Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor King.

                                                                                                                  (Enclosure)

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

No interests were disclosed.

Report number ENV669 of the Cabinet Member for Communities.   (Enclosure)

Decision:

1.    Cabinet approves the Private Sector Housing Assistance Policy – Independent Living

2.    That the Council’s Capital programme for 2017/18 be amended to recognise the increased funding of £733,770 which is available from the Better Care Fund for Disabled Facilities Grants

3.    That delegated authority is given to the Cabinet Member for Communities to make any minor amendments to the policy that may be required to support its continued effectiveness

Considerations/reasons for decision

1.    Report number ENV669 of the Cabinet Member for Communities and the draft Private Sector Housing Assistance Policy appended to the report.

2.    Local authorities’ statutory duty to provide disabled facilities grants.

3.    The Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002, which includes a general power to give financial assistance for home repair, improvement and adaptation if it is given in accordance with a published policy.

4.    The district council’s 2017/18 grant entitlement of £733,770 from the Government Better Care Fund.

5.    Offering preventative solutions can help reduce reliance on health and social care.

6.    Based on the current demand for mandatory disabled facilities grants, an underspend had been forecast in 2017/18.

7.    Considerations of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meetings on 11 July and 5 September 2017, including a recommendation to adopt the policy.

8.    Statistical information on the impact of means-testing on grant applications.

9.    Mandatory disabled facilities grants only address the needs of a person in respect of their disability while a Better Care Fund capital grant could support wider social care outcomes.

10.Comments made by the Chairman of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the meeting.

Other options considered

The Council does not have to offer discretionary financial assistance, but failure to do so could leave vulnerable people at risk of avoidable harm. There was an expectation from Government that the increased funding levels will lead to better outcomes for residents and reduced reliance on health and social care services.

*           *           *

In introducing the proposals, the Cabinet Member for Communities provided contextual information about changes to the funding level and distribution of disabled facilities grants. The proposed policy had been designed to help improve the speed of the application process. Specific reference was made to dementia aids and adaptations, which was a new area for which grants could be awarded, and the referral process for those. Cabinet Members stated that the increased funding and movement away from means-testing could improve the quality of life for a number of people and bring benefits that would especially be felt by other public services.

A request was made that the projected outturn of the fund, taking account of grants awarded, should be kept under review to enable the adjustment of criteria in-year should an underspend be projected.

Cabinet members agreed the recommendations listed in report number ENV669.

Report number TC0001 of the Deputy Leader.                                (Enclosure)

Decision:

1.    That Cabinet approves in principle the remodelling of the St. Peter’s Hill Council Offices as part of the overall St. Peter’s Hill Redevelopment Programme.

2.    That Cabinet approves in principle the refurbishment and possible reconfiguration of the Guildhall Arts Centre as part of the overall St. Peter’s Hill Redevelopment Programme.

3.    That Cabinet recommends to Council the allocation of up to £500,000 in the current financial year from revenue reserves in order to facilitate:

·         The accelerated rollout of laptops for staff

·         The scanning and indexing of paper documents/files

·         To commission specialist resources to work with the contractor in the development of the detailed options/feasibility stage of the projects

·         The leasing of temporary office accommodation for staff as required to meet the requirements of the remodelling of St. Peter’s Hill offices.

Considerations/reasons for decision

1.    Report number TC0001 of the Deputy Leader as the Cabinet Member for Business Transformation and Commissioning.

2.    Comments made by the Leader of the Council during the annual Council meeting on 20 April 2017 about the working environment and available equipment within the Council offices.

3.    The Guildhall Arts Centre role as part of the leisure and cultural offer available in the St. Peter’s Hill area.

4.    Making better use of the space available in the St. Peter’s Hill offices would reduce the footprint necessary to accommodate all officers, releasing space in other parts of the building for commercial letting.

5.    The planned programme of work including completion of a feasibility study, provision of accommodation during re-fit work, electronic document storage and acceleration of the IT refresh programme

Other options considered

No other options considered at this stage.

*           *           *

In presenting the report, the relevant Cabinet Member informed members that an initial feasibility study of the project had been conducted. A project office had been set up and a group of staff met on a regular basis to talk about the proposals and project updates.

During discussion of the item, Cabinet members referred to the wider objectives of the St. Peter’s Hill redevelopment, specifically the provision of an enhanced leisure offer. Members also noted the opportunities the re-development would have in the creation of a business incubation centre and subsequent opportunities to generate income. Links were also made between service delivery, the working environment and the quality of the equipment available to Council officers.

All Cabinet members indicated their support of the recommendations.

Report number PD023 of the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Skills.   (Enclosure)

Decision:

1.    That Cabinet approves the business case attached at Appendix A to report number PD023 and the exempt appendices to the business case which comprises Options Appraisal, Heads of Terms with the Cinema Operator, Order of costs estimate and the updated risk register.

2.    That Cabinet recommends the revised capital budget of £5.7m and recommends to Council a further allocation of £1,167,637 profiled across 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20.

3.    That Cabinet agrees to the permanent closure of St. Catherine’s Road car park from Friday 3 November 2017 to enable the cinema development to progress and allow preparatory ground works and demolition of the garage to be carried out.

4.    That Cabinet approves the Heads of Terms attached as an exempt appendix to report number PD023 and delegates authority to the Strategic Director, Development and Growth to conclude an agreement for lease followed by a lease with the preferred cinema operator in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Skills and the Council’s legal advisors.

Considerations/reasons for decision

1.    Report number PD023 and its appendices including a draft business case, options appraisal, Heads of Terms with the cinema operator, an order of costs estimate and the updated risk register.

2.    The change in the specification of the cinema from six screens (including the refurbishment of the two existing screens) to a bespoke new five-screen cinema with restaurant space and additional floor space for compatible uses.

3.    Financial comments related to the loss of income from St. Catherine’s Road Car Park.

Other options considered

Keep the site as a surface car park and two screen cinema: the majority of the site is composed of a surface car park. This is only available to the public after 6pm on weekdays and on Saturday and Sunday. The car park has only a very limited contribution to the economic activity of the town centre.

*           *           *

The existing two screen cinema has approximately 60,000 attendances per annum. The cinema is constrained in offering latest releases and other ancillary entertainment such as live broadcasts due to only having 2 screens. The current offer does not compete well with multi-screen offers in Newark, Nottingham and Lincoln.

The cinema project, which formed part of the wider St. Peter’s Hill re-development complemented the previous report on wider office re-modelling and the Guildhall. The responsible Cabinet Member stated that detailed plans were being drawn up for the design and costings so that work could commence. From 3 November 2017 St. Catherine’s Road car park would be closed and hoardings would be erected around the site in preparation for the commencement of work onsite.

Non-Cabinet members asked questions about whether it was still the intention to include a restaurant and retail offer as part of the development, and about the provision of a replacement cycle centre and changing facility, ensuring continued accessibility for members of the public.

On being put to the vote, all of the Cabinet members indicated their support of the recommendations.

Report number CFM438 of the Cabinet Member for Finance.     (Enclosure)

Decision:

Cabinet recommends to Council the following amendments to the Capital Programme:

·         Disabled facilities grant – increase to £733,770 for 2017/18

·         St. Peter’s Hill development – increase to £5.7m

Considerations/reasons for decision

1.    Report number CFM438 of the Cabinet Member for Finance.

2.    The decisions made in relation to agenda items 4 (Private Sector Housing Renewal Policy – Independent Living), 5 (St. Peter’s Hill re-development – office remodelling and Guildhall) and 6 (St. Peter’s Hill re-development – cinema) - minute numbers 70, 71 and 72.

3.    The increase in the allocation of disabled facilities grants will be met from Government.

4.    The outcome of negotiations relating to the heads of terms with the preferred cinema provider and preliminary works onsite.

Other options considered

No other options have been assessed.

*           *           *

Cabinet Members unanimously agreed to support the recommendations in report CFM438.

Report number PD024 of the Cabinet Member for Retail and Visitor and Economy.         (Enclosure)

Decision:

Cabinet approves the following tariff structure for Welham Street multi-storey car park for consultation in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996:

Considerations/reasons for decision

1.    Report number PD024 of the Cabinet Member for Retail and Visitor Economy and the proposed amendments to the existing car parking order attached at Appendix 1.

2.    The “leisure tariff” forms part of the proposed Heads of Terms developed with the preferred cinema operator for the St. Peter’s Re-development project.

3.    Comments and recommendations made by the Growth Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on Wednesday 4 October 2017.

4.    The tariff would also help shoppers visiting Grantham town centre for other leisure purposes.

5.    The objectives of the St. Peter’s Hill redevelopment project.

6.    Requirements of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Local Authorities Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996.

7.    Consultation and notice requirements for introducing new car parking arrangements.

Other options considered

A car park charge rebate scheme to cinema customers was promoted to the Council by the cinema operator but was rejected in further negotiations over the development of the Heads of Terms.

*           *           *

During discussion of the issue, Cabinet members were advised of the new arrangements for paying for car parking that were being explored, including solutions that would allow for payment on exit.

