Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Forde House, Brunel Road, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4XX. View directions

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Items
No. Item

8.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 166 KB

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 4 January 2022.

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Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 January 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

9.

Declarations of Interest

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Minutes:

 

Cllr Wrigley declared an interest in respect of minute no.11 as he had been appointed by the Council to the position of Director of Newton Abbot Community Interest Company which ran the Buckland Centre and he had no financial interest. 

 

Cllr J Hook declared an interest in respect of minute no.11 as she had been appointed by the Council as a Director of Newton Abbot Community Interest Company and had no pecuniary interest. 

 

10.

Executive Forward Plan

To note forthcoming decisions anticipated on the Executive Forward Plan

 

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Minutes:

RESOLVED that the Forward Plan be noted.

 

11.

Voluntary Sector Funding Task and Finish Group Report pdf icon PDF 390 KB

To consider the recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 on Tuesday, 1st February, 2022,

 

 

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Minutes:

The Executive Member for Homes and Communities outlined the work undertaken by the Voluntary Sector Funding Task and Finish Group and thanked all those organisations that took part. In light of the feedback, to reflect current circumstances and maintain funding key services he did not recommend that Executive follow all the proposals put forward.

 

He informed Executive of the changes proposed to the recommendations:-

 

·       The Council retained equivalent funding as 2021/22 for at least the next 2 years  for those organisations with current SLAs, the Citizens Advice Bureaux, Teignbridge Council for Voluntary Services, East Teignbridge Community Transport and Newton Abbot Community Transport.  However, the small grant to Carn to Cove (*) will stop

·       to retain the existing supportive rent subsidy Scheme for 2021/22 for at least the next 2 years;

·       to balance the budget the deletion of: the re-introduction of rural aid at £26,000 for 2022/23; and a provision for voluntary and community sector small grant scheme for 2022/23.

 

The Leader proposed that the funding proposals should be for one year to reflect the uncertainty in Central Government funding going forward and that the rent subsidy should be subject to a satisfactory application.

 

Members agreed to these amendments.

 

RESOLVED that:-

 

(1)            The Policy statement be adopted;

 

(2)            that the Council retains equivalent funding as 2021/22 for the next year for those organisations with current Service LAs, the Citizens Advice Bureaux, Teignbridge Council for Voluntary Services, East Teignbridge Community Transport and Newton Abbot Community Transport.  However, the small grant to Carn to Cove (*) will stop;

 

(3)            to retain the supportive rent subsidy scheme for the next financial year subject to a satisfactory application;

 

(4)            to increase the Councillors Community Fund for each councillor by £200 a year to £1200 from April, for the 2022/23 financial year.;

 

(5)            A task and finish group is convened to carry out a full review of the Business Rates Discretionary Relief policy and take recommendations to a future O&S meeting specifically relating to charity shops;

 

(6)            Teignbridge voluntary sector funding programme be reported to Overview and Scrutiny on an annual basis;

 

(7)            Crowdfunding is no longer supported as organisations can be encouraged to raise funds through the lottery;

 

(8)            Work with Town and Parish Councils to understand how they are supporting the voluntary sector;

 

(9)            To work with any organisations impacted by the proposal to encourage them to utilise the alternative funding streams available;

 

(10)        Climate change mitigation and environmental and bio diversification be added to paragraph 4.2.1 of the agenda report.

 

The vote was unanimous.

 

12.

Final Financial Plan Proposals 2022/23 TO 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 990 KB

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Minutes:

The Executive Member for Corporate Resources presented the report to consider the final financial plan proposals 2022/23 to 2024/25 for recommendation to Council on 22 February. He thanked all staff who had contributed in preparing this balanced budget.

 

The budget proposals for 2022/23 were subject to the recommendations as per minute No.11.

 

·       No rural aid reintroduced or any voluntary sector small grant scheme;

·       Grants to CAB/CVS/East Teignbridge and Newton Abbot community transport be maintained at their 21/22 grant levels for the next year;

·       Carn 2 Cove grant be eliminated;

·       The rent subsidy scheme to remain in its current form for the next financial year; and

·       The Councillors Community Fund be increased by £200 per Councillor to £1,200.

