| Number | Item |
| | Minutes for this Meeting  |
| | Tabled Paper |
| | Agenda Front Page |
| | Agenda Papers |
| 1. | Apologies |
| 2. | Declarations of Interest |
| 3. | Minutes – To approve the Minutes of the Meeting of the Cabinet held on the 14th January 2016 |
| 4. | To receive any Petitions |
| 5. | Leader’s Announcements |
| 6. | Part I – Matters Referred to the Cabinet - None for this Meeting |
| | Part II – Consideration of Reports from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee - None for this Meeting |
| | Part III – Ordinary Decision Items - Key Decisions Annotated* |
| | The Overview and Scrutiny Budget Scrutiny Task Group has scrutinised the Council’s draft 2016/17 budget and regards it as legal and achievable. |
| | O & S Budget Scrutiny Report |
| 7. | This report is the culmination of a number of financial planning reports that have been received by Cabinet over the last year. In October Cabinet received a report outlining the Council’s Corporate Plan 2015-2020 including the Medium Term Financial Plan; this informed the draft budget that was presented to Cabinet in December and a consultation exercise and scrutiny process followed. This budget has been updated for the provisional funding announcements and this report presents the final draft budget 2016/17 for consideration by Cabinet. Cabinet’s recommendations will then be presented to the full Council. The consultation process is still open and responses will either be presented to this meeting or to the full Council meeting on the 23 February. The budget supports the first year of the Council’s updated Corporate Plan and reflects the changes to services that were agreed in October 2015 following public consultation. The report covers the Housing Revenue Account which includes a 1% reduction in rents the first of a four year reduction programme. Capital programme and the council’s Treasury Management Strategy.The reductions in local government funding and the changes to the way in which that funding is received has changed the risk environment against which the budget is built and the report includes specific advice on robustness and budgetary risk. With this in mind this report recommends a change in the reserves policy to ensure future income risks adequately covered.For some time this Borough’s council tax has been the lowest of Kent districts and well below the national average. This budget proposes a 1.99% rise in the Boroughs annual council tax with a Band D (the standard council tax band) charge moving to £148.34 for the year. It is expected this will remain the lowest of any Kent district. This excludes changes to Parish Councils’ precepts which vary from parish to parish. |
| | *Budget 2016/17 |
| 8. | This report presents an assessment of an outturn position for this financial year based on the third quarter actuals for the General Fund the Housing Revenue Account and the Collection Fund.This quarter the General Fund is projected to be £52000 under the original budget a £82000 movement from last quarter where a slight overspend of £30000 was projected. This variance is driven from two major variances a saving in borrowing costs and a transfer to reserves for future maintenance of assets including recent acquisitions where borrowing costs have been saved.The Housing Revenue Account is projecting an overall deficit of £192000 this compares to a budgeted deficit of £370000. The movement from last quarter is a favourable £139000 and detailed below in Table 4.There is also an update on New Homes Bonus projects including progress and remaining budgets and the mid-year treasury management review. |
| | *Financial Monitoring – Quarterly Report |
| 9. | This report seeks to update members and the public on the performance of the council during the quarter. This includes information on what the Cabinet has achieved through its decision-making key performance data on our frontline services and consideration of the wider borough picture which impacts upon the council’s work.The report also includes a ‘Technical Annex’ of all numerical information included within the report which provides comparison and trend data against performance over the previous four quarters. |
| | Corporate Performance Report |
| 10. | This report the third such annual review summarises actions and initiatives undertaken throughout the authority during the last year in the complementary areas of a sustainable environment carbon and energy reduction and responding to the threat of climate change. These had been brought together previously within the council’s Position Statement. Many new initiatives were set in train over the previous year (the details of which were included In the February 2015 annual progress report). As such much of the emphasis over this year has been to consolidate these whilst adding a smaller number of additional projects. |
| | Climate Change & Sustainable Environment – Annual Progress Review |
| 11. | This paper sets out for comment the progress the council and its partners have made on projects relating to domestic abuse over the past 12 months. It specifically addresses: • The current position on the Kent and Medway Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) service • The work of the council’s Domestic Abuse Coordinator and• The programme of work going forward. |
| | Domestic Abuse Annual Report |
| 12. | The purpose of this report is to present to the Cabinet the Gambling Policy Statement prepared in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) for subsequent submission for approval to full Council with any changes the Cabinet deem necessary. The report also provides a summary of the policy consultation results and indicates how this consultation has been taken into account when preparing the final version of the policy. There are no significant implications associated with this latest revision of the policy. |
| | *Gambling Act Policy Revision |
| 13. | This report provides an update on Ashford’s recycling performance for 2015/16 and the findings from a residual and recyclable waste composition analysis undertaken during November 2015. The challenges arising for Ashford are explored with a proposal to develop a forward strategy for Ashford to maintain recycling performance above 50%. |
| | *Recycling Performance 2015/16 and Waste Composition Analysis |
| 14. | Further to the resignation of the Chief Executive this report makes recommendations on the appointment of key senior posts in light of the recent senior management structure approval the recently adopted Corporate Plan and uncertainties around devolution.It recommends hat the Council makes an internal appointment to the post of Interim Chief Executive/Head of Paid Service and also makes recommendations on the appointments to the Electoral Registrations Officer and Returning Officer roles as these roles are also carried out by the current Chief Executive. The paper also seeks approval of the job description and remuneration package for the interim Chief Executive role. |
| | *Appointment of Interim Chief Executive/Head of Paid Service Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer |
| 15. | Part IV – Information/Monitoring Items |
| | Local Plan and Planning Policy Task Group – Notes of the Meeting held on 13th January 2016 |
| 16. | Ashford Strategic Delivery Board – Notes of the Meeting held on the 22nd January 2016 |
| 17. | To set out the latest Schedule of Key Decisions to be taken by the Cabinet of Ashford Borough Council. |
| | Schedule of Key Decisions |
| 18. | Items for Future Meetings |
| | E1 Flexible Retirement – Post Holder 3002 (Paragraphs 1 and 2) |
| 19. | Part V – Cabinet Member Reports - None for this Meeting |
| | Part VI – Ordinary Decision Items |
| | That pursuant to Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of this item as it is likely that in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure of exempt information hereinafter specified by reference to the appropriate paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Act where in the circumstances the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information |