Policy and Resources Committee - 18 July 2022
REVISED
NOTICE AND AGENDA
For a meeting to be held on Monday 18 July 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
8 July 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 and up to just prior to the meeting.
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 13 June 2022 and the two Extraordinary Policy and Resources Committee meetings held on 12 July 2022.
22-06-13-pr-mins3. 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. MEMBER TRAINING
The purpose of the report is to recommend a framework for Member Training for 2022/23 to the P&R Committee.
To determine that the Council do not sign up to the Member Charter but look to work towards achieving its standards.
To agree to add the Equalities on line training module to the other 3 mandatory training modules (Safeguarding Children, Safeguarding Adults and Prevent)
To consider whether training on specialised areas set out in Paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2 of the report should be considered for all Members
-05-22-07-18-pr-i-member-training-report6. EQUALITIES OBJECTIVES REVIEW
The public sector Equality Duty (section 149 of the Act) came into force on 5 April 2011. The Equality Duty applies to Three Rivers District Council. It requires the Council to consider how different people will be affected by its activities, helping it to deliver policies and services which are efficient and effective; accessible to all; and which meet different people’s needs. The Equality Duty is supported by specific duties, set out in regulations which came into force on 10 September 2011. The specific duties require the Council to prepare and publish one or more specific and measurable equality objectives. We published our first set of objectives in March 2012.
This report recommends new objectives which will cover the period from 2022-2026 and includes highlights of work undertaken across the Council which contributed to the delivery of the previous objectives. Objectives must be published at least every four years.
This report includes, findings from a public consultation held on the proposed objectives.
-06-22-07-18-pr-i-equalities-objectives-reportRESOURCES
7. UK SHARED PROSPERITY FUND 2022-25
In February 2022 HMG Levelling Up, White Paper was published, which sets out how opportunity will be spread more equally across the UK.
In order to support the ambitions of the Levelling Up Paper, the Government has allocated £2.6bn through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) over 3 years. Three Rivers District Council has been awarded £1m for 2022-25.
In order to access the 2022-25 allocation of funding, Three Rivers District Council is required to submit a Local Investment Plan, by 1 August 2022, outlining those local priorities that the Council wishes to focus on. The Investment Plan will include a high level outline of the interventions and investments that the funding will prioritise, together with an overview of the expected outputs and outcomes.
This report makes recommendations for the allocation of the funding within Three Rivers which if agreed will then be used to develop the required Investment Plan.
-07-22-07-18-pr-i-ukspf-report8. IMPACT OF INFLATION ON THE COUNCIL
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 9.1% in the 12 months to May 2022, up from 9.0% in April. This is the highest CPI 12-month inflation rate in the National Statistic series, which began in January 1997. Modelled estimates for the period prior to 1997 indicate that this is the highest rate since 1982.
The Council’s annual budget setting process takes into account forecasts for inflation. However, where possible, the Council cash limits budgets and only applies inflation to supplies and services budgets where there is a contractual commitment so to do. This means that, for a significant proportion of the Council’s budget, annual efficiencies equivalent to the rate of inflation are delivered as services manage increased costs within existing budgets. Over the last five years, annual inflationary pressures of between 1.5% (March 2021) and 9% (March 2022) have been absorbed within budgets.
The main exception to cash limited budgets is for the annual pay award where a contingency budget is created to fund a pay award based on available information regarding the pay settlement.
This report sets out the latest assumptions regarding the impact of rising inflation on the Council’s services and budgets for 2022/23.
-08-22-07-18-pr-i-impact-of-inflation-on-the-council-report9. WORK PROGRAMME
To receive the Committee’s work programme.
09-22-07-18-pr-i-work-programme-report10. OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under Item 3 above
11. 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 paragraph 3 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. South Oxhey Property Matter – Release of Title Restriction
To determine the report and confirm approval to the release of a title restriction
2. OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under item 3 above.
For any enquires on the agenda please email the Committee Team at committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk