A verbal update on the Community Infrastructure Levy for the Unparished Area of Taunton.
Minutes:
Charter Trustees were given a verbal update on the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) for the Unparished Area of Taunton.
Kate Murdoch, SWT Strategy provided an update on what was currently in the CIL pot and what that could be spent on. CIL was a levy that was charged on development in the former Taunton Deane area since April 2014 and is calculated on the square meterage on new development. The Unparished Area was allocated CIL funding of 15% as a proportion of the levy is allocated to the Parish Council or other body in which that element has been collected. It was 25% if the locality had a Neighbourhood Development Plan. The CIL pot was just over £100,000 and should be allocated to specific infrastructure projects in the area. The CIL the District Council has to be spent on specific items on an Infrastructure List. The Trustees would need to look to mitigate development impact but would not be tied to this restricted list.
During the discussion of this item, Members made comments and asked questions which included:-
· Concern was raised over the time limit that applied, with potentially £45,000 of the pot needing to be spent by October 2020 or the charging authority requesting it back and the risk it could go into a wider strategic pot and not benefit the Unparished Area. Clarity was sought on whether the Trustees were acting in an advisory capacity in deciding how this was spent?
· The Strategy Officer’s view was that the Trustees were still advisory until this body was a Town/Parish Council but this would need clarification.
· Clarity was sought on how elastic the term ‘infrastructure’ could be defined? Would material, and social considerations be able to be taken into account?
· The definition was considered quite loose, as anything else addressing the demand development places on an area. The Trustees had more flexibility than SWT.
· Concerns were raised that the Trustees did not have a plan in place as to how and where the £100,000 was to be spent and this would need to codified.
· It was stated that this had been discussed at various meetings prior to the May Elections at the previous incarnation of this body and Cycling Infrastructure had been supported, and it also benefitted the Green Agenda.
· A suggestion was made that Climate Change was made a priority, with the emissions caused by Housing mitigated.
· Infrastructure addressing Climate Change would probably qualify under the criteria e.g. solar panels for energy generation. The definition of infrastructure was fairly broad and if thought you could justify.
· A query was raised as to whether CIL was subdivided by ward and whether there was an unfairness if it was not tied to where the development was in the Unparished Ward?
· It was felt that as the Charter Trustees had not declared a Climate Emergency then this body would need to pro-actively make that a priority with CIL monies. Councillors needed to take off their District Hat and look at what is the priority for the Unparished Area of Taunton as the guardians of the levy and what it is residents needed.
· A query was raised as to who policed what the Charter Trustee’s decided to do with this money and whether there were any penalties for exceeding the boundaries. One of the priorities must be cleaning up the air in Taunton and providing a decent public transport system.
· It was stated that the support did not have to be tied to any specific development.