Cabinet 16 July 2025 - Part 2

0:09Okay, thank you everybody. This is the

0:11second part of the resumption of the

0:13cabinet meeting 16th of July, Wednesday

0:15the 16th of July. The time is now 6:53

0:20p.m. Apologies to u members of members

0:23of the public. Um apologies for the

0:26brief disruption there. We've uh now

0:28resumed the meeting and apologies to

0:29members of the public who weren't able

0:30to speak on the last item. We'll resume

0:33on item seven of tonight's agenda, the

0:35sustainability strategy review. And the

0:37next person to speak is councelor

0:40Jonathan Harris. Councelor Harris.

0:43>> Thank you, Chair. And just to explain to

0:45members of the public, the reason why we

0:48are delayed in starting again is because

0:50we have had people very unhappy about

0:53this paper coming to council tonight

0:55without any discussion and dialogue. So

0:58I share their frustrations.

1:00I have three minutes to explain why more

1:03than three years of work should not be

1:05cast into the waste bin. Just like the

1:08people who were unhappy earlier on,

1:10that's an impo impossible task to do.

1:12Three minutes is not enough.

1:16This sustainability work has been a rare

1:18thing, a generally collegiate cross

1:20party piece of work that was driven by

1:23putting the best interests of our

1:24residents first for the long term, if

1:27you like, a truly sustainable

1:29sustainability framework.

1:31It has also been fundamentally about the

1:34compliance with the 2008 climate act and

1:37its subsequently updated target in 2019

1:41as well as a range of other related

1:43pieces of legislation

1:45which we will all be familiar with from

1:47the the training that we had on the 19th

1:50of June.

1:52It's been about exploring the council's

1:54powers in place to make a difference

1:56around waste, energy, buildings,

1:59transport and nature.

2:02But I'm afraid what we have here is a

2:04decision allegedly being made by cabinet

2:06but actually not being made by cabinet.

2:09This is a reform HQ decision. Should I

2:11wait for the groan this time? Because

2:13there was one earlier.

2:15It was origin it was a council that

2:17originally took the decision to include

2:19interim net zero targets because 2050 is

2:23a long time away and what gets measured

2:26gets done.

2:28This paper brings forward no real why

2:31for a removal of these targets. There

2:34are no costings. There's nothing about

2:36financial viability and no savings

2:38identified. It appears to be just an

2:41edict.

2:45The general argument put forward always

2:47with net zero for those that deny or

2:49don't want to engage seems to be about

2:51we've got such high electricity costs

2:53and it's all down to the cost of net

2:56zero. I'm afraid that's utter nonsense.

3:00But having said that, there does need to

3:02be a fair transition for people. But

3:05electricity prices in the UK have

3:07absolutely nothing to do with green

3:09levies, which is what they normally get

3:11blamed on. It's entirely due to the UK's

3:14reliance on gas and being anchored to

3:17wholesale prices.

3:19I have some bedtime reading for you all.

3:21So, look out in your inboxes tomorrow

3:23because I think it's important to have

3:25wider views than maybe just GB news or

3:27the Telegraph.

3:30Green energy is now in by fact far

3:33cheaper to produce.

3:36Now surely it can't be a coincidence

3:39that a substantial amount of reforms

3:41funding appears to be from donors in the

3:44fossil fuel sector, some client science

3:46deniers and some high polluters.

3:49Many are millionaires if not

3:51billionaires.

3:53And those wealthy donors sit in the

3:55richest 1% of the world's population.

3:59And they produce as much carbon

4:01pollution as the 5 billion people making

4:04up the poorest 2/3s of humanity.

4:07It will take500 years for the poorest 1%

4:11to produce as much carbon as the richest

4:131% produces in a year. It really does

4:16seem to be a bit like a case of I'm all

4:18right, Jack.

4:21Councelor North Harris, are you you able

4:23to ask one of your colleagues who's also

4:25speaking to continue? I'm conscious of

4:26the time and the delay we've we've

4:28experienced.

4:29>> Yes, I'm conscious of that too, but I

4:31have got some other things I'd like to

4:32say. I did say that 3 minutes is a

4:35difficult time period.

4:36>> Would you kindly pass to councelor to

4:38conclude for you all

4:40speaking separately?

4:42I will ask you my questions then and I

4:44will write to you on the other issues to

4:46spell out my massive concerns with this

4:49uh proposal.

4:52The electorate of West North have a

4:54right to know what the collective and

4:55individual views of this cabinet are on

4:58climate change and its mand mandate on

5:01the climate. Will you put this on record

5:02please? Collectively and individually.

5:05I'm not interested in reform UK's

5:07position. I'm interested in yours.

5:10This document says nothing regarding the

5:13strategy we will have to meet our

5:14obligations under the 2008 climate act.

5:18So what exactly is this document setting

5:21out and proposing to do against that

5:23strategy?

5:25My main concern is what impartiality and

5:28absence of bias or predetermination has

5:31been brought to this decision given that

5:34your party leader this week has been in

5:36the national press stating that his

5:38councils will be dropping the net zero

5:41targets. No sign of local decisions made

5:44by local people. No sign of engagement

5:47for local people to be involved in that

5:49decision-making process.

5:51Thank you councelor Harris and your

5:53points are noted for the record and I'm

5:55sure the cabinet members will speak in

5:56in due course around the table.

5:58Councelor wear please.

6:01Thank you chair. I note the purpose of

6:03the report is to ensure resources can be

6:05used to progress those projects that

6:07will provide the greatest benefits to

6:09residents. There can be no greater

6:11benefit than protecting the environment

6:13in which we live and which will be

6:14handed on to future generations of

6:16residents. I have a suspicion that this

6:19review is actually a saber rattling from

6:21a political HQ outside of our county.

6:23So, I'm very interested to hear that the

6:25new administration actually has a policy

6:27on net zero and ask that they share this

6:30in full with both council and the

6:32residents of West Northamptonshire.

6:34Onto the report, I note that 2.4 Four

6:38states that the policy position of the

6:39new administration as yet unclear is to

6:43continue to de to deliver and develop a

6:45sustainability strategy that has direct

6:48impacts and opportunities for our

6:49residents and businesses. Yet it goes on

6:52to say that it's no longer viable to

6:54pursue the 2030 and 2045 targets. This

6:57is a contradiction. Which is it? Again,

7:00the recommendations are contradictory.

7:03points 3.1B and C are not in line with

7:06the recommendation in 3.1A.

7:09Similarly, in section 6.1, the report

7:12lists some of the things the council is

7:14and will continue to do. It seems that

7:17what you're actually asking for is for

7:19council to keep doing what you're doing,

7:21but remove a few trigger words for your

7:23overlords.

7:25The reason the report gives in 4.1 in

7:28line with the policy position of the new

7:30administration again I point out that we

7:32haven't seen your policy position on

7:34this or anything other than flags. The

7:36decision has been made to no longer

7:38retain the 2030 and 45 net zero targets.

7:41So if I read that correctly, you have

7:44made the decision to accept this

7:46proposal and that is the reason for the

7:48proposal really. The report goes on to

7:51say that this will enable the council to

7:53focus its limited resources on matters

7:55important to local people like the

7:57development of warm homes. How is the

8:00development of warm homes dependent on

8:01the scrapping of net zero targets? It's

8:04a scheme with national grant funding

8:06from government. The reason the report

8:08gives in 3 in 4.3 the lack of ability of

8:12this council to make any difference to

8:13this global emergency is not a reason.

8:16It's a matter of opinion not fact. In

8:19addition, I think you're demonstrating a

8:21defeist position and weak leadership. In

8:245.1, the report makes reference to the

8:27survey by Local Government Chronicle.

8:30There are lies, damn lies, and

8:31statistics. This survey is a sample of

8:34just 300 people nationally. One could

8:37argue that that's statistically

8:39noteworthy for the population of West

8:41North, let alone a general population.

8:44However, as you've mentioned it, let's

8:46make it clear what it actually does say.

8:49You say that 70% of responders have

8:52little or no confidence in meeting the

8:53targets for net zero. What the survey

8:56actually says is around 70% have little

8:59or no confidence in meeting the wider

9:01area targets, our 2045 target. The

9:06survey goes on to say that 52%

9:09are extremely confident, confident or

9:12somewhat confident in councils meeting

9:14their own targets for 2030. You failed

9:17to mention this in 5.8. The report makes

9:21reference to decisions needed to be made

9:23in the late 2020s to make a difference.

9:26Unless there's some strange Doctor Who

9:28timy wimy thing going on, we aren't yet

9:30in the late 2020s. We still have time to

9:34do the right thing. In section 8.1.3

9:38again the report says this council will

9:40keep doing what it's doing. I conclude

9:42that this proposal is nothing more than

9:44political grandstanding.

9:468.2.1 reminds us that the UK has legally

9:50binding target for 2050. This is a

9:52matter of statute and not within our

9:54powers to change. Removing the 2030 and

9:5745 staging post along the way will

9:59simply make the ladder more difficult to

10:01climb. Councelor may I interrupt. Would

10:03you kindly go to any questions you have

10:04for the cabinet member and conclude your

10:07speech please?

10:08>> 8.7 I will write to you in full. 8.7.1

10:12states by directing

10:13>> May I conclude that you your you'll

10:15finish your time.

10:16>> This is my question. 8.7.1 states by

10:19directing resources into home energy

10:21improvement schemes and seeking further

10:22grant funding we will have a positive

10:24impact on fuel and poverty. Marvelous.

10:27My questions are, how is this different

10:29from what we're doing now?

10:32Are we ignoring the home energy

10:34improvement schemes at the moment? And

10:36if so, why? This clearly links to our

10:38net zero targets. If we're keeping doing

10:40what we're doing, then let's be loud and

10:41proud and make our inroads. I ask that

10:44members of the cabinet do not support

10:45this proposal. Rather, they consider

10:47their role in the stewardship of our

10:49beautiful county. Do the right thing if

10:51not for themselves than future

10:52generations. Please provide clear and

10:55positive leadership in this vital issue

10:57that is the climate emergency. Thank you

11:00chair.

11:00>> Thank you councelor.

11:03Now I'd like to invite councelor Rosie

11:04Humphre before before speaking can we

11:06please try and stick to the time

11:07allocated we ask our members of the

11:09public when speaking. It'd be good if

11:10members could set an example. Thank you.

11:14>> Thank you chair. I'll do my very best.

11:18Just one moment. Sorry.

11:28This report is an embarrassment.

11:33The timing could not be more

11:35inappropriate as the UK emerges from its

11:37third heat wave. And as already

11:39mentioned, the Met Office warned this

11:40week that extreme heat and rainfall is

11:42now the norm. It's a failure of

11:44leadership to make the excuse that the

11:46council cannot control global climate

11:48change. Local leaders being unable to

11:50control China is no excuse to give up

11:53when the law law when by law local

11:56authorities play such an important role

11:58in delivering net zero in the powers

11:59they have. You're failing residents and

12:02local businesses and making our benited

12:04area a laughingstock by appearing to

12:06ignore the climate emergency, the urgent

12:08need for climate mitigation and the

12:10allimportant powers that you have as a

12:12unitary authority to take action towards

12:14net zero in areas such as planning,

12:17transport, energy, waste and nature. And

12:19while you imagine you can ignore the

12:21three existing strategies mentioned in

12:23the report, the 2025 local transport

12:25plan is a statutory document required by

12:28government that's going to shape our

12:29priorities for the next 5 years. In its

12:32priorities is the need to address

12:34climate change by supporting the rapid

12:36decarbonization of all modes of

12:38transport. Its 2045 vision sees West

12:42Northamptonshire as having moved rapidly

12:44to achieve the net zero emissions

12:46transport system by 2045. What do you

12:49say to all the stakeholders involved in

12:52shaping this plan, including the youth

12:54forum now that the net zero objectives

12:56are intended to be scrapped? Your report

12:59does not align with the existing LTP,

13:02still less with the emerging local plan,

13:04which must of course follow the NPPPF to

13:07pass public examination. The latest

13:10NPPPF now explicitly requires the

13:13planning system to support the

13:14transition to net zero. In the

13:16regulation version consulted on last

13:19year, the spatial vision imagines the

13:21improvements to our area in the built

13:23environment, local nature recovery, the

13:25economy and prosperity and health of

13:27residents. And I quote, above all, West

13:30Northamptonshire has led the way in the

13:33transition to a lowcarbon economy, has

13:35achieved net zero targets, is resilient,

13:38and continues to adapt to climate

13:40change. This policy leads the way to a

13:43confusing vacuum and is a kick in the

13:45teeth to the many many residents who are

13:48making efforts to reduce their own

13:50impact on global warming by adapting to

13:52a lowcarbon lifestyle and all businesses

13:55working hard towards net zero. This has

13:58more than some potential damage this to

14:00this council's reputation. You mentioned

14:02the 57 parish and town councils who

14:05attended a climate change summit last

14:07year. One of the objectives of that

14:09event was to support parishes in

14:11communicating climate change. This

14:13report is the worst example of climate

14:15change communication as it fails to

14:17mention that we're experiencing a

14:19climate emergency and urgent urgent

14:21action is needed. Haven't you seen the

14:23evidence already this summer? Food

14:25growers and farmers are struggling and

14:27parts of the Grand Union Canal are

14:29closed because of drought. I urge you to

14:32reconsider this. Thank you.

