Agenda and decisions

Executive - Thursday 16th November, 2023 10.00 am

Venue: Council Chamber, Corby Cube, George Street, Corby, NN17 1QG

Contact: David Pope 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

2.

Minutes of the Meeting Held on 12th October 2023 pdf icon PDF 171 KB

3.

Members' Declarations of Interest

4.

Notifications of requests to address the meeting

5.

Performance Indicator Report 2023/24 (Period 6 - September 2023) pdf icon PDF 134 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive noted the performance of the Council as measured by the available indicators at Period 6 (September / Quarter 2) 2023/24, set out in the appendices to this report.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations: to better understand the Council’s performance as measured by Key Performance Indicators as at Period 6 (September / Quarter 2) 2023/24.

 

Alternative Options Considered: Reporting performance data on a less frequent basis is an option, but monthly reporting is considered useful at this stage of the Council’s existence, reporting alongside budget information.

 

6.

Annual Report of the Service Delivery Contract between Northamptonshire Children's Trust and West and North Northamptonshire Councils 2022/23 and Update on the Annual Review pdf icon PDF 146 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive:

 

a)    Noted that the Annual Report contained at Appendices A-L of the report was completed in line with the service delivery contract.

 

b)    Noted that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the Service Delivery Contract (SDC) have remained the same since the start of the contract with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and that the Annual Review, completed by Strategic Group in October 2023, will consider and agree any amendments to the SDC, including changes to KPIs.

 

c)    Noted that any changes to the SDC would need to be agreed by all parties, presented to Children’s Trust Joint Committee meeting for approval and once approved, be implemented by a Change Control to the SDC.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations

 

·       The arrangements to complete the Annual Review and Annual Report are set out in the SDC and provide a procedure through which the Councils can review the Service Delivery Contract and Northamptonshire Children’s Trust’s performance in delivering its functions.

 

Alternative Options Considered

·       Do nothing - Failing to complete the Annual Review or produce an Annual Report would not be compliant with the SDC and would not allow the Councils to formally review the contractual arrangements with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust and agree changes. It should be noted that the SDC contains a process for the Councils to propose changes outside of the Annual Review if required.

 

 

 

7.

Public Spaces Protection Order – Dog Control pdf icon PDF 199 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive, having regard to the conditions within S.59 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, approved the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) (Appendix A), to continue to provide ongoing powers to enforcement officers to tackle dog fouling and other forms of irresponsible dog ownership across North Northamptonshire.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations – having one aligned PSPO in place for dog    control, will bring all existing conditions and controls together in one place, will remove inconsistencies across the areas and make enforcement more straightforward and easier to understand for the public. The updated PSPO will also extend the provisions to the Corby area for the first time.

 

Alternative Options Considered – the existing PSPO’s within the previous sovereign areas of Wellingborough, Kettering and East Northamptonshire could be extended; amended; or revoked or could be left to expire in November 2023. However, having one aligned PSPO in place would remove inconsistencies that having three PSPO’s creates and if they were allowed to lapse, this could increase dog fouling and dog control complaints and issues.

 

 

8.

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2022-2023 pdf icon PDF 132 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive:

 

i)         Noted the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB) Annual Report 2022-2023 as approved by the NSAB Strategic Board on 5th October 2023 at Appendix A to the report.

 

ii)       Acknowledged the contribution that North Northamptonshire Council has made in supporting NSAB’s achievements in keeping adults safe from harm.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations – The report provides assurance to the Executive of the activities undertaken to help safeguard adults across North Northamptonshire.

 

Alternative Options Considered – As the Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) and Children’s Services (Interim DCS) has already approved the report, that the report not be presented for consideration by the Executive. This is not recommended for the reasons set out in the Reason for Recommendations.

 

 

 

9.

North Northamptonshire Local Development Scheme pdf icon PDF 186 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive agreed the North Northamptonshire Local Development Scheme (LDS) for adoption.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations – To agree a timetable for the programme of plans identified in the LDS; and to ensure the Council meets its legal obligation to publish and maintain an up-to-date LDS, to meet its requirements as a local planning authority.  To ensure the Council meets its obligation under Section 15(1) of the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, to publish an up-to-date Local Development Scheme to meet its requirement as a local planning authority.

 

Alternative Options Considered – It is a statutory obligation for the Council to publish and maintain an up-to-date LDS, as such the Council needs to adopt a revised LDS. The Executive could, if it was minded to do so, ask officers to review the timeframes and present a further revision of the LDS in due course.

