Cabinet - Wednesday 15 October 2025, 5:00pm - Folkestone & Hythe webcasting

Cabinet
Wednesday, 15th October 2025 at 5:00pm 

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  1. Cllr Jim Martin
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  3. Ms Jemma West
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  1. Cllr Rebecca Shoob
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  9. Cllr Jim Martin
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  11. Cllr James Butcher
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  14. Cllr Connor McConville
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  16. Cllr Polly Blakemore
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  18. Cllr Mike Blakemore
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Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:00
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:01
of the cabinet. Gemma's Garmin watch has told us that it's five o 'clock so we can now start.
We're webcasting. This meeting will be webcast live to the internet. For those who do not
wish to be recorded or filmed you will need to leave the chamber. For members, officers
and others speaking at the meeting it is important that the microphones are used so viewers on
the webcast and others in the room may hear you. Would anyone with a mobile phone please
switch it to silent mode as they can be distracting. I would like to remind members that although
we all have strong opinions on the matters under consideration it is important to treat

1 Apologies for Absence

members, officers and public speakers with respect. Thank you and welcome everyone. We
Ms Jemma West - 0:01:00
There are no apologies this evening.
No apologies, super.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:01:02
And item two is declarations of interest.

2 Declarations of Interest

Do any members wish to make a declaration of interest?
Regardless, no, super, okay.
No declarations of interest.

3 Minutes

Minutes to consider and approve as a correct record.
The minutes of the meeting held
on the 18th of September, 2025.
Does anyone have any issues or comments
regarding the minutes?
Councillor McConville to propose.
I'm very happy to second.
All those in favour, please indicate.
Thank you very much members.
So we will move on then to the first substantive item,
item four, homelessness update.
Councillor Shrew.