14:37Thank you, Councelor Humphre.

14:40Councelor Rebecca Bree to speak, please.

14:54>> Thank you, chair.

14:56The climate change strategy, which is

14:59the main target of this proposal, as

15:00well as the other environmental

15:02policies, went out for two

15:03consultations, enabling those from all

15:06sides of the debate to have a say and

15:08inform the final document. Where is the

15:11public consultation for this change in

15:12focus and the removal of targets? Yes,

15:15reform is now the administration, but

15:17elected by possibly 20% of the

15:19electorate. Where do the remaining 80%

15:21get the opportunity to give their views

15:23on this important decision?

15:27The chair and his introduction this

15:28evening welcome members of the public as

15:30democracy in action. This cabinet paper,

15:32however, is not democracy in action. It

15:35has not been consulted upon. In 2.4 of

15:38the report, it says, and I quote, "It's

15:40no longer viable to pursue the current

15:422030 and 2045 net zero targets." But

15:45let's have a look at what having targets

15:47can achieve. There has never been a net

15:50zero budget or any commitment to fund

15:52offsetting or or our other net zero

15:55work. All the work done and still to be

15:58undertaken had to be financially viable

16:00either in terms of return on investment

16:02or attracting grant funding from other

16:04bodies. All the work you might class as

16:07net zero, such as the extra solar panels

16:09on one angel square and the EV charging

16:11infrastructure program, has been

16:13approved and budgeted on an acceptable

16:15financial return, possibly grant funding

16:18and attracting inwards investment. But

16:21the aim to achieve these emissions

16:22reductions and work towards net zero in

16:242030 is what has led to the development

16:26of these policies and shows the

16:28balancing act that can be achieved in

16:30pursuit of a challenging target.

16:34The proposal to install small-cale solar

16:36through the council's own building

16:37estate and solar arrays on small plots

16:40of land it owns will, if it still goes

16:42ahead, meet the council's existing

16:43target of 2030 almost on its own while

16:47generating an attractive financial

16:48return for this council. Surely this

16:51indicates that with well-thoughtout

16:53investment and technology solutions, we

16:55can be ambitious in striving for targets

16:58and showing commitment and leadership to

17:00our residents that considered investment

17:02has financial benefits and contributes

17:04to the health of the planet and our

17:06communities.

17:08Later this evening, you're discussing an

17:10item at um you're discussing at item 10,

17:12the warm homes grant local grant scheme.

17:15This was awarded government funding

17:16under the Conservative administration

17:18and is coming to fruition now in the

17:20procurement of a delivery partner. These

17:23projects are the culmination of the work

17:24of the cross party sustainability

17:26working group which I chaired.

17:29At 3.1, the recommendation says, "It is

17:32recommended the cabinet confirms the

17:34council's commitment to environmental

17:35sustainability, especially as it affects

17:37local people and businesses, and at

17:393.1B, continue to progress the

17:41sustainability project, which has been

17:43shown to have real benefits for

17:45residents and businesses and makes

17:46ongoing contribution. We haven't heard

17:49any proposals from this administration

17:51for the continuation of the

17:52sustainability working group which has

17:54proved its value in promoting

17:56sustainability and resilience programs

17:58to our staff, our residents, and our

18:00businesses.

18:03Unprecedented heat bubbles and the early

18:05drought that has been declared here in

18:06the Midlands indicate that there is

18:07something going on. And although yes, we

18:09are but a tiny cog in this huge

18:12planetwide issue, we want to show our

18:14residents that we have their health,

18:16well-being, and future in mind. And by

18:18setting challenging targets, we can

18:20challenge ourselves to achieve outcomes

18:21that benefit us all. Thank you, Chair.

18:24>> Thank you, Councelor Bree. Uh Councelor

18:27Ian McCord to speak next, please.

18:44Thank you, chairman. I welcome the new

18:46policy direction that at least is based

18:48in reality and has the considerable

18:50advantage of being honest. However, I

18:53also think there needs to be a council

18:55resolution as these targets were set by

18:57councils in resolutions in July 21 and

19:00December 21. Last month at council, many

19:04who have spoken berated the

19:05administration for not having a plan and

19:07a policy. Tonight, they complained that

19:09the administration has a tmerity to

19:11implement the only policy arguably that

19:13it has. And those that are crying in for

19:16their tofu and quinoa forget that they

19:18lost the May election. Rebecca, two

19:22consultations that you quoted had 101

19:24and 92 responses, respectively. The

19:27strategy adopted in March had 70

19:29responses from residents and 40% that's

19:3128 people thought it was wonderful and

19:34more importantly just 20% said it was

19:38achievable that's net zero support for

19:40net zero and I've continually asked on

19:43net zero 2030 45 how will you do it how

19:47much will it cost and how will you pay

19:48for it and I've never had an answer the

19:52sustainability bronze report stated that

19:54attached to the report says this is an

19:56ambition without a plan. The reality is

19:58we don't have commercially available

20:00solutions like say carbon neutral bin

20:02lries. West North has never done a

20:05survey on all its buildings and schools

20:06to work out what it will cost. WNC has

20:09never given a budget for net zero short

20:11of a few thousand pounds. And each year

20:12at budget time I've raised this either

20:15fund the commitment or drop it. There is

20:18a consensus of the sensible building who

20:20see net zero policy aspirations now for

20:22what they are. The public position of

20:24the Conservative party is to drop the

20:26national net zero 2050. Reform hold the

20:28position too. And even Tony Blair is

20:30questioning the wisdom of the current

20:32approach. Others like Labour peer lord

20:34Morris Thasman and some in the trade

20:36unions see the religion of net zero

20:38decimating jobs and are attempting to

20:40restrain the zealots. The OBR recently

20:43published a report which predicted a

20:44revenue loss of 80 billion a year. The

20:47net zero 2030 policy is unachievable.

20:50Its support comes from those with luxury

20:53opinions that can afford it. Those who

20:54lament it are the dreamers, the purists,

20:56the extremists, the communists, the

20:58anti- capitalist, the lunatic, the brown

20:59rice and sanders brigade and those who

21:01plot their armpit higher. The this well

21:05you can pick a category. This is

21:07grounded in reality. It does not say we

21:10will not have a lower carbon or even a

21:12net carbon end state, net zero end

21:14state. Just that whatever we do will be

21:16affordable, achievable and based in

21:18reality. We will trade as lightly as we

21:20can on our environment and strike a

21:22balance between cost, practicality,

21:24technological reality and in the

21:26environment. And finally, I thank you

21:28all for helping me deliver my election

21:30pledge to my electorate to end net0ero

21:332030 because it's in there and I have

21:34the printed documents with me. Thank you

21:36m uh Mr. Chairman.

21:41>> Thank you councelor McCord. And if you

21:43are interested in a quinoa recipe, I'll

21:45be only too happy to provide that for

21:47you later.

21:49And now move on to councelor Listister

21:51please to speak. You have a microphone

21:52on your desk. Thank you sir.

21:53>> Thank you. Um this report is deeply

21:56disappointing. Um it simply changes the

21:58word from climate to sustainability.

22:00Removes the 2030 and 2045 days but

22:03offers absolutely no plan for even

22:05meeting the government's legally binding

22:072050 target. Let's be clear about what's

22:09really happening. We're not having an

22:11honest conversation about priorities.

22:12for simply taking orders from reform HQ

22:15and kicking difficult decisions down the

22:17road to future administrations. We talk

22:19about the great work the officers have

22:20done in this report. Work done under the

22:23previous administration using the

22:24previous administration's targets.

22:26Whilst we cannot solve global climate

22:28change from West Northampton shear, the

22:30changes we make locally absolutely

22:32affect our residents lives. Whether you

22:34believe in climate change or not, air

22:36pollution harms our children's lungs and

22:37costs our services. Flooding damages

22:40homes and costs our taxpayers thousands.

22:42Our own economic strategy talks about

22:44green jobs and the green economy. The

22:46green sector is one of the fastest

22:47growing parts of our economy, creating

22:49skilled local jobs and attracting

22:51investment. By watering down our

22:53commitments, we risk losing that

22:54investment to council showing real

22:56leadership. We've seen flooding in our

22:58villages. Our town centers suffer from

23:00air pollution that affects our

23:01children's health. If you are to go

23:03ahead with this, let's at least set

23:05meaningful, deliverable local targets

23:07that create real benefits. Solar panels

23:09on our council buildings and schools

23:11during this council term, which generate

23:12income, flood defenses for our atmost at

23:15risk communities, tree planting programs

23:17that actually tackle air pollution in

23:19our town center, supporting local

23:21businesses to retrofit and create green

23:22jobs. We talk about creating a strategy

23:24at some point in the future, but you

23:26bring forward changes to our existing

23:28strategies without even a vague

23:29indication of when these future

23:31strategies will come forward. This isn't

23:33about being draconian or unrealistic.

23:34It's about smart local leadership that

23:37maximizes our opportunities and delivers

23:39for our residents. Cleaner air, flood

23:41protection, local jobs, council income

23:43generation. All of these are important.

23:45This report admits other councils are

23:47struggling with their targets, but

23:48that's exactly when we should be showing

23:50leadership, not following the pack

23:52downwards. Without clean targets and

23:54deadlines, this strategy becomes just

23:55another document gathering dust.

23:57Residents deserve to know when will the

23:59flooding stop, when will our air be

24:00cleaner, and will our energy bills

24:02reduce. Set the targets, show real local

24:04action that creates measurable benefits

24:06for the people we serve. That's what

24:07leadership looks like. Thank you.

24:11>> Thank you, Councelor Listister. I'd now

24:13like to from the members in the gallery

24:15invite councelor Silus Hayes to speak.

24:39Thank you chair. I rise to speak in full

24:42support of this revised sustainability

24:45strategy because for the first time in

24:47years, we have a plan grounded in

24:49reality, not in rhetoric. The good

24:52people of West Northamptonshire have

24:54shown that they are ready for a change

24:56from what went before and believe they

24:58would be I believe they would be very

24:59surprised indeed to see this

25:01administration veer away from reform

25:03policy. They voted for reform. They are

25:05getting reform.

25:08Let's be honest, the previous

25:10administration set ambitious targets

25:122030, 2045 net zero pledges without ever

25:15having the funding, the delivery

25:17mechanisms, or the political will to

25:19actually meet them. They promised the

25:22world, but absolutely failed to deliver

25:24little more than a collection of

25:25headlines. Meanwhile, residents were

25:28left with rising energy bills and no

25:30clear sign that those lofty ambitions

25:32were doing anything for them on the

25:34ground. Contrast that with the administr

25:37with what the administration is doing,

25:39stripping away the spin and focusing on

25:41projects that actually work for local

25:43people. Projects like the warm homes

25:46local grant, 2.6 million to improve the

25:48energy efficiency of over 170 of

25:52low-income families. That's real action

25:55with real outcomes.

