Items
| No. |
Item |
12. |
Minutes of Previous Meeting
To approve as a
correct record the minutes of the District Executive meeting held
on 1st June 2017.
Minutes:
The minutes of the
District Executive meeting held on 1st June 2017, copies
of which had been circulated, were taken as read and, having been
approved as a correct record, were signed by the Chairman.
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13. |
Apologies for Absence
Minutes:
There were no apologies for absence.
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14. |
Declarations of Interest
In accordance with the
Council's current Code of Conduct (as amended 26 February 2015),
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.
Members are reminded that they need to declare the fact that
they are also a member of a County, Town or Parish Council as a
Personal Interest. Where you are also a member of Somerset County
Council and/or a Town or Parish Council within South Somerset you
must declare a prejudicial interest in any business on the agenda
where there is a financial benefit or gain or advantage to Somerset
County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council which would be at
the cost or to the financial disadvantage of South Somerset
District Council.
Minutes:
There were no declarations of interest
made.
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15. |
Public Question Time
Minutes:
There were no questions from members of the
public present.
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16. |
Chairman's Announcements
Minutes:
The Chairman
advised that he and the Chief Executive had attended the LGA Annual
Conference earlier that week. He said
that he would circulate an email on what he had learnt at the
Conference to all Members.
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17. |
Westlands Leisure Complex  PDF 175 KB
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
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That the District Executive noted the
progress achieved to date at the Westland Leisure
Complex.
|
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Reason:
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To
provide the District Executive with a summary of the progress in
delivering the Westlands Leisure Complex Project
|
Minutes:
The Portfolio
Holder for Leisure and Culture referred to the comprehensive report
before members and advised that the refurbishment works were now
90% complete. She said the project
board had monitored progress and had resolved issues as they
arose. The project would exceed its
original budget due to a number of unforeseen
circumstances.
The former
Assistant Director (Health and Well-Being) advised that the budget
overspend was under negotiation with the contractors and it would
be between 1 and 10% of the overall budget. The sporting and fitness centres were scheduled to
break even at the 9 month point which was ahead of schedule and
over 10,000 tickets had been sold for various events held at the
complex.
In response to
questions from the Scrutiny Committee and Members, the former
Assistant Director (Health and Well-Being) advised that:-
·
The project overspend would not impact upon other projects across
the district.
·
A number of the issues which contributed to the
overspend could have been identified earlier, however, the
need to and subsequent cost of replacing the power cable to the
site could not have been foreseen.
·
Excluding the need to replace the power cable, the 5% contingency
would have been appropriate.
·
The insurance claim for damage to the roof had been successful.
·
Some of the original furniture from the complex had been taken by
local village halls and schools.
During discussion
Members were very supportive of the completed project but it was
noted that lessons could be learned from it for future commercial
schemes. It was also noted that the
Director for Commercial Services and Income Generation would be the
future contact for the complex and the Arts and Entertainment
Manager would be in charge of day to day operations.
At the conclusion
of the debate, the Chairman, Portfolio Holder and Deputy Leader all
thanked the former Assistant Director (Health and Well-Being) for
managing the project to completion and recognised the wider SSDC
staff who had provided professional
assistance.
Members were
content to note the contents of the report.
|
RESOLVED:
|
That the District Executive noted the
progress achieved to date at the Westland Leisure
Complex.
|
|
Reason:
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To
provide the District Executive with a summary of the progress in
delivering the Westlands Leisure Complex Project
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18. |
SSDC Corporate Peer Challenge and Review PDF 272 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agree to:-
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|
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i.
|
note the
findings of the Peer Review Team set out in their report attached
as Appendix A;
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ii.
|
note the recommendations of the Peer
Review Team set out in section two of their report attached as
Appendix A and summarised in section 3
of the report;
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iii.
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agree the high level action plan set out
in Appendix B, in response to the Peer Review findings;
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iv.
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request the Transformation Programme Board monitors progress with delivery of
the action plan and updates on progress be provided to District
Executive through the regular reporting on
Transformation;
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v.
