Agenda and minutes

To receive details of any Members appointed to attend the meeting instead of a Member of the Sub-Committee.

Councillor Desayrah for Councillor Gregson.

To receive any declarations of interest.

None.

Up to a total of fifteen minutes can be allowed, each speaker being allocated a maximum of five minutes, for members of the public to present a petition, ask a question or comment on any matter on the Agenda or within the remit of the Sub-Committee.

Two members of the public addressed the Sub-Committee regarding the proposals for Fees and Charges in respect of Allotments.

Dr Richard Coopey, Site Co-ordinator, Pitchcroft Lane Allotments, highlighted the health and wellbeing benefits associated with allotment gardening, in terms of physical health, mental health and helping people who may experience anxiety or loneliness. He also referred to the environmental advantages. He was concerned at the negative impact which the proposed rise in fees and charges would have on many allotment holders.

Laura Maddock spoke on behalf of the tenants at Perdiswell allotment. She raised a number of points, including the following: the proposed increase is extortionate and is not in line with fees in other parts of the country; the benchmarking data that has been used is misleading and in some parts incorrect; the Council also receives income from administration fees, and the proposed increase in these fees is not representative of the actual work carried out; many tenants do the maintenance work on site rather than the Council; the charge for water is inflated or estimated with tenants being charged a flat fee no matter what size plot they have. She was concerned that people from the waiting list are turning down empty plots as they cannot afford the high price. She made reference to a petition, which she wished to present.

The Chair thanked both speakers and invited them to remain to listen to the debate on this issue. Both speakers would be provided with a written response from Officers.

Of the meeting held on 15^th November 2023 to be approved and signed.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15^th November 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

That the Sub-Committee review the proposed schedule of Fees and Charges for 2024/25 and recommend its approval to the Policy and Resources Committee on 6 February 2024 for ultimate approval by Full Council on 20 February 2024.

The Sub-Committee considered a report on the proposed schedule of Fees and Charges for 2024/25. The Head of Finance presented the report and summarised the main points. In summary, the review of the Fees and Charges has been carried out with an assumption that the average increase should be broadly 6%.

In the ensuing discussion, the Chair made reference to the representations made regarding Allotments Fees and Charges and proposed that the Advance 25% concession given to tenants who are in receipt of benefits be amended to 33%. The amendment was duly seconded and other Members spoke on the amendment. The comments made by the public participants regarding the health and wellbeing benefits associated with allotments and the impact which the fees may have on allotment holders who benefit from concessions was acknowledged. Upon being put to the vote, the amendment was carried.

With regard to the age criteria, the Chair suggested that consideration be given to reviewing this. The Corporate Director – Operations, Homes and Communities stated that a policy decision had previously been taken to increase the age limit incrementally year-on-year until it reaches 67 years. Furthermore, any form of additional means testing will require further Officer time to administer. In the ensuing discussion, it was proposed and seconded that this suggestion should be subject to an Officer assessment in the first instance so that Members can gain a fuller picture of the potential impact.

The schedule would be recommended to the Policy and Resources Committee on 6^th February 2024 for approval, and for ultimate approval by Full Council on 20^th February 2024.

RESOLVED: That:

1.    the Sub-Committee agree to recommend the proposed schedule of Fees and Charges for 2024/25 to the Policy and Resources Committee for approval, subject to amendment to the Fees and Charges in respect of Allotments, as follows:

The wording “ii. Or Advance 25% concession given to tenants if they fulfil one of the following criteria:” be amended to “ii. Or Advance 33% concession given to tenants if they fulfil one of the following criteria:”; and

2.    Officers be requested to review the criteria for the following concession and report back to a future meeting:

“Advance 25% concession given to tenants if they fulfil one of the following criteria: Over 61 years of age up to 1 October 2024 and then 62 years.”

That the Income Management Sub-Committee note the Council’s quarter 3 performance for 2023/24.

