North Yorkshire Council
Full Council
Minutes of the meeting held on Friday, 14 February 2025 commencing at 10.30 am.
Councillor Roberta Swiers in the Chair plus Councillors Chris Aldred, Joy Andrews, Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Nick Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, John Cattanach, David Chance, Liz Colling, Mark Crane, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Gareth Dadd, Melanie Davis, Caroline Dickinson, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Keane Duncan, Kevin Foster, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Paul Haslam, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Mike Jordan, Nigel Knapton, Peter Lacey, Andrew Lee, Carl Les, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Steve Mason, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday, Simon Myers, David Noland, Bob Packham, Andy Paraskos, Stuart Parsons, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Janet Sanderson, Mike Schofield, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Andrew Timothy, Phil Trumper, Matt Walker, Arnold Warneken, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
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Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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134 |
Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Phillip Barrett, Stephanie Duckett, Janet Jefferson, John McCartney, Heather Moorhouse and John Ritchie.
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135 |
Declarations of Interest
Minute Item 137 Councillor Carl Les OBE declared an interest in his capacity as Chair of Trustees of North Yorkshire Citizens Advice and Law Centre. Councillors David Chance, Caroline Goodrick and Melanie Davis each declared an interest as Trustees of the same organisation. Councillor Liz Colling declared an interest as a former Trustee. Councillor Peter Wilkinson declared an interest since his firm provided support to North Yorkshire Citizens Advice and Law Centre.
Councillor Davis also declared an interest as a second home owner.
Councillor Gareth Dadd declared an interest on the basis that he was a Director of a company with holiday lets. He remained in the meeting for the item as he had previously been granted a dispensation.
Councillor Michael Harrison declared an interest since his employer was referred to in the Treasury Management Strategy. He remained in the meeting for the item as he had previously been granted a dispensation.
Councillor Lindsay Burr MBE declared an interest since she was a dedicated Safeguarding Officer.
Councillor Dan Sladden declared an interest since he let a small number of properties on a commercial basis.
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136 |
Chair's Announcements
The Chair welcomed the Honorary Aldermen and members of the public and press who were present.
The Chair informed Members of the usual arrangements for the meeting.
The Chair reminded Members that as per the email previously sent by Barry Khan, Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services, there was a legal requirement to ensure that Members were not in arrears for their Council Tax when voting on the budget.
The Chair advised that there were a number of proposed amendments to the Council budget that had previously been circulated by email and copies made available in the Council Chamber. Her intention was to work through these, inviting the proposer and seconder to put their amendments in the order in which they were received.
The Chair then drew Council’s attention to the King’s New Year’s Honours list and passed on congratulations to Stuart Carlton, the Corporate Director for the Children and Young People’s Service, who had been awarded a knighthood for services to children, young people and families, and to Wendy Nichols, who had been elevated to the House of Lords and was now Baroness Nichols of Selby OBE for her political service.
The following deaths were noted:
The Chair also advised that she had been privileged to attend the funeral of PC Rosie Prior at York Minster on 13 February. PC Prior had lost her life while helping at the scene of a road traffic accident on the A19 near Bagby.
A minute’s silence was held in memory of these four public servants.
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137 |
North Yorkshire Council's Revenue Budget 2025/26 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27 to 2027/28
1. Revenue Budget for 2025/26 and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27 to 2027/28
The recommendations at pages 64 to 66 of the agenda (pages 2468 to 2470 of the Minute Book) were moved by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Carl Les, and seconded by the Deputy Leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd.
(i) The following amendment was moved by Councillor Kevin Foster and seconded by Councillor Andy Brown: “The locality budgets for all 90 Councillors remains as it was when the 7 District councils merged to the new North Yorkshire Council on the 1st of April 2023.”
The amendment was then debated. In the course of the debate, the Corporate Director of Resources, Gary Fielding clarified that his analysis of the impact of the proposed amendment to the Council budget circulated at the meeting was based on the retention of the full £10,000 per Member locality budget for 2025/26 only, instead of on a recurring basis as proposed. The latter meant that the overall cumulative budget shortfall as at the end of 2027/28 would increase to £34.9m. It would also mean an additional draw on reserves of £1.35m over the period of the Medium Term Financial Strategy to 2027/28.
