Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Blackdown House, Honiton

Contact: Amanda Coombes, Democratic Services Officer  01395 517543 or email  acoombes@eastdevon.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

74.

Public speaking

Information on public speaking is available online

Minutes:

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

75.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 199 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of Cabinet held on 2 October 2019 were confirmed and signed as a true record.

76.

Declarations of interest

Guidance is available online to Councillors and co-opted members on making declarations of interest

Minutes:

None

77.

Matters of urgency

Information on matters of urgency is available online

Minutes:

There were no matters of urgency.

78.

Confidential/exempt item(s)

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. Thereare no itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway.

Minutes:

There were no items officers recommended should be dealt with in this way.

79.

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 206 KB

Minutes:

Members agreed the content of the forward plan for key decisions for the period
1 December 2019 to 31 March 2020.

80.

Minutes of Housing Review Board held on 19 September 2019 pdf icon PDF 31 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received and noted the Minutes of Housing Review Board held on 19 September 2019.

 

RESOLVED that the following recommendation be agreed:

 

Minute 37 HMO update and expenditure

1.     the update provided,

2.     further expenditure by the Strategic Lead for Housing, Health and Environment to ensure that the property recently acquired in Morton Road, Exmouth was fit for purpose using available budgets, and

3.     the further expenditure be approved, subject to available budgets by the

Service Lead for Housing.

81.

Minutes of Strata Joint Executive Committee held on 24 September 2019 pdf icon PDF 80 KB

Minutes:

Members received and noted the Minutes of Strata Joint Executive Committee held on 24 September 2019.

82.

Minutes of Scrutiny Committee held on 3 October 2019 pdf icon PDF 264 KB

Minutes:

Members received and noted the Minutes of Scrutiny Committee held on 3 October 2019.

83.

Minutes of the Budget Working Party held on 16 October 2019 pdf icon PDF 88 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received and noted the Minutes of the Budget Working Party held on 16 October 2019.

 

RESOLVED that the following recommendations be agreed:

 

Note 6 Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) and Transformation Savings

2020 - 2029 update

to review and consider the current position of the Council’s plans to prepare future balanced budgets.

84.

Council Plan 2020-2024 pdf icon PDF 160 KB

This report provides the first draft of the new Council Plan for 2020-2024.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services presented the first draft of the new Council Plan for 2020-2024. The council plan set out the strategic direction of the council over the next few years. The plan looked at the priorities and actions to guide the effective use of all council resources.

 

The four priority areas contained in the plan are as follows:

·        Outstanding place and environment

·        Outstanding homes and communities

·        Outstanding level of economic growth, productivity and prosperity

·        Outstanding council and council services

 

The priorities and actions had been drawn up by all councillors within the Cabinet. These had had further oversight and input by the Strategic and Service Leads and specifically Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services identified changes to the wording in relation to poverty to address the resolution of Council on 23 October 2019. There were further discussions around changes to wording and more clarification to certain objectives within the Plan itself as well as some typographical changes which the Strategic Lead for Organisational Development took note of.

 

RESOLVED that

1.     the draft of the new Council Plan 2019-2024 taking into account the feedback from Overview and Scrutiny Committee was considered and feedback and changes provided on the priorities and actions.

2.     the commitments in the Plan would need to be assessed to determine financial and people resources required.

 

REASON

to assist with the ongoing development of the new Council Plan.

85.

Careful choices consultation pdf icon PDF 148 KB

This report outlines the proposed consultation to support the ‘careful choices’ the council will need to make in the coming years.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services outlined the proposed consultation to support the ‘careful choices’ the council would need to make in the coming years. She reminded Members that this helped to inform the council’s decision-making process as well as raising awareness to the public of the financial constraints the council was facing. The council had a £2.7m budget deficit which needed to be dealt with over the next 2-3 years in order to be able to produce a balanced budget. The council’s strategy includes developing a strategy for commercialisation, ensuring the council was ‘fit for purpose’ to deliver the Council Plan and additionally making ‘careful choices’ about the services it provided.

 

It was proposed that a consultation be sent to 3000 residents on a random basis, to Town and Parish Councils and placed on-line. This would provide a statistically reliable body of feedback which could then be extrapolated to be representative of the views of the district. Other feedback would also help support the findings.

 

RESOLVED that

the detail of the consultation be agreed with the consultation to commence on 12 January 2020.

 

REASON

to help engage residents and businesses in the financial issues facing the council.

86.

Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan ('the Plan') to be formally made pdf icon PDF 366 KB

The Plan has now passed referendum and must be formally made by East Devon District Council in order to form part of the development plan.

 

 

Minutes:

The Plan has now passed referendum and must be formally made by East Devon District Council in order to form part of the development plan.

 

RESOLVED that

1.     the Plan was made so it forms part of the development plan, and

2.     the Council congratulates the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group on all their hard work and advise them that once made the Plan would carry full weight in the planning decision making process.

 

REASON

the Plan received a majority ‘yes’ vote in their referendum as required by the regulations and there was no substantive reason not to make the Plan.