Agenda and minutes

Venue: The meeting will be held virtually and live streamed - please use the link below. -. View directions

Contact: Yvonne Harrison 

Note: https://youtu.be/eWulNCc1Azg 

Media

Items
No. Item

CAB187/21

Introduction

Minutes:

Mrs Norma Redfearn, Elected Mayor, welcomed everyone to this virtual meeting of North Tyneside Council’s Cabinet.

CAB188/21

To Receive any Declarations of Interest and Notification of any Dispensations Granted

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

 

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation in relation to any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

 

Please complete the Declarations of Interests card available at the meeting and return it to the Democratic Services Officer before leaving the meeting.

 

Minutes:

No declarations of interest or dispensations were reported.

 

CAB189/21

Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2020 (previously circulated).

Minutes:

Resolved that the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 30 November 2020 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

CAB190/21

Report of the Young Mayor

To receive a verbal report on the latest activities of the Young Mayor and Young Cabinet.

Minutes:

The Young Mayor informed Cabinet that due to the pandemic both she and the Member of UK Youth Parliament had missed the first 6 months of their usual activities and at the invitation of the British Youth Council and North Tyneside Council each had agreed to continue in their respective roles until 2022 to make sure they got the most out of this experience and to give them ample time to really make a difference in delivering their pledges.

 

The Young Mayor reported on the following activities in which she and Young Cabinet Members and/or Youth Councillors had been involved:

 

·         Chairs were very focused on achieving the aims of the new committees which would be collaborating with adult decision makers, the elected cabinet member, and senior officers responsible for that topic.

·         The Young Mayor had been involved in making a short video which was included in the Council’s advent calendar and had been shared with people in the borough.

·         Youth councillors and some young people from the SEND Youth Forum had taken part in this year’s Council budget consultation.

·         Youth councillors who had received a new laptop or other electronic devices for Christmas had offered to share their unwanted laptop with those who did not have them  and suggested there could be a collection of donations organised for those in need of pens, pencils and other stationery.

·         The Environment Committee had requested youth councillors’ support for a new Council Anti-Idling campaign due to begin soon to advise car drivers about switching off their car engines while waiting for people to pick up which had been a particularly serious problem outside many of the borough’s schools.

·         Youth councillors had met with Newcastle University students and senior officers of the Council as part of the consultation on plans for the new improved North Shields Gateways.

·         Covid had prevented the Young Mayor from taking part in person at this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, but she had still contributed by making a video about this year’s theme of Being the Light in the Darkness. 

·         The Young Mayor had met with the International Young Mayor’s Association and had almost completed her work on the website, they were now looking to plan a virtual international young people's conference to be held in the very near future. Youth Councillor Daniel McTiernan had taken a highly commended place in the competition to design a logo for the Association.

·         The Young Mayor’s Association had been looking at how each council was handling free school meals.

·         The Young Mayor had started the Healthy Habits Ambassador programme which was coordinated by the YMCA.

 

The Elected Mayor thanked the Young Mayor for the report and congratulated both her and Member of the UK Youth Parliament on their extended term of their respective roles, she also commended her on the excellent work and projects she, Young Cabinet Members and Youth Councillors had been involved with. 

CAB191/21

2020/21 Financial Management Report to 30 November 2020 pdf icon PDF 296 KB

To receive the fourth budget monitoring report for the current financial year which reflects the forecast financial position as at 30 November 2020.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the fourth monitoring report outlining the 2020/21 financial position. 

 

It provided an indication of the expected revenue and capital financial position of the Authority as at 31 March 2021.  The reported position was expected to change over the coming months as the response and recovery to Covid-19 continued.

 

The report covered the forecast outturn of the Authority’s General Fund and HRA revenue budget including management mitigations where issues had been identified; the delivery of 2020/21 approved budget savings plans; an indication of the impact of Covid-19 on Collection Rates; an indication of the impact of Covid-19 on the Collection Fund; the implications of Covid-19 on the Authority’s cash position; and an update on the Capital Investment Plan, including details of variations and reprogramming, that were recommended for approval.

