Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 April 2016, attached.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of 12 April, 2016, be approved as a correct record.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of 12 April, 2016, be approved as a correct record.

Councillor Mrs J Blake

Cabinet Member for Business Transformation

To consider the report attached as an appendix.

Contact Officer: Jean Gamester (01296) 585105

(a)       Decision(s)

(1)          That Council be invited to approve the investment of £160,000 to back fill officers dedicated to commercial development activities.

(2)          That Council be invited to approve the implementation of restructuring and development of a behavioural framework, including investment of £346,000 in the implementation of that framework and associated organisation re-structuring.

(b)       Reason(s) for Decision(s)

            To facilitate progression of the commercial AVDC development and transformation programme.

(c)       Alternative Option(s) considered

To do nothing, but this would be contrary to the Council’s wish to create a sustainable funding model aimed at ensuring successful  implementation of the vision to drive the current and long term economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the area. 

(d)       Relevant Scrutiny Committee

            Finance and Services.  However as these are recommendations will be considered by full Council, they are not subject to call-in.

(e)       Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

None.

Cabinet received an update on the Commercial AVDC Development and Transformation Programme.

AVDC was building on the success of the changes delivered in recent years to continue to drive action to ensure that there was a more sustainable funding model, based upon developing a commercial organisation with a continuously improving operating model.  This would allow the Authority to implement its vision of driving the current and long term economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the area.  To achieve this, there were three primary strands of activity:-

·         Focussing on driving returns from commercial activity.

·         Reviewing Council services to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

·         Improving the overall capability of AVDC’s staff.

As well as commercial initiatives, the process being followed was for the newly appointed sector leads to conduct a series of "business reviews" in their respective areas.  These reviews aimed to assess each service to understand who its customers were, what their needs were and how the service could best be structured to deliver those needs in the most efficient and cost effective way.  By 2020/2021, these activities would need to provide a contribution of £5m to the Council’s revenues, through a combination of increased income and reduced expenditure.  The objective was ambitious in that it was hoped that sufficient profitability would be generated to enable the Council to operate without the need to tax residents by 2023/2024.

Over the past six years, through a wide range of initiatives, AVDC had saved around £14m, despite losing 60% of Government Grant.  The Council was the first in the country to move all its IT to Amazon’s cloud, thereby enabling significant savings in staffing and software.  These changes had enabled savings in the region of £6m to be made over the last 5 years in efficiencies in front line services and general operating efficiencies.  The office space saved had allowed the Council to generate rental and conference revenue of £150,000 in 2015 alone.

The Council had invested in excess of £100m in Aylesbury town centre at a time when developers were reluctant.  This had not only provided greater resources for the local economy, but also had generated further revenue of £2.5m.

Despite a 40% increase in demand for their services, the Planning Team had been able to reduce costs so that the Team now operated entirely within the statutory fee of £172, with no subsidy required from the tax payer.

The investment in the Swan Pool in Buckingham had turned around a subsidised service to provide a net contribution of £600,000 p.a.

More than 15,000 customers had signed up to The "My Account", enabling them to access Council services on-line, reducing cost, increasing customer service and expanding customer relationships.

The innovative work undertaken by the Council had resulted in external recognition and awards.  In 2015 the Council had been named IESE’s "Council of the Year", and recently, the IT Service Desk had been named as the "International Service Desk Institute’s "Best Small Service Desk of the Year".  In addition, the Aylesbury Vale "My Account"  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Councillor Bowles

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development Delivery

To consider the report attached as an appendix

Contact Officer: Tracey Aldworth (01296) 585004

(a)       Decision(s)

(1)          That formal approval be given to the Enterprise Zone designation and proposed governance and operating procedures, to be embodied in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and supporting Partnership Agreement.

(2)          That the Director with responsibility for Finance, after consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to finalise the terms of the agreement.

(b)       Reason(s) for Decision(s)

            To establish arrangements for the operation of the Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone.

(c)       Alternative Option(s) considered

None as such.

(d)       Relevant Scrutiny Committee

            Economy and Business Development.  That Committee had received a similar report at its meeting on 15 March,2016, and had endorsed the proposed arrangements.

(e)       Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

None.

Cabinet received an update on the arrangements for the establishment and operation of the Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone (AVEZ).

It was reported that in the latter stages of 2015, working closely with public and private sector partners, Bucks Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP), had submitted an application for an Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone with the support of AVDC, and that this had been accepted by the Government.  Enterprise Zones were an important part of the Government’s programme to devolve responsibility for leadership of local growth and provided a powerful tool for areas to develop their local economy.  The award of the Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone stood as testament to the positive partnership working between AVDC, Bucks County Council (BCC) and BTVLEP, Silverstone Park, Westcott Venture Park and Arla Dairies.

