Agenda and decisions

At this point in the meeting, Members and co-opted members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

(1)     Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2)     Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)     Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them. A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 18 July 2024.            

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the Executive.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as 2 working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings.  The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5:00pm on Tuesday 10 September 2024.      

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form.  If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services.  Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

During coronavirus, we made some changes to how we ran council meetings, including facilitating remote participation by public speakers. See our updates (www.york.gov.uk/COVIDDemocracy) for more information on meetings and decisions.

To receive details of those items that are listed on the Forward Plan for the next two Executive meetings.

The purpose of this report is to set out the projected outturn position for 2024/25 including any under/overspends and adjustments, along with requests to re-profile budgets to/from current and future years.

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.

This report sets out the projected 2024/25 financial position and the performance position for the period covering 1 April 2024 to 30 June 2024, together with an overview of any emerging issues.

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.

The purpose of this report is to provide a regular update to the Executive Member for Finance on treasury management activity for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year and to provide the latest update of the prudential indicators which are included at Annex A to this report.

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.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update to the Medium Term Financial Strategy along with an outline of the 2025/26 budget process. The report also informs Executive of the key risks and challenges, along with an overview of the main assumptions used.

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.

This paper presents recommendations for the delivery of specialist housing on Lowfield Green to develop high quality housing provision on Lowfield Plot A for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.

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.

This report seeks approval to create a SEND Family Hub within one of the Council’s existing Family Hubs.

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.

This report seeks to inform the Executive about Department for Education (DfE) capital and revenue grants to commission the creation of new places for the delivery of the childcare reforms and the approach for determining allocations. As well as, to seek approval from Executive to the overall programme spend.

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.

This report seeks approval from Executive to go out to the market and commence a competitive tender process to re-procure the Advocacy Hub service 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.

This report introduces the three year Community Safety Strategy for York and asks the Executive to note its content and the role City of York Council has as a key partner in its delivery.

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.

This report seeks to update on the existing SPDs agreed for production, recommend the prioritisation for production of further SPDs with an understanding of their likely contents, resources and timescales. It also seeks approval to proceed with an altered list of SPDs and advises on where additional guidance would be beneficial in preference to an SPD.

The report also considers the e-petition received in March 2024 regarding reviewing the thresholds set out in the Controlling the Concentration of Houses in Multiple Occupation SPD (Draft, 2014).

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.

The report proposes a new enforcement policy for the council.

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.

This report seeks the Executives approval to reinstate unspent points foregone in respect of a previous Lord Mayoralty allocation in 2019/2020, and to consequently amend the forthcoming Lord Mayoralty allocations accordingly, to take effect for the forthcoming municipal year, 2025/2026.

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.

Any other business which the Chair considers urgent under the Local Government Act 1972.