4 Homelessness Update - Delivering More Council Owned Temporary Accommodation

Thank you.
Cllr Rebecca Shoob - 0:01:54
So as we all know, the need for temporary accommodation across the country is huge and
sadly growing.
But because of the rules around costs that councils can claim back from central government
and the dire lack of social housing, the costs of providing temporary accommodation, which
as a statutory duty for councils, is causing huge financial pressures for councils nationwide.
So although I'm really pleased to be bringing this paper to Cabinet today, I do want to
acknowledge the housing crisis which is at the heart of this, which is causing financial
pressures for councils across the country and frankly misery for all those struggling
to find a permanent home.
So locally the need for temporary accommodation has increased significantly over the last
12 months from around 55 households to now around 115 who are in temporary accommodation
today.
Like most if not all councils across the country we are extremely reliant on private sector
temporary housing.
However, the current rules mean that councils are only refunded a small proportion of the
actual cost of private accommodation.
So as well as looking to acquire a number of new units for temporary accommodation,
we are also proposing to use up to 20 of our existing HRA homes for temporary accommodation
as and when they become available.
It's obviously a really careful balancing act because although we desperately need more of our own temporary accommodation,
if we take too many of our existing properties, then we obviously have fewer properties available to become the permanent homes that people in temporary accommodation so desperately need.
So thank you to the teams, the housing team and finance teams for everything that's gone
into these proposals to address the increasing pressure to the General Fund.
If we don't do anything, the cost to the General Fund will continue to grow.
There's predicted to be 1 .2 million in the current year, up from 600 ,000 last year.
Clearly, this is unsustainable and we need to act quickly.
So in summary, the recommendations to address this issue are to agree a capital growth item
of £5 million in the current financial year to secure at least another 20 temporary accommodation
units for the HRA and to recommend this to full council for their approval.
To note that 20 existing HRA homes will be used for temporary accommodation as and when
they become available over the next 12 months.
To provide delegated authority to the Director of Housing and Operations to source suitable
accommodation.
And finally to note that officers will seek to apply for Homes England funding should
any of the new acquisitions be eligible.
Thank you and I'd like to move the recommendations.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:05:15
Thank you very much Councillor Shaw. I would certainly like to second the motion and open
it for discussion and questions. Councillor Prater.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:05:29
Thank you. You got to seconding it just before me because I entirely agree this is the right
thing to do in the position that we are in. As has been said by Rebecca, obviously the
growth in TA is national temporary
accommodation use is national.
Now is because there is significantly
more people going forward.
As has been said,
now this is about £1 .2 million of our budget,
which is essentially five,
just about 5 % of our annual budget.
Each year we're now spending
on these TA costs.
That's a number that a number of other
councils and our statistical neighbours
have got a multiple of I think it was
Hastings that are spending somewhere
towards 50 % of their budget on temporary accommodation costs now.
And this can rapidly become absolutely unsustainable as it is then.
And it is only the work of the homelessness team, it's only the work of our housing team
over years in terms of their work with the private sector that have kept us at a position
whereby we've actually done really well in terms of having those low TA costs and I can
only thank the teams for the work that they've done.
But as we've seen in the last 12 months, broadly the number in TA has doubled.
And that is not due to suddenly not trying to do that work, or suddenly not trying to...
If more people turn up and they are in the position where they need that support, then
that is what you've got to do.
And that is what is happening.
So I entirely accept the premise of this.
I think it is insanity that the government's funding programme for temporary accommodation
is as it is, because they should actually be funding it,
whichever way you do this piece of work,
you should be able to claim back the cost of temporary accommodation.
I accept that there have to be boundaries around this,
but the boundaries which they have around it at the moment are wrong.
And they are not good for people in temporary accommodation,
and they're not good for the councils that are trying to do their best
for local residents. However we are where we are,
and this is the best response,
most recent response financially
to the position that we're in,
and I'm pleased that we're taking it.
I think we should acknowledge as a sidebar,
don't want to add anything to this,
that this might have to be a first tranche of this.
If these numbers have stopped going up,
then this may be enough to give us the TA
that we need to contain where we are at the moment.
If the numbers do not stop going up,
this might not be the first time
we see a paper like this and we'll come to that as we need to come to that, but we need
to be in the position we can provide the support that we can. This is a financially reasoned
way of doing it and a reasonable way of doing it. It pays for itself a lot better than the
other routes that we have in terms of providing that financial support. I'm certainly not
hoping that we'll come back with paper after paper after the same thing again because I
the need for TA to be going down, not going back up again.
But you get the world that you're built.
So entirely happy to support the recommendations.
I think it's an entirely rational thing to be doing.
I really hope that we can secure that accommodation
and even finding and buying 2025 houses that are suitable in the right places
isn't easy in one go.
They're not just sat there right now.
So, I look forward to this being agreed and look forward to the new TA being brought on
stream and I know that the monitoring is ongoing in terms of those numbers and in terms of
placing and that I hope that we, if we see that that need continues to increase and that
this works and does the mitigation that it should do within that, that we are receptive
if we need to do this again.
Thank you very much.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:09:16
Councillor Blakemore.
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Mike Blakemore - 0:09:21
Yeah, I agree we need to do this and I agree with the comments that have been made.
It does seem like this is another kind of below the radar way in which local authorities
have been, their finances have been squeezed dealing with problems that are not of their
making.
I just have one question which is in 2 .3 on page 16 it talks about the set up costs for
temporary accommodation being higher because the spec is higher than it is for social housing.
So I wondered, to turn that around on its head,
why is the spec lower for social housing than it is for temporary accommodation?
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:09:55
We've got an expert, fortunately, in the room.
Hey, Jim.
Mr Adrian Hammond - 0:10:01
I'll have to respond on that, Councillor Blammore.
When we move the family into temporary accommodation,
quite often they won't have basics, beds, furniture, items for the kitchen.
So we provide those items.
If we're taking on board one of our conventional social rented properties,
we also decorate that property prior to the family moving in.
That doesn't happen always within the HRA stock,
so there are costs around that as well.
I'm also potentially providing carpets throughout the property as well.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:10:38
Any other questions or queries on the report,
which I think is excellent?
I reiterate everything that Councillor Prater said indeed, Hastings got themselves into
a terrible pickle but also Brighton, these costs can run away completely from you and
there's nothing you can do except chase them.
So I think this is a very prudent sensible strategy and again I congratulate the team
And I'm very, very happy to second it.
Sorry, Tim, this is the one I was definitely
gonna do the idea on.
But I'd like to thank Councillor Shrew
for her commitment and hard work on this as well.
So we have a proposal, we have a seconder.
All those in favour, please indicate.
Thank you very much, everyone.
That's good stuff.

