Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies.

To receive any declarations of interest by members in items on the agenda. For any advice on declarations of interest, please contact the Monitoring Officer before the meeting.

There were no disclosable or other significant interests declared at the meeting.

To note any visiting Members and members of the public wishing to speak, of which due notice has been given in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 18 and 19 and which items they wish to speak on.

There were no visiting persons registered to speak.

To approve the minutes of a previous meeting as a correct record. The only issue relating to the minutes that can be discussed is their accuracy.

No amendments were proposed.

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting dated 11 July 2023 be approved as a correct record.

To note forthcoming items as set out in the Forward Plan

The following comments were noted:

-       There were a significant number of items under the Finance and Performance Portfolio.  Some of the other Portfolios had no items, which made the Forward Plan look unbalanced.

-       The Finance and Performance Portfolio covered a lot of cyclical items (Budget, quarterly reports for Finance, Property and Performance) which meant it was always likely to be ‘busier’ than some of the other Portfolio’s which were more usually to be driven by policy decisions/initiatives by Cabinet.  Any concerns should be raised with the Cabinet Members direct.

No amendments were proposed.

RESOLVED – That the Forward Plan as at 14 August 2023 be noted.

To consider and provide a recommendation to Cabinet on the proposals set out in the attached report.

Mike Catling, Corporate Health and Safety Advisor introduced the report set out in the agenda.

Discussion and questions from Members included the following:

-       TWBC had a very good culture for reporting incidents. 

-       The 87 incidents recorded for 2022/23 were considered important enough for the Council to investigate further.

-       The Council could then ensure that measures were taken to ensure incidents did not reoccur or turn into something more serious.

-       The number of impact injuries had increased and it was important to find out why they were occurring.  A number of factors could be involved, including a change in working practices.  It was expected the number would go down this year.

RESOLVED – That the recommendations to Cabinet set out in the report be supported.

To consider and provide a recommendation to Cabinet on the proposals set out in the attached report.

Pamela Grover-Morgan,  Performance and Governance Manager introduced the report set out in the agenda.

The report was taken as read.

RESOLVED – That the recommendations to Cabinet set out in the report be supported.

To consider and provide a recommendation to Cabinet on the proposals set out in the attached report.

Peter Benfield, Senior Estates Officer introduced the report set out in the agenda.

The report was taken as read.

To note, the matter was decided taking the exempt information set out in the Agenda as read.

RESOLVED – That the recommendations to Cabinet set out in the report be supported.

To consider and provide a recommendation to Cabinet on the proposals set out in the attached report.

Jane Fineman, Head of Finance, Procurement and Parking introduced the report set out in the agenda.

Discussion and questions from Members included the following:

-       Details of what the income from fines for PR2 could be used for was set out in legislation.

-       The current contract between TWBC and KCC ended in March 2024, details of the total amount of income received would be known at that time.

-       It would be for Members to decide what projects they would like the income to be used for, subject to compliance with legislation.

-       Improvements to the bus gate would be an appropriate use of the funding.

-       PR2 fines totalled £500k at the end of the 1^st quarter.  As of 5 September 2023, fines totalled £1,020,000 (gross).

-       The Council had incurred significant costs implementing the PR2 scheme.  Costs included, 0.72p postage for every item posted, the recruitment of additional labour resources with four people working on this full time and the installation of CCTV cameras. 

-       When enforcement started in PR2 there were between 900 and 1,000 vehicles going through the enforcement area per day.  Latest figures were between 100 and 150 vehicles per day. 

-       The income from the fines was a legacy as it took time for each penalty to be processed, including those who appealed. 

-       There had been some success with staff recruitment during quarter 2.  At the end of quarter 2, the forecasts would be reviewed. 

-       Staffing issues affected the Capital programme across the whole of the Council, but particularly in the property and estates department as they supported a number of the projects. 

-       The HR Strategy was in draft form and was currently with the Chief Executive.  However, it should be noted, it was a high level strategy and would not include details of specific posts.

-       The number of appeals on PR2 were higher than the Council would normally receive for PCN’s.  The percentage of those who had to pay the higher level of fines (and not the £35 within the 14 days discount period) was not known.

-       At quarter 1, the budget deficit for 2023/24 was forecast at £526k.

-       The Medium Term Financial Strategy showed a budget forecast gap for 2023/24 of £889k, but with a savings plan attached, a further £300-£400k of potential savings could be netted off this figure. 

-       At the next meeting, the Committee would receive a Budget Update report which would include an updated savings plan that reflected the decisions made by Cabinet over the intervening months. 

-       If the Council continued to identify further savings, the trajectory was heading towards the Council having a balanced budget for next year without the need to use reserves. 

-       If all the savings plan items were delivered, the projected deficit for 2024/25 would be just over £400k.

-       The decision to implement any key decision, including car parking charges, was a matter for Cabinet. 

-       The Council’s expenditure was increasing by inflation  ...  view the full minutes text for item FG32/23

To consider and provide a recommendation to Cabinet on the proposals set out in the attached report.

Jane Fineman, Head of Finance, Procurement and Parking introduced the report set out in the agenda.

Discussion and questions from Members included the following:

-       9-10 Calverley Terrace was identified as a surplus asset in the Council’s Asset Management Plan.

-       The Council gave the Civic Society  12 months to submit a business plan for it continued use.  The 12 months had now expired.

-       A steer from Cabinet was now needed as to whether 9-10 Calverley Terrace should be now be disposed of.

-       The reason the funding was taken out of the Capital Programme was because the Council had no intention of reopening the building this year.

-       9-10 Calverley Terrace was not currently up for sale.  The disposal of any asset would be a Cabinet decision.

RESOLVED – That the recommendations to Cabinet as set out in the report be supported.

To consider and provide a recommendation to Cabinet on the proposals set out in the attached report.

Jane Fineman, Head of Finance, Procurement and Parking introduced the report set out in the agenda.

The report was taken as read.

RESOLVED – That the recommendations to Cabinet as set out in the report be supported.

To consider any other items which the Chairman decides are urgent, for the reasons to be stated, in accordance with Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There was no urgent business.

To note that the date of the next scheduled meeting is Tuesday 10 October 2023 at 6:30pm.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 10 October 2023.