Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Ruthin
Media
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Decision: There were no apologies. Minutes: There were no apologies. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS PDF 116 KB Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Additional documents: Decision: Councillor Graham Timms – Personal Interest – Agenda Item 7 Councillor Bobby Feeley – Personal Interest – Agenda Item 10 Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts – Personal Interest – Agenda Item 10 Minutes: Councillor Graham Timms declared a personal interest in
Agenda Item 7 – Llangollen Business Improvement District because he was Chair
of Llangollen 2020 Councillors Bobby Feeley and Huw Hilditch-Roberts declared a
personal interest in the element relating to SC2 in Agenda Item 10 – Finance
Report because they were Directors of Denbighshire Leisure Limited |
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URGENT MATTERS Notice of
items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting
as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the
Local Government Act 1972. Additional documents: Decision: No urgent matters had been raised. Minutes: No urgent matters had been raised. |
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To receive the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 December 2019 (copy enclosed). Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 17 December 2019 be received and confirmed as a correct
record. Minutes: The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 December 2019
were submitted. Accuracy – Page
12, Item 6 Proposal to amend terms of reference for the Strategic Planning
Group – it was agreed to remove ‘–‘ from the end of the final line before the
resolution to read “it was subsequently RESOLVED that…” RESOLVED that, subject to
the above, the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2019 be received and
confirmed as a correct record. |
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HIGHWAYS CODE OF PRACTICE PDF 204 KB To consider a report by Councillor Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment (copy enclosed) presenting the new Highways Code of Practice for formal ratification. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) accept the report and ratify the new Code
of Practice so that it can be formally applied in Denbighshire, and (b) confirms it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix A to the report) as
part of its consideration. Minutes: Councillor
Brian Jones presented the report and new Highways Code of Practice (CoP) for
formal ratification. Some
background was provided in terms of the legislative responsibilities placed on
highway authorities to maintain the adopted highway network together with the
proposed criteria to be used to maintain the highway network safely and to
ensure third party insurance claims could be defended robustly. To this end, and to enable a consistent
approach across Wales, a joint CoP document had been produced by Welsh highway
authorities. Officers reported upon the
technical aspects of the document and highlighted the main changes to the
current regime in terms of inspection and maintenance together with the
reasoning behind those changes and to ensure uniformity across the county. Whist the joint document set down the minimum
requirements across Welsh local authorities, Denbighshire had exceeded those
requirements in particular elements of the regime. It was noted that officers regularly attended
Member Area Groups to discuss highway matters, including the wider highway
strategy, and that engagement would continue. Cabinet
took the opportunity to discuss the new CoP with the Lead Member and officers
who responded to questions and comments as follows – ·
the definition of a pothole had been clearly
defined in the new document in terms of its dimensions in accordance with the
industry standard and any reduction in that size would impact on resources ·
elaborated upon the definitions of defect
categories for critical and safety defects and noted the lack of reference
between those two categories in the table on page 10 of the document which it
was agreed could be better defined at that point, however defect types and
intervention levels had been included elsewhere in the document ·
explained that a new CoP had been produced in
2016 by the UK Roads Liaison Committee to ‘free up’ local authorities and give
more budgetary flexibility but Welsh authorities’ highways officers had taken
the view that there was safety in numbers when it came to potential litigation
and consequently a uniform approach and joint document had been agreed setting
out minimum standards ·
acknowledged concerns regarding the
effectiveness and practice of temporary pothole repair prior to permanent
repair but explained that if a permanent repair could not be done within the
timescale required to ensure safety then temporary repair work would be
necessary. It was hoped that defining
the size of the pothole in the CoP may help to free up some resource for that
purpose and regular meetings were held between highways and street scene to
review reactive maintenance and ensure the most efficient and effective
approach was taken within the resources available. Officers confirmed they would be willing to
attend any member forum to discuss the approach taken to ensure members were
well informed to respond to residents’ questions thereon. It was agreed that it would
be beneficial for officers to explain the approach, including the implications
of the new CoP, at a Council Briefing session. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) accept the report and ratify the new Code
of Practice so that it can be formally applied in Denbighshire, and (b) confirms it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix A to the report) as
part of its consideration. |
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SYRIAN VULNERABLE PERSON RESETTLEMENT SCHEME PDF 226 KB To consider a report by Councillor Bobby Feeley, Lead Member for Well-being and Independence (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet approval to continue to support the settlement of refugees in Denbighshire through the new revised scheme. Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 to the report) as
part of its consideration, and (b) agrees to continue to support the settlement
of refugees in Denbighshire through the Global Resettlement Scheme dependent
upon the terms and financing of such a scheme once published by the Home
Office. Minutes: Councillor
Bobby Feeley presented the report seeking Cabinet approval to continue to
support the settlement of refugees in Denbighshire through the new scheme. Cabinet
was advised of progress with the Syrian Vulnerable Persons’ Resettlement Scheme
within Denbighshire which was being replaced with a new and wider Global
Resettlement Scheme from April 2020 to welcome around 5000 more refugees into
the UK from beyond the Middle East and Africa.
