Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chair will make any specific announcements for this meeting and advise of any late items which due to special circumstances will be given urgent consideration under Late Items.

As Vice-Chair Cllr Brown took the Chair whilst Cllr Moss was not present.

No apologies for absence were received but Cllr Brown noted that Cllr Moss would be joining the meeting and he would hand over the Chair at an appropriate time.

Cllr Brown announced one late item. The item was to note an Urgent Decision Notice. He explained that a copy of the Notice had been published online. Members of the Cabinet had also received hard copies.

Cllr Brown also explained that items 9 and 10 would be switched with the Food Waste Collections item to be taken ahead of the CCS Vehicle Replacement item.

Cllr Brown then took the opportunity on behalf of the Council to wish the King well and a speedy recovery.

Cllr Brown explained that a question to Cabinet had been accepted from Cllr Ballantyne. Cllr Ballantyne was then invited to ask his question as follows:

Can Cabinet advise me please what the policy is on any regular group holding events on a public car park? My assumption is that any event on CDC land would have to be licensed just like any other event in the district.

Cllr Brown provided the following response:

As I am sure you will appreciate, any events that take place on council land must meet a number of requirements in order to protect the public, the event organiser, and the landowner. Any organisation wishing to organise an event on CDC land can apply for a license. No events can take place on Council land without the relevant licensing in place. Following recent events Cabinet have requested that a formal policy is developed that clarifies the position and this will be presented to the Cabinet meeting on 16 April (subject to receiving timely responses from our partners). You can be assured that this administration is keen to see events taking place in our car parks and other open spaces where they provide the appropriate protection to the organiser, residents and landowner.

Cllr Ballantyne was permitted to ask a supplementary question. He explained that as Chair of Licensing Committee he was aware of the need to apply to have an event in public. He asked if this had been applied in the case of East Beach. In response Cllr Brown explained that he was unable to comment in any detail on a specific application or enforcement action, but was able to make the following points:

We became aware that an event was taking place in one of our car parks, following a formal complaint from a member of public. Officers immediately contacted the club and have been in communication with them since early December. Unfortunately, our immediate attempts to reach out to the organiser failed to get any response so officers eventually visited the meeting in December.

Current licensing arrangements agreed by the previous administration has precluded  car meets in our car parks unless they are supported by the appropriate conditions as laid out in the License application.

Whilst we understand  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.

The Cabinet is requested to approve as a correct record the minutes of its meeting on Tuesday 9 January 2024.

Members voted to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 January 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Members are requested to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests they might have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

Cllr Chilton declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 8 as he has a second home in the district. He withdrew from the room during that item.

Cllr Bangert and Cllr Brown both declared other interests in agenda item 11 as members of the Southbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. They withdrew from the room during that item.

In accordance with Chichester District Council’s scheme for public question time the Cabinet will receive any questions which have been submitted by members of the public in writing by noon two working days before the meeting. Each questioner will be given up to three minutes to ask their question. The total time allocated for public question time is 15 minutes subject to the Chair’s discretion to extend that period.

The following public questions and answers were received.

Question from Richard Plowman:

Has the plan for an ice-rink in Priory Park next Christmas been properly thought through? Am I correct the proposed ice rink’s size will be halved from 566m2 in 2018 to 300m 2 in 2024.  To comply with safety standards the number of skaters per session will therefore also be reduced from 180 to 100.  The competitive rinks at Bognor and Winchester are 600m2.  The 2018 figure of 19,072 skaters for a 566m2 rink has been used to calculate ticket sales in the IPPD and realistically the income should now be halved.  The estimated loss could therefore be £170,000, not £5,000.

It was obvious from 2018 that a quart won’t fit into a pint pot.  The answer appears to be a pint-sized affair in Priory Park. Do you believe it will therefore achieve the outcome of the IPPD of a ‘fun, ambitious festive event for the district residents and visitors’, boosting car-park revenues and helping the local economy?  Perhaps it might be best to delay the ice rink for a year, do a proper assessment and put it on a better site with hard standing?

