Agenda item

A proposed draft 2022/23 revenue budget and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) capital programme was presented. This explained that, due to current capacity constraints, a pragmatic approach had been taken regarding the distribution of pressures and savings to achieve a balanced budget position for 2022/23, namely:

Tranche 1 – savings and pressures which were straightforward to allocate (no Tranche 1 savings had been allocated to the Planning Policy Committee – Appendix A refers).

Tranche 2 – those requiring more time to allocate correctly to each committee, including £367k of pressures (£193k of staffing increments and £174k of contract inflation). These were being held as ‘corporate items’ pending consideration during the next cycle of committee meetings.

Tranche 3 – the more complex cross-cutting savings not currently allocated would be distributed following the June cycle of committee meetings, although none applied to the Planning Policy Committee.

It was also recommended that responsibility for CIL matters be transferred to this Committee from Strategy & Resources. At present, while the Strategy & Resources Committee was responsible for the CIL allocation process, the CIL budget remained with Planning Policy. The recommendation was intended to streamline arrangements more effectively. It was confirmed that the role of the CIL Working Group would not be affected by this change of committee ownership.

In response to Members’ questions, officers advised that:

·      the digital transformation of the land charges function was nearing completion and clarification would be sought about whether the process had been fully funded by a government grant;

·      the £40,000 budget for planning appeals was intended to provide for the cost of both:

-     engaging barristers to represent the Council at public inquiries; and

-     any costs awarded against the Council (the application for costs arising from the successful appeal against the refusal of planning permission for the development at Coulsdon Road, Caterham – TA/2019/1538 – had not been submitted to date);

·      the charges for pre-application fees, relative to those levied by other authorities, would be reviewed (the question was raised in the context of the charge for small businesses);

·      the Government’s funding settlement for local authorities would only be for one year and the outlook thereafter was uncertain, given that significant reforms of local government finance (i.e. the ‘fair funding review’ and a business rates reset) were anticipated for 2023/24;

·      the only element of Tranche 2 savings applicable to this Committee would be staffing increments (including the 1.25% increase in National Insurance costs) directly relating to planning staff.

            R E S O L V E D – that

A.     the Committee’s draft revenue budget for 2022/23 in the sum of £1.19m (as shown at Appendix A) be agreed, taking account of pressures allocated as part of

Tranche 1;

B.     the Committee’s Community Infrastructure Levy Final Capital Programme for 2022/23 in the sum of £1.7m (as shown in Appendix B) be agreed;

C.     it be noted that, due to timing and capacity constraints across the Council, c£0.4m of pressures could not be allocated in time for January and February committee cycle and, as such, will be allocated in three tranches as follows:

·                      Tranche 1, which are directly attributable to this Committee, have been allocated as per Appendix A (for Planning Policy, there are only directly attributable pressures, no savings have been applied);

·                      Tranche 2 will be brought to the March committee cycle for approval (the only element of Tranche 2 savings applicable to Planning Policy will be increments directly relating to planning staff, adjusted for any share of planning staff terms and conditions / pay review savings);

·                      Tranche 3, which are savings, to be applied as part of the June committee cycle (however, this will not be attributed to Planning Policy)

D.                 the subjective revenue budgets in Appendix C, including movements from 2020/21 to 2022/23 and an estimated movement to 2023/24, be noted.

COUNCIL DECISION

(subject to ratification by Council)

            R E C O M M E N D E D – that, subject to the additional underlined wording, the following clauses regarding CIL be transferred from the Strategy & Resources to the Planning Policy Committee’s terms of reference and powers ‘to resolve’:

·         the determination of CIL allocation criteria and applications for CIL funding

·         the setting of CIL budgets and the monitoring of CIL income, expenditure and disbursements to Parish Councils

·         the power to resolve:

Ø  revisions to CIL allocation criteria; and

Ø  CIL allocations upon consideration of applications and associated representations.