All Decisions

To approve the use of capital programme monies (as detailed in the exempt report to the decision) to make an advance payment of compensation to the former landowners/mortgagees following the acquisition of the Dreamland site.

A sum of money (that is as detailed in the exempt report to the decision) to be paid to the former landowners in relation to Dreamland compensation, funded utilising the monies laid out in the report.

This report provides set out the key issues arising from Thanet District Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the next four years. The MTFS provides an integrated view of the whole of the council’s finances and sets out objectives to be met, risks to be managed and the policies to be applied over the period.

Cabinet agreed the following:

1.  The Medium Term Financial Strategy 2019-23;

2.  The Capital Strategy and Non-Treasury Management Investment Report as attached in Annexes 2 and 3 to the report.

This report provides an update of the Council's 2018-19 revenue and capital forecasts against budget as at the end of June 2018.

Cabinet agreed the updated General Fund and Housing Revenue Account capital programmes as set out in Annex 1 and 2 to the Cabinet report.

Cabinet noted a presentational refresh of the report. This new approach was meant to ensure a more transparent and clear to understand sharing of performance information. The council priorities and targets remained the same with a focus on issues that mattered most to local people.

The performance figures demonstrated a general trend of improvement, with room for improvement in some areas. Members also acknowledged the demand which continued to be placed upon the Council’s Housing Team, where increased pressure meant that some key figures this quarter have been below target.

An example cited at the meeting was that as at the end of March the council had some 51 households in hotel accommodation. However that figure currently stood at two. A recent letter of praise following a visit from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government acknowledged the good work by the Housing Team.

Cabinet further considered the recommendations from the meeting of the Finance, Budget & Performance Scrutiny Panel held on the 30 August 2018, which are as detailed below:

Recommendation 1

That the "Count of enterprises in Thanet" indicator should be amended to a ‘Count of enterprises across Kent.’ This was because the level of retention (under the business rates retention scheme) was dependent on how Thanet District Council performed against other councils participating in the scheme in attracting business enterprises to operate in the district.

Recommendation 2

That Cabinet introduces performance targets for the issues highlighted in ‘Grey’ in the report, if it was not possible to so, a report be brought back to the Panel advising why the proposal could not be implemented. Members thanked the Panel for the proposals.

Councillor Campbell and Councillor Crow-Brown spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1.

Councillor Gregory proposed, Councillor Game seconded and Cabinet agreed the following:

1.  To note the Council’s performance;

2.  That with regards to recommendation 1 from the Finance Scrutiny Panel: confirm that future performance reports would identify a comparison of enterprises within Kent;

3.  That with regards to recommendation 2 from the Finance Scrutiny Panel: to explore how best to report the contextual indicators which currently do not have a target (i.e. those represented as grey in the Cabinet report) in order to understand whether new performance measures can be introduced in future.

A sum of money (that is as detailed in the exempt report to the decision) to be paid to the former landowners in relation to Dreamland compensation, funded utilising the monies laid out in the report.

The decision will approve the use of capital programme monies (as detailed in the exempt report to the decision) to make an advance payment of compensation to the former landowners/mortgagees following the acquisition of the Dreamland site.

A sum of money (that is as detailed in the exempt report to the decision) to be paid to the former landowners in relation to Dreamland compensation, funded utilising the monies laid out in the report.

The decision would approve the use of capital programme monies (as detailed in the exempt report to the decision) to make an advance payment of compensation to the former landowners/mortgagees following the acquisition of the Dreamland site.