 

10.

East Northants Local Plan Part 2 Adoption pdf icon PDF 158 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

a)    Supported the content of the Part 2 Local Plan Council, (as set out in Appendix A to the report) in advance of its progression to adoption by Full Council;

 

b)    Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Growth and Regeneration, in consultation with the Assistant Director for Growth and Regeneration, to make any minor alterations to the Plan, or its accompanying Policies Map, that relate to factual updates or typographical errors for the purposes of publishing the Plan to presentation standard; and;

 

c)    Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Growth and Regeneration, in consultation with the Assistant Director for Growth and Regeneration, to prepare and publish the Local Plan Adoption Statement (Appendix B to the report) and the Sustainability Appraisal Statement (Appendix C to the report) and to fulfil any other duties, as required by Regulations 26 to 36 of the Town and Country (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendation

 

·     The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the planning system should be genuinely plan-led. Succinct and up-to-date plans should provide a positive vision for the future of each area and a framework for addressing housing needs and other economic, social, and environmental priorities.

 

·     The Plan prepared by the Council was subject to thorough examination and has been modified as a result of the recommendations made by the Inspector, as set out in her report (Appendix D refers). The Council has previously consulted on a schedule of these Main Modifications (Appendix E) and has also made non-substantive modifications to the plan during the examination, which are set out at Appendix F to this report. Corresponding changes to the Policies Map are also set out in Appendix G.

 

·     Subsequent to the adoption of the East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2, it will supersede all the saved policies from the 1996 Local Plan for East Northamptonshire, along with the extant policies from the 2011 Rural North, Oundle and Thrapston Local Plan.

 

Alternative Options Considered The options considered are either to adopt the Local Plan incorporating the recommended modifications, or to resolve not to adopt the Plan.

 

Adoption of the Plan would provide full coverage for Part 2 Plan policies across the whole of North Northamptonshire. If the Plan was not adopted this would put at risk the delivery of key policies guiding future, sustainable development proposals across East Northamptonshire area.

11.

Procurement of Independent Living Care and Support Provision pdf icon PDF 502 KB

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

a)      Approved the procurement of Care & Support provision within Independent Living Schemes to ensure North Northamptonshire remains compliant in its statutory responsibilities.

 

b)      Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Director of Adults, Health Partnerships and Housing (DASS), to take any further decisions and/or actions required to conclude the procurement and award of the contract.

 

c)      Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, in consultation with the Executive Director of Adults, Health Partnerships and Housing (DASS), to take any decisions in relation to future call-off and mini-competitions from the agreement.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations:

 

·        A Framework will ensure that the Council can efficiently source specialist care and support in Independent Living settings in a timely fashion when responding to new scheme developments.

·        The provision of high-quality care and support within Independent Living settings offers a beneficial and impactful alternative to residential care when Home First is no longer a sustainable long term accommodation option for individuals

·        Commissioning of Care & Support provision within Independent Living settings, ensures the Council fulfils its statutory duty under the Care Act 2014 to provide care and support whilst preventing and influencing the delay of increasing need of ageing individuals.

 

The recommended approach maximises outcomes and value for money by supporting individuals with care and support needs to remain living independently for as long as they are able, delaying the need for residential care solutions. The Council is also better able to engage with contracted providers to support quality improvement and the shaping of services to meet the needs of people in North Northamptonshire. Furthermore, the Council is able to make informed decisions about its medium-term financial plan due to the reduction in need to source delivery with rates negotiated on a scheme-by-scheme basis.

 

Alternative Options Considered:

 

·        Making use of the Homecare Framework to source care and support provision – acknowledged not recommended due to absence of non-specialised support conducive to Independent Living settings. This would mean we could not influence the development of services tailored to the provision of extra care and would limit opportunities to target care and support in a way that maximises independence in these settings.

 

·        Negotiating individual contracts for each scheme on a non-framework agreement basis - acknowledged equally not recommended due to likelihood of higher cost impact in doing so. This also reduced our oversight of quality and safety and abilities to stimulate an efficient and effective market and service model.

 

12.

Delivery of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) from April 2025 pdf icon PDF 199 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

i)        Approved commencement of procurement of the Council’s future Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) contract.

 

ii)      Approved that the operation of HWRC facilities in North Northamptonshire will be delivered under an outsourced operating model for a duration up to 15 years.

