Decisions

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

RESOLVED that:-

Cramlington Regeneration Programme Alexandra Park Activity Trail

a)       Cabinet approve the spend of £0.150 million in 2025-26 to deliver the Alexandra Park Activity Trail project. This spend will be funded from the existing Cramlington Regeneration project in the capital programme; and  

b)       Cabinet approve the amendment to the capital programme to reallocate £0.150 million from the Cramlington Regeneration project to the Cramlington Regeneration Programme Alexandra Park Activity Trail project in 2025-26.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)      Cabinet agree the contents of the report in accordance with its responsibility for ensuring effective risk management throughout the organisation; and

(b)      Cabinet note that the report will be presented to the next meeting of Audit Committee as a source of assurance in its role of monitoring the effective development and operation of risk management and risk-related issues across the County Council and as part of its ongoing evaluation of the framework of governance, risk management and control within Northumberland County Council’s accounting group boundary.

RESOLVED that:-

(a )     Cabinet approve the proposals for the continuing implementation of the National Funding Formula for 2025/26 as agreed previously, in line with the recommendation of the Schools Forum meeting of 27 November 2024;

(b )     Cabinet approve the transfer of up to 1% funding from the Schools’ Block to the High Needs Block, in line with recommendation of the Schools Forum meeting of 27 November 2024.  Note any amount above 0.5% will require the approval of the Secretary of State for Education (SOS); and

(c )     Cabinet approve the delegation of the final formula values and transfer from the Schools’ Block to the High Needs Block, to the Executive Director for Children, Young People and Education in consultation with  Cabinet Member for Inspiring Young People in line with the principles previously agreed at Schools Forum on 27th November 2024, once the final budget allocations are released by the Department for Education in December 2024.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)      Cabinet approve the use of the data on the JSNAA website where applicable to inform relevant policies, strategies and programmes across the Council; and

(b)      Cabinet agree the work plan for 2025-26 to further build our intelligence about Northumberland’s health and wellbeing.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approve the Northumberland Air Quality Strategy 2025-2030 and agree to it’s publication.

RESOLVED that the contents of the Conservation Area Character Appraisals for Alnmouth, Lesbury, Warkworth, Embleton, Seahouses and North Sunderland be noted, and Cabinet endorse their use as an evidence base and guidance to help manage change in the Conservation Areas. 

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

a)       note progress to date on the Blyth Relief Road project;

b)       approve submission of the refreshed Outline Business Case to the Department for Transport for review and approval following approval of the Council budget in February 2025;

c)       delegate authority to the Executive Director for Place and Regeneration to authorise submission of the planning application to the Local Planning Authority on completion of the necessary documentation;

d)       approve £0.720m of capital expenditure to enable detailed design and development of the scheme and preparation of the planning application documentation to progress during 2024/25 to be funded from the virement of £0.720m of Local Transport Plan funds for schemes that were due to be delivered in 2024/25 but which are now being re-programmed for delivery in 2025/26;

e)       approve the proposed inclusion of a £5.006m match funding allocation within the Council’s proposed MTFP, to be funded from Strategic Management Reserve for the period 2025/26 to 2027/28, which will be considered by the County Council when setting its overall budget in February 2025, and for £0.650m of this funding to be used to continue progressing the scheme to ‘shovel-ready’ status by the end of December 2025, to maintain the overall delivery programme for this strategically important project. This will bring the Council’s total contribution to the project to £8.963 million, representing 15% of the estimated scheme cost; and

f)        approves the updating of the capital programme as set out in 10.9 Table 1.

RESOLVED that:-

(a )     Cabinet approve the declaration of a surplus on the Collection Fund for the year ending 31 March 2025 in relation to Council Tax of £2.497 million to be distributed to the Council and Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner in accordance with Council Tax regulations; the Council’s share being £2.305 million;

(b )     Cabinet note the overall estimated surplus on the Collection Fund for the year ending 31 March 2025 in relation to Business Rates of £7.958 million; the Council’s share being £3.979 million;

(c )     Cabinet note the distribution of the estimated Collection Fund surplus for Council Tax to the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner of £0.193 million, and the distribution of the estimated Collection Fund surplus for Business Rates of £3.979 million to the Secretary of State; and

(d )     Cabinet note the inclusion of the Council’s share of the estimated Collection Fund balances distributable in 2024-25 of £2.305 million surplus and £3.979 million surplus for Council Tax and Business Rates respectively, within the Council’s budget 2025-26.

RESOLVED that:

1.1      Cabinet approve the Housing Revenue Account 2025-26 budget as detailed within Appendix 1, which will reduce the balance on the HRA reserve from £24.379 million at 31 March 2025, to £16.030 million at 31 March 2026; and note the indicative budgets to 2028-29 which will reduce the balance of the HRA reserve to £12.178 million;??

1.2      Cabinet note that from 1 April 2025, social housing rent will be increased by Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1.00% as per the previously agreed Rent Standard. The budget detailed in Appendix 1 assumes that rents will rise by CPI 1.70% plus 1.00% with recoverable service charges also rising by CPI plus 1.00% for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026;

1.3      Cabinet approve the increase of 2.70% for housing rents from 1 April 2025 in line with the Government rent standard;?

1.4      ?Cabinet approve the increase of 2.70% for housing service charges from 1 April 2025;

1.5      Cabinet approve the Non-Recurrent Growth Item of £1.000 million for additional resources to tackle the backlog in the turnaround of void properties (detailed in point 6.11);

1.6      Cabinet approve the Non-Recurrent Growth Item of £0.600 million for demolition costs of unused dwellings (detailed in point 6.11);

1.7      Cabinet approve the Non-Recurrent Growth Item of £0.400 million for additional consumable materials (detailed in point 6.11);

1.8      Cabinet approve the use of £0.400 million from the Rent Hardship Fund Reserve, to contribute to the additional non recurrent growth. (detailed in point 6.6);

1.9      Cabinet approve the use of £2.003 million from the HRA Reserve to fund non-recurrent growth and to contribute to the ongoing pressure within the budget and to ensure the HRA sets a balanced budget (detailed in point 6.13);

1.10    Cabinet approve the estimated pay inflationary increase for 2025-26 of 3.00% totalling £0.723 million, which includes the impact of increased national insurance contributions (detailed in point 6.9);?

1.11    Cabinet approve the Non-Pay Inflation Schedule for 2025-26 totaling £0.298 million (detailed in point 6.9);?

1.12    Cabinet approve the Recurrent Growth as follows:

a)       Additional Stock Condition Survey budget of £0.098 million from 2025-26 to cover cyclical costs of carrying out surveys on current properties to inform future capital expenditure (detailed in point 6.10).?

b)       Additional budget of £0.100 million for electrical testing to comply with The Regulator of Social Housing (detailed in point 6.10);?

1.13    Cabinet approve the expenditure plan relating to £36.347 million which has been set aside over the 4-year period 2025-26 to 2028-29 in the HRA Capital programme to invest in Affordable Housing. Details are set out in Appendix 1;?

1.14    Cabinet approve the expenditure plan relating to £48.200 million which has been set aside over the 4-year period 2025-26 to 2028-29 in the HRA Major Repairs Programme to invest in continued improvement to the HRA housing stock. Details are set out in Appendix 1; and?

1.15    Cabinet note the indicative 30-year Housing Revenue Account business plan as detailed within Appendix 1.