Agenda and decisions

The Cabinet

1.1 Approved the allocations from the risk and recovery budget shown at paragraph 3.8 of the report totalling £571,000.

1.2 Delegated authority to the Leader and relevant Heads of Service to implement proposals based on the allocated budget.

1.3  Approved the approach to setting targets, identified at paragraph 3.40 of the report and a theme based approach to delivering sustainable MTFS savings, identified at paras 3.45 to 3.49 is implemented with a savings target of £500,000 for 2022/23.

1.4  Accepted the further grant of £92,501 from the Welcome Back Fund, approved an update to the Medium Term Financial Strategy on the basis that spend proposals are cost neutral or can be accommodated within existing budgets and delegated to the Head of Economic Growth and Development Services authority to complete all related agreements.

1.5. Delegated to the Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Revenues & Benefits responsibility to agree the form and timetable for the Budget Consultation covering 2022/23.

The Cabinet:

1.1 Accepted the recommendations arising from the external investigation.

1.2 Approved the proposed Action Plan to resolve those recommendations as set out in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report and referred this to Audit and Member Standards Committee to monitor the implementation of these measures.

1.3  Approved the Disposal Policy at Appendix 2 of the Cabinet report.

1.1 The following recommendations were approved by Cabinet (final approval being subject to parallel agreement by the Council’s JWC partners Tamworth Borough Council):

·        Subject to Staffordshire County Council’s agreement to fund an equitable share of the additional costs, the Joint Waste Service move to a dual-stream collection methodology (Option 5); subject to recommendation 1.2.  The key principles the Council would seek in an equitable cost share between itself and the County Council would be as follows:

-        There should be no capping of the level of support, the sharing should be on an open book reconciliation of actual costs,

-        The cost sharing to including all additional costs of a dual-stream service, including costs of transition and implementation,

-        That there should be no modification of the current mechanism of uplifting recycling credit in line with RPI.

If unable to agree this equitable split the Council would hand back comingled disposal as detailed in the final bullet point of recommendation 1.1.

·        The dual-stream collections be based on a default of a bin for glass cans and plastics and a bag for paper and card (a second bin may be provided where this proves more suitable to residents and collection rounds).

·        Delegation of the authority to enter into contracts for the disposal of dual-stream waste to the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Recycling and the Head of Operational Services and subject to recommendation 1.2.

·        If Staffordshire County Council do not agree to fund an equitable share of the additional costs of dual-stream collection; the existing commingled collection methodology (option 2) to be retained and the transfer of responsibility for the disposal of Dry Mixed Recycling be returned to Staffordshire County Council from 1^st April 2022 (subject to recommendation 1.2).

1.2    The Cabinet recommended that Council update the Medium Term Financial Strategy based on the additional financial implications of the selected option:

·        Option 5: to increase the revenue budget by a maximum of £146,909 (Full Cost £251,988 and Tamworth BC cost £105,079) per annum from 2022/2023. This budget pressure may reduce as a result of cost sharing negotiations with Staffordshire County Council. In addition, to include a new project in the Capital Programme in 2021/22 for £229,183 (Lichfield DC £133,614 and Tamworth BC £95,569) funded by contributions from Staffordshire CC, Tamworth BC and Lichfield DC (reserves) or;

·        Option 2: to increase the revenue budget by £50,491 (Full Cost £86,605 and Tamworth BC cost £36,114) per annum from 2022/23.

RESOLVED: “That as publicity would be prejudicial to the

public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the

business to be transacted, the public and press be excluded

from the meeting for the following items of business, which

would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as

defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the

Local Government Act 1972”