Issue - meetings

The purpose of this report is to seek approval for a supplementary estimate to cover the fees of an external consultant to prepare a Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). This report sets out that the Planning Service does not have sufficient identified budget to meet these fees

Recommendation

2.1       It is recommended that the Executive approve the supplementary estimate attached as Annexe 1 to this report for up to an additional £30,000 to go towards meeting the fees of procuring external consultants to prepare the Climate Change SPD, to be met from the General Fund Working Balance.

RESOLVED that the supplementary estimate attached as Annexe 1 to the report for up to an additional £30,000 to go towards meeting the fees of procuring external consultants to prepare the Climate Change SPD, to be met from the General Fund Working Balance, be approved.

[VALUE FOR MONEY & CUSTOMER SERVICE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE]

At 6.47pm, the Council Chamber lost connection to the livestream.  The Leader paused the meeting to enable officers to re-establish the connection which they were unable to do.  The Leader resumed the meeting at 6.50pm.

Councillor Williams introduced the report, which proposed a supplementary estimate for the procurement of external consultants to prepare a climate change and sustainability supplementary planning document.

Councillors Seaborne and Hyman spoke on the report.

RESOLVED that the supplementary estimate attached as Annexe 1 to the report for up to an additional £30,000 to go towards meeting the fees of procuring external consultants to prepare the Climate Change SPD, to be met from the General Fund Working Balance, be approved.

Reason: £10,000 has already been agreed in principle from the climate change fund to prepare the Climate Change SPD, however the anticipated cost of producing the SPD is estimated to be between £30,000 and £40,000 which means there is a funding gap believed to be of up to £30,000 (albeit the full cost will only be known once an external procurement exercise has been undertaken. These additional funds cannot be met from within the current Local Plan budget as this is needed to fund the remaining stages of Local Plan Part 2, including a further round of public consultation and the Examination in Public.  Furthermore, addressing the climate change emergency is a corporate priority that is an issue that goes across a few Council services.