Items
No. |
Item |
93. |
Minutes PDF 343 KB
To approve as a correct record
the minutes of Cabinet held on 13 January 2021.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The minutes of the Cabinet
meeting held on 13 January 2021 were approved as a true and correct
record.
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94. |
Items of Urgent Business
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.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no items of urgent
business.
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95. |
Declaration of Interests
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Maney declared an
interest regarding Item 15 (Active Travel Tranche 2) as he lived
near one of the proposed development sites. Councillor Huelin also
declared an interest regarding Item 15 (Active Travel Tranche 2) as
she lived near one of the proposed sites. The Monitoring Officer
thanked the Members for declaring their interests, and stated that
as there was currently no detail regarding the scheme, they could
still take part in the discussion and vote.
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96. |
Statements by the Leader
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader began his statement
by describing how COVID-19 cases across the borough had continued
to fall. He urged residents to continue to follow the rules
regarding lockdown, to only go out if necessary, and to always
follow the ‘hands, face, space’ guidance, even if you
had received the vaccine. He stated that the major incident that
had been declared across Essex had now been lifted as the NHS was
no longer under such immense pressure, due to falling case rates.
He commented that all residents should still follow the rules, and
not try to find loopholes, as this would increase the number of
infections and delay the end of lockdown.
The Leader then moved on and discussed how Thurrock was seeing a
good take up in the number of people getting the vaccine, and
described how the borough was ahead of the curve in administering
the vaccine to the four highest priority groups. He stated that
they were now working on an accelerated timeline and were following
the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidelines by
now offering the vaccine to disabled young people and their carers.
He stated that the NHS were still delivering the vaccine to those
residents who were housebound in priority groups 1-3, but this
process took time due to logistics. He urged residents in priority
groups 1-3 to contact their GP surgeries if they had not yet been
offered the vaccine. The Leader then stated that Thurrock currently
had three vaccination centres: Stifford Clays, Chadwell St Mary,
and Thurrock Community Hospital. He thanked the volunteers and
staff at the centres for all their hard work, particularly during
this cold period. He encouraged all residents to get their vaccine
once they had been offered it, and to visit the Essex COVID vaccine
website if they had any concerns. He summarised and stated that
there were also a number of vaccination scams, whereby residents
were being contacted and asked to pay for their vaccine. He urged
people to stay alert for these scams and reiterated that the
vaccine was free to everyone.
The Leader then stated that the Thames Freeport bid,
which had been backed by Thurrock Council and private companies
such as Ford Dagenham and the Port of Tilbury, had been submitted
to government on 5 February 2021. He explained that if the bid was
successful, the new Freeport would lead to 20,000 new jobs across
the borough, billions of pounds of private investment, new training
opportunities for residents, and increased wages. He felt that
there would be lots of long-term benefits and positive change if
the bid was successful.
The Leader then highlighted the amount of rain that had recently
fallen across Essex, which had led to increased surface water and
flooding risk. He explained that private properties had the
responsibility for any flooding that occurred on their land, and
management companies often had responsibility for potential
flooding risks in blocks of flats. He stated that the Environment
Agency managed the local waterways and ...
view the full minutes text for item 96.
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97. |
Briefings on Policy, Budget and Other Issues
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Coxshall stated that
the Tilbury Town Fund bid had been submitted to central government
last week. He explained that if the bid was successful then Tilbury
would receive £25million of investment, which would fund a
new youth centre, new jetty, new hub entrance, new car park for
Tilbury Fort, and a new beach. He explained that the bid for the
Grays Town Fund would be submitted later this year, which if
successful would help fund a new beach in Grays, as well as other
projects. He stated that if the bid was successful then the monies
would need to be spent by 2025, so new services would appear in
Tilbury within the next few years. The Leader thanked Councillor
Coxshall for his hard work on the submission, and was pleased to
see youth provision had been included as 83% of Tilbury residents
had requested additional youth services during the ‘have your
say’ consultation.
Councillor Watkins stated that due to the levels of snow across the
borough, waste collection services had been temporarily closed to
ensure the safety of staff. He mentioned that the staff had been
redeployed to other services across the council, and stated that
the service would be up and running again as soon as it was safe to
do so. He commented that next week side waste would be collected
alongside bins due to the temporary closure, and urged residents to
follow Thurrock’s social media which would outline any new
updates. The Leader also mentioned that roads were being gritted
regularly and vaccine centres were also being cleared of
snow.
