Agenda and minutes

There were none.

There were none.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on the 2^nd February 2021 be approved.

(NOTE: The Board is required to allow a total of 15 minutes for questions from Members of the public on matters within the terms of reference of the Board provided that notice of such Question(s) shall have been submitted to the Borough Solicitor by 12 noon on Monday, 22 March 2021).

There were none.

The annual treasury report is a requirement of the Council’s reporting procedures and covers the treasury activity for 2019/20 together with an in year review 2020//21. The report also includes the Prudential Indicators for 2019/20 in accordance with the requirements of the Prudential Code.

This report would ordinarily go to the Policy and Organisation Board between September and December but due to the extended timetable for production of the annual accounts arising from the Covid 19 pandemic and then commencement of the budget process this report was deferred.   

Consideration was given to a report by the Borough Treasurer covering the treasury activity for 2019/2020 together with an in year review 2020/21.

The Board was advised that the report would normally have been taken to an earlier meeting of the Policy and Organisation Board but had been delayed by the Covid impact on external audit.

RESOLVED: That the Board noted the report.

This report outlines the Council’s policy for charging unfinanced capital expenditure to revenue (MRP) together with the expected treasury operations for this period. It fulfils a key legislative requirement.

Consideration was given to a report by the Borough Treasurer outlining the Council’s policy for charging unfinanced capital expenditure to revenue (MRP) together with the expected treasury operations for this period.

RESOLVED: That the Board approved:

·        Minimum Revenue Provision Policy

·        The Treasury Management Stategy

This report sets out a proposal for a persistent and vexatious complaints policy to use specifically in relation to complaints and enquiries which are persistent and vexatious, which may include abusive and offensive communications with the Council.

Consideration was given to a report by the Borough Solicitor and Monitoring Officer setting out a proposal for a persistent and vexatious complaints policy, which may include abusive and offensive communications with the Council.

Members welcomed the Policy and recognised that complaints were dealt with professionally and in a timely way. It was accepted that there would be times when residents would be unhappy with the outcome of their complaints and that the policy allowed for this to be addressed.

RESOLVED: That the Board approves the Persistent or Vexatious Complaints and Complainants Policy.

The Council’s Constitution sets out at paragraph 3.7 Part 3 Schedule 10 that the Chief Executive has the following power:

“Authority to take any action on urgent matter which would otherwise require reference to or consultation with the Council, a Board or Committee, if there is no such time for such reference or consultation to be made provided the Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer agree to the proposed course of action before it is decided. All such decisions shall be reported to the next meeting of the Council, Board or Committee”.

This power has in turn been delegated by the Chief Executive to the Assistant to the Chief Executive.

The Council has explored a number of procurement options for the vehicles needed to support the DSO-operated grounds maintenance function. Due to difficulty in obtaining competitive quotations, partly as a result of the Covid-19 global pandemic and the uncertainty around Brexit, the Chief Executive exercised the above power in order to award the lease contract for the necessary vehicles using the Negotiated Procedure, without prior advertisement, with U-lease and negotiate a contract on a direct award basis.

Consideration was given to a report by the Borough Solicitor and Monitoring Officer notifying the Board of an urgent decision to approve the award of the contract for leased supply and maintenance of vehicles.

Members welcomed the decision and the progress of the DSO. It was recognised that it was unfortunate that supply chain issues and Brexit had impacted on the tendering process, but welcomed that the project was on time and within budget.

RESOLVED: That the Board noted the report.

The Chairman thanked Members for their support over the last year, and the previous 12 undertaken as Chairman of the Policy and Organisation Board as he was due to step down from the role.

Members paid tribute to the work undertaken by the Chairman and thanked him for his hard work and leadership over the years.