Agenda and minutes

Venue: This will be a virtual, online meeting.

Contact: Steve Culliford, Democratic Services Email:  steve.culliford@southandvale.gov.uk 

Note: This is a virtual meeting, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTj2pCic8vzucpzIaSWE3UQ 

Items
No. Item

64.

Apologies for absence

To record apologies for absence. 

Minutes:

None.

65.

Declarations of interest

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

Minutes:

None.

66.

Urgent business and chair's announcements

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the chair.

Minutes:

None.

67.

Public participation

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

Minutes:

None.

68.

Recommendations from other committees

To consider any recommendations to Cabinet from other committees. 

Minutes:

There had been no recommendations from the Climate Emergency Advisory Committee which had met on Monday 14 December. Cabinet was informed that Scrutiny Committee had made decisions on Old Abbey House, Abingdon, which would be referred to in exempt session. There were no recommendations to be heard in public session.

69.

Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule review pdf icon PDF 208 KB

To consider the head of planning’s report. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the head of planning’s report on the review of the community infrastructure levy charging schedule.  The item was introduced by the cabinet member for corporate services and transformation. Cabinet was informed that the community infrastructure levy was the key mechanism to support new development alongside section 106 contributions. The existing Community Infrastructure Levy rates did not support sufficient funds for the existing infrastructure. The new rates were variable and could generate approximately £6 million additional revenue.

 

Cabinet expressed support towards the amount of work that had gone into the review and also the positive contributions that the additional income would provide to the communities. Questions were raised in relation to ward member input and Cabinet were informed in response that there had been a discussion on this internally. It was clarified that the report also referenced engaging ward level councillors. The cabinet member for corporate services and transformation expressed the view that this should be discussed further by Cabinet once feedback from consultation had been received.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

a)          agree the proposed new Community Infrastructure Levy rates, as set out in Table 1 to the head of planning’s report to Cabinet on 18 December 2020;

 

b)          agree that the Draft Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule and draft Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document are published for public consultation for a four-week period;

 

c)          authorise the head of planning, in consultation with the Cabinet member for corporate services and transformation, to make any necessary further minor changes to the Draft Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule and associated maps and the supplementary planning document;

 

d)          agree that, following public consultation, to authorise the head of planning, in consultation with the Cabinet member for corporate services and transformation, to consider all representations made, make any necessary amendments to the Draft Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule, and submit the document and associated information for independent examination.    

 

70.

Review of Community Infrastructure Levy spending strategy pdf icon PDF 154 KB

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the interim head of development and regeneration’s report.  The cabinet member for development and infrastructure introduced the item. The main change to the spending strategy had been that the review now was in part to bring it in line with the infrastructure development plan and the corporate plan, which would make it easier to achieve the goals set out in the documents. There would be no change to the percentages of the levy allocated to the councils or to healthcare. However, the council’s own allocations for biodiversity, art and leisure facilities would be pooled together for a total of 30% which could then be spent in line with the corporate plan. The member also explained that by widening the geographic area it would increase the ability to deliver larger projects and could be used across the Vale of White Horse.

 

A question was raised regarding the district council’s funding which had not been spent. Other services would be contacted to encourage involvement in spending this income. Cabinet supported the proposed amendment to the spending strategy and welcome the flexible approach this would bring. 

 

RESOLVED: to approve the revised Community Infrastructure Levy Spending Strategy, attached as Appendix A to the interim head of development and regeneration’s report, to come into effect from 1 April 2021.

 

71.

Community lottery pdf icon PDF 164 KB

To consider the interim head of corporate services’ report. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the interim head of corporate services’ report.  The cabinet member for community engagement introduced the item, proposing a business case for the community lottery scheme, which had been approved in 2018 but had been paused based on a combination of feedback derived from observations of success rates of other authorities, alongside work in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Through a small initial investment, the council could support local voluntary and community groups in their running costs. Groups would also have access to capital funding. The scheme would allow local groups to have ownership of funding in comparison to specific use through grants; this would enable these groups to continue their work within the district. There was no expected cost to the community organisation, and it would enable them to continue without any new risks. The scheme was expected to be self-financing in the first year and generating income in later years.

 

Questions were asked regarding the cost for the first year and whether costs would be recuperated or not. The community enablement manager clarified that initial costs would be £5000 and would be delivered through the existing budget. She also further explained that ongoing costs would be £1200 a year, which could be recovered in future and that ongoing costs would be covered through ticket sales. It was calculated that the scheme would need to sell 200 tickets a week and the lottery company managing the process would take between 17-20% of sales revenue.

 

Cabinet supported the proposal. 

 

RESOLVED: to

(a)         approve the business case for establishing a society lottery scheme and authorise the interim head of corporate services to determine the operational and management processes for the scheme;

 

(b)         approve the appointment of Gatherwell Limited as the external lottery manager and authorise the interim head of corporate services to negotiate terms and enter into a contract with Gatherwell Limited;

 

(c)         authorise the interim head of corporate services and the community enablement service manager to become the licence holders for the scheme on behalf of the council;

 

(d)         agree the eligibility criteria for groups who can sign up to the lottery, as attached to the business case in the interim head of corporate services’ report to Cabinet on 18 December 2020; and 

 

(e)         agree that the ongoing licencing and marketing costs be met from the general income received from ticket sales. 

 

72.

Exclusion of the public, including the press

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following item of business under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

(i)        it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1-7 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

(ii)       the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

Minutes:

Cabinet agreed to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting to discuss item 10 of the agenda (Old Abbey House) under Part 1 of Schedule 12A Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 on the grounds that:

i.                  it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1-7 Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and

ii.                the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

73.

Old Abbey House, Abingdon

To receive any recommendations from Scrutiny Committee following the call-in of the Cabinet decision of 4 December 2020 on Old Abbey House, Abingdon. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED to:

a.     welcome the decisions of the Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 15 December 2020 to:

i.                 accept the decision made by Cabinet on 4 December 2020;

ii.                record that the committee found the process to be fair, and no information was unduly kept from the public; and

b.     address future communication with the public, supporting complete transparency where possible, through the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2020-2024 and other service policies.

 

 

Contact us - Democratic services

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Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon
OX14 3JE