25:57We're still aligned with the national

25:582050 target and rightly so. But unlike

26:01before, we've we've been honest about

26:04what we can achieve locally. We're

26:06investing in what matters. EV

26:08infrastructure, biodiversity, tree

26:11planting, and making sure the council is

26:13operating efficiently and sustainably.

26:17And don't just take our word for it. The

26:19investors in the environment

26:21accredititation gave us a score of 82%

26:23with a perfect 100% in environmental and

26:27social projects. That's external

26:29validation, something the previous lot

26:32never achieved while clinging to hollow

26:34pledges. This is a strategy that

26:37recognizes the financial reality of

26:39local government. We can't solve global

26:41warm warming alone from

26:43Northamptonshire, but we can make life

26:45better and fairer for our residents

26:47today. This administration is not

26:50chasing vanity goals. It's building

26:53practical, sustainable success. I

26:55commend the cabinet for this new

26:57direction. It's bold, it's transparent,

27:00and most importantly, it is deliverable.

27:03Thank you.

27:06>> Thank you, Councelor Hayes. Uh,

27:09Councelor Key, would you care to join us

27:11to to speak on the report?

27:30Thank you. West North has had a wholly

27:33lordable approach um to climate change.

27:36It set targets for what was within its

27:38control um and worked within the global

27:40framework. It provided real leadership

27:44and that was recognized and much

27:45appreciated and the the throwing out of

27:49that particularly in this fashion

27:53is a source of great regret and it's a

27:55huge tragedy for local people and for

27:58the whole arguments around climate

28:00change and although I don't agree with

28:01the tactics of the people who disrupted

28:03the meeting I can understand the anger

28:06because this kind of action of throwing

28:08out a a a really progressive polic

28:11policy um widens a generational divide

28:15around climate change and also fuels a

28:17cynicism that a lot of young people feel

28:19about government national and local. And

28:22I think we also saw that in one of the

28:24previous um contributions which cased

28:27the climate change argument and I just

28:29say you can you can scrap net zero but

28:32that is not going to stop climate change

28:34which is a core of this argument. One of

28:37the recommendations that you have in

28:39this report is that you progress the

28:41investors in the environment

28:43accredititation. But that annual audit

28:46assesses and it the council got it has

28:49been mentioned a high score last time.

28:52It assesses progress against targets but

28:55you've just got rid of your targets and

28:57you haven't in this report suggested any

29:00new ones. Um, you've also said that

29:04you're going to target resources and you

29:06specifically mentioned the warm homes

29:08initiative, but as has already been said

29:11that 2.6 million which is given by

29:13central government. It's not produced

29:14out of local savings um is is earmarked

29:18for warm homes and it can't be used for

29:20anything else. But the thing that I

29:23think makes me most angry about this

29:25report is that it says that that these

29:28policies will have a positive impact on

29:30those experiencing poverty. Everybody

29:33knows everybody who's done any work

29:35internationally or locally on climate

29:37change or indeed on any anti-poverty

29:39strategies know perfectly well that

29:42climate ch climate change hits hardest

29:44at the poorest people. And we see it

29:46here in Northampton. repeated flooding

29:49including of billing aquedrome which was

29:51flooded last year in January, February,

29:54September and November.

29:57What assessment has the council made of

30:00the cost of the public purse of having

30:02to rehouse a whole lot of very

30:04vulnerable and very disadvantaged

30:07people, not to mention the cost of the

30:09emergency services of evacuating them.

30:13It is a real cost to the public purse

30:15and it is a cost of of of of

30:19mitigating the impacts on the poorest

30:21people in our community. The truth is

30:24that this policy has nothing to do with

30:26any rational approach to climate change.

30:29I'd ask for information about the

30:31targets, your new targets that you're

30:33going to have, about the um financial

30:36implications, about about where the new

30:39money is coming from, about what how

30:41you're going to spend it, and a revision

30:43of the of the assessments of the impact

30:46on on the poor. This is a misguided

30:49policy which is based on dogma and is

30:52not responsive to the local community

30:53and local needs.

30:57Thanks councel key. Councelor Per to

31:01speak last speaker. Thank you.

31:11Thank you chair. I'll try not to repeat

31:14points that have already been made. I

31:16was have been part of the sustainability

31:20group. I think we've done a good job in

31:23creating the right environment. My

31:28concern is that there are no good

31:30reasons why you're rejecting a net zero

31:34target.

31:35You need some science. Now, I know

31:38people who say that the climate was

31:40warmer in the Cretaceous 100 million

31:43years ago, that we're heading for

31:45another ice age. I see no other those

31:47justifications in your paper here. So

31:50what is your justification for rejecting

31:54the science and this

31:56seems to me that it's more about the

31:59climate of Clton than the uh any serious

32:03thought that the cabinet has given here.

32:06At the last council meeting you affirmed

32:09your commitment to the one northampton

32:12share plan. That's about this council,

32:16this cabinet, this administration taking

32:19a leadership role in the area and it's

32:22about leadership in terms of climate,

32:25tackling climate change. We should be

32:28leading by example and bringing the

32:32whole community along to tackle it. And

32:34my concern is that this paper has

32:38abdicated our role in leading our

32:40community. So my question is if you are

32:44rejecting this how are you going to lead

32:48our community in tackling climate

32:50change.

32:54>> Thank you councelor persona. Uh I have a

32:57note sorry to councelor big I apologize

32:59I've missed you out of the order

33:00earlier. Do you still wish to speak?

33:03Please do.

33:14Thank you, chair. Obviously accepted and

33:16I won't keep you long. I'm here to

33:18express my disappointment of this review

33:20paper and especially the fact that you

33:22are no longer pursuing the current 2030

33:25and 2045 net zero targets. The previous

33:29administration of which I was a member

33:31set the target of 2030 and the council

33:33was on course to achieve this. This

33:35demonstrated to the electorate that as

33:37an authority we had a definite target

33:39date which we were progressing towards

33:42and showed our continual commitment. In

33:44contrast, the approach from reform is to

33:46abolish a target date. What assurance

33:49does that give to our residents that

33:50progress is being made. The whole world

33:53is in crisis and we as a council need to

33:56deliver actions which are targeted,

33:58costed and deliverable. You as the

34:00ruling authority have chosen to use the

34:02government's fallback position of

34:04net0ero by 25, but by then it could be

34:07all too late. Your answer is to rely on

34:10environmental sustainability with no

34:13defined targets in the vain hope that

34:15things may have happened before we get

34:17to 2050. Let's hope we make it. The

34:20council may say it is taking initiatives

34:22regardless of targets, but that will

34:24leave WNC aimless and unaccountable. the

34:27opposite of the swiss swift and defisive

34:30action that we need. I suggest that it's

34:33not good enough and you are letting the

34:35residents of West Northlands down by

34:37evading delivery of target dates that

34:39they can relate to and see your

34:41commitment to saving this planet. Thank

34:43you chair.

34:46>> Thank you very much councelor big again

34:48my apologies for missing you in the

34:50order. I'd like to now go to members of

34:52the cabinet to comment. I think starting

34:54with councelor hasty in front of me.

34:56Thank you, Council Ac.

34:58>> Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Um, at a

35:02number of meetings, I've heard uh

35:04comments from the opposition that uh

35:07we're not really a cabinet. We're a

35:09kindergarten cabinet. Uh we can't make

35:10up our own minds. Uh we take

35:12instructions from a reform HQ or we take

35:15reform from Mark Hunor, our leader, or

35:17we take instructions from our other

35:21reform counselors. I find it firstly

35:25deeply offensive to suggest that I have

35:28taken instructions from anyone and I

35:32mean anyone in reform. Not him, not

35:36Farage, not them, not anyone. I want

35:40this to stop. I heard before that we are

35:43following a dictator. I find that deeply

35:47offensive and we've held back from the

35:50knife fight of this charade. But it

35:53would be as bad as if I was to say that

35:55you

35:57are under the influence of Westminster

35:59yourselves. We haven't gone down that

36:00route and I don't think it's in the

36:01right interests of anybody in

36:03Northampton to pursue that. So I'd like

36:06that to stop please because I make up my

36:10own mind. I stood as a reform candidate

36:14for many reasons,

36:17but one of which is I do not personally,

36:20whether I'm right or wrong, but

36:21personally believe in net zero. I do not

36:25believe, I should clarify, I do not

36:27believe in net zero being achievable by

36:302030 or 2045. I'm all in favor of

36:34reducing emissions, doing everything to

36:36save the planet, but unrealistic targets

36:39basically mislead the public, commit us

36:42to costs or penalties that we just

36:44simply can't afford, as if we've got

36:46we're just flush with cash, and we're

36:49going to risk putting other services at

36:51risk from penalties

36:53uh or having to divert funds, which are

36:56precious as they are uh scant. Um, I

37:00cannot change the world's emissions.

37:02We've seen uh we seem to have just

37:05exported all our emissions and we

37:06continue to do so. Everyone still buys

37:08iPhones, buys uh you know their cars or

37:12their rubber tires all made abroad. We

37:14don't manufacture anything basically and

37:17uh we're going green and we're greening

37:19ourselves back to the 16th century if

37:21not earlier. So um

37:25I don't believe the government has

37:26provided sufficient funding ring fence

37:29funding to achieve all the targets

37:31they've set us and I don't know where

37:32the money is going to come from. So I

37:35think it is irresponsible to commit to

37:38costly obligations without secured

37:40financial

37:42backing. The council cannot I believe

37:44lawfully adopt policies that knowingly

37:46could lead to insolveny although

37:48insolveny has happened before as we well

37:50know.

37:52We come on to things like electric

37:53powered refuge vehicles. We cannot get

37:56power into build new building new

37:57buildings, new homes for just big sites

38:00for instance until 2028 the earliest

38:022028 2 years away from our 2030 target

38:06of having you know all of our fleet

38:08electrified. And I don't believe we can

38:11do it. So the thing is I don't want to

38:14basically pretend that in 2030 when we

38:17when it fails that we get the blame for

38:20not being able to achieve something we

38:21knew we couldn't achieve right from the

38:23start.

38:25So

38:27my view is

38:29quite simply there is no prize for being

38:31the first lemming to jump off the cliff

38:34and China and all the other countries

38:36are looking at us and going well you

38:38that's fine you can lead the way 60

38:40other countries will not follow us

38:41immediately because they're not so

38:42stupid as to bankrupt their own country

38:44just for the sake of some ideological

38:48situation. I'm sorry if that was a bit

38:50of motive, but I do not like being

38:52suggested that I came and sat in this

38:54room and I'm a puppet. I have my own

38:57beliefs and I came and stood as a

39:00candidate for the first time in politics

39:01because I was fed up with being lied to

39:05and that's why I'm here.

39:10Thank you, Councelor Hasty.

39:13Who would like to go next?

39:15Councelor Lost.

39:18He's pouring water.

39:21>> Sorry, chair. Yeah, I mean, I just want

39:24to echo I think you you put that case

39:26eloquently. Um we just we can't commit

39:30to long-term targets that um just are

39:34not achievable, frankly. And um the

39:38reality is I think we all want to get to

39:41net zero at some point in time. Um, you

39:44know, we're not abandoning net zero as a

39:47as a concept, but we need central

39:50government to understand exactly what

39:53financial backing is required to achieve

39:55net zero and to achieve the targets that

39:57the previous council's already committed

40:00to. Um, we just have to be honest to the

40:03people and we have to be realistic in

40:06what we can achieve in the short and

40:07medium term. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

40:12Thank you, councelor Los. Councelor

40:13Slope, do you wish to speak on this? I

40:16can't see you. Sorry.

40:19Anybody else? Councelor Manning,

40:24not sure I really need a microphone.

40:25Most people will say I'm loud enough

40:26before I start. So, we'll go from there.

40:29Indeed.