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98. |
Petitions submitted by Members of the Public
Additional documents:
Minutes:
No petitions had been submitted
by members of the public.
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99. |
Questions from Non-Executive Members
Additional documents:
Minutes:
No questions had been submitted
by members of the public.
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100. |
Matters Referred to the Cabinet for Consideration by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader stated that
Councillor Redsell was attending this Cabinet meeting, in her role
as Chair of the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny
Committee and would be asked to read her statement at the relevant
item.
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101. |
Draft General Fund Budget & Medium Term Financial Strategy Update (Decision: 110550) PDF 668 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Hebb introduced the
report and stated that the report had originally been brought
before Cabinet in January, before being submitted to the Corporate
Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their review. He explained that
the Council had a statutory duty to balance the Medium Term
Financial Strategy, and this had been balanced since 2016 when the
Conservatives had formed a minority administration. He explained
that before this point, the Council had been in deficit, but the
three main political parties had worked together during this period
to balance the budget. He stated that since 2016 reserves had been
trebled, and many years had seen budget surpluses which had helped
to fund areas such as adult social care and mental health.
Councillor Hebb explained that due to the events of 2020 and the
winding down of the investment strategy over the next 2-8 years,
the Council would now have to work hard to balance the budget. He
explained that all 49 members had previously agreed with the
investment strategy, which had brought many benefits and investment
to Thurrock. He then moved on and explained the commentary that had
been received at the scrutiny meeting. He explained that the first
comment the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee had made
related to the need to seek funding from central government, to
ensure Thurrock had continued support. Councillor Hebb explained
that central government had already provided Thurrock with
£14million of support, £30million of which had been
distributed to businesses as grants. He added that central
government had also spent billions of pounds on the furlough scheme
to ensure people could keep their jobs throughout the pandemic.
Councillor Hebb stated that central government funds still came
from the taxpayer, but the Council had been submitting their
accounts to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local
Government (MHCLG) monthly throughout the pandemic. He explained
that as reserve levels had now trebled, part of the ‘rainy
day’ fund would be expected to be used to balance the budget
and fund services. He explained that Thurrock did continue to have
conversations with central government surrounding funding and
support, as well as through mechanisms such as the LGA,
cross-borough Finance Portfolio Working Groups, and the IRRV.
Councillor Hebb then moved onto the second point raised by the
Corporate O&S Committee, which concerned the rise in council
tax. He explained that Thurrock had frozen council tax for some
years, whilst other neighbouring councils had risen their levels
dramatically, such as the London Mayor who had raised council tax
by 31%. He explained that officers had been instructed by all
elected members to increase investments to reduce council tax.
Councillor Hebb outlined that 70% of the borough would only pay an
additional 99p per week in council tax, with the remaining 30% of
borough paying an additional £2 per week. He stated that
support would be available for those residents who may struggle to
pay their council tax. He highlighted that the majority of the
council tax raise would help ...
view the full minutes text for item 101.
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102. |
Capital Strategy 2021/22 (Decision: 110551) PDF 416 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Hebb introduced the
report and stated that it outlined the mechanisms and instructions
through which officers could undertake investments, such as through
the Treasury Management Provision. He stated that last year
Thurrock had announced the investment strategy would finish, and
explained that this paper represented the beginning of the end. He
said that the approach had helped fund services such as additional
policing, increased funding for adults and children’s social
care; education; and mental health in schools. He explained that
central government was now less supportive of councils being
entrepreneurial in this way, and there was no longer the same
accessible market, so investments that matured would not be
renewed. He explained that this wind-down of the strategy would
lead to a reduction of borrowing by £350million. Councillor
Hebb then outlined that an Investment Shadow Board had been
constituted in autumn 2020 to consider investments and provide
democratic oversight, and described how this would continue, and
the Terms of Reference would be agreed in May 2021. He explained
that a summary of the Investment Strategy would also be published
on the Council’s website as an easy reference for residents
to understand the process. He summarised and stated that the report
had been agreed by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee,
and had been made available at the Investment Shadow Board. He
added that there were no new emerging recommendations, contrary to
what officers had presented at the meeting of the Corporate
Overview and Scrutiny Committee in January 2021.
