Agenda and decisions

To take any questions or statements from members of the Public.

To receive declarations of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or other registrable or non-registrable interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 12 November 2024 (attached) and to authorise the Chair to sign them.

This report provides information and options for the committee to make a recommendation to Council for a staff pay award for 2025/26.

Following consideration the Committee resolved with 4 votes for, 2 votes against and 1 abstention to:

(1)       Recommend to full council a pay award for staff for 2025/26 based on Option 1 set out in paragraph 4.2.1 of the report (2%).

This report outlines the proposed approach for the procurement of a Managed Service Provider for the provision of agency staff.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)       Approve the proposed route to market for the temporary agency staff contract, as set out in paragraph 4.10 of the report.

To consider a revised compliance and enforcement policy.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)       Consider the revised draft compliance and enforcement policy.

(2)       Nominate and Authorise the Head of Housing and Community in consultation with the Chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee to make any changes as appropriate following feedback from committee.

(3)       Nominate and Authorise the Head of Housing and Community to carry out a consultation based on the draft, make any consequential amendments and bring the matter back to the committee for final adoption.

This report provides an update on the current financial year’s approved 2024-25 planned maintenance programme and requests approval for the planned maintenance programme for the next financial year 2025-26.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved:

(1)       To note the progress and anticipated spend at the end of the current year 2024-25 as shown in Appendix 1 to the report.

(2)       To note the additional emergency works raised and carried out in the 2024-25 planned maintenance programme.

(3)       To approve the 2025-26 planned maintenance programme at an estimated cost of £535,000 as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, to be funded from planned maintenance budgets and the Planned Maintenance Reserve.

(4)       To nominate and authorise the Head of Property and Regeneration to make changes within the 2025-26 planned maintenance programme to cover unforeseen matters (such as tender price variances) of up to, but not exceeding £20,000 per change, in accordance with Financial Regulations and Contract Standing Orders.

(5)       To agree to transfer the unspent budgets back to the Planned Maintenance Reserve at the end of the 2025-26 financial year.

This report provides a summary of the changes to the ICT Strategy agreed by this committee in September 2023. Noted in the update are areas where work has been completed, where work is still in progress and where adjustments to the Strategy have been made.

The original ICT Strategy anticipated that the document would be subject to annual review as the nature of IT services is ever changing.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)       Note the changes to the ICT strategy outlined in appendix 1 to the report.

(2)       Agree up to £45,000 of funding from the Corporate Projects Reserve to provide the refresh of the corporate website.

(3)       Note the progress that has been made so far on the ICT roadmap, allowing for the understandable delays that came about as a result of personnel changes in ICT leadership.

(4)       Note that whilst the agreed budget for the ICT Programme of work is still largely on track that there are inflationary and other external pressures that are resulting in cost increases.

The existing Microsoft Licensing Agreement is due for renewal at the end of March 2025 and a new agreement needs to be in place to ensure continuity of service.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)       Approve the sum of up to £385,000 to be spent on the Microsoft Licence renewal to cover March 2025-2028.

This report sets out the outcome of the consultation process on Polling Places and Districts and makes recommendations for proposed changes.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to recommend that the Council:

(1)       Agrees the location of the polling places and districts as set out in Appendix 1 for a five-year period from 1st March 2025, or until it is superseded by any subsequent review of any polling place or district; and

(2)       Delegates to the Chief Executive in their capacity as the Council’s Returning Officer, the authority to make any relevant decisions further to any ongoing review or change of polling places during this period, to ensure that polling arrangements in the Borough remain fit for purpose for each election called.

This report sets out estimates for income and expenditure on services in 2025/26 and recommends fees and charges for which this Committee is responsible, with the new charges being effective from 1 April 2025.

Following consideration, the Committee resolved with 6 votes for and 1 abstention to:

(1)       Recommend the 2025/26 service estimates for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2025;

(2)       Recommend the 2025/26 fees and charges, as set-out in Appendix 1 to the report, for approval at the budget meeting of Full Council in February 2025;

(3)       Agree the Council Tax Discount bands for 2025/26, as set-out in section 7.

To report to the Committee a decision taken by the Director of Environment, Housing and Regeneration on the grounds of urgency, in compliance with the requirements of the Constitution.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)       Note the urgent decision taken and the reasons for that decision.

The Committee is asked to consider whether it wishes to pass a resolution to exclude the Press and Public from the meeting in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the business involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended) and that pursuant to paragraph 10 of Part 2 of the said Schedule 12A the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The report has not been published as it deals with information in relation to the financial or business affairs of the Council or a third party.

The report has not been published as it deals with information in relation to the financial or business affairs of the Council or a third party.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved:

(1)       To agree £160,000 of funding from the Council’s Corporate Project Reserve to fund Surrey Life Long Learning for a period of one year (April 2025-end of March 2026) to operate the Epsom and Ewell Hub as detailed in the report.

(2)       To nominate and authorise the Head of Housing & Community, in consultation with the Chair of Strategy & Resources and Community and Wellbeing Committees to have express authority to take all necessary actions to implement this decision, within the agreed budget, as necessary and appropriate.