Agenda and decisions

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned either a

(a)   personal interest

(b)   prejudicial interest

(c)    disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)

and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

To receive an update on the impact of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme since its introduction in 2013/14 and to recommend to Council the proposals for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2022/23.

The Executive resolved as follows:

1. To note the impact of the Scheme to date as set out in paragraphs 6.7 and 6.8 of the Executive report.

2. To recommend Council to agree the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2022/23 as set out in Appendix 2c, to the Executive report.

3. To recommend to Council that the reduction applied to working age claimants remains the same as the 2021/22 Scheme agreed by Council on 27 January 2021 and that the main elements and method of calculating awards will be the same.

4. To recommend Council to agree to continue to operate a Discretionary Discount Policy to be awarded in cases of exceptional hardship as set out at Appendix 2a, to the Executive report. 

5. To note at this point in time the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities may still issue changes to the known position for the Pensioner National Scheme. Required changes would be incorporated into the final Scheme presented for adoption at Council on 9 February 2022.

To appropriate for planning purposes the land within Talbot Gateway Phase 3.

The Executive agreed the recommendations as outlined above namely:

1. To delegate authority to Director of Communications and Regeneration, to appropriate for planning purposes the Subject Land under section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972 hereby invoking section 203 and section 204 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

2. To delegate authority to the Director of Communications and Regeneration to deal with the settlement of any claims for compensation made pursuant to section 204 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 that may arise by virtue of the operation of the overriding power contained in Section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

3. To authorise the Head of Legal Services to enter into any such documentation as may be necessary to give effect to or flowing from the appropriation for planning purposes of the Subject Land.

To receive an update on progress with the delivery of the Town Deal Programme

The Executive agreed the recommendations as outlined above namely:

1. To note the progress with Blackpool’s Town Deal programme.

2. To delegate to the Chief Executive, after consultation with the  Leader of the Council and relevant Cabinet Members, the authority to sign off any supplementary agreements necessary for taking forward the Town Deal projects including but not limited to with Blackpool and Fylde College for the Multiversity, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service for Blackpool Central Courts relocation, and with Blackpool Football Club for the development of the Revoe/Southern Quarter Community Sports Village.

To report the level of spending and exposure against the Council’s Revenue budgets and reserves and balances for the first 7 months to 31 October 2021.

The Executive agreed the recommendations as outlined above namely:

1. To note the report.  

2. To agree to transition out the Growth and Prosperity net revenue budget target over a 2-year period, 2022/23-23/24, with any proceeds subsequently realised from the existing work programme being directed to bolstering reserves and any new proceeds being retained by Growth and Prosperity for their re-investment [para 3.4 of the report].

3. To require the respective directors and Director of Resources to continue to closely monitor and manage service financial and operational performances, specifically Growth and Prosperity, Children’s Services, Strategic Leisure Assets and Adult Services.

4. To prompt the Scrutiny Leadership Board to continue to independently review the financial and operational performances of the services listed in decision 3.

5. To continue to lobby central government (HM Treasury, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (formerly the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), Department for Health and Social Care, Department for Transport, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Department for Education in particular) along with local authority peers and networks and the Local Government Association for the funding necessary to cope with the demands and new burdens presenting as a result of both Covid and within Children’s Services.