Issue - meetings

Council considered the recommendation of the Cabinet on a Capital Strategy for the period 2021 to 2026.

The 2021 Strategy was very different to those that preceded it and it puts ‘front and centre’ how the Council’s new priorities of delivering affordable housing, achieving the regeneration of its town centres and ensuring a sustainable future in recognition of declaring a climate change emergency are to be delivered.

A recorded vote was conducted as requested by Councillor J. Sexton with the results as follows:

FOR (20)

Attewell, Barnard, Barratt C, Barratt R, Boughtflower, Brar, Buttar, Chandler, Gething, Harman, Harvey H, Harvey I, Islam, Leighton, Madams, McIlroy, Mitchell, Noble, Rybinski and Sider.

AGAINST (7)

Beardsmore, Fidler, Saliagopoulos, Sexton, Smith-Ainsley, Spoor and Vinson.

ABSTAIN (9)

Bateson, Doerfel, Doran J, Doran S, Dunn R, Dunn S, Grant, Lagden, and Nichols. 

Resolved to approve the Capital Strategy for 2021-2026.

Councillor J.R. Boughtflower

Cabinet is asked to recommend to Council that the Capital Strategy for 2021 to 2026 be approved.

Cabinet considered the Capital Strategy Report 2021 to 2026.

Cabinet noted that the Strategy for 2021 was very different to those that preceded it and that it puts ‘front and centre’ how the Council’s new priorities of delivering affordable housing, achieving the regeneration of its town centres and ensuring a sustainable future in recognition of declaring a climate change emergency are to be delivered.

Members noted that over the past few years private developers had failed to provide sufficient affordable housing to meet the growing needs of the Councils residents and that the Capital Strategy sets out how the Council will actively reverse this trend by directly intervening in the direct delivery of additional housing and affordable homes, and that there is a commitment that Council developments will deliver at least 50% affordable provision on its schemes. 

Cabinet noted that Spelthorne Council had joined a growing number of domestic and international authorities in declaring a climate emergency and adopting a carbon-neutral target, that a Climate Change Task Group had been set up and that the Council had started assessing its own carbon footprint, along with developing a carbon trajectory to reach carbon neutrality, and that focus areas for capital investment in green measures included a new Spelthorne Leisure Centre to be the first fully compliant Passivhaus Leisure Centre in the country.

Resolved to recommend that Council approves the Capital Strategy for 2021 to 2026.

Reason for decision:

There has been a statutory requirement for every authority to have a Capital Strategy in place since April 2018 and it must be formally adopted by Council.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to:

1.    Note the working draft of the Capital Strategy 2021.

2.    Provide any recommendations on how the Strategy could be improved and amended to Cabinet for them to consider prior to the report going to Cabinet on 24 February and Council on 25 February 2021.

The Chief Accountant introduced the report and drew the Committee’s attention to the key aspects and explained that the details of how officers had arrived at the figures stated was set out in section three. The Chief Accountant informed members that the Chief Financial Officer is satisfied that the Council have complied with the CIPFA code and legislation as set stated in section eight.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Buttar, was invited to address the Committee. Councillor Buttar informed the Committee the Council had listened to members views and tried to incorporate them.

In response to members questions the Deputy Chief Executive informed the Committee that a detailed breakdown of the figures by Portfolio Holder would be going to Council along with appendices containing additional information including the comparison of Council Tax with Surrey County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner and a year-on-year breakdown.

Members expressed the view that it was not clear what would be covered by the £1 million for contingency issues relating to COVID-19 and expressed concern that as a result of COIVID-19 there had been an  increase in domestic violence and financial hardship and sought assurance that there would be provision for supporting these areas whilst noting that, as a borough council, the Council was not the lead authority for addressing domestic abuse.

The Deputy Chief Executive informed members that the Family Support team, which had expanded, did encounter domestic abuse issues with some of the families they work with and it was anticipated that other frontline staff would encounter some domestic abuse issues, but that staff did receive training and support. Members were advised that the Grants Panel had considered the range of issues generated by COVID-19 and that these issues were taken into account in the recommendations on grant allocations to Cabinet and that the report to Cabinet would be published on 16 February. The Deputy Chief Executive confirmed that the report did include the details of a grant towards the Citizens Advice Bureau and that the Council makes contributions to Surrey domestic violence support.

The Deputy Leader and portfolio holder for Community Wellbeing and Housing, Councillor Attewell, was invited to comment and confirmed that there were concerns that Housing Associations would take action against those in rent arrears when they were able to do so and that a COVID-19 Recovery Plan  was being worked on.

In response to further questions the Deputy Chief Executive explained that the residents may be eligible for Council Tax Support if their income is negatively impacted which would result in the Council receiving less council tax income. He advised that the government had provided some grant funding to cover this but if pressures were higher than anticipated this would need to be covered by the COVID-19 contingency fund.  

Members queried provision for external audit and if the risk had been legally assessed. The Deputy Chief Executive informed the Committee that the risk had not been legally assessed but that was a prudent precaution to ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36