Councillor Halden again thanked Councillor Hebb for his work on the
report. He felt it provided residents with an accurate summary of
the investment approach. He stated that Thurrock had worked hard to
pay off debt, but still had to pay off longer-term, hard-core debt
which had been accrued before 2016. Councillor Coxshall questioned
how much hard-core debt had been inherited. Councillor Hebb
responded that approximately £280-300million hard-core debt
had been inherited, and this was hard to pay off as it was almost
irredeemable. He explained that Thurrock would continue to work
through this debt and pay it off as quickly as possible, where
possible. Councillor Hebb also explained that the level of
borrowing set out in the table in the report was the top-level
figure and borrowing would not always go up to this figure. He then
drew Cabinet’s attention to the table on page 48 which
highlighted the difference in interest payable and interest
receivable, and compared it to the graph from the previous agenda
item, which outlined that the gap between spending power and
spending requirement had now increased.
The Leader stated that the majority of borrowing which had been
undertaken was short-term debt and had been repaid plus interest.
He added that Thurrock had also invested in renewable energy, which
remained stable throughout the pandemic, unlike other local
authorities which had invested in shopping centres. He explained
that the investment strategy had helped Thurrock earn money, which
had been spent on services and residents, such as work
...
view the full minutes text for item 102.
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103. |
Fees and Charges Pricing Strategy 2021/22 (Decision: 110552) PDF 268 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Hebb introduced the
report and explained that the Council ran a number of services
which were operated through the payment of fees and charges. He
stated that this provided a small component of Thurrock’s
spending power and highlighted point 3.3 of the report, which
articulated the questions asked during the review of fees and
charges. Councillor Hebb stated that the Corporate Overview and
Scrutiny Committee had encouraged new lines of enquiry, and this
report showed these enquiries. He described how the team looked at
market considerations when discussing fees and charges, and how
they wanted to ensure that services could be self-sufficient,
particularly during the pandemic.
Councillor Halden stated that the care market was at the heart of
the adult social care fees and charges, and these proposed
increases would help pressures within the service, as well as
protecting the market. He stated that domiciliary care fees had
been frozen for the previous four years, and felt that the system
had become too reliant on income from other areas and was no longer
self-sufficient. He stated that the increase in fees would be
phased, and highlighted that the majority of residents would
continue paying nothing, or only a proportion, as the system would
remain means-tested. He explained that domiciliary care fees would
increase from £13.06 to £17 and then to £18 over
the course of the next three years, which would mean a 5.8%
pay-rise for care providers in 2021/22. He felt this would help to
stabilise the market and encourage carers to work for Thurrock
Council. Councillor Halden then moved on and discussed the increase
in fees in care homes, and explained that the cost would rise from
£486 per bed to £532, which would help to boost the
market.
Councillor Halden explained that the budget still included a
council tax cut for foster carers, which was equivalent to
£1600 in a Band D property, as he felt this would encourage
more Thurrock residents to become foster carers and reduce the
£2million spend on foster agencies. He hoped that this figure
would half over the next three years as more residents became
approved foster carers. He then explained that Thurrock were the
lowest spending unitary authority in terms of adult social care,
and the third lowest higher tier authority, which meant that the
service was already cost efficient. He stated that there was
currently a £1.5million social care fund, as well as a
£19million general fund, and as well as the proposed 3% adult
social care precept increase, this would help to improve
flexibility in the service.
Councillor Watkins replied to the comments made by Councillor
Redsell and assured her that he wished to improve sports across the
borough, and had been a key priority in his annual Full Council
report. He explained that he regularly met with sports teams to
discuss their concerns, and this would continue as the sporting
strategy developed. He stated that he was aware of the concerns
raised by the CGS Committee, but ...
view the full minutes text for item 103.
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104. |
Housing Revenue Account: Business Plan and Budgets 2021/22 (Decision: 110553) PDF 747 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Johnson introduced
the report and stated that this updated the HRA 30 year business
plan to ensure that there was a sufficient income to pay for
services. He stated that the proposed increase in rent would help
to maintain the current level of service, and would ensure all
residents lived in good quality housing. He outlined that the
projects in Claudian Way and the Tops Club had now been finished,
and the Calcutta Road project was almost finished. He added that
the HRA New Build project, using return on right to buy receipts
would increase the council’s housing stock by 70 homes. He
explained that the 1.5% proposed rent increase would lead to
£462,000 additional monies for the HRA, which would be used
to continue the Council’s statutory duties, as well
undertaking projects residents had wanted during the consultation
survey, which included the external decoration programme. He stated
that the rent increase would equate to an average increase of
£1.35 per week for residents, but would be covered by
Universal Credit and housing benefit for those residents who were
on it. He added that the money would also be used to help manage
fire safety, tower block refurbishment and carbon neutral
properties.