Answer from Cllr Jess Brown- Fuller:

Thank you Richard for your question regarding the ice rink and I am sorry if this was not clear from my previous answer. We are currently preparing to go out to procurement for the proposed ice-skating rink. Within this we will consider different options, sizes and capacities. A further analysis will be completed once the tenders are received and evaluated. To be clear, the proposal does not specify what size the rink should be.

We do not anticipate a loss of £170,000. It is worth noting that an ice rink 300m² has a capacity of 100 and we would have therefore only needed to achieve an occupancy level of just over 60% to achieve the same attendance figure as the previous rink.

By starting this process now, we have the opportunity to interrogate the proposals that come back and also ensure the issues and concerns brought to us are mitigated as best as possible. I hope this clarifies the situation and I welcome your continued scrutiny on the project.

Mr Plowman was permitted a supplementary question and asked whether the IPPD scope indicates that the ice rink will be 300 square metres. He also asked Cllr Brown-Fuller whether or not she agreed with his analysis. Cllr Brown-Fuller responded by explaining that the IPPD specifies approximate size as the council wants to encourage as many bids as possible. She confirmed that she did not agree with Mr Plowman’s analysis.

Question from Simon Oakley:

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 contains provision for councils to charge a second home premium of up to 100%, from the financial year 2025-26 onwards. At paragraph 7.2 of the report for Agenda Item 8 (Council Tax Second Home Premium, Agenda Item: (moderngov.co.uk) ), it states that "This increase in the taxbase equates  ...  view the full minutes text for item 102.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and its appendix and make the following recommendation to Council:

That the Cabinet considers the Council’s draft Capital Strategy for 2024-25 To 2028-29 and recommends it to Council for approval.

*RECOMMEMEND TO COUNCIL

That the Cabinet considers the Council’s draft Capital Strategy for 2024-25 to 2028-29 and recommends it to Council for approval.

Cllr Chilton introduced the report. Mrs Belenger and Mr Gillett were present.

Cllr Moss joined the meeting.

Cllr Brown requested clarification of whether the report was an administrative update to ensure compliance. Cllr Chilton confirmed that was the case.

In a vote the following recommendation was agreed:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That the Cabinet considers the Council’s draft Capital Strategy for 2024-25to 2028-29 and recommends it to Council for approval.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and its appendices and make the following recommendations to Council:

That the Cabinet recommends to the Council:

(a)   That a net budget requirement of £17,469,500 for 2024-25 be approved.

(b)  That Council Tax be increased by £5.41 from £181.07 to £186.48 for a Band D equivalent in 2024-25.

(c)   That the New Homes Bonus (NHB) be treated as general revenue funding as set out in para 4.6 and 4.7.

(d)  Should the final settlement differ from the draft settlement, an equivalent sum be either transferred to or from reserves.

(e)   The capital programme, including the asset renewal programme (appendices 1c and 1d of the agenda report) be approved.

(f)    The capital prudential indicators and the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy (appendix 4 of the agenda report) be approved.

(g)  That £1.11m is transferred from the General Fund Reserve to the Investment Risk Reserve to reduce the risk for the movements in fair value statutory override ending on 31 March 2025.

(h)  That delegated authority be given to the Director of Growth and Place to spend the £150k allocated from the West Sussex Business Rate Pool for economic development purposes, following consultation with the Cabinet member for Economic Development and Place.

*RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That the Cabinet recommends to the Council:

a)    That a net budget requirement of £17,618,700 for 2024-25 be approved.

b)    That Council Tax be increased by £5.41 from £181.07 to £186.48 for a Band D equivalent in 2024-25.

c)    That the New Homes Bonus (NHB) be treated as general revenue funding as set out in para 4.6 and 4.7.

d)    The capital programme, including the asset renewal programme (appendices 1c and 1d of the agenda report) be approved.

e)    The capital prudential indicators and the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy (appendix 4 of the agenda report) be approved.

f)     That £1.11m is transferred from the General Fund Reserve to the Investment Risk Reserve to reduce the risk for the movements in fair value statutory override ending on 31 March 2025.

g)    That delegated authority be given to the Director of Growth and Place to spend the £150k allocated from the West Sussex Business Rate Pool for economic development purposes, following consultation with the Cabinet member for Economic Development and Place.

h)    To allocate a total of £22.5k from reserves to be released to Bourne Community College (BCC) in two tranches: £15k in academic year 2024-25 and £7.5k in academic year 2025-26. Each year the release of funds would be subject to the school filling the funding gap and retaining the Think Family worker post.

