Agenda and minutes

To record apologies for absence. 

None

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 4 February 2019. 

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 4 February 2019 as a correct record and agree that the chairman signs them as such. 

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

None

None

To receive any questions or statements from members of the public that have registered to speak. 

None

At its meeting on 28 March 2019, the Scrutiny Committee is due to consider a report on how scrutiny members could be more actively involved in the council’s budget setting process.  This follows a review by the committee’s budget task group.  A copy of the report to Scrutiny Committee can be found here.   

The committee may make recommendations to Cabinet.  An update will be given at the meeting. 

At its meeting held on 28 March 2019, the Scrutiny Committee considered the report of its Budget Task Group.  The task group had been established to review the current budget setting process and to consider whether Scrutiny Committee members should be more actively involved.  The committee considered the task group’s recommendations before making the following recommendations to Cabinet:

(a)      To present quarterly budget monitoring reports to Cabinet and Scrutiny Committee for consideration; and

(b)      To revise the corporate plan as soon as possible, and following public consultation and formal adoption, its priorities be used to shape future budget-setting. 

Cabinet accepted the principle of formally considering periodic budget monitoring reports but believed that three reports per year would be sufficient.  Cabinet also considered that the corporate plan review could take place over the year after the district council elections, in accordance with the normal timetable. 

RESOLVED:

(a)      to request the head of finance to present periodic budget monitoring reports, at least three times during the financial year, to Cabinet and Scrutiny Committee for consideration; and

(b)      that when the corporate plan is reviewed in accordance with its normal cycle in the coming year, following public consultation and formal adoption, its priorities be used to shape future budget-setting. 

To consider the head of development and regeneration’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of development and regeneration’s report, which sought approval for a spending strategy for the income received from the Community Infrastructure Levy. 

The proposed strategy included a percentage-based allocation of funds as follows:

Cabinet agreed that the allocation proposed was the most appropriate spilt of Community Infrastructure Levy income.  The effectiveness of the allocation would be monitored over two years and could be reviewed if necessary.  The income would not be spent outside the district, unless there were exceptional circumstances.  However, it was noted that in the case of the commissioning of health services for the western part of the district, funds should be made available to the Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group, not the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group. 

RESOLVED: to adopt the Community Infrastructure Levy Spending Strategy, as set out in appendix 1 to the head of development and regeneration’s report to Cabinet on 5 April 2019. 

Councillor Ed Blagrove, the Deputy Leader, gave a vote of thanks to Councillor Roger Cox as this was his last Cabinet meeting before he retired as a district councillor.  On behalf of the Cabinet, Councillor Blagrove thanked Councillor Cox for his work for the council and in the past year as leader of the council.