Agenda item

(Finance & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the minutes from the recent meeting of the Finance & Performance Management Cabinet Committee held on 21 November 2011 and any recommendations therein.

Revenue Income Optimisation

 

(1)        That the report on the recent Revenue Income Optimisation exercise undertaken by Pricewaterhouse Coopers be noted;

 

(2)        That the preferred approach to each of the following possible revenue generation options identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers be agreed in principle:

 

(a)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the Council’s website

 

(b)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the Council’s fleet of vehicles;

 

(c)        the investigation of opportunities for the expansion and development of the Council’s car parks; and

 

(d)        the investigation of other business opportunities for the Council’s car parks;

 

(3)        That a further report regarding the implementation of the options identified in recommendation (2) above be made at the Cabinet Committee’s next scheduled meeting on 16 January 2012, at which the members of the Finance & Performance Management Scrutiny Panel would be invited to attend;

 

(4)        That the preferred approach to each of the following possible revenue generation options also identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers be further examined in the future:

 

(a)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the Council’s land and property assets;

 

(b)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on billboards at prime locations in the ownership of the Council;

 

(c)        the introduction of advertising on lamp columns and CCTV columns managed by the Council;

 

(d)        the introduction of sponsorship for events and services; and

 

(e)        the development of existing advertising sources; and

 

(5)        That all other possible revenue generation options identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers as part of their Revenue Income Optimisation exercise, particularly in relation to increased car parking charges, not be considered at the current time.

 

Mid-Year Treasury Report

 

(6)        That the management of the risks associated with the Council’s Treasury Management function during the first half of 2011/12 be noted; and

 

(7)        That the change in strategy to reduce the minimum long-term rating from A+ (or equivalent) down to A- (or equivalent) specifically only for the use of the Council’s bank, NatWest, and only while it remains in the ownership of the UK Government, be recommended to the Council for approval;

 

Corporate Risk Update

 

(8)        That the deletion of risk 4, ‘East of England Plan – Unable to agree joined up Plan’, be agreed;

 

(9)        That the review and re-naming of risk 3, ‘Potential difficulty producing Local Plan to timetable’, be agreed;

 

(10)      That the review of risk 29, ‘Gypsy Roma Traveller Provision’, by the Risk Management Group and the Corporate Governance Group and their conclusion that the score should be increased to ‘Significant Likelihood, Critical Impact’ (C2) be agreed;

 

(11)      That the Consequences for risk 8, ‘Business Continuity Management’, be updated following the recent exercise;

 

(12)      That the Effectiveness of Control and Required Further Action for risk 17, ‘Significant Amounts of Capital Receipts spent on Non Revenue Generating assets’ be updated;

 

(13)      That the Further Management Action for Risk 27, ‘Shortfall in Key Income Streams’, be updated following the recent Pricewaterhouse Coopers study;

 

(14)      That the review of risk 20, ‘Key Contract collapses or service levels deteriorate’, by the Risk Management Group and the Corporate Governance Group and their conclusion that the score should be decreased to ‘Significant Likelihood, Critical Impact’ (C2) be agreed;

 

(15)      That risk 33, ‘Reform of Housing Revenue Account’, be updated to reflect the Council’s likely level of debt being £190million;

 

(16)      That the current tolerance line on the risk matrix be considered satisfactory and not be amended; and

 

(17)      That, incorporating the above agreed changes, the amended Corporate Risk Register be approved;

 

Fees and Charges

 

(18)      That the fees and charges levied for Council Services in 2012/13 be set at the levels as Appendix 1 of the report, with the exception of:

 

(a)        Bulky household waste collections to remain the same as 2011/12; and

 

(b)        trade waste collections to remain the same as 2011/12, provided Sita UK did not increase their fees to the Council;

 

(19)      That the fees and charges for Housing related services in 2012/13 be set at the levels detailed in Appendix 1 to these minutes;

 

(20)      That the fees and charges for the following services remain unchanged for 2012/13:

 

(a)        off street pay and display car parking;

 

(b)        Local Land Charges;

 

(c)        MOT tests provided by Fleet Operations; and

 

(d)        the services provided by the Community & Culture section within the Office of the Deputy Chief Executive, such as New Horizons, Sports Development and Lifewalks;

 

(21)      That the fees and charges for pre-application discussions concerning major planning applications be increased by 5%; and

 

(22)      That the remaining fees and charges for 2012/13 as set by outside bodies or controlled by statutory regulation be noted.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Economic Development presented the minutes from the recent meeting of the Finance & Performance Management Cabinet Committee held on 21 November 2011.

 

The Cabinet Committee had made recommendations to the Cabinet regarding the: Revenue Income Optimisation Exercise; Mid-Year Treasury Report, including the continued use of NatWest as the Council’s banker; Corporate Risk Register Update; and Fees and Charges for 2012/13. Other issues considered by the Cabinet Committee had included the: Insurance Update; Q2 Financial Monitoring report; and the Growth Lists for the Continuing Services Budget and District Development Fund.

 

The Portfolio Holder highlighted the recent inaccurate reports in local newspapers concerning the fees and charges in 2012/13 for using the Council’s car parks. It was emphasised that the off street pay-and-display car parking charges were not being increased in 2012/13 and that free parking in certain car parks within the District on a Saturday would be maintained. The Leader of the Council expressed her frustration at having to respond to the inaccurate claims recently published in local newspapers.

