Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting held on 2 August 2016.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 2 August 2016 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Amanda Broom, Tony Lock, Tiffany Osborne, Garry Shortland and Neil Bloomfield.

In accordance with the Council's current Code of Conduct (adopted July 2012), which includes all the provisions relating to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI), personal and prejudicial interests, Members are asked to declare any DPI and also any personal interests (and whether or not such personal interests are also "prejudicial") in relation to any matter on the Agenda for this meeting. A DPI is defined in The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012 No. 1464) and Appendix 3 of the Council’s Code of Conduct.  A personal interest is defined in paragraph 2.8 of the Code and a prejudicial interest is defined in paragraph 2.9. In the interests of complete transparency, Members of the County Council, who are not also members of this committee, are encouraged to declare any interests they may have in any matters being discussed even though they may not be under any obligation to do so under any relevant code of conduct.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no questions raised by members of public at the meeting.

This is an opportunity for Members to question the progress on issues arising from previous meetings.  However, this does not allow for the re-opening of a debate on any item not forming part of this agenda.

There were no issues raised from previous meetings.

The Chairman explained that the notes of the last Transformation Board meeting on July 6^th were sent out via e-mail to all members; she invited any feedback and questions so she could present them at the next meeting on 6^th September.

Garry Orr (Yarlington Homes Chief Executive Officer) provided an overview of:

·         The history and creation of Yarlington Homes and the work they have done to date within South Somerset to provide affordable housing.

·         The impact of the decrease and removal of funding and financing for the provision of affordable housing on Yarlington Homes.

·         The numbers of Affordable housing units that could be provided across South Somerset if SSDC were to agree to forgo the Right To Buy (RTB)Clawback.

During discussion the following points were made:

·         Since 1999, 889 properties have been sold under ‘preserved’RTB in SSDC.

·         Gary Orr explained South Somerset Homes/Yarlington homes have built 1211 new homes.

·         Home ownership is becoming increasingly unaffordable.

·         It is vital that SSDC has the flexibility to invest Capital where it gets the greatest return.

·         It’s not just about the total numbers of properties being built, the properties provided need to match the needs of those on the Housing Register and in the locations where there is the highest demand.

·         There is a need to consider balance of communities also.

·         Currently SSDC has approximately £18 million in Capital receipts that are not committed; however there is evidence that SSDC requires approximately £21million over the next five years.

Scrutiny Committee acknowledged the real need for additional affordable housing in South Somerset and appreciates the very different financial climate Yarlington Homes are now operating in.

Scrutiny Committee suggested that the Council first look to consider if the Right To Buy clawback monies should be ring fenced as a principle.  This should take account of the impact on the Capital Programme in terms of the other significant projects that this Council wants or needs to deliver on behalf of the community.

Scrutiny members recommended only if this principle is agreed should Council consider how best to allocate the clawback monies to best meet those in housing need on the Housing Register.

Members noted the update given by the Chairman of Scrutiny Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee considered the reports contained in the District Executive Agenda for the 1 September 2016 and made the following comments:

SSDC / Yarlington Homes Right to Buy (RTB) Clawback Agreement (Agenda item 6)

This item was discussed as a separate item on the Scrutiny Agenda

SSDC Medium Term Financial Strategy and Plan (Agenda item 7)

The Assistant Director (Finance and Corporate Services) introduced the report and explained that the report was being brought before members a month early to consider the Rate Support Grant (RSG) offer by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Regarding the four year settlement and the potential negative RSG in year 4, Scrutiny members asked how many other authorities nationally are in a similar position and to what extent a co-ordinated approach with such authorities is being pursued?

Some members queried recommendation 8 and suggested that the decision should in fact be made by Full Council and to accommodate this, a meeting could be arranged for 13^th October.

Members questioned whether there should be a more explicit reference in the report to the risk (and appropriate mitigating actions) should the Transformation Programme not deliver the anticipated savings? The Committee noted the Leader’s comments that there is in effect no risk as if the Transformation savings are not achieved, services will be cut to balance the budget.

Scrutiny Committee asked if the explanation in paragraph 22 could be amended to reflect that the savings are all over the 5 year period and are in addition to the potential savings attributed to Transformation.

