Agenda and minutes

Venue: Meeting Room 1, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE

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

Items
No. Item

75.

Apologies for absence

To record apologies for absence. 

Minutes:

Councillors Neil Fawcett and Sally Povolotsky had sent their apologies for absence. 

76.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 240 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 3 February 2023. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 3 February 2023 as a correct record and agree that the Chair signs them as such. 

77.

Declarations of interests

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.

Minutes:

None

78.

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:

Those present in the meeting room noted the evacuation arrangements in case of an emergency. 

79.

Public participation

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

Minutes:

None

80.

Recommendations and updates from other committees

To consider any recommendations to Cabinet from other committees. 

Minutes:

None

81.

Refugee accommodation pdf icon PDF 468 KB

To consider the report of the deputy chief executive – transformation and operations. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the report of the deputy chief executive – transformation and operations on work the council was progressing under the Afghan and Ukrainian refugee accommodation workstreams. 

 

In December 2022, the government had announced a scheme to part fund accommodation that was to provide sustainable housing for refugees under the Afghan and Ukrainian schemes.  The council had been offered a grant of £2,136,513 to deliver 14 homes that met the eligibility criteria outlined within the Local Authority Housing Fund prospectus. 

 

The Cabinet member for healthy communities recommended that the council accepted the government grant and signed a memorandum of understanding with the government department.  The scheme would involve setting up a team to deliver the homes by purchasing properties and managing them thereafter.  This scheme would also support the council’s housing delivery strategy. 

 

Cabinet was being asked to continue participating in the scheme by signing the memorandum of understanding.  Officers had carried out an initial assessment of the financial risks, a broad-brush high-level modelling exercise, and had concluded that the scheme should be pursued, subject to more detailed financial checks.  Officers would need to assess and be confident in the costs on a property-by-property basis.  It was anticipated that the council could proceed to purchase these properties without the need to set up a Housing Revenue Account. 

 

The signing of the memorandum of understanding was a non-binding commitment; the council did not have to proceed if the project was not financially viable.  Although the council had allocated funds towards this project in its budget, there was no financial commitment to proceed at this stage until further work had been completed and the council satisfied with the costs. 

 

Noting that further detailed work would be carried out to assess the financial risks, Cabinet supported the proposal to accept the grant and sign the memorandum of understanding.  Cabinet believed that the council needed to work on providing sustainable, settled accommodation to support these refugees. 

 

RESOLVED: to

 

(a)    note the update regarding the refugee accommodation workstreams being reviewed to find sustainable housing for those who are in the UK under the Government Afghan and Ukraine schemes; and

 

(b)    accept the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) grant of £2,136,513 (total allocation) to deliver 14 homes that meet the eligibility criteria outlined within the Local Authority Housing Fund prospectus, and to authorise the Deputy Chief Executive – Transformation and Operations to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with DLUHC, which sets out the understanding between both parties for the use of funding. 

82.

Corporate Plan Performance Report, quarter 3 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 10 MB

To consider the head of policy and programmes’ report. 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the Corporate Plan Performance Report for quarter 3, 2022/23.  This set out progress against the Corporate Plan objectives during the period 1 October to 31 December 2022. 

 

Cabinet members were grateful to officers for changing the way the council worked to monitor and report on performance.  The report had been improved incrementally and was a publication to be proud of. 

 

RESOLVED: to note the Corporate Plan Performance Report Quarter 3, 2022/23. 

83.

Climate Action Plan Performance Report, quarter 3 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 13 MB

To consider the head of policy and programmes’ report. 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the Climate Action Plan Performance Report for quarter 3, 2022/23.  This set out progress against the Climate Action Plan during the period 1 October to 31 December 2022. 

 

Cabinet welcomed the report.  It showed the council’s commitment to tackling the climate emergency, putting climate action at the heart of its activities.  Many projects had been completed successfully; others were still in progress.  The tree planting and wildflower planting schemes, and the decarbonisation of some leisure centres were highlighted in particular; Cabinet hoped such schemes would inspire others.  Officers were congratulated for their work. 

 

RESOLVED: to note the Climate Action Plan Performance Report Quarter 3, 2022/23. 

84.

Exclusion of the public, including the press

To consider whether to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following items 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 3 and 5, 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:

RESOLVED: to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for the following items 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 3 and 5 of 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. 

 

85.

Recommendations and updates from other committees

Minutes:

Cabinet noted the updates from the Joint Scrutiny Committee meeting on 27 February 2023, relating to the exempt items on the Cabinet agenda. 

86.

Delivery of waste services

To consider the head of housing and environment’s report. 

Minutes:

Cabinet agreed a method to provide the council’s future waste services. 

87.

Waste vehicle procurement

To consider the head of housing and environment’s report. 

Minutes:

Cabinet authorised the procurement of waste vehicles. 

 

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