 

In terms of the General Fund Revenue Account, the forecast overall pressure was estimated at £1.510m against the approved net budget.  This was made up of a forecasted pressure of £0.127m on normal activities and £1.383m relating to the impact of Covid-19.  This was after a forecasted transfer to reserves of a £12.719m surplus relating to Section 31 grants. A surplus was forecasted as a result of the compensation provided by Government for the losses being felt by the Authority on Business Rates following the changes Government had made to retail and nursery reliefs in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The surplus would be held in reserve and utilised to support the Collection Fund deficit that would be faced in 2021/22 due to these measures.  An additional £1.841m was also forecast to be transferred to reserves relating to growth received from the North of Tyne Combined Authority following the Authority’s participation in a business rates pool in 2019/20. At this stage it was anticipated that this funding would be held in reserve to support businesses and residents from the impact of Covid-19 during 2021/22 and in future years

 

The £0.127m pressure in the services was driven mainly by Health, Education, Care & Safeguarding (HECS) reflecting the continued pressures in Children’s Services of £5.761m and Adult Services of £0.768m. This was before inclusion of the contingency based budgets, which were held and reported with Central Items, that had been created by Cabinet as part of the 2018/19 budget setting process to reflect the on-going pressures in social care being felt locally and nationally.

 

Included in this projection was £4.862m of pressures in Corporate Parenting and Placements, £1.311m in Wellbeing and Assessment and £1.135m in Integrated Disability & Additional Needs. The drivers for these pressures continued from 2019/20 as outlined in the report.

 

It was anticipated that the outturn forecast for normal activities would improve over the course of the financial year as planned remedial actions began to impact on both expenditure and income.

 

With regards to the impact of Covid-19, the main drivers behind the £1.383m shortfall were also within HECS where £13.107m was for increased costs to the Authority of supporting the market (£7.195m), impact on savings targets (£1.877m), increased costs  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB191/21

CAB192/21

Calculation of the 2021/22 Council Tax Base for North Tyneside Council pdf icon PDF 172 KB

To consider a report which gives an explanation of how the North Tyneside Council Tax Base for 2021/22 has been calculated and requests approval for the calculation of the Authority’s Council Tax Base for 2021/22.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which provided an explanation of how the proposed North Tyneside Council Tax Base for 2021/22 had been calculated and requested approval of the calculation for 2021/22.

 

The 2021/22 Council Tax Base was based on the North Tyneside Council Local Council Tax Support Scheme remaining at the same level as had been set in 2020/21.

 

The detailed Council Tax Base calculation for North Tyneside for 2021/22 was attached as Appendix A to the report, together with an explanation of the specific elements that formed part of this calculation. Within this calculation, adjustments had been made to reflect the effect of exempt properties, disabled relief, discounts and premiums.

 

Applying the adjustments had the effect of adjusting the total number of properties to a common base for each band, in terms of full year equivalents.

 

The Council Tax Base Regulations ensured that the Council Tax Base for an area took into account the effect of disability reductions in respect of dwellings which fell within Band A. They introduced an additional ‘alternative valuation band’ to allow Band A properties to qualify for a disabled reduction. Previously, properties adapted to meet the needs of a disabled person were charged at a rate equal to the next lowest valuation band, so for example a qualifying Band D property would be charged at a Band C rate, but this had not applied to Band A properties. Instead of paying the normal Band A charge (six-ninths of the Band D) a qualifying Band A property was now charged five-ninths of the Band D charge. For the purpose of the Council Tax Base calculation it was now necessary to show Band A properties which qualified for a disabled reduction as if it were an additional valuation band.  Deductions were then made for exempt dwellings and the estimated impact of the Council Tax Support scheme for 2021/22.

 

In order to arrive at the Council Tax Base calculation for 2021/22, the number of dwellings within each of the Council Tax Bands, A – H, had been converted to their Band D equivalents, using the appropriate proportions. The result of this calculation for 2021/22 was to produce a total number of properties prior to an allowance for non-collection and contributions in lieu of 62,134.

