Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2023.

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 June 2023 were agreed as a correct record.

Cllr M Winn declared a prejudicial interest as a Member of the AVE Board and left the room for item 12 and 16.

The following hot topics were reported:-

Cabinet Member for Transport

Since 1 April 2023 the service area had fixed 12,000 road defects and repaired 1200 street lights. There were 15 teams working at the weekends to fix roads.

Cabinet Member for Education and Children Services

Over 120 people gathered at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury on Wednesday evening (5 July) for the annual Buckinghamshire Adult Learning Awards. The awards were designed to celebrate the achievements of students taking part in adult learning courses in Buckinghamshire. They also recognised the work of trainees, assessors, tutors, learning support assistants, volunteers and staff. Members noted that there had been 9000 enrolments for courses this year. The Multiply Programme was Government funded  and was also part of the Shared Prosperity Fund which gave employment support for economically inactive Buckinghamshire residents providing basic skills training such as digital courses, English, Maths and English for speakers of other languages.

Leader

The Leader reported on the Government’s announcement that Michael Gove was looking at proposals to turn Cambridge into Britain’s Silicon Valley with as many as 250,000 new homes built over the next two decades and the prospect of a huge financial investment. The Council would be looking at what implications this would have for Buckinghamshire.

Question from Councillor Stuart Wilson to Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources

The Q1 Budget Monitoring Report reviewed by Cabinet today rightly notes the significant financial challenges of this Council against a backdrop of persistent high inflation and continued increase in demand and complexity of key services, notably in Adult and Children’s Social Care. As an aside, and somewhat strangely, high energy costs are impacting certain portfolios but not delivering the benefits anticipated in Energy from Waste which raises some questions about energy procurement and trading. As such, this reports projects an adverse forecast of £8.3m for the 2023-24 year compared to £3.8m adverse in the same quarter last year. This reflects 2% of Portfolio Spend this year rather than 1% of Portfolio Spend last year. Savings are projected to deliver a shortfall of £6.6m in 2023-24 compared to a projection of £0.2m shortfall this time last year.

The Report asks Cabinet to note its contents and the risks and opportunities within it. It also asks Cabinet to approve the actions set out in the Report to address the pressures. I have been through the Report several times and I am unable to locate any specific opportunities or actions that have been scoped and costed to address the pressures. However, I do note the following comments in paragraph 1.4:

“Detailed Portfolio Action Plans are already in development to address the pressures, with a view to urgently bringing budgets back into line. These will consider the acceleration of savings plans from future years. In addition, a member led Strategic Property and Finance Review will be initiated to examine opportunities for additional savings, income, or capital receipt. The delivery of the action plans will be managed by the Portfolio Holders.”

Sections 8, 9 and 10 of the Report deal with consultation, communication, engagement, next steps, and review which concludes there is no further public reporting action required until the Q2 Report in November, at which point the financial year is half-way through.

Given the severity of the Council’s financial position versus Budget at Q1, can the Cabinet Member please confirm that:

·        the year-to-date (Q1) and year-to-go (Q2-4) trends versus Budget and prior year confirm the full year projection with a suitable data table shown by portfolio and corporate line;

·        Cabinet Members are actually able to approve the actions set out in the Report to address the pressures if those Detailed Portfolio Action Plans are still in development;

·        the acceleration of savings plans from future years is feasible given a projected miss on savings of £6.6m this year, given the existing pressure on statutory services in particular;

·        the Detailed Portfolio Action Plans and details of the proposed member led Strategic Property & Financial Review will be presented to the Finance & Resources Select Committee on July 20^th alongside the Q1 Report to demonstrate how they will urgently bring budgets back into line?

Question from Councillor Robin Stuchbury to Councillor Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport

I believe it is  ...  view the full agenda text for item 5.