The Sub-Committee considered a report on the Council’s Quarter 3 performance for Income Management for 2023/24. The Head of Finance presented the report and highlighted the main points. In summary, income continues to meet the budget and is ahead of budget in several areas. Bereavement, Development Management and Neighbourhood Services income is lower than for the same period last year. The report explained the reasons and the Head of Finance commented on each.

Officers responded to questions and comments from Sub-Committee Members. In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were made:

·        In response to a question about car parking income for the first two quarters were higher than average. The slight fall in Q3 was partly due to flooding issues, but it is too early to establish whether this trend will continue into Q4.

·        In response to a question about a possible idea for generating income from Garden Waste, the Head of Finance stated that he was happy to discuss this outside the meeting.

RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee note the Council’s quarter 3 performance for 2023/24.

That the Sub-Committee note progress against the Commercial Strategy 2021-2024 and consider proposed revisions to the principles outlined in the report of 15^th November 2023.

The Sub-Committee note progress against the Commercial Strategy 2021-2024. The Corporate Director – Finance and Resources presented the report and explained that a revised version of the Strategy for the period 2024-27 had been drafted, taking into account the themes which the Sub-Committee had agreed at the meeting on 15^th November 2023. The three areas of development had been should be incorporated into the revised Strategy:

•    Continue to identify opportunities for Commercial property acquisition within the framework of Treasury Guidance on PWLB borrowing

•    Strengthen management of existing assets, both tenanted and non-tenanted to maximise the value of these assets within the context of the Council’s overall social, economic and environmental objectives

•    Establish an agreed approach to the management of discretionary services, recognising the principle that these should be delivered as far as possible without subsidy from general Council resources.

Taking these themes into account, seven strategic principles had been developed, as follows:

·          Strategic principle 1: Fees and charges will increase annually by the rate of inflation as at 31 October of the preceding financial year, unless specific circumstances indicate that a different rate should be set.

·          Strategic principle 2: Estimated costs of charged-for service or activities should include appropriate allocations of direct management and accommodation costs and a relevant proportion of corporate overheads.

·          Strategic principle 3: The Council will continue to identify assets which can be procured within the PWLB’s Future Lending Terms and meet the criteria set out in Appendix B. (Attached)

·          Strategic principle 4: Existing capital schemes should be prepared, assessed and prioritised, ready for potential submission when future capital programmes are announced.

·          Strategic principle 5: the ‘retain/develop/release’ decision for Council assets should be formalised as part of a collective approach to asset management.

·          Strategic principle 6: As part of the development of the Transport Strategy and Air Quality Strategy the Council should undertake a systematic review of its car park asset holdings to assess the potential for increased income generation including the addition of electric vehicle charging points against asset disposal in favour of alternative capital uses, such as housing.

·          Strategic Principle 7: The Council should be work towards delivering discretionary services on the basis of full cost recovery as far as possible, incorporating strategic principle 2.

Furthermore, internal review of the draft Strategy also identified two further elements that should be should be considered in preparing a final draft for consideration by the Sub-Committee:

•    Incorporation of the Income Generation Strategy and development of the document as Business Strategy

•    Consideration of procurement activity, taking into account commercial principles and also ethical considerations.

The Sub-Committee were asked to review these strategic principles and the proposed revisions.

In the ensuing discussion, Members expressed support for the revisions as set out above. The Corporate Director advised that a full and final version of the Strategy will be reported to the next meeting. In response to a question from the Chair regarding the wording of Strategic Principle 6, Corporate Director stated that any questions or  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

Which in the opinion of the Chair is of sufficient urgency as to warrant consideration.

None.

The Sub-Committee are invited to pass the following resolution:

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act.

RESOLVED: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act.

To consider proposed Fees and Charges for Trade Waste, Building Control and some Licensing charges which are classed as exempt as they are commercially sensitive.

The Sub-Committee considered proposed Fees and Charges for Trade Waste, Building Control and some Licensing charges which are classed as exempt as they are commercially sensitive. The Sub-Committee agreed to recommend them to the Policy and Resources Committee for approval.