Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors P Bundy and T Tasker.

No members of the public registered to speak.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent items.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 August 2022 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no recommendations to consider from the Overview and Scrutiny

Committee.

Leader

To consider a Cost of Living grant scheme for organisations engaged in supporting our communities.

Resolved:

1.  That £50,000 be allocated towards a Cost of Living Grant scheme for organisations that are working with vulnerable people in Test Valley.

2.  That the Head of Strategy and Innovation and Head of Community and Leisure, in consultation with the Leader, be delegated authority to establish and implement the Cost of Living Grant scheme. 

3.  That the preliminary and proposed work of the Test Valley Partnership in supporting residents with the increased costs of living be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Leader which set out work that had been undertaken through the Test Valley Partnership to assist residents dealing with the cost of living crisis.

A further meeting of the Partnership would be held in October 2022 to reflect on any announcements of further support from Government and to understand if any further local initiatives needed to be implemented as part of an action plan from the members of the Test Valley Partnership.

It was proposed that a new Cost of Living Grant scheme be introduced to assist organisations in Test Valley that were directly supporting residents with the cost of living crisis. 

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  That £50,000 be allocated towards a Cost of Living Grant scheme for organisations that are working with vulnerable people in Test Valley.

2.  That the Head of Strategy and Innovation and Head of Community and Leisure, in consultation with the Leader, be delegated authority to establish and implement the Cost of Living Grant scheme. 

3.  That the preliminary and proposed work of the Test Valley Partnership in supporting residents with the increased costs of living be noted.

Leader

To consider a summary of projects to be supported through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Resolved:

1.  That the projects identified in Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan summarised in paragraph 5.3 to the report be endorsed; and

2.  That the Head of Planning Policy & Economic Development be delegated to submit monitoring reports to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC) in consultation with the Leader; and

3.  That, if required, the New Homes Bonus Reserve be used to forward fund approved expenditure until government funding tranches are released.

Consideration was given to a report of the Leader which outlined the projects contained within the Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Investment Plan.

The UKSPF was launched with the aim of reducing inequalities and supporting economic development and community cohesion. The funding covers the three year period from April 2022 to March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving a formula-based allocation.

A conditional financial allocation has been awarded to the Council of £1M. The funding is conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory Investment Plan which needs to detail the local challenges and opportunities and is required to identify proposed interventions (or projects) and outcomes. The Investment Plan has been influenced and guided by the objectives of existing Council strategies and the shared aims of our partners.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  That the projects identified in Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan summarised in paragraph 5.3 to the report be endorsed; and

2.  That the Head of Planning Policy & Economic Development be delegated to submit monitoring reports to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC) in consultation with the Leader; and

3.  That, if required, the New Homes Bonus Reserve be used to forward fund approved expenditure until government funding tranches are released.

Finance and Resources

To consider the comparison of actual revenue income and expenditure against profiled budget for the four months ended 31 July 2022.

Resolved:

That the financial position for each Service and the key revenue areas contained in the Annex to the report is noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance Portfolio Holder which reviewed the Council’s revenue spending for the first four months of the 2022/23 financial year. The report set out the main differences between the original estimate for 2022/23 and actual spend to 31 July 2022 and provided explanation for significant variances.

Net expenditure to 31 July 2022 was £501,000 lower than budgeted at this stage of the year. The favourable variance comprised additional income and savings of £332,000 due to service related expenditure and £169,000 additional income from the Council’s investing and borrowing activities.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, Cabinet agreed the following:

Resolved:

That the financial position for each Service and the key revenue areas contained in the Annex to the report is noted.