Agenda and decisions

The Cabinet recommend that Council approve:

1.1.   The 2022/23 Revenue Budget, including the Amount to be met from Government Grants and Local Taxpayers of £12,551,000, the District Council Tax Requirement of £7,456,000 and a proposed level of Council Tax (the District Council element) for 2022/23 of £187.85 (an increase of £2.78 or 1.50%) for a Band D equivalent property.

1.2.   The MTFS 2021-26 Revenue Budgets and 25 year Revenue Budget model set out in APPENDIX A.

1.3.   The Corporate Fees and Charges Policy at APPENDIX B.

1.4.   The MTFS 2021-26 Capital Strategy including the 25 year capital investment model and the Capital Programme shown in APPENDICES C & D.

1.5.   The Minimum Revenue Provision Statement for 2022/23, at APPENDIX E, which sets out the Council’s policy of using the asset life method for making prudent provision for debt redemption.

1.6.   Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2022/23 including proposed limits shown at APPENDIX F. The only change being proposed is to increase the limits and indicators to enable an increase in Strategic Pooled Fund investments from £10m to £15m.

1.7.   The Investment Strategy Report (APPENDIX G) including the proposed limits for 2022/23.

1.8.   The Capital and Treasury Prudential Indicators for 2021-26 in the financial implications section.

1.9.   The Authorised Limit Prudential Indicator shown within the financial implications section.

1.10.                     The CFO’s report on the robustness of the Budget and adequacy of Reserves shown in APPENDIX H in compliance with the requirements and duties of the Local Government Act 2003.

That Cabinet:

1.11  Delegated responsibility to the Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement and Revenues & Benefits and the Head of Finance and Procurement to repay any external loans where there is an economic benefit to the Council and this can be achieved through the use of existing approved budgets.

The Cabinet:

1.1.   Noted the report and issues raised within and that Leadership Team with Cabinet Members, will continue to closely monitor and manage the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

1.2.   Approved an update to the draft Medium Term Financial Strategy elsewhere on this agenda to repurpose the earmarked reserve identified at paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9 of £505,291 for the purposes identified at paragraph 3.10.

1.3.   Accepted the Disabled Facilities grant allocation for 2021/22 of £1,109,194 and to increase the Approved Budget by £203,000 (from £1,100,000 to £1,303,000 with an element profiled for spend in later years).

The Cabinet agreed to:

1.1.   Tighten the current guidance (Appendix 1) to assess bids for the allocation of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to preclude bids where there are regulatory / financial / legal concerns by the Council

1.2.   Amend the guidance / scoring criteria to:

•                     not accept retrospective bids

•                     remove the scoring criteria re neighbourhood plan or settlement policy

•                     Give greater weight to those bids which demonstrate deliverability within a reasonable time scale of 3 years and or are shovel ready.

1.3.   Allocate the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds for Strategic Infrastructure to the following projects:

·          Fradley & Streethay PC - New Community Centre - £600,000 subject to land transfer arrangements being completed and planning permission being granted for the community centre within a reasonable timescale to demonstrate deliverability.

·          Lichfield & Hatherton Canal to receive £260,000, subject to the land transfer in relation to land at Falkland Road between Staffordshire County Council and the trust being confirmed and the regularising of existing project works on the canal route having regard to planning regulations being confirmed within a reasonable timescale to demonstrate deliverability.

1.4.   To retain the remaining CIL monies for a future bidding round.

The Cabinet:

1.1.   Agreed to commit to a multi-phased, multi-zoned development approach for the Birmingham Road Site;

1.2.   Delegated authority to the Cabinet Member responsible for Major Projects in conjunction with the Interim Director of Regeneration and S151 Officer, to undertake and commission the required surveys, studies and initial development activities to support delivery of this scheme within existing budgets, except for projects and programmes that need further Cabinet or Council consideration and approval.

The Cabinet:

1.1.   Agreed to the Council’s participation in the Staffordshire Leaders Board on the basis of the Terms of Reference set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

1.2.   Appointed the Leader of the Council as the Council’s representative on the Leaders Board.

1.3.   Appointed the Deputy Leader of the Council as the substitute for the Leader on the Leaders Board.

The Cabinet:

1.1.   Approved the award of a 2-year contract for road sweeping services with provision for two 2-year contract extensions (2+2+2) with completion subject to the additional cost of the contract being identified from existing Approved Budgets.

1.2.   Delegated the approval to utilise the option to extend the contract to the Head of Operational Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Leisure & Local Plan.

1.3.   Determined whether the additional cost of the adopted highway sweeping be kept within approved budgets by either:

• meeting the cost from within the road cleansing budget by reducing the coverage of trunk road cleansing, or
• instructing officers to identify alternative savings from within the wider Operational Services approved budget.

The Cabinet:

1.1.   Approved the revised Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation (SAC) ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ and associated ‘Finance Agreement’ (Appendix 1) between the members of the Cannock Chase SAC Partnership.

1.2.   Approved the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Leisure & Local Plan on behalf of Lichfield District Council to formally sign a sealed version of the MoU and Financial Agreement appended to this report.

1.3.   Delegated authority to the Cabinet member for Economic Development, Leisure & Local Plan in conjunction with the Head of Economic Growth to continue to agree ongoing mitigation measures relating to the Detailed Implementation Plans (DIPs) schemes.

The Cabinet:

1.1.   Approved the procurement of a 4 year framework contract to one or more suppliers.

1.2.   Delegated the approval to award the resultant contract, subject to being within approved budgets, following on from the procurement process to the Head of Operational Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Recycling.

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”