5 Oportunitas Q1 progress report 25/26 To 30 June 2025

We're now moving on to item 5, Oportunitas, Quarter 1 Progress Report 2526, which I understand
Jonathan is going to lead us through.
Thank you.
Thank you, leader.
Jonathan Smith - 0:11:56
So members, the paper before you presents the Quarter 1 Progress Report for Oportunitas
in line with the shareholder agreement,
which requires regular monitoring
of financial performance.
This is obviously the first report
that's brought to you for the financial
year and it covers the period
April to June 2025.
The papers have been considered by
the board at its meeting on the
24th of September 2025.
An update on the rental arrears position
is outlined at section two of the
cabinet report which shows a modest
increase in the arrears position
and the position with regards to the
profit and loss account for opportunity
tasks is contained at paragraph 3 .2
of the main report with the projected
net financial benefits of the council
expounded in paragraph 3 .4 of the
cabinet report. Of course,
this is where an early stage in the year,
so projections here are,
you know they are projections based
on only the first three months of the year.
In terms of profit loss account,
it's a slight difference of £1300 is the
is the difference that is highlighted by the report.
But of course, that position may change as the year progresses
and we get more financial data to be able to base
our projections on.
But unless there are any particular questions,
I'm happy to open it up to you.
Thank you very much, Jonathan.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:13:18
Are there any particular questions or queries?
Relatively straightforward report,
which I'm very happy to move.
Thank you very much.
Councillor Prateroy, you seconded.
Happy to.
Happy to.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:13:33
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:13:34
If there are no questions or queries, we have a proposer, we have a seconder.
All those in favour, please indicate.
Thank you very much everyone.
Thank you Jonathan.