 

The Portfolio Holder stated that it was clear from the report on Revenue Income Optimisation that the Council did more than most local authorities to maximise its income. One interesting aspect of the report was the incentives for town centre car parks that could be employed to increase ‘churn’ for the benefit of local traders. Pricewaterhouse Coopers had been given a wide remit and the Council had made no attempt to limit the terms of reference of their study.

 

Revenue Income Optimisation Exercise

 

(1)        That the report on the recent Revenue Income Optimisation exercise undertaken by Pricewaterhouse Coopers be noted;

 

(2)        That the preferred approach to each of the following possible revenue generation options identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers be agreed in principle:

 

(a)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the Council’s website

 

(b)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the Council’s fleet of vehicles;

 

(c)        the investigation of opportunities for the expansion and development of the Council’s car parks; and

 

(d)        the investigation of other business opportunities for the Council’s car parks;

 

(3)        That a further report regarding the implementation of the options identified in recommendation (2) above be made at the Cabinet Committee’s next scheduled meeting on 16 January 2012, at which the members of the Finance & Performance Management Scrutiny Panel would be invited to attend;

 

(4)        That the preferred approach to each of the following possible revenue generation options also identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers be further examined in the future:

 

(a)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on the Council’s land and property assets;

 

(b)        the introduction of advertising or sponsorship on billboards at prime locations in the ownership of the Council;

 

(c)        the introduction of advertising on lamp columns and CCTV columns managed by the Council;

 

(d)        the introduction of sponsorship for events and services; and

 

(e)        the development of existing advertising sources; and

 

(5)        That all other possible revenue generation options identified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers as part of their Revenue Income Optimisation exercise, particularly in relation to increased car parking charges, not be considered at the current time.

 

Mid-Year Treasury Report

 

(6)        That the management of the risks associated with the Council’s Treasury Management function during the first half of 2011/12 be noted; and

 

(7)        That the change in strategy to reduce the minimum long-term rating from A+ (or equivalent) down to A- (or equivalent) specifically only for the use of the Council’s bank, NatWest, and only while it remains in the ownership of the UK Government, be recommended to the Council for approval;

 

Corporate Risk Update

 

(8)        That the deletion of risk 4, ‘East of England Plan – Unable to agree joined up Plan’, be agreed;

 

(9)        That the review and re-naming of risk 3, ‘Potential difficulty producing Local Plan to timetable’, be agreed;

 

(10)      That the review of risk 29, ‘Gypsy Roma Traveller Provision’, by the Risk Management Group and the Corporate Governance Group and their conclusion that the score should be increased to ‘Significant Likelihood, Critical Impact’ (C2) be agreed;

 

(11)      That the Consequences for risk 8, ‘Business Continuity Management’, be updated following the recent exercise;

 

(12)      That the Effectiveness of Control and Required Further Action for risk 17, ‘Significant Amounts of Capital Receipts spent on Non Revenue Generating assets’ be updated;

 

(13)      That the Further Management Action for Risk 27, ‘Shortfall in Key Income Streams’, be updated following the recent Pricewaterhouse Coopers study;

 

(14)      That the review of risk 20, ‘Key Contract collapses or service levels deteriorate’, by the Risk Management Group and the Corporate Governance Group and their conclusion that the score should be decreased to ‘Significant Likelihood, Critical Impact’ (C2) be agreed;

 

(15)      That risk 33, ‘Reform of Housing Revenue Account’, be updated to reflect the Council’s likely level of debt being £190million;

 

(16)      That the current tolerance line on the risk matrix be considered satisfactory and not be amended; and

 

(17)      That, incorporating the above agreed changes, the amended Corporate Risk Register be approved;

 

Fees and Charges for 2012/13

 

(18)      That the fees and charges levied for Council Services in 2012/13 be set at the levels as Appendix 1 of the report, with the exception of:

 

(a)        Bulky household waste collections to remain the same as 2011/12; and

 

(b)        trade waste collections to remain the same as 2011/12, provided Sita UK did not increase their fees to the Council;

 

(19)      That the fees and charges for Housing related services in 2012/13 be set at the levels detailed in Appendix 1 to these minutes;

 

(20)      That the fees and charges for the following services remain unchanged for 2012/13:

 

(a)        off street pay and display car parking;

 

(b)        Local Land Charges;

 

(c)        MOT tests provided by Fleet Operations; and

 

(d)        the services provided by the Community & Culture section within the Office of the Deputy Chief Executive, such as New Horizons, Sports Development and Lifewalks;

 

(21)      That the fees and charges for pre-application discussions concerning major planning applications be increased by 5%; and

 

(22)      That the remaining fees and charges for 2012/13 as set by outside bodies or controlled by statutory regulation be noted.

 

Reasons for Decision:

 

The Cabinet was satisfied that the Cabinet Committee had fully addressed all the relevant issues in relation to the recommendations and that these should be endorsed.

 

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

 

The Cabinet was satisfied that the Cabinet Committee had considered all the relevant options in formulating their recommendations. The Cabinet did not consider that there were any further options.