Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M Bailey and A Farrell

The minutes of the meeting held on 11th August 2022 were approved and signed as a correct record.

(Moved by Councillor R Pritchard and seconded by Councillor M Summers)

There were no Declarations of Interest.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC NO. 1

Under Procedure Rule No 10, Mr Martin Hall, of Tamworth will ask the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jeremy Oates, the following question:-

I would ask that Council outline in more detail the experience within the Executive Leadership Team, the Programme Manager, the scrutiny committee, cabinet and the audit and governance sub-committee to demonstrate the appropriate level of oversight, understanding and control of the part of the programme that the Borough Council are delivering.

Answer

The executive leadership team are the most senior employees within the council, the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive & Head of Paid Service, Executive Director of Finance & Section 151 Officer and the Executive Director of Communities. It is implicit within these job roles to ensure the organisation is managed within its governance structure, approved budget and always acts in a lawful manner, the team above have the correct blend of skills and experience to ensure this is the case, not just for the FHSF project, but for the entire complexities which exist within a local authority.

For the FHSF project there is a specific and transparent governance structure which was approved by cabinet on the 17^th June 2021 where a programme board has been set up which includes ELT, the Chief Executives of both south staffs college and the Staffs & Stoke LEP along with the Leader of the Council, and more recently by board agreement, the addition of the Cabinet members for Finance and Regeneration have joined the board for greater political representation.

The full terms of reference for this board, and the delivery group that reports to it are available on the council’s website in the cabinet minutes for that meeting.

The programme manager has been engaged by the council, and has a proven record in construction related schemes, and is also supplemented by a directly employed project officer dedicated to the FHSF project.

The role of scrutiny and audit & governance committees are clearly set out in the councils constitution which is also available on the website. The Infrastructure, Safety and Growth Scrutiny committee receives a quarterly report on the FHSF progress, and accordingly the Audit & Governance subcommittee reviews the specific project risks in the same timeframe. It is not appropriate to comment on the skills of individual elected members as each individual will bring their own set of qualification and experience to their elected member role, which adds value to their scrutiny of council business.

In terms of the experience and ability of councillors this is something a lot of people make assumptions around.  As councillors we are just lay people who live work or represent a business or work in the town centre, some of us have been here a long-time others not but we bring is the normal person in the street questioning and approach to the decisions of the council.  So, we receive all the technical data and all the information and that any of the employed staff and project officers bring  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

None

(Report of the Leader of the Council)

Report of the Leader of the Council to provide Cabinet with a performance update, risk and financial health-check towards achieving the strategic priorities detailed within the Corporate Plan and Medium-Term Financial Strategy. The information contained within the report covers performance for the first quarter of the financial year i.e., April to June 2022.  This report was scheduled for consideration by Corporate Scrutiny Committee on 16th August, however the item was deferred to be considered by the committee on 6th September 2022.

(Report of the Leader of the Council)

Report of the Leader of the Council to seek agreement to the Proposed Budget and Medium-Term Financial Planning Process for General Fund and the Housing Revenue Account for 2023/24.

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

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Risk and Customer Services to update Cabinet on the Annual Treasury report which is a requirement of the Council’s reporting procedures.

It covers the Treasury activity for 2021/22, and the actual Prudential Indicators for 2021/22.

The report meets the requirements of both the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management and the CIPFA Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities. The Council is required to comply with both Codes in accordance with Regulations issued under the Local Government Act 2003. It also provides an opportunity to review the approved Treasury Management Strategy for the current year and enables Members to consider and approve any issues identified that require amendment.

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

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Risk and Customer Services to ask  Members to endorse the amount of debt written off for the period 1st April 2022 to 30th June 2022.

(Report of the Portfolio Holder for Skills, Planning, Economy & Waste)

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Skills, Planning, Economy & Waste to seek Cabinet approval for the adoption and publication of a new Statement of Community Involvement and Local Development Scheme.

(Report of the Portfolio Holder for Skills, Planning, Economy & Waste)

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Skills, Planning, Economy & Waste to seek Cabinet approval to launch an issues and options consultation as part of the development of the new local plan for Tamworth.