Question from Councillor Stuart Wilson to Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources

The Q1 Budget Monitoring Report reviewed by Cabinet today rightly notes the significant financial challenges of this Council against a backdrop of persistent high inflation and continued increase in demand and complexity of key services, notably in Adult and Children’s Social Care. As an aside, and somewhat strangely, high energy costs are impacting certain portfolios but not delivering the benefits anticipated in Energy from Waste which raises some questions about energy procurement and trading. As such, this reports projects an adverse forecast of £8.3m for the 2023-24 year compared to £3.8m adverse in the same quarter last year. This reflects 2% of Portfolio Spend this year rather than 1% of Portfolio Spend last year. Savings are projected to deliver a shortfall of £6.6m in 2023-24 compared to a projection of £0.2m shortfall this time last year.

The Report asks Cabinet to note its contents and the risks and opportunities within it. It also asks Cabinet to approve the actions set out in the Report to address the pressures. I have been through the Report several times and I am unable to locate any specific opportunities or actions that have been scoped and costed to address the pressures. However, I do note the following comments in paragraph 1.4:

“Detailed Portfolio Action Plans are already in development to address the pressures, with a view to urgently bringing budgets back into line. These will consider the acceleration of savings plans from future years. In addition, a member led Strategic Property and Finance Review will be initiated to examine opportunities for additional savings, income, or capital receipt. The delivery of the action plans will be managed by the Portfolio Holders.”

Sections 8, 9 and 10 of the Report deal with consultation, communication, engagement, next steps, and review which concludes there is no further public reporting action required until the Q2 Report in November, at which point the financial year is half-way through.

Given the severity of the Council’s financial position versus Budget at Q1, can the Cabinet Member please confirm that:

·         the year-to-date (Q1) and year-to-go (Q2-4) trends versus Budget and prior year confirm the full year projection with a suitable data table shown by portfolio and corporate line;

·         Cabinet Members are actually able to approve the actions set out in the Report to address the pressures if those Detailed Portfolio Action Plans are still in development;

·         the acceleration of savings plans from future years is feasible given a projected miss on savings of £6.6m this year, given the existing pressure on statutory services in particular;

·         the Detailed Portfolio Action Plans and details of the proposed member led Strategic Property & Financial Review will be presented to the Finance & Resources Select Committee on July 20^th alongside the Q1 Report to demonstrate how they will urgently bring budgets back into line?

RESPONSE from Councillor Chilver on the following question which has been put:-

Given the severity of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The Leader introduced the Forward Plan and commended it to all Members of the Council and the public, as a document that gave forewarning of what reports would be discussing at forthcoming meetings.

RESOLVED – That the Cabinet Forward Plan be noted.

The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee agreed to set up a rapid review into dementia support services for people living with dementia and their carers in Buckinghamshire. 

A small group of councillors volunteered to participate in the rapid review.  Evidence gathering meetings, with a number of stakeholders, took place across three full days on Thursday 9^th March, Tuesday 14^th March and Thursday 16^th March 2023.   The review was chaired by Cllr Carol Heap and comprised of Cllrs Shade Adoh, Phil Gomm, Robin Stuchbury, Nathan Thomas and Alan Turner. Following the evidence gathering meetings the review group then met to discuss and agree its key findings and recommendations, which were presented in the report found at Appendix 1. The recommendations were grouped together under the NHS England Dementia Well Pathway which had been adopted by Buckinghamshire.

Cabinet was asked to consider the recommendations of the Select Committee Review.

RESOLVED

1) That the Select Committee and Review Group, as well as the supporting officers, be thanked for their work and subsequent recommendations.

2) That Cabinet’s responses to the review and recommendations, as set out and circulated to Members, be AGREED.

Note: a complete breakdown of the scrutiny recommendations and Cabinet’s responses can be found here.

The HASC Select Committee had been reviewing the Adult Social Care transformation programme, which included a workstream around dementia support for people living with dementia and their carers. The Committee had already reviewed the refreshed Better Lives Strategy and were aware of the proposal for additional funding made to the Integrated Care Board for an expanded dementia support service. The scoping document for a rapid review into dementia services was agreed at the February HASC meeting and three full days of evidence gathering took place in March with health and social care colleagues, voluntary and community organisations and other key stakeholders.  The Committee were keen to explore the dementia journey across existing pathways from first patient presentation to end of life care and also to include a review of the prevention programme.