A recorded vote was taken by roll call and the motion was declared defeated 37 for, 47 against and no abstentions.
Against: Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Nick Brown, John Cattanach, David Chance, Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Simon Myers, Andy Paraskos, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Janet Sanderson, Karin Sedgwick, David Staveley, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
Abstentions: none
(ii) The following amendment was moved by Councillor Bryn Griffiths and seconded by Councillor Peter Lacey:
· “We propose that the Council retains the full value of the locality budgets for 2025/26 at £10,000 per Member per annum pending an external evaluation of the value and benefits to local communities arising from the use of such locality budgets. · We further propose that the one-off external evaluation should be funded to a maximum of £50k from reserves. This evaluation should identify the overall value to local communities of the scheme as well as ways to improve, if appropriate, the running of the scheme including recommendations for an appropriate level of funding for 2026/27. It should be noted that this suggested additional spend is less than the combined underspend from Locality Budgets in 22/23 and 23/24 of £55,922. · The additional cost of retaining the locality budgets at £900k for 2025/26 and using £50k for evaluation purposes would be to increase the call on reserves from £4,899k to £5,399k in 2025/26 and the locality budget levels for 2026/27 would be revisited in next year’s Budget exercise following the outcome of the evaluation exercise.”
The amendment was then debated.
A recorded vote was taken by roll call and the motion was declared defeated 17 for, 65 against and two abstentions.
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Joy Andrews, Philip Broadbank, Barbara Brodigan, Liz Colling, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Peter Lacey, Steve Mason, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andrew Timothy and Matt Walker.
Against: Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Eric Broadbent, Nick Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, John Cattanach, David Chance, Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Melanie Davis, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Kevin Foster, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Paul Haslam, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Mike Jordan, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Simon Myers, David Noland, Bob Packham, Andy Paraskos, Stuart Parsons, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Janet Sanderson, Mike Schofield, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Arnold Warneken, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
Abstentions: Councillors Andy Brown and Sam Cross
(iii) The following amendment was proposed by Councillor Peter Lacey and seconded by Councillor Bryn Griffiths:
“We propose that the Council Budget is amended to include the following addition:
· A ‘investment fund’ of £5m from Council reserves, available over 2yrs to 31 March 2027, is set up to target a marked reduction in demand pressures that are otherwise expected to lead to continuing and potentially growing costs pressures on CYPS and HAS over the MTFS period. · This fund is to be used to commission business plans and investment that demonstrate evidence-based potential to reduce pressure on front-line services, notably within children’s, adults and housing services through reducing underlying demand, reducing the complexity of needs presenting and/or addressing market shortcomings that lead to price inflation, alongside delivering better outcomes for residents. · These business plans will be submitted for consideration by the Council at its meeting in Autumn 2025 and a rigorous evaluation will be undertaken to demonstrate their impact on demand pressures by the Autumn of 2026 to assess their impact on ongoing care and support needs for residents and the impact that there is in reducing on-going revenue costs and whether further funding in these areas is warranted. · The additional cost of £5m for such a fund would result in an increase to the call on reserves from £4,899k to £9,899k in 2025/26 noting that unused funds could be rolled forward into 2026/27. It is hoped that the impact will reduce ongoing revenue costs which could be factored into the Budget exercise for 2027/28 and onwards.”
The amendment was then debated.
A recorded vote was taken by roll call and the motion was declared defeated 15 for, 69 against and no abstentions.
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Joy Andrews, Philip Broadbank, Barbara Brodigan, Lindsay Burr MBE, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Peter Lacey, Steve Mason, Andrew Murday, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andrew Timothy and Matt Walker.
