Agenda item

The report seeks the approval of a CIL spending protocol which will provide a framework for how the council allocates Community Infrastructure Levy funding that has been received from eligible developments in the borough to contribute towards the delivery of infrastructure.

The Committee received a report seeking the approval of a CIL spending protocol which will provide a framework for how the council allocates Community Infrastructure Levy funding that has been received from eligible developments in the borough to contribute towards the delivery of infrastructure.

·                     Councillor Clive Woodbridge proposed an addition to the table under paragraph 6.29 of Agenda item 8, Appendix 1, on page 107;

* bids over £50,000, agreed by Licensing and Planning Policy Committee will be referred to the Strategy and Resources Committee for ratification which could impact the anticipated timetables for decision making.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Julie Morris.

The Committee unanimously agreed to the addition of the proposed amendment.

·                     Councillor Steve Bridger proposed an amendment to the table under paragraph 6.29 of Agenda item 8, Appendix 1, on page 107;

The Spending Decision made by LPPC (November), and the Notification of the Outcome (December) should happen concurrently and therefore, these two events listed in the table should be merged to both take place in November.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Phil Neale.

The Committee unanimously agreed to the addition of the proposed amendment.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Approve the proposed framework for determining CIL spending (Spending Protocol) attached at Appendix 1, subject to the agreed amendments.

The Committee received a report seeking the approval of a CIL spending protocol which will provide a framework for how the council allocates Community Infrastructure Levy funding that has been received from eligible developments in the borough to contribute towards the delivery of infrastructure.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Neighbourhood CIL bidding. A Member of the Committee asked for clarity regarding the financial range that Neighbourhood CIL bids should fall within. The Chair responded to inform the Committee that there used to be an allocated pot of 250k for the Neighbourhood CIL scheme, but this upper limit no longer exists. The Planning Policy Manager confirmed that there was a range for the Neighbourhood CIL scheme, but both the minimum and maximum spend limits have been removed, as there were not compliant with the regulations.

b)            Bidding Process Key Changes. A Member of the Committee asked what the key changes to the bidding process are in the new protocol document, and if there will be an officer able to help provide support and information during the bidding process. The Chair informed the Committee that the updates will hopefully streamline and make the process more effective and efficient, and assured the Committee that the process can be reviewed once it is in place to ensure it is working as it should.The Chair informed the Committee that there is not a direct compare and contrast between the old and new protocol as the new protocol has been written from scratch. The Planning Policy Manager confirmed that the new protocol had been a full rewrite and previous issues with transparency and robustness have been addressed to create a clear spending protocol with various reporting mechanisms. The Planning Policy Manager continued to explain that there is a member working group that will report to the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee to approve any spend below £50,000, with larger spends also going to Strategy & Resources Committee for approval.  The Planning Policy Manager confirmed that there is 12-month review period built into the new protocol so any issues or shortcomings can be reviewed and resolved down the line.

c)            New Spending Protocol. A Member of the Committee asked for confirmation that only one year of CIL spending has been missed and queried why the old protocol was not used whilst the new protocol was being written. The Chair confirmed that the money had not been spent for a year whilst the new protocol was being written and reviewed and confirmed that the new protocol would be reviewed in 12 months and any necessary changes actioned.

d)            CIL Working Group Membership. A Member of the Committee asked what the membership of the CIL working group would be. The Chairinformed the Committee that the membership is set out on page 113 of the agenda and page 25 of the protocol document, with the core membership comprising of one representation from each Policy Committee, one representative from the Member Climate change action group and one member from the opposition. The Chair explained that the CIL working group will examine the applications and give a view whether they meet the requirements set out in the protocol.

e)            Borough Infrastructure Oversight. A Member of the Committee asked for examples of infrastructure that the Local Council have control over.The Planning Policy Manager informed the Committee that Strategic CIL has a very tight definition and explained that a school expansion is an example of a Strategic CIL project that could have a bid submitted by the County Council as the education authority.

f)             Timetable. A Member of the Committee raised that Neighbourhood CIL bids over £50,000 would need the approval of both Licensing and Planning Policy Committee and Strategy & Resources Committee, which would affect and delay the anticipated timetable set out on page 107 of the agenda and page 19 of the protocol. The Member continued to state that due to the high potential of bids being over £50,000, the timeline will be extended to include going to a S&R Committee for approval following approval being granted by LPP Committee, and therefore the table in protocol should reflect that.

·                     Councillor Clive Woodbridge proposed an addition to the table under paragraph 6.29 of Agenda item 8, Appendix 1, on page 107;

*bids over £50,000, agreed by Licensing and Planning Policy Committee will be referred to the Strategy and Resources Committee for ratification which could impact the anticipated timetables for decision making.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Julie Morris.

The Committee unanimously agreed to the addition of the proposed amendment.

g)            Notification of Outcome. A Member of the Committee raised the combining of the Spending Decision made by LPPC and the Notification of Outcome, set out in the anticipated timetables on page 107, should be combined as the information of who has successfully won their bids will become public upon the publishing of the Committee agenda and therefore, the applicants should be notified of the outcome of their bid at that point rather than later on.

·                     Councillor Steve Bridger proposed an amendment to the table under paragraph 6.29 of Agenda item 8, Appendix 1, on page 107;

The Spending Decision made by LPPC (November), and the Notification of the Outcome (December) should happen concurrently and therefore, these two events listed in the table should be merged to both take place in November.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Phil Neale.

The Committee unanimously agreed to the addition of the proposed amendment.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved to:

(1)      Approve the proposed framework for determining CIL spending (Spending Protocol) attached at Appendix 1, subject to the agreed amendments.