Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

200.

Minutes of the meeting held on the 5th October 2021 pdf icon PDF 553 KB

To confirm as a correct record

Additional documents:

Minutes:

These minutes were confirmed and signed by the Chair.

201.

Declarations of interest

All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter:

 

(i)            any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) and / or

(ii)           other interests arising under the Code of Conduct

in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at the meeting. Anyone with a DPI must, unless a dispensation has been granted, withdraw from the meeting during consideration of the relevant item of business.  If in doubt, advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer or her staff prior to the meeting.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillors Bloore, Morrow and Pursehouse declared interests in agenda item 6 (CIL Working Group – 8th November 2021 / Minute 204 below). The nature if their interests was that they were members of Warlingham Parish Council which had submitted the CIL application for the Warlingham Green improvement project. They left the Chamber for the discussion and voting on that agenda item.  

 

 

202.

Questions submitted under Standing Order 30 pdf icon PDF 401 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A question was submitted by Councillor Cooper, a copy of which is attached at Appendix A, together with the response from Councillor Bourne as Chair of the Committee. Councillor Cooper’s supplementary question and the response from Councillor Bourne is also included within Appendix A.

 

203.

Investment Sub-Committee - 5th November 2021 pdf icon PDF 305 KB

To receive the minutes of this meeting and to consider the recommendation under item 4 to dispose of Redstone House

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the Sub-Committee’s meeting on the 5th November 2021 were considered.

 

The Chair responded to questions about the nature of the planning permission to be sought for Redstone House (i.e. residential) and the rationale for disinvesting in Funding Circle.  

           

COUNCIL DECISION

(subject to ratification by Council)

 

            R E C O M M E N D E D– that that the minutes, attached at Appendix B, be          received and the recommendation in Item 4 (that Redstone House, Nutfield be sold for         the best consideration as can be achieved by the Executive Head of Communities)    be adopted.   

 

 

 

204.

CIL Working Group - 8th November 2021 pdf icon PDF 327 KB

To receive the minutes of this meeting and to consider the recommendations under item 3 regarding the allocation of CIL funds

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the Working Group’s meeting on the 8th November 2021 were considered.

 

            R E S O L V E D the minutes, attached at Appendix C, be received and the         recommended CIL allocations in item 3 be adopted.

 

205.

2020/21 Outturn Month 12 (March 2021) pdf icon PDF 178 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report regarding the Council’s 2020/21 budget position at the end of March 2021.

 

After taking account of the £920,000 budget gap (confirmed by the Grant Thornton review) the General Fund revenue outturn was a £885,000 surplus, transfers of which to various reserves were recommended. The report advised that, for 2020/21, the £920,000 gap had been mitigated by in-year underspends across all services. Further mitigation measures were outlined for subsequent years, i.e.:

 

·      2021/22 – funding the gap from reserves. An application to the Secretary of State to allow the use of capital receipts to replenish reserves was in progress. If permission was not granted, the temporary use of reserves would become permanent.

 

·      2022/23 – the gap has been taken into account when determining the level of savings that would be required.  Assuming that all the £1.2m of savings are delivered and because they are of a permanent nature, the gap would be permanently closed in 2022/23.  

 

Capital expenditure of £11.2 million had been incurred against the combined General Fund and HRA capital programme budget of £15.7 million. After allowing for a £200,000 underspend, slippage of £4.3 million was recommended (£2.5 million to 2021/22 and £1.8 million to 2022/23). The report confirmed that improvements to the governance, monitoring and reporting of the capital programme would be undertaken as part of the finance transformation programme.

 

The Housing Revenue Account had achieved a surplus of £1,356,300 against the budgeted figure of £1,037,800 (a positive variance of £318,000).

 

The report also advised that a fundamental review of the Council’s financial management and reporting arrangements was being undertaken by an independent external advisor (Laura Rowley BA MBA FCPFA). Laura Rowley’s interim report was included within the agenda pack. This concluded that the Chief Finance Officer could proceed with a reasonable degree of confidence and that the data underlying the outturn report could be used to support the production of the 2022/23 draft budget. Laura Rowley joined the meeting via Zoom and confirmed her findings.

 

In response to Members’ questions, the Chief Finance Officer explained:

 

  • that the finance transformation project sought to ensure that, in future years, outturn positions would be predicted more accurately and that significant variations could be identified and tracked earlier in the financial year

 

  • the overspend on Minimum Revenue Provision - the budgeted amount had not taken account of the need to apply MRP to internal (as well as external) borrowing.

 

The sentence in Laura Rowley’s report which stated that Tandridge had approached Surrey County Council for assistance was questioned. This was on the basis that Tandridge had, in fact, originally interviewed two candidates for the Chief Finance Officer vacancy in 2020, one of which was Anna D’Alessandro who was duly appointed and proceeded to lead the joint working with the County Council. Laura Rowley confirmed that she would amend her report accordingly.

   

 

COMMITTEE DECISIONS

(under powers delegated to the Committee)

           

          R E S O L V E D that

 

A.     the Council’s revenue and capital positions for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 205.

206.

2022/23 draft budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report was presented which recommended a draft budget for 2022/23; a Medium Term Financial Strategy; Council Tax exemptions and discounts; the Council Tax base for 2022/23; funding for the planning service; an application to Government for a ‘capital dispensation’; and the flexible use of capital receipts strategy.