An amendment to the car parking structure detailed in report number PD024 was proposed and seconded (deletions struck through and additions underlined):

The rationale behind the proposal was to ensure that there was turnover of spaces for leisure purposes and not filled all day with commuters. It was also clarified that the banded charges on the list (up to 30 minutes, up to 1 hour and up to 2 hours) with n/a listed in the proposed tariff would be subsumed within the tariff for up to 3 hours.

In voting, Cabinet members approved the revised tariff structure noted above and authorised consultation thereon in accordance with the relevant Regulations.

Report number LDS237 of the Leader of the Council.                   (Enclosure)

Report number LDS237 summarised the activity of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees since the last report was presented to Cabinet on 7 September 2017. A summary of the issues considered by the Growth Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which met after the publication of the Cabinet agenda, was included within the pack of supplementary documents.

The Chairman of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee drew Cabinet Members’ attention to the item on community cohesion and asked for the support of the Cabinet. The Cabinet expressed its support of the committee’s work on community cohesion; the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Skills was tasked to liaise with the committee to ascertain its direction, proposals and resources while Councillor Adam Stokes was tasked with including financial provision to support community cohesion activity in the 2018/19 budget.

Reference was also made to the Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee’s work reviewing the arrangements for the South Kesteven Community Fund and its support of the re-signing of the armed forces community covenant.

The Chairman of the Culture and Tourism Overview and Scrutiny Committee informed Cabinet members that the Committee was part way through a series of workshops in its development of a new cultural strategy.

The Chairman of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee made reference to the Big Clean Project, in which it had been involved.

Report number LDS238 of the Leader of the Council.                   (Enclosure)

Report number LDS238 informed the Cabinet of decisions that had been taken by individual members since the last meeting of the Cabinet was held on 7 September 2017. An additional appendix (Appendix F) to the report was circulated to Cabinet members at the meeting as part of a pack of supplementary papers, as the decision to which it related had been made after the agenda had been published.

Appendix A: Use of Section 106 Agreement Open Space Funds

A question was raised by a non-Cabinet member in relation to the release of funding for enhancement of existing play facilities in Stamford. Confirmation was awaited from Stamford Town Council of match-funding.

The Cabinet asked officers to follow-up the progress of the release of funding.

Appendix B: Agreement of the draft Housing Strategy and Action Plan for wider consultation

An urgent non-key decision was taken to amend the draft Housing Strategy as agreed by the Cabinet on 7 September 2017 prior to its release for public consultation. The changes that had been made to the policy were highlighted in the version of the policy that was appended to the decision.

Appendix C: Armed Forces Community Covenant

An urgent non-key decision was taken to approve the signing of the covenant, which had subsequently taken place.

Appendix D: Discretionary Business Rate Relief Scheme

Following rollout and review of the business rate relief scheme approved by the Cabinet Member for Retail and Visitor Economy following discussion at Cabinet on 13 July 2017, a subsequent decision was made to broaden the scheme’s criteria to optimise usage of the available funding.

Appendix E: Colsterworth and District Neighbourhood Plan – correction of minor error

Colsterworth and District Parish Council had made a minor amendment to correct an error in its Neighbourhood Plan, requiring it to be re-adopted by this Council.

Appendix F: To enter into a 2-year lease of the second floor, The Maltings, Wharf Road, Grantham, NG31 6BH

The lease arrangement had been entered into in support of the St. Peter’s Hill re-development project and would become the base for the Invest SK team as part of the Council’s focus on economic development and regeneration.

Report number LDS236 of the Leader of the Council.                   (Enclosure)

Report number LDS236 of the Leader of the Council informed Cabinet Members that no requests to speak by non-Cabinet members had been received prior to the publication of the agenda, nor had any such requests been received after the agenda had been published.

Report number LDS235 of the Leader of the Council.                   (Enclosure)

Report number LDS236 provided an overview of the items the Cabinet could expect to see on its agenda between 1 November 2017 and 31 January 2018. The report also included the items that were due for consideration by the full Council in the same period.

One update was made to the programme, which stated that the Lincolnshire Homelessness Strategy was due to be considered by the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 7 November 2017. Instead, this item was now due to be considered at a joint meeting of the Communities and Wellbeing, Growth and Rural Overview and Scrutiny Committees, expected to be held on 21 November 2017.

The meeting was closed at 15:12.

Decisions CO70, CO71 (1 and 2 only), CO72 (1, 3 and 4 only) and CO74 as made on 12 October 2017 can be implemented on Monday 23 October 2017, unless subject to call-in by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman or any five members of the Council from any political group.

The recommendations made at items CO71 (3), CO72 (2), CO73 stand referred to Council on 23 November 2017.