To approve as a correct record the minutes of Cabinet held on 13 July 2022.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 13 July 2022 were approved as a true and correct record.

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no interests declared.

The Acting Leader opened his statement and welcomed Councillor Graham Snell as Portfolio Holder for Finance. He thanked Councillor Snell for his continued critical challenge and thorough scrutinising of Council finances. The Acting Leader highlighted that this was the first Cabinet meeting since central government intervention, and wanted to ensure increased transparency moving forward. He explained that the government intervention was split into the best value inspection, and the recovery plan, both of which were due to be published in January 2023. He explained that central government had already started interviewing senior officers and Members as part of the intervention, and would be looking into areas such as governance and compliance, although this could change and develop as the intervention continued. He stated that the approach could change depending on findings made by the commissioners, but any recommendations made would be taken in full and actioned by Thurrock Council. He urged all officers, Members and residents to be open and transparent with the commissioners. The Acting Leader summarised and stated that he would be offering the Chairmanships of scrutiny Committees to the opposition at the next Full Council meeting, as he felt that scrutiny needed to be strengthened.

There were no briefings on policy, budget and other issues.

No petitions had been submitted by members of the public.

No questions had been submitted by non-Executive Members.

Other than those items already contained within the agenda, no items had been referred to the Cabinet for their consideration by an overview and scrutiny committee.

Councillor Massey introduced the report and explained that the Task Force had received a verbal update on the A13 junction in March, where officers had reported on the potential impact of the proposed LTC on the A13 and A0189, and it was reported that because of the LTC, the A13 could see increased traffic at peak travel times. He added that the Task Force were informed that construction carried out on the A13 during LTC construction could also impact local villages and junctions, such as East Tilbury, the Manorway junction, the B1420, and Southend Road. Councillor Massey explained that the LTC would use local road capacity and could impact on the Council’s ability to deliver local economic growth aspirations, such as the Thames Freeport and emerging Local Plan. Councillor Massey also highlighted that during the Task Force’s discussions at that meeting, it had come to light that Thurrock’s main local traffic movement times had differed to the strategic times used by National Highways, who had found the larger peaks in the evening. He added that Members of the Task Force felt that the impact on villages such as Linford, East Tilbury, and Chadwell St Mary had not been addressed by National Highways, as other projects going on in Thurrock could also have an affect on the capacity of the local road network. He stated that overall, the Task Force remained concerned regarding the negative impacts of the LTC and junction connectivity with the Orsett Cock and Manorway junctions, and other local roads.

Councillor Massey explained that the Task Force continually requested information regarding the Health Impact Assessment, but the Council were waiting on answers and base line data from National Highways. He hoped this would be received by the Task Force soon. Councillor Massey confirmed that at the June Task Force meeting, Members had discussed an item of urgent business regarding the Thurrock Council letter to the Treasury as the value for money of the proposed LTC had appeared to decrease. He stated that the Task Force had also considered the local refinement consultation response, and Members had expressed their concern that the consultation had too few physical events and did not last long enough. Councillor Massey added the Task Force also debated issues such as the impact to the A13 at junctions; tunnelling spoil transportation; HGVs on local roads; and the Tilbury Fields size reduction as the main concerns going forward. Councillor Massey summarised and explained that the next Task Force meeting was scheduled for 17 October where National Highways would be attending to take questions from Members, as well as discussing the Development Consent Order (DCO) process.

The Acting Leader thanked Councillor Massey for his update and felt that there had been constructive work with officers in Task Force meetings. He felt pleased to see that regular reports on the work of the Task Force were presented to Cabinet, and provided constructive criticisms and a critical friend. He added that the LTC could have negative impacts in Thurrock,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

The Acting Leader introduced the report and stated that although the LTC scheme was not yet ready to be submitted to DCO, the Council needed to be ready ahead of its submission. He added that the report would delegate authority to officers and the Acting Leader.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Authorised the Director Strategy, Engagement and Growth, after consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder, to undertake all necessary work in connection with the Council’s response to the Lower Thames Crossing Development Consent Order (DCO) and for ensuring that the Council is properly represented at an Examination in Public, and for making decisions in the best interests of the Council during negotiations. This will involve Council responses to make representations following LTC DCO submission, prior to examination, and during examination. Responses will include, but are not limited to, Adequacy of Consultation Response, Statement of Common Ground (and its subsequent revisions), Local Impact reports, PINS written questions, and other relevant representations related to LTC.

