The Leader introduced the report and:-

a)     Thanked to Councillor Shayer for working with David Northey and other officers on working hard to get the overspend numbers down;

b)    Thanked all Councillors for their involvement in the budget scrutiny work for savings and to be included in the budget for 2023/24;

Councillor Rebecca Smith (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Homes and Communities) asked:-

c) For clarification on the wording in the report’s recommendation ‘h’ as the Cost of Living Taskforce was, at that point, an informal group and Jamie Sheldon (Senior Governance Advisor) agreed to check the wording.

The Cabinet agreed to:- 

1.     Note the allocations approved by Council on the 27 February as set out in paragraph 2.3 and Appendix 1 of the Briefing Report, some of which were subject to coming in to force of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill;

2.     Agreed:  
 

a.     Subject to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill coming in to force and the Council being able to introduce a Premium Rate Council Tax for empty and second homes from 1 April 2024, to the drawdown of £625,000 from the existing Investment Property Voids Allowance Reserve in the 2023/24 revenue budget to increase the Council Tax Support Fund and support the Plan For Homes are set out at 3.2 in the briefing report;

b.     To the drawdown of an additional £375,000 from the existing Investment Property Voids Allowance Reserve in the 2023/24 revenue budget to fund the items as set out in 4,2 (d) of the briefing report;

c.     To undertake a full review of the Council Tax Support Scheme during 2023/24 for implementation in 2024/25;

d.     Through the libraries review, to seek to enhance access to Council services and also review other Council owned buildings which could be used to support this activity;

e.     To launch a commission on the cost, quality and availability of local supported accommodation for children and adults across the city, with work to be undertaken during 2023;

f.       To commence a project to undertake a review of revenue and capital resources required to decarbonise the city’s taxi fleet and inform the 24/25 budget with the cost of the review to be met from existing resources;

g.     To launch a review of domestic abuse services to improve access, availability and delivery of provision with work to be undertaken by October 2023;

h.     Officers develop, with the Cost of Living Working Group, terms of reference for the spend of the £25,000 allocation by the group for approval by Cabinet; 

i.       Officers develop, with the Cabinet Advisory Group on Child Poverty, terms of reference for the spend of the £25,000 allocation by the group for approval by Cabinet; 

j.       Officers develop a plan and process for Cabinet approval to ensure that the £25,000 to support Violence Against Women and Girls was utilised;

k.     Officers develop and prepare for Cabinet consideration a proposal as to the use of the Green Investment Fund within the capital programme;

l.       Officers undertake a review of resources required to decarbonise the city’s taxi fleet to be produced in advance of, and to inform, the setting of the 2024/25 budget;

m.   Officers undertake a challenge review of the existing highway reinstatement programme and report to Cabinet its findings;

n.     Officers consider the use of the £115,000 allocation for non-commercial bus routes and present options to Cabinet for consideration;

o.     That Officers present to Cabinet, for approval, the scope for the review to ensure a deliverable plan for sustainable mass transport;

p.     Officers consider and report to Cabinet of the possibility of creating headroom in the Property Regeneration Fund with the purpose of seeking to support job creation by accelerating delivery on PCC owned land assets such as the Language Freeport site and City Business Park;

q.     That Officers present to Cabinet a report that considers the possible actions to unlock investment opportunities within the corporate estate to support job creation and skills development. This will include the vacation of Windsor and Midland Houses by 1st October 2023;

r.      That Officers produce a report for Cabinet to consider how the Council might seek to build upon Plymouth’s Ocean City brand to promote the city as a tourist destination using new digital marketing methods and building on our relationship with Brittany Ferries to promote the city as an international destination;

3.     Note the Council recommendation to the Leader that is lobby Government for an increase in Plymouth’s Local Housing Allowance.