Since April 2016 Denbighshire had successful resettled 18 families and
were on track to meet the target figure of 20 families by March 2020. Full details of the project’s successes,
areas for improvement and lessons learnt had been included within the report. The new scheme would be simpler to operate
and aimed to provide greater consistency in the way refugees were resettled. Cabinet
supported the continuation of the scheme and were keen to ensure that the areas
identified for improvement and any barriers to integration were addressed. Councillor Mark Young sought assurances
regarding housing standards and property conditions plus access to health
care. Officers explained that claims of
damp and condensation had resulted from cultural lifestyle choices given the
changes in climate with the heating on and windows closed and they were working
to educate those families and where necessary extra extractors had been
installed to help address those issues.
It was also explained that much work was being carried out both
nationally and locally to ensure better access to dental and health care
services for families and it remained a priority issue to look at options and
ways of overcoming those barriers. In
response to further questions and assurances officers confirmed that the
intention for families to take on full responsibility for tenancies after
twelve months had been ambitious however ensuring those families had access to
computer systems and understanding how to manage rent accounts had helped to
smooth the process together with better sharing of information and ensuring
families were aware of their responsibilities and expectations. The areas for improvement had been
highlighted as such and would be the focus for resources in the future. Councillor
Graham Timms reported upon the positive benefit of two families accommodated in
Llangollen which had resulted in a better understanding of the plight of
refugees. In terms of the language
barrier officers confirmed steps taken in that regard with the introduction of
digital solutions and use of online apps but it was acknowledged that more
could be done and the Home Office and Welsh Migration Partnership were also
working to address the issue. The
importance of families accessing employment and training was also acknowledged
and much work had been undertaken in that regard and to safeguard against exploitation. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 to the report) as
part of its consideration, and (b) agrees to
continue to support the settlement of refugees in Denbighshire through the
Global Resettlement Scheme dependent upon the terms and financing of such a
scheme once published by the Home Office. |
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LLANGOLLEN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) PDF 136 KB To consider a report (which includes a confidential appendix) by Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Lead Member for the Economy and Corporate Governance (copy enclosed) updating Cabinet on the development of the Llangollen Business Improvement District and seeking support for its establishment. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms that it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 to the report) as
part of its consideration; (b) notes the contents of the BID Business
Plan (Appendix 2 to the report) and the officer recommendation that there are
no grounds on which to Veto under the BID Wales (2005) Legislation (Appendix 3
to the report) as it does not conflict with any existing local policy nor
propose a disproportionate burden on particular businesses in the area; (c) agrees to support the establishment of
the BID by voting ‘Yes’ in the BID ballot in respect of each of the Council’s
eligible rateable properties in the BID area, and (d) agrees to delegate authority to the
Corporate Director: Economy and Public Realm to cast the votes in respect of
each of the Council’s eligible rateable properties in the BID area. Minutes: Councillor
Hugh Evans presented the report on the development of the Llangollen Business
Improvement District (BID) and sought support for its establishment. BIDs
gave local business the power to get together, decide what improvements they wanted
to make within a specific area, and to raise funds to deliver them. Some background was provided regarding work
undertaken with the local business community to determine the feasibility of a
Llangollen BID together with the bid development process and legalities in that
regard. The next stage involved a postal
ballot for eligible businesses to vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ the BID proposal
which set out how the BID would function (proposed income, expenditure, BID area and performance measures) and how the BID would be
spent. The proviso was that activities
must be in addition to services provided by local authorities. It was recommended that Cabinet support the
establishment of the BID by voting ‘Yes’ in the BID ballot for each of the
Council’s eligible rateable properties in the BID area. In
advocating the recommendations Councillor Evans submitted that Llangollen had
always been an ambitious and busy town and if the BID was established it would
help businesses invest in their priorities and future sustainability. Councillor Tony Thomas added his support
believing the businesses in Llangollen to be very receptive to establishing a
BID which he considered would greatly benefit the town. Councillor
Graham Timms advised that both he and fellow local member Councillor Melvyn
Mile were keen supporters of establishing a BID but raised questions regarding
(1) the report reference to schools being exempt from the levy given that they
were located outside the BID area, (2) the impact of the Council exercising its
