No apologies for absence were received.

The Chairman reminded members of the public that they were permitted to film, blog, tweet or take photographs of the meeting but if they did, to do so without causing a disturbance to the meeting proceedings. The Chairman also pointed out that members of the public who were not part of the meeting had not consented to being recorded and therefore should not be included in any recording activity.

The Chief Executive introduced Mr Rob Harbour, the new Deputy Director for Places and the Chairman welcomed him to the meeting.

In accordance with the Regulations, Members are required to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests in respect of items on this Agenda and/or indicate if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

No declarations of interest were received.

To confirm the Record of Decisions made at the meeting of the Cabinet held on 18 December 2018.

The Record of Decisions made at the meeting of the cabinet on 18 December 2018, copies of which had been previously circulated, were confirmed.

To receive items raised by members of scrutiny which have been submitted to the Leader (copied to Chief Executive and Governance Officer) by 4.30 pm on Friday 11 January 2019.

There were no items raised by Scrutiny.

(KEY DECISION)

Report No.4/2019

Report No.4/2019 was received from the Strategic Director for Resources.

Mr Gordon Brown, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report the purpose of which was for Cabinet, as it is required, to set a balanced budget and agree the level of Council tax for 2019/20 in the context of its Medium Term Financial Plan. The report presented a draft budget for consultation prior to the budget being formally set in February 2019.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         It was important that this budget was taken in the context of the uncertainty that the Council currently faced due to Brexit, a potential general election and possible recession, and the fact that future funding beyond 2022 was unknown. These factors necessitated prudence going forward.

·         The Council was however in a better position than originally anticipated as a result of a great deal of work done by officers that had resulted in significant savings and identified future savings.

·         The funding split was significant as Rutland‘s budget was funded 72% by Council tax and 28% by Government. Rutland received less funding per head than any other unitary authority.

·         The Council was predicting a gap in funding and unless there was a change to Government funding the Council would have to run down reserves if the Council tax and adult social care precept were not increased.

·         St George’s Barracks was an issue but also an opportunity as the Master Plan continued. There were no significant risks in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) as the revenue stream would start after the term of the MTFP.

·         Inflation had been higher than the 2% target and so had had a negative impact on finances.

·         Rutland had a higher proportion of its population aged over 55 so there would be a pent up demand for adult social care going forward.

·         The Council’s reserves position compared favourably with other unitary authorities.

·         The expenditure chart on page 45 of the report referred to looked after children. This should have read children looked after.

·         The Council had been actively making its voice heard in respect of the level of funding that Rutland received. Although urban areas often had greater needs, rural areas had greater costs. The Government was looking at the needs issue but also looking at the fairness of that approach. The Leader and Portfolio Holder had written to Rutland’s MP, Sir Alan Duncan, and had been assured that he would be making strong representations on the Council’s behalf. Talks had also been held on this issue with the Local Government Authority.

DECISIONS:

Cabinet:

1)    APPROVED for consultation:

·         The Revenue Budget for 2019/20 detailed in Appendix 1, section 3 including savings proposals

·         The Directorate budgets per Appendices 4-6 including savings and pressures

·         An increase Council Tax by 2.99% with a further 2% for the Adult Social Care precept

·         The Capital programme as detailed in Section 4 of Appendix 1

2)    NOTED:

·         That the funding position may change when the NNDR (business rates) tax base and local government  ...  view the full minutes text for item 497.

(KEY DECISION)

Report No.5/2019

Report No. 05/2019 was received from the Strategic Director for Resources.

Mr Gorden Brown, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report the purpose of which was to set out the statutory reports expected in relation to treasury and capital investment operations for 2019/20, linked to the Council’s Budget, Medium Term Financial Strategy and Capital Programme.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         The report showed that there were sufficient funds held to meet spending plans.

·         Retained monies would be put into an investment scheme to produce a revenue stream.

·         The portfolio holder assured Cabinet that the investment scheme’s priority would be the retention of capital and the Council would not be taking risks with any high return investments.

DECISIONS:

Cabinet RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL to approve:

a)     the Treasury Management Strategy in Appendix 1 including the Investment Strategy, Borrowing strategy, Minimum Revenue Provision statement and Capital Expenditure Prudential indicators.

b)     the Capital Investment Strategy in Appendix 2

(KEY DECISION)

Report No.6/2019

Report No.6/2019 was received from the Strategic Director for Resources.