 

The next stage of the Council Tax Base calculation involved making a deduction for the non-collection of Council Tax. This non-collection element of the calculation was made in respect of the amounts that were legally due, but which, for varying reasons, may not be collected. The assumed Council Tax collection rates for North Tyneside had improved significantly since 1993/94, when the assumed collection rate was 95%. The assumed North Tyneside Council Tax collection rates for each year from when Council Tax had been introduced in 1993/94 were detailed in the report.

 

A fundamental issue for the Council Tax Base calculation was the assumed percentage Council Tax collection rate to apply. The Authority’s performance on Council Tax collection had been improving for many years, reaching  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB192/21

CAB193/21

North Tyneside Tenancy Strategy 2021- 2025 Consultation Exercise pdf icon PDF 244 KB

To seek approval to undertake a consultation exercise with relevant stakeholders on the draft North Tyneside Tenancy Strategy 2021 – 2025.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report seeking approval to undertake a consultation exercise with relevant stakeholders on the draft North Tyneside Tenancy Strategy 2021-2025.

 

North Tyneside’s existing Strategy covered the period between 2013-2018.  Since then, new legislation and significant welfare reform changes had been introduced.  These changes meant that affordable and secure homes were a greater priority for those households where renting was the only option available to them.

 

A review of the existing Tenancy Strategy was required to ensure the document clearly set out the Authority’s expectations to registered providers of social housing on the type of tenancies to be awarded in the Borough.

 

It was a requirement of any Tenancy Strategy review that the Authority must carry out a consultation exercise with registered providers of social housing within North Tyneside. The Authority wished to extend the consultation to include residents.

 

The engagement plan would meet both the statutory requirements and the Authority’s recognised corporate standards for consultation.  Due regard would be given to the on-going restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

The consultation responses would be collated and analysed with recommendations being brought back to a future Cabinet meeting so that an informed decision could be taken to approve the Tenancy Strategy 2021 – 2025.

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options:

 

Option 1 - approve the consultation exercise on the draft Tenancy Strategy to include statutory stakeholders and residents. 

 

Option 2 - reject the request for the consultation cohort and exercise to be undertaken on the draft strategy, it being noted that in doing so the Authority could be at risk of failing to meet its duty in formulating and publishing a Tenancy Strategy, that was kept under review and amended or replaced from time to time.

 

Option 3 - request further information prior to approval of the consultation cohort and exercise on the draft Tenancy Strategy being received.

 

Resolved that the consultation exercise with relevant stakeholders on the draft North Tyneside Tenancy Strategy 2021 – 2025 be approved.

 

(Reason for decision: It is a statutory requirement that local authorities publish a tenancy strategy.   When amending or replacing the strategy, the Authority must consult with registered providers of social housing who operate in the Borough. The Authority wishes to increase the consultation cohort to include residents who may either already be a social housing tenant or who may become a social housing tenant in the future.)

CAB194/21

Supporting the Ambition for North Tyneside through Housing Growth pdf icon PDF 638 KB

To receive a report on the progress made in 2019/20 and an update on how delivery in 2020/21 has been impacted by several challenges outside of the control of the Authority including the global pandemic.   

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report on the progress made in 2019/20 in supporting the Ambition for North Tyneside through Housing Growth and an update on how delivery in 2020/21 had been impacted by several challenges outside of the control of the Authority including the global pandemic.

 

The Mayor and Cabinet had clearly stated their policy intention in the Our North Tyneside Plan that the Authority would deliver “more quality affordable homes.” 

 

180 new affordable homes had been delivered in North Tyneside in 2019/20 across the following workstreams:

 

·         22 new build homes through the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), including Bonchester Court and Beadnell Court in Battle Hill ward.

 

·         Bringing back 8 long-term empty properties into use as affordable housing.

 

·         Working with Registered Providers (RPs) to deliver 13 new affordable homes at Charlton Court, Monkseaton (now known as Cedartree Court).

