Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted from Councillors Clare Cleary and Gareth Molineux.

There were no reported declarations of interest or dispensations.

To approve the Minutes of the last meeting of Cabinet held on the 5^th December 2018.

The Minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 5^th December 2018 were submitted for approval as a correct record.

The Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group asked what progress had been made in relation to minute 236 about the Town Centre Business and Marketing Co-ordinator. It was stated that a meeting had been arranged with the Town Centre Officer and Executive Director (Environment).

Resolved                               -   That the Minutes be received and approved as a correct record.

To receive the Minutes of the following meetings:

None listed.

No minutes were received from any boards, panels and working groups.

To receive reports from Cabinet Members.

There were no reports provided by Cabinet Members present at the meeting.

Report attached.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report to inform Members of the Council Tax Base for the financial year 2019-2020.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

In accordance with Section 35 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, the Council

was required to formally determine the Council Tax Base for 2019-2020 prior to 31st

January 2019. This allowed the Council to notify the major preceptors (Lancashire

County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire and Lancashire

Combined Fire Authority) by the 31st January of the Council Tax Base.

The requisite calculation (Appendices A and B) had to be carried out in accordance

with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 2012. Once

determined the Council Tax Base cannot be changed and has to be used when the

Council set their Council Tax for the financial year 2019-2020.

The calculation of the Tax Base for Hyndburn and Altham for 2019-2020 was attached

to the agenda report.  It proposed that the Tax Base for Hyndburn 2019-2020 shall be

20,934 This is an increase from last year’s Tax Base of 428 (20,506).  The 2019-2020

Tax Base for Altham is 316, an increase from last year’s Tax Base of 2 (314).

The Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 2012 specify formulae for calculating the Council Tax Base which must be set between the 1^st December 2018 and the 31^st January 2019.

The Council Tax Base is the measure of the number of chargeable dwellings held on the valuation list as at the 10 September 2018 and then adjusted to take account of discounts, exemptions, re-bandings and Council Tax Support to arrive at the Authority’s Council Tax Band D.

Alternative Options Considered and Reasons for Rejection 

This is a statutory requirement, therefore no other options can be considered.

A Customer First Analysis was attached at Appendix C to the report. 

Resolved                           (1)   That the report be approved;

                                (2)   That in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by the Council as its Council Tax Base for the financial year 2019/2020 be 20,934;  and,

                                (3)   That in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by the Council for its Council Tax Base for the Parish of Altham for the financial year 2019/2020 be 316.

Report attached.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report to notify Cabinet of the completion of a

key part of the evidence base for the new Local Plan, the Housing and Economic

Needs Assessment (HENA), and to inform Cabinet of the key findings of the study.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

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Reasons for Decision

The new Local Plan for Hyndburn was in preparation, and the Council was scheduled to commence a public consultation on it in February 2019. Separate papers would be brought to the February Cabinet meeting providing details of the proposed consultation material, and seeking approval to commence consultation.

The public consultation would include draft proposed planning policies recommending appropriate levels of housing growth and employment growth to plan for in the Borough to 2036. It will also consider the broad distribution of growth across settlements in the Borough. These policies will be detailed within the Core Strategy Review DPD. It will also present some initial site assessment information on a large pool of potential development sites referred to as the ‘long list of sites’. It is from these that the most suitable parcels of land will be taken forward in the Site Allocations DPD (part of the Local Plan) for formal allocation. Sufficient sites will need to be allocated to meet the growth for housing and employment set out in the Core Strategy Review DPD policies.

In support of development of the draft policies for the Core Strategy Review, in July 2018 the Council commissioned consultants GL Hearn to update the evidence base on housing and economic needs in the Borough over the plan period (2016-2036). This work has now been completed and is referred to as a Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (HENA). The study had been undertaken for the joint housing market area covering both Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn local authority areas, and builds on previous joint working undertaken through the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (in 2014).

The HENA study looked at housing need through analysis of demographics, market signals and economic forecasting. It looks at the need for general market housing, as well as affordable housing, older persons’ needs, and the appropriate housing mix to plan for by tenure. These are requirements set out by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and matters that the Government expects to see addressed through local planning policies in development plans.

The HENA study also considered employment forecasts for the Borough. It begins by considering likely job growth under an economic baseline scenario derived from national economic forecasts. It goes on to set out what it considers and justifies as a local ‘economic growth scenario’ and provides forecast growth figures for that. The study concludes by considering the link between planning for future employment and housing growth, making recommendations for both in terms of the quantum of land required for allocation in the Local Plan.

Alternative Options Considered and Reasons for Rejection 

The HENA was part of the evidence base that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 265.

Report attached.

The following item was submitted as urgent business with the Chair’s agreement in accordance with Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the reason being to ensure the latest up to date financial information was included in the report.

The Portfolio Holder for Resources submitted a report to inform Cabinet on the financial spending of the Council up to the end of November 2018 and the financial forecast outturn position for the Accounting Year 2018/19.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

The financial details of the report was shown as a table at the end of the report.

The spend for the first eight months of the financial year to the end of November 2018 was £7,030,241 compared to a Budget of £7,041,271 giving a small positive variance of £11,000 over the first eight months of the year.

The current forecast spend to the end of the financial year in March 2019 was £11,098,000 compared to a Budget of £11,174,000.  This forecast produces a positive variance of £76,000.  Culture & Leisure Services, Parks & Cemeteries and Planning & Transportation were all predicting small adverse variance.  There were more significant adverse variances on Town Centre & Markets and Policy & Corporate Governance. All other Budget Areas are predicting a surplus position compared to their Budget by the year end.

Alternative Options Considered and Reasons for Rejection 

Not applicable. 

Resolved                               -   That Cabinet noted the report and asked that the Corporate Management Team continue to reduce costs and increase income over the remainder of the year to help improve the overall financial position of the Council.

Exclusion of the Public

Recommended That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during the following items, when it is likely, in view of the nature of the proceedings that there will otherwise be disclosure of exempt information within the Paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Act specified at the items.

Report attached.

Exclusion of the Public

Resolved                               -   That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during the following item, when it was likely, in view of the nature of the proceedings that there would otherwise be disclosure of exempt information within the Paragraph at Schedule 12A of the Act specified at the item.

The following item was submitted as urgent business with the Chair’s agreement in accordance with Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the reason being to ensure the latest up to date financial information was included in the report.

Exempt Information under the Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A, Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

The Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Resources submitted an exempt report to inform Cabinet of a request for financial assistance from Hyndburn Leisure.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

The reasons for the decision were set out in the exempt report.

Alternative Options Considered and Reasons for Rejection

The alternative options considered and reasons for rejection were set out in the exempt report.

Resolved                                  - That the recommendations as set out in the report be approved.