The Chairman, Councillor Carol Heap paid tribute to the small group of councillors who volunteered to participate in the rapid review and also those organisations that had provided evidence.  Evidence gathering meetings, with a number of stakeholders, took place across three full days on Thursday 9^th March, Tuesday 14^th March and Thursday 16^th March 2023.   The review comprised of Cllrs Shade Adoh, Phil Gomm, Robin Stuchbury, Nathan Thomas and Alan Turner. Following the evidence gathering meetings the review group then met to discuss and agree its key findings and recommendations, which were presented in the report found at Appendix 1. The recommendations were grouped together under the NHS England Dementia Well Pathway which had been adopted by Buckinghamshire.  

The Chairman provided the following information on introducing the report:-

·         The Dementia Journey was a complex one which involved many different agencies and it was very difficult and confusing to navigate for people living with dementia and their carers. One of the main aims of the review was to identify what was currently working well and any gaps in the current pathways and areas needing improvement and to develop recommendations that would lead to a better integrated service and improved access to support to people living with dementia.

·         To put this review into context, there were just over 4,000 people diagnosed with dementia (aged 65+) in Buckinghamshire with an estimated prevalence of 7,266 meaning there was unmet need amongst residents in Buckinghamshire.  There were 3,000 people undiagnosed who may not be receiving any support. Nationally, there were currently 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this was set to rise to around 1.6 million by 2040.  There were over 42,000 people with young onset dementia in the UK with 240 residents in Buckinghamshire. This had particular challenges and needs that were not always recognised.

·         One of the aims of this review was to identify gaps in the dementia journey and to look for ways to improve access to services. There was a need for greater collaboration between service providers and this was mentioned almost universally as a way to improve services.

·         The Group heard many examples of good work being undertaken to support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

This report described how the Council collected developer contributions for infrastructure, how this operated in practice, through s106 contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), including variation between different legacy planning areas.

There was a case for considering the introduction of CIL in the north and central areas of the County to secure funding for infrastructure from developments there. This would also ensure a more consistent approach to developer and infrastructure funding across the county. The opportunity to commission, review and hold a public examination to introduce CIL in the north and central planning areas, might also provide the opportunity to review the charging schedules in the west, south and east planning areas. This would bring these up to date and would enable a countywide approach to planning and infrastructure considerations.

RESOLVED:-

 (1) that the process of considering the introduction of CIL in the north and central planning areas of the County be supported;

(2) that a review of the Charging Schedules in the south, east and west planning areas be undertaken;

(3) that, subject to technical assessment, work to commence on a single charging schedule for Buckinghamshire Council;

(4) that a programme of technical work and consideration of the options for a new charging schedule be noted including coordination with the new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. This will be produced and agreed with the Cabinet Members for Planning and Regeneration and Transport. An indicative timeframe and key steps in preparing and adopting a charging schedule were included in the report.

This report described how the Council collected developer contributions for infrastructure, how this operated in practice, through s106 contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), including variation between different legacy planning areas.

There was a case for considering the introduction of CIL in the north and central areas of the County to secure funding for infrastructure from developments there. This would also ensure a more consistent approach to developer and infrastructure funding across the county. The opportunity to commission, review and hold a public examination to introduce CIL in the north and central planning areas, might also provide the opportunity to review the charging schedules in the west, south and east planning areas. This would bring these up to date and would enable a countywide approach to planning and infrastructure considerations. The Leader reported that the CIL was more flexible than Section 106 funding which had to be spent on specific projects.

RESOLVED:-

 (1) that the process of considering the introduction of CIL in the north and central planning areas of the County be supported;

(2) that a review of the Charging Schedules in the south, east and west planning areas be undertaken;

(3) that, subject to technical assessment, work to commence on a single charging schedule for Buckinghamshire Council;

(4) that a programme of technical work and consideration of the options for a new charging schedule be noted including coordination with the new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire. This will be produced and agreed with the Cabinet Members for Planning and Regeneration and Transport. An indicative timeframe and key steps in preparing and adopting a charging schedule were included in the report.

