RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED:

That:

1.     Cabinet considered and approved submission of the response to the Government’s consultation on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and associated reforms to the planning system, as set out in Appendix 1 to this report.

2.     Authority be given to the Executive Director of Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regulatory Services to agree any additional changes to the Council’s response to the consultation ahead of its submission to the Government before 24 September 2024.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Approved the implementation of option 2 (restructure/relaunch and relocation of the Service).

2.     Delegated the detailed implementation of the agreed actions to the Assistant Director for Education and Achievement, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Children and Education. This should include the exploration of appropriate grant funding opportunities that would allow for additional development of the artefact offer with a view to further enhancing the cultural experiences of children and young people in Shropshire. This may include establishing a charitable arm of the Service.

3.     Noted that school buy-in will be closely monitored by the Assistant Director for Education and Achievement to inform whether school buy-in is sufficient to enable the Service to be cost-neutral from 25/26 onwards. If it is determined that further action is required to enable the Service to be cost-neutral from 25/26, this may include exploring implementation of option 3, or if necessary, option 1. Should option 1 need to be considered, a report to Cabinet will be drafted setting out the position before any decision is made.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Agreed the results of the public consultation and the business case for the project, as set out in this paper and in Appendix 6, be presented to Council with a recommendation that the design and development of the Shrewsbury Sports Village Transformation be included in the Capital Programme with an initial budget for the design and planning stages of £2.248 million. The project to be funded from Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and any available grants and capital receipts which may be available during the project.

2.     Recommended that Council delegates authority to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Communities, Culture, Leisure & Tourism, to procure, negotiate and agree the terms of any agreements/contracts necessary for the delivery of the design and planning stages of the project including, but not limited to:

· Commissioning the UK Leisure Framework to support the procurement strategy.

· Selection of a prime design and build contractor and other suppliers.

· Site surveys and investigations and relevant reports.

· Detailed designs and planning application.

· Contract preparation for the build stages.

3.     Agreed that a report is brought to Cabinet and Full Council after the design stages; following the determination of the planning application and once the project has established the full build costs. This subsequent report will seek a decision on whether to approve the full project budget and to proceed with the build stage.

RESOLVED:

To approve the Home Adaptations Policy 2024 as set out in Appendix I.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet agreed to:

1.     Recommend to Council that the Shrewsbury Movement and Public Space Strategy (MPSS) be adopted as a material consideration in the planning decision-making process.

2.     Delegate responsibility to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, and the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, to progress implementation of the MPSS, to include, but not limited to, finalising the 10-year delivery plan, subject to securing funding.

RESOLVED:

To approve and adopt the Independent Living and Specialist Accommdation Strategy, attached as Appendix I.

RESOLVED:

1.     Members considered the Annual Customer Feedback Report and approved the 15 recommendations within it, and actions to support and improve robust customer feedback performance.

2.     Members noted that from April 2026 the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman will start to use the complaint handling code within its decisions and reporting (any non-compliance will be highlighted publicly from this time).

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

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

2.     Noted the performance within prudential indicators for quarter 1, 2024/25 (Appendix B)

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Reviewed and considered performance dashboard information alongside this exception report.

2.     Noted progress to date in achieving the outcomes of The Shropshire Plan (TSP) and comment as appropriate.

3.     Considered that the KPIs currently agreed remain the same for 2024/2025.

4.     Agreed to individual Portfolio Holders reviewing the targets for the agreed KPIs with the relevant Executive Director.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet Members:

A.    Direct the Chief Executive to lead all Officers in urgently taking the necessary actions to improve the Quarter 1 forecast of a projected spend over budget of £38.5m (30th June 2024), by year end, predominantly focussing on remaining savings or mitigating actions to be delivered in 2024/25.

B.    Discussed the impact of the projected expenditure forecast on the General Fund Balance and noted the risk of further service pressures (savings required) in next year if financial performance in the current year is not improved.