Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Hannah Stevenson  01344 352308

Items
No. Item

44.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary or Affected Interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

 

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

 

Any Member with an Affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

45.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 215 KB

To consider and approve the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 28 January 2020. .

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive on 28 January 2020  together with the accompanying decision records be confirmed as a correct record and signed by Councillor Birch.

Executive Decisions and Decision Records pdf icon PDF 73 KB

The Executive considered the following items.  The decisions are recorded in the decision sheets attached to these minutes and summarised below:

46.

Revenue Budget 2020/21 pdf icon PDF 373 KB

To recommend to Council the annual budget

Additional documents:

Minutes:

That the Executive, in recommending to Council a budget and Council Tax level for 2020/21:

 

                           i.          Confirms the original budget proposals, subject to the revisions in section 8.3 of the Director:Finance’s report and those decisions to be taken elsewhere on this agenda on the capital programme;

 

                          ii.          Agrees the provision for inflation of £1.998m (section 8.2) of the Director:Finance’s report;

 

                         iii.          Agrees the additional budget proposals as set out in Annexe A and Annexe D and in sections 6.2, 6.3, 7.3, 8.3, 9.1, 9.3 and 10.6 of the Director:Finance’s report;

 

                        iv.          Agrees that the Council should make additional funding available for distribution to schools through the local funding formula at the level set out in section 9.1 of the Director:Finance’s report, subject to any minor amendments made by the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning following the receipt of definitive funding allocations for Early Years and High Needs pupils;

 

                          v.          Includes contingencies totalling £2.250m (section 10.6 of the Director:Finance’s report), use of which are to be authorised by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Director of Finance in accordance with the delegations included in the Council’s constitution;

 

                        vi.          Subject to the above recommendations, confirms the draft budget proposals;

 

                       vii.          Approves the Net Revenue Budget before allowance for additional interest from any use of balances as set out in Annexe G of the Director:Finance’s report;

 

                      viii.          Agrees the contribution of £0.375m to be made from revenue balances (before additional interest from the use of balances) to support revenue expenditure;

 

                        ix.          Recommends a 3.99% increase in the Council Tax for the Council’s services and that the Council Tax requirement, excluding Parish and Town Council precepts, be set as £63.475m;

 

                          x.          Recommends that the Council Tax for the Council’s services and that each Valuation Band is set as follows:

 

Band

Tax Level Relative    to Band D

        £

A

6/9

903.90

B

7/9

1,054.55

C

8/9

1,205.20

D

9/9

1,355.85

E

11/9

1,657.15

F

13/9

1,958.45

G

15/9

2,259.75

H

18/9

2,711.70

                        xi.          Recommends that the Council approves the following indicators, limits, strategies and policies included in Annexe E of the Director:Finance’s report:

 

·      The Prudential Indicators and Limits for 2020/21 to 2022/23 contained within Annexe E(i);

·      The Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy contained within Annexe E(ii);

·      The Treasury Management Strategy Statement, and the Treasury Prudential Indicators contained in Annexe E(iii);

·      The Authorised Limit Prudential Indicator in Annexe E(iii);

·      The Investment Strategy 2020/21 to 2022/23 and Treasury Management Limits on Activity contained in Annexe E(iv);

 

                       xii.          Approves the virements relating to the 2019/20 budget as set out in Annexe H of the Director:Finance’s report.

 

47.

Capital Programme 2019/2020 pdf icon PDF 277 KB

To recommend to Council the annual budget.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

That the Executive recommends to the Council:

 

       i.          General Fund capital funding of £19.225m for 2020/21 in respect of those schemes listed in Annexes A D of the Director:Finance’s report.

 

a)     The inclusion of an additional budget of £1m for Invest to Save schemes.

b)     The inclusion of £3.97m of expenditure to be funded from S106 and SANG as outlined in paragraph 5.15 of the Director:Finance’s report.

c)     That those schemes that attract external grant funding are included within the Capital Programme at the level of funding received.

 

      ii.          Agrees that capital schemes that require external funding can only proceed once the Council is certain of receiving the grant.

 

     iii.          Confirms its support to investing land and cash to help secure development through a Property Joint Venture once it is established, noting that the financial parameters will be clearly set out in an initial Business Plan that will be approved by the Council later this year.

48.

Exclusion of Public and Press

To consider the following motion:

 

That pursuant to Regulation 4 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2012  and having regard to the public interest, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of items 8 and 9 which involves the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

 

 (3)       Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 

NB:      No representations were received in response to the 28 day notice of a private meeting.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that pursuant to Regulation 21 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2000, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of items 8 & 9 which involves the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

 

(3)        Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority).

 

49.

Heathlands Redevelopment

For the Executive to approve the main works contract for the redevelopment of Heathlands care home in line with the procurement plan and to note the partnership arrangements that consider and allocate risk and reward appropriately between the various parties in line with the draft Heads of Terms.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that:

 

       i.          the appointment of Stepnell Ltd. is confirmed to undertake enabling works, which include site set up, demolition, utility investigation and surveys.

 

      ii.          the appointment of Stepnell Ltd is confirmed to undertake the construction of a new facility at Heathlands subject to the scheme achieving planning permission, following a value for money assessment which is set out in confidential Annex A of the Director: Finance’s report;

 

     iii.          the use of the ground floor of the new Heathlands facility is endorsed to be used for the first 24 months of operation (subject to 6 monthly reviews) for short-term support for individuals, notably those who are elderly and infirm with some mental health issues including a dementia diagnosis, who would otherwise be placed in an Acute setting (as described in paragraphs 5.23 to 5.27 in the Director: Finance’s report);

 

    iv.          the Borough Solicitor be authorised to enter into discussions with Frimley Health Foundation Trust to establish a joint venture in the form of a private limited company to operate the facility and to enter into the relevant contractual documentation to give effect to its governance arrangements, reflecting the Heads of Terms previously agreed by the Executive in September 2019 and the legal advice attached as Annex C Director: Finance’s report.

50.

Microsoft Licensing Procurement Plan

The Council's licensing agreement to use Microsoft products expires on 30th June 2020 and therefore a tender exercise is required to enable the use of Microsoft licenses under an Enterprise Agreement from 1st July 2020. This procurement plan sets out the process to achieve this.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the procurement approach outlined in the Procurement Plan is agreed.

 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk