Agenda and minutes
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Contact: Clare Rendell Email: c.rendell@somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk
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Apologies
To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: No apologies were received. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting of the Executive
To approve the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee. Additional documents: Minutes: (Minutes of the meetings of the Executive held on 9 and 24 February 2021 circulated with the agenda)
Resolved that the minutes of the Executive held on 9 and 24 February 2021 be confirmed as a correct record.
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Declarations of Interest
To receive and note any declarations of disclosable pecuniary or prejudicial or personal interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.
(The personal interests of Councillors and Clerks of Somerset County Council, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes.)
Additional documents: Minutes: Members present at the meeting declared the following personal interests in their capacity as a Councillor or Clerk of a County, Town or Parish Council or any other Local Authority:-
Councillor M Kravis declared a personal interest on agenda item 6. |
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Public Participation
The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.
For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.
Temporary measures during the Coronavirus Pandemic Due to the Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), we will holding meetings in a virtual manner which will be live webcast on our website. Members of the public will still be able to register to speak and ask questions, which will then be read out by the Governance and Democracy Case Manager during Public Question Time and will either be answered by the Chair of the Committee, or the relevant Portfolio Holder, or be followed up with a written response. Additional documents: Minutes: Mr David Langham submission on agenda items 6, Options Appraisal for Delivering Future Single Rough Sleeper and Homeless Accommodation in Somerset West and Taunton:- Dear Sirs Thank you for allowing my comments to be considered. I was disappointed by the incomplete options appraisal at the scrutiny meeting and the suboptimal manner in which this debacle has been conducted. As you have heard, the community is no longer accepting nor supportive of the use of Canonsgrove as a homeless facility due to the burden, impact on and the reduction in quality of life of the local community. Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) has demonstrated a disregard for the welfare and interests of local residents and has failed to carry out a formal consultation on the matter. This has very seriously undermined trust and confidence, and has brought the council into significant disrepute. The options appraisal of sites for longer term use lacked basic information, whilst more concerningly details regarding alternative sites were intentionally omitted. This renders the options appraisal on which your decisions are based incomplete and suboptimal. As there had been many months available to prepare this options appraisal it is inexcusable, demonstrates incompetence, demonstrates a failure of leadership and brings the council further into disrepute. The community deserves confirmation that these failures of leadership and incompetence will be appropriately managed, in order to restore trust in SWT and its processes. The request for a further 24 months use of the site is excessive, inappropriate and should be met with extreme caution without performance management of the process to identify further sites. As a long standing member of the local community, I request that the homeless facility at Canonsgrove, Trull is now terminated as soon as possible and I object to its continued use. Yours Sincerely, David Langham
The Portfolio Holder for Housing responded:- We do not believe we have disregarded the welfare or interests of local residents, nor failed to engage and we have had a great deal of partnership working to ensure the site has been well managed and that we have been engaging. With respect to consultation, this has been difficult because until the Options Appraisal was undertaken, we didn’t have a firm position to speak to the community about and answer their obvious questions such as “will the site be permanent?” and “how long will you be here for?”. We are now in a position to be able to do so. That said, we have been doing an awful lot of work to engage in Trull which includes: - monthly attendance at the Parish Council meeting with a written report that includes all incidents that have been reported to us over the previous month and how we responded - engagement with the parish church, including attending a service and speaking with the congregation - a monthly newsletter which is sent to neighbouring properties and streets and sent to interested parties by email, this includes a set of FAQs in our first meeting. Again the Parish ... view the full minutes text for item 110. |
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Executive Forward Plan
To receive items and review the Forward Plan. Additional documents: Minutes: (Copy of the Executive Forward Plan, circulated with the agenda).
Councillors were reminded that if they had an item they wanted to add to the agenda, that they should send their requests to the Governance Team.
Resolved that the Executive Forward Plan be noted. |
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This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Housing, Councillor Francesca Smith.
This report provides; · An update on progress made since November, · Recommendations in relation to the future use of Canonsgrove, and · Future actions and activity to increase the supply of accommodation and better outcomes for single homeless in the District. Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were raised:- · Councillors were proud of how much the Housing Team had achieved in supporting rough sleepers in the area. · Councillors thanked the officers for their considered approach to the housing provision during the Covid Pandemic. · Councillors queried if there was any provision in place if Bridgwater College did not extend the lease. The Assistant Director for Housing advised that he was hopeful that the lease would be extended. He advised that Bridgwater College had been very supportive to date. · Councillors agreed that the Council should be proud of the work that had been carried out to support rough sleepers, which was above and beyond that which the Government had set out to achieve. · Councillors queried whether there were any plans for the decommissioning of the Canonsgrove site. The Assistant Director for Housing advised that he would communicate with the local residents and groups about any decommissioning plans. He understood their concerns and would like to arrange a meeting to debate the plans properly. · Councillors agreed they wanted the best outcome for rough sleepers especially during the Covid Pandemic, however, they wanted a long term solution which would hopefully be achieved through the work carried out on the Strategy. · Councillors thanked the other hotels and houses in the district for their support during the Covid Pandemic. · Councillors were happy to support the scheme for the whole of the district as long as the works were proportionate and considerate of the local community. · Councillors wanted to ensure that the necessary support services were in place for the residents of Canonsgrove to access. · Councillors were keen to support the vulnerable residents of the district through the work on the Strategy. · Councillors thanked the Portfolio Holder for Housing and the Housing Team for all their hard work. The Portfolio Holder for Housing thanked all for their positive comments and reminded Councillors that the work being carried out was for the Strategy to end homelessness by 2027 and that it was not just about the work achieved at Canonsgrove.