The Leader thanked Councillor Johnson for his report and
highlighted that the proposed increase in rent would help maintain
the current service level, and would provide, safe and secure
housing for tenants. He stated that some tenants still lived in
poor quality, old housing stock, which would need investment to
keep up with modern lifestyles, such as working and teaching from
home, which put a strain on older houses. He explained that he was
aware of some residents with damp and mould issues, which would be
tackled through investment. He added that plans were currently in
place to increase the number of council houses in the future, and
the housing team were currently looking at alternative buildings,
which would require less maintenance and repairs.
Councillor Redsell added that she had received feedback from
residents near the new Chadwell housing site, who had felt that the
new accommodation looked lovely.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Agreed the changes in the base budget for 2021/22.
2. Agreed an increase in domestic rent of 1.50% from 5 April 2021,
in line with the 30-year HRA business plan.
3. Agreed the increase in service charges to reflect the costs of
running each service, in line with the 30-year HRA business plan,
from 5 April 2021 (detailed in table 5).
4. Agreed the charges for garage rents (paragraph 3.10).
5. Considered the recommendation made by the Housing Overview and
Scrutiny Committee set out in section 7.
Reason for decision: as outlined in
report.
This decision is subject to call-in.
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105. |
Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA) Update (Decision: 110554) PDF 317 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader introduced the
report and stated that Thurrock had been part of ASELA for three
years, and all six local authorities who were part of the group had
worked hard to implement cross-boundary working and improve
infrastructure for all south Essex residents. He stated that ASELA
had already received £24million in funding from central
government for the digital connectivity full-fibre project, as well
as strategic planning. He added that ASELA had also received
central government funding for infrastructure, transport studies
and difficult brownfield site development. He explained that
£20million of funding had also been received for a South
Essex University which would focus on apprenticeship degrees, and
would be the first in the country. He added that ASELA had received
£5million in funding for a South Essex Estuary Park, which
would be shared across the proposed Joint Committee. He stated that
ASELA also had longer term goals such as super-fact broadband
connectivity, which had already begun work. The Leader highlighted
that Southend-on-Sea Borough Council had chosen a different method
for fibre connectivity, which he felt proved that each individual
council could undertake their own projects outside of the ASELA
framework. He explained another long-term project was for
£250million of funding for pipeline infrastructure, which
would help deliver housing on sites which had planning permissions
but no infrastructure. He added that ASELA also wished to improve
economic development across the whole of South Essex, through
increased employment, construction and through the support of key
sectors. He explained that ASELA had also been endorsed by the
Thames Estuary Growth Board who felt that the group removed
arbitrary local authority borders for cross-party working.
The Leader highlighted that this report did not create an ASELA
council, or remove current governance processes. He added that the
report also did not insist that all government housing targets be
located within one authority, and Thurrock would not lose planning
powers. He stated that each local authority within ASELA would be
considering the report which proposed a joint committee to help
improve the south Essex economy and bounce back from the
pandemic.
He summarised and stated that a Memorandum of Understanding would
be brought to Cabinet in March, which would consider the merger of
Basildon and Thurrock Councils into one, larger unitary authority.
He stated that this would not happen immediately, and each Council
would closely examine the implications of a merger, as well as the
impact it could have on adult social care, transport and waste. He
explained that government wished to see local authority reform, and
although this had been paused due to the pandemic, he felt it would
be good to have improved local governance consensus.
Councillor Halden thanked the Leader for his report and felt that
it demonstrated the good work that ASELA had undertaken, as well as
their future plans. He outlined that the future Memorandum of
Understanding would not create a unitary authority, but would open
the conversation, and would highlight how the proposal could
benefit both authorities. He felt ...
view the full minutes text for item 105.
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106. |
Active Travel Tranche 2 (Decision: 110555) PDF 158 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader and Cabinet voted to
extend standing orders.
