As Liberal Democrat Leader of Bath and NE Somerset Council I have introduced a pilot programme to webcast some of the Council meetings. The first pilot was the meeting of the Cabinet on 13/02/2013.

The webcast can be seen at   CLICK THIS LINK

The Guildhall was packed for the first two items of school building programme and our budget proposals. The Liberal Democrat cabinet is proposing for a second year in a row a 0% Council Tax rise.

My notes for the meeting are as follows:-

Cabinet Meeting Notes – 6.2.13

 

 

Agenda Item 12: Financial Plan 2013/14 – 2015/16, Budget and Council Tax 2013/14

 

• Our proposal puts people first and communities at the heart of everything we do whilst ensuring our most vulnerable residents are given the support that they need.

 

• Because the Council has made back office savings of more than £25 million over recent years, delivered balanced budgets, and maintained a strong level of reserves, we are one of the few town halls in the region to propose freezing Council Tax whilst making sensible investment into our local communities.

 

• Our £151 million investment programme includes projects for Keynsham town centre’s regeneration, the creation the Bath ‘City of Ideas’ Enterprise Area, and the upgrade of the area’s public transport network.

 

• The Cabinet is listening to feedback from local people about their priorities. As a result, our proposal keeps free parking at sites where there is currently no charge outside Bath, maintains Recycling Centre opening times as they are, and preserved virtually all of our supported bus services.

 

You can then pick some selected items from the following list:

 

Supporting the most vulnerable people and families

 

• The £260 million over the next three years that we will spend on adult social care must be focused on the most vulnerable people, promoting their independence through improved community services to ensure that residents, where possible, stay at home;
• An extra £3.25 million has been set aside for people with the highest care needs over the next three years;
• £4 million to fund school expansion in response to increases in the local birth rate and population growth;

 

New places to live and work

 

• Progressing the Bath ‘City of Ideas’ Enterprise Area through a combined total of over £27 million to regenerate key sites along the River Avon with employment space and places to live, including affordable homes;

• Completing a £34 million revamp of Keynsham town centre that will encourage private sector investment into the community;

 

A better quality of life in our communities

 

• Retaining weekly bins collections, freezing most car parking charges, and protecting the street cleaning budget;
• Completing the £32 million Bath Transportation Package;
• Investing £500,000 in cycle routes and £500,000 to continue rolling out 20 mph zones;
• £4.9 million in 2013/14 on a combination of road surface improvements and safety schemes;
• £2 million for Odd Down playing fields and cycle track;
• £225,000 in 2013/14 to improve the equipment in our playgrounds with further investment proposed over coming years.

 

Agenda Item 13: Bath & North East Somerset Core Strategy: Proposed Changes

 

• The Core Strategy is a key document for the Council and local communities because;

 

• It provides clarity on where and how new development takes place in the district;

 

• It helps to ensure we meet our needs for new housing, social facilities and infrastructure;

 

• It gives us control on the quality and standard of new development;

 

• I am pleased that we have been making good progress on addressing the concerns raised by the Inspector last year and that Full Council will have the opportunity to consider any amendments which are needed to the Core Strategy later this month;

 

• In amending the Core Strategy, we must seek to balance the need to generate prosperity whilst recognising the very special place that B&NES is;

 

• However in doing this we must acknowledge that there may some difficult decisions s to make, but we will seek to do  this in a way which brings greatest benefit to as many people as possible

 

Agenda Item 14: Sustainable Construction & Retrofitting Supplementary Planning Document

 

• This is new local guidance for B&NES homeowners/small scale build projects on how to build sustainably. It joins up planning and building control consent advice.

 

• Supports aspirations for increasing renewable energy take–up on a domestic scale (key element of Core Strategy renewable energy target).

 

• Supports the Council’s Green Deal Project – to increase take up of domestic energy saving measures to reduce CO2 emissions.

 

• Linked with the initiation of the community project – Bath Green Homes – collaboration between the Council, Bath Preservation Trust and Transition Bath. With local business sponsorship (Main Sponsors: Curo Housing & Future Supply plus many other support sponsors including local branch of the RIBA and local Colleges) and volunteer involvement. Now entering its 2^nd year.