6 Quarter 1 Performance report 2025/26

We now move to the part of the evening known as the Tim Prater Show.
On to item 6, the Quarter 1 Performance Report.
Councillor Prater.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:13:59
I've been requested this evening that I am pithy in my progress through reports.
We will see how much pith I can get through, but that will rely on other cabinet members
playing along with me.
The Court of One Performance report of course is not part of the Tim Prater show because
this is marking our homework and it's everyone's homework that we're marking, so this is your
show and I'm sure you're about to go through and highlight all of the areas in which you
are having either success or there is work yet to do in order to reflect that success.
I'd like to thank as always Jonathan and Gavin for their work on the report which I think
is again a very clear report and we've been through and revised that. The commentary is
there. As with every report this evening which bears my name they have all been published
in advance. They've all been on the website. For those watching along at home, they're
all there and publicly available and there are no secret papers which Cabinet members
have seen, which you haven't seen. It's all there as listed. Please feel free at any stage
of the year to ask us questions, either via the officers who were named on those reports
or via the councillors and Cabinet members. But the Q1 report is there in front of you.
So I'll absolutely accept any questions that Gavin and Jonathan wanted to field at that
stage from any member.
The one thing that I am going to add to our quarter one performance report, because I'm
going to use a shoehorn somewhere and this is my shoehorn, is what the quarter one performance
report doesn't show, is that this council has again won a national award for its revenues
and benefits team and it doesn't show that because they won it in October and that's
definitely not quarter one. So I wasn't going to carry this around for the next five months
waiting for the opportunity to show it during that report. So this is the reward for Excellence
in Social Inclusion 2025 winner of Foulton and Hyde District Council. That is a repeat
because Excellence in Social Inclusion 2024 was also won by Foulton and Hyde District
Council. In fact, we did a little bit of advanced maths this afternoon and since
2018, Folkestone High have been nominated for 20 National IRRV Awards. They have
had a special, highly commended in two, for two of those awards and won six
of them, including last year being Benefits and Revenue Team of the Year. I'm
enormously proud of our revenues and benefits team and the work that they do for the residents
in this area and that was my shoehorn in order to say so on the back of this quarter performance
report despite the fact that it does not appear in it. So thank you to that team. I'm happy
to take any questions on awards that have been won by that team over the course of that.
I have a list but in the interest of pith I move the recommendations.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:17:11
Thank you very much, Councillor Proater. Anything's better than taking the pith, of course. I'm
very, very happy to second and welcome a comment. Councillor Fuller.
Cllr Gary Fuller - 0:17:29
I'm not going to miss out on the invitation to mark my own homework. So I just wanted
raised that I'm really proud of the team in information government who have delivered
on all of the targets for FOI, SARs, these kind of thing, data breaches and so on for
this first quarter. It's the first time for a while, it's taken a lot of hard work and
yep, a while. But it's really good to see and I'm sure it will continue for a long time.
I'm also looking at the new KPIs on complaints.
I'm also actually really pleased that despite being slightly under target, we are so close
to the target given that we've halved the amount of time we have to respond to complaints
this year.
So again, that's down to the Exxon workers or customer services and the complaints officer
and so on.
So thanks to both of them.
Any other...
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:18:28
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:18:30
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:18:31
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:18:33
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:18:34
In the interest of marking my own homework, I'm very sorry about this, but we are actually
in terms of waste services off target on the percentage of streets surveyed and cleaned
from 88 % as opposed to 99 % previous target.
I can explain, if I may.
I may be loud.
In that we are short staffed.
In that we have both our waste...
The monitoring officers from our waste management team are both off at the moment.
One's on paternity leave, one maternity leave and the other one's on long term sick.
So it has been, monitoring has been taken by one of the other waste management staff.
simply hasn't got the time to go around sampling all the streets
as were the same number.
The sample is actually smaller as a result
and that just basically skews the figures.
So the figures are a bit off, shall we say,
but we will obviously try to address that in the future.
But of course we did come well within our target in terms of missed bins.
So that's a positive.
Thank you very much, Councillor Swinton.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:19:50
I don't know if you were at the overview and scrutiny meeting
where we had a sort of contest between councillors
to congratulate their street cleaners over who had to clean the street.
Everyone was, well, our street cleaner and he did award.
So yeah, I mean really good.
I'll just interject quickly on this one, my go -to one.
Tenant satisfaction.
I mean, you cannot get a better bellwether than that.
And we have got a tenant satisfaction figure
that private landlords would give their right arm for.
So, I'll just slip that one in and shut up.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:20:34
Sorry, James, and then I'll come to you, Councillor McConnell.
Yeah, I was just gonna highlight the bit about the website.
Cllr James Butcher - 0:20:41
It's called Experience the Extraordinary Website
and how well that's doing with some additional resources within,
without having a target maybe in seconds.
And it does do really well if you just Google
tourism in high book or tourism in post and
you do very well with the top tier.
So it works really well.
I had a question just about the call for a plan
and how we're proposing to manage, to monitor and report on
the last performance against the call for a plan
and the future of the management plan.
Jonathan?
Thank you, Councillor.
Mr Jonathan Hicks - 0:21:20
We've got on the forward plan a proposal that we bring something back to Cabinet in January,
a report on half year progress for that.
Progress against?
The corporate plan, action plan.
And have we got the action plan?
The action plan we approved in the cabinet in July, I believe.
So, but we can, that's fine.
But I think what will happen is that we will review it
with staff in the next couple of months,
and then we'll show progress against those actions
that we've achieved in here,
and make any suggested amendments
before we give a year -end report,
which we'll report again after the end of the year.
Thank you very much.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:22:07
Councillor McConville.
Just to put my two cents worth in.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:22:13
Obviously a green tick for grounds maintenance with regards to our retaining our green flag
status in some of our key parks and just a huge thank you to all the grounds maintenance
team for all their work they do year round to keep those parks in such good condition.
slightly down on a new KPI that's been introduced in terms of volunteer hours in our parks but
if we're still low come quarter three then I'll drag all you guys out to make sure that
we hit target before the end of the year.
Councillor Blakemore.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:22:49
Yeah, thank you, Chair.
Cllr Polly Blakemore - 0:22:55
Just to acknowledge that the environmental health team
are down on their target for their food safety operations,
and that's due to staffing issues which are being addressed
and sheer volume of work,
because we have more and more and more food outlets
in Folkestone these days.
But on the plus side, the environmental protection team
are well on target for their successful prosecutions
for flight tipping and community protection notices and so on,
as are they also on their compliant air quality monitoring.
Excellent. Well done.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:23:38
I mean, if we had sort of green ticks everywhere,
no one would believe the report, so it's good to have a bit of a mix.
Councillor Blakemore.
Yeah, in the spirit of looking at where we're not at a green tick,
Cllr Mike Blakemore - 0:23:55
I'm not sure I know what a soddit intervention is, so I'm curious.
But we are way below where we were last year, so I was just interested in what that's about
and why we're about 500 fewer soddit interventions than we were for the same period of our term.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:24:12
It's unknown to me, but fortunately we have an expert.
Dr Susan Priest - 0:24:19
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I think the acronym actually came from the director that's absent tonight.
So, see it, own it, do it.
And I think the team lovingly... It came from the team,
so there was an ownership of that acronym at the time,
which has sort of stuck.
In terms of your second question about the amount,
that team has reduced in capacity,
really in the last, I think, 18 months,
really from when we did the major budget shift.
So, consequently, the target was adjusted accordingly,
purely just to reflect the capacity that we've got available on that.
I hope that explains it.
What actually is it though?
See it, own it, do it, then do what?
Cllr Mike Blakemore - 0:25:01
Dr Susan Priest - 0:25:01
Oh okay. So it could be a variety of activities.
It could be, oh my goodness, graffiti cleaning, where we get reports,
particularly where it's offensive graffiti, where we really try and get to that straight away.
It could be just some minor bits and bobs that have broken fences
so the gentleman concerned will work with our handyman
and the broader grounds maintenance teams.
It could be, I don't know, in the past I think we've cleaned some chewing gum off places.
There's all sorts of bits and bobs that just in terms of it came out a number of years ago
really from wanting to improve the appearance of the district.
So anything that falls within that broad category of sprucing and maintaining things
tends to be a SODIT type activity.
It could be things like removing planning notices that haven't yet been taken down
and just cutting them down, taking them away, all sorts of things like that.
Just really helpful, helpful things to do.
I suppose on the sprucing point of it, it's unfortunate that we've lost the town sprucer as well in that period.
Cllr Mike Blakemore - 0:26:13
so we're doing less sprucing and we don't have a sprucer any more.
Hopefully they're just forming a part as a result of that.
But some of those small interventions do make a big difference.
OK.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:26:26
If there are no further comments, we have a proposer.
I think we have a seconder.
We do, good.
So, all those in favour, please indicate.