40:32Moving forward on things such as

40:33electric vehicles when the grid can't

40:35handle it. As stated by councelor Hasty,

40:38we rip out substations on plants and

40:39can't get them back to a 2028. How are

40:41we supposed to electrify fleet? Electric

40:44vehicles are not the future.

40:47Biomethane vehicles are far more

40:49sustainable and you can produce the fuel

40:51here in Northamptonshire as a product of

40:53the waste of our own food bins and from

40:55um farming produce. A biomethane bus is

40:59around £295,000. An electric bus is

41:01£675.

41:03Notting has Nottingham has been moving

41:05towards biomethane fleet for years.

41:07Little has just stated all of its laws

41:08will be biomethane. This is a tangible

41:11and actual task that we can achieve.

41:14This is something that is not just net

41:16zero zealatry but actual common sense.

41:19Talking about putting solar panels on

41:21everything, the grid is not capable of

41:23handling at this time. We're doing

41:24things backwards. We need to upgrade the

41:26grid, which is a national project, not a

41:28council, before we can put solar panels,

41:30which is why they're not on all of the

41:31industrial units because the grid simply

41:33cannot handle it. We are paying to turn

41:35off wind farms and solar farms when they

41:37are producing at their peak because the

41:39grid is not using that energy at that

41:41specific time because energy storage is

41:43the problem. So, hitting unachie trying

41:46to hit unachievable targets isn't the

41:48solution. Practical common sense targets

41:51are the solution.

41:56Thanks.

41:58>> Thank you, councelor Manning. Anybody

42:00else? Councelor Stansfield and then I

42:02maybe councelor Peter, do you have

42:03anything to add?

42:05>> Um, well, really?

42:08>> Yeah. Hi. Um, several of the councilors

42:10who've spoken tonight have mentioned

42:11that we should look at targets that are

42:13costed and and deliverable. Um as a

42:15cabinet we will always look at ways of

42:17actually achieving the best best

42:18outcomes for our residents such as

42:20projects mentioned by councelor Manning

42:22and well we will continue to do that um

42:25the best way possible for the residents

42:27of West Northshire.

42:31>> Okay Councelor Stansfield back to you

42:33before I might conclude.

42:35I'd like to thank you uh all the members

42:37and the uh the public um before uh their

42:41uh Madhat's tea party uh re v rendition

42:46uh for their questions. Um and I'll just

42:49like to so first of all I'd like to go

42:51I'd like to thank uh councelor Mccclaw

42:53for his uh fine words. Thank you very

42:55much. also a um uh councelor Hayes,

42:59thank you for coming and um your support

43:02and all my fellow cabinet members this

43:04evening.

43:06Um going back to the first question

43:08before we were interrupted uh from Dave

43:11Pearson

43:12um basically saying you know there was

43:15only there was we are not spend we're

43:18not spending this yeah we are being

43:21realistic on what funding is available

43:24against the rising levels of demand and

43:26social services against a backdrop of

43:28councils going bankrupt. We will

43:30continue our current program

43:33and sure over time we will reach the uh

43:36reach the 2050 target.

43:40Going back to uh our members

43:44which is where I go

43:47where is it? Ah sorry.

43:50So uh council thank you councelor Jonath

43:53Harris with your uh comments. Three

43:56years of work will not be dropped. We

43:59will just continue but we will continue

44:02in a balanced manner. We cannot have a

44:05target which is totally unachievable. It

44:08would be lying to the public tonight if

44:10we said that.

44:13Not about it's not about the cost of

44:14energy. It's about WNC's ability to fund

44:18realistic targets without

44:22without b you know

44:25without benefit without benefiting the

44:27local population.

44:30uh councelor where uh the target would

44:33be it cost millions of pounds this to

44:35reach this target it will cost us

44:36millions of pounds money we all know we

44:39haven't got

44:41we would have to offset

44:43carbon emissions that a lot of councils

44:45will have to and as we get towards net

44:48zero that cost that 2030 target the

44:50unrealistic 2030 target the cost of that

44:53offsetting would only increase which is

44:56unaffordable now and it even more

44:58vulnerable by 2030.

45:01Councilor Rosie Humphre, thank you for

45:03your comments. We will continue the

45:05great work and continue to lead the way.

45:07However, where we are today, we will not

45:10achieve net zero by 2030 without

45:15spending millions of pounds on

45:17offsetting.

45:19We haven't got that money. We haven't

45:21got, you all know, we haven't got the

45:23finances. when you set your 20 in 2022,

45:27you set this 2030 target.

45:30There was no funding in place for it. We

45:32can all set a target, but if there's no

45:35funding, as we know, it's not going to

45:36happen.

45:38Uh Council Rebecca Police, like I say,

45:41no funding in place. Therefore, net

45:43zero, it's just misleading. You're

45:44misleading. You've been misleading the

45:46public in my view for the last uh what,

45:49three years. Yeah.

45:52because it's totally unachievable.

45:55Yeah. You're going to bankrupt your

45:57council and bank up your country doing

45:59this. Is that what you want to do? And

46:01put people more into more poverty and

46:02everything because of that's what would

46:04happen. Yeah.

46:06Councelor says again, thank you for your

46:08amazing comments. Thank you very much.

46:10Council Stall, Councelor Stal, thank you

46:12for your comments again. Setting unre

46:15unrealistic targets which is not is not

46:20achievable. Yeah, there's not obviously

46:22from the Labor Party at the moment in

46:24national government. They're not they're

46:27not funding 23rd 30 the t they're not

46:30funding the 2030 G target. They're not

46:32giving us extra income extra funding to

46:35get to 2030 because the n their policy

46:39is 2050

46:41which we are still adearing to.

46:46Um and then councelor um

46:50where's he gone? Bill uh founder Bob

46:53Perser

46:55um can afford we haven't got it's all

46:58about the money if we had an unlimited

47:00pot of money we could maybe afford some

47:04of the things but even then I don't

47:05think we get to 2030 without offsetting

47:08right we've already said you cannot have

47:10we can't we haven't got a network of

47:12power infrastructure without we we've

47:15got three large large development plots

47:18will be put on hold because we cannot

47:20get power to them sites. Without the

47:23site, without the power, we can't get

47:25the proper funding. Never mind trying to

47:28fund a bus uh new um power for a fleet

47:34of refuge vehicles. At the moment, as

47:37you may be aware, next year there'll be

47:3932 electric buzzies uh coming to

47:42Northampton, which is government funded,

47:44funded from Westminster.

47:47the charging. We've now been informed

47:49that they only can charge these vehicles

47:52from 11 at night till 5 in the morning.

47:55And they're not really even sure whether

47:57it be enough charge to do their daily

47:59rounds. So, you can spend millions on

48:01these buses, but if you haven't got the

48:03infrastructure in place to charge them,

48:06Yeah. and keep them charged,

48:09you know, you can't we won't be able to

48:10charge them during the day. We're not

48:11allowed to. Yeah. What's going to

48:14happen? the bus rates down halfway and

48:15we we are sending the diesel bus out to

48:17pick people up

48:19and then for counselor um

48:23listister

48:25you know I find it amazing that we all

48:27sit here and you talk about you know you

48:29going forward in 20 2030 and all that

48:32you know in my role environment I'm

48:35fully aware that I've visit the Trove

48:37depot not far from here now we can all

48:39go visit if you want to and you'll be

48:40able to soon you'll be able to look at

48:42their brand new uh uh lo dump uh waste

48:46loies. Now if you were fully committed

48:49to your 2030

48:52uh target, you would have fought you

48:54would have purchased

48:56electric vehicles, wouldn't you? And

48:58installed the infrastructure for that

49:00for that start that process. But you

49:02never you agreed as a cabin you agreed

49:06conservative party agreed as an

49:08administration to purchase more diesel

49:12vehicles.

49:14because a the cost is twice as much for

49:18a a regular um diesel vehicle. The

49:23infrastructure costs the charges even if

49:26you can get the power there if a very

49:28significant cost and also the range of

49:30these vehicles this side of Northampton

49:34where you where you you've got large

49:35geographical areas these vehic they

49:38didn't even think these vehicles could

49:39do the whole round. So how does that

49:42help our population and our our people,

49:44our residents? It doesn't. It just sends

49:46unsetting unrealistic targets. If you

49:49had been as a comp as a party, if you

49:52had been serious about what you set out

49:54in 2022,

49:56you would have got funding from your

49:58government at the time. Yeah. Which you

50:00never, right? And also you wouldn't have

50:02start buying buying carried on buying

50:05diesel uh refuge trucks.

50:09It's just a madeup stupid figure you've

50:12come up with. There's no there's no

50:14funding in place whatsoever and and then

50:17oh oh suddenly we have to buy a forest.

50:19So uh I asked my count uh my uh

50:22conservative members over there. Did you

50:25reserve a part of the Scottish uh

50:27forest? Have we have we got an area we

50:29all can go and visit and look at?

50:32Because that's what would have to

50:33happen. to carbon offset. We would

50:36councils are going to have to start and

50:39business large businesses are going to

50:40have to start buying parts of Scottish

50:43forestes or Swedish forest and whatever.

50:45And how does that help our local

50:48residents when there's such a funding

50:51issue from national government? We

50:53haven't got the funds at the moment to

50:55to do our statutory services, never mind

50:58buy forest in Scotland or Sweden. Thank

51:02you very much. But I am happy at any

51:04time to meet any of any any members. I'm

51:06happy to have a cross party meeting

51:07about this. Yeah, we do want all the

51:11same in the end of the day. We do want

51:12to live in a clean safe environment, but

51:16it's got to be done at a realistic

51:19target, not just a target of 2030.

51:22That's five years from now. How could

51:25you how would you have done it? You

51:26wouldn't have been able to. And

51:30so thank you for thank you for listening

51:32and uh thank you for your comments.

51:33Thank you.

51:37>> Thank you councelor Stansfield and thank

51:39you cabinet. I'll perhaps conclude and

51:41then we'll move the motion sorry move

51:42the report to a vote. Um we need to be

51:45realistic. I've interviewed um a couple

51:47of times today and I will be again

51:49tomorrow. Let's be realistic. We can't

51:50afford net zero here in West

51:52Northamptonshire. Every council like

51:55ours faces the same financial

51:56challenges. every year to deliver it

51:58statutory services. We know we're faced

52:00with positions of large override year on

52:02year and we dig deep to find a balanced

52:05budget at the compromise of running

52:06public services. Maybe we can do more as

52:09a uh as a party to to polarize that uh

52:12that need even more. Well, we can't fund

52:14net zero. The previous administration

52:16set no budgets to fund net zero. Had no

52:19idea, no goals, as councelor Stansfield

52:21rightly pointed out was buying electric

52:24vehicles and placed orders for the ones

52:26arriving in a few weeks. not many months

52:27ago. So clearly at the dawn of the

52:30election there was no plan. And I was

52:33asked to quote some figures today to the

52:35BBC and I stopped very short when I got

52:38to the figure that I have on a bit of

52:40paper in my office about the statutory

52:42override forecast for 20 26 27. So let's

52:46look at this. £300,000 per bin lorry

52:49with a contract expiring in 2028. These

52:51bin lries are heavy. They have large

52:53batteries. They do less rounds. They do

52:55less distance and like councelor

52:57Stanford said, we wouldn't want bus

52:59passengers breaking down halfway around

53:01their their journey and having to be

53:03retrieved on another form of transport

53:05to get them back. We can't have bin

53:06lries breaking down in the middle of

53:08nowhere, blocking roads and

53:10infrastructure. This administration's

53:12committed to creating more sustainable

53:14West Northamptonshire. We are going to

53:16be responsible custodians of this this

53:18area that we we govern and we're going

53:20to take our local environment really

53:21seriously. We've got to prioritize and

53:24deliver practical solutions, high impact

53:26projects and make a real difference to

53:28people's lives. So in scrapping our net

53:30zero goals, and I will use the word

53:31scrapping, I think it needs to be called

53:33scrapping. It's going to enable us to do

53:36this and deliver better for people and

53:37better local outcomes for residents and

53:39businesses that are justified

53:41financially. It comes down to brass

53:43farings. We're going to deliver better

53:46value for money for people. And to

53:48conclude, I do need to deal with the

53:49matter of of name calling and things

53:52that have been cited in the press and my

53:54administration being called paper

53:56tigers. I find it quite weird that a

53:58liberal uh would actually use a Mauist

54:00communist statement to slur a member of

54:03of government. But anyway, it flatters

54:04me. Councelor Harris, at least this

54:06paper has a plan and like soggy

54:08manifestos and and promises left behind

54:10by other parties. If ambition alone,

54:12ladies and gentlemen, could power homes,

54:14we'd be off the grid by now. Okay. Okay.

