Corporate Policy and Resources Committee
Decisions taken at the meeting held on Monday, 9 December 2024.
Meeting Time:
7.00 pm
Meeting Venue:
Council Chamber, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB
PRESENT: Councillor Joanne Sexton (Chair), Councillor Chris Bateson (Vice-Chair), Councillor Malcolm Beecher, Councillor John Boughtflower, Councillor Jon Button, Councillor Sue Doran, Councillor Rebecca Geach, Councillor Michele Gibson, Councillor Kathy Grant, Councillor Karen Howkins, Councillor Naz Islam, Councillor Sinead Mooney, Councillor Lawrence Nichols and Councillor Howard Williams
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5. Knowle Green Estates Ltd, Annual Report 2023/24 |
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Committee resolved to:
1. Note the Annual Report of Knowle Green Estates Ltd; and
2. Set up a Task & Finish Group to consider the future Council representation on the Board following the Chief Finance Officer of the council stepping down and to consider how the Council wishes to move Knowle Green Estates forward.
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6. Q2 Revenue Monitoring Report as at 30 September 2024
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The Committee resolved to note the report. |
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7. Quarter 2 (30 September 2024) Capital Monitoring Report
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The Committee resolved to note the report. |
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8. Eclipse Leisure Centre Financing
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The Committee resolved to note the revenue impacts of the Eclipse Leisure Centre for the outline budget period.
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9. Corporate Policy and Resources - Budget, Fees and Charges, Capital bids, Revenue Growth and Savings for 2025/26
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The Committee resolved to note the draft initial budget, Fees & Charges Schedule, Capital Items, Revenue Growth and Savings items for 2025-26 for Corporate Policy & Resources Committee.
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10. Determination of 2025/26 Council Tax Base for Tax Setting* |
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The Committee resolved to approve:
1. The gross Council Tax Base for 2025/26 is determined at 41,875.90 as Band D equivalents after taking into account of the Council’s agreed Council Tax Support Scheme; and
2. The net Council Tax Base for 2025/26 calculated as Band D equivalents, is determined at 40,620 after an adjustment by 3% to allow for irrecoverable amounts, appeals and property base changes.
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11. Outline Budget Report 2025-26 to 2028-29*
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The Committee resolved to:
1a. note the proposed Outline Budget parameters for 2025-28 to 2028-29 and the issues and challenges raised in the report,
1b. note the current projected Budget shortfalls over the outlined periods set out in the report,
1c. subject to a recommendation of the Commercial Assets Sub-Committee, agree in principle to the use of £1m per annum in 2026/27 up to £5m per annum in 2030/31 revenue income from investment assets to accelerate the building up of the investment sinking fund reserves, resulting in less income to support annual service provision,
2a. agree the Outline Corporate Transformation Programme covering the year 2025-26 to 2028-29 to ensure he ongoing financial viability of the Council; and
2b. agree to set up a Members Transformation Board, with draft Terms of Reference to be brought back to the next meeting of the Committee.
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12. Reserves Strategy for Capital & Revenue for 2025-26 to 2028-29*
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The Committee resolved to:
1. Note the forecast Council Reserves balances for the four years ending 31 March 2029,
2. Note a further report will come to the Committee in February once the final budget has been finalised,
3. Agree to repurpose £8.71m of earmarked Revenue Reserves to offset abortive project management costs on Council housing regeneration site, that must be re-charged from Capital to the Revenue Budget,
4. Repurpose the Green Belt fighting fund reserve (£900k) to become a Local Plan Resources Funding Reserve to be applied in 2025-26 and 2026-27 to help fund Strategic Planning; and
5. To apply a further £700k of Social Housing Initiatives Reserve in 2025-26 to offset revenue pressures arising from homelessness.
