Agenda item

The Deputy Mayor highlighted that recommendations from two recent meetings of the Executive Committee were due to be considered at the Council meeting.  These Executive Committee meetings had been held on 26^th November 2024 and 14^th January 2025 respectively. 

 

In considering the recommendations, Members were asked to note that the recommendation arising from the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Tranche 1 report, pertaining to a feasibility study for Matchborough, Winyates and Woodrow District Centres had been made at both meetings.  To ensure efficiency in the decision-making process, it was suggested that this recommendation should be considered once only during the Council debate.

 

Carbon Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan

 

Members considered the Carbon Reduction Strategy and Implementation Plan.  Officers were thanked for their hard work in developing the content of the strategy and action plan and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was thanked for scrutinising the content of the report in detail.

 

During consideration of this item, clarification was requested from officers regarding an apparent discrepancy in the implementation plan.  The plan reported that staff mileage claims had increased in the previous three years but that agile working had also contributed to a reduction in staff mileage across the Council.  Officers undertook to provide a response in writing to Members in respect of this matter after the meeting.

 

Revenue and Performance Monitoring Quarter 2 2024/25

 

The Revenue and Performance Monitoring Report for the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year was considered.

 

During consideration of this item, reference was made to the redevelopment of the Town Hall as a community hub and questions were raised about whether the plans for the hub would be changing following publication of the Government’s English Devolution White Paper.  Clarification was provided that the current plans for the community hub remained in place and would proceed as previously planned.

 

Reference was also made to the decision, taken earlier in the year, not to relocate the library into the Town Hall and questions were raised about the financial implications of this for the Council.  The Section 151 Officer explained that it was not possible to provide an exact figure of the costs involved at this stage and this information would become more apparent through the external audit process.

 

Questions were also raised about the potential impact of Local Government Reorganisation on Council revenue streams, particularly in relation to partner organisations that had hired space in the community hub on the understanding that there would be a local government presence.  Members were advised that the MTFP was in the process of being reviewed and regeneration projects had been reset.  Savings had been identified alongside pressures as part of this process.  It was also noted that many of the facilities that would be installed could be used for other purposes.

 

Food Waste Business Case and Associated Waste Related Issues

 

The report in respect of the Food Waste Business Case and associated waste related issues was considered at the meeting.  Members noted that there remained some areas of uncertainty that still needed to be addressed but approval of the business case would help the authority to progress with the project according to Government deadlines.

 

During consideration of this item, reference was made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s recent discussion of the content of the report.  Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee were thanked for reviewing the business case and for supporting the proposals detailed in the report.

 

Members highlighted that under existing route optimisation arrangements, Wychavon District Council collected some waste on behalf of Redditch Borough residents.  Questions were raised as to whether this would continue when the Food Waste Collection service was introduced.  The Chief Executive clarified that no impacts on existing service delivery had been identified in the proposals that had been presented concerning the introduction of a Food Waste Collection service.

 

Damp and Mould Additional Resources

 

Members considered a report relating to establishing a Council team to manage issues with damp and mould reported in Council properties.  The benefits of introducing an inhouse team for this purpose were highlighted as:

 

·             Helping to build expertise within the Council in terms of tackling issues with damp and mould.

·             Reducing response times to reports of damp and mould in properties.

·             Providing an opportunity to test various devices and equipment to tackle damp and mould issues.  There was no independent research in respect of the equipment that was available on the market to tackle damp and mould, so testing would be helpful in this context.

 

Council was advised that there were a range of properties in the Council’s housing stock which had been built over time using different materials and to different designs.  Consequently, properties in the housing stock had different vulnerabilities to damp and mould issues.

 

Alongside the work of the team, it was acknowledged that action would need to be taken to educate tenants about the causes of damp and mould and action that could be taken to avoid or to minimise the potential for this problem to occur.

 

Members commented that all tenants had the right to live in safe and clean homes.  The introduction of a Damp and Mould team at the Council would help the authority to support tenants in achieving this objective.  The Council had responsibilities as a landlord and Members took this responsibility seriously.

 

Reference was made to the work of the Damp and Mould team and the extent to which this would cross over with ongoing work to improve the energy efficiency of properties in the housing stock.  Officers clarified that the Damp and Mould team would be working alongside other officers in the Housing Property Directorate.  Officers in this department would make sure that schemes were aligned and that teams worked together where appropriate.  The Climate Change Working Group would also have an opportunity to review and make suggestions moving forward.

 

Consideration was given to the potential need for external service providers to be asked to provide support to the Council’s Damp and Mould team in the future.  Officers clarified that the aim was to develop internal expertise in this area but the potential need to refer to external experts for additional support could not be completely excluded.

 

Final Council Tax Support Scheme 2025/26

 

Members considered the content of the final Council Tax Support Scheme 2025/26 and in doing so noted that the only change to the scheme was to increase rates in line with the level of interest.  The Council’s scheme had been in place for a while and had proved successful.  A number of Councils were now replicating the authority’s approach.

 

Council Tax Base 2025 – 2026

 

Council considered a report detailing the Council Tax Base for 2025 - 2026.  It was noted that this was a report that had to be prepared every year, prior to setting the Council Tax for the authority for the following financial year.  The content was based on factual information relating to Band D equivalent properties.