vote on behalf of Llangollen Pavilion given its subsequent transfer to
Denbighshire Leisure Limited, and (3) queried the number of voters, council
sites and total rateable value of those council sites in the BID area. In response officers – ·
confirmed that the BID levy was only payable
for premises within the defined BID area but noted the reference to schools
being exempt from paying the levy in the report – further clarity on the
position of the two schools would be sought ·
referred to the position in respect of the
ballot which would close on 19 March 2020 and explained that those businesses
entitled to vote would be those eligible to vote at that time – any business
could change ownership at any point but the ballot had to be held and closed at
a particular time and the levy would apply irrespective of the change of
ownership. Councillor Tony Thomas added
that, notwithstanding the transfer of Llangollen Pavilion to the Alternative
Delivery Model, the BID levy for the Pavilion would remain payable ·
advised
there were approximately 200 businesses eligible to vote in the ballot which
included approximately 10 council properties – the figures around the total
rateable value had not been included in the report. In
response to a final question from Councillor Mark Young officers confirmed that
most of the Economic Development Team’s time and resource on the project had been undertaken in the initial feasibility work
and development of the proposal – moving forward from this stage did not
require a significant resource. The
Leader asked Cabinet to vote on each of the recommendations individually. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms that it
has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment
(Appendix 1 to the report) as part of its consideration; (b) notes the contents of the BID Business Plan (Appendix 2 to the report) and the officer recommendation that there are no grounds ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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HOUSING RENT SETTING & HOUSING REVENUE AND CAPITAL BUDGETS 2020/21 PDF 243 KB To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet approval for the Denbighshire Housing annual rent increase, the Housing Revenue Account Capital and Revenue Budgets for 2020/21 and Housing Stock Business Plan. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED
that – (a) the Housing Revenue
Account Budget for 2020/21 (Appendix 1 to the report) and the Housing Stock
Business Plan (Appendix 2 to the report) be adopted, and (b) rents for Council
dwellings be increased in accordance with the Welsh Government Policy for
Social Housing Rents to an average weekly rent of £92.35 with effect from
Monday 6 April 2020. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report seeking Cabinet approval for the
Denbighshire Housing annual rent increase, the Housing Revenue Account Capital
and Revenue Budgets for 2020/21 and Housing Stock Business Plan. Councillor Thompson-Hill guided members through the budget
figures and income level assumptions taking into account the purchase of 7
former council homes and 3 private sector homes and the programme of 170
additional homes. In terms of the annual
rent increase the Welsh Government had recently announced a five year rent
policy for social housing rents and the setting of rents had been calculated
taking that policy into account and mechanism for uplifting rents. The uplift for 2020/21 was 2.7% and would
leave 44% of homes at target rent levels resulting in an average weekly rent of
£92.35 which was at the lower end of the target rent level. There was no proposal to use the
discretionary charge of up to £2.00 for properties below the target rent. Reference was also made to the disaggregated
service charges which would average out at £2.27 per week. The Lead Officer – Community Housing highlighted the merits
of a five year rent policy to better enable future budget planning. As part of the new policy the Council was
required to ensure that any rent increase considered affordability for tenants
and also assessments of cost effectiveness which would be presented in future
reports to members. Other future
considerations included an expected announcement on the decarbonisation of
council housing stock and the expectation for social landlords not to evict
tenants into homelessness. During consideration of the report the following issues were
discussed – ·
the provision for bad debt had increased but it
catered for the worst case scenario and collection rates remained high and rent
arrears low. Given that there were
weekly tenancies there was an issue with cash flow for those on Universal
Credit which was paid monthly but work was being undertaken to identify any
potential difficulties at an early stage with support provided to tenants. The potential increase in bad debts also
recognised the commitment to increase housing stock and annual rent increases
in line with the rent policy ·
it was noted that garages were not dealt with in
the report because they were not subject to the rent policy and the Head of Communities
and Customers had agreed to increase garage rents by 2.7% in line with housing rents. Officers reported upon the review of garage
sites with only one site in Ruthin being suitable for housing as an alternative
use. The intention was to consider
garage sites as part of the strategic review of housing stock taking into
account the climate change crisis and environmental impacts to ensure future
sustainability ·
the overall positive impact on the Welsh
language identified in the Wellbeing Impact Assessment had been noted but
Councillor Emrys Wynne queried the ambiguity of the term ‘rural areas’ in the
document and felt it was an unnecessary differentiation given the number of
Welsh speakers across the whole county.
