Meeting documents

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 13 October 2015. 

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 13 October 2015 were confirmed and signed by the Leader.

It is the responsibility of the Cabinet to prepare a revenue budget for approval by the Council, which will form the basis of setting council tax. Accordingly, the Cabinet considered a report that starts to build up an expenditure budget based on:

1.    The financial outturn for 2014/15 and information from the current year’s budget monitoring as set out in paragraph 4 and Appendix A

2.    The draft base budget built up using a number of assumptions described in paragraph 5 and which have been subject to discussion in PAGs.

The report set out

·         potential savings options which had been the subject of review, and divided into three categories by, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as set out in detail in private Appendix B

·         a proposal to top up the LDD reserve in the light of the assessment of producing the Local Plan, even allowing for the cost benefits of doing this piece of work jointly with Chiltern District Council. The additional money would come from transferring funds from the Government Grant Funding Changes as this financial risk would now be managed through the budget process and the General Fund reserve.

The information provided in paragraph 6 summarising the main points of the Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015 (further details of which were given in Appendix C) was updated as follows by the Director of Resources in the light of the announcement made today 17 December 2015 by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of the provisional local government settlement for 2016/17 and future years:

·         New Homes Grant  - no changes for 2016/17 but a consultation document issued with a view to making changes to the way the Grant is determined and the period over which is paid;

·         Business Rates Retention Scheme - consultation to take place in 2016. Unlikely that changes will be made until 2018/19 at the earliest and 2019/20 is a more realistic implementation date:

·         Public Health Expenditure and Administration of Housing Benefits –government grants likely to cease at the same time as 100% Business Rates retention is introduced;

·         Council Tax Limits – whilst the core referendum threshold of 2% was being maintained the threshold for the lowest quartile district councils  (of which SBDC was one) will be £5 equivalent to an increase of 3.5% for SBDC; and

·         Revenue Support Grant - accelerated reduction in central government grant over next 4 years from £440k in 2016/17 to zero in 2018/19.

The Director of Resources explained that a paper setting out in more detail the implications of the settlement for SBDC would be circulated as soon as possible and that all the information would be incorporated in the Budget report due to be submitted to the Cabinet on 9 February 2016.

Councillor Bagge, in thanking the Director of Resources for his immediate response to the settlement, said that the announcement had contained no real surprises mindful that several of the changes had been anticipated and assumed in the report which demonstrated the quality of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

Following the agreement from both Chiltern and South Bucks district councils to prepare a joint local plan and approval of a Local Development Scheme, the Cabinet considered a report seeking authority to carry out the first stage of the joint local plan process; namely consultation under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and Issues and Options consultation.  The report also sought agreement to delegate decisions on the Joint Local Plan to the Joint Committee.

A similar report was being considered at CDC.

The consultation document was attached as an Annex to the report and whilst considering the proposed timetable for the consultation as set out in paragraph 2

the Cabinet agreed that, subject to CDC’s agreement, the consultation should commence on 19 January 2016 with the period for receipt of comments being amended to 5pm 14 March.

In connection with paragraphs 2 i) and j) the Cabinet noted that consultation meetings for the audiences indicated as follows had been organised:

·         14 January at 6.30pm at King’s Church, Amersham – Councillors and Parish members from both CDC and SBDC plus County Council members and MPs

·         18 January at 6pm at Capswood, Denham – Councillors and Districts from both CDC and SBDC plus County Council members and MPs

·         19 January at 6pm at Capswood, Denham – Stake holders

·         20 January at 6.30pm at King George V House, Amersham – Stake holders

The Cabinet also noted that a video was being prepared which would be made available to Parish and Town Councils.

In connection with paragraph 2.5 the Cabinet was advised that the proposed amendment to the Inter Authority Agreement would need to be agreed by Council.

"that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1974 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 paragraphs 1,2,3, and 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act "

The savings options set out in Private Appendix B were considered by the Cabinet under minute 38 above.