The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 30 September 2024 were agreed and signed by the Chair.

No declarations of interest were made.

No decisions other than those already circulated had been made.

The Deputy Chief Executive presented the Cabinet with an update against the Performance Management Framework, as introduced within the Council’s Corporate Plan, for Quarter Two 2024-25, covering the period July to September 2024.

Appendix 1 to the report provided Members with a statistical overview of the Council’s performance.

Following review by the Cabinet, each Cabinet Committee will be presented with an individual performance report tailored to the respective portfolio. Alongside statistical content, these will provide more detailed qualitative updates outlining what activity the Council had delivered, and what was to be taken, to successfully realise the Corporate Plan’s objectives and policy commitments for the 2023-27 period.

It was highlighted that, in relation to PI 41 - Total individuals supported through a public health programme, the figure had dropped compared to the previous year. This was due to funding no longer being available via Kent County Council (KCC). Should funding of been available then it was anticipated that the figure would have doubled to that reported in the previous year. The Cabinet expressed concern regarding the cessation of funding from KCC.

It was also highlighted that, in relation to PI 9 - Total environmental enforcement actions taken, there was a perception that the figure had dropped compared to the previous year however it was important to note that this was a perception as the figure only represented ‘completed’ cases not those currently be investigated/pursued. The Council continued to successfully seek prosecutions and reiterated that it would prosecute anyone that was caught fly tipping within Gravesham.

The Leader stated that it was for Portfolio Holders and their respective Cabinet Committees to scrutinise the performance data.

The Cabinet noted the report.

The Cabinet was provided with a copy of the annual review that had been conducted in respect of the Legal Shared Service with Medway Council.

The Head of Legal Services advised that the report gave an overview of the shared service arrangement and updated Members on the progress made against recommendations identified in the previous year review together with recommendations/service improvements for the coming year.

The Cabinet was informed that, at the point of the last review, the service had experienced recruitment and retention issues and that a restructure/recruitment process would be conducted. The restructure/recruitment process had now been completed which had seen the team move from over reliance on locums to a much more stable position.

In addition to the day-to-day workload of the team, the Shared Service had also delivered on some of the Council’s high priority and high profile projects such as the purchase of Hazel’s Farm, the telecommunications equipment on the rooftop at The Hive, the transfer of the operational aspects of the market to Beer and Feast together with environmental enforcement.

It was highlighted that, on some occasions, the Council/Shared Service would need to seek external advice/support as some cases would be outside of the expertise of the team and required specialist advice/support. Not seeking this, when required, would be a risk to the Council. An example being the telecommunications equipment on the rooftop at The Hive. This case required external/specialist support and the Council was recently notified that the Upper Tribunal had found in favour of the Council; this was a huge achievement and was currently being reported nationally.

The Head of Legal Services stated that the Shared Service would look to seek prosecutions on as many cases as practicable subject to there being enough evidence and the code for prosecution being met.  The Council currently had 50 cases open however there continued to be a delay with the court system.

In relation to key performance measure 3, Court Hearings - % of employment and litigation hearings of 1 day or less with in house advocate rather than external counsel, the Cabinet asked why it was 91%.  The Head of Legal Services advised that the team only had four advocates who were not readily available to attend all hearings and that in the Crown Court advocates must have enhanced rights; increasing advocates and enhancing their rights was an area which will be explored further by the Head of Legal Services.

The Cabinet acknowledged the success and good working relationship with the Shared Service particularly the Head of Legal Services and was pleased that the recruitment issues had now been resolved.

The Cabinet noted the information contained within the report.

The Assistant Director (Corporate Services) advised that the report was a continuation of a series of public reports to the Cabinet over recent years reflecting on challenges to the financial sustainability of the Council.

The report provided Members with an updated position statement on the Council’s financial position, principally from a General Fund perspective, and considered the actions to be progressed by the Council as a means of pro-actively managing the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability.

The Assistant Director (Corporate Services) advised that the timing of the report was particularly pertinent as the Council was starting to consider its revenue and capital budgets for the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Services for 2025/26 and beyond, with the budget proposals to be presented to all Members in February 2025. However, it was noted that the report was written prior to the Autumn Budget Statement which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 30 October 2024. 