7 General Fund Revenue Budget Monitoring - 1st Quarter 2025/26

And a big thank you really to all of the officers for getting us in such a fantastic position.
Thank you.
Okay, so moving on to item 7, General Fund Revenue Budget Monitoring, first quarter 25 -26.
Councillor Prater.
Thank you.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:26:59
This will test my pith.
As you know we go through the quarterly monitoring each time and what you are looking at are
the numbers here at the end of section one are the projection for the end of year results
based on this as the quarter one's returns. That said, obviously at the end of quarter
one your projection of how the year is going to end up is going to be less precise than
your projection at the end of quarter two or three or four, because then you know more
of the numbers and you can be clearer on how that is going to end. Therefore, this is part
of our guessing with style portfolio, but I'd like to think that our style is improving
and our guess will be getting better as we go through this. However, the unknown unknowns
I won't get you in the end. At this moment, as paragraph 1 .1 puts there, we are projecting
a variance, an unfavourable variance of £357 ,000. We are aiming for, we continue to aim for,
we will get to a balanced budget for this financial year,
but for a variety of reasons, we are currently
protecting £357 ,000.
There are a number of contributing factors to that.
One of them is the one that we have discussed previously
around temporary accommodation costs significantly increasing,
and despite our decision this evening,
that decision isn't going to impact in this financial year
that very significantly unless somebody turns around
with the keys to 25 flats, which seems a little unlikely,
but we'll see how Andy goes.
But there are a number, and as it's detailed within the report,
broadly under sections 2 and 3, where things are better or worse than last year.
Where we should note that, however,
is that although that is currently, you know, that projection is that we are £157 ,000 down,
we will be aiming to get that back to balance. And we should also note that under 3 .7, as
was clear, the close down of the business rates pool position effectively added £1 .4
million to us at the close of the accounts of last year. So it improved our financial
position by £1 .4 million and that is, what that does allow us is some opportunity to
mitigate some of that cost. I'm staring you down at him and making sure he's not shaking
his head or leaving the room. It gives us some opportunity to mitigate that. So for
instance some of that increased TA cost may be that we use some of that £1 .4 million
to mitigate some of that cost in this financial year. It's not a trick you can do twice when
have spent it and it's gone on things, then that's what it's gone on, but it's where it's
to.
So a number of ups and downs.
It's not £357 ,000 down on a, as we described earlier, £20 -something million budget.
It's a relatively small variance at this stage.
We hope that it will turn and come back the other way, but we'll learn more through quarters
two and three.
Happy to move the recommendations.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:30:20
Thank you very much, Councillor Prater. I'm very happy to second and open it up for discussion.
Any questions or queries?
Councillor Scrofford.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 0:30:29
Yes, this is really a point of information, but looking at 4 .1, the transfer out of the
estimated, the earmarked reserves, and seeing that, you know, this is maybe four million
and going out with them.
I guess the climate change reserve
is in there as one of the earmarked reserves which
can be transferred in that way.
Just sort of a little bit interested to know
when we might know the details of that.
Today is a day when Baroness Brown is
invited by the government to report on climate change.
And the 1 .5 target is, according to her,
she's the director of the Carbon Trust,
is not going to be met.
She was talking of a two degree rise by 2050
and an alarming four degree rise by the end of the century,
which would be absolutely catastrophic.
So I suppose the point I'm making there
is retaining our climate change fund as much as we can is important.
I'm certain I've made that point before
and you're well aware of it, Professor Pater.
Thank you very much.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:31:32
Are there any other comments or...
Yes, for sure.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:31:40
Yes, I think as it's mentioned within the report, 3 .7 does mention that we've discussed
the £1 .4 million that I just referenced at the rings bed there and we're having discussions
and it's raised under 1 .4.
Additional funding is aimed to be used across four priority areas.
Malaysia strategy, homelessness, TA costs as I mentioned, local government reorganisation,
there are more costs there and environmental projects because I agree with you and we agree
and we've said throughout, is that although we've spent that reserve move was within that,
we are clear that we want to make sure that we continue our work in that area.
I think the move on the reserves though, and Jonathan is poised,
so I'm hoping he's about to jump in on the technical move on that reserve.
Is it going to be the Prince's Praise for a minute? No?
Yes it does.
Jonathan Smith - 0:32:33
So in terms of the transfers in and out of the earmarked reserves, obviously when we
set the budget in February of this year, there was a £2 .2 million draw on the earmarked
reserves specifically to set the balance budget, which obviously was drawing on earmarked reserves
for specific purposes, i .e. the purpose of those earmarked reserves.
So the net of the position of the £1 .5 million and the £3 .7 million is the £2 .2 million
that's been built into the budget for 25 -26.
So, it's the detail that was brought forward
when we set the budget in February of this year for 25 -26.
Those are the draws that are referred to there.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:33:15
OK, Julie Wood.
Councillor Blakemore.
Yeah, just to make one point.
Cllr Polly Blakemore - 0:33:23
So, despite the overall negative variance,
we had a positive variance in income from parking,
Which depending on which side of that fence you sit is debatable whether you think that's
a good or a bad thing.
But we all know how much the income from parking supports other statutory services that this
council has to deliver.
So I see that as a good thing.
And I would also like to sing the praises of our unsung heroes, our outsourced parking
enforcement team, because they've been working like Trojans all year, particularly over the
summer months, right across the district.
And yeah, with the influx of visitors as we know, which seems to grow and grow every summer,
they have a very tough job to do and they do it well and the proof is there.
Well done the parking wardens. Terrific, absolutely.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:34:14
And Councillor Bush.
Cllr James Butcher - 0:34:21
Just to understand the detail on page 71 where it talks about adverse variation due to the folks in China, 125 ,000, just to understand how that comes about.
What's involved there?
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:34:33
What's the detail about the 8th standard office?
Let's give Jonathan a chance to catch up on this one.
Cllr James Butcher - 0:34:44
There's page 71 under plates and growth.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:34:50
Jonathan Smith - 0:34:59
Mr Alan Mitchell - 0:34:59
Oh, so essentially one of the changes I want to make in future reporting is to show where
reserve is funding expenditure.
Currently it doesn't so the cost will sit up in the cost centre but then the reserve
movement is shown in the main summary of the report. So basically the £125 ,000 is the
planned expenditure on the Triennial and it would be funded from the Reserve as planned.
So it's just the weight presented at that trust, not the best.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:35:34
Good, okay. Is everyone happy? Any further questions or queries? So we have a proposer,
we have a seconder. All those in favour, please indicate. Terrific. Thank you very much everyone.