Cllr Brown then handed the Chair over to Cllr Moss.

Cllr Chilton presented the item. Mrs Belenger and Mr Cooper were present.

Cllr Chilton wished to thank officers for their work on the Budget.

Cllr Chilton explained that a revision to page 58 of the agenda pack had just been received and circulated to members. The revision also updated the recommendations as the council had received £149,000 more than originally anticipated in the Government’s final Financial Settlement for 2024-25. Mr Cooper explained that Appendix 1a should be amended to show the impact of the additional settlement change. He explained that in the revised copies to members £149,000 had been reflected in General Fund Reserve being amended from £460,000 to £609,000.

Cllr Bangert then left the room following a declaration of interest to the Monitoring Officer.

Cllr Brown proposed an amendment:

To allocate a total of £22.5k from reserves to be released to Bourne Community College (BCC) in two tranches: £15k in academic year 2024-25 and £7.5k in academic year 2025-26. Each year the release of funds would be subject to the school filling the funding gap and retaining the Think Family worker post.

The amendment was seconded by Cllr Brown-Fuller.

Cllr Brown explained the benefits to those receiving help from a Think Family Worker post. He explained that a two year settlement would ensure the school has certainty and can plan for the future. Mrs Belenger requested clarification on the £10,000 growth already built into budget for this item. Cllr Brown confirmed that his proposal was on top of that already provided in the budget. Mr Cooper then explained that only two figures would need to change for the £22,500 proposal was the transfer to general fund would be reduced from a surplus of £460,000 to £437,000. The other adjustment would  be against the Other Earmarked Reserves line which would decrease the £550,000 credit to a £527,000 credit. The general recommendations would not be affected.

Cllr Brown-Fuller spoke in favour of the amendment.

In a vote Cllr Brown’s amendment was agreed:

RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL

To allocate a total of £22,500 from reserves to be released to Bourne Community College (BCC) in two tranches: £15k in academic year 2024-25 and £7.5k in academic year 2025-26. Each year the release of funds would be subject to the school filling the funding gap and retaining the Think Family worker post.

Cllr Bangert was invited back to the meeting.

Cllr Brown-Fuller asked if there is any intention of increasing the capacity of green waste crew. Mr Ward confirmed that would be something for future consideration.

Cllr Moss asked for clarification of the financial settlement. Mr Ward explained that following the final settlement the recommendations had been updated. He explained that a one year settlement is difficult for strategic planning. Cllr Moss asked if there is anything that can be done by members to encourage an extended settlement. Mr Ward suggested it would be through professional groups lobbying.

In a vote the following  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and its appendices and make the following recommendation to Council:

That the Cabinet considers the Treasury Management Policy Statement, the Treasury Management Strategy Statement, the Investment Strategy, and relevant Indicators for 2024-25; and recommend them to Council for approval.

*RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That the Cabinet considers the Treasury Management Policy Statement,the Treasury Management Strategy Statement, the Investment Strategy, and relevant Indicators for 2024-25; and recommend them to Council for approval.

Cllr Chilton introduced the item. Mrs Belenger and Mr Gillett were present.

Mrs Belenger explained that a paragraph had been added to page 133 of the agenda pack to outline the environmental and social impact considerations. She added that one of the funds is moving towards a more environment, social and governance (ESG) agenda. With regard to reputational risk management, she explained that the council has put in extra measures to mitigate this risk when selecting counterparties for the investment of surplus funds.