Reason for decision: as outlined in the report
This decision is subject to call-in

The Acting Leader introduced the report and stated that due to the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II the report had been delayed, but now needed to be moved forward. He explained that this report would fund projects such as a new beachfront vista, which would help deliver the values of Thames100, as well as a new riverside activity centre, which would be used by community groups such as the Sea Cadets. He commented that the Sea Cadets had not had a permanent base for many years, but this centre could be used by them, which would help improve the lives of young people. He added that the projects outlined in the report had to be completed by 2026/27, so the project needed to be moved forward to ensure these deadlines were met.

Councillor Spillman felt that as retail shops in the High Street declined on a national level, Grays needed to become a leisure zone, and this grant could help to achieve this, as it could be transformative to the area. The Acting Leader highlighted that the Grays Town Fund would help to regenerate Grays, as it could improve the beach, install a new underpass to link Grays with South Grays, build new river developments such as the river activity centre, and would work in tandem with other projects such as the new Thameside offer. He felt that once the regeneration in Grays was complete, the Council could consider regenerating other areas such as South Ockendon. Councillor Abbas echoed comments and felt that regeneration would benefit Grays and looked forward to construction on these projects beginning.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Approved the Grays Town Fund Programme and Budget allocations as set in Table 1 of the report.

2. Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Resources and Place Delivery and the Director of Public Realm, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and External Affairs, and Assistant Director Legal Services to:

a. Approve the Business Case Summaries;
b. Submission of planning application for the projects within Grays Town Fund Programme;
c. Approve the operation of procurement processes through to the awarding of contracts to commission consultants and contractors to undertake services and works to deliver the Grays Town Fund programme, subject to tendered sums being within the anticipated budget;
d. Negotiate and enter into necessary agreements to facilitate delivery of Grays Town Fund programme including access agreements and licences, leases and design and construction contracts.

Reason for decision: as outlined in the report
This decision is subject to call-in

The Interim Director of Finance introduced the report and stated that it had coincided with the beginning of the commissioners’ work, so had to be read in the context of the time. He stated that the team had worked with commissioners on the release of the report as it helped Members and residents understand the service pressures currently being experienced. He stated that services were currently experiencing approximately £7.4million of pressure and income losses, and although part of this could be managed with reserves, there was still a gap in the budget and further work to do. The Interim Director of Finance highlighted Table 1 on page 42, which set out service provision and highlighted the pressures within Adults and Childrens’ Social Care, and Table 2 provided a detailed breakdown of these pressures. He explained that many other Councils faced pressures regarding Adults and Childrens Social Care, and work was continuing to monitor and support these pressures using reserves and capital receipts. He stated that the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) was constantly evolving and would remain a challenge due to inflationary pressures and the central government funding settlement.

The Interim Director of Finance stated that the intervention also continued to evolve with commissioners, and the Update on Council Borrowing report scheduled for October’s Cabinet meeting would consider this in more detail. He mentioned that both this report and the Council Borrowing report had been considered by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee at their previous meeting, and they had discussed the transition from Local Authority borrowing to Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) borrowing, which would be borrowed at a higher interest rate. He explained that previous PWLB borrowing had had an interest rate of approximately 0.5%-1%, but interest rates had now reached approximately 4.5%. He stated that the impact of this would be assessed and reported back to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet as part of the Quarter 2 financial report.

The Interim Director of Finance added that the commissioners were also evaluating the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP), which was a method to pay back debt. He explained that specific issues within investments could change the MRP approach and wider provisions across all investments, which could have a range of impacts. He stated that borrowing could be paid back over the course of 20 years, with interest 1% above the usual PWLB rates. He stated that the commissioners were currently clarifying positions as the situation remained fluid and complicated, but felt that the commissioners remained supportive and provided advice on how to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

The Acting Leader thanked the Interim Director of Finance for the level of detail in the report, and felt that it remained a serious situation. He stated that the recovery board continued to meet bi-weekly and received advice from the commissioners. He added that the administration would also use the scrutiny function to aid in the recovery plan. Councillor Spillman felt that confidence in the Council had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.