Resolved that the Executive:- 2.1Noted and supported the draft Single Homeless Accommodation Strategy including its vision and objectives as a working document to articulate SWT ambition to end rough sleeping in the district by 2027 (Appendix 1). 2.2Approved recommended option one as set out in paragraph 4.38 as the preferred Council option for the future contribution of the Canonsgrove site to support the provision of single homeless accommodation in the District. 2.3Should option two be preferred by the Executive the service requested a supplementary budget of £130k, as identified in the report to the Executive in November 2020. This budget was to prepare for the purchase and conversion of Canonsgrove. Officers would return to the Council to request permission and the budget for the purchase and works for the site. 2.4Officers to improve engagement and two-way communication with Trull residents and stakeholders. This would be through direct engagement with the community as well as ... view the full minutes text for item 112. |
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This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley.
Section 38 (1) of the Localism Act 2011 establishes a statutory requirement for local authorities to prepare and publish a pay policy statement for each financial year, approved by Full Council. Additional documents: Minutes: Resolved that the Executive recommended that the Pay Policy statement 2021/22 was forwarded onto Full Council for approval. |
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Corporate Performance Report, Quarter 3, 2020/21
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley.
This paper provides an update on the council’s performance for the first 9 months (April – December) of the 2020/21 financial year. The report includes information for a range of key performance indicators. Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were raised:- · Councillors praised officers for the hard work they had achieved, from going through Transformation and then through the Covid Pandemic, it had not been an easy 18 months for them. · Councillors requested further information on the red alerts within the report. · The Assistant Director for Customer gave further information. · Councillors queried whether the issues surrounding phosphates had impacted on the figures for the Planning Service. · The Director of Development and Place advised that yes, phosphates had impacted on the service delivery and that the department was in the process of extending the targets to allow for that. · Councillors were pleased with the figures achieved overall, but that we should still be challenging the targets to achieve more.
Resolved that the Executive considered the attached performance report. |
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2020/21 Financial Monitoring as at Quarter 3 (31 December 2020)
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley.
This report provides an update on the projected outturn financial position of the Council for the financial year 2020/21 (as at 31 December 2020). Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were raised:- · Councillors thanked officers for all their hard work especially that carried out on the business grants. The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Resources thanked all for their positive comments and agreed that a lot of work was carried out to ensure that the business grants were paid out correctly, especially when the tier system was introduced.
Resolved that the Executive reviewed and noted the Council’s forecast financial performance and projected reserves position for 2020/21 financial year as at 31 December 2020. |
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Capital, Investment and Treasury Strategies 2021/22 to 2025/26
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley.
The purpose of this report is to inform members of the recommended strategy in relation to capital expenditure and financing, investments and treasury management activities (CIT Strategies). Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were raised:- · Councillors thanked officers for the comprehensive report. · Concern was raised on the democratic path that the report had been taken through. The Monitoring Officer confirmed the procedural requirement for the Strategies. · Councillors queried whether the Community Infrastructure Levy was due to be removed in the next financial year. · The Section 151 Officer advised that it was the New Homes Bonus that was due to be removed.
Resolved that the Executive:- 2.1Recommended that Full Council approved the Capital, Investment and Treasury Management Strategies, and Minimum Revenue Provision policy. 2.2Noted and supported the requirement for a limited review of the Constitution for completeness and consistency on responsibilities for all aspects of the CIT Strategies. |
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Procurement Strategy
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley.
The report seeks approval of a new Procurement Strategy for Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWTC). Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were raised:- · Councillors requested whether the term ‘economically viable’ could be removed from section 8 on Climate. The Section 151 Officer apologised as that had been removed from the actual Strategy document but not the report. However, he did advise that all activity needed to be affordable and deliver value for money. · Councillors were pleased to see the Strategy come forward and appreciated the work carried out, especially as Auditors had highlighted procurement as important work in their reports.
Resolved that the Executive approved the Procurement Strategy. |
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Access to Information - Exclusion of the Press and Public
During discussion of the following item it may be necessary to pass the following resolution to exclude the press and public having reflected on Article 13 13.02(e) (a presumption in favour of openness) of the Constitution. This decision may be required because consideration of this matter in public may disclose information falling within one of the descriptions of exempt information in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. The Executive will need to decide whether, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption, outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. Recommend that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the next item of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 respectively of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). Additional documents: Minutes: Resolved that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the next item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 respectively of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). |
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Capital Loan to Third Party
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Corporate Resources, Councillor Ross Henley. Minutes: Resolved that the Executive approved the recommendations within the confidential report. |