8 General Fund Capital Programme Budget Monitoring 2025/26 - 1st Quarter

Moving on to item 8 I think.
General fund capital programme budget monitoring 2526.
Councillor Prater.
Thank you.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:36:02
Report is again in front of you.
Couple more recommendations here because they are also to recommend accepting external funding
of £3 .7 million from two different grant streams.
please don't turn it down.
So those those are in there in
detail in paragraphs 2 .4 and 2 .5.
One thing that I should have said
on the previous report with Jonathan
reminded me to do so and then I forgot.
Is that all of these reporting papers
have been to the FNP subcommittee.
They went a couple of weeks ago.
Apologise that I wasn't there when I was
at my party conference coming back slowly.
There were a number of comments made on the reports during the course of that evening
and Jonathan tells me that they were all built into the Cabinet Papers which you've got in
front of you here. So all of those comments were made accepted and taken and these reports
are updated in order to reflect those changes. So I'd like to thank the members of the committee
for those thoughts. Also there were a number of questions which they asked, the answers
to which are now ready and Jonathan will be sending out in the next 24 hours or so.
Let's call it the next two days.
In both members of the committee, and if you can copy in cabinet members as well, so you
can see those questions that are being asked as well.
So there is, the scrutiny process of this is ongoing, we're not the only people seeing
these numbers, not only are they public, not only are we seeing them, so are the scrutiny
committees.
but otherwise this paper is as in front of you and I'm happy to move the recommendations
including taking £3 .7 million of other people's money to do stuff in this district.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Councillor Prater.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:37:59
I'm very happy to second that sentiment and your report because £3 .7 million is very
welcomed. So happy to open it for questions or queries.
Any members want to, if there are no questions,
Councillor Pray move the report.
I seconded it.
All in favour, please indicate.
Good. Thank you very much everyone.