54:16And whilst other people climb on to

54:18their 100 UK 100 badges like comfort

54:21blankets, we're going to deliver

54:22outcomes and deliver meaningful results

54:24for communities. So scrapping next zero

54:26targets is not a retreat. It's a

54:28recalibration of ambition anchored in

54:31reality. So whilst those badges can be

54:33hugged like honorary titles, we're going

54:35to focus on deliverables, ones that

54:36don't dissolve in press releases and

54:38don't require magic money trees to

54:40generate. So if I'm a paper tiger, I'm

54:42dread to think what other people might

54:44be called. Maybe watermarks not visible

54:46until held up under the light. And maybe

54:48that light's idealism. I'd rather be

54:50accused of bold reform than rehearsing

54:52platitudes that have warned more homes

54:54than speeches.

54:57This cabinet's here to do its business,

54:59not to chase applause. And I thank you,

55:01Councelor Hasty, for your points

55:02earlier. We're going to make decisions

55:04that do withstand criticism, but they do

55:07deliver value. And above all, they serve

55:09our residents. And on the 1st of May,

55:11net zero was on the back of every

55:13leaflet produced by Reform UK. And every

55:15resident who voted Reform UK voted for

55:17that and they must be heard. So to

55:20conclude, I'm going to ask the cabinet

55:21to move the motion and then a second and

55:23we'll take it to a vote. Can I have a

55:25proposal, please? Councelor Last,

55:27seconded by Councelor Hasty. We may take

55:30a vote, please, ladies and gentlemen.

55:31All those in favor of the

55:33recommendations, unanimous. Thank you.

55:37I think we need to note there for for

55:40the record that that's the first UK

55:42council to remove the targets and

55:44hopefully I would like to see not the

55:46last. Thank you.

55:52We move on to point eight in the agenda,

55:54the provision of financial data. I'm

55:57sorry I run the risk of our chairman

55:59calling it the Mark Arnold show again

56:00today, but this one is my report and

56:02I'll be only pleased too pleased to

56:04deliver it.

56:06So members of cabinet, members

56:09and those in the gallery, I'm pleased to

56:11present this report today item 8 for the

56:13consideration with proposes which

56:15proposes the authorization and sharing

56:17of specific categories of financial data

56:19with the reform UK department of

56:21government efficiency. The initiative

56:23reflects on our council's enduring

56:25commitment to fiscal responsibility,

56:26transparency, and the pursuit of

56:28excellence for our residents.

56:30It is indeed what we campaigned on going

56:32into the election.

56:35The data in scope consists exclusive

56:37information in the public domain such as

56:39uh expenditure excluding £500

56:41contractual arrangements in historic

56:42budget monitoring and audit reports.

56:45It's going to emphasize and it's

56:46important to advise that this

56:47collaboration will be governed by

56:49stringent confidentiality protocols with

56:51the officers uh appropriate. So

56:54sensitive data will not be disclosed.

56:57The Doge team comprised of experienced

56:58software engineers, forensic auditors,

57:00I've had the privilege to meet some of

57:02them already, data analysists, etc. have

57:04offered their expect expertise on a pro

57:07bono basis. Their objective is to assist

57:10and assist us in identifying

57:12inefficiencies and further opportunities

57:14for cost savings across areas including

57:16adult social care, home to school

57:18transport, which we all acknowledge is

57:20significant, and items such as temporary

57:22accommodation. So while I acknowledge

57:25the concerns expressed uh regarding

57:26procurement and governance and I've

57:28received numerous correspondents from

57:30from all members from all parties and

57:32I've acknowledged I hope um and I will

57:35say that I believe the report

57:37acknowledges as those uh those emails

57:40have have been received um the legal

57:43department's undertaken a comprehensive

57:44review and and appropriate agreements

57:46are being finalized. So subject to this

57:49report being concluded tonight, then

57:51those delegated powers to sign and enter

57:54that agreement for the council are um

57:56are signed. So I just to make a point

57:59before I I commit this to to cabinet is

58:01that I should say um that this isn't uh

58:05a tool or resource or whatever that's

58:07not available to other um parties

58:10present in local government. And uh I I

58:13do note that there hasn't been a

58:14proposal from any of the opposition

58:16parties to carry out such a piece of

58:18work with their own resource which is

58:19freely their entitlement to do so. I uh

58:22I do take pride in in what our parties

58:24being able to put together here for our

58:25local residents and I hope in in due

58:28course that we uh can work together and

58:32my cabinet and officers will deliver

58:34some meaningful further efficiencies. So

58:36I respectfully commend this report and

58:39proposal to cabinet and um I'll go

58:42forward to the speakers that are listed

58:44to the item to discuss and the first one

58:46on there is councelor Listister.

58:51>> Thank you. Um I want to begin by

58:53acknowledging something important that

58:54this council has achieved remarkable

58:56efficiency gains 150 million in four

58:58years. That's exceptional performance

59:00that de demonstrates the dedication of

59:02both our officers and the previous

59:03administration. But I also do

59:04acknowledge the challenge that we face.

59:06A 25.9 million budget gap is serious. So

59:09when the administration talks about

59:10seeking efficiency savings, they have my

59:12support in principle. The question

59:14before us today isn't whether we should

59:16pursue efficiency. Of course we should.

59:18The question is how we pursue it. I have

59:20serious concerns about what's being

59:21proposed. We're being asked to approve

59:23sharing data with people we cannot name.

59:25Our most sensitive information to be

59:26shared with unknown individuals with

59:28unknown qualifications. But let's be

59:30clear about what this really is. This is

59:31a council run by Reform UK with a

59:33proposal brought by Reform UK counselors

59:35using volunteers who have offered their

59:37services to Reform UK branded using a

59:39term adopted by Reform UK. The Local

59:42Government Act 1986 is explicit. We

59:44cannot provide assistance that could be

59:45seen as supporting a political party.

59:47This isn't politically neutral and it is

59:49politically branded. We already have

59:51extensive internal audit, LGA peer

59:53reviews, ongoing transformation

59:54programs. Are we really saying that all

59:56of this professional expertise has

59:58missed savings that that political

1:00:00volunteers can find? But I'm not just

1:00:02here to oppose. I'm here to propose a

1:00:04better way. Why don't we establish an

1:00:05all party efficiency committee, an

1:00:07independent chair, including officers,

1:00:09retired officers, representatives from

1:00:10our parish councils and residents, hold

1:00:12monthly public meetings, accept

1:00:14efficiency suggestions, and ensure

1:00:16transparent democratic oversight. Let's

1:00:19partner with our university for

1:00:20analytical support and make no use of

1:00:22their knowledge transfer sharing

1:00:24partnership. give us giving us their

1:00:26professional expertise without the cost

1:00:27of any additional consultancy from a

1:00:29third party. However, if the

1:00:31administration is determined to proceed

1:00:33with this proposal, I call for the

1:00:35following safeguards to be recorded. Uh

1:00:37establish a cross party group of group

1:00:39of leaders to deol depoliticize the

1:00:42process, require full disclosure and

1:00:44approval by this group of every

1:00:45individual accessing our data. ensure

1:00:47crossparty scrutiny of all the

1:00:48recommendations before implementation

1:00:50and guarantee that any outputs remain

1:00:52council property with no reform UK

1:00:54branding. Our residents deserve

1:00:56transparency, accountability, and

1:00:57governance to the high standards. They

1:00:59deserve to know that when we're facing a

1:01:0225.9 million pound budget gap. We're

1:01:04using professional nonpartisan

1:01:06approaches to find solutions. Choose the

1:01:08pass that serves our residents best, not

1:01:10their political party. Thank you.

1:01:16Sorry, I beg your pardon. Thank you,

1:01:17councelor. Mr. Counselor Evans Swift.

1:01:28>> Thank you. And I'm sorry I will read

1:01:29from my telephone and I need my glasses.

1:01:32So, thank you for letting me speak on

1:01:35item eight. Some important fact about

1:01:39the council before the May election are

1:01:41made in this report and they are the

1:01:45conservative administration has

1:01:46delivered balanced budget four years

1:01:48running saving nearly 115 million during

1:01:52the period an average of 6% efficiency

1:01:56year on year the conservative

1:01:58administration had a robust

1:02:00transformation program sees a paper 5.4

1:02:03Four, the conservative administration

1:02:05where with grant sort the external

1:02:08auditor and all the finding are in the

1:02:10public domain. The conservative

1:02:12administration with officer ask the LGA

1:02:15to do a peer review also that review is

1:02:18in the public domain. The conservative

1:02:21administration uh establish a best

1:02:24practice star chamber to monitor

1:02:26existing budget and to prepare the next

1:02:29budget. Today, your administration will

1:02:33take the same approach as a conservative

1:02:35to put together the budget 2627.

1:02:39Read carefully paragraph 2.3.

1:02:42The new administration is already in

1:02:44trouble. So, will this paper help the

1:02:47current situation? Now, let me turn to

1:02:51the purpose of this report.

1:02:53The conservative, we have always been in

1:02:56favor of making the console as

1:02:58efficient, resilient, cost-effective as

1:03:01possible.

1:03:02The current administration decides that

1:03:05analyzing the data is key. The data has

1:03:08always been publicly available to all of

1:03:10you before the election. So, and that

1:03:14should have been your starting point

1:03:16when you were campaigning so you could

1:03:18get running with uh when you were an

1:03:21administration. So after two months in

1:03:25power elected to govern to our local

1:03:28council the administration is proposing

1:03:30that do come to WAC all non-elected non

1:03:35known to us counselor with no knowledge

1:03:37of local government and all this with

1:03:40not a scrap of paper given to officer.

1:03:43So no dict trail but we have the promise

1:03:46it is free. Well, I would be waiting for

1:03:49a lovely free lunch.

1:03:51To top it all, those very wellqualified

1:03:55volunteer will have to take a sort of

1:03:58insurance just in case. And you read in

1:04:00the report 7.2.132

1:04:04for the council to be indemnified

1:04:07against any loss of damage arising as a

1:04:10result of data sharing. Well, good luck

1:04:12for that. Furthermore, the most

1:04:15prosperous gift of our local government

1:04:18of the English system is the

1:04:20impartiality of our officer. Having

1:04:24non-elected volunteer with the same

1:04:26political party as the administration

1:04:28for me, the Dutch team is wise. I will

1:04:31put it very even strongly. Could it be

1:04:34challenged in court? In short, have the

1:04:37courage of your conviction, no gimmick,

1:04:40a proper procurement process will which

1:04:43will establish one and for all the best

1:04:46utilization of our data in order to give

1:04:49every residents best value for money. I

1:04:52hope you choose this path and I will be

1:04:54reading this report with great interest

1:04:56are the saving found by the chosen

1:04:59consultant should according to the

1:05:01administration outweigh the cost. Thank

1:05:04you so much for listening.

1:05:06>> Thank you counselor. You're always

1:05:08welcome.

1:05:09Councelor Sully Keeble to speak please.

1:05:28>> Thank you Chad. Decisions about resource

1:05:31allocations are the most challenging of

1:05:33all the decisions that any elected

1:05:35representative ever have to make.

1:05:37Weighing up the competing demands of

1:05:39different sections of the public is

1:05:42extremely difficult and is not something

1:05:44I believe that can can be delegated or

1:05:47outsourced and the more people are

1:05:50involved in it the better. I have some

1:05:52serious questions though about this

1:05:54particular proposal um and about the

1:05:56implications for for the council and for

1:05:59the information. Firstly, who exactly

1:06:01will the agreement be made with? The um

1:06:05emails that were disclosed to me as part

1:06:08of the freedom of information request

1:06:10were from Reform UK and they listed the

1:06:14company registration. They did actually

1:06:16list the wrong company number. they put

1:06:19the number for for reform 2025

1:06:23which is a company with only two

1:06:25directors one is Nigel Farage and the

1:06:27other is Richard Ty. So I think we

1:06:29actually need to be completely clear

1:06:31about who the arrangement who any

1:06:33agreement is being made with and I think

1:06:35it would also be really good if all

1:06:37councilors could see a draft agreement

1:06:39so they can see what's being proposed.

1:06:42Um, I'm very surprised at the assertion

1:06:44in paragraph 722 that this arrangement

1:06:46would not be subject to procurement

1:06:48legislation. A preferential arrangement

1:06:51is being proposed with one company to

1:06:53the exclusion of others that would

1:06:55provide that company with a competitive

1:06:58advantage and that type of privileged

1:07:01information without any uh market

1:07:04testing or procurement I believe is

1:07:06wrong. Thirdly,

1:07:09how much will it cost for officers to

1:07:11provide all the information that's set

1:07:13out in appendix 2? Because you'd

1:07:15certainly never be allowed this amount

1:07:17of information as an FOI would be said

1:07:19to be um financially unfeasible. If all

1:07:22that information is being provided, um

1:07:25please can it be circulated to all

1:07:27members so we can all see it and we can

1:07:29all then have the benefit of being a or

1:07:31have the advantage of being able to put

1:07:33in um our own comments and suggestions.

1:07:36And I'm sure that we in the Labour Party

1:07:38would be really happy to involve some of

1:07:40the people that we've got in our party

1:07:42um nationally who've got expertise um in

1:07:45local government finance. Um I would

1:07:49hope that we can I would certainly hope

1:07:53that we can get some good decisions

1:07:55about the very um tight pressures which

1:07:58are on the council's budget. But I

1:08:00believe that that that will be best

1:08:02achieved through involving more not

1:08:04fewer people. Um and through making sure

1:08:07that information is transparently

1:08:09provided to everybody and not

1:08:11selectively to a few people however good

1:08:15their intentions might be. Thank you.

1:08:19>> Thank you councelor Keeble.

1:08:22Councelor Bob Pessa.

1:08:34Thank you uh chair. Um my concern is

1:08:37that this doge process is actually a

1:08:41distraction and an irrelevance and it

1:08:45will cause us to take our eye off the

1:08:47ball. And the ball is that we fi face

1:08:51very significant financial pressures in

1:08:55the well-known areas. We've got adult

1:08:57services, transport,

1:09:00children's trust and temporary

1:09:02accommodation.

1:09:04These are going to be resolved in my

1:09:06view partly by painstaking graft through

1:09:11the star chambers process, cabinet

1:09:14members meetings,

1:09:17probably discussions with government and

1:09:20I guess the uh head of finance will have

1:09:24some dark arts which he will apply along

1:09:26the way.

1:09:29The Labor Party in its manifesto

1:09:32uh put forward that this council has to

1:09:35move towards prevention services and the

1:09:39chief executive at the last cabinet

1:09:41meeting drew my attention to the fact

1:09:44that I was being overly pessimistic

1:09:46about the difficulty of that. I believe

1:09:49we have to move as a council towards

1:09:52more prevention, earlier intervention so

1:09:56we avoid some of the heavy costs that we

1:09:59currently face. Now, how could Doge

1:10:03help? Well, I understand that you've got

1:10:06very close links or Doge has very close

1:10:09links with the private finance sector

1:10:13with the uh with private finance trusts.

1:10:17Two years ago, I brought a motion to

1:10:20council looking at why the costs of

1:10:23residential care were out of control.

1:10:27That was because of the role of private

1:10:30finance trusts

1:10:33in the provision of children's services

1:10:36pushing up the cost of residential care.

1:10:40I hope Doge will meet with those people

1:10:44and take a serious approach to reducing

1:10:47the financial pressures that private

1:10:50sector finance has placed on our

1:10:53children's services. So will you do

1:10:55that? Will you your team look at that

1:10:58area of financial pressure?

1:11:03Thank you councelor person. We can come

1:11:05back on all the points at the uh at the

1:11:07end and summarize if that's that's okay.

1:11:09Next speaker I have is councelor Harris.

1:11:22>> Thank you chair. Um there are plenty of

1:11:24points on the last item that actually

1:11:26factually correcting but I will take the

1:11:29opportunity to do that independently.

1:11:30But I do have to call out councelor

1:11:32hasty. you have used the language of

1:11:35knife fight at least once before and

1:11:38given history in Northamptonshire I

1:11:41don't think that you should be using

1:11:42language like that so I hope you take

1:11:44that as advice rather than anything else

1:11:48um I actually want to um to a large

1:11:51extent commend officers on their support

1:11:54on putting this document together I know

1:11:56it's not a difficult not an easy

1:11:58situation for them and I think actually

1:12:00they are they are doing the right thing

1:12:03to make sure that this is all handled as

1:12:05appropriate as it can be. You mentioned

1:12:07earlier on council know that no other

1:12:09parties come forward to ask to do this.

1:12:11Well, that's because usually that is the

1:12:13job of the elected representatives when

1:12:15they're elected working with officers to

1:12:17work out where those opportunities for

1:12:19savings are. So, um whether that's

1:12:22correct, wrong, bad, that's generally

1:12:24what's happened in the past. The cabinet

1:12:26comes in, the cabinet works with uh

1:12:28officers to work out those things for

1:12:30themselves. It's never happened before

1:12:31that I'm aware of that we contract other

1:12:34people in to come and do that work. Um I

1:12:37hope what's happening is there's a

1:12:38dawning realization.

1:12:40I suspect there was a view that you

1:12:43would be able to come in and find masses

1:12:45of money hidden away in little cupboards

1:12:47somewhere. Well actually I think what

1:12:50you're realizing and again this is not

1:12:51defending the previous administration.

1:12:53This is just a reality check. The lemon

1:12:56has been squeezed in West Northampton

1:12:58chair and actually there is only so much

1:13:00squeezing of that lemon you can do

1:13:03before you have nothing left. We've seen

1:13:06an 18% real terms lower funding hitting

1:13:10councils generally across the country

1:13:12since 2010

1:13:14and this is reality biting. So I hope

1:13:18that there is a realization that it

1:13:19isn't just about efficiencies. It is

1:13:21going to be about looking at investment

1:13:23opportunities as much as it is about

1:13:26savings. And I'm not clear at the moment

1:13:29whether that is effectively being picked

1:13:31up and and and focused on within this

1:13:33area. The constant language is about

1:13:35efficiencies. Efficiencies are great,

1:13:37but actually it is now going to be to to

1:13:39to need to focus on investment uh

1:13:42opportunities.

1:13:44I have got some serious concerns still

1:13:46remaining despite being more assured

1:13:48than I was. uh one is around

1:13:51procurement. Um we are going to be

1:13:54having individuals that I hope will get

1:13:56due scrutiny. This is a conversation

1:13:57that we have had. Um we don't know those

1:14:00people from madam reform might do. We

1:14:03don't know who those people are. So I

1:14:04hope that there is absolute clear

1:14:06scrutiny about those individuals and the

1:14:08skills that they that they bring. The

1:14:11reason I asked the question is because

1:14:12if you look at the US model there was a

1:14:14lot of opportunists to taking place in

1:14:16that doge activity in the US. a lot of

1:14:19opportunities for people trying to look

1:14:21for how they could maybe get a few

1:14:22contracts here and there to to see what

1:14:24they could make out of the situation.

1:14:26Now again, I have been assured that that

1:14:29is not going to be the case, but it

1:14:31still concerns me because the the

1:14:34billiond dollar question for me is why

1:14:37for free? Why for free? There's no such

1:14:40thing as a free lunch. We've had that

1:14:41conversation, I think, many times. Um

1:14:44there is a very specific focus and again

1:14:47great well done officers for putting

1:14:48together all of this information on a

1:14:50plate. It's already in the public

1:14:51domain. Um but in this extra document it

1:14:55does strike me quite interestingly

1:14:57there's a lot around digital and it um

1:15:01my question is why so unless again

1:15:05there's some some opportunist uh looking

1:15:07at that. um quite right demandled

1:15:10services yes all of that makes sense but

1:15:13there are some areas in there that does

1:15:14look again that it's it's looking as if

1:15:16it's there to be politicized so again I

1:15:19recognize the work that Sarah in

1:15:21particular has done on this um to try

1:15:23and ensure that you follow the rules and

1:15:27I guess that's my final message really I

1:15:29hope you are clear collectively on the

1:15:32legalities around this and what it means

1:15:34and what it doesn't mean any opportunity

1:15:36to take advantage of it in an in

1:15:38appropriate way will be called out.

1:15:42>> Thank you, Councelor Harris. And our

1:15:44last speaker is councelor McCord. Please

1:15:47come and join us.

1:15:58>> Thank you, chairman. I think I should

1:16:00start with a little bit of um agreement

1:16:01with everybody that's spoken. Bob, I

1:16:03absolutely agree with you that the

1:16:05public sector has been screwed by the

1:16:06moneymen and especially in children's

1:16:08care. And if Doge can look at the 10

1:16:11county councils they have, all of which

1:16:12have children's care, and see, is there

1:16:14a pattern here, that may actually be

1:16:15helpful. And Dan, you made some really

1:16:18good proposals, and I would support

1:16:19them. But why didn't you do it before?

1:16:22There is nothing more opaque and more

1:16:24secret than the process that's that

1:16:26closed the gap in the budget setting

1:16:28from the previous administration. And

1:16:31Jonathan, I absolutely agree with you

1:16:33that reform um thought that maybe they

1:16:35could walk into one angel square and

1:16:36find a room marked department for silly

1:16:38ideas and another one beside it called

1:16:40Department for Wasteful Spending, close

1:16:41them down and job done. And and maybe it

1:16:43is going to prove a little more

1:16:45challenging.

1:16:46Nonetheless, thank you for the report

1:16:48and I think it answers most of the

1:16:50questions that I raised in my letter to

1:16:52you on the 4th of June. Um and it's good

1:16:55to know that we are not planning to use

1:16:56restricted special personal data and I'm

1:16:59grateful that the request that I put uh

1:17:02from the place and resources overview

1:17:04and scrutiny committee uh that the

1:17:06output goes there has been at least

1:17:07acknowledged but I note there's no

1:17:09commitment to actually share that data

1:17:11with the resources committee.

1:17:14uh last year and to date we were running

1:17:17some artificial intelligence pilot

1:17:18schemes and those were being offered for

1:17:20free or reduced special rates by the big

1:17:23consultancy firms. The preventative

1:17:26analytics um was looking at multiple

1:17:28markers and attempting to predict a

1:17:30person's likelihood of being homeless or

1:17:31suffering from domestic abuse. That was

1:17:33highly personal information, arguably a

1:17:36good thing and many of the previous

1:17:38members praised the approach and what

1:17:40wonder might come out of that data. But

1:17:42can I be assured then that the data

1:17:44sharing agreement we had with them is

1:17:46the same as the one being proposed now?

1:17:49Is everyone being held to the same

1:17:51standard? There was nobody saying, "Oh,

1:17:53why are they doing it for free then?"

1:17:54Which they were because they were well,

1:17:56I think I know they were building a a

1:17:58model that they were hoping to sell to

1:18:00others.

1:18:02Nonetheless, can I also thank officers?