Whilst the award of funding for the Enterprise Zone followed closely on the heels of the announcement of the local authority funding model also shifting to a rates retention model, the partners involved in developing the Enterprise Zone proposals had sought to create a proposition which provided a "win-win" for all parties.  Businesses basing themselves on Enterprise Zones could access up to 100% business rate discount worth up to £275,000 per annum over a five year period.  This benefit could only be offered up to March, 2022, from which date the benefit would taper until the offer expired in March 2027.  In addition, Enterprise Zones benefitted from 100% retention of business rate growth for LEPs to re-invest in development in the Enterprise Zones (through discussion and negotiation with partners).

For the LEP, land owners and local authority partners, Enterprise Zones would also continue to benefit from 100% growth of business rates retention for 25 years with 100% protection from any future reset or redistribution, and as such, would sit outside the standard LA rates retention arrangements that would exist outside Enterprise Zones.  Business rate growth on an Enterprise Zone would not count towards an authority’s business rate baseline income and, as a result, would not be used in the calculation for local authority top-ups or tariff payments.  Furthermore Enterprise Zones’ business rate discounts and capital allowances that were fully funded by the Government would generate business rates income that would not otherwise have arisen.

Importantly, all of the business rates generated on the Enterprise Zone would be under the control of the Enterprise Zone’s Governance Board.  The District and County Councils would not automatically receive any proportion of the business rates generated on these sites (currently 20% to AVDC, 9% to BCC and 1% to Fire and Rescue) unless specifically negotiated as such.  Because of this, the outline submission to the Government had included the prerequisite that neither authority should financially be worse off from the creation of these Enterprise Zones.  This was particularly important when it was considered that a significant proportion of the Vale’s business rates growth over the next two and a half decades might have been located in these areas.  Following a series of negotiation meetings  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Councillor Mrs Paternoster

Cabinet Member for Growth Strategy

To consider the report attached as an appendix.

Contact Officer: Susan Kitchen (01296) 585436

(a)       Decision(s)

(1)          That Aylesbury Vale District Council agrees to become a qualifying authority (Qualified Authority) (QA) and to sign up to the HS2 Planning Memorandum.

(2)          That the position on the draft Memorandum of Understanding and associated Service Level Agreement with HS2 Ltd, be noted.

(3)          That the position on the constitution arrangements in relation to the scheme of delegation and terms of reference, be noted also.

(b)       Reason(s) for Decision(s)

            To enable the Council to retain what powers it could over detailed matters relating to the HS2 proposals.

(c)       Alternative Option(s) considered

To become a "non qualifying authority" but this would not give the degree of influence as "Qualifying Authority". 

(d)       Relevant Scrutiny Committee

            Environment and Living.

(e)       Conflicts of Interest / Dispensation(s)

None.

The High Speed rail (London – West Midlands) Bill (HS2 Hybrid Bill) ("the Bill") was moving forward from the House of Commons Select Committee stage following publication of its Final Report on 22 February, 2016.  It had now progressed into the House of Lords Select Committee proceedings.  The first reading in the House of Lords had taken place on 23 March and the period for submitting petitions had closed on 18 April.  It was not known how long the Lords Committee would have to sit to hear petitions but it was likely that the hearings would commence some time in May, 2016.  Royal Assent was expected to be given by the end of 2016.

The Bill defined the role that local authorities would have in approving the final design of the railway and how it would be constructed, together with Local Environmental Management Plans (LEMPs) and the Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) which set the standards to which it would be built.

The Bill when enacted, would give deemed planning consent for the project and the nominated undertaker would be required to seek approval from the local planning authority for details specified in the Act.  These were set out in Part 2 Schedule 17 (Conditions of Deemed Consent) in relation to the planning process.  It would also require prior approval consents under Schedule 61 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 in relation to the environmental process associated with HS2 construction works, for which there was a 28 day response time period.

HS2 had set up the Planning Forum for Phase One (London – Birmingham) as the main vehicle for communicating with local authorities along the proposed route and the Forum was attended by officers from each relevant council, HS2 and the Department for Transport.  The Planning Memorandum currently being drafted through the Planning Forum set out the requirements of planning authorities and the nominated undertaker, in respect of all applications to build HS2 Phase One and the associated infrastructure.

The Bill provided an option for each local planning authority to select between having a wide or narrow range of controls over details that would be submitted in due course for approval.  The planning authority was therefore given the option to become:-

·         A qualifying authority (Qualified Authority) (QA); or

·         Non – qualifying local planning authority (NQA).

The Council was required to make a decision on whether or not to become a qualifying authority before the end of the House of Lords Select Committee process.

The potential implications of becoming a QA were gaining greater control over planning matters subject to compliance with undertakings mainly related to process.  A QA had wider powers to refuse approval of and impose conditions on approvals of plans and specifications and arrangements submitted at the detailed planning stage of permanent structures such as viaducts and vents shafts and also have an enforcement and approval role in relation to certain construction matters after Royal Assent.

A QA, under Part 2 of Schedule 17, would be required  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.