 

·         Delivering 114 new homes through planning obligations.

 

·         The North Tyneside Trading Company (Development) Limited had successfully acquired 13 new homes from the open market to be let at an intermediate affordable rent.

 

·         Specialist Housing - Aspire Healthcare had delivered a new 10-unit independent supported living scheme in Whitley Bay.

 

The unprecedented impact of the global pandemic had significantly reduced the delivery of affordable homes in 2020/21. The programme now expected to have delivered 90 new homes in North Tyneside which was considerably less than planned due to the unprecedented circumstances of Covid-19 resulting in delays to delivery on some sites, a breakdown of these was provided in Appendix 2 to the report. Delivery plans for 2020/21 included:

 

·         The HRA Housing Growth Delivery Programme would deliver 12 new homes in 2020/21, including schemes at Edwin Grove and Bawtry Court. Further homes would be delivered at The Cedars and Charlotte Street. 

 

·         The Authority continued to work in partnership with Registered Providers to provide affordable homes. The delays associated with the Covid lockdown had hampered delivery this year and therefore no affordable homes had been delivered by RPs in North Tyneside. 

 

·         The Authority would continue to focus on tackling empty homes and where possible bringing them back into use as affordable dwellings.  Several approaches to tackling empty homes would be considered including providing advice and assistance to homeowners and continuing to work in partnership with the National Landlord Association. The Authority would continue to use the Repair and Manage programme to refurbish long-term empty homes and take ownership of them until all costs had been repaid. This approach would deliver at least 6 affordable homes in 2020/21.

 

·         The number of affordable homes delivered through planning obligations had fallen from 197 in 2018/19 to an expected 50 in 2020/21. This was due to delays caused by the Covid19 lockdown and the planning permissions for the large sites at Murton Gap and Killingworth Moor not yet submitted.  Additional affordable homes would continue to be secured through Section 106 requirements in the future as further planning applications were submitted by developers.

 

·         It was anticipated that the North Tyneside Trading Company would acquire 22 homes in 2020/21. Several opportunities would  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB194/21

CAB195/21

Ambition for Education - Education Strategy for North Tyneside 2020 - 2024 pdf icon PDF 497 KB

To seek approval for the priorities set out within the Ambition for Education – Education Strategy for North Tyneside 2020-2024 and agreement to continue to support the work of the North of Tyne Education Challenge.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report seeking approval for the priorities set out the Ambition for Education – Strategy for North Tyneside 2020-2024 and agreement to continue to support the work of the North of Tyne Education Challenge, which set out the Authority’s vision and priorities for ensuring that all children and young people in North Tyneside had access to a high-class education in order to achieve their full potential.

 

Central to the Authority’s ambition for education was a desire to equip all students with the knowledge, skills and resilience needed to contribute to an unknown future and the world of work which may not be fully understood.

 

The report covered the following areas:

 

·         A recap and update on the work associated with the Education Review;

·         A summary of the ‘Ambition’ for Education strategy document which outlined the current priorities the Authority believed to be most important to its children and young people;

·         The scope of the Post 16 Review of provision across the borough;

·         A summary of the aims of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Inclusion strategy; and

·         The current financial position of the Authority’s schools, including some of the pressures and challenges faced.

 

North Tyneside had an Education system to be proud of. A strong performer regionally and nationally, this reflected the hard work done by Head Teachers and their teams, governing bodies, Elected Members, Authority staff and children and young people.

 

Whilst there were some areas of North Tyneside in the 10% least deprived areas nationally, there were other areas of significant deprivation. Although the Authority’s overall outcomes remained favourable compared to national averages, the learning and progress gaps between many disadvantaged students and their peers were wider than those seen nationally. Such gaps were forecast to have increased significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tackling this and mitigating effects would be the overriding priority for all services that supported education in North Tyneside.