Against: Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Eric Broadbent, Andy Brown, Nick Brown, John Cattanach, David Chance, Liz Colling, Mark Crane, Sam Cross, Gareth Dadd, Melanie Davis, Caroline Dickinson, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Keane Duncan, Kevin Foster, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Paul Haslam, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Mike Jordan, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Rich Maw, Simon Myers, David Noland, Bob Packham, Andy Paraskos, Stuart Parsons, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Janet Sanderson, Mike Schofield, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Arnold Warneken, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
Abstentions: None.
(iv) The following amendment was proposed by Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright and seconded by Councillor Neil Swannick:
“Since 2016, Citizens Advice has run the Seasonal Health contract for North Yorkshire Council for £50,000 a year. This involves running a helpline 9-5 Monday to Friday, for individuals and organisations across North Yorkshire, as well as an online referral portal. Last year, around 10,000 clients were helped across North Yorkshire, and approximately 70 organisations used the service.
The £50,000 does not cover the full cost of running the service, but it serves as the base funding through which Citizens Advice secures additional funds from sources like British Gas Energy Trust and Northern Powergrid. In total, this allows Citizens Advice to bring in around £650,000 a year for energy funding in North Yorkshire, employing 20 individuals and running a county-wide service.
During late October, Citizens Advice was informed that North Yorkshire Council is proposing to end this funding, and presumably the service, at the end of this financial year. The service cannot be replicated for £50,000, and no TUPE arrangements have been made, making it unlikely that the service is being taken in-house. It would also be very costly for the council to set up such a service at this time.
With an ongoing energy and cost of living crisis, it appears NYC is considering cutting its fuel poverty service to save £50,000. While difficult decisions must be made, this seems like a strange choice, as the service supports the most vulnerable at a low cost to the authority AND attracts far greater funding. It also shows a concerning lack of care for those in need.
Data from the project is set out below so Members can see what has already been gained and what will be lost.
Citizens Advice North Yorkshire are extremely grateful for their ongoing support from NYC and are aware of the need for cuts and have already been informed that they are likely to lose other funding from their general grant (approx. £100,000) but since this was largely small amounts of short-term funding, they can adjust the overall service or seek alternative funding. They took the view that everyone is having to adjust to cuts in funding and were content to accept that cut. However, the Seasonal Health Contract is critical not only in terms of the service and clientele it supports but because it provided a base fund to attract so much other funding from utility companies etc.
Whilst we understand the need for cuts, we propose that this £50,000 could be taken from the Car Allowance Budget which last year was £3,626,500. NYC’s policy is not to have car allowances so many of these will be legacy (TUPE) and diminishing. Most of the allowances are simply 45p per mile for business so there is discretion around the amount claimed dependent upon the reason for the travel rather than the travel itself. £50,000 represents less than 1.4% of the total budget so if we all just make some small changes to our travel activity (e.g. car sharing) then this Seasonal Health grant could be restored and allow this valuable work to continue and offer real help the most vulnerable.
Amendment
The amendment was then debated.
A recorded vote was taken by roll call and the motion was declared defeated 33 for, 42 against and two abstentions.
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, Liz Colling, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Kevin Foster, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Paul Haslam, Peter Lacey, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday, David Noland, Bob Packham, Stuart Parsons, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Mike Schofield, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, Neil Swannick, Andrew Timothy, Matt Walker and Arnold Warneken.
Against: Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Nick Brown, Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Simon Myers, Andy Paraskos, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Janet Sanderson, Karin Sedgwick, David Staveley, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
Abstentions: John Cattanach and Mike Jordan.
(In accordance with their declarations at Minute item 135, Councillors Les, Chance, Davis, Goodrick, and Peter Wilkinson all withdrew from the meeting during the debate and determination of this item)
(v) The following amendment was proposed by Councillor Melanie Davis and seconded by Councillor Liz Colling.
“At this time two years ago and as part of the budget setting process, NYC took the decision to move “savings” from its Domestic Violence budget into balances. At the time this was queried and, in an attempt to prevent using these funds as “savings”, a motion to reverse this cut was moved but lost. Members of the Executive stated that the funds could always be taken out of Balances and used for support work in the future and the fact that it was in balances would broaden the ways in which the funding could be used. We are therefore seeking to take those funds out of balances and use them to work with local providers to enhance and develop the services already in place.
