Agenda item

The Committee is recommended to make the resolutions set out in the report at item 8.

The Executive Head of Legal and Democratic Services addressed the Committee and introduced the report, explaining that the current threshold for key financial decisions at Waverley Borough Council, as set out in, Article 12 of the Constitution, currently stands at £100,000. It was noted that this figure had not been changed for an extended period of time and that the provisions and requirements for a Key Decision are set out in the Executive Procedure Rules and the Article 12 paragraph (a) of the Constitution. It was emphasised that a key decision is one that is deemed particularly significant in terms of its financial implications or broader implications which effect two or more wards in the Borough. The Committee was advised that a review of the Key Decision Threshold had become necessary, considering the disparities with neighbouring Authorities and apparent disconnect with Waverley’s population and total budget, it was proposed in Appendix 2 that the Key Decision Financial Threshold should be increased to £200,000, aligning with the level adopted by Guildford Borough Council and other neighbouring authorities – as referenced in the table at Appendix 3.

Cllr Hyman had registered to make a statement on the agenda item and was allocated 4 minutes to speak. Cllr Hyman raised questions about the length of time the threshold had remained unchanged as part 1.4 of the report states that it had been in place for ‘quite some time’. He questioned the relevance of ‘Funding received’ in part 1.4 of the report and questioned the justification for what he perceived as losing financial control of the Council during uncertain times and cited financial challenges faced by local councils.

In response to the comments made by Cllr Hyman, The Executive Head of Legal and Democratic Services clarified that the exact amount of time could not be determined due to lack of records however it is estimated to be approximately 10 - 12 years. It was clarified that the inclusion of ‘funding received’ was explained as part of benchmarking against other authorities. Further, the Executive Head of Legal and Democratic Services explained that the proposed change would not compromise financial control of the Council, rather enhance efficiency in decision making. Part 4.6 of the Constitution, Access to information procedure rules, would still ensure that 5 working days notice of a non-key decision would be given and 28 days notice of a key decision would be provided in the public domain. However, it was noted that Waverley Borough Council tends to err on the side of caution and publish all key and non-key decisions in the Executive Forward Plan for transparency.

The Committee commented on the proposals in the report and Appendix 2 and endorsed the proposed changed to the Key Decision Financial Threshold, highlighting the need to adapt to inflation and benefits of harmonising procedures with Guildford Borough Council and other neighbouring authorities.

The Chair invited Members to vote on the recommendations set out in part 2 of the report.

There was a unanimous vote in favour.

The Committee resolved to recommend that Full Council;

1.     approves the report and the proposal to increase the financial threshold of a key decision at Waverley Borough Council from £100,000 to £200,000 and to amend Article 12 of the Constitution to reflect the change.