Minutes:
The Leader said
‘What a year 2020 has
been. This time last year we thought Brexit was the only show in town. Little
did we know what was in store…. We have been responding to an international
pandemic for the last 9 months and I remain incredibly proud of what this
Council, both members and officers, working with our partners and communities
has achieved. We have provided humanitarian support to some of the most
vulnerable people in our communities; delivering over 3,000 food parcels. We
have provided over £11m to keep businesses afloat. We have saved lives and
protected livelihoods. It is hard to imagine a time when Councils have
undertaken more important work and I want to once again place on record my
thanks to all members and officers for the work they have done during this
challenging time.
I would also likely to
specifically acknowledge the contribution made by our Environmental Health team
over the last few months. Often going under the radar, they have played a lead
role in supporting the town centre reopening, guiding and supporting our
businesses, whilst also ensuring compliance with covid
rules where necessary. Alongside this they continue to maintain their normal
obligations and I was delighted to see the Food Standards Agency recently report
that they achieved 99.3% of the interventions due in 2019/20 – placing them 16th
highest out of 353 nationally. For a small team, like many this year, they have
gone over and above and continue to do Melton proud.
Despite all we have
done, it clearly has not been an easy time, and I am sure we have all felt the
burden this period has placed upon us, both personally and professionally.
Despite the wonders of modern technology and the great convenience of
Zoom meetings, we miss the opportunity to meet face to face and recognise that
normally after our December meeting, members and officers would share some
food, drink and social time together. Reinforcing the strength of our Council
community and our shared partnership. This year we cannot do that, but we
celebrate the emergence of the vaccine and look forward to the coming months
when we know that this will be possible again. Our work with the LGA provides a
very timely opportunity for us all to review and reflect on what is working
well and what still needs to be done, and to consider how we ensure we make the
most of the talent and insights of all members and officers across the Council.
I look forward to working with all colleagues on that during the early part of
next year.
Alongside this we are
working hard on delivering our commitment to service excellence within our new
Corporate Strategy and improving how we respond. We welcome feedback when
things go wrong as it helps us improve what we do. Members and officers have
started discussing a new approach and I look forward to this also being agreed
and finalised in the new year.
Whatever challenges we
still face, we should be confident about the future given that we have faced
and overcome many challenges before and that we can do so again. It is
sometimes easy to forget the progress which has been made and it is worth
reminding ourselves where we now are:
Through the focus and
commitments we made last year, our housing services are improving
significantly. There is much more work to be done but we know we are moving in
the right direction. Our Local Plan is delivering and we have seen more homes
built in Melton than at any time in the last 20 years. We have held
constructive discussions with the CCG on our aspiration to secure a second GP
surgery in Melton and working with our MP, recently were one of only 15
projects nationally to secure more funding to develop a business case in
support of rail improvements between Melton Mowbray and Nottingham. We have
appointed a new Tourism Officer and in the New Year we will establish a Food
Enterprise Centre in Melton and through our asset development programme will
work to develop proposals which release resources to help fund our priorities,
improve community infrastructure and deliver new homes.
On the MMDR we have
continued to invest significant resources into supporting the County Council’s
aspiration to accept the Housing Infrastructure Fund and forward fund the
southern section of the road. Considerable progress has been made and last
night the Cabinet approved the principles established in the new development
layout and delivery strategy which will improve viability and provide greater
confidence to the County Council that the costs they incur through forward
funding can be recovered through s106 agreements. As local planning authority
we will do all we can to secure the contributions the County Council needs.
What we cannot do is provide an unrealistic guarantee that would transfer a
multi-million pound financial risk to ourselves.
The County Council has
made accepting the HIF award conditional on reaching a risk share agreement
with ourselves. We are happy to go over and above our statutory
responsibilities and enter such an agreement but any financial exposure has to
be capped at £1m and this is something the Cabinet resolutely endorsed again
yesterday. Any contribution we make has the potential to erode resources for
our own statutory services and whilst we want to demonstrate our commitment to
delivering the road, we cannot jeopardise other services our communities rely
on, nor put ourselves in a financially unviable position. Given our annual
revenue budget is 100 times smaller than the County Council’s we simply cannot
go further and hope that having reiterated a consistent position a number of times,
and now formalised that through Cabinet resolution, the County Council
will proceed on this basis and finalise a proportionate and affordable risk
share agreement such that they can then submit the HIF grant agreement. We
remain committed to continuing our work with them and the other key
stakeholders to find a way for this crucial piece of infrastructure to be
delivered but the County Council will have to accept the financial limitations
on what we can provide.
Despite all that has
been thrown at us this year, and incurring over £1.5m of additional costs and
lost income due to covid, we have managed our
finances well and are still projecting an underspend against our annual revenue
budget. We know next year’s finances are going to be challenging and we may
have to take some difficult decisions but I am confident that as a Council we
are making good preparations and will manage the situation well. With the
finance settlement announcement earlier today, I look forward to budget
briefing with all members next Monday as we step up the budget preparations
with greater certainty of the challenge we face.
In conclusion, can I once again thank all members and officers for the work
they have done over recent months. It has not been easy but we have achieved a
lot and I am confident that whatever challenges we still face next year, we can
meet them by working together. All that remains for me to do is to wish all
members and officers of the Council, and the communities we serve, a very happy
and healthy Christmas and a prosperous new year.’