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invite a
follow-up visit by the Peer Review Team within the period of the
next 12 to 18 months, to help the Council monitor progress with
delivery of our plans and ambitions.
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Reason:
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To report
the findings of the Peer Review Team and seek Member approval for
the high level action plan to address the findings of the
review.
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Minutes:
The Chairman
advised that the review team of Councillors and officers from other
authorities had been excellent and the points raised in their
report were valid. They had presented their report to Members at a
briefing on 27th June.
The Chief Executive
drew Members attention to the Action Plan at page 31 and said the
peer review team would return in 12 to 18 months time to assess the progress made against
their recommendations. The Transformation Board would monitor the progress
of the recommendations in the high level action plan.
During discussion,
it was noted that one of the recommendations of the peer review was
to review fees and charges, including car parking charges and it
was agreed that a Scrutiny Task and Finish review group be
established to look at this.
At the conclusion
of the debate, Members were content to note the peer review report
and confirm the the
high level action plan set out in Appendix B, in response to the
Peer Review findings.
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RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agree to:-
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|
|
i.
|
note
the findings of the Peer Review Team set out in their report
attached as Appendix A;
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ii.
|
note the recommendations of the Peer
Review Team set out in section two of their report attached as
Appendix A and summarised in section 3 of the
report;
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|
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iii.
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agree the high level action plan set out
in Appendix B, in response to the Peer Review findings;
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|
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iv.
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request the Transformation
Programme Board monitors progress with delivery of the
action plan and updates on progress be provided to District
Executive through the regular reporting on
Transformation;
|
|
|
v.
|
invite a
follow-up visit by the Peer Review Team within the period of the
next 12 to 18 months, to help the Council monitor progress with
delivery of our plans and ambitions.
|
|
Reason:
|
To report
the findings of the Peer Review Team and seek Member approval for
the high level action plan to address the findings of the
review.
|
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19. |
SSDC Transformation Programme - Progress Report PDF 160 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That the District Executive noted the
report
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Reason:
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To note
the progress of the SSDC Transformation Programme
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Minutes:
The Portfolio
Holder for Environment and Economic Development and Transformation
introduced the report and advised that the Transformation Board
were monitoring the progress of the programme. The Going for Gold events held at the Westlands
Complex had been very positive and had been an opportunity for
staff to ask questions.
In response to
questions from the Scrutiny Committee and Members, the Chief
Executive confirmed that:-
·
Detail on the savings made through Transformation would be
presented in quarterly reports as they were achieved. Expenditure could also be detailed.
·
The first savings were expected to be achieved in quarter
4.
·
Staff in the Transformation Team were on
temporary contracts.
At the conclusion
of the debate, Members were content to note the contents of the
report on the Transformation Programme.
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RESOLVED:
|
That the District Executive noted the
report
|
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Reason:
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To note
the progress of the SSDC Transformation Programme
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20. |
Affordable Housing Development Programme PDF 969 KB
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agree to:-
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a.
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Confirm ringfencing of the £175,000 grant returned from
Spectrum for deployment to produce new affordable housing in Yeovil
[ref section 7];
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b.
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Note the outturn position of the
Affordable Housing Development Programme for 2016/17 [ref section
10];
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c.
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De-allocate £2,300 from Magna
Housing Association for the single acquisition in Chard which came
in under budget [ref section 11 ];
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d.
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De-allocate a further £312,500 from
Stonewater for the Learning Disability (LD) scheme at West
Hendford, Yeovil [ref section 11 ];
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e.
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Allocate an additional £11,000 for
Stonewater for the supply and fitting of cookers at the Queensway
scheme, Yeovil [ref section 11 ];
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f.
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Confirm an allocation of £92,500 to
BCHA for acquisition of five bought not built properties [ref
section 11 ];
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g.
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Note the progress made on Community Led
Housing and use of the specific fund allocated by central
Government [ref section 13].
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Reason:
|
To update
the Executive on the final position of the Affordable Housing
Development Programme for 2016/17, the current position for 2017/18
and future prospect.
|
Minutes:
The Corporate
Strategic Housing Manager introduced his report and advised that
some of the information had been updated as Knightstone Housing had been placed under contract
on a development site in Somerton which would be providing 31
affordable houses.
In response to
questions from Members, the Corporate Strategic Housing Manager
advised that:-
·
Shared ownership properties sometimes presented difficulties as the
prospective tenant/owner had to have an income sufficient to meet
the rent / mortgage payments and the properties could then be
difficult to sell on.
·
The Rent Plus model allowed tenants to pay rent and would be
offered to purchase the property at a discount in the
future.
·
Only the people who had been tenants of SSDC when the housing stock
transferred to Yarlington Homes in 1999
and remained tenants of Yarlington ever
since had the preserved right to buy their homes.
·
He would seek a meeting with Knightstone Housing and Yeovil Town Council at the
earliest opportunity to discuss the proposed housing site at
Goldcroft.
In response to a
question from the Scrutiny Committee, the Chairman advised that the
funding for the purchase of cookers at the Stonewater development in Queensway, Yeovil was to
encourage Housing Associations to be more proactive in assisting
their tenants with the essential equipment needed in a new
home.
At the conclusion
of the debate, Members were content to confirm the recommendations
of the report.
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RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agree to:-
|
|
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a.
|
confirm ringfencing of the
£175,000 grant returned from Spectrum for deployment to
produce new affordable housing in Yeovil [ref section
7];
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|
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b.
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note the outturn position of the
Affordable Housing Development Programme for 2016/17 [ref section 10];
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c.
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de-allocate £2,300 from Magna
Housing Association for the single acquisition in Chard which came
in under budget [ref section 11 ];
|
|
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d.
|
de-allocate a further £312,500 from
Stonewater for the Learning Disability
(LD) scheme at West Hendford,
Yeovil [ref section 11 ];
|
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e.
|
allocate an additional £11,000 for
Stonewater for the supply and fitting
of cookers at the Queensway scheme, Yeovil [ref section 11 ];
|
|
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f.
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confirm an allocation of £92,500 to
BCHA for acquisition of five bought not built properties [ref
section 11 ];
|
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g.
|
note the progress made on Community Led Housing and use of the
specific fund allocated by central Government [ref section
13].
|
|
Reason:
|
To update
the Executive on the final position of the Affordable Housing
Development Programme for 2016/17, the current position for 2017/18
and future prospect.
|
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21. |
2016/17 Capital Budget Outturn Report PDF 466 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agreed to:-
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a.
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note
the net spend of £6.187 million on capital schemes for the
2016/17 year and approve the financing of the capital programme
(paragraph 7 and 18);
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b.
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note the progress of individual capital
schemes and the lead officers’ comments as detailed in
Appendix A;
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c.
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approve the revisions, including
profiling amendments to the Capital Programme for 2017/18 and future years as detailed in paragraph
10;
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d.
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approve the virement of £67,000 outlined in paragraph
12;
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e.
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approve the addition £1,220,000 to
the Capital Programme budget, funded from additional
income as set out in para 13;
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f.
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note the post completion reports on the
completed schemes as detailed in Appendix B;
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g.
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note the balance of S106 deposits by developers held in a
reserve as outlined in paragraph 23.
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Reason:
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To agree
the outturn of the capital programme of the Council for
2016/17
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Minutes:
The Portfolio
Holder for Finance and Legal Services introduced the report and
advised that the final columns of Appendix A were not correctly
added up in the paper copies of the agenda, however, this had been corrected on the
website.
The Section 151
Officer advised that the overall performance of the capital budget
was close to that expected with some minor underspends and he was
content with the outcome.
In response to a
question from the Scrutiny Committee, the Section 151 officer
confirmed that the funding allocated for bus shelters would be
returned to balances.
Members were
content to note and approve the recommendations of the report.
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RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agreed to:-
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|
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a.
|
note
the net spend of £6.187 million on capital schemes for the
2016/17 year and approve the financing of the capital programme
(paragraph 7 and 18);
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b.
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note the progress of individual capital
schemes and the lead officers’ comments as detailed in
Appendix A;
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c.
