Meeting documents
Cabinet
Thursday, 14th July, 2016 7.00 pm
| Number | Item |
Tabled Papers  | |
| Agenda Front Page | |
| Agenda Papers | |
| Minutes for this Meeting | |
| 1. | Apologies |
| 2. | Declarations of Interest |
| 3. | Minutes – To approve the Minutes of the Meeting of the Cabinet held on the 9th June 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* | |
| From the inception of the Chilmington Green project the ambition has been to create a place of special character with a strong community. The Design Code is an integral part of the process of delivering quality development – it moves down a level from the overall masterplan to deal with many detailed aspects of delivery and will help to guide planning applications as they come forward. The Quality Monitoring Initiative will help to check that the Design Code is delivered on site. Following consultation on the draft some amendments are suggested and the SPD is recommended for adoption. | |
| Adoption of Chilmington Green Design Code as a Supplementary Planning Document | |
| Chilmington Design Code | |
| Chilmington Green - Regulatory Plans | |
| 7. | This report seeks authority to commit developer contributions to extending the existing B-line bus service into Park Farm South and East Kingsnorth and recommends the use of funding already held by the Council for this purpose. |
| *Extending Bus Services into Park Farm South and East Kingsnorth | |
| 8. | The primary purpose of the report is to show transparently how contributions are being collected and applied in a proper way; that the monitoring of section 106 contributions remains robust; This report will reinforce the point that section 106 is an important resource stream and also that officers are prepared for any legislative changes. The report includes details of new contributions negotiated; an accounts update funds received from existing agreements and update on projects being funded by section 106 funding. |
| Section 106 Annual Monitoring Report 2015/16 | |
| 9. | Ashford Borough Council needs to collect and use certain information about service users to allow us to carry out our many and varied functions and responsibilities. This personal information - however it is acquired held processed released or destroyed - must be dealt with fairly and lawfully.Similarly the information stored and processed by the Council or by third parties working on behalf of the authority is an equally valuable asset. Without adequate levels of protection confidentiality integrity and availability of information the Council will not be able to fulfil its obligations including the provision of government services and meeting legal statutory and contractual requirements.Accordingly The Council’s Data Protection policy has been brought up to date to ensure that it aligns with national legislation and policy best practice from around the county and across the council and following a recent internal audit of the council’s data protection arrangements. |
| Data Protection Policy | |
| 10. | Exempt Appendix |
| 10. | This report proposes the formal write off of 122 debts totalling £149109.45. The proposals are in line with the Council’s Revenues & Benefits Service Write Off Policy. Existing bad debt provisions already more than cover the sums involved. |
| Revenue & Benefits Recommended Write-Offs Schedule | |
| 11. | The challenging financial environment for the delivery of affordable housing has seen a number of alternative models of delivery evolve. This report presents a set of criteria to ensure the affordable housing needs of local residents are met by any model being proposed and the Council’s reputation and financial interests are safeguarded. |
| Affordable Housing Provider Protocol | |
| 12. | This report seeks to highlight to cabinet the work of the Audit Committee in identifying a preferred route to procure the Council’s next External Auditor.The Audit Committee at its meeting on the 16th June Considered a report that highlighted the pathways available to the Council for this process and recommended to Council that it seeks to procure via a sector led body.Council will consider this recommendation at its meeting on the 21st July 2016. |
| Procurement & Appointment of External Audit | |
| 13. | The Annual Report provides a transparent and accessible summary of the achievements and milestones of Ashford Borough Council over the course of the 2015/16 financial year.It not only reflects on what has been achieved across the borough and through the work of the Council’s services but also provides another opportunity to highlight the plans for the next four years as set out in the Council’s new Corporate Plan. The intention is for this to be the last year of extensive hard-copy distribution of the Annual Report. Accordingly this year’s Annual Report includes space at the bottom of the back page. Once the report itself has been agreed by Cabinet this space will be used to provide a link to a simple online form which will encourage recipients to return their details email address and choice of subjects they would like to receive further targeted communications around. Residents may also complete the hard copy form and return it to the council offices. |
| Ashford Borough Council Annual Report 2015-16 | |
| 14. | This report updates Members on the change in arrangements recommended to and agreed by the Cabinet at its meeting on 16th March 2016 concerning the lease of the Julie Rose Stadium and management of Conningbrook Lakes Country Park.In order to protect the pension rights of a number of staff it has not been possible to transfer the service from ALT to the Southern Neighbourhood Community Trust. However ALT has agreed to enter into negotiations looking at the same legal arrangement previously offered to Southern Neighbourhood Community Trust. The length of the proposed legal arrangements (i.e. 18 months with an option for an extension of 6 months) allows the Council and ALT to work together to engage the market and put in place more sustainable management models for these facilities and the Stour Centre. |
| Management of Julie Rose and Conningbrook Lakes and Country Park | |
| 15. | The Town Centre Action Team (T-CAT) was formed three years ago with the intention of having a flexible and reactive resource to keep the town centre attractive and well-looked-after. This review is to check that T-CAT is achieving what it set out to do and is providing extra worth to the town centres. |
| Looking After the Town Centre: A Review of T-CATs role and its needs | |
| Exempt Appendices | |
| 16. | In October 2015 Cabinet members approved the Council’s five-year Corporate Plan in which a key priority is encouraging economic investment and growth. The Commercial Quarter is crucial to this and as part of the Council’s Big 8 agenda forms a critical part of the strategy for the economic development of the borough and regeneration of the town centre.This proposal at the heart of the town centre is crucially important in the successful delivery of the Commercial Quarter which it is envisaged will revitalise the town centre and bring with it many economic advantages including:• employment opportunities;• linked trips and increased town centre spend;• an attractive and modern business environment; and• the catalyst for wider investment and development.Terms of the above land deal the first phase of development of the Commercial Quarter which will deliver 80500 sq ft of development at Dover Place including office space with retail and restaurants on the ground floor together with car parking and landscaping have previously been presented to and agreed in principle by the Town Centre Regeneration Board at its meetings of 26 August 2015 and 27 January 2016.Subsequently lengthy detailed design and commercial negotiations have taken place and this report comes to Cabinet requesting that it recommend to Council that it approve the terms for the transaction as they now stand (the “Transaction”).This report will cover all elements of the development proposal2including:i. the sale contract relating to land at Dover Place (including the consideration and overage provision);ii. the south park car park lease (including the Council’s development option);iii. the office lease to the Council;iv. the planning position;v. The land valuationIt will also seek to highlight the regeneration and economic development benefits that it is anticipated will come from what is proposed and how the Transaction demonstrates the Council’s commitment to securing the early regeneration of the town centre.The Council operates as transparently as it can at all times but there are circumstances where its ability to act commercially would be hindered by the full disclosure of the financial and valuation information and advice it has received and as such parts of this report are not made available for publication. |
| Phase 1 Commercial Quarter Office Development (Land Transaction) | |
| 17. | Exempt Appendices |
| 17. | Following the Council’s agreement to provide a bridging loan of up to £2 million to the College in February 2015 to deliver Phase 1 of the Elwick Road Campus this report updates the Council on the Colleges new plans to complete both Phase 1 and 1a of the College development by September 2017 providing the opportunity to move all of their operations from Jemmett Road to Elwick Road and providing efficiency savings and improvements in the standards of educational provision.In accelerating this development the College have now requested a further bridging loan of up to £1 million and then the conversion of both loans into a grant of up to £3 million to enable the delivery of Phase 1 and 1a of the Elwick Road Campus. |
| Funding to support the delivery of the new Ashford Town Centre College Campus | |
| 18. | The report seeks approval in principle based on the jointly agreed Statement of Intent attached as Appendix 1 to explore the merger of the five East Kent District Councils of Ashford Canterbury Dover Shepway and Thanet. This is in response to financial challenges facing local government and the opportunity to drive improvements and growth in the East Kent area. |
| Statement of Intent – To examine a merger of East Kent District Councils | |
| 19. | The report introduces the Annual Report of the Member Training Panel for 2015/16. |
| Member Training Panel Annual Report | |
| 20. | Part IV – Information/Monitoring Items |
| Local Plan and Planning Policy Task Group – Notes of the Meetings held on 11th and 31st May 2016 | |
| 21. | Joint Transportation Board – Minutes of the Meeting held on the 14th June 2016. Note: Link to Reports Click to view reports |
| 22. | To set out the latest Schedule of Key Decisions to be taken by the Cabinet of Ashford Borough Council. |
| Schedule of Key Decisions | |
| 23. | Items for Future Meetings |
| 24. | Part V – Cabinet Member Reports - None for this Meeting |
| Part VI – Ordinary Decision Items - None for this Meeting |