a)            Air Quality Action Plan – Request to consult

 

Cllr Fleming moved and Cllr McArthur seconded the recommendation from Cabinet, which sought the approval for Environmental Health Team to be authorised to undertake public consultation on the draft Air Quality Action plan and the contents be noted.

 

Resolved: That the contents of the ‘Draft Air Quality Action Plans be noted and the Environmental Health Team be authorised to undertake public consultation of the draft plan.

 

b)           White Oak Leisure Centre

 

Cllr Fleming moved and Cllr Dickins seconded that the recommendation from Cabinet. The report set out progress made on the scheme despite difficult market conditions due to unforeseen circumstances that additional costs had been incurred. Approval was sought to increase the Capital Programme by up to £2,995,379 recognising that a significant proportion of the amount was a risk assessed contingency and may not materialise.

 

Cllr Fleming spoke to the motion advising that looking forward there was an exciting future in the north of the District for sport and health, and any project would look at providing Council Tax payers the best value for money. Undertaking a large scale project in a pandemic and with new trade arrangements had presented challenges which had since been overcome. There were some extra costs which could have been avoided and Officers were looking at how best to recover these costs. Members were advised that the amount was a risk assessed contingency and may not materialise.

 

In response to questions Members were advised that contingency payments were from lessons learned and the contingency was for the demolition of the old centre. There was a better idea of site conditions and going forward and so the Leader was confident that the risk assessment contingency would not fully materialise. He stated that there were a number of extra costs, which he believed were avoidable and it was being looked into for how to best recover that money on behalf of council tax payers. Specialist contractors must be used when it comes to the removal of asbestos in the safest possible way.

 

It was stated that a number of bore holes and ground penetrating radars were used on site. Conversations would be taking place to discuss why these had not picked up the voids found. The problem was exasperated exacerbated by the lack of accurate maps held by the owners of the site. 

 

Resolved: That

 

a)     progress made on the scheme despite difficult market conditions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and abnormal site

conditions encountered and the Council’s ability to minimise disruptions to leisure services for the local community, be noted;

 

b)     due to unforeseen circumstances that additional costs associated with the construction of the scheme had to be incurred, be noted;

 

c)     an increase to the Capital Programme by up to £2,995,379, be approved, and it be recognised that a significant proportion of the amount was risk assessed contingency and may not materialise.

 

c)             Bevan Place, Swanley Development Proposal

 

Cllr Fleming moved, and Cllr Dickins seconded the recommendation from Cabinet for the provision of £26,575,836 in the 2022/23 Capital Programme to deliver the scheme within the parameters as set out in section 57 and Appendix D, be approved and that Officers be authorised to acquire any outstanding legal interests that may not be in the Council’s ownership.

 

Resolved: That

 

a)     the proposed development scheme and financial model be noted, and the provision of £26, 575,836 in the 2022/23 Capital Programme to deliver the scheme within the parameters set in Section 57 and detailed in Appendix D, be approved; and

 

b)     Officers, be authorised to acquire any outstanding legal interests that may not be in the Council’s ownership, which may include using its statutory powers, such as the use of compulsory purchase orders and return to Cabinet or Council to resolve invoking such powers as needed.

 

d)        Swanley White Oak Leisure Centre, Residential Quarter, Swanley, Development Proposal

 

Cllr Fleming moved and Cllr Dickins seconded the recommendation from Cabinet that the approval of the provision of £20,189,137 in the Capital Programme to deliver the scheme which was to be funded as noted in the financial implications of the report. The report sought approval to proceed with phase 3, the residential element of the scheme which would include up to 81 homes.

 

The Chairman gave Members the opportunity to ask factual questions on the report before formally moving into debate. It was confirmed by the Leader that the residential quarter had been agreed to provide part of the funding for the new White Oak Leisure Centre. The outline planning permission had previously been agreed and now the council was in a different position to when the application had been made. Once funding had been agreed, it would then enable the scheme to go through the planning process.

 

The Chairman welcomed any debate on the item and some Members took the opportunity to raise concerns regarding the mix of properties earmarked for the site, viability and affordable housing.

 

Resolved: That the provision of £20,189,137 in the Capital Programme to deliver the scheme which was to be funded as noted in the financial implications of the report, be approved.