Domestic violence statistics continue to rise nationally and locally, and Central Government has declared an emergency around “violence against women and girls” and is seeking to halve these figures in a decade from September 2024. The National Audit Office reports that the percentage of women aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales to have suffered a sexual assault was estimated to be 4.3% in 2023-24, up from 3.4% in 2009-10. Incidents of rape and sexual assault recorded by police had increased almost fourfold during the same period, from 34,000 to 123,000. The NAO also reports that only a minority of domestic abuse cases recorded by police led to charges.
NYC already works with the Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) and, using this £450, additional services could be set up to deal with the recognised unmet need for both direct help (safe and secure accommodation), and information, advice, training and referrals.
Children and young people are often the hidden victims of domestic abuse. Many abusers directly target children through emotional abuse, violence, or sexual abuse. This can have a huge impact on children’s relationships with others and on their behaviour with some becoming aggressive and others withdrawn. As well as supporting children and young people who live in their refuges, IDAS support young people and children across North Yorkshire via other support programmes. These programmes help the whole family including those families where young people are being abusive to their parents or siblings. Community teams across North Yorkshire support young people under the age of 16 years who have been abused or sexually assaulted. IDAS also sets up parenting support groups and children and young people’s peer support networks.
The harmful impacts of sexual violence can last a lifetime and providing the right support is crucial for survivors. IDAS pride themselves on delivering a trauma-informed service to victims and survivors, helping them through court processes and building emotional well-being. They can support victims for many years if needed and work closely with other services to access counselling, groups, and peer support networks for them. They also support the parents of children who have been abused providing them with resources, information and emotional support which will help them to best support their children. Their specialist teams have been instrumental in supporting several high-profile cases in North Yorkshire which have led to successful prosecution, including a number which have involved several family members and abuse spanning many years.
These funds could be used to cover many aspects of work including the immediate needs of individuals and families and then ongoing individual and group support for survivors to enable them to rebuild their lives. They could provide training for other professionals and collaborative work to provide drop-in services for other organisations. A dedicated team of champions and volunteers have given IDAS over 7,000 hours of their time for free for several years.
Working with IDAS to utilise this £450,000, real and lasting changes can be achieved to begin to turn the tide of rising domestic violence statistics improving outcomes for women and children. That is a much better use of these funds than sitting in our bank account!
Amendment That NYC allocate £450,000 from NYC balances to work with IDAS to use their expertise and knowledge to make best use of those funds to provide better and lasting outcomes for survivors of domestic violence in our communities. This funding to come from Reserves in 2025/26 (effectively recovering a single year’s saving from the previous grant) but with the flexibility to use the funding over the period of 2025/26 to 2027/28.”
The amendment was then debated.
A recorded vote was taken by roll call and the motion was declared defeated 36 for, 46 against and no abstentions.
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, John Cattanach, Liz Colling, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Melanie Davis, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Kevin Foster, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Paul Haslam, Mike Jordan, Peter Lacey, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday, David Noland, Bob Packham, Stuart Parsons, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Mike Schofield, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, Neil Swannick, Andrew Timothy, Matt Walker and Arnold Warneken.
Against: Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Nick Brown, David Chance, Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Simon Myers, Andy Paraskos, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Janet Sanderson, Karin Sedgwick, David Staveley, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Steve Watson, David Webster, John Weighell OBE, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
Abstentions: none
Upon resumption of the meeting, Members asked questions about, and commented on the Revenue Budget for 2025/26 and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2026/27 to 2027/28 to which the relevant Executive Members responded. Part of the discussion centred on the proposed savings resulting from the changes made to the Council’s Home to School Travel Policy. Councillor Peacock absented herself from the meeting during this discussion since she was a school transport operator.
