Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2019 as a correct record.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 4 December 2019 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive any disclosures of interest from councillors in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct for members.

There were none.

Cabinet member: Councillor I. J. Beardsmore

The Council has received a petition with 609 signatories requesting that Spelthorne Borough Council reconsiders its proposals to release two Green Belt sites within Charlton Village for the development of housing.

The matter is referred to Cabinet for consideration and a response.

In accordance with Standing Order 16.4 in the Constitution, the options available to Cabinet are:

(a) to take the action the petition requests; or

(b) not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate; or

(c) to note the petition and keep the matter under review.

Cabinet considered 6 petitions relating to 5 locations, which had been submitted in response to the consultation on the Local Plan. The petitions were in relation to:

• Charlton Village – 609 signatories
• Land between Old Charlton Road and the M3, Shepperton – 280 signatories
• Stratton Road, Sunbury – 534 signatories
• Land to the west of Town Lane, Stanwell – 227 signatories on 2 petitions
• Land adjacent to Windmill Gate Estate, Sunbury – 232 signatories

The statements for each petition were set out in both the main agenda for this meeting and in a supplementary agenda.

Four petitioners attended the meeting to address the Cabinet. Councillor R.W. Sider BEM, as ward councillor took the opportunity to address the Council in relation to the petition for Land between Old Charlton Road and the M3, Shepperton.

The Leader made the following remarks in relation to the petitioners’ comments:

“I would like to thank all of the residents here tonight for taking the time to come and present your concerns about the Local Plan and about the possible loss of Green Belt. 

We have petitions from Charlton Village, Shepperton, Sunbury and Stanwell. 

All these are understandable and all Cabinet Members will be sympathetic to the individual circumstances relating to each site.  We all have a commitment to the Green Belt – that is a commitment which we have made publicly as a Council and a ruling Conservative Group.  We do not wish to see development on the Green Belt. 

This present consultation follows on from our earlier issues and options consultation May 2018 in which we highlighted some of the issues facing the Borough including the possibility of the loss of Green Belt or the option of intensifying uses in the town centres.

I would stress to all the petitioners tonight that this Council is still consulting, this is a genuine consultation and no conclusions have yet been reached.  All these views will be taken into account.  I would however caution residents that with regards to the Local Plan – there are no simple answers.  If any resident thinks there is an easy answer, then, with respect, you may have failed to understand the very difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves.  As councillors we have to take into account the interests of all our residents, present and future.  We have to find housing solutions for children who are still at school and who are not present at this meeting.  This means as councillors we have to make difficult decisions in the public interest which will stand the test of time. 

We have objections with the housing numbers which have been given to us by government and we are seeking to negotiate a better solution for the Borough.  That has to be a priority and I have given my personal commitment to that task. 

All of the proposals here tonight are rightly looking out for what they see as the public interest.  All those views are valid, but you will appreciate that some of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2670.

Councillor R.O. Barratt

To consider a report on proposals for the Spelthorne Borough Council (Off-Street Parking Places) Order 2020.

Cabinet considered a report on the implementation of a new Off-Street Parking Places Order 2020.

The Order sets out the terms and conditions for use of Council owned car parks, and the charges and penalties which apply to those using the car parks.  It forms the legal basis from which all future charges and enforcement actions relating to Council owned car parks are made.

Alternative options considered and rejected by Cabinet:

Not to implement the proposed Parking order

Resolved to:

1)    Authorise the Group Head of Neighbourhood Services to proceed with the proposals made in this report and to implement the Spelthorne Borough Council (Off-Street Parking Places) Order 2020;

2)    Authorise the Head of Corporate Governance to publish all notices required to implement the Spelthorne Borough Council (Off-Street Parking Places) Order 2020;

3)    Authorise the Group Head of Neighbourhood Services in consultation with the Head of Corporate Governance to consider and address any objections and to amend the proposals if necessary following the public consultation;

Reasons for Decision

To ensure that parking regulations in all off-street car parks identified within the report are current and enforceable and to support the Council’s aim for Financial Sustainability.

Councillor A.C. Harman

To receive a report on the half yearly Treasury Management position.

Cabinet considered the half yearly report on the Treasury Management Strategy for 2019-20.

The report outlined the treasury activity during the half year and the associated monitoring and control of risks. 

At 30 September 2019 the Council’s total borrowing was £1,050m, a small decrease of £3m from the beginning of the financial year.   

The Council’s investment portfolio totalled £89m, with £53m of this being short-term and cash funds.  The pooled fund investments for the period to the end of September was £817k, with an annualised revenue return of £1.54m (4.8%).

Resolved to note the treasury position for the first six months of 2019-20 and the financial environment in global markets.

Councillor A.C. Harman

To consider the Treasury Management Strategy for 2020/21 and recommend it to Council for approval.

Cabinet considered a report on the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2020-21 which the Council is required to approve before the start of each financial year.

The Council had taken advice from its Treasury advisers, Arlingclose, to ensure a prudent and robust approach in the Strategy, which considers the external financial context and provides information on the local context in terms of current investment and borrowing.