9 HRA budget monitoring Q1 2024/25

Moving on to item nine, HRA budget monitoring,
quarter one, 24 -25.
and we're going to be led through this by the change this time.
It's Councillor Shrove.
Thank you.
Thank you.
A short interlude.
Cllr Rebecca Shoob - 0:38:45
I will speak about this paper.
So this is the HRA budget monitoring report covering both the revenue expenditure and
capital programme for the first quarter.
2 .2 and 2 .3 outline the main reasons for variance in the revenue budget versus actuals.
The main reason being an overestimate of rental income at the budget setting.
The capital programme is not currently showing any variance but has already been discussed.
a major caveat that this is only reflecting the first quarter, so that is probably as
to be expected. So I'm very happy to move the report.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:39:36
Thank you very much, Councillor Shaw. I'm very happy to second the report and open it
up for questions or queries. Councillor Speakeman first, then Councillor Fuller.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:40:08
Jonathan, you're going to provide us with an answer.
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:40:11
Thank you, Peter.
Thank you, Councillor Speaker.
Yes, the question about the overestimate was a technical one and of the technical nature.
When setting the rental budget, I think approximately £20 million budget,
so every seven years there's a technical thing that happens in terms of the number of weeks of rent that are charged.
And for one of the rental streams that we have, obviously we have affordable, social and the like, and leasehold as well.
There was a, the correction wasn't made between the 51 weeks, I think in the 50 weeks is the calculation.
because it's something that happens every seven years,
it was a clerical error in this case.
Effectively it was just one week's worth of rentals
for one item and it was just an error that was made.
As part of the setting process,
the rents actually charged residents with corrects
and everything like that,
it was just purely the total sum of one of the rentals
that provided this variance.
It happened.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Jonathan.
Councillor Fuller.
I had a question on the other variance really.
So specifically we've got 333 garages unoccupied by the sands there.
I was just wondering what the reasons for that were.
Because just based on the process we've got on our website that could net us somewhere
between £260 ,000 and £310 ,000 of additional income.
So it feels like quite a significant figure we're missing out on.
Would you like to comment on that Charlie?
Thank you, I'll have to take that back to the service and get some more detail on garage
voids, I guess, and I can report back to you.
Okay, thank you very much.
Any further questions or queries on that paper?
No?
So, Councillor Shubh proposed.
I was very happy to second.
All those in favour, please indicate.
Thank you very much everyone.
We now move on to item 10, quarter one, Treasury Management Monitoring 2526,
and it's Councillor Prater.

10 Q1 Treasury Management Monitoring Report 2025/26

Thank you. Again, the report is in front of you.
This is effectively a mandatory report in terms of where our Treasury management
activities are.
Our Treasury management changes in response to the circumstances that we find ourselves in,
how much money we need, how much money we have on hand at any one time,
how much money we need at any one time, investments, etc.,
and how the world has moved and interest rates have moved.
What Daniel does in this report is to list all of those changes,
list all of the things that have moved, things that have changed in the quarter,
giving you the detail of what the background is,
what the position is at this moment, where the money is,
what bets have been paid, where new funding has been sought as well.
Absolutely, if there are any questions or detail,
I know that she'd like to field those for you, and I really wouldn't.
But I'm really happy to move the report, and, yeah, it's as in front of you.
Thank you very much, Councillor Projekt.
I'm very happy to second the report and open it up for questions or comment.
Any members got any queries with regard to that?
Councillor Scofford.
It's not a query, it's a comment.
Pages 107 and 108 focus particularly on environmental, social and government investment.
I really welcome this. I think it's an excellent couple of pages in the sense that it
I think it responds to something that you were talking about previously
about the ethical investments and our ability to do it.
I particularly welcome the idea that our investments,
and we're using investments in a small way,
but in a significant way as an agent of change.
So I just wanted to say how much I welcome that.
Thank you very much, Councillor Scotham.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:44:27
And just one note from me.
I'm very glad that you included the glossary.
I didn't quite understand an awful lot of those terms, but nevertheless, terrific, very
good.
So we have a proposal, we have a seconder.
All those in favour, please indicate.
Thank you very much.
So item 11, Treasury Management Annual Report 24 -25.
Councillor Prater.
Sorry, my light was still on.

11 Treasury Management Annual Report 2024/25

I'm very happy to move this report and the recommendation to receive a notice as well.
This is a required annual report and again details so that for the financial year 24 -25
as opposed to the report that you just had which is the last of the first quarter of this financial year.
I hope we're all following. Again it gives the detail of the financial position that we found ourselves under
and lists where our borrowing and investment etc is within that.
And although these reports are often difficult to read and require a glossary,
which is good to have at this stage, they are both detailed
and all of the information is available there.
Again, it's a question of nothing is being hidden there.
It's all in plain sight and all in that report.
And again, thank you to Daniela and the Financial and the team
for getting this report together in a timely way.
And yeah, it's there in front of you.
And again, all difficult questions
can be fielded over there.
Did you propose the report?
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:46:14
You did, sir.
I'm very happy to second it and open for any questions
or queries, comments, etc.
I'm really glad to see that our borrowing has reduced, only marginally, but nevertheless
it's going in the right direction.
So if there are no questions or queries we have a proposal, we have a seconder.
All those in favour please indicate.
Thank you very much everyone.