 

 

e)           Treasury Management Strategy 2022/23

 

Cllr Fleming moved and Cllr Dickins duly seconded the recommendation from Cabinet. The report sought approval for the Treasury Management Strategy 2022/23 in light of Cabinet’s Comments.

 

Resolved: That the Treasury Management Strategy 2022/23 in light of Cabinet’s Comments, be approved.

 

f)            Property Investment Strategy Update Report

 

Cllr Fleming moved and Cllr Dickins duly seconded the recommendation from Cabinet, for the Property Investment Strategy Criteria as recommended by Cabinet be agreed.

 

Resolved: That the Property Investment Strategy Criteria as recommended by Cabinet be agreed.

 

g)            Budget and Council Tax Setting 2022/23

 

Cllr Fleming proposed and Cllr Dickins seconded, the recommendation from Cabinet. The report sought approval of the proposed budget and required level of Council Tax for 2022/23, and proposed a net expenditure budget of £17.297m with the District Council Tax increasing by 2.2% resulting in Band D Council Tax being £229.86, an increase of £4.95.

 

The Leader spoke to the motion stating that Members had before them another balanced ten-year budget, now twelve years on from the first, an achievement that remained unique within Local Government and had laid the foundation for the budget tonight.

 

He stated that the independent Corporate Peer Challenge carried out late last year remarks that “The Council has consistently demonstrated good financial management, including through the effective delivery of savings and by making difficult decisions early.’ ‘The council also innovates. The organisation’s ten-year budget, for instance, is an example to the sector and supports long-term proactive decision making.’ The report also went on to say that ‘This extended financial framework provides an excellent platform which has supported effective budget management and planned, long-term, decision making.’

He stated that this meant that Members were looking at a below inflation increase in council tax, meaning residents kept more of their hard-earned money, the services that residents told Members that matter most to them, such as the weekly collection of waste and recycling were protected.  It also meant that the Council was able to build and buy homes for those most in need within the communities. As well as, investing in the future of the district’s environment, looking to protect and preserve what makes the district such an amazing place to live, work and visit.

The Leader advised that the council would continue to invest across the district, bringing communities modern facilities and protecting and growing our local economy with the largest capital programme for over 40 years. It also meant that again this year, building on a solid foundation, the hard yards had been done, made the savings, reduced bureaucracy, innovated and delivered.

Whilst Government funding to recompense for money spent supporting the district’s residents and businesses during the pandemic exceeded the councils estimated in year covid pressures, the only partial compensation for lost income would mean, like other districts, the Council had been ‘under-compensated’ to an average of £12 per resident, £1 million pounds or if carried though to tonight’s budget the equivalent of a 10% increase in council tax. Added to the historic reduction in direct government support that moved from £55.95 per resident received in 2010 to the nil funding of the last four years it shows just how significant the financial journey had been.

He stated that the council had lost £5m pounds though the removal of revenue support grant, £1m pounds Covid lost income, and over £3m pounds in inflationary and other pressures over the last decade. All of which were not passed on the council taxpayers and all dealt with in the budget before members tonight.

Across the district, the council continued to show the levels of community leadership, support and investment that can only come on the back of financial responsibility and stability:

White Oak Leisure Centre - Delivered

27-37 Swanley High street (meeting Point) – in construction

White Oak Residential – agreed tonight

Affordable Housing – Delivered with more to come

Bevan Place – agreed tonight

Sevenoaks Town Centre Regeneration – pre masterplan

Farmstead Drive (Spitals Cross) – agreed by full council

Edenbridge Leisure centre – viability and feasibility

Stangrove Estate – work commenced

He continued, stating that Members had both protected and invested in those universal services that matter most to residents, retained in-house services such as refuse collection and street sweeping, and brought some back in-house, such as environmental health and building control. Self-sufficiency and a property portfolio were never the end of the story, they were always to give the opportunity to make decisions which best serve the communities they represented. 

 

The Leader advised that Members would know that he strongly believe that they should always balance the make-up of the money to spend, the main three pillars that remain after the removal of government support were Council Tax, Savings and Investment income, over reliance on any one of the three he believed destabilised as an authority and put at risk their ability to deliver the positive agenda they had set out.