Resolvedto recommend that Council approves the proposed Treasury Management Strategy for 2020-21 as set out in this report.

Reason for the decision:

The Treasury Management Strategy is fundamental to developing the financial sustainability of the Council.

Councillor A. Brar

To consider the proposed Housing Strategy for 2020-2025 and recommend it to Council for approval.

Cabinet considered a report proposing the adoption of a Housing Strategy for the period 2020 to 2025.  Whilst it is not a legal requirement to have a Housing Strategy, the Council has continued to publish one due to the importance of access to suitable affordable housing in the borough. 

An amended version of the Strategy was circulated in a supplementary agenda. The Strategy is based upon the findings of an independent review of the Council’s performance in affordable housing delivery and sets out three key areas of focus. The draft framework of the new Strategy was open to public and stakeholder consultation.

Alternative options considered and rejected by Cabinet

None

Resolved to recommend to Councilthat the Housing Strategy 2020-25, as amended in the supplementary agenda, be approved.

Reason for recommendation

The Housing Strategy 2020-25 sets out how the Council will ensure that local residents have an appropriate and affordable range of housing options to meet their needs. 

Councillor O. Rybinski

To consider the Pay Policy Statement for 2020/21 and recommend it to Council for approval.

Cabinet considered a report on the Annual Pay Policy Statement 2020-21. The statement sets out the Council’s policies on a range of issues relating to the pay of its workforce, particularly its senior staff and the lowest paid employees.

Resolved to recommend that Council approves the Pay Policy Statement for 2020-21.

Reason for the decision:

Cabinet noted that the Localism Act 2011 required local authorities to publish an annual pay policy statement to increase transparency regarding the use of public funds to pay Council staff. The pay policy statement must be agreed by full council and published by 31 March each year.

Councillor M.M. Attewell

To consider a consultation on revised proposals for a new Spelthorne Leisure Centre.

Cabinet considered a report on the planned consultation on revised proposals for a replacement Spelthorne Leisure Centre, which was circulated at the meeting.

The current Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Staines-upon-Thames will be nearing the end of its useful life by the end of 2021. Following a consultation exercise in Summer 2018 on proposals to build a new leisure centre on Staines Park, which caused the public significant concern, the Council decided not to take forward any plans to use the Park and agreed to seek an alternative location for the new leisure centre.

It was proposed to run a consultation exercise from 28 February to 27 March 2020 on a revised location.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Cabinet:

·         Do nothing

·         Propose an alternative approach

Resolved to

1.    Approve proposals for:

·         The revised location (as outlined in Appendix 1), and

·         The proposed facilities mix (as outlined in Appendix 2) and additional information for consideration, for the new Spelthorne Leisure Centre

for presentation to residents, businesses and other stakeholders.

2.    Authorise the Council’s Leisure Centre Development Working Group to:

·         Consider the results of the consultation exercise; and

·         Decide on the business case for any amendments to the proposals for a new Spelthorne Leisure Centre based on the consultation responses, prior to seeking approval from Cabinet to proceed with any planning application.

Reason for decision

To ensure that the views of stakeholders are taken into consideration before any detailed design is finalised for the new Leisure Centre.

Councillor R.O Barratt

To consider a report on the selection of a supplier of a refuse collection vehicle.

Cabinet considered a report on the selection of a supplier of a refuse collection vehicle.

The Council agreed the budget for the purchase of a new refuse collection vehicle in June 2019. To ensure the vehicle could be ordered and delivered as soon as possible, bearing in mind the lead in time for the build and delivery was up to 11 months, Cabinet was asked to delegate the selection of the supplier to the Group Head of Neighbourhood Services in consultation with  the portfolio holder.

Alternative options considered and rejected by the Cabinet

Not to agree the delegation.

Resolved to delegate the selection of the supplier of a refuse collection vehicle to the Group Head of Neighbourhood Services in consultation with the portfolio holder.

Reason for decision

To ensure that the procurement of the refuse collection vehicle can progress as soon as possible due to the long lead in time for delivery.

To receive any announcements from the Leader.

The following are the latest service updates from various Council departments.

Spelthorne Borough Council has successfully prosecuted a man for multiple fly-tipping offences. Harry Shaw from Ashford pleaded guilty to five charges of fly-tipping at Guildford Magistrates Court in December and was given a 12 month community order, including a requirement to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work. He is also required to pay prosecution costs of £1,923 and clean-up compensation to the total of £1,420. Mr Shaw was also ordered to forfeit the vehicle used in the offences. The offences related to fly-tips in Stanwell, Ashford and Shepperton.

Heathrow has announced that it will undertake another eight-week consultation to finalise its proposals for airport expansion. The consultation will run from April – June and the responses will feed into the final planning application, to be submitted to the Planning Inspector towards the end of 2020. Spelthorne has welcomed the news, having strongly argued that Heathrow’s previous consultation, which closed in September 2019, lacked the necessary detail.

The consultation for the Spelthorne Local Plan has now closed. The responses from residents will be reviewed by the Strategic Planning team and a summary of the feedback will be produced soon. The next steps will be to redraft the policies if required, decide which sites should be taken forward, produce new supporting evidence and commission the Staines Masterplan.

