Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 2, at the Council Offices, Southfields, Loughborough. View directions

Items
No. Item

10.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 19th June 2019 were confirmed as a correct record and signed.

11.

Disclosures of Pecuniary and Personal Interests

Minutes:

The following disclosures of pecuniary and personal interests were made:

 

Councillor Miah disclosed a personal interest in agenda item 5 as a Trustee of Fearon Hall, Loughborough.

 

Councillor Ward disclosed a personal interest in agenda item 5 as a Trustee of Gorse Covert Community Centre, Loughborough.

12.

Questions under Committee Procedure 12.8

No questions were submitted.

Minutes:

No questions were submitted.

 

 

 

 

13.

Loughborough Special Expenses Budget pdf icon PDF 94 KB

A report of the Head of Finance and Property Services providing an itemised schedule of activities financed by the Loughborough Special Expenses for 2019/20.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Head of Finance and Property Services was submitted, setting out an itemised schedule of activities financed by the Loughborough Special Expenses Budget 2019/20 (item 5 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

The Chief Executive, the Head of Cleansing and Open Spaces and the Head of Leisure and Culture supported the consideration of the item and the following summarises comments and observations made by Members of the Committee present and responses to questions raised:

 

·         the charging procedure for purchasing plots at Loughborough Cemetery was explained and residents that lived in Loughborough were charged a lesser rate than those living in and outside of the Borough. The vast majority of plots at Loughborough Cemetery were purchased by Loughborough residents.

 

·         it was possible to make the new cemetery site at Nanpantan cost neutral, and a review of costs could be carried out in order to potentially achieve this. Benchmarking with other Local Authorities indicated that the Council was in the mid-range for fees and charges of this nature. The cemetery had capacity for 200 years, but a balance would be sought to attract interest in using the cemetery in order to generate the required income.

 

Cllr Morgan arrived at the meeting at 6:20pm.

 

·         the percentages funded by the Loughborough Special Expenses Budget, such as the 23% of Loughborough CCTV costs, 75% of a Voluntary and Community Sector Development Officer post and the 50% of Carillion Tower upkeep, were not routinely reviewed. The budget had been predetermined by the Council and the percentages were fixed to provide stability to the budget and rates.

 

·         many charges within the Loughborough Special Expenses Budget were precontracted and were not negotiated as a separate entity, creating further difficulty in any adjustments within the budget.

 

·         regarding the potential for periodic reviews of any underspends throughout the year, it was explained that this was a possibility and that transferring funds from one account to another could be done. It was stated that ongoing budgets were monitored by the Corporate Services Scrutiny Committee.

 

·         the income generated by the November Fair was based upon fees and charges for pitches. An inflation rate was added to valuable pitches each year, which had been set at 3% for 2019. In addition, the Council sought measures of cost reduction each year to ensure the fair was profitable, and the budget was monitored closely. Annual costs such as traffic management, health and safety and lighting could vary.

 

·         information on the number of users at the sports and recreational grounds referred to in the report was not readily available at the meeting. However, it was stated that most of the grounds were near or at full capacity. The facility at Shelthorpe Golf Course did have the capacity for increased usage and options were being explored. Activities aside from traditional golf were being considered, including foot golf and frisby golf. There was no time frame guideline for the implementation of these activities and further developments would require a business case and initial  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Meeting Dates

Further meetings of the Committee have been scheduled for:

 

Wednesday, 18th December 2019

Wednesday, 18th March 2020.

Minutes:

Further meetings of the Committee have been scheduled for:

 

Wednesday 18th December 2019,

Wednesday 18th March 2019.

 

During the consideration of this item, the Chair referred to the Local Plan Consultation as this would have an impact upon the Loughborough Area. The Local Plan was being reviewed by Cabinet on the 17th October 2019 and would then enter a public consultation period. The Committee was invited to respond to the Consultation during the six-week period of public consideration. Members were concerned whether a Committee of the Council could provide feedback on the Council’s own Local Plan. It was confirmed that this was within the scope of the Committee **.

 

It was noted that the consultation response deadline was 16th December 2019 and that the Committee was not due to meet again until 18th December 2019.

 

** Post meeting note: Following the meeting, it was confirmed that the Planning Code of Good Practice permits Councillors of consultee bodies to participate in debates on proposals when acting as part of a consultee body.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.            that the Loughborough Area Committee meeting on 18th December 2019 be rescheduled for 11th December 2019.

 

2.            that the following items be added to the agenda of the next meeting of the Committee:

 

·         Town Centre Masterplan

·         High Street Funding

 

Reasons

 

1.            to enable Members to contribute towards the Local Plan Consultation.

 

2.            to enable Members to receive an update on the Town Centre Masterplan and High Street Funding.