1:18:03The list of links at Appendix One is

1:18:06very welcome and I suggest that we

1:18:08publicize that far and wide. Too often

1:18:11people cry, "We should know this and we

1:18:12should know that and we need to find out

1:18:14what's going on and it's all there. You

1:18:15just have to look and that document um I

1:18:18think is is really good." Um nothing is

1:18:21hidden. You know, it's not the mod. Um

1:18:24appendix 2 is asking for similar

1:18:27information that scrutiny has been

1:18:28asking for uh with I must say limited

1:18:30success. In scrutiny, we attempted to

1:18:33look at the demand services and I'm not

1:18:35really satisfied we ever got to the

1:18:36bottom of it. All I know is that each

1:18:39year children and adult care budgets are

1:18:42blown and demand is is cited as the

1:18:44excuse for the reason or the reason for

1:18:46it and we clearly therefore have a

1:18:49problem in predicting the demand

1:18:50accurately and any tools that will

1:18:52better forecast that must be welcomed

1:18:55and adding the medium-term financial

1:18:57forecast the opening deficit for next

1:18:59year is useful although I did note

1:19:00there's not many numbers and we need a

1:19:03lot of clarity from government as I

1:19:05expect this council is going to get

1:19:06clobbered as they tinker with the

1:19:08funding formulas to help labor councils

1:19:10while known labor ones are going to have

1:19:11political motivations and you know these

1:19:14are politically motivated actions also.

1:19:16So I shall be watching this very

1:19:17carefully and I'm a little more assured

1:19:20but I will will I'm more assured now

1:19:22than I was whenever the doge thing was

1:19:24launched with great fanfare but I will

1:19:26still continue to watch this very

1:19:27carefully. Thank you.

1:19:31>> Thank you councelor McCord. Um there's a

1:19:34few points on there I'll summarize

1:19:36shortly but um but in in most cases I'm

1:19:39happy to have the open dialogue with the

1:19:40members that have spoken and provide

1:19:42that reassurance and the answers. Um

1:19:44it's absolutely something that could

1:19:46have been uh done before and uh it's

1:19:49beneath most of the team reform as to

1:19:51why it hasn't. So it is a unique thing

1:19:53that we have available to us and it

1:19:55forms part of the substantive report

1:19:57tonight. Um in terms of councelor Pers's

1:19:59uh point about the services you're

1:20:01absolutely right councelor persera and

1:20:02it is hoping that the learnings that we

1:20:05see there if there's any commonality

1:20:07amongst the councils that it can only be

1:20:09done for for uh the wider good greater

1:20:12good of of of society. So um you know

1:20:15thank you for your contributions. I I'll

1:20:16now move to members of the cabinet to to

1:20:19speak on this council last to go first.

1:20:22>> Um thank you um chair. Um I think my

1:20:28first and foremost thought is that and I

1:20:30want to echo some comments from uh

1:20:32councelor McCord you know reform don't

1:20:35have a monopoly on good ideas. Okay

1:20:38people um parties uh in the past and

1:20:41past administrations have had the

1:20:43opportunity for a dodge style engagement

1:20:46and a top-down review on how we can save

1:20:49money. So this is not something that you

1:20:52know is reserved for the reform party.

1:20:54Um, it's something that we're

1:20:56implementing to see if we can have

1:20:58another tier to look at spending across

1:21:00councils and see if we can actually save

1:21:02some money. I myself's been working

1:21:05outside of Doge with officers to save

1:21:08money in certain areas in the IT

1:21:10department for example and those

1:21:12activities will go on uh in parallel

1:21:15with what's happening with Dodge. um AI

1:21:18which we've already um committed to um

1:21:22is going to help us um streamline our

1:21:25business and the different departments

1:21:26within the council. If you look at uh

1:21:29taxis for example to send uh to take

1:21:32send students to schools we have um you

1:21:36know instances where we have taxis um

1:21:39being paid for um taking children to

1:21:42school when the children are actually

1:21:43off school. If we can use AI to make

1:21:47sure that those taxes are full and we

1:21:50spending that money as efficiently as

1:21:52possible, then that's a good thing,

1:21:54right? So, I think as a council, we

1:21:56should embrace this initiative and um uh

1:22:00and and see if we can make some real

1:22:03results and um and and make a dent into

1:22:07uh into the shortfall on our finances.

1:22:12>> Thank you, Council Lost. councelor

1:22:14stands for.

1:22:15>> Yeah, it's just about the comments from

1:22:17Bob Per really about the PFI. Um I'm not

1:22:20sure uh Sally Kiss Key's full history

1:22:23and the Labour party's full history, but

1:22:26I'm aware that most of the PFI was

1:22:28brought in during the uh new labor

1:22:31administration, wasn't it? from Tony

1:22:33Bear.

1:22:39It was pension PFI was mentioned and

1:22:42obviously due dil child care the child

1:22:45cost cost of child services

1:22:54just just for clarity we don't have any

1:22:56uh PFI in west north adults and street

1:22:59lights nothing to do with children for

1:23:01clarity thank you Anna

1:23:06uh anyone to speak John would you have a

1:23:09slope

1:23:17Thank you, chair. No, no, some very good

1:23:19points points way. In fact, my my

1:23:21colleague Ch Councelor Hasty has uh made

1:23:25some detailed notes on each point and uh

1:23:27I think that that covers it. Thank you,

1:23:31>> Councelor Hasty.

1:23:34Thank you, John.

1:23:36Okay. Um,

1:23:40Council Davis, I

1:23:43I'm not going to apologize about using a

1:23:45metaphor that's commonly used in the

1:23:46English language, but I will apologize

1:23:48if you were offended by it in any way

1:23:49about the idea that in any way I'd be

1:23:51bringing a knife into this arena. Um,

1:23:55however, I do understand your

1:23:56sensitivity, so I'd like to retract that

1:23:58and replace it with pillow fight.

1:24:01Um you also mentioned that um

1:24:07the to cause a feds council was not the

1:24:09intent. It was a metaphor. But um um

1:24:13that's that sounds but so I'm not being

1:24:15flippant about uh anything to do with

1:24:17knife crime. It's just an English

1:24:19metaphor.

1:24:21Um,

1:24:24councelor Listister, I I understand and

1:24:25I I I do recognize the the situation

1:24:28regarding uh the whole business of data

1:24:30protection. Um, but I do think it's

1:24:33rather ripe that conservatives not

1:24:35holding up the gold standard of data

1:24:37protection given the news about

1:24:38Afghanistan currently. So that's um kind

1:24:42of ripe. Um I do applaud Bob P's

1:24:46comments. Um I totally agree with you

1:24:48that uh we need to have a thorough deep

1:24:50dive into uh private companies who are

1:24:53providing services because I think we're

1:24:54just being exploited because we haven't

1:24:56got the resources to provide in-house

1:24:57services ongoing. Um and um so I I

1:25:03applaud that and I think the problem

1:25:04with the significant financial pressures

1:25:06that we face is is coming from a Labor

1:25:08government that simply can't control the

1:25:10welfare state. Um as demonstrated by its

1:25:13recent bill that got overturned. it

1:25:16can't even control its backbenches. So

1:25:17the the situation is we are facing

1:25:21increased statutory obligation to make

1:25:23payments where we simply are not getting

1:25:25the funding in to actually cover it and

1:25:27it doesn't seem I'm concerned that

1:25:29doesn't seem to be any end in sight of

1:25:32that at the moment. So those are my just

1:25:34my comments chair.

1:25:39>> Thank you. Any other members of the

1:25:40cabinet to speak? Councelor Butler,

1:25:42anything on efficiency and potholes

1:25:44today? Nothing super councelor money

1:25:48cous or sure good super okay I'll

1:25:51conclude um and and wrap up on that then

1:25:55so um I mean I think it presents an

1:25:57exciting opportunity for for west north

1:25:59council sorry I haven't invited

1:26:00councelor peta to speak you're okay sir

1:26:03good I think it presents an incredibly

1:26:05exciting opportunity as I've said a

1:26:06number of times um to the press and and

1:26:09uh and media that um for a party to do

1:26:13this so early on in in its

1:26:14administration

1:26:15set a set set a new standard really are

1:26:18looking at things in different ways that

1:26:20they've been looked at before. So the

1:26:22methods that are being proposed by

1:26:23reform UK are not standard methods. Um,

1:26:26for example, our home to school

1:26:28transport budget in the region of 20

1:26:30million pounds. Um, and and understand

1:26:33to to date and this is not a criticism

1:26:35of the good work that officers do, but

1:26:37it's a a very um time consuming and

1:26:40detailed manual process and as councelor

1:26:42last pointed out will no doubt have

1:26:44things that it's missed. And if if this

1:26:46software um can identify those things

1:26:48and I'm quite excited to hear that and

1:26:50as if I may quote um um Anna when we we

1:26:53spoke um uh a few weeks ago in our media

1:26:56into it's an exciting time uh when we're

1:26:59doing budget setting and those star

1:27:00chambers to to do this and I I can't

1:27:02understand why uh there's so much

1:27:04opposition to to doing that in in that

1:27:06sense but I do uh hear the sentiments of

1:27:09um of the opposition and um and some of

1:27:12those were shared indeed by our members

1:27:14and to to councelor McCord's point um

1:27:17you're quite right uh so when the um

1:27:20when the first announcements were were

1:27:23made to the um of Doge coming then there

1:27:26there's a different reception in

1:27:28different areas um and I'd thank our

1:27:30officers here in West Northampton Shere

1:27:31for uh the diplomatic work we did

1:27:34between us to allow uh Doge to take

1:27:36place in West Northampton share for the

1:27:38good of the residents and after all it

1:27:40is that very reason we all sit in this

1:27:42place today um I don't have any more to

1:27:44say on the the matter. Um, as unless

1:27:46there's any officers that would like to

1:27:48to contribute, I'll take this to a vote.

1:27:51Okay, we have someone to move the

1:27:53motion. Please move the proposal.

1:27:55Councelor Last, seconded by Councelor

1:27:57Slope. We will have a vote with a show

1:27:59of hands, please. That's everybody.

1:28:01Unanimous. Thank you. And that's passed.

1:28:08I think we we will look at the time and

1:28:11we had a delay and possibly take a short

1:28:12break after the next item for a quick

1:28:14rest break if anyone needs the the

1:28:17bathroom. We go on to the public health

1:28:19report which is item nine on today's

1:28:20agenda. I'll invite councelor Laura Cous

1:28:22to introduce the report to cabinet.

1:28:24Thank you.

1:28:26>> Thank you chair. Um this is the paper

1:28:29for the public health framework refresh

1:28:312025 to 2027 for information. The first

1:28:35public health framework was developed in

1:28:372023 following the disagregation of the

1:28:40public health team to ensure that the

1:28:41public health grant is used

1:28:43appropriately.

1:28:44The purpose of the framework was to

1:28:46clearly set out the statutory duties of

1:28:49the public health and the DPH the

1:28:51conditions of the public health grant

1:28:53and different funding strands. the

1:28:55financial position including reserve

1:28:57spend, national and local priorities for

1:29:00public health, sorry, public health,

1:29:03commissioning arrangements having now

1:29:05been established within uh the West

1:29:07Norths Council for 2 years, processes

1:29:10and procedures have been reviewed and

1:29:12improvements made to streamline

1:29:14government uh governance in public

1:29:16health and therefore a refresh of the

1:29:18framework was necessary. The framework

1:29:21sets out governance mechanisms to ensure

1:29:23a robust approval process is followed

1:29:26and which ensures spending meets grant

1:29:28conditions.

1:29:30An updated oversight, monitoring and

1:29:32reporting process has been implemented

1:29:34to track and monitor spend and

1:29:36performance.

1:29:38Um the recommendations is that um the

1:29:41the cabinet note the contents of the

1:29:43attachment and approve the adoption of

1:29:45this refreshed version of the public

1:29:46health framework going forward and to

1:29:49note that any spend above 500k and which

1:29:51is deemed a key decision would be

1:29:54recommended to cabinet for approval in

1:29:55the usual way. As such I commend this

1:29:58paper to cabinet for approval and look

1:30:00forward to your support. Thank you.

1:30:10Thank you, councelor Cous. Appreciate

1:30:12your contribution there. I've got two

1:30:14speakers registered down here. Starting

1:30:16with councelor Farton Ismael.

1:30:18Thank you, councelor.