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13. Replacement of Mechanical & Electrical Plant at Sunbury Leisure Centre*
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The Committee resolved to:
1. Approve a net budget of up to £739,000 to undertake improvement mechanical and electrical plant replacement works at Sunbury Leisure Centre,
2. Approve a contingency budget in the amount that equals 10% of the total project cost,
3. Delegate authority to the Group Head of Assets in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Corporate Policy & Resources Committee to agree requests for expenditure from the contingency budget,
4. Delegate authority to the Group Head of Assets in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of Corporate Policy & Resources Committee to appoint the preferred bidder as set out in this report to undertake the mechanical and electrical plant works; and
5. Delegate authority to the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter into necessary legal documentation to formalise the appointment of the Contractor.
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14. Council Land and Property Disposals
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The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that it approves progressions of an assets disposal programme of Council owned land and property in order to generate capital receipts.
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15. Appointment of an Independent Member of the Commercial Assets Sub-Committee
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The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that it approves the appointment of Mark Bunney as the Independent Member of the Commercial Assets Sub-Committee.
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16. Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Policy 2024-2028* |
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The Committee resolved to:
1. Approve the Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Policy 2024-28; and
2. Approve to delegate authority to the Strategic Safeguarding Lead in consultation with the chair of the Community Wellbeing & Housing Committee to approve minor amendments and updates to the Policy
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17. Appointment of Charity Trustees - Staines Parochial Charity* |
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The Committee resolved to approve the appointment of June Stillwell as a Charity Trustee |
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18. Appointment of Charity Trustees - Laleham Charities - Hodgson & Reeve* |
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The Committee resolved to approve the appointments of Barry Morgan and Jo Smith as a Charity Trustees. |
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22. Solar Canopies Over 'Eclipse' Leisure Centre Car Park* |
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The Committee resolved to:
1. Approve the recommended tender option,
2. Approve the Council entering into a contract (subject to the required standstill period) with the recommended bidder,
3. Authorise the Group Head of Corporate Governance to be delegated to enter into the contract and any other associated documentation in connection with the solar car park project; and
4. Agree a supplementary capital estimate for the current year. |
NOTES:-
(1) Members are reminded that the “call-in” procedure as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution, shall not apply to the following matters:
(a) Urgent decisions as defined in Paragraph 9. of the Call-in Scrutiny Procedure Rules;
(b) Decisions to award a contract following a lawful procurement process;
(c) Those decisions:
i. reserved to full Council
ii. on regulatory matters
iii. on member conduct issues.
(2) Those matters to which Note (1) applies, if any, are identified with an asterisk [*] in the above Minutes.
(3) Within three working days of the date on which this decision is published, not less than three members from two or more political groups by submission of the standard call-in pro-forma, may ask for that decision to be referred to a meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee for review (call-in). The completed pro-forma must be received by the Proper Officer by 5pm three working days after publication of the decision.
(4) The members exercising the right of call-in must not be members of the Committee which considered the matter.
(5) When calling in a decision for review the members doing so must demonstrate the following exceptional circumstances:
a. Evidence which suggests that the decision maker, did not take the decision in accordance with the principles set out in Article 11 (Decision Making); or
b. Evidence that the decision fails to support one or more of the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities to the detriment of the majority of the Borough’s residents; or
c. Evidence that explicit Council Policy or legal requirements were disregarded.
(6) Once the request for ‘call-in’ has been deemed valid by the Monitoring Officer the matter will be suspended until the call-in procedure has been exhausted.
(7) The Chief Executive, in consultation with the relevant officer, will determine if the interests of the Council or Borough would be prejudiced by a delay in implementing a decision such that the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(8) Where the call-in cannot wait until the next ordinary meeting, the Monitoring Officer will arrange an extraordinary meeting of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to review the decision subject to call-in at the earliest possible opportunity.
(9) In exceptional cases, where there is clear evidence that a delay to the implementation of a decision would lead to a specific and significant financial or reputational harm to the Council, a call-in request may be refused by the Chief Executive following consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
(10) In reviewing a matter referred to it under the call-in scrutiny procedure rules, the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee shall follow the procedure for dealing with call-in scrutiny at its meetings as set out in Part 4b of the Constitution.
(11) The deadline of three working days for "call in" in relation to the above decisions by the Committee is the close of business on Monday 16 December 2024.