Decisions

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council:-

(1)  note the report and consider specific implications as and when further legislation is brought into force, over the next 6 - 18 months; and

(2)  approve a supplementary budget of up to £50,000 for the 2022/23 financial year, and any potential future budgetary requirements, to meet the immediate demands of the Elections Act 2022.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve the provision of the sum of £900,000 for the purpose of funding the demolition of the former Exeter Bus Station.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that:-

(1)  the Final Local Validation List be adopted;

(2)  to ensure that national requirements were kept up to date with any new planning legislation or amendments to existing legislation, delegated authority be granted to the Director City Development to make any amendments the Local List and technical guidance in section 4.0 of Appendix C of the report; and

(3)  the Executive note that any amendments to the list of local requirements in Section 3.0 in Appendix C of the report, would require consultation before being carried out and that the Local List would be brought back to the Executive for re-adoption.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Act. 

Reason for Decision: As set out in the agenda.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve:-

(1)  officers developing an investment plan to deliver the aims of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), to release Exeter’s UKSPF allocation of £1,403,000;

(2)  delegated authority to be granted to Exeter City Council’s internal UKSPF Management group for the approval of the investment plan;

(3)  the appointment of a Project Manager to support the management and monitoring of the Exeter UKSPF following the receipt of the offer letter from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC); and

(4)  the earmarked £20,000 administration payment for developing Exeter’s investment plan and consultation process, with any surplus used for project administration.

RESOLVED that the Executive note that:-

(1)  in order to meet the UKSPF requirements, consultation on Exeter interventions would take place with a number of organisations with an interest in the delivery of UKSPF in Exeter, and the Liveable Exeter Place Board; and

(2)  to ensure the effective management and monitoring of the UKSPF, an internal officer working group (UKSPF Working Group) be established, which will provide regular update reports to the Strategic Scrutiny Committee.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that the Executive:-

(1)  Acknowledge the requirement of a comprehensive and whole system approach to delivering Net Zero Exeter 2030, and that no single organisation, including the City Council, could solve the challenge of reducing city greenhouse gas emissions to zero. The Executive also acknowledge that a 20 year timetable ahead of national and county targets for net zero was very ambitious, requiring place based co-ordination and cross institutional cooperation. The Executive welcome the Exeter Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, acknowledging the pace and scale of change required to deliver on the Net Zero 2030 goal and the required step change in resources, activity and policy making both at a local and national level.

(2)  Invite Exeter City Futures CIC to reflect on the challenges of resourcing the step change in activity to meet the Net Zero 2030 Goal and options for meeting the challenges be provided for consideration by the Executive and Council.

(3)  Welcome the Strategic Scrutiny Committee to look into the practical issues raised for the construction sector and the supply chain to meet the demands of retrofitting the housing and commercial stock, and support scrutiny members pursuing a wider brief as a critical friend of Executive in addressing the financial, technical and policy issues.

(4)  call for immediate and concerted effort to be taken on one specific intervention required under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, such as the goal of connecting homes and non-residential buildings to a district heat network and explore the practical challenges to securing delivery with limited capacity against the 2030 time line to report a plan of action to the Executive by December 2022.

(5)  welcome the decision of the Strategic Scrutiny Committee to acknowledge the importance of biodiversity and carbon sequestration to address the challenge of delivering a net zero Exeter. The Strategic Scrutiny Committee be invited to advise the Executive on practical proposals for linking the planning and development system with the climate and ecological emergency and how to deliver net biodiversity gain on development sites and offsetting carbon in Devon.

(6)  Note that Councillor Zion Lights (Member Champion for Net Zero), had been appointed as a Director on the Board of Exeter City Futures, replacing the Chief Executive & Growth Director as the Council’s Director on the Board.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve:-

(1)  the undertaking of a procurement process compliant with the provisions of the Council’s Procurement and Contract procedures and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 in order to identify a provider to deliver a remodelled homelessness and rough sleeping service; and

(2)  entering into a contract with the successful tenderer.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve:-

(1)  the allocation of the £1million earmarked reserve to support the delivery of Net Zero for Exeter City Council and the Net Zero Exeter 2030 plan, covering the next four years;

(2)  that £800,000 of the £1million earmarked reserve be allocated to delivering net zero for the City Council and £200,000 be allocated to the delivery of the Net Zero Exeter 2030 Plan; and

(3)  an additional £50,000 from the underspent supplementary budget in 2021/22 be allocated to support the delivery of the Net Zero Exeter 20230 Plan.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve (where applicable): -

(1)  the supplementary budgets of £550,500 as detailed in paragraph 8.5 of the report;

(2)  the HRA financial position for 2021/22 financial year; and

(3)  the revision of the HRA Capital Programme to reflect the reported variations detailed in Appendix 4 of the report.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council notes and approves (where applicable):-

(1)  the net transfer of £6,687,965 from Earmarked Reserves as detailed in paragraph 8.11 of the report;

(2)  the supplementary budgets of £4,304,610 and budget transfers as detailed in paragraph 8.13 of the report;

(3)  the Earmarked Reserves at 31 March 2022;

(4)  the Council Tax account and collection rate;

(5)  the outstanding sundry debt, aged debt analysis and debt write-off figures;

(6)  the creditors payments performance; and

(7)  the overall financial position of the Council, and the General Fund working balance at 31 March 2022 of £5,480,752.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council note the content of the Treasury Management report.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve: -

(1)  the overall financial position for the 2021/22 annual capital programme;

(2)  the amendments and requests for further funding to the Council’s annual capital programme for 2022/23; and

(3)  an additional scheme for a Skate Ramp and BMX jumps at Pinhoe Station Road Playing Field with £49,280 to be added to the Capital Programme .

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report and as amended at the meeting.