 

Independent Remuneration Panel Recommendations 2025/26

 

The Leader presented the Independent Remuneration Panel’s (IRP’s) report in respect of proposed allowances payable to Members in the 2025/26 financial year.  The IRP had reviewed Members’ allowances and, based on their findings, recommended that the basic allowance should increase to £5,826.  Whilst the IRP had reported this to represent a 5.58 per cent increase to Members’ allowances, it would have in fact represented a 19.6 per cent increase for Redditch Councillors because Members had not approved previous increases proposed by the IRP.  The Executive Committee had concluded that a 19 per cent increase could not be justified during a cost of living crisis and were therefore proposing a more modest increase of 2.9 per cent to the basic allowance.

 

The IRP had also made specific proposals in respect of the Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) paid to certain Councillors in particular positions of responsibility, such as Committee Chairs.  The Leader advised that he felt that these proposals would take the Council backwards from the position currently in place.  Therefore, the Executive Committee was proposing that there should be no changes to the existing SRAs in the Council’s Members’ Allowances Scheme.

 

In addition to the basic allowance and SRAs, the IRP had made recommendations in relation to travel expenses, carer’s allowance, subsistence allowance, and travel and subsistence allowances for Parish Councillors.  The Executive Committee were proposing that those recommendations from the IRP should be approved.

 

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed the proposals that had been made by the Executive Committee.  Members noted that by not approving the IRP’s proposals in respect of increases to the basic allowance, Redditch Borough Council would fall further behind other District Councillors in Worcestershire in terms of allowances that were paid.  Over time, the gap between what the IRP felt Members should be paid and the actual allowance that was paid to Members would grow wider and at some point, this would need to be addressed.

 

Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) Tranche 1 (Including Fees and Charges)

 

Council considered the content of the MTFP Tranche 1 (Including Fees and Charges) report.  Members acknowledged that since the report was initially drafted, three sets of accounts had been submitted by the Council which had created greater clarity in respect of the outturn position as well as in relation to earmarked reserves, which were better than had been anticipated.

 

The Council was due to have a £299,000 overspend position.  The main pressures in the budget included:

 

·             The impact of inflation on costs.

·             The staff pay award.

 

There remained challenges that would need to be addressed moving forward during the remainder of the 2024/25 financial year.

 

Reference was made to the proposed funding in respect of the feasibility study for Matchborough, Winyates and Woodrow District Centres.  Members noted that this was being undertaken in a context in which there was a need for investment in these District Centres.  Concerns were raised about the need to ensure that the feasibility studies resulted in concrete action to address issues in the District Centres.

 

Consideration was also given to the feedback that had been received from the public in a consultation exercise that had been held in respect of the budget.  Members welcomed the responses that had been received from local residents.

 

The financial contribution in respect of New Homes Bonus (NHB) funding was also briefly discussed.  Clarification was provided that the Council would be receiving £25,000 in NHB funding in 2025/26.  This had not been anticipated when the report was drafted but would be reflected in the final MTFP Tranche 2 report.

 

During consideration of this item, Members thanked the Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer, the Assistant Director of Finance and Customer Services and the Financial Services team for their hard work in preparing the budget papers.  In particular, Members praised Officers for their hard work on submitting three sets of local authority accounts in relatively tight timescales.

 

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Rent Setting 2025/26

 

Members considered the content of the HRA Rent Setting 2025/26 report and in doing so noted that there was a requirement for the Council, as landlord, to set the rents for Council Houses on an annual basis.  The Council managed over 5,000 Council House properties, with some tenants paying an affordable rent. 

 

Historically, the Council had included service charges for Council tenants in the annual fees and charges report to Council but for the first time this information had been included in the HRA Rent Setting report.  Service charges would begin to be fully charged in the 2025/26 financial year.  This included fees for core cleaning, health and safety and cleansing checks and services delivered in communal areas.  A dedicated team would be established to provide these services.

 

Council was informed that Council tenants in receipt of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit would have their rent costs met in the benefits they received.  Members were asked to note that it was anticipated that 83 per cent of the Council’s tenants were in receipt of either Universal Credit or on Housing Benefits.

 

The suggestion was being made that a hardship fund should be established.  This would improve properties in the Council’s housing stock, helping to both enhance the quality of the houses as well as the cleanliness of communal areas.

 

Members noted that a significant proportion of the cases that were referred to them as part of their ward work related to housing matters raised by Council tenants.  Whilst Members recognised the importance of addressing these issues as soon as possible for tenants, it was acknowledged that negative feedback could be demoralising for hard working staff.  Members were therefore urged to ensure that they also notified senior officers of any positive feedback that was received, so that this could also be shared with staff.

 

During consideration of this item, Members noted that the report had been pre-scrutinised by the Budget Scrutiny Working Group.  It was acknowledged that, unfortunately, some of the papers contained in the report had been issued to the group at short notice and an apology was extended to the members of the group for this situation.  Members thanked the group for their hard work in reviewing the papers.

 

Questions were raised regarding the 15 per cent management fee that had been referenced in the report, concerning the purpose of this fee.  Clarification was provided that this related to a standard administration charge to cover internal costs.

 

RESOLVED that

 

the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee held on Tuesday, 26^th November 2024 and Tuesday 14th January 2025 be approved and all recommendations adopted.