Mr Gordon Brown, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report the purpose of which was to set out the proposals for fees and charges for services provided by the Council for the financial year 2019/20.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         Taxi and vehicle licensing fees were subject to a separate review.

·         It was important that fees and charges were set at an appropriate level to maximise income.

·         Some fees and charges were set at a statutory level and others were discretionary. The basic principle applied to discretionary fees was to increase by inflation unless there was a business case to do otherwise.

·         Gambling fees had doubled to bring them into line with Peterborough City Council who delivered this service on the Council’s behalf.

·         The Green Waste Management Charge would not be increased this year and for those on benefits there would be a small reduction.

·         Grave fees were being increased in line with neighbouring authorities.

·         Licences for closing roads and for skips, scaffolding etc. had been revised to cover the true costs to the authority.

·         Following representations from shop owners in Uppingham and Oakham and a subsequent review of parking charges, the first 30 minutes of parking in all car parks would now be free of charge. All car parks would also now be treated the same and they would no longer be categorised as short or long stay.

·         In order to encourage a cashless approach to parking, the Council would absorb the 20p charge for using the RinGo service.

·         Parishes had been asked to pay for the May 2019 elections themselves and had been offered an option of repaying over a four year period.

·         The 30 minutes of free parking operation was being monitored to ensure that it was used correctly and drivers were not overstaying their time. The monitoring was currently operated by the Council’s own parking enforcement officers.

DECISIONS:

Cabinet RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL:

1.    To APPROVE the level of fees and charges for 2019/20 as set out in Appendices 1-4 with the exception of taxi and private hire vehicle licenses.

2.    To NOTE that taxi and private hire vehicle licenses fees will be subject to consultation through a public notice procedure and be brought back for approval following that consultation.

Reasons for the decision

The annual review of fees and charges is an integral part of the budget and council tax setting process and is also to ensure the Council is compliant with legislative guidance.  It is therefore recommended that Cabinet approve the proposals set out in the document.

---o0o---

Ms K Kibblewhite joined the meeting

---o0o---

(KEY DECISION)

Report No.7/2019

Report No. 7/2019 was received from the Strategic Director for People.

Mr Alan Walters, Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding-Adults, introduced the report the purpose of which was to set out the recommissioning work undertaken so far for the future provision of domestic abuse and sexual violence services in Rutland, and the plans for completing the recommissioning work including subsequent procurement, and the request to undertake a public consultation on the potential models of service provision.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         Officers did not wish to extend the contract past the existing contract extension of March 2020 and so needed to go out to consultation now in order to allow enough time for the recommissioning process.

DECISIONS:

Cabinet:

1.    NOTED the work being undertaken to recommission the domestic abuse and sexual violence services for the future across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

2.    APPROVED the request to undertake public consultation on the potential structure for services

Reasons for the decisions

1.    The recommissioning of DA/SV services is designed to improve the service offer available to Rutland residents and make it more accessible, thereby reducing the impact which domestic abuse and sexual violence have in Rutland on both individuals and the wider community.

2.    The consultation will enable commissioners to take into account as many views as possible, including those of service users, to ensure that a service model is designed which is fit for purpose, meets needs and addresses current challenges with the services.

---o0o---

Ms K Kibblewhite left the meeting and did not return

---o0o---

(KEY DECISION)

Report No. 8/2019

Report No. 8/2019 was received from the Strategic Director for Places.

Mr Gordon Brown, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report the purpose of which was to approve the loan of £70,000 to the Rutland Agricultural Society for the purpose of extending and improving the car park at the Rutland Showground.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         The conditions of repayment had been delegated to the Director of Resources and the Portfolio Holder.

·         The Rutland Agricultural Society had received an earlier loan of £75,000 funded from Section 106 monies and this had been repaid in full.

·         Members were fully supportive of this type of loan as an appropriate way of using funds.

DECISIONS:

Cabinet:

1.    APPROVED the proposed loan and associated conditions to the charitable organisation the Rutland Agricultural Society.

2.    RECOMMENDED to Full Council that the loan be approved.

Reasons for the decisions

The provision of the requested loan will enable the Rutland Agricultural society to make improvements to its site, which will benefit significant numbers of residents and visitors to the County. The terms of the loan will ensure the Council is not left out of pocket once the repayment is received.

To receive items of urgent business which have previously been notified to the person presiding.

No items of urgent business were received.

---o0o---

The Chairman closed the meeting at 10.57am

---o0o---