Executive
Set out below is a summary of the decisions taken at the Executive meeting held on Thursday, 12 September 2024. The wording used does not necessarily reflect the actual wording that will appear in the minutes.
Members are reminded that, should they wish to call in a decision, notice must be given to Democracy Services no later than 4pm on Thursday 19 September 2024.
If you have any queries about any matters referred to in this decision sheet, please contact RobertFlintoft.
5. Capital Programme Update Monitor 1
Recommended:
i. To recommend to Full Council the adjustments resulting in a decrease in the 2024/25 budget of £81.72m as detailed in the report;
Resolved:
ii. Noted the 2024/25 revised budget of £134.154m as set out in paragraph 4 and Table 3;
iii. Noted the restated capital programme for 2024/25 – 2028/29 as set out in Annex 1;
iv. Approved the grant award to University of York for £530k for the Ousewem Flood Resilience Project.
Reason: To enable the effective management and monitoring of the Council’s capital programme.
6. Finance & Performance Monitor 1
Resolved:
i. Noted the finance and performance information;
ii. Noted that work will continue on identifying the savings needed to fully mitigate the forecast overspend;
iii. Approved the £900k savings identified in paragraph 68 needed to deliver the Place service review saving agreed in the 2024/25 budget.
Reason: To ensure expenditure is kept within the approved budget.
7. Treasury Management Quarter 1 Prudential Indicators
Resolved:
i. Noted the 2024/25 treasury management activity up to the first quarter date ending 30th June 2024;
ii. Noted the Prudential Indicators outlined in Annex A (updated where applicable) and note the compliance with all indicators.
Reason: To ensure the continued effective operation and performance of the Council’s Treasury Management function and ensure that all Council treasury activity is prudent, affordable and sustainable and complies with policies set.
It is a statutory duty for the Council to determine and keep under review the affordable borrowing limits. During the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, the Council has operated within the Treasury and Prudential Indicators set out in the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2024/25.
There are no policy changes to the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2024/25 for members to agree and approve; the details in this report update the Treasury Management position and Prudential Indicators in the light of the updated economic position and budgetary changes already approved.
8. Medium Term Financial Strategy Update
Resolved:
i. Agreed the Medium-Term Financial Strategy as outlined in this report.
Reason: To ensure the Council meets future financial challenges and produces a robust budget.
9. Delivery of supported affordable housing at Lowfield Plot A
Resolved:
i. Approved the development of Plot A at Lowfield Green for specialist housing for adults with learning disabilities and / or autism utilising the resources of the Housing Delivery Programme working in partnership with Adult Social Care;
ii. Agreed to the allocation of £480k from the Housing Revenue Account for the design development of Plot A at Lowfield Green to carry out design work and allow for the submission of a planning application and note that a future paper will be brought to the Executive to present a full Business Case prior to procuring and appointing a building contractor;
iii. Approved the use of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Brownfield Housing Fund grant allocation for this site to support the delivery of housing on this plot and to delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Community Services (in consultation with the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance) to enter into the resulting funding agreement;
iv. Approved the procurement of an external multidisciplinary team to design the homes and submit a planning application for supported accommodation on Lowfield Plot A and to delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Community Services and the Director of Adults Services and Integration (in consultation with the Director of Governance and the Head of Procurement) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contracts;
v. Noted that officers are considering the options for specialist care providers to deliver support services once the property is constructed and will carry out soft market testing with providers and bring back a recommendation to Executive to accompany the full business case.
Reason: To increase the supply of affordable housing options for specialist housing provision in the City. To mitigate future costs of expensive out of area placements and improve the standard of supported housing in the City.
10. Developing a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Family Hub
Resolved:
i. Approved the creation of a SEND Family Hub within one of the Council’s existing Family Hubs. With the greatest opportunity to deliver the SEND hub at the Clifton Family Hub.
Reason: To strengthen The Council’s local offer to families in time and ensure a more coordinated response to developing complex need.
11. Commissioning of New and Expanded Places for Childcare Reforms
Resolved:
i. Approved the capital and revenue spend to create new early years and wraparound places to deliver this ambitious government programme;
ii. Approved the use of the DfE 2023-34 Childcare Capital
Expansion grant allocation to increase the capacity of early years and wrapround provisions in York and use the Dfe Wraparound Programme revenue grant allocation to support the delivery of additional wraparound places for primary school children;
iii. Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Children and Education, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance to take such steps as are necessary to develop the grant allocation process, procure, award and enter into the resulting grant agreements.