 

iii)     Approved the extension of the current lease for the land for Corby HWRC by 3 years to enable a review to be undertaken on alternative provision for the area.

 

iv)     Approved officers undertaking a review of alternative provision at Corby to consider the sourcing of a new lease for, or purchase of new or existing land, or utilisation of existing council owned land, dependent on which provides the greatest value to both the Council and delivery of the service, on which to provide a HWRC facility in the vicinity of Corby.

 

v)      Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, in consultation with Executive Director for Place & Economy, Executive Director for Finance and Performance and the Executive Member for Finance, the authority to take any further decisions and/or actions required in connection with the North Northamptonshire procurement process and award of the HWRC contracts, and property related transactions without the need to return to the Executive.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations:

 

·       The proposed option most closely aligns with local government reform and transformation outcomes for Waste Services in North Northamptonshire.

·       The recommended course of action will allow the Council to secure the most cost-effective, solution for North Northamptonshire residents.

·       This approach enables the Council to make informed decisions regarding its medium- and long-term financial planning for its Waste Management services.

·       This approach ensures the Council has legally procured and has a compliant contract in place for the provision of services that provide a direct benefit to residents in disposing of their waste.

 

Alternative Options Considered:

 

·         The alternative to procuring an HWRC contract would be for the Council to enter the HWRC sector by running its own facilities however it is considered that the lengthy lead in times and additional cost make this prohibitive.

 

·        The Council could seek to jointly procure a new shared contract with West Northamptonshire Council to reflect existing arrangements however this could constrain the Council’s ability to make decisions which best fits the future needs of North Northamptonshire

 

 

 

13.

Kettering Library Roof Replacement Capital Project pdf icon PDF 182 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

a)      Recommended to Council the approval of the budget of £6,807,000 to be added to the Capital Programme to fulfil the Executive’s longstanding commitment to replace the Kettering Library roof and to commit to repair the roof of the Art Gallery.

 

b)      Delegated authority to the Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, in consultation with the Director of Public Health and the Director of Place and Economy, to procure the necessary works to replace the Kettering Library roof and undertake any actions required to deliver the project within the approved financial envelope

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations:

 

·        The library building is Grade II listed and it is the responsibility of the Council as the owner to maintain it. Further, the Council has various statutory enforcement powers to require the owners of listed buildings to keep listed buildings in a good state of repair. It is therefore important that the Council demonstratesits preparedness to tackle the condition of listed buildings.

·        If the building is not made watertight as soon as practicable there is a risk that further water ingress will compromise the structure of the building and cause damage to the internal fabric, library stock and equipment.

·        To enable the Council to continue to deliver its full statutory library functions within Kettering town centre.

·        Over the weekend 13th/14th October 2023 further heavy rain caused the ceiling to collapse in a section to the right of the side doors of the library. This resulted in the library having to close whilst urgent remedial works and a clear up are undertaken and assessment is made as to the safety risks in re-opening the library to staff and the public. The frequency and likelihood of this re-occurring increases whilst the building remains exposed to the elements with the roof in the condition it is in. Options are now having to be considered to relocate the library until the building is watertight.

·        Cornerstone cannot open in its entirety until the building is watertight, due to water ingress into the new space on the ground floor, where the old roof meets the new. Inability to fully open Cornerstone compromises the Council’s ability to comply with the funding agreement in place with SEMLEP and exposes the Council to a risk that some of this funding will be clawed-back. The Council submits twice yearly monitoring reports to SEMLEP and so they are aware of the current challenges and have been supportive to date but want to see Cornerstone fully open as soon as practicable.

·        The Gallery has a revenue cost to the Council and the intention, should Cornerstone be open, is for the new spaces to generate an income that will offset some of these costs.

·        Whilst Cornerstone remains closed the Gallery Collection is not accessible to the public.

 

Alternative Options Considered:

 

·       Not undertaking the work to replace the library roof

This would result in the permanent closure of the library building and the need to permanently relocate  ...  view the full decision text for item 13.

14.

Corporate Property Leasehold Policy pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive approved the Corporate Property Leasehold Policy at Appendix A of the report for adoption.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations:

 

i)        The Council has fiduciary responsibilities to ensure all leasehold agreements it enters represent value for money. The Corporate Property Leasehold Policy supports this outcome.

 

ii)       Progressing leasehold transactions in a co-ordinated way will contribute to the Corporate Plan and the commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030.