 

• Supports local economic objectives for increasing green jobs and training opportunities as well as the health agenda around tackling fuel poverty and reducing cold home hazards (the later costs NHS in B&NES £3.8m per year)

 

Agenda Item 15: Highway Adoption Charges

 

• The report recommends altering the charging structure for the technical approval and supervision of developers’ highways works (under Sections 38 and 278 of the Highways Act of 1980, and Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act of 1990);

 

• This will enable the costs of required officer time to be fully met by the developments they technically approve and supervise (instead of these costs falling against the Council’s highways budgets);

 

• This will ensure that development related new roads and new transport infrastructure will satisfy the Council’s standards, thereby reducing future potential liability issues when adopting new roads and infrastructure as well-built infrastructure lasts longer helping to build good neighbourhoods and a stronger economy;

 

• The proposed charging system is fairer because it better reflects the demands on officer time comparatively reducing the cost rates for larger developments and increasing the rates for smaller developments.

 

 

Agenda Item 16: Primary School Expansion

 

• The Council must respond to an increase in population and local birth rates by increasing the numbers of school places in our area;

 

• Some local authorities regionally and across the country have realised this trend is taking place too late meaning that children and parents lose out because the school places simply are not available at the school that they want;

 

• These proposals ensure that we are ahead of the game and responding to population trends at the schools that are most in need of additional places and support the principle of parental choice;

 

• Our consultation has been extensive and we have captured the views of a wide number of local residents – although we appreciate that we may need to think about issues such as getting transport access right at the schools we are proposing for expansion.

 

Agenda Item 17: Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring, Cash Limits and Virements – April 2012 to December 2012

 

• Continued reductions in the projected revenue overspend position from that reported in September. The overspend has reduced from £1.6 million to £213,000. This equates to around 0.05% of gross budgeted expenditure.

 

• As previously agreed, provisions remain within appropriate reserves to offset this level of overspend should it be required at year end.

 

• The majority of key savings from the 2012/13 budget have been delivered.

 

• Good progress being made on capital projects, including Keynsham Regeneration, St Gregory’s and St Marks Joint 6^th form Centre and Ralph Allen Applied Learning Centre.

 

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Agenda Item 18: Treasury Management Monitoring Report to 31st December 2012

 

• Investments remain focussed on main UK banks, Local Authorities and highly rated Money Market Funds with emphasis on security and liquidity.

 

•  Council continues to avoid holding any direct investments with banks in the Eurozone.

 

• Investment Returns remain in line with budget.

 

• Based on current Borrowing and Investment rates, it is envisaged that we will continue to utilise the Council’s cash flow balances to meet approved capital expenditure and delay draw down of any new borrowing.

 

Agenda Item 19: Treasury Management Strategy Statement & Annual Investment Strategy 2013/14

 

• Report sets out proposed operational boundaries related to the Council’s treasury management activities – investing and borrowing.

 

• Borrowing limits are linked to the Council’s proposed capital programme – although actual decisions on borrowing will depend on the Council’s cash levels and interest rates.

 

• Current debt portfolio will be reviewed with a view to providing revenue savings.

 

• Advisor predicting it could be 2016 before UK bank rate increases from the current 0.50%, Council budgeting to achieve 0.75% on investments in 2013/14 by increasing duration where appropriate.

 

Agenda Item 20: Supported Bus Services

 

• These proposals represent an excellent deal for Bath & North East Somerset Council and local bus passengers, many of whose livelihoods and quality of life depend upon these services;

 

• Improving the supported bus service network at a time when public spending is shrinking has taken a lot of hard work by the Council. We are doing more for less;

 

• Bus operators have also played a significant part by reviewing operations and submitting tender bids that recognise the tough financial position;

 

• Through supported bus service funding, the Council provides money for 50 services that otherwise would not operate commercially giving thousands of passengers access to jobs and facilities.