Municipal Buildings, Greenock PA15 1LY Ref: SL/AI Date: 10 February 2021 A meeting of the Inverclyde Council will be held on Thursday 18 February 2021 at 4pm. This meeting is by remote online access only through the videoconferencing facilities which are available to Members and relevant Officers. The joining details will be sent to Members and Officers prior to the meeting. In the event of connectivity issues, Members are asked to use the join by phone number in the Webex invitation. Please note that this meeting will be recorded. GERARD MALONE Head of Legal and Property Services BUSINESS **Copy to follow 1. Apologies and Declarations of Interest Page NEW BUSINESS 2. Minutes of Meetings of The Inverclyde Council, Committees, Sub-Committees and Boards Appointment Panel – Head of Legal Services ( p 225) Inverclyde Council (pp 226 – 233) General Purposes Board ( p 234) Environment & Regeneration Committee (Special) (pp 235 – 237) Appointment Panel – Head of Legal Services ( p 238) Planning Board (pp 1 – 3) Policy & Resources Committee (Special) (pp 4 – 5) Health & Social Care Committee (pp 6 – 9) Audit Committee ( p 10) Environment & Regeneration Committee (pp 11 – 19) Education & Communities Committee (pp 20 – 21) Human Resources Appeals Board ( p 22) Policy & Resources Committee (pp 23 – 24) ** Planning Board (pp 25 – ) ** Local Police & Fire Scrutiny Committee ( ) ** General Purposes Board ( ) 00 Ag - IC - 18 02 2021 3. Budget Update and Approval of the 2021/22 Band D Council Tax Report by Chief Financial Officer p 4. Resolution: Setting of Band D Council Tax for 2021/22 5. Strathclyde Pension Fund – Notice of Motion by Councillor J McEleny Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 6. Campaign to Keep the £20 a Week Universal Credit Increase – Notice of Motion by Councillor C McEleny Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 7. Lee Jeans Factory Sit-In 40th Anniversary – Notice of Motion by Councillor C McEleny Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 8. COVID-19 Update Report ** Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 9. COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Administrative Arrangements – Online Committee Cycle 2021 Report by Head of Legal & Property Services p 10. Administrative Arrangements: (1) Scheme of Delegation (Officers) and (2) Scheme of Administration Report by Head of Legal & Property Services p 11. Withdrawal from the European Union - Update Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p REMITS FROM COMMITTEES 12. Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – The Inverclyde Council, Disabled Persons’ Parking Places (On-Street) Order No. 3 2020 – Remit from Environment & Regeneration Committee Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 13. Proposed Redetermination Order – The Inverclyde Council, A78 Inverkip Road, Branchton Road and Gleninver Road, Greenock (Redetermination of Means of Exercise of Public Right of Passage) Order 2020 – Remit from Environment & Regeneration Committee Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 14. Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – The Inverclyde Council, A78 Inverkip Road and Branchton Road, Greenock (One Way, Prohibition of Entry and Prohibition of Right and Left Turns) Traffic Regulation Order 2020 – Remit from Environment & Regeneration Committee Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 15. Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – The Inverclyde Council, Bruce Street, Greenock (One Way and Prohibition of Entry) Traffic Regulation Order 2020 – Remit from Environment & Regeneration Committee Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p 00 Ag - IC - 18 02 2021 16. Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – The Inverclyde Council (Off-Street Parking Places) (Variation No. 11) Order 2020 – Remit from Environment & Regeneration Committee Report by Corporate Director Environment, Regeneration & Resources p The documentation relative to the following items has been treated as exempt information in terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended, the nature of the exempt information in respect of item 17 being that set out in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act and the nature of the exempt information in relation to item 18 being as detailed in the minute of the relevant Committee, Sub- Committee or Board. NEW BUSINESS 17. Joint Collaboration – Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire Councils – Service Manager (Policy, Performance and Partnership) Report by Corporate Director Education, Communities & Organisational p Development providing an update relative to the position of Service Manager – Corporate Policy, Performance and Partnership and making a recommendation in this regard 18. Business in the Appendix Please note that because of the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) emergency, this meeting will not be open to members of the public. The reports are available publicly on the Council’s website and the minute of the meeting will be submitted to the next standing meeting of the Inverclyde Council. The agenda for the meeting of the Inverclyde Council will be available publicly on the Council’s website. In terms of Section 50A(3A) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as introduced by Schedule 6, Paragraph 13 of the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020, it is necessary to exclude the public from the meetings of the Council on public health grounds. The Council considers that, if members of the public were to be present, this would create a real or substantial risk to public health, specifically relating to infection or contamination by Coronavirus. Enquiries to – Sharon Lang – Tel 01475 712112 00 Ag - IC - 18 02 2021 AGENDA ITEM NO: 3 Report To: Inverclyde Council Date: 18 February 2021 Report By: Chief Financial Officer Report No: FIN/13/21/AP/LA Contact Officer: Alan Puckrin Contact No: 01475 712223 Subject: Budget Update and Approval of the 2021/22 Band D Council Tax 1.0 PURPOSE 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide the Council with an update regarding the 2021/22 Scottish Government Draft Budget Settlement, the latest position of the Council’s 2021/23 Budget and to thereafter seek approval of the Band D Council Tax for the year 2021/22. 2.0 SUMMARY 2.1 On a number of occasions in the last 5 years the Council has approved the level of Council Tax for the forthcoming year prior to finalising the details of the Budget. Such an approach complies with statutory requirements, allows the Council to issue Council Tax bills timeously whilst giving Members the ability to be in possession of the latest information prior to formal approval of the Budget. 2.2 The Cabinet Secretary for Finance presented the Draft 2021/22 Budget to the Scottish Parliament on 28 January. From a Local Government perspective the Draft Budget showed a £335million increase in Revenue funding (3.1%). After adjusting for “ring fenced” sums the funding increase is around £95million (0.9%). 2.3 The Draft Revenue settlement included £90million which would be allocated to Councils were they to agree to freeze their 2021/22 Council Tax at 2020/21 levels. It is unclear at the time of writing the report whether this £90million is recurring or a one-off allocation. Cosla are clarifying this issue with the Scottish Government. Until it is confirmed otherwise it would be prudent to assume the Council Tax Freeze grant relates to 2021/22 only. 2.4 The Draft 2021/22 Budget will be subject to consideration by Parliament as follows: • Stage 1 – 25 February • Stage 2 – 8 March • Stage 3- 9 March • Approval – 10 March Throughout this period there is the likelihood that changes may be made to both the overall Budget but also the Local Government element. 2.5 Appendix 2 shows the latest 2021/23 Revenue Budget position assuming the approval of the proposals in Appendix 1, that the Council agrees to freeze Council Tax in 2021/22 and that the £90million Council Tax Freeze grant is for 2021/22 only. From this it can be seen that, on the basis of the assumptions around pay and non-pay inflation remaining unchanged then the estimated 2021/22 funding gap is £0.859million and the 2022/23 funding gap is estimated to be £5.679million. 2.6 In previous years the Council has received reassurance form both the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Financial Officer regarding the statutory ability of the Council to approve the level of Council Tax for the forthcoming year prior to finalising the detail of the Budget. This advice is repeated in 7.2. 2.7 The Council’s share of the Council Tax Freeze grant is £1.198million which equates to around a 3.7% increase in Council Tax. At present there is no indication from the Scottish Government of an upper limit to any increase in Council Tax increase in 2021/22 but from a financial perspective any increase would need to be in excess of 3.7% to be of any financial benefit in 2021/22. 2.8 Having considered the matters raised in this report the Members’ Budget Working Group would support freezing the level of Council tax in 2021/22 and accessing the Council Tax Freeze grant. 2.9 Subject to the Council approving the level of Band D Council Tax for 2021/22 today, it is expected that Council Tax notices will be issued early in March. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that the Council notes the Draft Scottish Budget Settlement and in particular the update provided regarding the draft Local Government funding position. 3.2 It is recommended that the Council notes the timescales for finalising the Scottish Budget and the potential for the detail of the Budget to change in coming weeks. 3.3 It is recommended that the Council approves the proposals in Appendix 1 and notes the 2021/23 Revenue Budget position in Appendix 2 in light of the draft Local Government grant figures. 3.4 It is recommended that the Council decides whether to increase Council Tax in 2021/22 or to freeze Council Tax and access the £1.198million Council Tax Freeze grant.