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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED That it be noted that there has been no use of the available powers under RIPA since the last inspection by IPCO in 2019; and that the Council’s RIPA policy as attached at Appendix 1 to this report does not require any further amendments.
RESOLVED That progress with the implementation and monitoring of the Local Development Plan be noted.
RESOLVED a) That the Corporate and Financial Planning Timetable for 2023-24 be noted. b) That the proposed Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond and the financial risks and challenges highlighted be noted. c) That the Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond be approved.
RESOLVED a) That the Budget Monitoring Report (revenue, capital, capital rollover, reserves, revenue collections and treasury management) for Period 4 (July 2022) 2022-23, be approved. b) That the proposed virements greater than £0.050m be approved. c) That the proposed appropriations from reserves, utilising earmarked reserve funding in place for specific services, be approved. d) That the moratorium on all non-essential expenditure, which is now in force, be noted.
RESOLVED That the responses as detailed in Appendix 1 be approved, with delegated authority given to the Head of Procurement & Customer Services to make any final changes, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance.
There were no declarations of interest made.
Moved by the Leader; Seconded by Councillor Neil Prior. The vote was taken by way of a show of hands and carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 5 September 2022, be approved as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That it be noted that there has been no use of the available powers under RIPA since the last inspection by IPCO in 2019; and that the Council’s RIPA policy as attached at Appendix 1 to this report does not require any further amendments.
Cabinet considered a report by the Head of Law and Governance which outlined Pembrokeshire County Council’s use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and its policy. The Leader, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Matters, introduced the report and stated that Cabinet had previously approved the policy in May 2021 and highlighted that it was required to be reviewed once a year. He stated that the available powers had not been utilised under RIPA since the last inspection by the Investigatory Powers Commissions Office (IPCO) in 2019, and that there had been no legislative changes to the policy or the Codes. The Leader stated that the names within the policy had been altered to reflect that the Head of Law and Governance was now the Senior Responsible Officer. He then highlighted that a recent inspection by the IPCO removed the requirement for a physical inspection, as the Inspector was satisfied with the Authority’s level of compliance. The Leader Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Alec Cormack. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That it be noted that there has been no use of the available powers under RIPA since the last inspection by IPCO in 2019; and that the Council’s RIPA policy as attached at Appendix 1 to this report does not require any further amendments.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That progress with the implementation and monitoring of the Local Development Plan be noted.
Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Community Services which outlined the key information contained in the Local Development Plan Annual Monitoring Report 2021-2022 (the LDP AMR). Councillor Jon Harvey, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning and Housing Delivery, introduced the report and thanked the Team for their hard work in writing the report. He then highlighted the following key points: · 338 homes were built between 2021 and 2022, a rise on the number built in 2019-20 (267). · 3,467 dwellings had been built in Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning area since the plan was adopted in 2013. · Targets for affordable housing in terms of permission and completions were met in the year, with 100 affordable homes built. · Financial contributions of £160,256.00 on S106 agreements towards affordable housing were signed in the last financial year. · The Authority had met targets identified for provision of Gypsy Traveller accommodation, as set out in the Plan. · Triggers had been met in relation to the strategic employment allocations, with no development yet on key sites at Blackbridge and Trecwn. However, progress was said to be developing on sites such as Withybush Business Park and the Pembrokeshire Science and Technology Park, Pembroke Dock. · An updated retail survey took place in September 2022 but was not available in time for this report. The data from the 2021 survey indicated higher than UK average vacancy levels in all Pembrokeshire town centres, apart from Narberth and Milford Marina. · Indicators showed decisions on flood risk were being made in line with National Policy. · For the first time in four years, a significant rise in the amount of renewable energy capacity permitted was recorded, with a solar array proposal at Dragon LNG the main cause of this increase. Councillor Harvey then stated that Cabinet previously considered separate reports in November 2021 regarding the LDP Review timetable and process and on the creation of a Nutrient Management Board for the Cleddau. Considerable research was said to be taking place in this area and Dwr Cymru had announced additional investment to support phosphate treatments across Wales, with further announcements anticipated later this year. Councillor Jon Harvey Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Neil Prior. Councillor Alec Cormack sought clarification in regards to how the phosphates issue would ultimately be resolved. In response, Councillor Harvey stated that work was constantly ongoing and made reference to the First Minister holding a Phosphate Seminar at the Royal Welsh Show, where he made a commitment to look seriously at the issues. Councillor Harvey also stated that there were a number of parties working hard to find various options and solutions, which would hopefully improve the situation. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That progress with the implementation and monitoring of the Local Development Plan be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED a) That the Corporate and Financial Planning Timetable for 2023-24 be noted. b) That the proposed Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond and the financial risks and challenges highlighted be noted. c) That the Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond be approved.
Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Resources and Assistant Chief Executive which outlined the corporate and financial planning timetable and budget strategy, leading to the Budget for 2023-24 and Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2023-24 to 2026-27 being approved by Council on 2 March 2023. Councillor Alec Cormack, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance, introduced the report and stated that a financial planning timetable had been completed on an annual basis, but stated that for 2023-24, the timetable had been enhanced to incorporate both corporate and financial planning. Councillor Cormack stated that it was not known whether UK Government would provide additional funding to Welsh Government to support the significant increase in inflation and stated that Pembrokeshire County Council must budget on the assumption that no additional money would be received. Councillor Cormack made reference to the updated Corporate Strategy 2022-27 and stated that it would be presented to Cabinet and Council in December 2022, ahead of the Budget in March 2023. He stated that this would help to ensure that the final budget would be consistent with the Corporate Strategy. In regards to the Budget Strategy as outlined in the report, Councillor Cormack stated that it described the principles around the Council's Budget for 2023-24. He then stated that the four year Medium Term Financial Plan would then be prepared having regard to the relevant strategies, policies and plans, which would move the Council towards a sustainable financial position, whilst meeting statutory obligations to annually set a balanced budget. Councillor Cormack then highlighted specific principles from the Strategy in regards to Service Budgets, Grant Funding, Capital Financing Costs and Reserves. Councillor Alec Cormack Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Michelle Bateman. In regards to point six of the Budget Strategy, Councillor Neil Prior suggested that maintaining a Council workforce commensurate with available funding, should be taken further in regards to providing the right services. He then made reference to difficult decisions needing to be made in regards to which Council services would be provided the future. Councillor Prior then made reference to alternative funding sources and highlighted that the Council should be looking at other ways to generate income. Councillor Paul Miller agreed with Councillor Prior and stated that it would be a difficult budget setting process. He suggested that a more radical approach in regards to the reduction in service levels was the favoured approach. Councillor Miller stated that the right budget for Pembrokeshire would be one that recognised the need to continue investing in the future as well as the need to radically transform Council services. Councillor Cormack agreed with the comments made and suggested that the Council must not miss the opportunity to utilise the Initiative Fund in order to assess ways in which the Council could be improved in the future. He stated that he looked forward to working with Cabinet colleagues on such initiatives and suggested that the use of initiatives was a fundamental part of the answer to next year’s challenging budget setting process. Councillor Cormack then highlighted that such issues would be discussed in detail at the Members Budget seminar, due to take place on 18 October 2022. [Councillor Woodham left the meeting at this juncture due to technical difficulties.] The vote, undertaken by way of a roll call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors David Simpson, Paul Miller, Michelle Bateman, Alec Cormack, Jon Harvey, Neil Prior and Rhys Sinnett [7] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED a) That the Corporate and Financial Planning Timetable for 2023-24 be noted. b) That the proposed Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond and the financial risks and challenges highlighted be noted. c) That the Budget Strategy for 2023-24 and beyond be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED a) That the Budget Monitoring Report (revenue, capital, capital rollover, reserves, revenue collections and treasury management) for Period 4 (July 2022) 2022-23, be approved. b) That the proposed virements greater than £0.050m be approved. c) That the proposed appropriations from reserves, utilising earmarked reserve funding in place for specific services, be approved. d) That the moratorium on all non-essential expenditure, which is now in force, be noted.