 

RECOMMENDED thatCouncil approve the final budget for 2022/23 and the outline plan for the subsequent years 2023/24 and 2024/25;

 

The proposed budget included:

 

·       An increase in council tax of £5 or 2.78% to £185.17

·       Continued funding for a climate change officer (with increased temporary resources) and enhanced planning enforcement

·       Increased provision in the capital programme for climate change projects

·       The continuing reduction in new homes bonus

·       Other central funding reductions – in particular provisional assumptions for business rates for future years and reset of the baseline

·       Reserves at 12.8 % of the net revenue budget or just over £2.0 million

·       Increased support for housing including the Teignbridge 100 whilst backing business and bringing people and organisations together for local neighbourhood planning          

·       Infrastructure delivery plan investment funded by community infrastructure levy and external sources where available

·       Continuation of grant funded South West Regional Monitoring Programme

·       Town centre investment in infrastructure and employment

·       A new two year pot of £40,000 per annum for ‘Tidy Teignbridge’ initiatives to improve cleanliness for town and parish councils

·       Paying £1 million off our pension deficit in 2022/23 to reduce ongoing contributions

·         Additional temporary resources to deliver expediently the significant projects and proposals identified above and within the capital programme, service reviews and processes to identify business and system improvements/developments, estate management, governance and communications

·             No rural aid reintroduced or any voluntary sector small grant scheme

·             Carn 2 Cove grant be eliminated

·             The Councillors Community Fund be increased by £200 per Councillor to £1,200

·        The rent subsidy scheme continues in its current form

·          Grants to Citizen Advice Bureau/Community and Voluntary Sector/East Teignbridge and Newton Abbot Community Transport be maintained at their 21/22 grant levels for the next year and Carn 2 Cove grant be eliminated.

 

The vote was unanimous.

 

13.

Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 453 KB

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Minutes:

The Executive Member for Corporate Resources presented the report to provide an update to Members on the operation of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme during 2021/22 and to advise Members that the scheme needed to be reviewed and formally adopted by Council for the year 2022/23. The Scheme maintained support at 100% for those on the lowest income households, one of around 20% of Councils in the Country and the only one in Devon.

 

RECOMMENDED to Council that:

 

(1)            The existing provisions within the Scheme be used to increase the upper income threshold in Band 1 from £75.00 to £78.00 and the lower threshold in Band B from £75.01 to £78.01; and

 

(2)             The Council Tax Reduction Scheme (attached as Appendix A) be adopted for the year 2022/23.

 

The vote was unanimous.

 

14.

Equalities and Diversity Policy pdf icon PDF 645 KB

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Minutes:

The Executive Member for Homes and Communities presented the proposed Equality and Diversity Policy. He clarified that Members were offered Equality and Diversity training although this was not mandatory.

 

RESOLVED that the Equality and Diversity Policy and the proposed equality objectives contained within the document be adopted.

 

The vote was unanimous.

15.

Dog PSPO Review

To consider the recommendations from Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 on Monday, 10th January, 2022,

 

RECOMMENDED

 

That the Executive consider and approve the continuation of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for Responsible Dog Ownership under ss59 to 75 of the Anti-Social Crime and Policing Act 2014, taking into account the following recommendations of the Task and Finish Group;

 

1.   That the lead length should be reduced to 1m and it should be a fixed type lead and

2.   Officers increase the signage in key locations to inform the public of the controls.

 

 

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Minutes:

 

The Executive Member for Recycling, Household Waste and Environmental Health presented the report of the Public Spaces Protection (PSPO) Order Review Group. He thanked the Community Environment Wardens for their work in applying the PSPO.

 

The Environmental Protection Manager clarified that the one metre lead would apply when dogs were on a footpath adjacent to a highway, on a footpath or a cycle path.

 

RECOMMENDED to Council to approve the continuation of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for Responsible Dog Ownership under ss59 to 75 of the Anti-Social Crime and Policing Act 2014, taking into account the following recommendations of the Task and Finish Group;

 

(1)            That the lead length should be reduced to one metre and it should be a fixed type lead; and

 

(2)            Officers increase the signage in key locations to inform the public of the     controls.

 

The vote was unanimous.