Agenda item

The minutes of the Executive of 5 July 2022 were presented by the Leader, Councillor Bialyk, and taken as read.  

 

In respect of Minute No. 66 (Proposed Changes and Re-Procurement of Outreach-Led Rough Sleeping Services), the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Homelessness Prevention responded as follows to Members’ queries:-

 

·         it would be sensible, if possible, to dovetail the re-procurement process with the review of homelessness currently being undertaken by the Homelessness Task and Finish Working Group and that he would respond further to the Member in writing on this matter; and

·         the widespread use of the “no fault” Section 21 Notice under the Housing Act 1988 by Landlords was the leading cause of the rise in homelessness and that, whilst those evicted did not necessarily become rough sleepers, it was highly regrettable that the Government was yet to implement its undertaking to outlaw this practice.

 

Another Member referred to the current Devon Home Choice Waiting List with approximately 3,000 people on the Exeter register (a small proportion of whom lived outside the city boundary) and the lack of Government funding to enable Councils to build more houses which was also contributing to the abhorrent rough sleeping crisis in the country. The Leader undertook to secure the support of Exeter’s two MP’s in contacting the relevant Government Minister to ensure that the Government honoured its pledge to outlaw this practice. 

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 67 (Allocation of the One Off Net Zero Budget), the Leader, in response to the following Member questions as to whether:-

 

·         the carbon and biodiversity impact of current and future Council policies would be assessed; and

·         a rigorous value for money exercise would be undertaken on all elements of the budget to ensure value for money,

 

would keep Members updated on the progress of the many initiatives within the budget as part of the Council’s commitment to achieving a greener city, a commitment which would be reflected in many of the policies embedded within the forthcoming Exeter Plan (the Local Plan)

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 68 (UK Shared Prosperity Fund), the Leader, responding to a Member’s request for decisions on how Exeter’s allocation of £1,403,000 would be utilised to be both accessible and transparent, confirmed that decisions on the use of the fund would be made by the Executive and that it was appropriate to consult the business community through the Liveable Exeter Place Board as the chosen consultative body. He also suggested that the Bus Station and St. Sidwell’s Point developments and Council plans for the Guildhall Shopping Centre were examples of Exeter undertaking its own Levelling up process.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 70 (Progress Update from Exeter City Futures and City of Exeter Greenhouse Gas Inventory), and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·         whether a goal of connecting homes and non-residential buildings to a district heating network was appropriate in view of the Exeter Incinerator being the single highest contributor of carbon emissions in the city; and

·         there was a need to consult with many organisations including Housing Associations, the voluntary and community sector, suppliers and small businesses prior to progressing plans to creating a Retrofit Company.

 

With regard to the consultation process on widening the Council’s retrofit ambitions, the Leader stated that this mechanism was embedded in the role of the Liveable Exeter Place Board and that it was the intention to progress these plans as part of a wider Devon Districts’ initiative.

 

In respect of Minute No. 71 (General Fund Capital Monitoring 2021/22 and Revised Capital Programme For 2022/23 and Future Years), the Leader moved and Councillor Wrightseconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 72 (Overview of General Fund Revenue Budget 2021/22), the Leader moved and Councillor Wrightseconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 73 (2021/22 HRA Budget Monitoring Report), the Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 74 (Treasury Management) the Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendation and following a vote, the recommendation was carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 75 (Implications of the Elections Act 2022), and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·         the Act was discriminatory and would adversely impact the young, the elderly, those in houses in multiple occupation, ethnic minorities, those without English as their first language and those without driving licences and/or passports;

·         the Council should maximise all opportunities to promote participation in the electoral process to ensure free and fair voting in the city;

·         the new process was far from transparent and would reduce the right to participate. A review should be undertaken after the Local Elections in May 2023 to assess the impact on turnout;

·         many elderly people who no longer drove and did not have a driving licence and/or those who no longer travelled and did not possess a passport could be discouraged from participating;

·         during a test pilot in London, approximately 1,000 voters had been turned away from the polling stations and had not returned;

·         of the 58 million who had voted in the 2019 elections, there had been 33 suspected voter impersonations, representing 0.0001% of the total numbers voting;

·         publicising the opportunity for voting by post would help combat the disadvantages of the Act; and

·         the Act was contrary to the Government commitment to reducing red tape and bureaucracy.

 

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Culture, Corporate and Democratic Services shared the concerns expressed by Members and confirmed that a review would be undertaken after the May Elections to assess how many were turned away because they were unable to provide identification.

 

In response to a Member’s question, the Corporate Manager Democratic and Civic Support advised that the Act would not impact immediately on postal vote applicants. At present, postal vote applications were verified via signature and date of birth. In future, however, those recorded as postal voters would be required to refresh their applications every three years as opposed to the current five year requirement.

 

The Leader highlighted that the recommendations were seeking supplementary funding to ensure necessary budgetary plans were in place so that the Council could meet its obligations to undertake the required work to ensure staff and resources were available.  

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 76 (Former Exeter Bus Station), and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·         there were implications of an unsuccessful funding bid to the Government;

·         whether forthcoming income from new uses of the site would exceed demolition costs;

·         it was vital to de-risk the site and to prevent it from falling into disrepair as failure to do so could lead to anti-social behaviour in a key city centre site;

·         the Exeter BID team would be consulted on proposals including imaginative shorter term uses whilst the CityPoint scheme moved forward;

·         as had been the case in respect of St. Sidwell’s Point, the final use would take time to come to fruition; and

·         due regard would be given to existing utilities and facilities.   

 

The Leader undertook to keep Members appraised of progress.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Wright seconded the recommendation and following a vote, the recommendation was carried.

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 5 July 2022 be received and, where appropriate, adopted.

 

 

 

The meeting adjourned at 7.35 pm and re-convened at 7.45 pm.