Agenda, decisions and minutes

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Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

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Minutes:

There were no apologies.

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 577 KB

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 May 2020.

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Minutes:

RESOLVED:  The minutes of the meeting held on 26 May 2020 were AGREED as an accurate record.

3.

Declarations of interest

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Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

4.

Question Time pdf icon PDF 452 KB

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Minutes:

Councillor Peter Cooper

 

“One of the remarkable consequences of the Covid19 epidemic had been the dramatic environmental improvements resulting from the transport system having all but stopped. Everyone had become aware of clean air, low noise pollution and relaxed working practices.  Clearly many of these benefits were likely to be lost as we moved out of lockdown. However, public perceptions had changed and I would suggest that the new council had a once in a lifetime chance to grasp the new public mood, and lead the way to a new sustainable future. 

 

Green ways of thinking no longer belonged to a minority. They were rightly mainstream and this should be reflected in all the Council’s actions and policies.

 

Walking, cycling and electric cars were now aspirations. Working from home and meeting online were normal and effective. 

 

Would Buckinghamshire Council lead the way to a new way of working by following policies that gave priority to:

 

·       Gigabit broadband

·       Home working

·       High class public transport

·       Expansion of the cycleway network

·       Installation of rapid electric car chargers

·       20mph Speed limits in populated areas

·       Traffic bans/restrictions in town centres”

 

Response provided by Nick Naylor, Cabinet Member for Transport

 

Nick Naylor thanked Peter Cooper and confirmed that the question of how the Council could use this opportunity to improve the county’s environment and how transport initiatives could support that had been considered.  In the last few weeks, more had been achieved than ever thought possible whilst working from home and limited to essential travel only.  This had brought improvements to air quality, reduced noise pollution and carbon emissions as well as other environmental benefits  identified.   Digital connectivity had always been a top priority for Buckinghamshire, with the County investing and managing the arrangements for the roll out of Superfast broadband and continually arguing for the roll out to cover the whole of the county.  Recently, the Council had agreed to use some of its contribution towards East West Rail to secure the delivery of digital infrastructure along the route at the same time as the railway was constructed.  N Naylor confirmed the Council was treating digital infrastructure  as important as physical infrastructure. 

 

When lockdown was introduced, the Council was able to roll out MS Teams to thousands of staff and to Members in a matter of days, so that staff and members could work effectively from home.  The Return to Work Plan relied on most staff to work from home whenever possible and consideration was being given to what the Council’s new guidelines on working from home would be.  It would appear that the Council was not alone in considering permanent changes to how we worked, with many organisations saying that they did not expect normal working patterns to resume.

 

The Council was keen to encourage policies and proposals which benefitted the environment across all portfolios, both in the Council’s practice and our wider communities. This was not only important in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in terms of broader environmental and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Forward Plan (28 Day Notice) pdf icon PDF 387 KB

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Minutes:

RESOLVED:  Cabinet NOTED the Forward Plan.

 

6.

Aylesbury Garden Town - Governance & Masterplan pdf icon PDF 613 KB

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Decision:

Over recent months and in the lead up to the creation of Buckinghamshire Council, the Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) Delivery Board has been reviewing the overall governance and delivery structures for the Aylesbury Garden Town project. This review is timely, given the progress being made with the AGT Masterplan and a focus on its delivery going forward. In January this year, the AGT Delivery Board endorsed a draft governance structure and approach for recommendation to the new Buckinghamshire Council for approval and subsequent implementation. 

 

It was agreed that an amendment be made to the text on page 13 of the Executive Summary.  The ambition should read “Aylesbury will be a prime location for investment and job creation in Buckinghamshire” rather than “the location”.

 

It was also agreed that the relevant cabinet members and officers would be invited to the board meetings as appropriate.

 

RESOLVED:   Subject to the agreed amendment and undertaking above, Cabinet APPROVED:

 

The proposed structure and composition of the Strategic Oversight Board and Programme Delivery Team for AGT as set out in the report and in the proposed Terms of Reference at Appendix 1.