Affordable Housing Development Programme (Agenda item 8)

The Corporate Strategic Housing Manger introduced the report and provided the headlines of the report, he emphasised that SSDC will need to increase the amount of money available to ensure a supply of affordable homes remain available for rent.

Members thanked the officer for a very comprehensive report and noted that the outcome of the ongoing Task and Finish Group looking at the issue of the disposal of affordable housing in rural communities will have an impact on this report going forward.

South Somerset Authority Monitoring Report (September 2016) (Agenda item 9)

The Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning (Place Making) and the Assistant Director (Economy) gave an overview of the report and gave examples of the work being undertaken to address the issues identified.

Members noted that there is no explicit reference to ‘Tourism’ within the report and felt that this was a significant omission given the important contribution Tourism makes to the local economy. The Committee were pleased to note that the team would look at this point.

Members thanked the officers for a very detailed and accessible report produced during a very busy time for the team.

The Committee also noted that it is important strong links are maintained between this monitoring report and the emerging Economic Development Strategy.

Quarterly Corporate Performance and Complaints Monitoring Report – 1^st Quarter 2016/17 (Agenda item 10)

The Performance Officer provided an overview of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

Members were updated as follows on the progress of the Task and Finish Groups currently underway:

Council Tax Support Review 2017

The Scrutiny Manager explained that a consultation on the potential amendments to the Council Tax Support scheme was currently running and if members wished to refer people to it, it is accessible via the Councils home webpage.

The next meeting is scheduled for 23^rd September where members will be considering the consultation comments to date, external evidence, Council Tax arrears analysis, Risks and the Equalities Impact Assessment.

Discretionary Housing Payments

This Scrutiny Manager explained the next meeting is scheduled for 16^th September and would be primarily looking at the issue of rural isolation and the ensuing impacts on mental health.

Consent to Dispose of Housing Stock / Local Connections Allocation Policy

A report is currently being prepared for consideration by the HomeFinder Somerset Board outlining members suggestions for ensuring sustainable local communities are supported through providing appropriate local housing for local people.

Further work is being done to fully understand the impact of the decisions by the various Housing Providers to disposes of stock within South Somerset. The evidence gathered by the Task and Finish Group to date indicates that South Somerset has very limited ability to influence their decisions so the focus of the group is now on ensuring the risk of such disposals is fully understood and reflected in SSDC policies and procedures. A further meeting will be held in September to progress this.

National Non-Domestic Rate Discretionary relief policy

The Scrutiny Manager explained that an invitation had been sent out to all members to participate and there is a meeting scheduled for Monday 12^th September to review:

·         If the scheme is proving to be fit for purpose.

·         If there are any unforeseen issues or consequences for SSDC, business, organisations charities etc.

·         If there have been any external changes which have an impact on the policy and should now be taken into account.

·         The process that applicants need to go through and the methods of administrating the policy.

·         The NNDR collection rates and arrears data in relation to the changes that have been introduced.

Community Council for Somerset (CCS)

The Task and Finish group met with Keeley Rudd the Chief Executive of CCS on 8^th August, the purpose of the meeting was to identify if SSDC and CCS could work more closely to achieve better outcomes for the community.

A presentation had been provided giving an overview of CCS, the role of the Village Agent and examples of work that have been carried out across South Somerset.

After discussion it was agreed that:

·         Communication across the organisations could be improved particularly when it came to identifying and helping those who are vulnerable.

·         There are a couple of area of overlap that may need to be further explored with the new Community Involvement Officer at CCS.

It was recognised that there would be a need for a data sharing protocol before the organisations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

There were no updates on matters on interest.

Following on from the productive meeting with the Community Council for Somerset, it was suggested that representatives from the successful One Team approach adopted in the Halcon Ward of Taunton Deane be invited to a future meeting of the Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Martin Wale, as SSDC’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel asked that a report be included in the Scrutiny Work Programme looking at proposals for increased joint working between police forces across the South West. The date of the report has yet to be confirmed but Cllr Wale will bring it forward when appropriate.

Members noted the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee would be held on 4 October 2016, on the Main Committee Room, Brympton Way.