Agenda and draft minutes

To appoint a relief Chair.

1.1          Motion moved by the Lord Mayor and seconded by Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, that Councillor Max Sullivan be elected as Relief Chair.

1.2          Motion put, and on a show of hands, declared CARRIED.

To sign the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 24 January 2024.

2.1      RESOLVED: The minutes of the proceedings at the Council meeting held on Wednesday 24 January 2024 were, with the assent of the Members present, signed by the Lord Mayor as a true record of the proceedings.

To receive declarations by Members and Officers of the existence and nature of any pecuniary interests or any other significant interest in matters on this agenda.

3.1      There were no declarations of interest.

To receive and consider the following Cabinet report: 19 February 2024

Appendix 1:

Business and Financial Planning 2024/25 to 2026/27

Report

Appendix 1 – Council Tax Resolution

Appendix 2 – Budget Scrutiny Task Group Papers

Appendix 3 – Summary of Gross, Income and Net Budgets

Appendix 4 – List of New Savings

Appendix 5 – Service Pressures and Investments

Appendix 6 – Previously Agreed Savings

Appendix 7 – EIA Summary

Appendix 8 – S25 Report

Appendix 9 – CIPFA Financial Management Code 2024-25

Appendix 10 – Net Budget Trail

Appendix 2:

Capital Strategy 2024/25 to 2028/29, Forecast Position for

2023/24 and Future Years Forecast to 2037/38

Report

Appendix A – Capital Strategy

Appendix 3:

Integrated Investment Framework 2024/2025

Report and Appendices A to C

Appendix 4:

Treasury Management Strategy 2024/25 to 2028/29

Report and Appendices 1 to 4

Appendix 5:

Housing Revenue Account 30-Year Business Plan and Housing

Investment Plan 2024/25

Report

Appendices 1 & 2 – HRA Business Plan Assumptions & Risk

Analysis

Appendices 3 & 4 – Detailed HRA Revenue Schedules

Appendix 5 – HRA 30-Year Capital Programme

Appendix 6:

Pay Policy 2024-2025

Report

Appendix 1

4.1      The report of the Cabinet on 19 February 2024 was submitted.

4.2      Following debate, to which Councillor Hug replied, the Lord Mayor then put the following amendment to the recommendations in paragraph 1 of the Cabinet report, moved by Councillor Paul Swaddle and seconded by Councillor Caroline Sargent, to a vote. A recorded vote was then taken:

           Amendment – moved by Councillor Paul Swaddle and seconded by Councillor Caroline Sargent:

The Conservative Group propose that this Council freeze the general element of council tax and withdraw the 2.99% increase for 2024/25. This will reduce the funding to the Council by £1.96m next year so to balance the budget we propose the following amendments:

1.        Save the total costs spent on the engagement and administration of the Community Priorities Programme of £224k per year, and instead administer this is in a more efficient way using existing administrative resources in the Council through ward budgets.

2.        Not to set aside £450k of new resources for the ecological emergency and instead deal with the ecological emergency through existing resources and embedding in everything that Council services already do.

3.        Reduce the spend on temporary and agency staff by £1.3m per year, representing a 9% saving in the total annual cost over the last couple of years (£15m) – this will be achieved without impacting on important front-line roles that deliver services to our residents.

Vote 1 – Amendment

For the amendment: Councillors Barbara Arzymanow, Melvyn Caplan, Laila Cunningham, Loraine Dean, Anthony Devenish, Jim Glen, David Harvey, Elizabeth Hitchcock, Louise Hyams, Alan Mendoza, Tim Mitchell, Ralu Oteh-Osoka, Ed Pitt Ford, Robert Rigby, Rachael Robathan, Ian Rowley, Caroline Sargent, Karen Scarborough, Mark Shearer, Selina Short, Paul Swaddle OBE and Jacqui Wilkinson.

Against the amendment: Councillors Concia Albert, Geoff Barraclough, Liza Begum, David Boothroyd, Ruth Bush, Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, Maggie Carmen, Md Shamsed Chowdhury, Paul Dimoldenberg, Robert Eagleton, Paul Fisher, Sara Hassan, Adam Hug, Ryan Jude, Aicha Less, Iman Less, Patrick Lilley, Matt Noble, Angela Piddock, Tim Roca, James Small-Edwards, Judith Southern, Max Sullivan, Hamza Taouzzale, Jessica Toale, Aziz Toki and Jason Williams.

Absent or not voting: The Lord Mayor and Councillors Gillian Arrindell, Amanda Langford, Ellie Ormsby, Cara Sanquest.

4.3      The Lord Mayor declared the amendment to be LOST.

4.4      The Lord Mayor then put the recommendations in paragraph 1 of the Cabinet report as unamended to a vote. A recorded vote was then taken:

For the recommendations: Councillors Concia Albert, Geoff Barraclough, Liza Begum, David Boothroyd, Ruth Bush, Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, Maggie Carmen, Md Shamsed Chowdhury, Paul Dimoldenberg, Robert Eagleton, Paul Fisher, Sara Hassan, Adam Hug, Ryan Jude, Aicha Less, Iman Less, Patrick Lilley, Matt Noble, Angela Piddock, Tim Roca, James Small-Edwards, Judith Southern, Max Sullivan, Hamza Taouzzale, Jessica Toale, Aziz Toki and Jason Williams.

Against the recommendations: Councillors Barbara Arzymanow, Melvyn Caplan, Laila Cunningham, Loraine Dean, Anthony Devenish, Jim Glen, David Harvey, Elizabeth Hitchcock, Louise Hyams, Alan Mendoza, Tim Mitchell, Ralu Oteh-Osoka, Ed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To receive, consider and debate, if chosen, the following General Purposes Committee report:

Members’ Allowances Scheme 2024 – 2025

Appendix 1

5.1      The Lord Mayor put the recommendations of the General Purposes Committee report to the vote and on a show of hands declared the recommendations ADOPTED.

RESOLVED:

           That the Full Council:

1)        Approved Option 2 of the Member Allowances 2024-2025 Scheme, a 3.88% uplift across all allowances (Basic and SRAs) as set out in the General Purposes Committee Report, with effect from 1 April 2024.

2)        Agreed to increase the Members’ Allowances (Basic and SRA) for the years 2024/25 and 2025/26 in line with any future salary increase for Council staff that may be agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services.