 

The Masterplan and 2050 Vision for Aylesbury Garden Town to Council.

 

Minutes:

Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Town Centre Regeneration, introduced the Aylesbury Garden Town (AGT) report and stated that the Masterplan had been subject to extensive public engagement and had received mainly supportive comments during the consultation.  It provided the basis of a comprehensive delivery strategy to transform Aylesbury into a Garden Town over the coming decades, achieving the 2050 Vision.  S Bowles confirmed that he had been advised that the funding for the plan was secure.  S Bowles thanked Councillor Bill Chapple OBE and the Board for their hard work; the review had been timely and reflected the new Unitary Authority arrangements and aligned with the Programme’s future priorities.  B Chapple added that the revised document covered climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic; it was a ‘living’ document and would be updated regularly.  B Chapple also thanked the board members and officers for their hard work; particularly Homes England who had contributed £170 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund plus almost £500,000 towards project costs.  The AGT project was seen as one of the top ten in the country.

 

The following points were raised by members of the Cabinet:

 

  • A member of the Cabinet was concerned that recommendation one was to approve the proposed structure and composition of the Strategic Oversight Board and Programme Delivery Team for AGT; however, the core membership list on page 26 of the agenda pack, did not include representation from the Culture, Leisure and Heritage areas.  S Bowles clarified that the first bullet point under paragraph 2.1 stated “Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member(s) with appropriate responsibility”; this meant that the relevant Cabinet Member(s), and officers, would be invited to the board meetings whenever it was appropriate.
  • It was highlighted that there were other prime locations for investment in Buckinghamshire and it was agreed that an amendment be made to the text on page 13 of the Master Plan Executive Summary (page 77 of the agenda pack).  The ambition should read “Aylesbury will be a prime location for investment and job creation in Buckinghamshire” rather than “the location”.
  • A member of the cabinet acknowledged that climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic were covered in the revised plan and asked how our learning and recovery from the pandemic would impact on some elements of the plan.  The Government had its own target for carbon reduction by 2050 and it was queried whether the AGT had its own initiatives.  S Bowles advised that a study had been commissioned to assess the economic and commercial impact of Covid-19 to understand the detailed impact on the programme and how it would affect any other proposals in the master plan particularly in relation to the town centre.  The AGT would help Aylesbury communities recover from the pandemic.
  • It was noted that improvement to the roads to encourage cycling to work should be a priority along with organisations being advised to provide shower facilities.

 

In summary:

 

7.

Local Planning Enforcement and Monitoring Plan pdf icon PDF 749 KB

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Decision:

Planning enforcement is an integral part of the planning system and underpins the overall planning process. Prior to the Transformation Programme, it is important to harmonise the existing processes and to provide a single enforcement service across the whole Buckinghamshire Council area.

 

RESOLVED:  To adopt the draft Local Enforcement and Monitoring Plan.

 

Minutes:

Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement, introduced the report and advised that the plan provided the opportunity to provide a county-wide enforcement service and manage the expectations of the public.  A Local Enforcement Plan was not a legal requirement and there was a finite budget to provide the service.  Table 1 (page 98) showed the proposed timescales; W Whyte stressed the importance of responding quickly to planning control breaches.  The plan would be reviewed after the transformation programme and in three years’ time.  The ambition was to provide a year-round service; in the interim and prior to transformation, officers would provide an out of hours’ standby service during Bank Holiday weekends which would be rolled out if it was successful. 