A named vote was taken by roll call on the substantive motion, that is the recommendations at pages 64 to 66 of the agenda (pages 2468 to 2470 of the Minute Book) and declared carried with 53 for, 24 against and one abstention.
For: Councillors Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Eric Broadbent, Nick Brown, David Chance, Liz Colling, Mark Crane, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Simon Myers, Bob Packham, Andy Paraskos, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Jack Proud, Janet Sanderson, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Phil Trumper, Steve Watson, David Webster, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson, Andrew Williams and Robert Windass.
Against: Councillors Chris Aldred, Philip Broadbank, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Kevin Foster, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Peter Lacey, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday, David Noland, Stuart Parsons, Kirsty Poskitt, Tony Randerson, Mike Schofield, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andrew Timothy, Matt Walker and Arnold Warneken.
Abstentions: Paul Haslam
Resolved:
a) That the Section 25 assurance statement provided by the Corporate Director, Resources regarding the robustness of the estimates and the adequacy of the reserves (paragraph 8.11) and the risk assessment of the MTFS detailed in Section 9 are noted;
b) An increase in Council Tax of 4.99% (basic 2.99% and Adult Social Care 2%) resulting in a Band D charge of £1,939.54 – an increase of £92.18 (paragraph 4.3.7 and Appendix D) is approved;
c) That, in accordance with Section 31A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (as amended by Section 74 of The Localism Act 2011), a Council Tax requirement for 2025/26 of £494,205,207.33 is approved (paragraph 4.3.10);
d) That a Net Revenue Budget for 2025/26 of £640,918k (Appendix G) is approved;
e) That in the event that the level of external funding (including the Local Government Finance Settlement) results in a variance of less than £10m in 2025/26 then the difference is to be addressed by a transfer to / from the Strategic Capacity Reserve with such changes being reflected elsewhere in the report;
f) That the Corporate Director – Children and Young People’s Service is authorised, in consultation with the Corporate Director, Resources and the Executive Members for Schools and Finance, to take the final decision on the allocation of the Schools Budget including High Needs, Early Years and the Central Schools Services Block (paragraph 3.1.15);
g) That the Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2026/27 to 2027/28, and its caveats, as laid out in Section 3.0 and Appendix G is approved in line with the proposed council tax option;
h) That the Corporate Director – Environment is authorised, in consultation with the Executive Members for Highways & Transportation, Managing our Environment and Open to Business, to carry out all necessary actions, including consultation where considered appropriate, to implement the range of savings as set out in Appendix B (ENV 1 to 34);
i) That the Corporate Director – Community Development is authorised, in consultation with the Executive Members for Open to Business and Culture, Arts and Housing, to carry out all necessary actions, including consultation where considered appropriate, to implement the range of savings as set out in Appendix B (CD 1 to 13);
j) That the Corporate Director – Health and Adult Services is authorised, in consultation with the Executive Members for HAS, to carry out all necessary actions, including consultation where he considers it appropriate, to implement the range of savings as set out in Appendix B (HAS 1 to 10);
k) That the Corporate Director – Children and Young People’s Services are authorised, in consultation with the Executive Members for CYPS, to carry out all necessary actions, including consultation where he considers it appropriate, to implement the range of savings as set out in Appendix B (CYPS 1 to 6);
l) That the Corporate Director – Resources, in consultation with the Executive Members for Finance & Resources and Corporate Services, to carry out all the necessary actions, including consultation where he consider it appropriate, to implement the range of savings as set out in Appendix B (RD 1 to 8 and CM 1 to 2);
m)That the Chief Executive is authorised, in consultation with the Executive Members for Central Services, to carry out all necessary actions, including consultation where he considers it appropriate, to implement the range of savings as set out in Appendix B (CS 1-10);
n) That any outcomes requiring changes following Recommendations h), i), j), k) l), and m) above be brought back to the Executive to consider and, where changes are recommended to the existing major policy framework, then such matters to be considered by full Council;
o) That £5,000k be added to the Corporate Property Maintenance budget in 2025/26 on a one-off basis as set out in paragraph 4.8.5 to address urgent needs and that a scheme is produced to aid decision making on allocation of this sum with the design of the scheme being delegated to the Corporate Director in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and Property; and
p) That the proposed policy target for the minimum level of the General Working Balance is £32m in line with Appendix F and paragraph 4.5.3.