12 Budget strategy 26/27

Moving on to the item 12 or 11.
I've kind of lost...
12.
12, super.
I just thought I was preempting myself there.
Item 12, budget strategy, 26 -27.
And it's Councillor Prater.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:47:06
I'll invite Alan to take us through this if he ends in doing so.
Again, I will do the formal moving of the recommendations which are there.
But I think that the key to this document is that
I think previously we may have done budgets in a slightly different order
in the way we were presenting them.
We started to put them together and then we started to list some of the assumptions
that we were doing on them a bit later in the process.
What this has tried to do is to give people a very clear idea
of how we're going to move through the process this year, including the timetable, and you
can see the meeting timetable of things that are going, how these things will go through
and how and where these things will go to various meetings and through scrutiny, etc.
And it also lists a number of the expectations that this budget is currently built on.
And it also lists that in a number of instances those expectations will be thwarted by outside
events and that as that happens we will cheque.
So whatever happens in the budget in November that we don't know about yet
is likely to change some of the numbers within our expectations and the budget
strategy and that is what it says that these things will happen and that we
will react to those and change those as those things come out.
Specifically, the finance team will react to those and change those things as these
things come in and go out. So, but it does list of the starting positions
in terms of where we're going,
in terms of where the budget expectations are.
So you can see, for instance, where our inflation figures are
and what we'll be having to do the calculations on.
It starts from a basic starting assumption.
I'm sorry if I'm breaking any confidences here
on what's in the written report,
that we would be expecting a Council tax rise of 1 .99 %...
2 .99 % next year, sorry.
Somebody could edit that for a webcast.
One of them is.
I would only be giving back money I'd found in previous years, I'm telling you.
But 2 .99 % as is legally allowed.
That is assuming that the budget doesn't change that number as well.
So there are a number of assumptions within there, but they are listed there, the timetable
is listed there, the process by which we are going to get to a budget is there, and as
as is the uncertainty where we have that.
So business rates particularly is an area of considerable uncertainty at the moment
because a scheme has ended and a new scheme will start.
And wouldn't it have been lovely if government told us what those things would be somewhat
before we were in October and budgeting for next April.
But they have in their wisdom chosen not to do so.
So this strategy will be updated with the new information as it comes through in areas like that.
And possibly they are potentially big multi -million pound shifts to the budget that the business trades on.
And we don't know what the answers are on those.
So this is the picture, or this is the frame of the picture that we are aiming for,
and that will end up being the full budget at the end of it.
It explains the shape of the pieces but without knowing what all of the detail of those pieces are going to be as we put it together.
So there are going to be a number of updates, a number of movements on this, but it hopefully gives people a better structure, a more informed structure of how we're going to get to the thing.
and you will also note that it does not include the Fray Star Chamber in there anywhere.
So we don't have to get the spotlights out this year and stare into everyone's eyes unless
you really want us to.
So that's that.
I don't know if Alan has anything to add on the detail of that or on the approach, but
I feel good to do so, but otherwise I have moved the recommendation.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:51:05
Thank you very much, Councillor Proctor.
Very happy to second it.
And I always find it very interesting reading the budget strategy
because we all assume when Alan or Jonathan are experts,
as they are, produce numbers, you know, 331 ,462 .26 pence,
that we think, oh, yeah, you know, it's all super precise.
But when you read the budget strategy, of course, you realise,
well, it's all kind of grey, you know.
We all move around, there's an estimate here and we add a bit there and we leave a bit
up there.
All I can say is, well, thank you for your skill in operating that budget to get us to
very, very, very good figures.
So thank you for that.
So very happy to open it for maybe less whimsical comments than mine, but please do contribute
if you wish.
Councillor Butcher.
Cllr James Butcher - 0:52:11
I was just looking at the council tax and the 84p a day per household and thinking of
that figure compared with when we were looking at the performance report, the huge range
of activity and services.
I just think it's astonishing to be able to provide all of that and I think it would never
welcome putting up a council tax.
It seems incredible how you can then call all this provided by officers.
I completely agree. Thank you.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:52:39
Any other questions or comments to make?
Well, we have a proposer. I was very happy. Second, all those in favour, please indicate.
Thank you very much and I think that concludes our business for this evening.
So thank you all very much for attending. Thank you to all the officers. Thank you.
Thank you to all the members and trustees for the early meeting.
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:53:01
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:53:01
Thank you.