Agenda, decisions and minutes

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Endorses the Prevention of Homelessness Strategy 2023 to 2028; and

2.    Approves the proposal to use more council and privately leased accommodation for use as temporary accommodation.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Note the contents of the Corporate Performance Report in relation to the delivery of the Corporate Plan priorities and outcomes; and

2.    Agree the Performance Report is shared with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to inform and support their ongoing work programme.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Note the £17.5M projected cost pressure on the Council’s 23/24 General Fund budget and the plans to bring this into balance by year end as identified within the body of the report; and

2.    Approve a formal moratorium on all expenditure, to include added scrutiny of procurement spend and recruitment, to help mitigate these pressures; and

3.    Agree to receive further updates from Executive Directors on the delivery of their service reviews/efficiencies and future spending plans, ensuring that these are managed within agreed resource envelopes; and

4.    Agree to use the £7.4M provision set aside within the 23/24 budget to partly offset the forecast pressures, with the remainder (should this position not improve), being funded from a reprioritisation of existing earmarked reserves; and

5.    Note the current forecast pressure of £0.8M on the Housing Revenue Account; and

6.    Approve the accounting write-off of historic bad debts totalling £0.969M as detailed in the report; and

7.    Note the forecast position on the Capital Programme; and

8.    Note scheme slippage totalling £3.6M; and

9.    Note total variation in scheme costs totalling £1.2M, including a cost variation on the Billingley View new build HRA scheme and agree to vire resources from underspends elsewhere within the programme to fund these cost variations; and

10.Approve new schemes to be released into the programme totalling £43.6M in line with the agreed 2023/24 Capital Programme; and

11.Note the key messages from the Council’s Q1 Treasury Management activities.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Authorises the acceptance of the £3,545,300 funding from the CRSTS to develop the named schemes further; and

2.    Authorises the acceptance of £167,768 funding from the Capability and Ambition Fund for the development of a pipeline of Active Travel schemes and the Executive Director of Growth and Sustainability be authorised to undertake all necessary steps to ensure continued delivery of the CRSTS/future pipeline programme.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the position under the option and existing lease and underlease; and

2.    Authorises the Service Director – Legal and Governance to exercise the option and take such steps as they consider appropriate to provide the Council with permanent ownership of the asset.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the required delegations to accelerate the acquisition of suitable properties in line with required project timescales. The required delegations include:

·         Delegated authority to the Group Leader Estates to negotiate the acquisition of suitable properties in line with the grant terms and conditions; and

·         Delegates authority to the Executive Director of Core Services to negotiate, conclude and execute on behalf of the Council any document or agreement required to conclude the property acquisitions.

It is likely that the public and press will be excluded from this meeting during consideration of the items so marked because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by the specific paragraphs of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended, subject to the public interest test.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Approves the Council entering into a Landowners Cooperation Agreement, and conditional contract for sale with the adjoining private landowners and the developer. Subject to the developer obtaining satisfactory planning consent, authorises the freehold sale of the Council’s land holdings in this location in line with the Landowners cooperation agreement to the developer Fenwood Estates Limited; and

2.    Authorises the Group Leader Estates/Head of Estates to negotiate and finalise the terms and conditions of the Landowners Cooperation Agreement, the conditional contract for sale and the joint disposal with the other parties to the developer Fenwood Estates Limited; and

3.    Authorises the Group Leader Estates/Head of Estates to instruct Bury & Walkers LLP to act for the Council, with the Service Director – Legal and Governance to oversee the process and check the documentation prior to exchange and signature on behalf of the Council.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the proposal to acquire 2 ‘off the shelf’ properties as part of the Council’s Strategic Acquisitions Programme 2023/24. The properties will be appropriated into the Housing Revenue Account and let as much needed affordable housing under the Council’s Letting Policy.

RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the contents of the report as an update to the report attached at Appendix A.