2. Capital Five Year Spending Plan
The recommendations at page 140 of the agenda (page 2554 of the Minute Book) were moved by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Gareth Dadd, and seconded by the Leader, Councillor Carl Les.
On a vote being taken the motion was declared carried.
Resolved:
That the refreshed Capital Plan summarised at paragraph 3.3 of the report is approved.
3. Treasury Management Strategy 2025/26 and Capital Strategy
The recommendations regarding the Treasury Management Strategy 2025/26 and Capital Strategy at pages 147 to 148 of the agenda (2561 to 2562 of the Minute Book) were moved by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Gareth Dadd, and seconded by the Leader, Councillor Carl Les.
On a vote being taken the motion was declared carried unanimously.
Resolved:
a) That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement Annex 1, consisting of the Annual Treasury Management Strategy (Section 1), Capital Prudential Indicators (Section 2), Borrowing Strategy (Section 3) and Annual Investment Strategy 2025/26 (Section 4) is approved, including in particular; i. an authorised limit for external debt of £643.7m in 2025/26; ii. an operational boundary for external debt of £623.7m in 2025/26; iii. the Prudential and Treasury Indicators based on the Council’s current and indicative spending plans for 2025/26 to 2027/28; iv. a limit of £60m of the total cash sums available for investment (both in house and externally managed) to be invested in Non-Specified Investments over 365 days; v. a Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy for debt repayment to be charged to Revenue in 2025/26; vi. the Corporate Director – Resources to report to the Council if and when necessary during the year on any changes to this Strategy arising from the use of operational leasing, PFI or other innovative methods of funding not previously approved by the Council; b) That the Capital Strategy as attached as Annex 2 is approved;
c) That the Audit Committee be invited to review Annex 1 and 2 and submit any proposals to the Executive for consideration at the earliest opportunity.
4. Housing Revenue Account Budget 2025/26 and Medium Term Financial Plans 2026/27 and 2027/28
The recommendations regarding the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2025/26 and Medium Term Financial Plans 2026/27 and 2027/28 at page 218 of the agenda (2632 of the Minute Book) were moved by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Gareth Dadd, and seconded by the Leader, Councillor Carl Les.
A named vote was taken by roll call on the motion, and declared carried with 75 for, one against and no abstentions
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Nick Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, David Chance, Liz Colling, Mark Crane, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Keane Duncan, Kevin Foster, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Paul Haslam, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Peter Lacey, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday , Simon Myers, David Noland, Andy Paraskos, Stuart Parsons, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Janet Sanderson, Mike Schofield, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Andrew Timothy, Phil Trumper, Matt Walker, Arnold Warneken, Steve Watson, David Webster, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson and Robert Windass.
Against: Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff
Abstentions: None.
Resolved that Council approves:
a) The HRA budget for 2025/26 as set out in paragraph 6.3 of the report, being a net deficit of £3.901m which will be drawn from the HRA working balance; b) The HRA Medium term financial plan for 2026/27 and 2027/28 and the 30-year HRA Business Plan, as set out in paragraph 6.3 and Appendix B of the report respectively; c) That an increase of 2.7% be applied to social, affordable and hostel rents from 1 April 2025; d) That an increase of 2% be applied to shared ownership rents from 1 April 2025; e) Matched funding to support the Warm Homes Social Fund Wave 3 up to a maximum of £28.9m with a report back to Executive to approve a revised spending plan in the event of a lesser grant award.
5. Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2025/26
The recommendations regarding the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2025/26 at page 228 of the agenda (2642 of the Minute Book) were moved by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Gareth Dadd, and seconded by the Leader, Councillor Carl Les.
