Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on Monday, 9 December 2019 were declared a true record and signed by the Chairman.

To answer questions submitted by Opposition Group Leaders on items on the agenda.

There were no questions.

To answer questions submitted by citizens on the Council or its services.

The following question was submitted by Mr Paul Wilson on behalf of the Friends of Lutterell Hall.

“At the initial meeting between Rushcliffe Borough Council and Friends of Lutterell Hall, it was clearly stated that Rushcliffe Borough Council was in an excellent financial position and that there was no financial requirement to sell the hall.

The recent survey by Rushcliffe Borough Council stated that to keep the hall there was a requirement to “Make an increase on council tax to renovate the hall.

What therefore, would be the increase, if any, in council tax for each property in West Bridgford year on year?”

Councillor Moore provided the following response.

“This Council has a relatively sound financial position currently but going forward faces many challenges to ensure it maintains a balanced budget. To have a stable financial position in a difficult financial environment means this Council has taken, and will continue to take, tough decisions, through mechanisms such as the Transformation Programme and how we best use our Council assets. Clearly Lutterell Hall is one such asset and as with any responsible organisation this Council will continue to look at the viability of all of its assets in the interests of all taxpayers.

Currently Lutterell Hall costs the local taxpayer around £51,000 a year and with estimated capital costs of £275,000 to bring it up to standard, that is the equivalent of £27,500 per annum for the next 10 years. Thus a cost of £78,500 per annum to the local tax payer. This is the equivalent of £5.56 for a Band D property and will account for 11.46% of the Special Expense for West Bridgford (which in total is currently £48.51).

To reiterate the cost to the West Bridgford Tax Payer as things stand will be £5.56 of their Band D Council Tax assuming Lutterell Hall operates as it currently is and with the aforementioned projected levels of capital expenditure.”

The report of the Executive Manager – Communities is attached.

It was RESOLVED that

a)            the RIBA stage 3 design and cost plan recommended by the Member Group as detailed in Appendix 1 and 2 of the report, in line with the approved budget, be approved; and

b)            the additional costs associated with the inclusion of carbon reduction measures in line with the Council’s commitment to carbon management be approved.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Executive Manager – Communities providing an update on the designs and cost plan for the new leisure centre at Chapel Lane, Bingham.

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation advised that the report affirmed the progress already made, particularly by the Cabinet-led Member Group overseeing the stages of development for the new leisure centre, community hall and commercial office building at Chapel Lane, Bingham. The Member Group had met four times, reviewing the commissioning process at each stage to ensure that all local stakeholders had been consulted. At the last meeting, the additional cost of £370,000 was discussed, to ensure compliance with the Council’s Carbon Reduction goals, together with the possible inclusion of a moveable floor for the swimming pool. However, it was considered that the additional cost for a moveable floor compared to the apparent demand from user groups would not justify that additional cost. It was confirmed that a fully equipped kitchen was included in the plan and budget for the community hall. The project was on budget with the current forecast standing at £18.8m, along with £250,000 earmarked for remedial work at Toothill School to facilitate the partial withdrawal from existing facilities at the school.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Moore stated that the new leisure centre would be a superb addition to the Borough’s other leisure facilities and an excellent replacement for the current leisure centre. Although the extra cost for additional energy efficiency measures was substantial, it was justified to support the Council’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. The contribution from the Bingham community chest would be used towards the provision of the community hall and the new kitchen would be welcomed by the local community.

Councillor Upton welcomed and endorsed the carbon reduction measures and advised that the additional costs were reasonable in the context of the overall budget.

Councillor Robinson stated that this new development reflected the growth in Bingham and surrounding areas and the importance of having facilities to meet those needs. The facilities available at the Arena highlighted the efficiency of the Council in delivering projects on time and within budget, whilst meeting the requirements of local residents. The report highlighted the excellent progress already made and the positive feedback from residents was very encouraging. The fully equipped kitchen would be a welcome addition to the community hall and help to ensure the sustainability of the facility.       

