Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M Bailey, R Pritchard and M Summers

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 19^th January 2023 were approved as a correct record.

(Moved by Councillor T Clements and seconded by Councillor A Farrell)

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC NO. 1 Under Schedule 4, 13, Mr H Loxton will ask the Portfolio Holder for Engagement, Civic Pride and Pride in Place Councillor T Clements the following Question:

It was very encouraging to read about the first meeting of Lichfield District Youth Council earlier this month. The meeting was attended by 30 young people, and they will meet monthly going forwards. This gives young people a voice, allows their views to be heard and encourages engagement on decisions which impact them. It brings about an interest in local democracy, and may even see these young people go on to become councillors in the future. Bearing all that in mind, could you please confirm if there are currently any plans in place for a Tamworth Borough Youth Council?

Councillor Clements gave the following answer:

Thank you Mr Loxton for your question.

I too had heard and read about our neighbouring council's decision to introduce the youth council. I wholeheartedly support your comments that these young people may well be our next community leaders. Being part of a youth council is a great introduction to local politics but it is also an opportunity for the Council to engage with Tamworth youth. A youth council would give young people the chance to discuss relevant issues, engage with decision makers and contribute to improving the lives of young people within Tamworth.

So for me it is a winning situation all round. By generating interest now this will pay dividends when those youngsters become informed residents in their own right.

In my portfolio I would love to see this council bring back the youth council and I am already currently working with officers to make the necessary arrangements. This will take time and resources to establish and encourage it and then clearly it will need ongoing support.

But I am fully supportive of the reintroduction of a local youth council that would be a forum that represent the views of young people in Tamworth. It would be run by young people living in Tamworth, for young people, giving young people a voice and enabling them to make their views heard in the decision-making process.

Mr Loxton asked the following Supplementary Question

Really good to hear that and you are voting on the budget next week, is there any funding in the budget set aside for a Youth Council

Councillor T Clements gave the following response.

Not at this present time because we are only just doing this now because we are going through this now so we are going to have to look for funding for next year.  That’s not saying we can’t get it off the ground we can look at doing something ourselves and look for funding for future years. 

(Report of the Chair of Corporate Scrutiny Committee)

Report of the Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee to update Cabinet and to make recommendations to it following consideration of matters by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, following consideration of the outcomes of the Leaseholder Charges Communications Working Group at the Committee’s meeting on 8 February 2023.

Following its consideration of the above item, the Corporate Scrutiny Committee agreed to make recommendations to Cabinet as set out below:

RESOLVED that the Committee recommended:

1.   That the council look at using an independent assessor for works to confirm costs were correct.

2.   That an assessment be done for all repairs in advance of leaseholders being asked to contribute to repairs.

3.   To reinforce the council’s communications when residents buy a council house, including what responsibilities and obligations were on the owner occupier.

4.   That the communications relating to the leaseholder works be reviewed and simplified.

5.   That the contractor hold at least two face-to-face consultation drop-ins to enable residents to understand the process.

6.   That the specific 44 leaseholder roofs be assessed straight away.

7.   That the council consider a mechanism such that the affected 44 leaseholders were not faced with increased costs as a result of the delay in works being commenced.

(Moved by Councillor M Cook and seconded by Councillor S Goodall)

Councillor J Oates thanked the three Councillors for attending  and thanked the working group for the work undertaken on this piece of work. 

It was decided to move each recommendation separately. 

(Report of the Leader of the Council)

Report of the Leader of the Council to approve the Vision Statement, Priority Themes, Corporate Priorities and Plans and their inclusion in the Corporate Plan and to approve the recommended package of budget proposals to enable the Council to agree the:

•           General Fund (GF) Revenue Budget and Council Tax for 2023/24;

•           Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget for 2023/24;

•           5 Year General Fund Capital Programme (2023/28);

•           5 Year HRA Capital Programme (2023/28);

•           3 Year General Fund Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) (2023/26); and

•           5 Year HRA Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) (2023/28).

To comply with the requirement of the Council’s Treasury Management Policy in reporting to Council the proposed strategy for the forthcoming year and the Local Government Act 2003 with the reporting of the Prudential Indicators and the requirement to prepare an annual Corporate Capital Strategy. 

RESOLVED: That Cabinet

endorsed the following recommendations to proceed to Council for approval

1.         the Vision Statement, Priority Themes, Corporate Priorities and Outcomes for 2023/24 (Appendix A);

2.         the proposed revisions to Service Revenue Budgets (Policy Changes) (Appendix C);

3.         the sum of £59,581 be applied from Council Tax Collection Fund surpluses in reducing the Council Tax demand in 2023/24 (Appendix E);

4.         the sum of £260,300 be applied to Business Rates Collection Fund deficits in 2023/24 (Appendix E);

5.         that on 1^st December 2022, the Cabinet calculated the Council Tax Base 2023/24 for the whole Council area as 23,376 [Item T in the formula in Section 31B(3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the "Act")];

6.         that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2022/23 is £4,602,501 (Appendix E);

7.         the following amounts as calculated for the year 2023/24 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

a.    £48,785,510 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act (Outgoings excluding internal GF Recharges);

b.    £44,183,009 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act (Income excluding internal GF Recharges);

c.    £4,602,501 being the amount by which the aggregate at 7(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 7(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year (Item R in the formula in Section 31A(4) of the Act);

d.    £196.89 being the amount at 7(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (at 5 above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year;

8.         the Council Tax level for the Borough Council for 2023/24 of £196.89 (an increase of £5 (2.60%) on the 2022/23 level of £191.89) at Band D;

9.         an aggregate Council Tax (comprising the respective demands of the Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115.

(Report of the Leader of the Council)

Report of the Leader of the Council to provide Cabinet with an overview of Council performance, risk and financial health-check towards achieving the strategic projects detailed within the Corporate Plan and Medium-Term Financial Strategy.  The information contained within the report covers performance for the third quarter of the financial year (October to December 2022).  Corporate Scrutiny considered the report on 8th February 2023.

(Report of the Leader of the Council)

Report of the Leader of the Council to update the Committee on the progress of the Future High Streets Fund programme.

(Report of the Leader of the Council)

Report of the Leader of the Council to seek approval for the proposed increase to fees and charges payable and introduce some additional fees, affecting two or more Wards and involving income over £100k.

(Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Risk and Customer Services)

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Risk and Customer Services to seek Cabinet approval for the Compliments, Comments and Complaints and Managing Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policies.

(Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Risk and Customer Services)

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Risk and Customer Services for Cabinet to endorse the amount of debt written-off for the period 1st April 2022 to 31st December 2022.

Councillor Doyle thanked Mike Buckland for the work on the report.