 

iii)      The Corporate Property Leasehold Policy supports a timely and professional process, which will help manage costs and assist the Council to achieve income targets from its commercial estate.

 

iv)     The Policy supports centralised current record keeping; a requirement of the constitution.

 

Alternative Options Considered: The Council could choose not to adopt a co-ordinated leasehold policy, but this would lead to uncertainty and increased risks of agreements being entered into without full consideration.

 

15.

Proposal to Relocate Wilby CE VA Primary School to the Glenvale Park Development pdf icon PDF 213 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

i)    Approved the relocation of Wilby CEVA Primary School to the Glenvale Park site

 

ii)   Approved the continuation of the statutory process relating to the transfer of a school to another site in line with the Department for Education (DfE) guidance ‘Making a Significant Change to a Maintained School.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations:

 

·     To support children and young people and their families to access high quality sustainable education facilities that enable the achievement of the best outcomes.

·     To progress the relocation of the school in accordance with legislative requirements and Department for Education (DfE) statutory guidance.

·     To ensure the delivery of sufficient suitable school places that meet the needs of the community now and in the future.

·     To make effective and efficient use of the education estate to meet the needs of all pupils.

 

Alternative Options Considered: Alternative options were considered in section 5 of the Primary Education Provision at the Glenvale Park Development Wellingborough North’paper presented to Executive on 8th June 2023.  The options were shared along with accompanying risks and advantages.  A summary of the options thatwere outlined in the previous paper to Executive were:

·     Option 1: Mothball the school build until demand for places increases

·     Option 2: Repurpose the school building to meet an existing educational need

·     Option 3: Relocate a local school into the newly built school at the Glenvale Park Development

 

The preference was to progress Option 3. This preference was approved by the Executive on 8th June 2023.  Colleagues leading on the project then progressed to the initial stages of the relocation process.

 

 

16.

Social Work Degree Apprentices pdf icon PDF 139 KB

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive approved the Council’s Social Worker Apprenticeship Degree which will be procured through the Crown Commercial Services (CCS)Apprenticeship Training Dynamic Marketplace DPS which is compliant with the Public Procurement Regulations 2015 (as amended).

 

 

Reasons for Recommendation:

·        The proposal fully incorporates the Council’s “Grow our Own” strategy and starts to use Apprenticeships in a more strategic means for workforce development, acting to retain and support staff to develop their careers.

·        Securing social worker apprenticeship training will enable us to support opportunities for our care leavers and the recent key policies that have been agreed in this area.

·        In meeting future workforce needs via Apprenticeships programmes we are increasing utilisation of the Apprenticeship Levy Account, helping to safeguarding against potential expiry of funds and ensuring maximisation of spend on programmes that will have return on investment and positive impact for the Council.

·        Social workers are part of a regulated service, and we must therefore plan to ensure we have resilience and availability of staff to provide a compliant service. 

·        It is also recommended that the Crown Commercial Services Apprenticeship Dynamic Purchasing System Apprenticeship route is utilised to run a competitive tendering process to ensure providers bidding have completed base-line pre-checks for quality and achievement rates.  Further questions and requirements specified within the documentation ensure providers bidding can meet specific requirements as set by the organisations enabling tailoring of the apprenticeship programme.

 

Alternative Options Considered: Consideration was given to releasing the opportunity via Lots.  This would have allowed each organisation to set their own questions and criteria however this would not give us the buying power required to be able to stipulate the need for Practice Educators to be supplied, trained or funding towards salaries provided and created a greater risk that each organisation would be working with a different training provider.  This could create issues related to work experience weeks not co-aligning as required to allow the rotation between organisations as currently planned and utilised in previous models which proved beneficial. Based upon this the Lead Social Workers decided they would like to proceed as outlined above.  

 

17.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive

 

a)      Considered the information as set out in the report and endorsed a proposed 2024/25 Local Council Tax Support Scheme which maintains the current 2023/24 scheme, allowing for the changes required to reflect the annual uprating of allowances and premiums and any statutory base legislation changes which are requires to be made to the scheme.

 

b)      Recommended the proposed Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2024/25 to Council for approval at its meeting on 7th December 2023.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations – to deliver a Local Council Tax Support Scheme for 2024/25 that meets statutory requirements.