It was RESOLVED that

a)            the RIBA stage 3 design and cost plan recommended by the Member Group as detailed in Appendix 1 and 2 of the report, in line with the approved budget, be approved; and

b)            the additional costs associated with the inclusion of carbon reduction measures in line with the Council’s commitment to carbon management be approved.

The report of the Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services is attached.

It was RESOLVED that

a)            the creation of the West Bridgford Special Expenses and Community Infrastructure Levy Advisory Group (in the meantime the Group operates informally and develops a draft Terms of Reference), be endorsed and recommended to Full Council; and

b)            the allocation of Members for the West Bridgford Special Expenses and Community Infrastructure Levy Advisory Group be endorsed and recommended to Full Council, subject to the following amendment that one position on the Group be allocated to the Green Party, in lieu of one seat being allocated to the Conservative Group.

Councillor Robinson advised that before the report was presented, two amendments were proposed.

1.            Currently the report referred to the establishment of the Special Expenses and Community Infrastructure Levy Advisory Group and it was proposed that the report should be amended to refer to the West Bridgford Special Expenses and Community Infrastructure Levy Advisory Group.

2.            The report outlined that ideally the Group should consist of ward members for West Bridgford. Based on the current rules of proportionality, the Green Party would not be allocated a seat. The Conservative Group considered that it was important that the Lady Bay ward was represented on the Group and had agreed that it would be appropriate to allocate one of its seats to the Green Group.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Contracts presented the report of the Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services outlining the creation of the West Bridgford Special Expenses and Community Infrastructure Levy Advisory Group.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Contracts reiterated the importance of the comments made by Councillor Robinson that the name of the Group should be amended to refer to West Bridgford as the matter solely related to West Bridgford. Currently there was no forum in place to consider potential allocation of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) in West Bridgford. The establishment of the Group also provided an opportunity for greater transparency to the current Special Expense for West Bridgford. The Group would look at the current approach to Special Expenses and would be required to assist in recommending the budget annually and review its progress every six months. It would also be responsible for recommending the strategy for the allocation of the CIL, which would be subject to public consultation. It was the intention that the Group would initially meet informally to agree its Terms of Reference, until it was formally ratified by Council and the Constitution was amended. The Group would be Chaired by the independent Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Finance and the group should ideally consist of Councillors from West Bridgford and be based on current proportionality. However, as referred to above, an amendment has been proposed to allow a change to the allocation on the Group. There were several legal obligations regarding the CIL as it was a discretionary charge. All authorities adopting the CIL regime were required to set up a Charging Schedule setting out the rates applicable to the area. It must also take account of matters including the total cost of the infrastructure requiring funding, other sources of funding available and the potential effect of CIL on the viability of development in the area.    

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Mason referred to the importance of transparency and accountability in ensuring that local residents were aware of where and how decisions were being made and how funding was being allocated. The importance of ensuring the correct membership of the Group was reiterated, as it was important that ward members for West Bridgford were involved and had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

It was resolved that under Regulation 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

The report of the Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services is attached.

It was RESOLVED that

a)            a report be commissioned to consider whether there is a golfing need for Edwalton Golf Course and an alternatives options appraisal if a need is not established and that report be submitted for consideration to the Communities Scrutiny Group; and

b)            the current £22,000 payment received from Lex Leisure be deferred until further notice; and at least until the outcome on the use of the site is determined. This will be included in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy as a growth pressure (which is reported to Full Council).

The Portfolio Holder for Business and Transformation presented the report of the Executive Manager – Finance and Corporate Services providing information on Edwalton Golf Course.

It was RESOLVED that

a)            a report be commissioned to consider whether there is a golfing need for Edwalton Golf Course and an alternatives options appraisal if a need is not established and that report be submitted for consideration to the Communities Scrutiny Group; and

b)            the current £22,000 payment received from Lex Leisure be deferred until further notice; and at least until the outcome on the use of the site is determined. This will be included in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy as a growth pressure (which is reported to Full Council).