In the last few months everyone would have seen rises in inflation, energy costs, food and other utilities affecting our household budgets, with this in mind it was important to look to see what they could do to support residents alongside dealing with the councils own challenging landscape of significant rises in inflation, costs and risks. Therefore, he proposed a significantly below inflation increase in Council Tax of just 2.2%, £4.95 per annum, or less than 10 pence a week. Taking the total Sevenoaks Council Tax figure to £229.86 for a Band D property for the year. Everything including services delivered, and refuse collected for less than five pounds a week. He commend this budget to members.”

The vote was taken by all those present throughout the debate.

 

For	Against	Abstention
Cllr Abraham Cllr Ball Cllr Bayley Cllr Bonin Cllr Carroll Cllr Cheeseman Cllr Clack Cllr Penny Cole Cllr Perry Cole Cllr G Darrington Cllr P Darrington Cllr Dickins Cllr Dyball Cllr Edwards-Winser Cllr Esler Cllr Eyre Cllr Fleming Cllr Grint Cllr Griffiths Cllr Hogarth Cllr Hudson Cllr Hunter Cllr Kitchener Cllr Layland Cllr Maskell Cllr McArthur Cllr McGarvey Cllr McGregor Cllr Morris Cllr Nelson Cllr Osborne-Jackson Cllr Pender Cllr Pett Cllr Raikes Cllr Reay Cllr Roy Cllr Thornton Cllr Waterton Cllr Williamson		Cllr Dr. Canet Cllr Purves
39	0	2

 

Resolved: That

(a)   the Summary of Council Expenditure and Council Tax for 2022/23 set out in Appendix F, to the report, be approved;

(b)   the 10-year budget 2022/23 to 2031/32 which is the guiding framework for the detailed approval of future years’ budgets set out in Appendix C to the report, be approved, including the growth and savings proposals set out in Appendix E to the report, and that where       possible any variations during and between years be met from the Budget Stabilisation Reserve;

(c)   the Capital Programme 2022/25 and funding method set out in Appendix J(i) and Capital Strategy 2022/23 set out in Appendix J(iii), to the report, be approved;

(d)   the changes to reserves and provisions set out in Appendix K to the report, be approved;

(e)   the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2021/22, be rolled forward to 2022/23, with effect from 1 April 2022 (Appendix M).

(f)  at the Cabinet meeting on 13 January 2022 the Council calculated as its council tax base for the year 2022/23, be noted:

(i)   for the whole Council area as 51,514.27 being Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended, (the “Act”); and

(ii)   for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a parish precept relates as in the attached Appendix P;

(g)          the council tax requirement for the Council’s own purpose for 2022/23 (excluding Town and Parish precepts) be calculated as £229.86;

(h)          the following amounts be calculated for the year 2022/23 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:

(i)	£56,157,629	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Town and Parish Councils.
(ii)	£39,339,510	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.
(iii)	£16,818,119	being the amount by which the aggregate at (c)(i) above exceeds the aggregate at (c)(ii) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act, as its council tax requirement for the year (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act).
(iv)	£326.47	being the amount at (c)(iii) above (Item R), all divided by (a)(i) above (Item T), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year (including Town and Parish precepts).
(v)	£4,977,049	being the aggregate amount of all special items (Town and Parish precepts) referred to in Section 34 (1) of the Act (as per the attached Appendix P).
(vi)	£229.86	being the amount at (c)(iv) above, less the result given by dividing the amount at (c)(v) above by the amount at (a)(i) above (Item T), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34 (2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no Town or Parish precept relates.

(i)     for the year 2022/23 the Kent County Council, the Kent Police & Crime Commissioner and the Kent & Medway Towns Fire Authority have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each category of dwellings in the Council’s area as indicated in the table below, be noted:-

Valuation Bands	Precepting Authority
	Sevenoaks District Council £	Kent County Council £	Kent Police & C.C. £	Kent & Medway Towns Fire Authority £
A B C D E F G H	153.24 178.78 204.32 229.86 280.94 332.02 383.10 459.72	974.16 1,136.52 1,298.88 1,461.24 1,785.96 2,110.68 2,435.40 2,922.48	152.10 177.45 202.80 228.15 278.85 329.55 380.25 456.30	54.90 64.05 73.20 82.35 100.65 118.95 137.25 164.70

 

(j) the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 and 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in Appendix Ras the amounts of council tax for the year 2022/23 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings; and

(k)         the Council’s basic amount of council tax for 2022/23, shown in (c)(vi) above, is not excessive in accordance with principles approved under Section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.