Agenda and decisions

Minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on Tuesday 14 January 2025, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Unless already entered in the Council’s Register of Members’ interests, members are required where a matter arises at a meeting; 

1. Which directly relates to Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (‘DPI’) as set out in Appendix B, Table 1 of the Code of Conduct, to disclose the interest, not participate in any discussion or vote and not to remain in room. Where members have a DPI or if the matter concerns an executive function and is being considered by a Cabinet Member with a DPI they must notify the Monitoring Officer and arrange for somebody else to deal with the matter. 

2. Which directly relates to the financial interest or well being of a Other Registrable Interest as set out in Appendix B, Table 2 of the Code of Conduct to disclose the interest and only speak on the matter if members of the public are also allowed to speak at the meeting but otherwise must not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not remain the room. 

3. Which directly relates to their financial interest or well-being (and is not DPI) or the financial well being of a relative or close associate, to declare the interest and members may only speak on the matter if members of the public are also allowed to speak. Otherwise, the member must not take part in discussion or vote on the matter and must leave the room. 

4. Which affects the financial well-being of the member, a relative or close associate or a body included under the Other Registrable Interests column in Table 2, to disclose the interest and apply the test set out at paragraph 9 of Appendix B before deciding whether they may remain in the meeting. 

5. Where Members have or a Cabinet Member has an Other Registerable Interest or Non Registerable Interest in a matter being considered in exercise of their executive function, they must notify the Monitoring Officer and arrange for somebody else to deal with it. 

NB Any member needing clarification must contact monitoringofficer@northumberland.gov.uk. Members are referred to the Code of Conduct which contains the matters above in full. Please refer to the guidance on disclosures at the rear of this agenda letter. 

Report of the Leader of the Council

The purpose of this report is to enable the Cabinet to make formal budget recommendations to the County Council.

The report provides the Revenue Budget for 2025-26 and Revenue MTFP 2025-29 and the Capital Budget for 2025-26 and Capital MTFP 2025-29, following the Government’s Autumn Statement on 30 October 2024, the Local Government Finance Policy Statement 2025-26 on the 28 November 2024, and the publication of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on 18 December 2024.

It is important to note that there may need to be some revisions to the figures following receipt of the Government’s final Local Government Finance Settlement figures in February 2025. It is proposed that any changes to the figures as a result of this announcement, which impact on the Budget 2025-26 and MTFP 2025-29 are delegated to the Executive Director of Transformation and Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services. If the final Local Government Settlement is received prior to the Cabinet or 19 February 2025 Council meeting, then a supplementary report will be provided to Members advising of any changes.

RESOLVED that the following recommendations be made to the County Council:

1.             Note that the figures contained within the Budget 2025-26 within Appendix 1 are based on the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement of 18 December 2024.

2.             Approve the Revenue Budget for 2025-26 including the efficiencies totalling £16.299 million for 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1 (detailed in Appendix 11).

3.             Note the Revenue MTFP covering the period 2025-29 detailed within Appendix 1 and the requirement to deliver budget balancing measures of £27.764 million in 2026-27, £13.841 million in 2027-28 and £12.080 million in 2028-29.

4.             Note the estimated receipt of Revenue Support Grant of £14.829 million for 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

5.             Note the estimated retained Business Rates and the Top-Up Grant funding to be received by the Council for 2025-26 of £106.894 million and £332.095 million over the remaining period of the MTFP contained within Appendix 1.

6.             Note the estimated surplus from prior years on Collection Fund Business Rates balance of £3.979 million in 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

7.             Note the estimated receipt of the New Homes Bonus of £3.261 million (excluding service element of £0.028 million) for 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

8.             Note the estimated receipt of Local Authority Better Care Grant of £15.416 million for 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

9.             Note the estimated receipt of Social Care Grant funding of £33.910 million for 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

10.          Note the estimated receipt of Adult Social Care Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund Grant of £6.656 million in 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

11.          Note the estimated receipt of the Extended Producer Responsibility Grant of £6.573 million in 2025-26 and £12.162 million over the remaining period of the MTFP contained within Appendix 1.

12.          Note the estimated receipt of National Insurance Funding Grant of £2.799 million in 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

13.          Note the estimated receipt of the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Grant of £0.833 million in 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

14.          Note the estimated receipt of the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant of £0.982 million in 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

15.          Approve a 2.99% increase in general Council Tax for 2025-26, noting that this is in line with the Government’s assumptions regarding the Council’s Core Spending Power and, within the Government’s referendum limit of 3.00%.

16.          Note the MTFP 2025-29 includes a 2.99% annual increase in Council Tax for all years of the MTFP and that an estimate of annual tax base growth has also been included.

17.          Note the non-collection rate for Council Tax purposes remains at 1.00% for 2025-26 (1.00% in 2024-25).

18.          Note the estimated surplus of £2.305 million from prior years on the Collection Fund Council Tax balance for 2025-26 contained within Appendix 1.

19.          Approve a 2.00% increase in Council Tax for 2025-26 for use on Adult Social Care services; raising an additional £6.322 million to support the Budget 2025-26 and note that the assumed increase included in the MTFP is 1.00% for  ...  view the full decision text for item 4.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services

The purpose of this report is to update Members on the policies governing the administration of Revenues and Benefits and seek approval for the updates and amendments highlighted.

RESOLVED that

Cabinet recommend County Council to:

 • Approve the Revenues and Benefits Policies attached as Appendix 1 to Appendix 6 and the associated amendments; and

• Approve removing the 100% class D discount in respect of uninhabitable properties for Council Tax.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services

The purpose of the report is to provide an update on the County Council’s policies and seek approval for updated policies.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approve the Anti-Money Laundering Policy and Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy, attached as Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 to the report.

Reort of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services

This report summarises proposed amendments to the Capital Programme considered by the Capital Strategy Group on 19 December 2024.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)      Cramlington Youth Zone

Cabinet approve the spend of £0.498 million (£0.144 million in 2024-25 and £0.354 million in 2025-26) to build a purpose-built youth facility in Cramlington. This spend will be funded from the existing Cramlington budget in the capital programme. Note that this project will be delivered by Cramlington Town Council via a grant funding agreement with the Council.

     Cabinet approve the amendment to the capital programme to reallocate £0.498 million (£0.144 million in 2024-25 and £0.354 million in 2025-26) from the Cramlington project to the Cramlington Youth Zone project.

(b)     Coronation Park Dementia Garden

Cabinet approve the spend of £0.255 million (£0.046 million in 2024-25 and £0.209 million in 2025-26) to deliver the Coronation Park Dementia Garden. This spend will be funded from the existing Cramlington budget in the capital programme. Note that this project will be delivered by Cramlington Town Council via a grant funding agreement with the Council.

Cabinet approve the amendment to the capital programme to reallocate £0.255 million (£0.046 million in 2024-25 and £0.209 million in 2025-26) from the Cramlington project to the Coronation Park Dementia Garden project.

(c)      Northumberland Line Update

Cabinet approve the following capital spend and amendments to the capital programme in line with cost increases and increased funding from the Department for Transport (DfT):

Reallocate £4.500 million of Council funding from the Northumberland Line project to the Newsham Road Bridge project in 2024-25.

Add an additional £67.801 million (£63.040 million in 2024-25 and £4.761 million in 2025-26) of external funding to the Northumberland Line project. This funding is from the Department for Transport to support the delivery of the Northumberland Line Programme.

Reallocate £4.982 million of Council funding from the Capital Contract Inflation budget to the Northumberland Line project in 2024-25.

Add an additional £3.120 million to the Newsham Road Bridge project in 2024-25. This spend will be funded from the Strategic Management Reserve.

(d)     Whitton View, Rothbury

Cabinet approve the spend of £0.272 million (£0.027 million in 2024-25 and £0.245 million in 2025-26) for the purchase of two 3-bed houses on the Cussins development site – Land East of Whitton View, Rothbury. The spend will be funded by £0.136 million HRA capital receipts and £0.136 million retained treasury receipts.

Cabinet approve the amendment to the capital programme to add the Whitton View, Rothbury project of £0.272 million (£0.027 million in 2024-25 and £0.245 million in 2025-26).

(e)      Richard Stannard House Conversion

Cabinet approve the spend of £3.374 million (£0.371 million in 2024-25 and £3.003 million in 2025-26) to convert Richard Stannard House, a three-storey commercial building of 1164m2 on Bridge Street in Blyth, into 16 apartments. This spend will be funded from the existing Levelling Up Deep Dive Housing Renewal and Town Centre Living project in the capital programme. Note this project will be delivered by Advance Commercial Limited via a grant funding agreement with the Council.

Cabinet approve the amendment to the capital programme to reallocate £3.374 million (£0.371 million in 2024-25 and £3.003 million  ...  view the full decision text for item 7.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Supporting Business and Opportunities

In accordance with the Energising Blyth Programme - Local Assurance Framework, the report seeks the endorsement of the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Energy Central Campus Phase 2: Energy Central Institute.

Northumberland County Council (NCC) as Local Authority has a number of critical roles in relation to the Project:

a)       NCC is a founder member of ECC Ltd, is central to enabling project delivery acting as guarantor to the Grant Funding Agreements.

b)       NCC is the Accountable Body for the Town Deal Funding.

c)       NCC as freehold landowner of the development site.

RESOLVED that:-

Where NCC is a member of Energy Central Campus Limited (ECC Ltd) and is acting as guarantor to the Grant Funding Agreements enabling the delivery of the Energy Central Campus Phase 2 project, Cabinet agrees and approves the following:

3.1     NCC to act as guarantor for the purposes of the Town Deal Grant Funding and NECA funding Agreements, as required to meet due diligence requirements of both NCC as the Accountable Body and NECA and for NCC to cashflow the project and recharge ECC Ltd as Grant Funding Recipient.

3.2     To vary the existing Members and Framework Agreement to include reimbursement of NCC by ECC Ltd for the costs incurred; for NCC to be responsible for delivering the capital build of the Energy Central Institute on behalf of ECC Ltd including award of contracts as the contracting authority.

3.3     To delegate authority to the Executive Director for Place & Regeneration, in consultation with the Executive Director of Transformation and Resources and the Portfolio Holder to enter into a Grant Funding Agreement between Northumberland County Council as the project guarantor and Northumberland County Council as NCCAB.

3.4     Subject to 3.2 above, to delegate authority to the Executive Director for Place & Regeneration in consultation with the Executive Director of Transformation and Resources and the Portfolio Holder, to enter into any contracts relating to the project subject to confirmation of associated funding being in place and the appropriate/compliant procurement processes being followed.

In relation to NCC as the Accountable Body for the Town Deal funding Cabinet agrees and approves the following:

3.5     To endorse the principles of the Outline Business Case for Energy Central Campus Phase 2 – Energy Central Institute, as set out in this report, and delegate approval of the Outline Business Case to the Executive Director of Place and Regeneration following consideration of the detail at Programme Board. 

3.6     To approve the updating of the capital programme as set out in table 5.

3.7     To delegate authority in accordance with the Energising Blyth Local Assurance Framework, to the Executive Director of Transformation and Resources following consideration and recommendation by the Programme Board to approve the Full Business Case and report any subsequent capital implications to Cabinet via the Capital Strategy Group, for inclusion in the Capital Programme.

3.8     Subject to written confirmation that ECC Ltd have accepted the award of £5,499,951 North East Combined Authority capital and revenue funding to be used as set out in the report;

3.8.1  To delegate authority to the Executive Director of Transformation and Resources to enter into a Grant Funding Agreement between Northumberland County Council as the fund Accountable Body and Energy Central Campus Ltd as the applicant/funding recipient and NCC as the project guarantor, following appraisal including subsidy control consideration.

3.8.2  To authorise the expenditure of up to £1,000,000 by ECC Ltd prior to entering into the Grant Funding Agreement (to be retrospectively covered by the Grant Funding Agreement), to allow enabling works to commence prior to final determinations in relation to  ...  view the full decision text for item 8.