A named vote was taken by roll call on the motion, and declared carried unanimously with 76 in favour.
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Nick Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, David Chance, Liz Colling, Mark Crane, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Keane Duncan, Kevin Foster, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Paul Haslam, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Peter Lacey, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday , Simon Myers, David Noland, Andy Paraskos, Stuart Parsons, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Janet Sanderson, Mike Schofield, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Andrew Timothy, Phil Trumper, Matt Walker, Arnold Warneken, Steve Watson, David Webster, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson and Robert Windass.
Against: None.
Abstentions: None.
Resolved:
That the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2025/26 is approved.
6. Council Tax Resolution Report
The recommendations regarding the Council Tax Resolution Report at page 313 of the agenda (2727 of the Minute Book) were moved by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Gareth Dadd, and seconded by the Leader, Councillor Carl Les.
A named vote was taken by roll call on the motion, and declared carried unanimously with 76 in favour.
For: Councillors Chris Aldred, Karl Arthur, Alyson Baker, Derek Bastiman, Philip Broadbank, Eric Broadbent, Barbara Brodigan, Andy Brown, Nick Brown, Lindsay Burr MBE, David Chance, Liz Colling, Mark Crane, Sam Cross, Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, Gareth Dadd, Caroline Dickinson, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, Keane Duncan, Kevin Foster, Richard Foster, Sam Gibbs, Caroline Goodrick, Hannah Gostlow, Bryn Griffiths, Tim Grogan, Michael Harrison, Paul Haslam, Robert Heseltine, David Hugill, Nathan Hull, David Ireton, George Jabbour, David Jeffels, Tom Jones, Nigel Knapton, Peter Lacey, Andrew Lee, Carl Les OBE, Cliff Lunn, John Mann, Rich Maw, Andrew Murday , Simon Myers, David Noland, Andy Paraskos, Stuart Parsons, Yvonne Peacock, Clive Pearson, Heather Phillips, Kirsty Poskitt, Jack Proud, Tony Randerson, Janet Sanderson, Mike Schofield, Karin Sedgwick, Subash Sharma, Steve Shaw-Wright, Dan Sladden, Monika Slater, Andy Solloway, David Staveley, Neil Swannick, Roberta Swiers, Malcolm Taylor, Angus Thompson, Andrew Timothy, Phil Trumper, Matt Walker, Arnold Warneken, Steve Watson, David Webster, Greg White, Annabel Wilkinson, Peter Wilkinson and Robert Windass.
Against: None.
Abstentions: None.
Resolved:
That the Council Tax Resolution, as detailed at Appendix A of the report, be approved.
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Council Plan 2025-2029
The recommendations at page 354 of the agenda pack (page 2768 of the Minute Book) were moved and seconded.
The motion was debated. Because the financial landscape had altered considerably since the Council Plan was first drafted, and remained uncertain in the future, the Deputy Leader of the Council proposed an amendment to the report’s recommendations to the effect that the Council: “Approve the Council Plan with an appropriate statement highlighting the dependence of the plan on our and partners’ financial ability to fund it. The text and positioning to be written by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader.”
The amendment was seconded.
Concerns were expressed at the lack of detail in certain sections of the document and that the amendment had been tabled without advance notification.
It was moved and seconded that Council move to the vote on the amendment and on a vote being taken 52 Members voted for the motion, 24 voted against and there were no abstentions.
After this vote was taken, some councillors left the meeting in protest.
On a vote being taken on the amendment, the motion was declared carried, with 54 votes for, six against and no abstentions.
With the amendment now the substantive motion, a final vote was taken and declared carried, with 54 votes for, one against and five abstentions.
Resolved:
(i) That the Council approves the Council Plan with an appropriate statement highlighting the dependence of the plan on our and partners’ financial ability to fund it. The text and positioning to be written by the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader; and
(ii) That the Council authorises the Chief Executive to make any necessary changes to the text, including reflecting decisions made by the Council on the budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy, and updated performance data and key performance indicators.
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The meeting concluded at 3.46 pm.