 

The report explained the twin track approach to developing the Council’s financial plans, namely focusing on delivering a balanced budget for 2022/23 while seeking to address pressures over the medium term. It reflected upon the challenges associated with developing a balanced budget, especially the continuing impact pf the pandemic and the underlying £920,000 budget pressure which was the subject of the Grant Thornton review commissioned by the Committee earlier in the year. At this early stage, the report concluded that up to £200,000 could be required from reserves to balance the budget for 2022/23, pending settlement outcomes, before being replenished in 2023/24. 

 

The report provided details about:

 

·           the need for Council wide transformation over the next two years to deliver a leaner, more sustainable organisation, involving a review of all services beyond the change programmes already underway in finance and planning (an ‘improved operating model for Tandridge’ was attached to the report - in response to a comment during the debate, the Chief Executive confirmed that actions for delivering the model would be developed in the near future)  

 

·           progress in implementing the finance transformation programme to date and an explanation of the change programme for the planning service (as reported to the Planning Policy Committee on the 25th November 2021) which involved the creation of four additional posts at a cost of £76,000 per annum; £114,000 was being sought for an eighteen-month period, expected to be funded from the flexible use of capital receipts  

 

·           the work undertaken in conjunction with IMPOWER to identify savings opportunities

 

·           an explanation of the flexible use of capital receipts regime whereby the Government allowed Councils to spend their capital receipts on the revenue costs of transformation projects, and the requirement for the application of this type of receipt to be matched by revenue savings and/or cost containment

 

·           strategies applicable to the four policy committees

 

·           financial performance in 2021/22

 

·           the emerging draft 2022/23 budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy/ outlook to 2023/24 as attached at Appendix D

 

·           an update on the development of the capital programme 2022/23 to 2024/25.

 

 

Information concerning the proposed new and revised Council Tax discounts, exemptions and premiums were provided as per Appendix E.

 

Details regarding the Council Tax base for 2022/23 were presented as per Appendix F.

The Chief Finance Officer explained how the scope of the finance transformation project had extended since its inception, given the identification of the budget gap in April 2021 and associated activities to provide Members with confidence in the underlying numbers and to allow the Finance Transformation Programme to be built on a solid foundation.  This had created a delay in its anticipated completion beyond the current financial year. However, she confirmed that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 206.

207.

Household Support Fund - Confirmation of decision taken under urgency powers (Standing Order 35) pdf icon PDF 159 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Department for Work and Pensions had launched the Household Support Fund to provide financial support to vulnerable households during the winter months. Initial allocations for grant funding were to Unitary and County Councils.  Surrey County Council had received nearly

£5.3 million and had distributed £2.8 million to Surrey Boroughs and Districts (£234,649 to Tandridge) to enable solutions that meet local requirements.  Authorities could deduct reasonable administration costs from their allocations and had discretion to administer the scheme within the scope of the guidance. 

 

A Tandridge Household Support Scheme Local Eligibility Framework had been developed for the local administration of the scheme which confirmed that the Council would:

 

·           exercise discretion to identify and support those most in need

 

·           use the funds to meet immediate needs and help those who are struggling to afford food, energy or water bills and essential household expenditure

 

·           in exceptional cases of genuine emergency, support housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need

 

·           work with local services, community groups and other partners to identify and support households within the scope of the scheme.

 

A report was submitted which advised that the Framework had been approved by the Chief Executive under the urgency provisions of Standing Order 30 and that funds would be allocated to recipient households in the form of vouchers which could be redeemed to offset utility costs and to purchase groceries and other essentials such as clothing and white goods. 

 

The Committee was advised of corrections to paragraph 6 of the report which clarified that the administration costs in Tandridge were anticipated to be approximately £17,756 made up as follows:

 

Activity

No of Hours

Hourly rate

Costs

Plus £18 per hour on-cost

Set-up

40

£55

£2,200

£2,920

IT development

22

£20

£440

£836

Administration

20 hours per week x 20 weeks

£17

£6,800

£14,000

Total

 

 

£9,440

£17,756

 

 

It was confirmed that the launch of the Tandridge Fund would be accompanied by a targeted promotional campaign and that relevant local voluntary organisations, with potential knowledge of residents in need of support, would be contacted.  

 

            R E S O L V E D that the decision taken under urgency powers in accordance with Standing Order 35 to approve the Tandridge Household Support Scheme Local Eligibility Framework be ratified.

 

208.

Designation of Polling Station for Chelsham & Farleigh pdf icon PDF 142 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The current polling place assigned for the Chelsham and Farleigh polling districts was Warlingham Park School (an independent school not covered by the relevant legislation which allowed Returning Officers to use school premises as polling stations).

 

A report was submitted which advocated that the polling place for the area be re-designated as the Bull Inn, Chelsham Common. This was in light of concerns raised during recent polls regarding the suitability of the school for electoral purposes. The Bull Inn had been used for the 6th May 2021 elections due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic (social distancing could not be maintained in the school) and feedback from voters, polling station staff and Ward Members had been positive. 

 

COUNCIL DECISION

(subject to ratification by Council)

 

            R E C O M M E N D E D – that the Bull Inn be assigned as the polling place for the Chelsham and Farleigh polling districts.