Officers elaborated upon the local lettings policy which gave priority
in rural areas to people from the community to help with protecting the future
use of the Welsh language in communities and advised that the policy was very
specific which areas of the county that related to, confirming that it was the
very small villages where Welsh language was one of the considerations. It was accepted that Welsh was spoken across
the whole county. RESOLVED
that – (a) the Housing Revenue Account Budget for 2020/21 (Appendix 1 to the report) and the Housing Stock Business Plan (Appendix 2 to the ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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BUDGET 2020/21 - FINAL PROPOSALS PDF 149 KB To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) setting out the implications of the Local Government Settlement 2020/21 and proposals to finalise the budget for 2020/21. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) notes the impact of the Draft Local
Government Settlement 2020/21; (b) supports the proposals outlined in
Appendix 1 to the report, and detailed in Section 4 of the report, and recommends
them to the full Council in order to finalise the budget for 2020/21; (c) recommends to Council the average
Council Tax rise of 4.3% proposed; (d) recommends to Council that authority is
delegated to the Head of Finance and Property in consultation with the Lead
Member for Finance to adjust the use of cash included in the budget proposals
by up to £500k if there is movement between the draft and final settlement
figures in order to allow the setting of Council Tax in a timely manner, and (e) confirms that it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessments submitted as part of the
report. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report setting out the implications of the
draft Local Government Settlement 2020/21 and proposals to finalise the budget
for 2020/21, including the level of Council Tax. Councillor
Thompson-Hill provided an overview of the budget process and latest budget
position and elaborated upon the proposals for consideration and recommendation
to full Council in order to set the budget for 2020/21. The draft settlement had resulted in a positive
settlement of +4.3% with the final settlement expected on 25 February
2020. Pressures amounting to £12.418m
had been detailed which, together with £2m unidentified savings from 2019/21,
resulted in a total shortfall of £14.418m.
The +4.3% settlement generated £6.219m leaving a funding gap of £8.199m
with proposals to bridge that gap identified within the report and further
explained at the meeting. A 4.3% rise in
Council Tax had been proposed which would generate £2.298m additional
revenue. Due to the lateness of the
final settlement it was recommended that authority be delegated to enable cash
adjustments included in the budget proposals of up to £500k. The proposals presented a balanced budget
with little impact on residents. The
Leader acknowledged the robust budget process and further complexities given
the late timing of the draft settlement.