Councillor Maney introduced the report and stated that it
provided an update on the national allocation of funding to support
active travel schemes. He drew Cabinet’s attention to point
3.4 which outlined the active travel plans, and highlighted that
public engagement would help to shape the delivery of the
programme. He stated that the active travel scheme had been devised
by central government during the pandemic to increase cycling
opportunities and improve footpaths, to ensure people could access
more sustainable travel. He explained that Thurrock had submitted
their bid last year, and the Secretary of State for Transport had
agreed to give Thurrock £690,000 in tranche 2, on top of the
£280,000 which had already been received during tranche 1. He
explained that the schemes listed only included an indicative cost,
which was very approximate, as no design work or consultation had
been undertaken. He added that the schemes listed in the report
exceeded the government funding allocation, but explained that this
was deliberate as the Council could then present a broad range of
schemes to the public, which could then be funded through a Section
106 Agreement or other funding streams if necessary. He summarised
and stated that government were also considering a tranche 3 of the
scheme, and any additional schemes outlined in the report could
potentially be funded through later tranches.
Councillor Halden stated that he was a ward councillor in
Homesteads and felt pleased to see that £250,000 investment
could come to his ward. He felt pleased to see that the scheme
provided space for a cycling route which would make roads less
obstructed and improve safety for cyclists. He thanked Councillor
Maney and the team for their hard work on the report, and
questioned whether the Branksome Avenue project would be funded
through tranche 2. Councillor Maney highlighted point 2.3 of the
report which explained how the team had arrived at the proposed
schemes, which included through resident and cycling groups
comments, and ward councillors feedback. He thanked Councillor
Halden and Councillor Collins for their dedication to their ward,
and to the Branksome Avenue scheme, which would be funded through
tranche 2 if it approved by residents, officers and the Portfolio
Holder.
The Leader felt it was good to see a bank of schemes in draft,
which could be ready to go if further funding became available. He
felt that if some of the projects within the scheme were funded
through a Section 106 agreement, this report would increase Section
106 transparency.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Approved the approach to develop and implement a programme of
Active Travel Tranche 2 schemes.
2. Approved the engagement and consultation process required to
inform the Tranche 2 programme.
3. Approved the requirement to delegate authority to the Director
of Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and
Transport, to review and make local changes to the Active Travel
Tranche 2 programme taking into account local views and
...
view the full minutes text for item 106.
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107. |
Adoption of the Essex Coast Recreational Disturbance Avoidance & Mitigation Strategy Supplementary Planning Document and Partnership Agreement (Decision: 110556) PDF 348 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Coxshall introduced
the report and stated that it formed part of government legislation
to mitigate against coastal erosion, which included a small charge
on new house builds until 2038 to offset any potential erosion. He
stated that only 500-600 new homes would be affected by the charge
over the period of the scheme, and the charge would help fund park
rangers, for example in Langdon Hills, to ensure the protection of
birds and wildlife. He stated that this report formed part of
Thurrock’s ‘play’ strategy as it would protect
the coast and open spaces. He added that the report was a statutory
duty in partnership with Chelmsford City Council, which would help
both councils save money, and would be monitored through a Steering
Group.
Councillor Halden thanked Councillor Coxshall for his work on the
report, as he felt that climate change could cause serious erosion
along Thurrock’s coast, and the new scheme would help to
protect birds and wildlife. The Leader supported the work being
undertaken to protect against erosion, and felt pleased to see that
it was a collaborative effort with Chelmsford City Council.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Adopted the Essex Coast Recreational Disturbance and Mitigation
Strategy (RAMS) 2018-2033 (January 2019) as set out in Appendix
1.
2. Adopted the Essex Coast RAMS Supplementary Planning Document
(SPD) (June 2020), as set out in Appendix 2.
3. Adopted the RAMS Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and
Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) Screening Report, as set out
in Appendix 4.
4. Authorised the Director of Place to join the Essex Coast RAMS
Partnership on behalf of Thurrock Council, via a Partnership
Agreement with the 11 Essex Authorities and Chelmsford City
Council, as the Accountable Body (for the first item) and put into
place operational processes to implement, collect, monitor, and pay
the tariff contributions collected in the Thurrock Borough to the
Essex Coast RAMS Accountable Body.
Reason for decision: as outlined in
report.
This decision is subject to call-in.
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