 

The success of the partnership to date was evident in improved indicators, including overall attainment figures versus national averages, Ofsted judgements, reductions in exclusions and reductions in financial deficits; however, there was a great deal of work still to do to work towards the ambition of ‘Making North Tyneside an even greater place for children and young people to thrive; where all can access a high-class education with a culture of inclusion and achievement.’

 

The Authority’s ‘Ambition for Education in North Tyneside’ document set out the priorities and targets for education from 2020 to 2024. It built on the vision provided by ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’ and the ‘Children’s and Young People’s Plan’ and the Authority’s targets aligned with the ‘North of Tyne Education Challenge’ and ‘Joint School Improvement Strategy’

 

The priorities for the Authority’s Ambition for Education were:

 

·         Ready for School and Learning: Focusing upon the importance of early language development and the continued focus upon developing key reading and speaking skills. In North Tyneside, statistics for reading in the primary phase compared favourably to national averages. However, gaps between  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB195/21

CAB196/21

North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay Master Plan pdf icon PDF 372 KB

To seek approval for the final version of North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay Master Plan as a framework for the regeneration of North Shields.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report seeking approval for the final version of North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay Masterplan, appended to the report, as a framework for the regeneration of the town centre and Fish Quay following a programme of consultation and engagement undertaken over the Summer/Autumn 2020.

 

Achievements to date, including three schemes that had been delivered by the Authority’s development company were as follows:

 

·         Northumberland Square Phase 1: the development of new housing at Northumberland Square to create 28 new homes.

 

·         Northumberland Square Phase 2: plans were currently being refined by the Authority’s Trading Company to convert the vacant properties at11-12 Northumberland Square into luxury apartments.

 

·         Unicorn House: work was ongoing to refine a final scheme and to progress demolition works. The scheme would deliver circa 28 new family homes.

 

·         The Wooden Dolly: the statue had been returned to Northumberland Square following its restoration.

 

·         Heritage Action Zones (HAZ): Historic England had confirmed that the Authority’s bid for £900,000 to this fund had been successful.

 

·         North Shields Fish Quay (Western Quay): the Authority continued to work with the Port of Tyne and the Fish Quay Development Company to ensure that the longer-term economic objectives for the Fish Quay were achieved and that it remained a viable economic asset that contributed to the Authority’s objectives.

 

·         Tyne Brand Site: the Authority was currently working with the new owners to refine a site assembly and delivery strategy for the site which would see it developed to a high standard in terms of design for residential purposes with some potential for ground floor commercial activities.

 

As a listening Authority the views of residents, businesses and other interested parties on the draft Master Plan had been taken into consideration to help the Authority shape its thinking prior to producing a final version of the plan.  However, ahead of formal consultation taking place, a series of discussions with external partners and interests had been undertaken.

 

A full breakdown of the responses to the formal consultation was set out in the report.  Overall, the consultation responses received across all platforms were broadly positive and generally gave support to the proposals contained in the Master Plan. Given the overall support for the proposals, its alignment with Authority and local and national planning policy in respect of town centres, it was not proposed to undertake any further consultation or engagement. However, where individual projects were subject to planning applications, these would be subject to their individual consultation where residents / businesses would have the opportunity to comment on the specific details of a scheme.

 

Since the commencement of the formal consultation and engagement, the Authority had continued to refine the Master Plan to ensure it gave the best place making outcome in terms of its environmental, social and economic impact whilst providing value for money for the public purse.

 

Since commencing the consultation, the Co-op store, located on Bedford Street, had been placed on the market for sale as the business had decided to withdraw from the town  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB196/21

CAB197/21

Date and Time of Next Meetings

Monday 1 February 2021 at 6.00pm (Extraordinary Meeting)

Monday 8 February 2021 at 6.00pm (Extraordinary Meeting)

Monday 22 February 2021 at 6.00pm (Ordinary Meeting)

 

 

 

Minutes:

6.00pm on Monday 1 February 2021 (Extraordinary Meeting)

6.00pm on Monday 8 February 2021 (Extraordinary Meeting)

6.00pm on Monday 22 February 2021 (Ordinary Meeting)