Capture Spelthorne, the Council’s photography competition opens on 28 February. There are four categories to enter and the overall winner will see their photograph published on the cover of the summer Bulletin. Entries close on 30 April.

The Fordbridge Community Centre is celebrating 'National Make a Friend Day' by hosting a lunch for members on Tuesday 11 February.

Spelthorne Council held a special memorial event on 27 January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day which reflects on the horrors of the Holocaust and other genocides throughout history. Staff, councillors and representatives from a number of different religious groups joined together to take part in the flag raising ceremony.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Spelthorne’s Charter Building in Uxbridge on Friday 17 January to address a meeting of female entrepreneurs. During the visit, the Prime Minister met Cllrs Olivia Rybinski and Ian Harvey and had the opportunity to hear about Spelthorne’s commercial investment strategy.

The Council is continuing to make good progress with its eco-initiatives and has recently ordered two electric bicycles, two electric vans and two electric pool cars.

Work has started on the spring edition of the Bulletin which will be delivered to residents from 16-20 March and includes articles about the Council’s housing initiatives, Spelthorne Business Awards and VE Day celebrations.

To note two urgent actions undertaken by the Chief Executive.

On 6^th and 9^th December 2019, the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, agreed lettings on part of the 3^rd floor and part of the 4^th floor respectively, within Charter Building, Uxbridge. These are not Key Decisions. The matters were considered as urgent actions because the proposed tenants required completion of the lettings before the Cabinet was next due to meet.

Cabinet noted that on 6^th and 9^th December 2019, the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, agreed lettings on part of the 3^rd floor and part of the 4^th floor respectively, within Charter Building, Uxbridge. These were not Key Decisions. The matters were considered as urgent actions because the proposed tenants required completion of the lettings before the Cabinet was next due to meet.

To consider any items which the Chairman considers as urgent.

There were none.

Councillor I.T.E. Harvey

To consider a report on a review of Knowle Green Estates Ltd.

Reason for exemption - Confidential Appendix, Business Plan

It may be necessary to exclude the press and public during consideration of this item due to the fact that the Appendix to the reportcontains exempt information within the meaning of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 and by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006:

Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information on the basis that the confidential business case contains commercially sensitive information which the Company requires to be protected in order to procure development schemes and rent properties in a competitive commercial environment.

Cabinet considered a report and an exempt Business Plan reviewing the structure of Knowle Green Estates Ltd following a 3 year operational period.  The report proposed a new corporate structure for the business in keeping with the Council’s ambitious development plan. 

Alternative options considered and rejected by Cabinet

None

The Cabinet considered the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee following its consideration of the Business Plan at its meeting held on 21 January 2020.

The Chairman, Councillor V.J. Leighton spoke to the recommendations which were:

1.    That the Business Plan for the Knowle Green Estates Group is presented alongside a mission statement or that a mission statement is subsequently developed identifying the purpose and aims of the Group.

2.    That the process of asset valuation and transfer detailed in the Business Plan for the Knowle Green Estates Group be subject to further clarification.

The Leader responded to the recommendations, on behalf of the Cabinet, as follows:

“Mission Statement

As regards a mission statement for Knowle Green Estates Group Ltd – I can see how this will provide some assurances for members.  I think the business plan makes it clear the direction of travel for the business, but I have no reservations to ask the Directors to consider their proposal for a mission statement and submit it to the Council.  I think this will complement the Business Plan. 

Asset valuation and transfers

I know that this is a live issue for the Directors because it fundamentally affects the financial appraisals for all the development sites. 

I am also aware that the Council has taken some initial advice in this area.  This has clarified that we do not need to transfer at full value where there is affordable housing and the Council is the sole proprietor of the Company.  It is worth the Council and the Company developing a protocol on this for the future schemes and taking further advice on a revised protocol.  As Shareholder Representative, I will discuss this with the Directors to see how such a protocol could be developed and how the approach can be clarified in the business plan. 

Thank you for your recommendations which I propose to accept.” 

Resolved that the Directors of Knowle Green Estates Ltd be requested to furnish further information to Cabinet along the lines outlined by the Leader in his response to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommendations.

The Cabinet then considered the recommendations in the report, and exempt appendix, before them and

Resolved to:

1.            Authorise the Head of Corporate Governance to establish a group holding company – Knowle Green Estates Group Ltd;

2.            Authorise the Head of Corporate Governance to establish a Lettings Agency and to subscribe to one share in this company in the name of the Council and thereafter to transfer the share to Knowle Green Estates Group Ltd;

3.            Authorise the Head of Corporate Governance, subject to their confirmation of willingness to be so appointed, to appoint the Directors of Knowle Green Estates Ltd as the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2681.

The Leader noted that this was the last Cabinet meeting that Michael Graham would attend at Spelthorne Borough Council as the Monitoring Officer and thanked him for his support over many years and offered his best wishes on behalf of the Council in his new position. He also welcomed Karen Limmer who had been appointed as the Interim Monitoring Officer.