He was pleased that Welsh Government had reacted favourably to intense
lobbying on the pressures faced by local government and hoped positive
settlements would continue and a three year settlement would be provided. He also supported the report recommendations. Main
areas of debate focused on the following – ·
Councillor Mark Young referenced proposals
announced by the UK Government regarding additional funding for the NHS and the
impact for Wales. It was explained that
as the NHS was a devolved function any proposals announced by the UK Government
would have a Barnett formula consequential for Wales and it would be up to
Welsh Government to decide how to allocate that funding. Their viewpoint to date had been to
prioritise funding for the NHS followed by local government. However there were areas of overlap which
would be subject to future discussions with the Health Board at the appropriate
time ·
Councillor Graham Timms referred to various
elements of the budget process and questioned the merits of using the extra
funding from the better than expected settlement to reduce the rise in Council
Tax from 4.8% to 4.3% rather than directly on the provision of services for
residents. Councillor Thompson-Hill
confirmed that outside of the Revenue Support Grant there were a number of
specific grants announced at different times which had an impact on the budget. Prior to notification of the draft settlement
a Council Tax increase of 4.8% had been considered a necessity to ensure a
balanced budget. The increase in funding
enabled a number of measures to be proposed which included reducing the impact
on schools by £700k; addressing identified unfunded pressures; reducing the
amount of cash to underpin the budget, and making a small reduction to the
proposed increase in Council Tax. Given
the burden on residents it was considered appropriate not to charge more Council
Tax than absolutely necessary. The changes
proposed would not negatively impact on residents and was considered a sensible
and reasonable package of measures to address the better than anticipated
settlement. The Leader added that there
were residents struggling to pay Council Tax across the county and the aim was
to deliver a balanced budget to support services but also take into account the
effect on residents and he could defend the Council’s position from any
challenge in that regard · Councillor Bobby Feeley referred to the large proportion of funding Welsh ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |
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To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed budget strategy. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the budgets set for 2019/20 and
progress against the agreed budget strategy; (b) approve the HRA proposal to build Passivhaus
homes at Lodge Farm, Denbigh (as detailed in Appendices 6, 7 and 8 to the
report; (c) approve the proposal to construct a new
centre for recycling waste materials, and that £63k is set aside in the Medium
Term Financial Plan to pay for the annual prudential borrowing costs (as
detailed in Appendices 6 and 9 to the report); (d) approve the proposal to replace the
substandard and environmentally inefficient accommodation at Botanical Gardens,
Rhyl and that £39k is set aside in the Medium Term Financial Plan to pay for
the annual Prudential Borrowing Costs (as detailed in Appendices 6 and 10 to
the report), and (e) approve to replace £440k of the £616k
cash allocation with base budget to help ensure the sustainability of the SC2
provision going forward (as detailed in Section 4 to the report). Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the
report detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed
budget strategy. He provided a summary
of the Council’s financial position as follows – ·
the net
revenue budget for 2019/20 was £198.538m (£194.418m in 2018/19) ·
an overspend
of £2.109m was forecast for service and corporate budgets ·
highlighted
current risks and assumptions relating to individual service areas ·
detailed
required savings and efficiencies of £5.672m with an approved allocation of
£616k from the Savings Achievement Contingency to offset known non-achievement
savings (approximately 11% of the total savings identified) ·
provided a general
update on the Capital Plan, Housing Revenue Account and Housing Capital Plan. With regard to the previously approved allocation
of £616k from the Savings Achievement Contingency it was recommended that £440k
be made a permanent base budget adjustment in order to ensure that SC2 was
funded appropriately going forward.
Cabinet was also asked to approve proposals recommended by the Strategic
Investment Group relating to (1) Passivhaus homes at
Lodge Farm, Denbigh, (2) Central Highways Depot, and (3) Botanical Gardens
Accommodation. Councillor Brian Jones
referred to the situation with the legacy tip sites and the need for a purpose
built facility for highways waste and he fully supported that proposal together
with replacement accommodation at Botanical Gardens, Rhyl given the very poor
standard of the current accommodation. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the budgets
set for 2019/20 and progress against the agreed budget strategy; (b) approve the HRA
proposal to build Passivhaus homes at Lodge Farm,
Denbigh (as detailed in Appendices 6, 7 and 8 to the report; (c) approve the proposal to construct a new
centre for recycling waste materials, and that £63k is set aside in the Medium
Term Financial Plan to pay for the annual prudential borrowing costs (as
detailed in Appendices 6 and 9 to the report); (d) approve the proposal to replace the
substandard and environmentally inefficient accommodation at Botanical Gardens,
Rhyl and that £39k is set aside in the Medium Term Financial Plan to pay for
the annual Prudential Borrowing Costs (as detailed in Appendices 6 and 10 to
the report), and (e) approve to
replace £440k of the £616k cash allocation with base budget to help ensure the
sustainability of the SC2 provision going forward (as detailed in Section 4 to
the report). |
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CABINET FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 285 KB To receive the enclosed Cabinet Forward Work Programme and note the contents.
Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet’s
forward work programme be noted. Minutes: The Cabinet forward work programme was
presented for consideration and members noted the following
additions/amendments – ·
Work
Opportunity and Day Activity Services Review – March ·
North
Wales Growth Bid Governance Agreement 2 – deferred to April RESOLVED that Cabinet’s
forward work programme be noted. The
meeting concluded at 12.25 hrs. |