Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

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Minutes:

An apology for absence was received from Councillor L.D. Evans.

 

2.

DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL INTEREST

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Minutes:

Councillor

Minute Number

Nature of Interest

A.   Davies

9 – Capital Programme 2022/23 update

The Tywi Valley Cycle Path passes through her farmland.

 

3.

MINUTES - 31ST OCTOBER 2022 pdf icon PDF 82 KB

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Minutes:

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on the 31st October, 2022 be signed as a correct recordsubject to the inclusion of Cllr. Deryk Cundy as having been in attendance.

4.

QUESTIONS ON NOTICE BY MEMBERS

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Minutes:

The Chair advised that no questions on notice had been submitted by members.

5.

PUBLIC QUESTIONS ON NOTICE

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Minutes:

The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.

6.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION POLICY pdf icon PDF 122 KB

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Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a proposed revised Freedom of Information Policy which would establish the principles underpinning Carmarthenshire County Council’s approach to the promotion of open government and reinforce its commitment to openness. The document had originally been approved as the Code of Practice on Public Access to Information on 14th May 2013 and had far exceeded its review date. The revised Policy reflected the key features of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act), including the categories of exempt information specified within this legislation.

 

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to approve the revised Freedom of Information Policy.

7.

REVISED CARMARTHENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2018-2023 DRAFT SECOND DEPOSIT pdf icon PDF 136 KB

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Minutes:

Further to Minute 7.2 of Council held on the 9th March 2022 the Cabinet considered a report setting out the Draft Second Deposit Revised LDP (Deposit LDP) by identifying the Council’s land use Vision, Strategic Objectives and Strategic Growth requirements for the County through to 2033, along with a detailed and comprehensive set of policies and provisions including site specific allocations for housing and employment use, as well as environmental and other spatial considerations. Approval was sought for the publication of the Deposit LDP and supporting documents as part of a formal public consultation for a minimum statutory period of 6 weeks commencing in December 2022/January 2023.

It was noted that the Deposit Revised LDP, together with other supporting documents, were emerging documents which would develop through to the point of publication. This reflected the availability of some pieces of evidence and timelines associated with the plan’s preparation and ensure that the Plan would include the most current information at publication.

 

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL

 

7.1 to approve the content of the Draft Second Deposit Revised Local Development Plan 2018 – 2033 (and supporting documents) for formal public consultation;

 

7.2 to approve the rolling forward of the Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance in relation to the Burry Inlet and the Caeau Mynydd Mawr Special Area of Conservation for adoption concurrent with the Revised LDP;

 

7.3 to note the Draft Briefing Note on the emerging Economic and Housing Growth Report and agree the recommended revised Growth Option;

 

7.4 to grant officers delegated authority to make any typographical or factual amendments as necessary in order to enhance clarity of meaning.

8.

COUNCIL'S REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING REPORT pdf icon PDF 118 KB

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Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the revenue budget monitoring report which provided the latest budgetary position as at 31st August 2022 in respect of 2022/2023. Overall, the monitoring report forecast an overspend for the year at departmental level of £4,930k with a forecast overspend on the Authority’s net revenue budget of £4,804k. At a high level, this was due to a combination of:

 

·       nationally negotiated pay offers (as yet unresolved) at much higher levels than budgeted, for which additional governmental funding is currently unknown. High level estimates are that this could be £7.1m above budget;

·       overspends in service areas driven by increased demand combined with reduced grant funding versus previous years, particularly Learning Disabilities and Childrens Service;

·       a sustained reduction in commercial income, covering car parks, leisure centres and school meals;

·       capital financing underspends due to scheme delays and reduced need to borrow.

 

It was noted that as part of the 2022/23 budget setting process, the Authority had agreed a £3m in-year contingency budget which was currently held centrally and provided a partial offset to the above mentioned general pressures.

 

The Housing Revenue Account reported a predicted overspend of £27k for 2022/23, to be funded through a contribution from reserves. This would be reviewed as the significant issues identified became clearer from a financial perspective. It was also noted that nationally negotiated pay offers at much higher levels than budgeted would fall directly on the HRA to fund which, at a high level had been estimated to be £0.5m above budget.

 

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that:

 

8.1 The Budget Monitoring report be received, and the budgetary position and appropriate corrective action taken be noted;

 

8.2 in respect of significant overspends on specific budget areas Chief Officers and Heads of Service critically review options available to them to address the ongoing impact.

9.

CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2022/23 UPDATE pdf icon PDF 104 KB

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Minutes:

(NOTE: Councillor A. Davies declared an interest in this item and was not in attendance during the consideration or voting of this item.)

 

The Cabinet considered a report which provided the latest budgetary position for the 2022/23 capital programme, as at the 31st August 2022 and detailed new projects for noting and Cabinet approval. It was reported that departmentally a net spend of £78,293k was forecast compared with a working net budget of £148,731k, giving a -£70,438k variance. This was a significant reappraisal of the forecasted outturn to that reported following the June Monitoring due mainly to reprofiling and slippage of the City Deal, Towy Valley Path, Modernising Education Programme and Housing Revenue Account programme. In part, some of the slippage was as a result of contractor capacity issues.

 

The net budget included the original H.R.A. and General Fund capital programmes approved by Council on the 2nd March, 2022 and slippage from 2021/22. It was noted that some budgets had also been amended to account for differences in actual grant allocations compared with the anticipated allocations at the time the programme was approved and, new grant awards received during the year to date.

 

It was noted that Appendix B detailed the main variances within each department.

 

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that:

 

9.1 the capital programme update report 2022/23 be received;

 

9.2. the new projects as detailed within the report be noted and agreed.

10.

TO NOTE THAT THE LABOUR GROUP HAS NOMINATED COUNCILLOR MICHAEL THOMAS TO REPLACE COUNCILLOR SHELLY GODFREY-COLES ON THE EDUCATION ADMISSIONS FORUM.

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Minutes:

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to note that the Labour Group has nominated Councillor Michael Thomas to replace Councillor Shelly Godfrey-Coles on the Education Admissions Forum.

11.

ANY OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS THAT BY REASONS OF SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES THE CHAIR DECIDES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A MATTER OF URGENCY PURSUANT TO SECTION 100B(4)(B) OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT, 1972.

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Minutes:

The Chair advised that there were no items of urgent business.

 

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