 

The following points were raised by members of the Cabinet:

 

  • It was noted that it was important for the public to understand the process.  W Whyte acknowledged that the key reason for the plan was to build confidence in the planning system and to implement pro-active monitoring. Parish councils would also have an important role in delivering the service.
  • The ambition was to provide a 365 day a year, 24/7 service but this would depend on resources. 
  • A Cabinet Member wanted to understand the situation for potential breaches due to the construction of HS2 and whether the Hybrid Bill over-rode the Council’s policy.  Steve Bambrick, Service Director, Planning, Growth and Sustainability, referred to paragraph 10.1 of the Buckinghamshire Council Planning Enforcement and Monitoring Plan (page 110 of the agenda pack) which clarified that projects such as HS2 were not immune from enforcement action and the Council would pursue enforcement action against unauthorised development where it was appropriate to do so.
  • In response to being asked if there was an aspiration to remove the possibility of breaches of planning control becoming immune from enforcement action if they had existed for a certain period of time (paragraph 7.1.2 of the Local Enforcement and Monitoring Plan), W Whyte advised that the Council was unable to make that decision as it was national legislation; W Whyte emphasised the importance of a pro-active relationship with the parish and town councils in order for planning breaches to have less likelihood of gaining immunity.
  • A member of the Cabinet recommended that the flowchart on page 113 of the agenda pack be published on the Buckinghamshire Council website.

 

The Leader emphasised the urgency of providing consistent planning enforcement and asked members to note the aspiration of providing a 24/7 enforcement service and the request for additional funding in the next financial year to provide the extra resources.

 

RESOLVED:  Cabinet ENDORSED and ADOPTED the draft Local Enforcement and Monitoring Plan and NOTED the request for additional funding in the next financial year.

 

8.

Unitary Implementation Budget Outturn Report pdf icon PDF 755 KB

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Decision:

The overall outturn for the Unitary Implementation Budget for 2019/20 was £9.939m which is an underspend of £2.910m against the original budget.  The last reported position (January 2020) reported a projected underspend of £1.157m.  The main reasons for the change in outturn was in Resources where the underspend increased by £1m; and in Deputy Chief Executive where the underspend increased by £650k.

RESOLVED: 

·       £620k is added to the 2020/21 Transition budget taking the total to £9.564m.

·       The balance on the Unitary Implementation reserve of £2.67m is transferred to the Transformation reserve.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Katrina Wood, Cabinet Member for Resources, introduced the report which requested that the remaining uncommitted transition budget (£2.67m) be transferred to the transformation reserve to help the ongoing delivery of the unitary transformation programme.  The overall outturn for the Unitary Implementation Budget for 2019/20 was £9.939m and was an underspend of £2.910m against the original budget.  The last reported position (January 2020) reported a projected underspend of £1.157m.  The main reasons for the change in outturn was in Resources where the underspend increased by £1m; and in Deputy Chief Executive where the underspend increased by £650k.  K Wood highlighted that all the other areas also came in under budget. 

 

The branding work had been undertaken in-house which had saved a considerable amount of money.  An underspend had also occurred because some work had been put on hold due to the pandemic and was the reason for the request for Cabinet to agree to carry forward some funding into the 2020/21 transition budget. The branding underspend was mostly due to the reprogramming of various work to 2020/2021 but also partly due to minimal spend on consultancy fees as the work was carried out by the in-house project management office.  In summary, K Wood requested that £620,000 be carried forward to the 2020/21 transition budget and the balance (£2.67m) of the unitary implementation reserve be transferred to the Transformation Reserve.

 

The following points were raised by members of the Cabinet:

·        The prudent approach, particularly to branding and consultancy fees was noted. 

·        A member of the Cabinet asked for reassurance to the public that the Council would not be building new premises.  K Wood confirmed that only existing council buildings were being used and there was no intention to build a new headquarters or increase the number of buildings in the future.

·        Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive, stated that it was a fantastic achievement to see such a green outturn which was a testament to the staff and elected members in knowing and carrying out the work that needed to be undertaken.  The collaborative working had also been beneficial in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis.

RESOLVED:  Cabinet AGREED the recommendations that:

·       £620k was added to the 2020/21 Transition budget taking the total to £9.564m.

·       The balance on the Unitary Implementation reserve of £2.67m was transferred to the Transformation reserve.

 

9.

Date of next meeting

7 July 2020 at 10.00 am.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

7 July 2020