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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Remote - This meeting will be taking place remotely via MS Teams.
Contact: Democratic Services on 01424 451484 email: democraticservices@hastings.gov.uk
Items No. Item Apologies for Absence
Minutes:
No apologies received
Declaration of Interests
Minutes:
Councillor
Item
Interest
Cllr Chowney
6
Prejudicial - Pays for parking permit
Cllr Forward
6
Prejudicial – Pays for Beach hut
Cllr Batsford
6
Prejudicial – Pays for Beach hut
Cllr Webb
7
Personal - ESCC Councillor
Minutes of Last Meeting PDF 188 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
To be resolved at the next formal meeting
Notification of Additional Urgent Items
Minutes:
None received
Neighbourhood Planning – Scheme of Delegation PDF 176 KB
(Victoria Conheady, Assistant Director, Regeneration and Culture)
(Cabinet decision)Minutes:
Under rule 13.3 the recommendations of the report were agreed without being called for discussion.
RESOLVED(unanimously):
1. That the Cabinet agrees that all decisions and responses in respect of Neighbourhood Planning be delegated to the Assistant Director for Regeneration and Culture in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Forward Planning, excluding decisions to make (adopt) a Neighbourhood Development Plan2. That authority is delegated to the Assistant Director of Regeneration and Culture or her nominee to conclude the necessary legal agreements.
Reasons:
To ensure that the Council, as Local Planning Authority, can execute its statutory duty to assist in the production of Neighbourhood Plans in accordance with the Regulations in a timely and efficient manner. The making (adopting) of a Neighbourhood Development Plan is a Full Council decision.
(Kit Wheeler, Chief Accountant)
(Cabinet decision)Additional documents:
- 2022-23 Fees and Charges Report v.1.2, 06/12/2021 Cabinet , item 396. PDF 173 KB
- Appendix A - Fees and Charges Strategy 2022-2023 v1.1, 06/12/2021 Cabinet , item 396. PDF 229 KB
- 2022-23 Fees Charges Appendix B, 06/12/2021 Cabinet , item 396. PDF 204 KB
- 2022-23 Fees Charges Appendix C, 06/12/2021 Cabinet , item 396. PDF 177 KB
- 2022-23 Fees Charges Appendix D, 06/12/2021 Cabinet , item 396. PDF 176 KB
- 2022-23 Fees Charges Appendix E, 06/12/2021 Cabinet , item 396. PDF 128 KB
Minutes:
The Chief Accountant submitted an annual review of the Council’s fees and charges. All changes are shown in appendices of the Report. Some of these fees and charges, have been agreed, that this is since they run on calendar year cycles and not financial year cycles. Some will vary in their percentage increase for various factors. Some of the changes are higher than the recommended 3.9% as well as being lower than this figure where decisions were made to ‘round down’ and keep at the current pricing bracket.
Councillors considered the Report and its appendices and discussed the need to maintain income. The pressure to raise income gets more every year as government income goes down and the difficulties there are trying to balance the books and then maintain a high standard to services.
Under the emergency powers set out in Rule 26.22 of the Council’s Constitution the Managing Director made the following decision in consultation with Councillors Forward, Barnett, Batsford, Chowney, Evans, Rogers & Webb.
RESOLVED : (unanimously)
2. Fees and charges proposed by services be agreed.
The Council relies on income from fees and charges to provide services and supplement Government funding where this does not fully cover the cost of the service, we as a Council provide. Historically costs have continued to increase whilst central funding decreases.
Afghan Relocation Programme PDF 538 KB
Minutes:
The Assistant Director Housing and Built Environment submitted a report to seek Cabinet approval for the mobilisation of the Afghan LES Relocation Scheme and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
As part of the British Government commitment to assist over 20,000 Afghan individuals who are fleeing the effects of the conflict in Afghanistan. Hastings is planning to resettle 54 Individuals. The individuals arriving have indefinite leave to remain and will be able to apply for work and apply for British citizenship. The funding arrangements are the same for both Afghan LES Relocation Scheme and Afghan Citizens Relocation Scheme. Funding is for a fixed 3-year period, beginning on the date the families arrived.
Given the significant and increasing pressure on housing and homelessness services across the county, it is proposed that accommodation for the scheme should be sourced from the private rented sector and not the social housing sector.
Councillors discussed if it will be families or individuals that will be part of the scheme. The Strategic Housing and Projects Manager informed Councillors that the properties are identified first by the Council and then offered to the Home Office for a suitable placement to be matched.
Councillors discussed the support that ESCC has provided and gave thanks to the support that has been provided by community groups in Hastings and St Leonards.
Under the emergency powers set out in Rule 26.22 of the Council’s Constitution the Managing Director made the following decision in consultation with CouncillorsForward, Barnett, Batsford, Chowney, Evans, Rogers & Webb
RESOLVED (unanimously):
1. To approve the Afghan Locally Employed Staff and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme with a commitment to resettle up to 54 individuals in Hastings across both projects within the next 3 years
2. To approve the Resettlement Employability Programme, funded by the Connecting Hastings and Rother Together (CHART) programme
Reasons:
1. The Afghan LES Relocation Scheme and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme support families who have been displaced by the conflict in Afghanistan to settle in the United Kingdom. A partnership has been established across East Sussex through the existing Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme, which will be used to support the new schemes.
