Policy and Resources Committee - 12 September 2022

POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a meeting to be held on Monday 12 September 2022 at 7.30pm in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers, Northway, Rickmansworth.

Members of the Policy and Resources Committee:-

Councillors

Sarah Nelmes (Chair)

Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Vice-Chair)

(Infrastructure & Planning Policy)      Paul Rainbow (Transport & Economic Development)

Andrew Scarth (Housing)

Stephen Cox

Phillip Hearn

Chris Lloyd (Leisure)

Keith Martin (Resources & Shared Services)

Abbas Merali      Roger Seabourne (Community Safety & (Partnerships)

Reena Ranger

Ciaran Reed

Phil Williams (Environmental Services, Climate Change & Sustainability)

Joanne Wagstaffe Chief Executive

2 September 2022

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public to aid discussions on agenda items at the Policy and Resources Committee meetings. Details of the procedure are provided below:

For those wishing to speak:

Members of the public are entitled to register and identify which item(s) they wish to speak on from the published agenda for the meeting.  Those who wish to register to speak are asked to register on the night of the meeting from 7pm.

Please note that contributions will be limited to no more than three minutes.

In the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Committee.

Those wishing to observe the meeting are requested to arrive on the night of the meeting from 7pm.

In accordance with The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 any matters considered under Part I business only of the meeting may be filmed, recorded, photographed, broadcast or reported via social media by any person.

Recording and reporting the Council’s meetings is subject to the law and it is the responsibility of those doing the recording and reporting to ensure compliance.  This will include the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Legislation and the laws of libel and defamation.

The meeting will not be broadcast/livestreamed but an audio recording of the meeting will be made.

1.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.  MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting held on 18 July 2022 and the Extraordinary Policy and Resources Committee meeting held on 18 August 2022

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3.  NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chair to rule on the admission of such items.

4.  DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

To receive any declarations of interest.

POLICY

5.  CALENDAR OF MEETINGS 2024/25 AND AMENDMENTS TO 2023/24 CALENDAR OF MEETINGS

To consider the draft calendar of meetings for the Local Government Year 2024/25.

To consider amendments to the calendar of meetings for the Local Government Year 2023/24 on the scheduling of the two Service Committee meetings

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6.  HOUSING DELIVERY TEST ACTION PLAN

The Housing Delivery Test and associated Action Plan for 2021 was agreed by the Policy and Resources Committee on the 19 July 2021.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires councils to prepare an action plan where housing delivery has fallen below the housing requirement.

The Action Plan analyses the reasons for the under-delivery of new homes and sets out actions to improve housing delivery within the District.

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7.  ELECTIONS VOTER ID

It is expected that following approval of further legislation on the detail, Voter ID will come in to effect from May 2023 elections.

The Elections Act 2022 will require voters in Great Britain to show photographic identification before being issued a ballot paper in polling stations. Failure to show ID will prevent a voter from voting.

To implement this change there are two realistic options available to the Council:

The use of Modern Polling, a Government Digital Services approved electronic platform for voter check in and reports provided by Modern Democracy Ltd.

A paper based check-in to check and record voters’ ID.

The Government is not expected to provide the full details of the guidance on Voter ID until at least January 2023, by which time it will be too late for the Council to implement the Modern Polling solution, therefore a decision is required now as to whether the Council is to implement the Modern Polling solution or the paper based option.

Both options will require additional budget. Modern Polling circa. £28,400 per year, paper based solution circa. £11,400 per year.

The Modern Polling solution will also require additional ICT support and internal support from the CSC to our Elections team.

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8.  ANTI FRAUD AND CORRUPTION STRATEGY

This report seeks member’s approval of a revised Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy. This is a harmonised policy with Watford BC.

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RESOURCES

9.  COVID-19 ADDITIONAL RELIEF FUND (CARF) SCHEME

This report outlines the Council’s proposal for a new NNDR (Business Rates) discretionary relief scheme call the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) scheme. The government scheme requires local authorities to provide an allowance against NNDR liabilities, rather than pay as a grant to businesses.

The Council’s proposed scheme will provide relief starting at 1%, increasing to  55% (depending on the business type) against the net 2021/22 NNDR liability of properties that meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria (using percentages applied by the government which accounts for the differing severity of Covid-19 on each sector). A final percentage figure will be calculated once the checking of the data extract is complete.

The government have advised that the CARF scheme will operate under Section 47 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. This section allows the government to implement NNDR changes without having to raise new legislative provisions through Parliament. As Section 47 is technically a discretionary provision, local authorities are required to set up their own local schemes.

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10.  STRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF CORPORATE FRAMEWORK 2023-2026

The purpose of this report is to seek agreement to the process whereby the Council will determine its three-year medium-term strategic plan for 2023-2026, the related service plans, and the allocation of financial resources to achieve them.

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11.  CIL SPENDING APPLICATIONS

The report seeks to allocate a total of £632,282 of CIL funding to local infrastructure projects to support growth in Three Rivers.

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12.  BUDGET MONITORING REPORT TO 31 JULY 2022

Budget monitoring report is a key tool in scrutinising the Council’s financial performance and is designed to provide an overview to all relevant stakeholders.  It is essential that the council monitors its budgets throughout the year to ensure that it is meeting its strategic objectives within its resource limits and, where necessary, corrective action is taken.  A key principle of budgetary control is to align the budget holders’ financial responsibilities and their management responsibilities.

This report shows the expected financial position over the 3 year medium term based on the Council’s actual financial performance at the end of period four (31 July 2022) set against the latest budget.

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13.  EXEMPTION FROM PROCUREMENT RULES

To advise Policy and Resources Committee that an exemption to the Procurement process was approved by the Chief Executive by the Exceptional Circumstances exemption as permitted by the Council’s Constitution.

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14.  WORK PROGRAMME

To receive the Committee’s work programme.

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15.    OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under Item 3 above

16.     EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If the Committee wishes to consider the remaining item(s) in private, it will be appropriate for a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

“that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under paragraphs 1-7 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

(Note:  If other confidential business is approved under item 3, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional items.)

1.   OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under item 3 above.

For any enquires on the agenda please email the Committee Team at committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk