Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room 1, County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF

Contact: Rebecca Greally 

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors P. Ezhilchelvan, P. Jackson, N. Oliver and A. Wallace.

2.

DISCLOSURE OF MEMBERS' INTERESTS

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. 

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

Minutes:

Councillor M. Murphy sought guidance regarding item 6 as she was on the board for Advance which is a council-owned company. As the report was a general report covering the governance of all council-owned companies it was deemed acceptable for Councillor Murphy to remain in the room and discuss the item.

3.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Minutes of the meetings of the Corporate Services and Economic Growth OSC held on 10th October 2022, as circulated, to be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Services and Economic Growth Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 10 October 2022, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

4.

FORWARD PLAN OF CABINET DECISIONS pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To note the latest Forward Plan of key decisions. Any further changes made to the Forward Plan will be reported to the Committee.

Minutes:

The Forward Plan of forthcoming Key Cabinet decisions was reported to the Committee.  (Report enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix A). 

 

RESOLVED that the Forward Plan of key decisions be noted with the verbal amendment.

5.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT pdf icon PDF 459 KB

Committee will receive a presentation which will provide an update on the regeneration within the County.

 

Councillor Wojciech Ploszaj, Portfolio Holder for Business is requested to attend for this item.

Minutes:

CouncillorPloszaj introduced the presentation to committee. J. Rose, interim director of regenerations, presented the PowerPoint to committee. It outlined the role of the regeneration service. The service tried to maintain a steady flow of work so there was always projects in the pipeline. External funding was instrumental to many projects and during differing economic times that funding varied. It was highlighted that investment into the County was not mutually exclusive. The service provided the Council with an accountable body for externally funded projects and programmes to manage performance and ensure compliance. 

 

There were several areas of investment. Town regeneration investment included the Energising Blyth Programme, which consisted of capital investment in 11 significant projects funded by Towns Fund and Future High Street Fund. It was hoped a similar investment would take place in Ashington Town centre however Levelling Up Fund was awaited. There were also investments in more rural town centres such as Alnwick, Hexham and Berwick. 

 

Community regeneration was important to maintain a strategic relationship with Town and Parish Councils. This investment also covered the community chest which funded community-based projects. The Cultural investment looked at developing new cultural attractions such Ad Gefrin in Wooler and Blyth Cultural Hub. Hadrian’s Wall was an international asset in the County and the service was looking at unlocking the economic potential of the iconic World Heritage Site. Rural Stewardship focused on rural business development and helping businesses access funding.  

 

Pathways to work looked at employability pathways in the County. It was important that the employability programmes met the needs of the businesses in the area and the programmes were tailored to meet the needs. Strategic sites was where the service worked with Advance Northumberland to attract business on to the County’s enterprise zones. It also looked at the economic corridor created by the Northumberland Line and how to unlock its potential. The strategic transport investment focused on programs around the County’s transport. The Northumberland Line and walking and cycling infrastructure programmes were reliant on external funding. The service also managed the Council’s concessionary travel scheme.  

 

The following comments were made in response to members questions:- 

 

  • It was confirmed that funding cross-pollinates, and it was hoped that investment into one area such as a town centre would ripple out to local communities. The service tried to package projects together to get the optimum funding for that area.  
  • The definition of cultural investment was highlighted as important as only certain projects would receive external funding.  
  • Investments had to resonate with the area it was important that they married into the assets that were already available. The service recognized where the market was failing and where investment could be used effectively.  
  • It was acknowledged that it was challenging to receive funding for existing businesses. Members were advised that Advance Northumberland worked with existing businesses and would be the first port of call. It was also highlighted that in exceptional circumstances the Council would help businesses with rate relief but a stringent criteria  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

BUDGET 2023-24 AND MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL PLAN 2023-27 pdf icon PDF 222 KB

This report provides an update on the development of the 2023-24 Budget and the Medium-Term Financial Plan(MTFP) covering the period 2023 to 2027. 

 

Councillor Richard Wearmouth, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services is requested to attend for this item. 

Minutes:

Councillor R. Wearmouth, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services introduced the report which gave an update on the position of the Council’s budget. The Government had not disclosed any further information regarding the budget but it was expected to be delivered 21st December, therefore the information in the report was based on assumptions. 

 

J. Willis continued to present the report to committee. It was acknowledged that details regarding grants may not be received on the 21st as often they are given a couple of weeks after the statement. The limits for things such as Council Tax would be outlined in the statement. It was confirmed that the forecast was not looking at worst case scenario. 

 

The committee welcomed the report and looked forward to more information in the New Year. It was suggested that setting the budget for the coming year could have been a defining mark of the administration. 

 

RESOLVED that the information in the report be noted.

7.

COUNCIL-OWNED COMPANY GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK pdf icon PDF 156 KB

The purpose of this report is to propose a Council-owned Company Governance Framework to ensure a consistent approach and set of considerations are made to the governance arrangements for existing, or in the establishment of, companies wholly or partly owned by Northumberland County Council (NCC). This report refers particularly to Governance from the Company perspective but also deals with the interaction between Company and Council as Shareholder; future reports will concentrate on governance from the shareholder perspective.

 

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Leader of the Council is requested to attend for this item.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor R. Wearmouth, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services introduced the report. The governance framework has been created to outline the role of the Council within the companies. The framework would help the authority to move forward with the Caller recommendations. 

 

S. McMillan continued to present the report; the framework was intended to provide balance between Council-owned companies’ objectives and the Council as shareholder; it had been developed based on best practise. The framework allowed the Council to respond to areas highlighted in the Caller Review, particularly the board composition of Council-owned companies, which was to change with the number of independent non-executive directors increased, which would be achieved through an open and transparent recruitment process. There would be remuneration for the board members to attract and motivate high calibre candidates; it was noted that Councillors would only receive remuneration to the limit agreed and officers would not receive remuneration. The process to recruit the board members would start once the proposal had received approval from Cabinet and would be managed over a transition period  to ensure stability for the Company. 

 

The following comments were made in response to members questions:- 

 

  • Concern was expressed regarding whether it was appropriate to offer remuneration to the independent non-executive directors.  Members were advised that a reasonable sum of remuneration was necessary in the current market and that recruitment to those positions of the calibre required may be otherwise difficult. 
  • It was confirmed that a report outlining the company and Councillor arrangements would come to scrutiny. There would also be further information regarding the subcommittee. 
  • The political connection on the board had been reduced to support the recommendations from the Caller report. Members were informed the board member could not be a member of Cabinet. The recruitment process would be open and transparent. It would involve the Leader and the shareholder representative, the member would be appointed based on possessing the skills required for the role. 
  • Members welcomed that Advance Northumberland would come to scrutiny annually to give an update on the work they had carried out.  
     

RESOLVED to advise the Cabinet that it supported the recommendations contained in the report, subject to consideration of the issues highlighted above.

8.

DEBT RECOVERY UPDATE pdf icon PDF 296 KB

The purpose of this report is to provide the Corporate Services and Economic Growth Overview and Scrutiny Committee with information relating to the level of outstanding debt owed to the Council so that the Committee may satisfy itself as to the efficiency and effectiveness of its collection and recovery policies and systems.

 

Councillor Richard Wearmouth, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services is requested to attend for this item.

Minutes:

J. Willis, Executive Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer), introduced the report with K. Teasdale, Recovery Manager. The management of income was a key business area for Northumberland County Council.? The Council collected income from many sources; some of this activity was governed by legislation while other areas by sound principles of financial management.? The key to economic, efficient and effective income management was the creation and maintenance of a clear framework that set out the approach, principles, ownership and strategy within which all activities were conducted.? 

 

It is essential that income was collected effectively by the Council, and that debt owed to the Council was kept to a minimum.? This was because the Council had both a legal duty and a responsibility to its citizens to ensure that income due was paid promptly to ensure it can minimise the burden of unpaid debt and enhance service delivery.? 

 

There was an awareness that the Council was still feeling repercussions from the Covid pandemic however progress had been made. The officers were mindful of the cost of living crisis and that it was likely to have an impact on debt recovery in the future. A new telephony tool was being introduced to the Revenue Service which would aim to improve engagement with customers in arrears with Council Tax at an early stage.  

 

RESOLVED that the information in the report be noted.

9.

WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 141 KB

The Committee is asked to review and note the Corporate Services and Economic Growth Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for the 2022/23 council year.

Minutes:

The Committee received an update on its Work Programme for the 2022/23 council year.  The Scrutiny Coordinator highlighted that all scrutiny members were invited to the January meeting to consider the Budget 2023-24 and Medium term financial plan 2023-27 as well as the Housing Revenue Account. 

 

Members asked if they could receive at scrutiny the monthly reports received at Cabinet giving an update on the Council’s financial position given inflation. It was confirmed that the reports were available to scrutinise. 

RESOLVED that this information was noted.