As set out within the report, the Cabinet was informed that the Council continued to operate within an environment where medium term financial planning was extremely challenging.  This was principally due to a prolonged period of one-year financial settlements from Central Government and challenging economic conditions in recent times affecting both the Council and its communities.

Whilst the report set out some betterment in the national economic picture, the Assistant Director (Corporate Services) advised that this would not be enough to respond to the financial position that the Council finds itself in and in some cases, actually worsen the Council’s position, for example, the announcement of Consumer Price Index (CPI) falling to 1.7% in September would have both a positive and negative impact on the Council and its budgets.

The report acknowledged that the current financial position of the Council would be unsustainable and whilst pro-active action was being taken to respond to this, the longer-term financial projections of the Council indicated that it will, based on current assumptions, be continuing to spend more than it was able to generate in income or funding based on the current levels of income it expected to receive. 

In terms of budget setting for 2025/26, the Cabinet was informed that the General Fund Reserve could be used to produce a balanced budget for 2025/26 however this could only be considered as an extremely short-term strategy and did not come without its risks.  Based on current spend projections, use of the General Fund Reserve to produce a balanced budget for 2025/26 would leave the Council in a position where it would only hold total balances just above its absolute minimum level of £2m for cash flow purposes and would be less able to manage the impact of any significant or unexpected events or emergencies during 2025/26. Therefore, accelerated action would be required in the next 12 months to ensure that the Council’s financial sustainability was secured past 2025/26.

The Assistant Director (Corporate Services) advised that, as previously mentioned, the report was written prior to the Autumn Budget  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

·        To delegate authority to the Director of Housing in consultation with Lead Member to finalise and submit the bid.

·        To delegate authority to the Director of Housing to ensure delivery of the work should the bid be successful.

·        Approve the addition of the project to the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 capital programmes should the bid be successful.

The Head of Housing Assets advised that the Council declared a climate emergency in June 2019 and that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) confirmed landlords would have to meet an EPC rating of C by 2030, pledging to work with social housing providers to meet the goal through funding schemes.

Before the Housing Energy & Sustainability Team was introduced in 2020, there were 2379 properties (42%) which did not meet the DESNZ requirement. Current figures show 1010 properties (18%) still do not meet the target.

The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) Wave 3 guidance was released by DESNZ on the 13 May 2024 inviting social housing providers to apply for funding to be used to improve the energy performance of their social housing stock. The fund opened for applications on 30 September 2024 and closes on 25 November 2024.

There had been a change to the bidding process from earlier waves of SHDF funding in that all applications that meet the minimum requirements of the new scheme will be awarded funding. However, according to government guidance “if the scheme is oversubscribed, this may not be the amount of funding requested”.

Unlike previous SHDF schemes which primarily focused on improving the fabric of the building with loft, cavity and external wall insulation measures, Wave 3 focuses on the installation of low carbon heating as part of the improvement measures. The project delivery timescales had been set by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the window will run until 30 September 2028, showcasing a three-and-a-half-year programme. Due to the project timescale, its rumoured that this will be the last opportunity to receive grant funding during this period.

Wave 3 will allocate up to £1.2 billion of grant funding from April 2025, building on the allocations made under previous Waves 1, 2, and 2.2. All proposals should include a minimum of 100 eligible social housing properties at EPC band D-G per bid, and there would be a £7,500 cost cap per home.

Following the Council’s success with Waves 1 and 2.2 and to build on the positive impact for tenants, the Housing Energy & Sustainability Team were currently working on a bid for submission subject to Cabinet’s approval. The bid will see 300 of the Council’s 1010 (EPC D or below) worst performing homes receive improvements through the scheme if successful.

The Building Safety & Investment Manager highlighted the scheme criteria and requirements together with the proposed works which will be completed and the expected outcomes. The intention will be to install Air Source Heat Pumps, Solar PV and Power Diverters to the 300 properties which would result in these properties migrating from an EPC D or E to an EPC B rating, which will increase the Council’s EPC C and above rated properties from 82% to 87.50% and will result in an estimated annual carbon saving of 406.09 tCO2.

The expected outcomes will see the delivery of warm, energy-efficient homes, a reduction in carbon emissions, a reduction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.