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approve the revisions, including
profiling amendments to the Capital Programme for 2017/18 and future years as detailed in paragraph
10;
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d.
|
approve the virement of £67,000 outlined in paragraph
12;
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e.
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approve the addition £1,220,000 to
the Capital Programme budget, funded from additional
income as set out in para 13;
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f.
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note the post completion reports on the
completed schemes as detailed in Appendix B;
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g.
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note the balance of S106 deposits by developers held in a
reserve as outlined in paragraph 23.
|
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Reason:
|
To agree
the outturn of the capital programme of the Council for
2016/17
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22. |
2016/17 Revenue Budget Outturn Report PDF 249 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
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That District Executive agreed to:-
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a.
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note
the outturn position of £17,391,660 (an under spend of
£390,670) and explanation of variances from budget holders
for the 2016/17 financial year as shown in paragraphs
4-6;
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b.
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approve the carry forwards listed and
recommended for approval by Senior Leadership Team in Appendix B
into the 2017/18 budgets;
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c.
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approve individual service overspends are
funded from general balances and the net underspend of
£144,310 is transferred to the Transformation
Reserve;
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d.
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note the use of the specific
reserves in paragraph 19;
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e.
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note the transfers to and from balances
outlined in the General Fund table paragraph 20;
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f.
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note the position of the Area Committee
balances in paragraph 23;
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g.
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approve the virement in paragraph 28 and note the virements in Appendix G;
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Reason:
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To agree
the outturn of the revenue budgets of the Council for
2016/17
|
Minutes:
The Portfolio
Holder for Finance and Legal Services introduced the report and
advised that for recommendation (c) the underspend figure should be
£144,310.
In response to
questions from Scrutiny Committee and Members it was noted
that:
·
The Development Control overspend was due to the use of external
lawyers engaged to defend planning appeals, and, the costs awarded
to a developer for two appeals allowed.
·
SSDC used to have fraud investigation officers, however, they had been transferred to the
DWP. There was now a need for some
investigatory resource within the authority.
·
The Government had refused to share information from the DVLA with
Local Authorities, so denying them the use of automatic number
plate recognition system to control car parking.
The Chairman said he would
write to the Government Minister regarding the information sharing
with the DVLA.
At the conclusion
of the debate, Members were content to note and approve the
recommendations of the report.
|
RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive agreed to:-
|
|
|
a.
|
note
the outturn position of £17,391,660 (an under spend of
£390,670) and explanation of variances from budget holders
for the 2016/17 financial year as shown in paragraphs
4-6;
|
|
|
b.
|
approve the carry forwards listed and
recommended for approval by Senior Leadership Team in Appendix B
into the 2017/18 budgets;
|
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c.
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approve individual service overspends are
funded from general balances and the net underspend of
£144,310 is transferred to the Transformation
Reserve;
|
|
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d.
|
note the use of the specific
reserves in paragraph 19;
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e.
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note the transfers to and from balances
outlined in the General Fund table paragraph 20;
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f.
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note the position of the Area Committee
balances in paragraph 23;
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g.
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approve the virement in paragraph 28 and note the virements in Appendix G;
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Reason:
|
To agree
the outturn of the revenue budgets of the Council for
2016/17
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23. |
Prevention Charter for Somerset DOTX 38 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That the
District Executive agreed to commit to signing up to the Somerset
Prevention Charter on behalf of South Somerset District
Council.
|
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Reason:
|
To
commit South Somerset to the Vision and
Principles of prevention, in the widest sense as detailed in the
Somerset Prevention Charter.
|
Minutes:
The Portfolio
Holder for Leisure and Culture introduced the report and advised
that the Health and Wellbeing Board would be the lead organisation
to champion the Charter.
During discussion,
Members felt the Charter could help to provide connectivity through
new developments and create safe pathways to encourage walking,
running and cycling to improve fitness.
It was also regretted that in Somerset, Doctors were no longer able
to refer people to slimming classes and the Portfolio Holder agreed
to report this to the Health and Wellbeing Board.