Report of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Supporting Business and Opportunities and Cllr Veronica Jones, Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequalities

The purpose of this report is to agree the strategic objectives and high level delivery priorities to support the development of Northumberland’s food system and agree early interventions.

RESOLVED that:-

1.            Cabinet endorse the Northumberland Food Strategy objectives and high-level delivery priorities as a framework for better integrating and realising the value of the county’s food system;

2.            Cabinet agree to collaborate with Food and Drink North East to develop a Northumberland food brand and standard to promote Northumberland’s food story by summer 2025. This will support growth of the food and drink sector and the visitor economy and enable closer supply chain links; and

3.            Cabinet agree to the creation of a task and finish internal officer working group to define, by autumn 2025, the subsequent delivery phases and proposed partnership governance within the context of the emerging regional food infrastructure and local partnership arrangements.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Caring for Adults

This report summarises the conclusions of the assessment of adult social care in Northumberland by the Care Quality Commission, following their visit in August 2024.  Overall, the Council’s adult social care services were rated as “Good”.

RESOLVED that Cabinet note the report for information, and in particular, it be noted that:

(a)      CQC’s assessment of the Council’s delivery of its adult social care duties is among the most positive assessments that they have so far published.  The report makes particularly encouraging comments on the Council’s partnership arrangements with other organisations;

(b)      The report assesses the Council’s performance as “good” in seven of the nine domains which it covers.  The two domains in which it says that the evidence considered by CQC “shows some shortfalls” were both identified as priorities for improvement in a position statement that was published by the Council earlier this year as the starting point for a broad conversation with service users, carers, staff and partner organisations about priorities for adult social care over the next three years; and

(c)      Consolidated action plans are being developed to address priorities for improvement identified through the CQC report and through the local conversation which the position statement initiated.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Inspiring Young People

This report informs Cabinet of the outcomes of the consultation on:

•         School Admission Arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools for the 2026/27 Academic Year as required by the School Admissions Code 2021.  Approval (determination) of these admission arrangements is also sought.

•         School Transport Policy for Children of Compulsory School Age, September 2024.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)      Cabinet note the outcomes of the six-week consultation undertaken in relation to the Council’s proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for 2026/27 and the Council’s School Transport Policy for Children of Compulsory School Age that took place between 4^th November 2024 and 16^th December 2024;

(b)      Cabinet approve the proposed co-ordinated admission scheme for all maintained schools and academies, as provided in Appendix 1 of this report; 

(c)      Cabinet approve (determine) the proposed admission arrangements, including proposed oversubscription criteria (please note the removal of greater catchment criterion) and proposed admission numbers for First and Primary community and voluntary and controlled schools, as provided in Appendix 2 of the report; 

(d)      Cabinet approve (determine) the proposed admission arrangements, including proposed over subscription criteria (please note the removal of greater catchment criterion) and proposed admission numbers, for Middle, High and Secondary community and voluntary controlled schools, including sixth forms, as provided in Appendix 3 of this report;

(e)      Cabinet approve a reduction of the Published Admission Number at The Sele First School from 84 to 60 with effect from September 2026, in view of current and future pupil numbers; and

(f)      Cabinet approve the Council’s School Transport Policy for Children of Compulsory School Age provided in Appendix 5 of the report, and agree that the School Transport Policy continue to be reviewed and reported back to Cabinet in due course.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chair, should, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

The Committee is invited to consider passing the following resolution:

(a) That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the Agenda as it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the 1972 Act, and

(b) That the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure for the following reasons:-

Agenda Item – 14

Paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12A – 3

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information). The public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure because disclosure could adversely affect the business reputation or confidence in the person / organisation, and could adversely affect commercial revenue.

This confidential appendix relates to item 7 in Part 1 of the agenda above. Unless Cabinet are of the opinion when considering the matter under item 7, that they wish to exclude the press and public to allow discussion of the confidential issues, and they pass the appropriate resolution at that point, then the confidential appendix will be taken as read, and the debate will be in public so far as practicable.