 

Alternative Options Considered – The Council could choose to increase or     decreased the minimum contribution payable to the customer. Decreasing the contribution would lead to a budget pressure and increasing the contribution would result in the scheme exceeding the breakeven requirement as detailed in sections 7.1.2 and 7.1.3 of the report.

 

 

18.

Indicative Budget Timeline and Scrutiny Process 2024/25 - Update pdf icon PDF 763 KB

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive:

 

a)      Approved the proposed process and noted the timeline for the setting of the budget and that this may be subject to change in line with Government announcements or other factors.  In particular:

 

·       the proposed budget setting and scrutiny arrangements for the Children’s Trust as set out in this report, see particularly paragraphs 5.7 to 5.11 of the report.

 

·       the overall indicative timeline for the budget setting as set out under paragraph 5.13.

 

b)      Noted that the process has been to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee for comment, and that the approach outlined in this report was approved.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations –To inform Executive of the indicative budget setting timeline for 2024/25 and the arrangements for the scrutiny of the budget by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.

 

Alternative Options – There are no alternative options under consideration, due to the need to meet approval deadlines and consultation requirements.  The Corporate Scrutiny Committee considered the proposals as set out in section 6 of this report regarding the scrutiny arrangements and were agreed to proceed on the basis as outlined.  Some dates of the scrutiny committee work group meetings remain subject to finalisation, as outlined in the report, and others may be affected by further Government announcements.

 

19.

Capital Outturn Report as at Period 6 pdf icon PDF 205 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive:

 

a.    Noted the draft capital outturn position as at period 6 for the General Fund (GF) Capital Programme and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme for 2023/24.

 

b.    Noted the new schemes that have been approved since 1st April 2023.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations: This is in line with the Council’s constitution and financial regulations in relation to governance.

 

Alternative Options Considered: This report is on the forecasted out-turn and therefore alternative options are not proposed.

 

20.

Half Yearly Treasury Management Update pdf icon PDF 129 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

That the Executive:

 

a.    Noted the activity undertaken during the first half of the financial year ended 30th September 2023 and the performance achieved set out in Appendix A to this report: and

b.    Noted that all treasury activities were undertaken in line with the approved Treasury Management Strategy/Annual Investment Strategy.

 

Reason for Recommendations: The Council’s TMSS is underpinned by the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management (“the Code”) which requires that members are informed of treasury management activities at least twice a year.  Full Council has delegated the formulation and monitoring of the Council’s treasury management strategy, policy and activity to the Executive Committee.

Alternative Options Considered - This report is for information and there are no alternative options for consideration.

 

21.

Capital Programme Update 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 118 KB

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

i)      Approved the following changes into the capital programme:

 

a.             Smart Equipment for Long Covid (SELC) - budget approval for £158k, in 2023/24 which is to be funded from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) grant.

b.             Kettering Library Roof replacement and associated work to the roof of the Art Gallery – budget approval for £6.807m in 2023/24 which is to be funded from borrowing.

 

ii)     Recommended to Council to approve borrowing for the costs associated with the restoration and preservation work required for the Kettering Library Roof and associated work relating to the roof of the Art Gallery.  This is in accordance with the Council's Constitution to approve all borrowing requests.

 

 

Reasons for Recommendations: These are set out in greater detail within section 5 of the report, but can be summarised as:

 

·        To meet corporate plan objectives, specifically “active, fulfilled lives”.

·        To enable the Council to continue to deliver its library functions within Kettering town centre.

 

Alternative Options Considered:

 

·        Schemes in this report which are grant funded are in accordance with the requirements of the grant conditions so there is no alternative option proposed in this report. 

 

·        Where individual schemes are over £0.5m, separate reports are included elsewhere on this agenda which set out the wider options that were considered before reaching the proposals put forward.

 

22.

Budget Forecast Update 2023-24 - Period 6 pdf icon PDF 383 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

KEY DECISION

 

That the Executive:

 

a)    Noted the Council’s forecast outturn position for 2023/24 as summarised in Section 4, alongside the further analysis, risks and other considerations as set out in Section 5 to Section 7 of the report.

 

b)    Noted the assessment of the current deliverability of the 2023/24 savings proposals in Appendix A to the report.

 

 

Reason for Recommendations – to note the forecast financial position for 2023/24 as at Period 6 and consider the impact on this year and future years budgets.

 

Alternative Options Considered: The report focuses on the forecast revenue outturn against budget for 2023/24 and makes recommendations for the Executive to note the current budgetary position as such there are no specific choices within the report.