At the conclusion
of the debate, Members agreed that the Chairman and Chief Executive
sign the Somerset Prevention Charter on behalf of South Somerset
District Council.
|
RESOLVED:
|
That the
District Executive agreed to commit to signing up to the Somerset
Prevention Charter on behalf of South Somerset District
Council.
|
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Reason:
|
To commit
South Somerset to the Vision and Principles
of prevention, in the widest sense as detailed in the Somerset
Prevention Charter.
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24. |
District Executive Forward Plan PDF 121 KB
Additional documents:
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That the District Executive:-
|
|
|
1.
|
approved
the updated Executive Forward Plan for publication as attached at
Appendix A, with the following amendments;
·
Community Governance Review Request from Barwick
Parish Council – August / September 2017
·
Approval of South Somerset Early
Review Local Plan Issues and Options Issues document for
consultation – moved to October 2017
·
Authority Monitoring Report – November
2017
·
Yeovil Town Centre Markets – moved to November
2017
·
CIL Governance – Policy to decide how funds
are allocated – moved to December 2017
|
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Reason:
|
The Forward Plan is a statutory document.
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Minutes:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That the District Executive:-
|
|
|
1.
|
approved
the updated Executive Forward Plan for publication as attached at
Appendix A, with the following amendments;
·
Community Governance Review Request from Barwick
Parish Council – August / September 2017
·
Approval of South Somerset Early
Review Local Plan Issues and Options Issues document for
consultation – moved to October 2017
·
Authority Monitoring Report – November
2017
·
Yeovil Town Centre Markets – moved to November
2017
·
CIL Governance – Policy to decide how funds
are allocated – moved to December 2017
|
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Reason:
|
The Forward Plan is a statutory document.
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25. |
Date of Next Meeting PDF 17 KB
Minutes:
Members noted that the next scheduled meeting of the District
Executive would take place on Thursday 3rd August 2017
in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Brympton Way, Yeovil commencing at 9.30
a.m.
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26. |
Exclusion of Press and Public PDF 72 KB
Decision:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That
the following item be considered in Closed Session by virtue of the
Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A under Paragraph 3:
Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any
particular person (including the authority holding that
information).
|
Minutes:
|
RESOLVED:
|
That
the following item be considered in Closed Session by virtue of the
Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A under Paragraph 3:
Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any
particular person (including the authority holding that
information).
|
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27. |
Property Investment Acquisition for Income Generation (Confidential)
Decision:
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RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive:-
|
|
|
a.
|
approved the recommendation that SSDC acquires a property
investment for income generation purposes;
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b.
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authorised the S151 Officer to determine the most economical approach
to financing the investment in line with the principles agreed for
the Renewables, Property Investment and Development Project
Fund;
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c.
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delegated authority to the Director (Commercial Services and
Income Generation) and the Director (Support Services) to act on
SSDC’s behalf to oversee and complete the property
transaction.
|
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Reason:
|
To agree
the acquisition of a property investment for income generation
purposes.
|
Minutes:
The Director for
Commercial Services
and Income Generation advised that the Executive had previously
allocated funding for property investment for income
generation. The proposed purchase would
gain both a property asset and an income stream from the
lease. She responded to Members
questions on points of detail.
During discussion, the confidentiality of
the proposal was discussed and it was impressed upon Members that
the financial details of the transaction should remain
confidential.
At the conclusion
of the debate, Members unanimously confirmed the recommendations of
the report.
|
RESOLVED:
|
That District Executive:-
|
|
|
a.
|
approved the recommendation that SSDC acquires a property
investment for income generation purposes;
|
|
|
b.
|
authorised the S151 Officer to determine the most economical approach
to financing the investment in line with the principles agreed for
the Renewables, Property Investment and Development Project
Fund;
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c.
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delegated authority to the Director (Commercial Services and
Income Generation) and the Director (Support Services) to act on
SSDC’s behalf to oversee and complete the property
transaction.
|
|
Reason:
|
To agree
the acquisition of a property investment for income generation
purposes.
|
(Voting: unanimous in
favour)
|
