Agenda item

Members considered suggested amendments to the Committee’s terms of reference and scheme of delegation (Part E of the Council’s constitution) together with corresponding revisions to delegation arrangements for other committees. 

 

The report advocated an uplift in the financial threshold for leasehold disposals of General Fund and Housing Revenue Account assets for lease periods between 16 and 99 years, i.e.: 

         

	From	To
Council decision if rental value exceeds …	£75,000 plus premium	£100,000 plus premium
Committee decision if rental value is up to …

 

The same uplift was recommended for leasehold disposals for lease periods of up to 16 years which required a committee decision. The uplifts were intended to take account of the impact of inflation since the threshold was originally set in 2018. Councillor Gray, seconded by Councillor Groves, moved an amendment to the respective recommendations that that the threshold should remain at £75,000. Upon being put to the vote the amendment was lost.

 

COUNCIL DECISIONS

(subject to ratification by Council)

 

          R E C O M M E N D E D– that:

           

A.    Clause B, “Prepare and annually review a Committee Service Plan” be deleted from the Terms of Reference section for this Committee and those for the Community Services, Housing and Planning Policy Committees;

 

B.    the following amendments be made to the list of matters reserved for this Committee to recommend to Full Council:

 

1.         Amendment to item (ii):

 

          Financial programmes for overall revenue and capital expenditure, including the medium term financial strategy and, as part of the annual budget setting process, the level of Council Tax and Prudential Indicators (subject to the Committee being able to resolve rephasing of budgetary provision within the Council’s capital programme to the next or subsequent financial years where this does not increase overall Council borrowing).

 

2.         Amendment to item (iv):

 

            Decisions on whether or not to proceed with freehold disposals of General Fund assets worth over £1 million.

 

3.         Amendments to item (v):

 

Decisions on whether or not to proceed with leasehold disposals of General Fund assets for:

 

·         periods over 99 years; and

 

·         periods of between 16 and 99 years if the annual rental valuation is more than £75,000 £100,000 plus premium.

 

4.         Addition of a new item (vi):

 

                   Individual purchases of land or buildings within or outside the District (including by means of a loan to a Local Authority owned company) via the Council’s General Fund

 

                   … with subsequent items renumbered;

 

C.   the following amendments be made to the list of matters reserved for the Committee to resolve:

 

1.         Amendments to item (iii):

 

                   Decisions on whether or not to proceed with freehold disposals of General Fund assets worth between £250,000 and up to £1 million (the Chief Executive can determine freehold disposals of assets worth less than £250,000 in consultation with Members in accordance with Standing Order 46 of Part B of the Constitution).

 

2.         Amendments to item (iv):

 

                   Decisions on whether or not to proceed with leasehold disposals of General Fund assets for:

 

·      periods between 16 and 99 years if the annual rental valuation is up to £75,000 £100,000 plus premium; and

 

·      periods up to 16 years if the annual rental valuation is more than £75,000 £100,000   

 

                          (Authority is delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Members in accordance with Standing Order 46 of Part B of the Constitution, to approve leasehold disposals of General Fund assets of up to 16 years and with an annual rental valuation of up to £75,000 £100,000).

  

 

 

 

 

3.         Deletion of Item (v):

 

Individual purchases of land or buildings within or outside the District at or above £10 million (including by means of a loan to a Local Authority owned company).

 

4.         Amendment to item (vii) (to be renumbered (vi)):

 

          The seeking of deemed planning consents planning permission by, or on behalf of, the Council

 

          … with subsequent items renumbered.

 

5.         Addition of the following clause (to be numbered (xiii)):

 

       Rephasing of budgetary provision within the Council’s capital programme to the next or subsequent financial years where this does not increase overall Council borrowing.

 

6.         Addition of the following clause (to be numbered (xiv)):

 

Addition of externally funded schemes to the capital programme;

 

 

D.   the amended thresholds from £75k to £100k regarding the leasehold disposals of General Fund assets (Recommendations B3 and C2 above) be also applied to the corresponding clauses within the lists of matters reserved for the Housing Committee to recommend and resolve regarding leasehold disposals of Housing Revenue Account assets; and

 

E.    the extra clause, “Addition of externally funded schemes to the capital programme” be also added to the delegation schemes of the Community Services; Housing; and Planning Policy Committees within the lists of matters reserved for those committees to determine.