Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Saturday Market Place, King's Lynn PE30 5DQ. View directions

Contact: Sam Winter, Democratic Services Manager 01553 616327 

Items
No. Item

CAB54

URGENT BUSINESS

To consider any business, which by reason of special circumstances, the Chairman proposes to accept, under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

Decision:

None

Minutes:

None

CAB55

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of an interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

 

These declarations apply to all Members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area.

Decision:

None

Minutes:

None

CAB56

CHAIRMAN'S CORRESPONDENCE

To receive any Chairman’s correspondence.

Decision:

None

Minutes:

None

CAB57

MEMBERS PRESENT UNDER STANDING ORDER 34

To note the names of any Councillors who wish to address the meeting under Standing Order 34.

Decision:

None

Minutes:

None

CAB58

MATTERS REFERRED TO CABINET FROM OTHER BODIES pdf icon PDF 21 KB

To receive any comments and recommendations from other Council bodies which meet after the dispatch of this agenda. 

 

Decision:

The comments of the Corporate Performance Panel on 10 September 2018 on the Accelerated Construction Programme were considered when the item was taken.

Minutes:

The comments of the Corporate Performance Panel on 10 September 2018 on the Accelerated Construction Programme were considered when the item was taken.

CAB59

LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIPS - GOVERNMENT REVIEW pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Decision:

RESOLVED:1)       That the emerging New Anglia LEP (NALEP) proposal to government that consolidates its existing boundaries removing the overlapping boundaries with Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough LEP (GC/GPLEP) be supported.

 

2)     That officers be instructed to work with NALEP and the Business Board of the Cambridgeshire Peterborough Combined Authority to establish effective collaboration arrangements between NALEP and GC/GP LEP on major strategic cross border projects.

 

Reason for Decision

 

To respond to the government’s strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships Review and meet their submission deadline.

 

Minutes:

The Deputy Chief Executive presented a report which explained that the Government had published its LEP review on 24 July 2018 entitled Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships.  The review set out government’s expectations of the roles and responsibilities of the LEPs and committed to work with them to strengthen leadership and capability, improve accountability and manage risk and provide clarify on geography.

 

King’s Lynn & West Norfolk was currently a member of both the New Anglia LEP which covered Norfolk and Suffolk, and the Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough LEP which covered the county of Cambridgeshire, Peterborough City and eight neighbouring districts which had an economic relationship with the core area.

 

The key issue addressed in the report related to government’s aim to provide ‘clarity on geography’ which translated into a desire to eliminate overlapping LEP boundaries.  The LEP review required LEPs to develop revised proposals for their geography by 28th September.

 

The report considered the implications for West Norfolk and recommended a preferred course of action for members to consider.

 

Cabinet discussed the options and asked if the cross border working into the Cambridgeshire borders would continue, this was confirmed and the projects such as the joint working on the Ely North Junction would continue with the LEPs working together.  Cabinet commended the strong working relationships developed with the LEP officers and members.  It was also confirmed that the GCGP LEP had recently decided to retain its membership to within its county border.

 

RESOLVED:1)       That the emerging New Anglia LEP (NALEP) proposal to government that consolidates its existing boundaries removing the overlapping boundaries with Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough LEP (GC/GPLEP) be supported.

 

2)     That officers be instructed to work with NALEP and the Business Board of the Cambridgeshire Peterborough Combined Authority to establish effective collaboration arrangements between NALEP and GC/GP LEP on major strategic cross border projects.

 

Reason for Decision

 

To respond to the government’s strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships Review and meet their submission deadline.

 

CAB60

ACCELERATED CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 160 KB

EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC FOR PART OF THE REPORT

 

The Cabinet is asked to consider excluding the public from the meeting under section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 for consideration of the appendices for the Accelerated Construction Scheme item on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

           

PRIVATE ITEM

Details of any representations received about why the appendices should be considered in public will be reported at the meeting.

 

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:1)       That the Council formally accepts the total sum of £9,814,567(minimum amount offered could be subject to change) offered to the Council by Homes England under the Accelerated Construction Programme.

 

2)       That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Housing and Community Portfolio Holder and the Corporate Projects & Assets Portfolio Holder to agree the following:

  1. The Authority to negotiate and agree the final terms of contract with Homes England under which the grant will be accepted.
  2. Authority to negotiate and agree with the College of West Anglia(COWA) a development option/ agreement to deliver the COWA site in conjunction with the adjacent Council owned site.
  3. Spend of the Accelerated Construction Programme grant in accordance with the terms of the contract with Homes England.
  4. The Authority to the Legal Services Manager to agree and complete any necessary and relevant legal documentation.

 

Reason for Decision

The recommendations will ensure that the opportunity presented by the Accelerated Construction Programme to accelerate housing delivery in the Borough will be fully realised and will ensure that the Council will be able to bring forward sites on land owned by the Council at a pace that would ordinarily not have been achievable.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Lawrence presented a report which provided information on the funding offered to BCKLWN in August 2018 through the Accelerated Construction Programme (ACP).

 

The Strategic Housing Manager explained that the programme had been established by Central Government to support Local Authorities to unlock barriers to delivery on public sector land on which housing could be delivered. The Council had been offered grant funding on seven sites. This was subject to final negotiation and acceptance of terms by the Council. The purpose of the report was to seek approval to accept the grant on each of the seven sites and inform the Cabinet of the requirements of the grant funding. 

 

Cabinet discussed the funding and congratulated Nikki Patton, Housing Strategy Officer and all officers involved for the work they had put in to gain the funding.   The major projects work undertaken and proposed by the Council, as demonstrated to the Housing Minister on his recent visit, had received excellent feedback from Westminster.

 

In discussing the proposed programme along with the Capital Programme of major schemes for the coming years, Cabinet expressed the view that the schemes need to be properly resourced in officer time in order to be able to deliver them. 

 

The Deputy Chief Executive explained that there would be a robust consideration of each scheme’s business case before any were put through for commencement.  She also confirmed that directly related staffing (ie: clerk of works) could potentially be charged to a scheme, and the Council had to bear in mind that the schemes had to be resourced financially, at the same time as meeting the Council’s funding gap over the coming years.

 

RESOLVED: 1)       That the Council formally accepts the total sum of £9,814,567(minimum amount offered could be subject to change) offered to the Council by Homes England under the Accelerated Construction Programme.

 

2)       That delegated authority be granted to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Housing and Community Portfolio Holder and the Corporate Projects & Assets Portfolio Holder to agree the following:

 

  1. The Authority to negotiate and agree the final terms of contract with Homes England under which the grant will be accepted.
  2. Authority to negotiate and agree with the College of West Anglia (COWA) a development option/ agreement to deliver the COWA site in conjunction with the adjacent Council owned site.
  3. Spend of the Accelerated Construction Programme grant in accordance with the terms of the contract with Homes England.
  4. The Authority to the Legal Services Manager to agree and complete any necessary and relevant legal documentation.

 

Reason for Decision

The recommendations will ensure that the opportunity presented by the Accelerated Construction Programme to accelerate housing delivery in the Borough will be fully realised and will ensure that the Council will be able to bring forward sites on land owned by the Council at a pace that would ordinarily not have been achievable.