stated.

Councillor D Brenton returned to the meeting at 10:59

There was a query regarding interest rates and the Section 151 Officer confirmed that the budget worked on the assumption of 4% for the next year and this however this remained volatile area. 

Members noted a change in the offer of council tax support for pensioners (from 2019) and the impact of these for pensioners and on local housing supply. Councillor James agreed to look into the matter following committee.

Members highlighted concern that even with the recommendation to increase Council Tax and with favourable interest rates TDC would still be raising fees and charges and that the impact was being felt by residents in Torridge.  The impact of Devon County decision making on road infrastructure was noted alongside the future Full Council meeting regarding the Devolution consultation. 

Members were advised of the positive outcome of collective lobbying work regarding the rural settlement via the Devon Council Network (DCN).

Finally, members were reminded of the implication of not increasing Council Tax for TDC.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 400.

To receive the report of the Deputy S151 Officer

Resolved:

That Members recommend to Full Council

a)     The Capital Programme is updated to include:

·         Wyse Thin Client PCs                                

·         Community Land Trust (CLT) Revolving Loan Fund

The Deputy S151 Officer presented the report.  The purpose of which was for Members to consider, formulate and recommend updates to the Capital Programme 2024/25 to Full Council.

The Capital Programme includes new PIDs (Project Initiation Documents) which require authorisation from members before inclusion. 

At the start of discussions Councillor James declared an interest as a member of Community Land Trust. He advised he would not take part in the debate as result.

Members asked if funding would be used to recruit an Enabling Officer.  The Chief Executive advised this was capital funding so would not cover recruitment.  However, members were advised that TDC were very close to going out to advert.

Following a query, members were advised of the Community Land Trust (CLT) purpose, and it was explained that CLT was funded from borrowing, so the cost to TDC would be minimal – officer time – and the benefit would be provision of affordable housing.

Members referred to the report and asked what the funding for Victoria Park would cover, it was confirmed this was separate to the current works on the play area. The Estate Manager advised members the capital amount would be reconsidered once work was complete – there was no pre written paper, just a resolution of money.

Following a query from members regarding depot provision on page 57, the Chief Executive confirmed that this was funding previously allocated by TDC for the Operational Services Depot.

Members referred back to the Community Land Trust and highlighted work with other Districts to drive this issue forward. The future opportunities were highlighted for members.

Following a query regarding progress on a letter about Community Land Trusts due to be sent to Parish Councils, the Chief Executive advised on progress and stated the letters would be sent imminently.

Members were reminded of the recommendation on page 53 of the report.

It was proposed by Councillor Hicks, seconded by Councillor Piper and –

Resolved:

That Members recommend to Full Council

a)     The Capital Programme is updated to include:

·         Wyse Thin Client PCs                                

·         Community Land Trust (CLT) Revolving Loan Fund

(Vote: For 8, Abstentions 1)