In a vote the following recommendation was approved:

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet considers the Treasury Management Policy Statement, the Treasury Management Statement, the Investment Strategy, and relevant indicators for 2024-25; and recommend them to Council for approval.

Cllr Moss then took the opportunity to thank Mrs Belenger for her contribution to local government on behalf of all councillors. He wished her a very happy retirement.

Members took a short break.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and make the following recommendations to Council:

That Cabinet recommends to the Council:

1.    For 2025-2026 a premium of 100% be charged on all eligible residential properties that are not occupied as a main residence and are substantially furnished.

2.    Subject to the outcome of the Government’s consultation concerning the exceptions to the premium, the criteria for the second home premium policy, be delegated to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Cabinet member for Housing, Revenues and Benefits.

*RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That Cabinet recommends to the Council:

1.    For 2025-2026 a premium of 100% be charged on all eligible residentialproperties that are not occupied as a main residence and are substantially furnished.

2.    Subject to the outcome of the Government’s consultation concerning theexceptions to the premium, the criteria for the second home premium policy, be delegated to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Cabinet member for Housing, Revenues and Benefits.

Cllr Chilton left the room following his earlier declaration.

Cllr Betts introduced the report. Mr Jobson was present.

Mr Jobson added that the district has more second homes than other areas.

Cllr Moss asked if the proposals include exceptions as set out in 3.4. Mr Jobson explained that the exceptions were not yet confirmed but were a best guess and were included in the calculations.

Cllr Bangert requested the trajectory of second homes going forwards. Mr Jobson explained that historically the figures have remained relatively static.

Cllr Brown-Fuller asked whether there are particular hotspots for second homes. Mr Jobson explained that there are second homes across the district and the effect is felt everywhere.

Cllr Brown wished to note that the proposal is a tax on non-residents. 

In vote the following recommendations were approved.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That Cabinet recommends to the Council:

1.    For 2025-2026 a premium of 100% be charged on all eligible residentialproperties that are not occupied as a main residence and are substantially furnished.

2.    Subject to the outcome of the Government’s consultation concerning theexceptions to the premium, the criteria for the second home premium policy, be delegated to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Cabinet member for Housing, Revenues and Benefits.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and its appendix and make the following recommendations to Council:

1.    Approval of the Project Initiation Document for the implementation of weekly food waste collections for households.

2.    The project governance arrangements, including the establishment of a Project Board and associated Terms of Reference as outlined in the PID, to provide strategic direction and project oversight.

3.    That £1,355,683 be released from council General Fund reserves to fund the estimated shortfall in funding of Capital and transition costs. 

4.    The procurement process to acquire the necessary vehicles, ancillary equipment, and containers in order to deliver the new service is commenced.

5.    That delegated authority be given to the Director of Corporate Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services, to conclude the procurement process, award contracts, and approve capital and transition cost expenditure of up to £2,598,700 in order to expedite the service design and procurement project stages. 

*RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

Cabinet recommends to Council:

1.    Approval of the Project Initiation Document for the implementation of weeklyfood waste collections for households.

2.    The project governance arrangements, including the establishment of a ProjectBoard and associated Terms of Reference as outlined in the PID, to provide strategic direction and project oversight.

3.    That £1,355,683 be released from council General Fund reserves to fund theestimated shortfall in funding of Capital and transition costs.

4.    The procurement process to acquire the necessary vehicles, ancillaryequipment, and containers in order to deliver the new service is commenced.

5.    That delegated authority be given to the Director of Corporate Services, inconsultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services, to conclude the procurement process, award contracts, and approve capital and transition cost expenditure of up to £2,598,700 in order to expedite the service design and procurement project stages.

Cllr Chilton returned to the meeting and introduced the item. Mrs Huggett was present.

Cllr Brown thanked officers for discussions that had taken place regarding whether the project could be achieved in a more environmentally friendly way. He outlined the plan to review and increase the CCS electrical vehicle charging capacity. He then spoke in support of the recommendation.