2. A priority for the programme is to support people to access training and employment. The Council has secured additional funding through the CHART programme to provide specialist employability support.
Part of Bowls Pavilion and Bowling Green at Alexandra Park PDF 169 KB
Minutes:
The Assistant Director Financial Services and Revenues submitted a report to agree which proposal received to take a lease of part of the Bowls Pavilion and Bowling Green should be progressed. Art on Prescription’s proposal is recommended as it will fit in well with the other activities in the Park.
Councillors discussed that there were some interesting proposals, but Art on Prescription appears a very worthwhile operation with high social value. Art on Prescription have impressed with what they do supporting mental health in the community.
Under the emergency powers set out in Rule 26.22 of the Council’s Constitution the Managing Director made the following decision in consultation with CouncillorsForward, Barnett, Batsford, Chowney, Evans, Rogers & Webb
RESOLVED (unanimously):
Reasons:
1. While the proposal is not the highest rent offered it provides the widest community
benefit, so the potential financial loss is outweighed by the benefit.
2.The proposal from Art on Prescription is not the highest rent offered so the decision to proceed will need to be considered and approved at Full Council.
Exclusion of the Public
The Chair advised that to avoid duplication, Cabinet discussion of the Part 1 Report relating to the following Part 2 Reports should take place under Part 2.
To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the items of business listed below because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of “exempt” information as defined in the paragraphs of schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972referred to in the relevant report.
Renewal of Minor Works Contract 2022- Part 1 Report PDF 168 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Assistant Director Financial Services and Revenues submitted a report to review and agree the proposed arrangements for renewing the Council's Minor Works Building Maintenance Term Contract and agree to award the contract to the contractor that submitted the most economically advantageous bid in the recent tendering exercise.
Councillors considered the report and discussed the tenders
Under the emergency powers set out in Rule 26.22 of the Council’s Constitution the Managing Director made the following decision in consultation with Councillors Forward, Barnett, Chowney, Evans, Rogers & Webb,
Resolved (unanimously) :
1. That Cabinet agrees to award the Council's Minor Works Maintenance Contract to the multi-trade building maintenance contractor that submitted the most economically advantageous tender. The contract will begin on 1st April 2022 and run for an initial period of five years with the option of five individual 12-month extensions in single annual increments.
2. That Cabinet agrees to delegate authority to the Chief Finance Officer in consultation with the Lead Member for the relevant portfolio holder to award the optional 12-month extensions following on after the initial five-year contract period.
Reasons:
1. The existing seven-year term contract with an annual spend of approximately £450,000 per year, expires on 31 March 2022. The Council must have a new arrangement in place with effect from 1 April 2022 to ensure continuity of service.
2. The form of contract proposed is the Joint Contract Tribunal (JCT) MTC 2016 Measured Term Contract 2016 edition. It is a call-off arrangement with no fixed annual financial commitment by the Council. The agreement would be executed under seal and be awarded to a single multi-trade building contractor. The contract will run for an initial period of five years with the option of five 12-month extensions in single annual increments.
3. The arrangement ensures that the Council’s day to day requirement for the execution of mainly responsive, relatively low complexity and low value building maintenance works is met. The contract ordering and management system is web-based and also allows for emergency works and some planned cyclical maintenance works of lower value to also be undertaken.
Agreeing the delivery model for Building Cleaning Services from April 2022- Part 1 Report PDF 285 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Assistant Director for Environment and Place submitted a report to agree the delivery method for building cleaning services from April 2022. The renewal of this contract has given Hastings Borough Council an opportunity to review the delivery model currently in place and decide whether an alternative model might be advantageous – specifically whether the service should be taken in house and added to Hastings Borough Council’s established Direct Services Organisation (HDSO).
The Reports proposed two options to either award the contract to the preferred bidder from the recent procurement process carried out by the East Sussex Procurement Hub or to bring the service in-house and added to the HDSO.Councillors considered the Reports and discussed the two options set out in in the Reports. The Councillors agreed their preferred option to bring the service in-house and be added to the HDSO which would need to be referred to Full Council for approval.
Under the emergency powers set out in Rule 26.22 of the Council’s Constitution the Managing Director made the following decision in consultation with Councillors Forward, Barnett, Chowney, Evans, Rogers & Webb.
RESOLVED (unanimously):
1.That Cabinet agrees and recommends their preferred option for approval by Full Council to bring the building cleaning services in-house and to be added to the Hastings Direct Service Organisation (HDSO)
Reasons:
A full procurement exercise has been undertaken to establish the market rate of carrying out building cleaning through a contractor. Simultaneously, a price to add building cleaning to the Hastings Borough Council Direct Services Organisation (HDSO)has been provided.
As a result, Cabinet was able to compare the 2 models of delivery and agree their preferred way forward for the building cleaning service from April 2022.
Urgent Items (if any)
Minutes:
None
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