Issue - meetings

The Council undertook its annual funding rounds for strategic and  neighbourhood CIL between the 7 May and 18 June 2024. During this funding window 5 strategic CIL bids and 23 neighbourhood CIL bids were received.

In accordance with the Epsom and Ewell CIL Spending Protocol (January 2024), all bids received have been subject to an initial stage 1 assessment. Only the bids that passed the stage 1 assessment were then subject to a stage 2 assessment by the CIL Member Working Group.

Following this process, three Strategic CIL bids (totalling £1,755,000 of strategic CIL funding) and six neighbourhood CIL bids (totalling £331,966 of neighbourhood CIL funding) were recommended to receive funding to the Licencing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) on the 17 October. LPPC were asked to agree the recommendation of the CIL working group. As set out in the CIL Spending Protocol any project or projects that are of a value (combined) greater than £50,000, in line with the council’s financial regulations, are referred to Strategy and Resources Committee to approve the funding in accordance with paragraph 3.11 of the CIL Spending Protocol. The recommendation of the CIL Working Group and LPPC is therefore presented for a decision.

At the LPPC a motion was carried asking for Strategy and Resources committee to consider the merits of agreeing to fund an additional neighbourhood scheme that was not recommended for funding by the CIL Working Group.  This amendment, if approved, would increase the neighbourhood CIL spend to £497,216.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)       Approve and ratify the recommendations of the CIL Working Group as supported by the Licencing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) as set out in paragraphs 3.3 and 3.7 of the report

The Committee resolved with 3 votes for and 4 votes against supporting an additional neighbourhood scheme receiving funding as requested by the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC). Accordingly, it was the Committee’s decision to:

(2)       not support an additional neighbourhood scheme receiving funding as requested by LPPC.

The Committee received a report presenting the recommendations of the CIL Working Group as required by the Council’s financial regulations and CIL Spending Protocol. These recommendations had been considered and supported by the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) at its meeting on 17 October 2024.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Receipt of CIL funding by Epsom and Ewell borough Council in the past 2 years. In response to a question from a member relating to whether any Neighbourhood CIL funding had been received by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council in the past 2 years, the Place Development Manager informed the Committee he would check and provide a response following the meeting.

b)            Finance. In response to a question from a member the chair informed the Committee that it was never foreseen that Strategic CIL funds would be sufficient to respond to all the council’s strategic funding needs. The Committee was also informed that Neighbourhood CIL funding bids were assessed each year.

c)            Additional neighbourhood CIL scheme put forward by LPPC. Members of the Committee expressed their support for the work of the Nam Yang Martial Arts Club. Following consideration of the scheme and the recommendation of the CIL Member Working Group that the scheme not be approved this year, the Committee moved to the vote on this matter as set out below.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Approve and ratify the recommendations of the CIL Working Group as supported by the Licencing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) as set out in paragraphs 3.3 and 3.7 of the report

The Committee resolved with 3 votes for and 4 votes against supporting an additional neighbourhood scheme receiving funding as requested by the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC). Accordingly, it was the Committee’s decision to:

(2)      not support an additional neighbourhood scheme receiving funding as requested by LPPC.