Cllr Brisbane requested clarification of green waste. Cllr Chilton explained that the council is currently required to offer green waste collection when requested. Cllr Brisbane then asked whether they would need additional food waste collection vehicles. Mr Ward explained that there will be a separate food waste collection fleet. Mrs Huggett added that there is an option to use split vehicles which can offer residual waste collection and food waste collection but the current project approach is to have separate vehicles. She wished to confirm that across the county most waste does not go to general landfill.

Cllr Brown wished to note that the use of hydronated vegetable oil as a replacement for diesel had been considered. However, the primary reason for not taking that forward at this stage is due to the uncertainty of its contribution to deforestation. Mr Ward added that should that be clarified the council’s vehicles have the option of swapping to that form of fuel without modification.

Cllr Desai asked whether there is an option to ask residents to compost. Cllr Chilton explained that composting will not be an alternative to food waste collection as food waste collection will be a statutory requirement. Mrs Huggett added communication to residents is key.

Cllr Moss asked if Government have made any further comment on collecting residual waste every three weeks rather than fortnightly. Mrs Huggett confirmed the requirement is currently still fortnightly but if that were to change then a report could be brought back to Cabinet.

In a vote the following recommendations were agreed:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

Cabinet recommends to Council:

1.    Approval of the Project Initiation Document for the implementation of weeklyfood waste collections for households.

2.    The project governance arrangements, including the establishment of a ProjectBoard and associated Terms of Reference as outlined in the PID, to provide strategic direction and project oversight.

3.    That £1,355,683 be released from council General Fund reserves to fund theestimated shortfall in funding of Capital and transition costs.

4.    The procurement process to acquire the necessary vehicles, ancillaryequipment, and containers in order to deliver the new service is commenced.

5.    That delegated authority be given to the Director of Corporate Services, inconsultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services, to conclude the procurement process, award contracts, and approve capital and transition cost expenditure of up to £2,598,700 in order to expedite the service design and procurement project stages.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and make the following resolutions and recommendation to Council:

1.    Cabinet agrees the approach of replacing Chichester Contract Services Streets Cleansing and Parks teams vehicles as detailed in section 5 of this report.

2.    Cabinet recommends to Council to release £531,500 from the fleet asset replacement programme to procure the vehicles and charging points detailed in section 5 of this report.

3.    Subject to Council approving the budget, Cabinet delegates the authority to procure and award contracts in accordance with section 5 to the Director of Corporate Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services.

RESOLVED AND *RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

1.    Cabinet agrees the approach of replacing Chichester Contract Services StreetsCleansing and Parks teams vehicles as detailed in section 5 of this report.

2.    Cabinet recommends to Council to release £531,500 from the fleet asset replacementprogramme to procure the vehicles and charging points detailed in section 5 of this report.

3.    Subject to Council approving the budget, Cabinet delegates the authority to procureand award contracts in accordance with section 5 to the Director of Corporate Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services.

Cllr Chilton introduced the item. Mr Carter was present.

Cllr Brown confirmed that some of the environmental challenges were the same as the previous item. He explained that of the seven new vehicles required there are limitations on some of the vehicles being electric. Cllr Chilton explained that smaller electric vehicles are becoming more common.

In a vote the following resolution and recommendations were agreed:

RESOLVED AND RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

1.    Cabinet agrees the approach of replacing Chichester Contract Services StreetsCleansing and Parks teams vehicles as detailed in section 5 of this report.

2.    Cabinet recommends to Council to release £531,500 from the fleet asset replacementprogramme to procure the vehicles and charging points detailed in section 5 of this report.

3.    Subject to Council approving the budget, Cabinet delegates the authority to procureand award contracts in accordance with section 5 to the Director of Corporate Services following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Chichester Contract Services.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and make the following recommendation to Council:

That Cabinet recommends to Council that subject to a successful referendum result to:

Make the Southbourne Modified Neighbourhood Development Plan part of the Development Plan for Chichester District (excluding the area within the South Downs National Park).

*RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That Cabinet recommends to Council that following the successful referendum result on 25 January Council:

Make the Southbourne Modified Neighbourhood Development Plan part of the Development Plan for Chichester District (excluding the area within the South Downs National Park).

Cllr Brisbane introduced the item. Mrs Dobson was present.

Cllr’s Bangert and Brown left the room as per their earlier declarations.

Cllr Brown-Fuller wished to congratulate Southbourne and the Group who put the Plan together.

Cllr Moss wished to thank Mrs Dobson for her work.

Cllr Moss then permitted Cllr Briscoe to speak. Cllr Briscoe asked Cabinet to support the Neighbourhood Plan and spoke in favour of the Plan.

In a vote the following recommendation was agreed:

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

That Cabinet recommends to Council that following the successful referendum result on 25 January Council:

Make the Southbourne Modified Neighbourhood Development Plan part of the Development Plan for Chichester District (excluding the area within the South Downs National Park).

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and its exempt Part II appendix and make the following resolution:

That the contract for the maintenance and enhancement of coast protection assets for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029 is awarded to Contractor C.

RESOLVED

That the contract for the maintenance and enhancement of coast protectionassets for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029 is awarded to Contractor C.

Cllr Bangert and Cllr Brown returned to the meeting.

Cllr Brown introduced the item. Mr Henly was present.

Cllr Moss wished to thank Mr Henly for his work.

Cllr Moss requested that as one supplier had scored highly that officers monitor performance.

Cllr Chilton asked if there are break clauses in the contract for under performance. Mr Henly confirmed that the contract is subject to six months notice.

Cllr Brown added that all tender bids were put through the same due diligence tests. 

In a vote the following resolution was agreed:

RESOLVED

That the contract for the maintenance and enhancement of coast protectionassets for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029 is awarded to Contractor C.

The Cabinet is requested to consider the report and its appendices (including one exempt Part II appendix) and make the following resolution:

Cabinet approves the transfer of ownership of Wisborough Green Public Conveniences to Wisborough Green Parish Council and authorises the Director of Growth and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Place to proceed with the disposal of the property.

RESOLVED

Cabinet approves the transfer of ownership of Wisborough Green PublicConveniences to Wisborough Green Parish Council and authorises the Director of Growth and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Place to proceed with the disposal of the property.

Cllr Desai introduced the item. Mrs Murphy was present.

Cllr Bangert asked if there is anything the council can do to help a parish find funding for public conveniences. Mrs Murphy explained that she was not aware of any national funding schemes available for the provision of  public conveniences, and that public conveniences are not a statutory duty for the council and therefore the council is working to enhance what it already has.

Cllr Brown noted this report as an example of a local community taking ownership of its assets.

Cllr Chilton asked if other public conveniences could be transferred to other parishes such as the city. Cllr Moss explained that this is a consideration. Mrs Murphy added that the City Council does already contribute and a review of the level of contribution has taken place recently.

In a vote the following resolution was agreed:

RESOLVED

Cabinet approves the transfer of ownership of Wisborough Green PublicConveniences to Wisborough Green Parish Council and authorises the Director of Growth and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Place to proceed with the disposal of the property.

a)    Items added to the agenda papers and made available for public inspection

b)    Items which the Chair has agreed should be taken as matters of urgency by reason of special circumstances to be reported at the meeting

RESOLVED

That the Urgent Decision Notice be noted.

As stated under Chairs Announcements there was one Late Item to note the Urgent Decision Notice relating to the Acceptance of funds from the Planning Skills Delivery Fund.

In a vote the following resolution was agreed:

RESOLVED

That the Urgent Decision Notice be noted.

The Cabinet is asked to consider in respect of appendices to agenda items 12 and 13whether the public including the press should be excluded from the meeting on the following ground of exemption in Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 namely Paragraph 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) and because, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption of that information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

[Note The report and its appendices within this part of the agenda are attached for members of the Council and relevant only (printed on salmon paper)]

There was no requirement to exclude the press or the public.