Agenda item

Executive - 6 October 2020

Minutes:

The minutes of the Executive of 6 October 2020 were presented by the Leader, Councillor Bialyk, and taken as read.

 

In respect of Minute No. 96 (Changes to Executive Portfolios and Priorities 2020/21), the Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendation that Councillor Morse be appointed Chair of the Planning Committee and it was carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 97 (Exeter City Council Annual Infrastructure Funding Statement), the Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 98 (2020/21 General Fund Capital Monitoring Statement – Quarter 1), the Leader, in response to a query from a Member, confirmed that the principle of reducing carbon emissions in line with the Net Zero Exeter 2030 ambitions was embedded within each scheme. This included the Pinces Gardens Gatehouse scheme which he particularly commended.

 

The Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried unanimously. 

 

In respect of Minute No. 99 (Overview of General Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21 - Quarter 1), the Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 100 (2020/21 HRA Budget Monitoring Report – Quarter 1) the Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 102 (Amendments to the Scheme of Delegation and Terms of Reference for the Licensing Sub-Committee), the Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 103 (Corporate Asset Maintenance), and in response to the following question from a Member:-

 

“At the Strategic Scrutiny Committee meeting in July, the Leader of the Council
outlined plans for the feasibility for 283 homes on the site of the Cathedral and Quay and Mary Arches Car Parks. Does the Portfolio Holder believe that committing significant investment in multi-story car parks now which may then be demolished in a few year’s time for housing represents good value for money or should be decided now given that Council has not seen the outcome of any of the feasibility studies?"

the Leader advised that the Council had withdrawn proposed funding of £3.9 million for car park improvements, including these car parks, to properly evaluate whether these projects were good value for money. This was in the context of the Council’s ambition through the Liveable Exeter project to provide much needed rented accommodation in the city centre. The plans for rented accommodation provision were still in the formative stage and it was the intention for Members to be appraised of progress in due course including through a Members’ briefing. However, as there would remain a need to continue to provide car parking in the city, even beyond 2030, it was important to ensure that the city’s car parks were fit for purpose.

 

In response to a question from another Member, the Leader confirmed that it was the intention to put the Council’s 2030 carbon neutral commitment at the heart of car park repairs and that the carbon impact of each project would be assessed and monitored. The Leader referred to the total estimated cost of £37.5 million of repairing the Council’s assets and that all properties, including car parks, were assessed within a definition of level B to show that a property was performing as intended and being fit for purpose. The Council’s commitment to be a sustainable carbon neutral city by 2030 should therefore be considered in the context of the considerable financial challenges being faced by the authority.

 

The Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 106 (Support for District Heating Network to serve the Alphington Strategic Allocation and South West Exeter), the Leader undertook to respond in writing to the following questions from a Member:-

 

·         clarify what fuel will be used for the back up to the heating system;

·         guarantee that the recommendation will not proceed until there will be a connection to the housing;

·         what alternatives will be explored at the end of the contract to ensure that the districts are not locked into the incineration which, whilst better than landfill, is still the largest single emitter of CO2 in the city; and

·         confirm that there will not be a contract put in place to guarantee the supply of waste to be burned in order to ensure sufficient heat to supply the district heating system.

 

The Leader moved and the Deputy Leader seconded the recommendations and they were carried.

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 6 October 2020 be received, and, where appropriate, adopted.

 

 

The meeting adjourned at 19.49 and re-convened at 19.55.

 

 

 

 

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