This was the first budget monitoring report for the new financial year and came at a time when the Council was continuing to experience significant financial pressures due to high levels of inflation and continued increase in demand and complexity of need in key services, such as Adults Social Care and Children’s Social Care. The forecast revenue outturn position for 2023/24 was an adverse variance of £8.3m, 2% of Portfolio budgets. This was primarily due to pressures in Health and Wellbeing and Education and Children’s Services from demand and market insufficiency issues, coupled with pressures in Accessible Housing and Resources in Energy budgets, Housing & Homelessness & Regulatory Services in Temporary Accommodation budgets and Transport in Parking income budgets.

Detailed Portfolio Action Plans were already in development to address the pressures, with a view to urgently bringing budgets back into line. These would consider the acceleration of savings plans from future years. In addition a member led Strategic Property and Finance Review would be initiated to examine opportunities for additional savings, income or capital receipt. The delivery of the action plans would be managed by the Portfolio Holders. The forecast position on capital budgets was break even.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the report and the risks and opportunities contained within it be NOTED. 

2. That the actions set out in the report to address the budget pressures be APPROVED. 

This was the first budget monitoring report for the new financial year and came at a time when the Council was continuing to experience significant financial pressures due to high levels of inflation and continued increase in demand and complexity of need in key services, such as Adults Social Care and Children’s Social Care. The forecast revenue outturn position for 2023/24 was an adverse variance of £8.3m, 2% of Portfolio budgets. This was primarily due to pressures in Health and Wellbeing and Education and Children’s Services from demand and market insufficiency issues, coupled with pressures in Accessible Housing and Resources in Energy budgets, Housing & Homelessness & Regulatory Services in Temporary Accommodation budgets and Transport in Parking income budgets.

Detailed Portfolio Action Plans were already in development to address the pressures, with a view to urgently bringing budgets back into line. These would consider the acceleration of savings plans from future years. In addition a member led Strategic Property and Finance Review would be initiated to examine opportunities for additional savings, income or capital receipt. The delivery of the action plans would be managed by the Portfolio Holders. The forecast position on capital budgets was break even.

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources outlined the £14m adverse variance in portfolios as follows:-

·         £3.9m pressure in Health and Wellbeing due to growth in client numbers, and increased cost of care packages

·         £3.9m pressure in Education & Children’s Services predominantly due to the national insufficiency of placements for children looked after leading to a shortage of available placements and very high unit costs of those placements that can be accessed

·         £1m adverse variance in Accessible Housing and Resources from Energy costs in Property & Assets exceeding budget

·         £1.5m adverse variance in Housing & Homelessness & Regulatory Services in Temporary Accommodation budgets due to increased demand, particularly for nightly paid accommodation

·         £3.2m adverse variance in Transport Services. This includes £0.8m due to increased contract costs in Home to School Transport with provider pressure to increase costs on letting of new contracts. In addition there is a forecast shortfall of £1.8m in the Parking Income budget

·         £0.7m pressure in Climate Change and Environment due to recycling income shortfall due to market volatility

·         The position also reflects a forecast shortfall on Energy from Waste income of £5.0m due to the reduction in market energy prices.

The £5.7m of favourable variances in corporate budgets includes:

i.                    £4.3m favourable variance relating to Interest on Revenue Balances. This reflects further increases in the Bank of England base rate.

ii.                   £0.8m favourable variance on interest payable budgets, due to recalculation of loan repayments.

iii.                 A minor surplus of £0.2m in grant income due to the budget being set prudently.

iv.                 A favourable variance of £0.3m arising predominantly from contribution from grants towards central overheads.

v.                   Corporate Contingencies are retained to address the ongoing risk of further pressures within the year.

vi.                 Available reserve balances.

The Leader referred to the current shortfall of £6.6m relating to the savings target. This had not been met  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Capital Programme for 23-24 to 26-27 was approved by Full Council in February 2023 as £505.9m. The 22-23 outturn underspend was £44.3m. After a detailed review of each scheme in the programme, £46.3m of unspent budget has been carried forward into the new financial year. The increase was due to a small number of projects overspends that were funded in 22-23 and not carried forward. The capital programme now needed to be reprofiled in future years to ensure the annual spend profile was realistic, and to reduce the likelihood of slippage. There were also some recommended additions for new funding, reductions and reallocations of funding from closed projects, plus a small number of projects with inflationary overspends that required use of the corporate contingency to complete. The report set out the recommended changes for approval and would result in the Capital Programme increasing from £505.9m as agreed at Full Council, to £556.7m. Since the Budget was approved by Council in February 2023 there was an additional £5.782m recommended to be added to the Programme. Of this: £4.184m was externally funded from grants; £1.232m was the addition of agreed, specific s.106 projects; and £0.365m was a recommended use of an earmarked revenue reserve to fund a project overspend.

RESOLVED that the following budget adjustments to the approved Capital Programme be APPROVED: 

1. That £5.782m of additions be made to the capital programme, £5.416m to be externally funded from grants and S.106, and £0.365m funded from ringfenced Council reserves. 

2. That £0.288m of the Capital Contingency be used to fund the inflationary pressures of two existing projects. 

3. That £3.366m of budget reductions for completed projects from the capital programme be approved, of which £0.644m of corporate funded projects are to be reallocated to the capital contingency. 
   (Note: where external funding was released it will be reinvested in alternative projects that would come forward in due course). 

4. The reprofiling of the revised £556.8m Capital Programme inclusive of £46.3m of carry-forward budgets over the MTFP 2023-27. 

The Capital Programme for 23-24 to 26-27 was approved by Full Council in February 2023 as £505.9m. The 22-23 outturn underspend was £44.3m. After a detailed review of each scheme in the programme, £46.3m of unspent budget has been carried forward into the new financial year. The increase was due to a small number of projects overspends that were funded in 22-23 and not carried forward. The capital programme now needed to be reprofiled in future years to ensure the annual spend profile was realistic, and to reduce the likelihood of slippage. There were also some recommended additions for new funding, reductions and reallocations of funding from closed projects, plus a small number of projects with inflationary overspends that required use of the corporate contingency to complete. The report set out the recommended changes for approval and would result in the Capital Programme increasing from £505.9m as agreed at Full Council, to £556.7m. Since the Budget was approved by Council in February 2023 there was an additional £5.782m recommended to be added to the Programme. Of this: £4.184m was externally funded from grants; £1.232m was the addition of agreed, specific s.106 projects; and £0.365m was a recommended use of an earmarked revenue reserve to fund a project overspend.

The Leader confirmed that the underspend on schools related mainly to Kingsbrook Secondary School and the Cabinet Member confirmed this with an underspend of £6.6m which was subject to the Homes England decision. Mention was made of £400,000 which was coming out of Country Park reserves.

RESOLVED that the following budget adjustments to the approved Capital Programme be APPROVED: 

1. That £5.782m of additions be made to the capital programme, £5.416m to be externally funded from grants and S.106, and £0.365m funded from ringfenced Council reserves. 

2. That £0.288m of the Capital Contingency be used to fund the inflationary pressures of two existing projects. 

3. That £3.366m of budget reductions for completed projects from the capital programme be approved, of which £0.644m of corporate funded projects are to be reallocated to the capital contingency. 
   (Note: where external funding was released it will be reinvested in alternative projects that would come forward in due course). 

4. The reprofiling of the revised £556.8m Capital Programme inclusive of £46.3m of carry-forward budgets over the MTFP 2023-27. 

This report detailed the key performance indicators and targets being proposed for reporting to Cabinet in 2023/24. Once agreed, reporting against these indicators would commence for Quarter 2. Proposed key performance indicators and the associated targets to be reported to Cabinet have been agreed within each Directorate and with each portfolio holder. These would be reviewed on an annual basis.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the Key Performance Indicators for 2023/24 be AGREED. 

2. That the associated targets for 2023/24 be AGREED. 

This report detailed the key performance indicators and targets being proposed for reporting to Cabinet in 2023/24. Once agreed, reporting against these indicators would commence for Quarter 2. Proposed key performance indicators and the associated targets to be reported to Cabinet have been agreed within each Directorate and with each portfolio holder. These would be reviewed on an annual basis.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the Key Performance Indicators for 2023/24 be AGREED. 

2. That the associated targets for 2023/24 be AGREED. 

The report recommended acquisition of the freehold interest of Plot 1 of Phase 3 Gateway land, Aylesbury (“Plot 1”) subject to survey, legal due diligence and the simultaneous sale of Plot 2 of Phase 3 Gateway land, Aylesbury (“Plot 2”) to a third party. The proposed transaction provided the Council with control of all the car park land in front of its Headquarters and also use of the site in the short term as a car park whilst the Council reviews its plans for its overall landholding in this part of Aylesbury.

Whilst the property transaction did not generate revenue, it did ensure that Buckinghamshire Council (“BC”) retained sufficient free car parking spaces in front of its HQ building; it also completed land ownership of a 5.2-acre site that offered medium term “employment led” development potential. The acquisition would enable a strategic and proactive approach to delivering a more comprehensive scheme than simply on existing BC owned land.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, the Section 151 Officer and the Service Director for Legal and Democratic Services, be authorised to conclude negotiations, agree contracts, appoint consultants and undertake due diligence, arrange finance, exchange and complete on the acquisition of Plot 1 as set out in the Cabinet report and the confidential appendix. 

2. That the commitment of capital budget for this acquisition as a priority investment opportunity be APPROVED, to be funded from known headroom within the Capital Programme. 

The report recommended acquisition of the freehold interest of Plot 1 of Phase 3 Gateway land, Aylesbury (“Plot 1”) subject to survey, legal due diligence and the simultaneous sale of Plot 2 of Phase 3 Gateway land, Aylesbury (“Plot 2”) to a third party. The proposed transaction provided the Council with control of all the car park land in front of its Headquarters and also use of the site in the short term as a car park whilst the Council reviews its plans for its overall landholding in this part of Aylesbury.

Whilst the property transaction did not generate revenue, it did ensure that Buckinghamshire Council (“BC”) retained sufficient free car parking spaces in front of its HQ building; it also completed land ownership of a 5.2-acre site that offered medium term “employment led” development potential. The acquisition would enable a strategic and proactive approach to delivering a more comprehensive scheme than simply on existing BC owned land.

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources reported that the capital requirement to complete the purchase was not currently budgeted for in the Capital Programme but this size of investment could be funded from known headroom on completed projects within the MTFP which would no longer require their remaining budget.

The Leader clarified that:-

Plot 1 was the current council car park

Plot 2 was the derelict bank site

Plot 3 was for commercial use such as the tyre depot.

The Leader commented that as this was the Council’s headquarters it was important to own the car park. A question was asked about the right of way over the land so the car park could be accessed through the white gates. The Cabinet Member confirmed that there were guaranteed rights of access across the site and this would not affect this transaction.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, the Section 151 Officer and the Service Director for Legal and Democratic Services, be authorised to conclude negotiations, agree contracts, appoint consultants and undertake due diligence, arrange finance, exchange and complete on the acquisition of Plot 1 as set out in the Cabinet report and the confidential appendix. 

2. That the commitment of capital budget for this acquisition as a priority investment opportunity be APPROVED, to be funded from known headroom within the Capital Programme. 

The proposed acquisition was another part of the Wycombe Future High Streets’ development programme. To date two vacant shops have been acquired – one of which (37 High Street) had been refurbished and let to two separate independent ‘experiential’ businesses; refurbishment of the other (16 Church Street) was about to start on site. Agreement for co-funding the repurposing of Eden’s ex House of Fraser store had been completed. This would relocate Primark into Eden, strengthening its footfall (and hence rental values, of which the Council received a share through its ground rent), and enabled comprehensive redevelopment of the existing Primark building and the adjacent Chiltern Shopping Centre, for a mixed-use scheme including c300 apartments (subject to planning), removing redundant retail floorspace from the town centre.