[Councillor Woodham re-joined the meeting at this juncture.] Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Resources which outlined the County Council Budget Monitoring Report - Period 4 (July) 2022-23. Councillor Alec Cormack, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance, introduced the report and stated that it provided a high level overview and reflected the latest intelligence available to provide an indication of the Projected Outturn for 2022-23. He highlighted the projection for the full year, at the end of Period 4, was that net expenditure would be £267.5 million, an over spend of £1.5 million above the budgeted figure of £266 million. Councillor Cormack then made reference to a moratorium on all non-essential expenditure and this would remain in place until the projected outturn returned to a balanced budget position. Councillor Cormack highlighted the Chief Executive’s commentary, as outlined in the report, and made reference to the budget having a direct and major impact on service delivery, primarily by deleting, delaying and deferring any non-essential activity, as well as by maintaining high vacancies across the workforce. He also highlighted that the Director of Resources further noted that prior to the completion of the budget monitoring report,high-level calculations were predicting a significant in-year pressure for 2022-23, but this had been offset by the high levels of vacancies being carried across all services, projected underspends in both capital financing costs and Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS), and the utilisation of reserve funding put in place at the end of 2021-22. Councillor Cormack concluded by stating that the Council needed to focus on hitting the budget for the year, as it was highly likely that other external pressures would materialise before April 2023. He further stated that by controlling costs in 2022, it would allow for a better starting position in setting the budget for 2023-24. Councillor Cormack then explained that a virement, as outlined in the report, would transfer a total of £211,000 from Corporate Restructure to Corporate Costs and Management and to Legal Services. Councillor Alec Cormack Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Jon Harvey. Councillor Paul Miller sought clarification as to whether there would be a moratorium on filling vacancies, as there were various posts that were critical to the Council. In response, Councillor Cormack stated that there was no blanket ban in regards to recruitment and highlighted that certain roles were essential to the Council and continued to be. He then highlighted the difficulty the Authority was facing in regards to recruitment. The Chief Executive agreed with Councillor Cormack and stated that there were real challenges in regards to recruitment across the Authority and stated that there were a number of vacancies that were currently affecting service delivery. He stated that it was his intention, along with the Senior Leadership Team, to continue to recruit proactively and aggressively, in particular to posts that were essential in delivering the Council’s statutory responsibilities. The Chief Executive also stated that the Senior Leadership Team were working on analysing the budget in regards to various available posts, and made reference to the final analysis being brought to Cabinet in due course. Councillor Miller welcomed the comments made, but went on to suggest that in some instances, it would be beneficial to accept a slightly larger overspend in relation to job vacancies within priority services, if absolutely necessary. Councillor Miller wished to ensure that there was flexibility in the mechanism to allow discussions to be had about budget setting and job vacancies. He suggested that performance improvement was the priority over budget setting processes. The Chief Executive agreed with Councillor Miller’s comments and ensured that key services would not be under resourced and if that ever needed to be the case, he would consult Cabinet before making a final decision. In regards to the Assistant Chief Executive’s commentary, Councillor Neil Prior drew attention to the fact that the Council had previously invested in moving towards a more agile way of working. He highlighted that he was keen to ensure that people were not being pushed back into the office when working from home was a viable option. Councillor Prior highlighted that this way of working had allowed the Council to dispose of surplus buildings and stated that the productivity of staff was more important than being present in the office. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors David Simpson, Paul Miller, Michelle Bateman, Alec Cormack, Jon Harvey, Neil Prior, Rhys Sinnett and Guy Woodham [8] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED a) That the Budget Monitoring Report (revenue, capital, capital rollover, reserves, revenue collections and treasury management) for Period 4 (July 2022) 2022-23, be approved. b) That the proposed virements greater than £0.050m be approved. c) That the proposed appropriations from reserves, utilising earmarked reserve funding in place for specific services, be approved. d) That the moratorium on all non-essential expenditure, which is now in force, be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the responses as detailed in Appendix 1 be approved, with delegated authority given to the Head of Procurement & Customer Services to make any final changes, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance.
Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Resources which outlined a response to Welsh Government's 'A Fairer Council Tax'. Councillor Alec Cormack, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Corporate Finance, introduced the report and stated that this was the first stage of a consultation by Welsh Government which was aimed at making the Council Tax system fairer. Councillor Cormack highlighted that the Council’s response to the consultation included an appreciation for Welsh Government’s efforts, however, it stated that this was a missed opportunity to address some of the wider inequalities which existed within current arrangements for local taxation. He highlighted the Council would like to see wider consideration given to alternative, less regressive local taxation models, which were said to operate successfully elsewhere. Councillor Cormack stated that whilst the response supported the five-yearly revaluations, the Council’s preference was for the Welsh Government to introduce local taxation that would be directly linked to ability to pay. Councillor Alec Cormack Moved the Recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Jon Harvey. Councillor Paul Miller welcomed the efforts of Welsh Government and agreed with the outlined response to the consultation. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion: Councillors David Simpson, Paul Miller, Michelle Bateman, Alec Cormack, Jon Harvey, Neil Prior, Rhys Sinnett and Guy Woodham [8] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED That the responses as detailed in Appendix 1 be approved, with delegated authority given to the Head of Procurement & Customer Services to make any final changes, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance.
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