Meeting documents

• (Attachment: 1)Minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 April 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed.

Executive Members: Councillors J. Durrant and Mrs R. Renton.
Non-Executive Members: Councillors M. Blacker and D.J. Pay.
 

None.

• (Attachment: 2)Item 4: Local Authority Property Investment and Development Company Report inc. Annexes. (270K/bytes)
• | (Attachment: 3)Item 4: Background Paper - Property Investment Approach (December 2014) (164K/bytes)

Withdrawn by Chief Executive.

• (Attachment: 4)Item 5: Asset Management Plan inc. Annex (809K/bytes)

The Executive Member for Property, Councillor Mrs N.J. Bramhall informed the Executive that the Council’s existing Property Asset Management Plan had expired and presented a new plan to cover the period 2016 -2020.

The Executive noted that the purpose of the plan was to set out the Council’s approach to managing its broad portfolio of land, operational buildings, community buildings and its investment portfolio.
It was noted that significant progress had been made in recent years in relation to the Council’s overall property and investment programme.

Examples of some of the successful projects included the:
• new Horley Leisure Centre;
• Donyngs Leisure Centre refurbishment,
• Harlequin Theatre refurbishment,
• new Tadworth Leisure Centre combined with 130 new homes being developed in Preston,
• the ongoing development of the Warwick Quadrant,
• the Marketfield Way Scheme that was progressing,
• progress on the joint venture development in Horley,
• the waste transfer station, and
• the letting of substantial parts of the town hall site.

The Executive Member emphasised that during the current 5 Year Plan period (2015-2020) the Council’s property team would concentrate on actively managing the Council’s property assets to realise income, identify sale opportunities and to bring forward regeneration, investment and development work for the benefit of the borough. This was in addition to the high quality property and facilities management service that supported the operational needs of the Council.

It was further noted that the Asset Management Plan would evolve during the 4 Year Plan period and would be reviewed and updated on an annual basis to reflect changing operational requirements or emerging corporate themes.

RESOLVED that the Asset Management Plan 2016 -2020 as set out in Annex 1 to the report be approved.

Reasons for decision: The Council’s existing Property Asset Management Plan had come to an end and a new one was proposed for adoption by the Council.

Alternative options: Do nothing and do not adopt the plan.
 

• (Attachment: 5)Item 6: Quarterly Performance Report (Q4 2016) (984K/bytes)

A report was submitted which presented the headline issues in relation to the Council's overall performance for the period up to the end of Quarter 4 (January to March) of 2015/16.

Councillor G.F. Knight, Executive Member for Finance informed the Executive that 9 of the Council’s 11 Key Service Indicators (KSIs) were on target or within agreed tolerances for the period. The two areas of under performance related to:

• KSI 5 - Percentage of planning applications determined in line with the Government’s new development control targets to determine: 65% of minor applications in 8 weeks. The reason for the slippage in performance was a result of a large number of applications being progressed prior to the introduction of the new Community Infrastructure Levy; and

• KSI 11 - The average number of working days per employee lost due to sickness absence (long & short term). The reason for the under performance was due to an increased number of long term absences. It was noted that this was expected to decrease in Quarter 1 of 2016/17.

It was noted that KSI 1 – Percentage of household waste arisings sent by the local authority for recycling had fallen below the annual target. This was due to contractual issues with dry mixed recycling which had been resolved. Performance was expected to improve in 2016/17 as a result.

The report also contained the current position on Strategic risks and Operational risks for 2015/16; the outcome of Internal Audit reports; progress against the LGA Improvement Action Plan and Performance against the 5-Year Plan.

The Executive were pleased to note the good progress from the first year of the 5 Year Plan that was assisting to make significant progress in delivering the objectives of the plan.

The report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 15th June 2016. The Committee had not made any comments or observations on the report for consideration by the Executive.

RESOLVED that the performance outlined in the report presented be noted.

Reasons for decision: To consider the performance for the fourth quarter of the financial year 2015/16.

Alternative option: None.
 

