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Contact information

E-mail

customer.service@shropshire.gov.uk

Telephone

0345 678 9000

Postal Address

Shropshire Council
Shirehall
Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY2 6ND

Agenda and decisions

Venue: Council Chamber, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6ND. View directions

Contact: Ashley Kendrick  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

2.

Disclosable Interests

Members are reminded that they must declare their disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable or non-registrable interests in any matter being considered at the meeting as set out in Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct and consider if they should leave the room prior to the item being considered. Further advice can be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 265 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2024.

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2024 be confirmed as a correct record.

4.

Public Question Time pdf icon PDF 198 KB

To receive any questions from members of the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 14. Deadline for notification is not later than 12 noon on Thursday 28 November 2024.

Additional documents:

5.

Member Question Time pdf icon PDF 273 KB

To receive any questions from Members of the Council. Deadline for notification is not later than 12 noon on Thursday 28 November 2024.

Additional documents:

6.

Scrutiny Items

15.

Grounds Maintenance Service Delegation to Shrewsbury Town Council pdf icon PDF 428 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities

 

Lead Officer – Jane Trethewey

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet approved:

 

·       The delegation of grounds maintenance services currently undertaken by Shrewsbury Town Council under a Service Level Agreement directly to Shrewsbury Town Council, along with the appropriate associated budget, subject to a parallel agreement by Shrewsbury Town Council to accept this delegation.

 

·       The delegation of the detailed agreement between Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Portfolio holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities.

 

·       That a Monitoring Board is established to meet a minimum of once a year to monitor the operation of the delegated services with joint membership from Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council.

16.

Leisure Services Review Consultation pdf icon PDF 296 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Rob Macey, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Digital

 

Lead Officer – Jane Trethewey

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet:

 

·       Authorised an 8-week public consultation on options for the future of the Much Wenlock Leisure Centre, including the proposal to serve notice to 3-18 Education Trust to cease to operate Much Wenlock Leisure Centre on behalf of William Brookes School and withdraw the associated subsidy for community use.

 

·       Agreed that once the public consultation is completed, the results are reported back to Cabinet for a decision on the preferred option.

7.

Setting the Council Tax Taxbase for 2025/26 pdf icon PDF 614 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities

 

Lead Officer -  Ben Jay

 

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet agreed and recommended to full Council:

 

3.1.     To approve, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Shropshire Council as it’s Council Tax taxbase for the year 2025/26, as detailed in Appendix A, totalling 121,374.04 Band D equivalents

 

3.2.     To note the changes to the Council’s localised Council Tax Support (CTS) scheme in 2025/26. The scheme is attached at Appendix B

 

3.3.     To note the Council Tax Support Scheme amendments detailed in Appendix B have no impact on the taxbase determination.

 

3.4.     To note the exclusion of 8,146.06 Band D equivalents from the taxbase calculation as a result of localised Council Tax Support.

 

3.5.     To note continuation of the discretionary Council Tax discount policy to not award a discount in respect of vacant dwellings undergoing major repair, i.e. former Class A exempt properties.

 

3.6.     To note continuation of the discretionary Council Tax discount policy in respect of vacant dwellings, i.e. former Class C exempt properties, of 100% for one month i.e. effectively reinstating the exemption and the resulting exclusion of 232.45 band D equivalents from the taxbase calculation.

 

3.7.     To note continuation of the “six week rule” in respect of vacant dwellings, i.e. former Class C exempt properties

 

3.8.     To note continuation of the discretionary Council Tax discount policy to levy a Council Tax premium of 100% in relation to dwellings which have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for more than one year (but less than five years) and the resulting inclusion of an additional 752.78 Band D equivalents in the taxbase calculation.

 

3.9.     To note continuation of the discretionary Council Tax discount policy to levy a Council Tax premium of 200% in relation to dwellings which have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for more than five years (but less than ten years) and the resulting inclusion of an additional 204.00 Band D equivalents in the taxbase calculation.

 

3.10.   To note continuation of the discretionary Council Tax discount policy to levy a Council Tax premium of 300% in relation to dwellings which have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for more than ten years and the resulting inclusion of an additional 196.67 Band D equivalents in the taxbase calculation.

 

3.11.   To note the implementation of the discretionary Council Tax discount policy to levy a Council Tax premium of 100% in relation to second homes (other than those that retain a 50% discount through regulation as a result of job related protection) and the resulting inclusion of an additional 1,833.88 Band D equivalents in the taxbase calculation.

 

3.12.   To approve a collection rate for the year 2025/26 of 98.2%.

8.