An Option to Purchase the High Wycombe Social Club building, forming a key part of the programme’s ‘Southern Gateway’, was close to exchange. Queen Square was a small but prominent corner retail unit with residential upper parts. It had proven ‘hard to let’ and the freeholders want to dispose of their ownership. Its purchase would enable ground floor reconfiguration with the aim of either letting it to an occupier that would be displaced be the redevelopment of the Chiltern Shopping Centre or by open marketing of the unit. The proposed purchase would be funded using part Future High Streets grant as well as short term ‘match funding’ from the Council’s Future High Streets Council Capital Programme.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the purchase of the freehold of 22 Queens Square, High Wycombe, as part of the Future High Streets programme be APPROVED, as set out in the confidential appendix. 

2. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources and the Section 151 Officer, to finalise and agree detailed heads of terms, appoint necessary consultants to undertake due diligence, exchange contracts and complete on the purchase. 

3. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Property and Assets to: 

1. progress refurbishment works including the appointment of contractors and consultants. 

2. dispose of the second floor flat on a long lease, letting it on a Shorthold Tenancy in the meantime, returning the proceeds of sale to the Future High Streets Capital programme allocation. 

4. That a technical adjustment to the Capital Project budget for this project be APPROVED, as set out in the confidential appendix, and to reflect the ringfenced capital receipt from the disposal of the 2^nd floor long lease. 

The proposed acquisition was another part of the Wycombe Future High Streets’ development programme. To date two vacant shops have been acquired – one of which (37 High Street) had been refurbished and let to two separate independent ‘experiential’ businesses; refurbishment of the other (16 Church Street) was about to start on site. Agreement for co-funding the repurposing of Eden’s ex House of Fraser store had been completed. This would relocate Primark into Eden, strengthening its footfall (and hence rental values, of which the Council received a share through its ground rent), and enabled comprehensive redevelopment of the existing Primark building and the adjacent Chiltern Shopping Centre, for a mixed-use scheme including c300 apartments (subject to planning), removing redundant retail floorspace from the town centre.

An Option to Purchase the High Wycombe Social Club building, forming a key part of the programme’s ‘Southern Gateway’, was close to exchange. Queen Square was a small but prominent corner retail unit with residential upper parts. It had proven ‘hard to let’ and the freeholders want to dispose of their ownership. Its purchase would enable ground floor reconfiguration with the aim of either letting it to an occupier that would be displaced be the redevelopment of the Chiltern Shopping Centre or by open marketing of the unit. The costs of the project were budgeted for within the Council’s published Capital Programme, as part of the Future High Streets Programme. The acquisition would be funded from the Future High Streets external Government grant (a total of £12m), and the refurbishment would be funded by the Council’s match funding (£3m), which was required to secure the Future High Streets grant from Government.

RESOLVED:-

1. That the purchase of the freehold of 22 Queens Square, High Wycombe, as part of the Future High Streets programme be APPROVED, as set out in the confidential appendix. 

2. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources and the Section 151 Officer, to finalise and agree detailed heads of terms, appoint necessary consultants to undertake due diligence, exchange contracts and complete on the purchase. 

3. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Property and Assets to: 

1. progress refurbishment works including the appointment of contractors and consultants. 

2. dispose of the second floor flat on a long lease, letting it on a Shorthold Tenancy in the meantime, returning the proceeds of sale to the Future High Streets Capital programme allocation. 

4. That a technical adjustment to the Capital Project budget for this project be APPROVED, as set out in the confidential appendix, and to reflect the ringfenced capital receipt from the disposal of the 2^nd floor long lease. 

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED - that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

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

To approve as a correct record the Confidential Minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2023.

RESOLVED – That the Confidential Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 June 2023 were agreed as a correct record.

Cabinet Members discussed the confidential appendix before taking the decision in the public part of the meeting.

Cabinet Members discussed the confidential appendices before taking the decision in the public part of the meeting.

12 September 2023 at 10am

12 September 2023 at 10am