• (Attachment: 6)Item 7: Provisional Revenue & Capital Outturn 2015/16 Report inc. Annexes (321K/bytes)
• | (Attachment: 7)Item 7: Background Papers - Service and Financial Planning (915K/bytes)

The Executive Member for Finance, Councillor G.J. Knight, presented the report on the 2015/16 provisional outturn for revenue (£161,000 underspend) and capital (£7.2m underspend). The Executive Member noted that it had been a difficult year and that he was therefore pleased with a positive outcome to the year. The report identified and explained key variances, and proposed changes to the levels of the Council’s reserves.
In relation to the capital programme, it was noted that the main components of the 2015/16 underspend had been previously reported and were not out of the ordinary noting that a number of big projects were on target. Any unspent budget would remain in the Council’s capital reserves.

In relation to the revenue budget, the Executive heard that the main variances had been predicted earlier in the year and that good budget management had resulted in a final underspend of 1% of the budget.

The Executive Member proposed the use of the revenue underspend be to replenish funds within the Corporate Plan Delivery Fund (CPDF) with a further £0.45m being transferred to this fund from the New Homes Bonus reserve to bring the balance on the CPDF to a sensible working balance of £2.0m.

Councillor G.F. Knight emphasised the importance of resourcing the 5 Year Plan priorities properly as it was vital to achieve the Council’s financial self-sufficiency target.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the report on 15th June 2016 and made no comments for the Executive’s consideration.

It was noted that a response to a question raised at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in relation to the overspend on the Waste and Recycling budget would be provided to Councillor C.T.H. Whinney and all Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as soon as possible.

RESOLVED that the:
(i) provisional revenue and capital outturn position for 2015/16 be noted;
(ii) use of reserves (proposed in paragraph 11 of the report presented) be endorsed and the Chief Finance Officer be authorised to make the necessary arrangements; and
(iii) Annual Treasury Management Report (Annex 2 of the report presented) be noted.

Reasons for decision: To advise Members of the revenue and capital expenditure for 2015/16, to seek authorisation for the proposed changes to reserves and to comply with the Council’s reporting requirements in relation to Treasury Management activity.

Alternative options: Amend the proposals to adjust reserves as set out in paragraph 11 of the Executive’s report.
 

• (Attachment: 8)Item 8: Annual Governance Statement (363K/bytes)

The Executive noted that the Council was required to publish an annual statement on its corporate governance arrangements, which would accompany the Council’s annual Statement of Accounts.

Statutory regulations recommend that the body charged with overall responsibility for governance within the Council (in this case the Executive) should review and endorse the statement prior to its formal signature by the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive.

A statement for the year ended 31 March 2016 was presented to the Executive as an Annex to the report and was based on the following sources of evidence:
• Annual Internal Auditor Report.
• External Audit and Inspection Reports.
• Issues identified from the Council’s Risk Registers.
• Annual assurance statements signed by the Management Team that confirmed that the Council had achieved ‘best value’ and had complied with all relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice.

The statement included reference to the independent opinions of the Council’s internal and external auditors, which provided considerable assurance in respect of the Council’s governance arrangements. These also identified some enhancements to the framework of risk management, governance and internal control that would ensure that it remained adequate and effective. The Executive also noted a fraudulent payment issue which was the subject of an ongoing police investigation.

Overall the Council was confident that it had good governance arrangements in place to ensure that resources were directed toward identified priorities which in turn would seek to ensure continued value for money.

RESOLVED that the Annual Governance Statement set out in Annex 1 of the report presented be endorsed.

Reasons for decision: To seek endorsement of the Council’s Annual Governance Statement before it was included within the annual Statement of Accounts.

Alternative options: To reject or amend the contents of the statement in Annex 1 of the report presented.
 

The Leader of the Council, Councillor V.W. Broad made Statements on the following matters:

1. Municipal Journal Local Authority of the Year Awards
It was noted that Reigate and Banstead Borough was the only District Council to be shortlisted for this Award suggesting therefore that we were the best local authority of our category in the country.

2. Collection of Council Tax and Business Rates
It was noted that the collection rate of our Council Tax was 98.8%, and of our Business Rates was 99.8% for 2015/16, placing the Council 26th and 1st in the country respectively for these collection rates.

3. Recent Elections and Referendum
It was noted that the elections staff had been working tirelessly since the beginning of the year, including most weekends, to organise both the local elections and the Referendum. The Leader placed on record his thanks for their hard work to achieve this.
 

None.

Withdrawn by the Chief Executive.

• (Attachment: 9)Item 12: Part 2 - Local Authority Property Investment and Development Company (177K/bytes)

Withdrawn by the Chief Executive.