Collaborative Budget pdf icon PDF 352 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities

 

Lead Officer -  Ben Jay

 

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet:

 

3.4.     Accepted the themes identified by the cross-party task and finish group and take them into account in the development of the council budget for 2025/26.

 

3.5.     Accepted the feedback from the Transformation & Improvement Scrutiny on learning from the collaborative budget process and how it compares to the previous alternative budget arrangements.

 

3.6.     Considered and confirmed that the Collaborative Budget approach should be adopted by Council in future years.

9.

Draft Financial Strategy 2024/25 - 2028/29

Lead Member – Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities

 

Lead Officer - Ben Jay

 

 

REPORT TO FOLLOW

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That:

 

1.     Cabinet endorsed the work undertaken through the collaborative budget process and considers the proposed amendments and assumptions made since receiving the October MTFS update.

 

2.     Cabinet agreed the themed savings areas for public consultation further to cross-party discussion on the details to be taken forward as part of the budget consultation process.

 

3.     An updated MTFS (following receipt of the provisional local government financial settlement) is provided to Cabinet in January 2025, incorporating the results of the LGFS.

10.

Treasury Management Update Quarter 2 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 293 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities

 

Lead Officer - Ben Jay

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet reviewed the position as set out in the report:

 

1.     Noting the summary of the wider economic environment and the Council’s borrowings and investments set out in Appendix A.

 

2.     Noting the performance within prudential indicators for quarter 2, 2024/25 (Appendix B)

11.

Treasury Strategy 2024/25 Mid-Year Review pdf icon PDF 396 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Gwilym Butler, Portfolio Holder for Finance, Corporate Resources and Communities

 

Lead Officer - Ben Jay

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet:

 

1.     Agreed the Treasury Strategy activity as set out in the report.

 

2.     Recommended to Council the revision to the Prudential Indicators as set out in section 9 of the report.

 

3.     Noted that the changes to prudential indicators reflect the reduction of internal cash balances and the need to externalise debt; this is a straightforward liquidity requirement unrelated to other financial matters and would have been required at this time regardless of the wider financial position.

 

4.     Noted that provision for additional borrowing costs in revenue budgets was included in the 2024/25 budget.

12.

Air Quality consultation ESHIA pdf icon PDF 522 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Chris Schofield, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulatory Services

 

Lead Officer -  Rachel Robinson

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet agreed to:

 

a)    Adopt the Shrewsbury Air Quality Action Plan and that the measures detailed within the plan be implemented where possible.

 

b)    Adopt the Bridgnorth Air Quality Action Plan and that the measures detailed within the plan be implemented where possible.

 

c)     Delegate responsibility for monitoring and reporting on air quality levels and the ongoing implementation of the plan to the Executive Director of Health Wellbeing and Prevention, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulatory Services.

 

d)    Delegate responsibility for the implementation of measures detailed within each action plan to the Assistant Director of Infrastructure and Growth, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Highways to include, but not limited to, finalising the delivery of the action plan, securing funding, and consulting stakeholders on details of proposed measures.

13.

Shropshire Infrastructure Funding Statement 2024 pdf icon PDF 220 KB

Lead Member – Councillor Chris Schofield, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulatory Services

 

Lead Officer – Eddie West

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That Cabinet:

 

1.     Agreed the Infrastructure Funding Statement included as Appendix 1 to this report for publication before the end of 2024.

 

2.     Delegated responsibility to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulatory Services, to agree, if necessary, amendments to the Infrastructure Funding Statement before its publication.

14.

Parking Tariff Consultation

Lead Member – Councillor Dan Morris, Portfolio Holder for Highways

 

Lead Officer – Andy Wilde

 

REPORT TO FOLLOW

 

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

1.     To conclude that the order should be made as drafted in relation to Recommendation 1-8 and 10-15 having considered the objections as set out in Table A below and based on the discussions of each item in the Background sections below. The recommendation number relates the Objection Types consideration addressed in the sections between 7.23 and 7.39.

 

2.     To conclude that the order should be modified before making in relation to Recommendation 9, the evening charges, as per the discussion in 7.26 (h) to (l) and 7.33

 

(Table A will be contained in the full minutes)

17.

Exclusion of Press and Public

To resolve that, in accordance with the provisions of schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and Paragraph 10.4 [3] of the Council’s Access to Information Rules, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items

 

18.

Exempt Minutes

To confirm the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2024.

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

That the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2024 be confirmed as a correct record.

19.

Date of Next Meeting

To note that the next meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 22 January 2025.

 

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