BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCIL
STRATEGY COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE STRATEGY COMMITTEE HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, COUNCIL OFFICES, CORKS LANE, HADLEIGH ON THURSDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2009
Quick Links
48 - Substitutes and Apologies
49 - Declaration of Interests
50 - Minutes
51 - Petitions
52 - Questions from Members
53 - Issues arising from Overview and Scrutiny Committees
54 - Work Plan
55 - Interim Report on the 2009/10 Strategic and Financial Planning Process
56 - Hamilton Road Quarter (Sudbury Town Bus Station Site) Public Consultation Stage for Development Brief
57 - Response to National Grid Draft Statement of Community Consultation
58 - Exclusion of Public (which term includes the Press)
59 - Development of Swimming Provision in Partnership with South Suffolk Leisure (SSL)
PRESENT: Mr N A Ridley – Chairman
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Mr N A Bennett
Mr M P Booth
Mrs S Carpendale
Mr A J Hinton
Ms J A Jenkins |
Mr P Jones
Dr M R Miller
Mr C M Spence
Mrs S M Wigglesworth |
Mr R E Kemp was unable to be present.
It was noted that in accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 5 a substitute was in attendance as follows:-
Mr P Jones (substituting for Mr R E Kemp).
Mr N A Ridley and Mrs S M Wigglesworth declared personal interests in Minute No. 56 – Response to National Grid Draft Statement of Community Consultation – by virtue of living in the vicinity of one of the proposed routes but stated that they were able to speak and vote on the matter.
Mrs S Carpendale declared a personal interest in Minute No. 56 by virtue of her husband holding a small number of shares in National Grid but stated that she was able to speak and vote on the matter.
Mr C M Spence declared a personal interest in Minute No. 55 – Hamilton Road Quarter (Sudbury Town Bus Station Site) Public Consultation Stage for Development Brief – by virtue of being the County Councillor for the Division in which the proposal was located. He was able to speak and vote on the matter.
RESOLVED
That the Minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2009 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.
The Director of Corporate Services reported the receipt via Ipswich Borough Council of a communication intended to be regarded as a petition from Wherstead Parish Council listing approximately 40 residents of Babergh District Council complaining about an alleged noise nuisance from the Port of Ipswich on Cliff Quay. The Parish Council says that the noise appears to be generated by specific equipment used to unload cargo from a particular ship.
The issues raised are currently being addressed by the Head of Natural and Built Environment and will be dealt with under his delegated powers. The relevant Babergh officer attended a meeting organised by Ipswich Borough Council on 6 October to explain the position under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and to answer questions.
The Chief Executive will report the receipt of the petition to the Council meeting on 20 October 2009 in accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 13.
None received.
None received.
The Director of Corporate Services submitted a report (Paper J104) on items identified for the Strategy Committee.
RESOLVED
That the Work Plan set out in Paper J104 be noted.
The Director of Finance introduced Paper J105 relating to the Council’s medium term planning, savings and efficiencies and the development of the 2010/11 Budget. He outlined the very serious financial challenge facing the Council, and the specific need to find £1.4m of savings for 2010/11 and £1m in 2011/12 and 2012/13. Officers had sought to identify all possible options for meeting the 2010/11 savings requirement, through a combination of savings in staff numbers, reduced terms and conditions for staff and shared service opportunities as well as service cuts and raising additional income. These were listed in outline in Paper J105. Even if all of these opportunities could be realised in full, however, there would still be a shortfall of over 20% in meeting the savings target, and hence in being able to agree a balanced budget for 2010/11. The risks associated with being able to deliver the savings needed were assessed at the highest level on the Council’s strategic risk register and higher than any other strategic risk currently facing the Council. Members were asked to note the seriousness of the current financial position and the need to consider all possible options for meeting the savings target without ruling out any options at this stage. They were further asked to endorse that the SFP Task Group give further consideration to all the options raised in Paper J105 and to consider the detailed implications for residents, services, Members and staff of these potential savings and income generation opportunities, together with identifying where the necessary, as yet unidentified, potential additional savings could be found to meet the remaining shortfall in achieving the £1.4m target for 2010/11.
A wide-ranging discussion ensued on the various areas and issues covered by the report, following which the Committee accepted the recommendations for consideration by the Council.
RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL
(1) That the current position on achieving the Council’s savings and efficiencies targets for 2009/10 and 2010/11, and the current position on the development of the 2010/11 Budget, be noted.
(2) That the approaches and specific actions set out in this report to seek to meet the savings and efficiencies targets in order to achieve a balanced 2010/11 Budget be endorsed; and that these be referred to the SFP Task Group for development and identification of the likely impact on service levels and staffing establishment.
The Head of Natural and Built Environment submitted a report (Paper J106) seeking agreement to proceed to the next stage of formal public consultation and suggesting three options for inclusion in the consultation exercise.
Andy Johnson, Area Team Leader (West) Highway Network Improvement (Suffolk County Council) and Lee Smith-Evans (the Council’s Consultant), were present at the meeting to answer questions.
RESOLVED
(1) That authority be given for consultation on the draft Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) – Hamilton Road Quarter Development Brief to proceed in accordance with the details set out in paragraph 5.8 of Paper J106.
(2) That the public consultation include the presentation of the 3 options shown in paragraph 5.4 (Appendices C, D and E) of Paper J106 together with the suggested summary of Advantages and Disadvantages of each option (Appendix F). Further, that it be noted in addition that the consultation exercise offers a proposed draft Supplementary Planning (text-based) Document for public comment, which also covers and explains issues about the wider context.
The Head of Natural and Built Environment submitted a report (Paper J107) asking the Committee to agree a response to the Draft Statement.
RESOLVED
That, subject to (a) National Grid being requested to take a proactive approach towards fully involving the affected Town and Parish Councils in the consultation process and (b) the Chief Planning Control Officer informing the relevant Town/Parish Councils of the consultation arrangements, the comments set out in the interim response and further comments reproduced in Appendix A to Paper J107 be approved as the District Council’s formal response to the National Grid Draft Statement of Community Consultation.
RESOLVED
That pursuant to Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the business specified below on the grounds that if the public were present during this item, it is likely that there would be the disclosure to them of exempt information as indicated against the item.
The Committee was also satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.
The Minute relating to the above-mentioned item is excluded from the public record. A summary of the Minute made by the Proper Officer in accordance with sub-section 2 of Section 100(c) of the Local Government Act 1972 is set out below.
The Head of Community Development presented a report (Paper J108) relating to the development of South Suffolk Leisure’s swimming provision. Members considered issues which are currently under discussion with SSL relating to the funding of the programme and agreed to make an appropriate recommendation to the Council meeting on 20 October.
The business of the meeting was concluded at 12.30 p.m.
Chairman
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