Reason: To ensure the delivery of new places in line with
government expectations for the phased introduction of new early education entitlements and expansion of wraparound care.
12. Recommissioning of Advocacy Hub Services in York
Resolved:
i. Approved the procurement of a new Contract for the Advocacy Hub Service for an initial term of 3-years, with an option to extend for up to a further 2-years, and delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Adult Services and Integration in consultation with the Head of Procurement (or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to carry out the procurement;
ii. Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Adult Services and Integration, in consultation with the Director of Governance and the Head of Procurement (or their delegated officers), to take such steps as are necessary to award and conclude the Contract for the Advocacy Hub Service and to determine the provisions of any subsequent modifications and/or extensions thereto post award.
Reason: The option proposed will comply with CYC’s CPRs,
the Procurement Regs and the Procurement Act in terms of completing an open, fair, and transparent process as the market has not been approached since 2017.
Further, the provision of the Advocacy Hub Service ensures the Council meets the statutory duty of the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Mental Health Act 2007 to maintain a stable and sustainable care market. The Council would also meet the needs vulnerable adults identified as benefiting from non-statutory advocacy.
13. Safer York Partnership Community Safety Strategy
Recommended:
i. Recommended to Full Council for approval in accordance with the Council’s Constitution;
Resolved:
ii. Approved the content of the strategy which identifies the key role that City of York Council plays in its delivery;
Reason: To progress the strategy to approval at Full Council and note the Council’s role in delivery of the strategy.
14. Prioritisation of Supplementary Planning Documents
Resolved:
i. Noted progress of the ongoing production of the
Climate Change SPD;
ii. Agreed the revised scope for the Housing SPD and Green Infrastructure SPD, as set out in Annex C, and continue to prioritise their production;
iii. Agreed the scope for a ‘Planning for Heath’ SPD, as set out in Annex C, and agree its inclusion in the next phase of SPD prioritisation;
iv. Noted the likely scope for a Transport SPD, as set out in Annex C, to support the implementation of the Local Transport Strategy. Further detail to be delegated to the Director for Transport, Environment and Planning in consultation with the Executive Member for Transport and Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Neighbourhoods;
v. Agreed that a Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling
Showpeople SPD be included in the next phase of prioritisation of SPDs. The scope of the SPD to be delegated to the Director for City Development on consultation with the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Neighbourhoods;
vi. That SPDs for Extensions & Alterations of Buildings, Environmental Protection, Culture and Heritage & City Walls be agreed as lower priority for SPD production, due to limited internal capacity to progress these at this time;
vii. That each draft SPD be reported to Executive for agreement to proceed to statutory public consultation and subsequently, adoption.
Reason: To progress a suite of SPDs to support the policies set out in the new City of York Local Plan to ensure policy is clear and applied consistently.
viii. Noted the response to the e-petition on HMO thresholds and agreed the continued monitoring of the policy’s implementation for consideration as part of future policy review;
ix. Agreed the continued gathering of evidence to support a potential Article 4 direction to remove permitted development rights allowing changes of use of a building in commercial, business and service use (use class E) to residential (use class C3);
x. Agreed the continued gathering of evidence ahead of Government introducing changes relating to short-term holiday lets, which could support a potential Article 4 direction to restrict permitted development rights and incorporate this into the Housing SPD, if timescales allow.
Reason: to support implementation of the Local Plan and ensure evidence is available to inform a local policy response as appropriate.
15. Enforcement Policy
Resolved:
i. Agreed to adopt the policy in order to guide officers and ensure a consistent approach when enforcement activity is undertaken by the council.
Reason: To ensure the Council operates an effective Enforcement Policy.
16. Lord Mayoralty Points Allocation
Resolved:
i. Agreed to implement the requested reallocation of unspent points to the Conservative Group for the 2019/2020 nomination to the current points calculation, such reinstatement to take effect for the 2025/2026 municipal year.
Reason: To ensure the fairness of approach which is appropriate in the nomination of Lord Mayors for Office.