1:30:32Thank you chairman

1:30:35and

1:30:38I have met uh I've spoken with the

1:30:41cabinet member and uh I believe you

1:30:46share my concerns

1:30:48and given the persistent and deeply

1:30:50rooted health inequalities across our

1:30:53communities particularly affecting those

1:30:56facing poverty poor housing and limited

1:30:59access to healthcare. It is essential

1:31:02that our public health strategy directly

1:31:06tackles these inequalities.

1:31:08The public health report did outline out

1:31:12did not outline the procedures for

1:31:15contracting and details of past

1:31:17contractors awarded.

1:31:20So

1:31:22can you please as the cabinet member

1:31:25outline what strategy is in place to

1:31:29ensure the public health program from

1:31:32our council is active act actively works

1:31:35to reduce

1:31:37the health inequalities

1:31:39and what measurable goals will be used

1:31:42to track progress

1:31:44as well as how the social determinants

1:31:47of health such as income come housing

1:31:52and access to health services will be

1:31:54considered in the design and delivery of

1:31:57public health interventions.

1:32:01That's it from me. Thank you.

1:32:07>> Thank you councelor Isma. I have

1:32:09councelor Aldridge to speak.

1:32:31Thank you, chair. Um I'm going to uh

1:32:34really focus on the delivery of the

1:32:38public health framework

1:32:40and the four public health domains set

1:32:43out for the use of public health grant

1:32:46are health improvement health protection

1:32:50population health care and tackling the

1:32:53wider determinance of health. And I'm

1:32:57going to go back to some of our earlier

1:33:00uh conversations and discussions

1:33:03in addressing the wider determinance of

1:33:06health.

1:33:08It is that that cannot be achieved

1:33:11without a focus on climate change and

1:33:14net zero targets. This domain includes

1:33:18promoting healthy and inclusive

1:33:21environments and living conditions.

1:33:24The link between climate change on

1:33:27health and well-being of residents in

1:33:29West Northamptonshire is not an abstract

1:33:32notion. There is extensive national and

1:33:35international research that shows that

1:33:37climate change is directly impacting on

1:33:40physical and mental health in measurable

1:33:43ways. I want to just highlight three

1:33:47specific areas in respect of West North

1:33:50hands.

1:33:522025 alone saw 600 heat related deaths

1:33:57in England and Wales with experts

1:34:00linking this rise directly to climate

1:34:03change. In West Northamptonshire, the

1:34:07growing elderly population is expected

1:34:10to reach nearly 167,000

1:34:13people aged 65 plus by 2027.

1:34:18This group is particularly vulnerable to

1:34:21heat related cardiovascular and cerebral

1:34:25vascular issues. High temperatures have

1:34:29also been linked with increases in

1:34:31psychiatric hospital admissions,

1:34:34anxiety, dementia deterioration and

1:34:38aggression.

1:34:41Second area, climate change is bringing

1:34:43more intense rainfall and flooding. And

1:34:46I think that was said several times

1:34:48earlier. One UKwide study found that

1:34:52flooding is already linked to higher

1:34:54rates of PTSD with around 30% of flood

1:34:59survivors

1:35:01developing it. In West Northamptonshire,

1:35:05local flood events have displaced

1:35:07residents, for example, in the Billing

1:35:09Acrodam area with broader regional

1:35:12warnings highlighting stress and anxiety

1:35:15linked to such events.

1:35:18Areas near the river Nen and River Tove

1:35:21including Far Cotton and Del Prey,

1:35:24Bugbrook and Toast West are at

1:35:27particular risk.

1:35:30Final area is areas in West Northland

1:35:33suffer from poor air quality. At times

1:35:37residents inhaled the equivalent of

1:35:40nearly 190 cigarettes per year. A 2024

1:35:46West North joint strategic needs

1:35:49assessment connected vehicle admissions

1:35:52and domestic fuel burning to increased

1:35:56uh uh uh increased asthma. COPD and

1:36:00inequalities related respiratory issues.

1:36:04Air pollution levels are the highest

1:36:06along the A45 corridor and central

1:36:10Northampton affecting in particular

1:36:12>> Apologies Council Aldridge. I'm going to

1:36:15just finish my question coming.

1:36:17>> Thank you.

1:36:17>> Okay. Uh so it does affect King this

1:36:20particular area St. James King North and

1:36:23Castle. So my question is can the

1:36:26cabinet member explain how this council

1:36:30intends to implement the public health

1:36:34framework fully in the absence of a

1:36:37clear commitment to addressing climate

1:36:39change and setting clear net zero

1:36:42targets. Thank you.

1:36:45>> Thank you councelor Aldridge.

1:36:49I believe uh I'm seeing an indication

1:36:51that M Laura councel

1:36:54um

1:36:55>> I just want to say um to councelor

1:36:57Ismail and councelor Alaj that I've

1:37:00taken um note and consideration of their

1:37:02comments and I will come back to you on

1:37:04that. Thank you.

1:37:06>> Thank you councelor K. I'm invite Stuart

1:37:08Timus to speak. He's just requested.

1:37:11Thank you. Yeah. And just to give

1:37:14assurance that all the work we do as

1:37:16part of the wider determinance of

1:37:18health, which many of you would have

1:37:20heard is probably the best regeneration

1:37:23um document strategy that's ever been

1:37:25produced. And that was produced by

1:37:27public health England. And that's

1:37:29something that I'm very proud of in West

1:37:31North over the last four and a half

1:37:33years is the relationship between place

1:37:35and public health and how we've worked

1:37:37together on all of our documents. Um

1:37:40there is a document um that we're coming

1:37:42on to the park strategy that was very

1:37:44much a joint piece of work uh one that

1:37:48was co-designed if you like with public

1:37:50health. Um you talked about air quality

1:37:53and the air quality action plan again a

1:37:56document that was co-produced with

1:37:58public health. uh the flooding um uh

1:38:01strategy again something that we work

1:38:04with colleagues across the council in a

1:38:06collaborative way making sure that all

1:38:08aspects of of flooding and the impacts

1:38:11of flooding are understood and and I'll

1:38:13come finally sorry I could go on for a

1:38:15bit longer but conscious of time uh the

1:38:18local plan which we're about again to

1:38:21hopefully come out to consultation and

1:38:23members will have a uh a role in in

1:38:26developing that document very

1:38:29um worked alongside and in uh uh with

1:38:35public health in terms of the health

1:38:37impact assessment that we do on the plan

1:38:40which hopefully brings all of those

1:38:41things together looking at the right

1:38:43development in the right place, good

1:38:45housing, good environment etc etc. So

1:38:48the work that has been undertaken is is

1:38:51in conjunction with public health and

1:38:53that close working relationship will

1:38:55remain and continue as we go forward. So

1:38:58hopefully that helps uh counselor in

1:39:00terms of that particular challenge. But

1:39:03thank you.

1:39:06>> Thank you Stuart. I really appreciate

1:39:08your input there. I'm going to invite

1:39:09Anna to to comment.

1:39:12>> Um thank you chair. Um Stuart. So I was

1:39:15going to say I think the um the whole

1:39:16thing about wider determinance is kind

1:39:18of built into everything we do. Um and

1:39:20probably you know something to add to

1:39:22there about the way we work with

1:39:23partners not just obviously regeneration

1:39:25but health partners and other partners

1:39:27in terms of the things that we think

1:39:29about and those wider determinants I

1:39:31very well-known thing for example of

1:39:33course that mental health crisis is

1:39:35often caused by housing and debt issues

1:39:37I mean these things are very

1:39:39interrelated and we're very conscious of

1:39:40that. Um I just suppose uh picking up

1:39:43councelor Ismail's u point as well.

1:39:45Obviously this framework is describing

1:39:47how we go about contracting and how we

1:39:49make sure that uh what we contract is

1:39:51delivering what we need um and that we

1:39:53have robust processes to make sure

1:39:55they're monitored. Of course,

1:39:56underpinning every single contract we've

1:39:58got um we have a number of public health

1:40:01kind of um national measures um of wider

1:40:03determinance of inequalities measures um

1:40:06and that all all the contracts have them

1:40:08as underlining um kind of outcomes and

1:40:10then very specific measures to check

1:40:12that we're actually moving things in the

1:40:14right direction in terms of reducing

1:40:15health inequalities. Probably the final

1:40:17thing I would just say is um members

1:40:19will be aware that we've got this

1:40:20concept of local area partnerships and

1:40:22public health have done a massive amount

1:40:24of work across those area partnerships

1:40:27about understanding really local

1:40:28communities and very local issues in

1:40:31terms of those inequalities and wider

1:40:33determinants um very different issues in

1:40:35one place for isolation for another

1:40:37place maybe COPD because of some of the

1:40:39other challenges um and for those we've

1:40:42produced very very specific measures for

1:40:44every single lap and then tried to work

1:40:45on how we target improving those very

1:40:48specific poor poor outcomes or poor

1:40:51performance that we get in those areas

1:40:53um which is really evidence you know

1:40:55based working on a very limited budget

1:40:57but I just wanted to reassure you of

1:40:58that thanks

1:41:01>> thank you Anna are there any members of

1:41:04cabinet wish to speak on on the report

1:41:08no okay councelor case anything to

1:41:10conclude before I move that to a vote

1:41:12can I have a proposal for the report

1:41:15councelor ing seconded by councelor

1:41:18Shaw. Thank you. We'll take that to a

1:41:21vote, please, with a show of hands.

1:41:23That's unanimous. Thank you.

1:41:27Uh at this point, given the temperature

1:41:29in here and uh and the time and the

1:41:31agenda ahead, we'll take a 10-minute

1:41:33break for uh for a rest rest break if

1:41:36that's okay with everybody and conclude

1:41:38in 10 minutes.

1:52:09Okay, we'll move on with item number 10

1:52:11on tonight's agenda,

1:52:14which today is the procurement of a

1:52:16delivery partner for warm homes, the

1:52:18local grants.

1:52:21Everybody's back in their seats. We will

1:52:25ask Councelor Stansfield to introduce

1:52:27his substantive report. Councelor.

1:52:31Thank you, Chair. Um, today I'm pleased

1:52:34to bring forward a report that

1:52:35represents a significant step in the

1:52:37ongoing commitment to tackling fuel

1:52:39poverty and improving the lives of our

1:52:41residents. As many of you know, our

1:52:44council's anti-poverty strategy

1:52:46recognizes severe impact that fuel

1:52:48povert fuel poverty has on our families

1:52:51across West Northamptonshire. It's a

1:52:53sobering fact that as many as one in

1:52:55four of our residents, over 15,000

1:52:59people were affected by the fuel poverty

1:53:02as recently as 2019. This issue is made

1:53:06worse by energy efficient homes which

1:53:08are harder to heat, colder in the

1:53:10winter, and more expensive to run. The

1:53:13per purpose sorry purpose of this report

1:53:16is to seek cabinet approval to procure a

1:53:19delivery partner for the government's

1:53:21warm homes local grant scheme. I'm proud

1:53:24to say that the West Hampshire Council

1:53:26has secured 2.6 million in a grant

1:53:29funding through the scheme. This funding

1:53:31will will allow us to improve the energy

1:53:33efficiency of approximately

1:53:36180 homes. Over the next three years, we

1:53:39have an average investment of 12 and a

1:53:41half thousand per property.

1:53:44These improvements will make real and

1:53:46lasting differences to lives of our res

1:53:48residencies, especially those with low

1:53:51incomes.

1:53:53The warm homes local grant replaces the

1:53:55previous homegrade upgrade grant, HUG 2.

1:53:59I could do with HUG, which ended in a

1:54:02March. Unlike hug 2 which we deliver wi

1:54:05which was delivered through a regional

1:54:07consultant.

1:54:09This new scheme requires us to act

1:54:11independently to ensure we can deliver

1:54:13this scheme effectively. We propose to

1:54:16procure a delivery partner who will work

1:54:19alongside our officers to manage motion

1:54:22application and most importantly the

1:54:24installation of energy energy saving

1:54:27matters measures. A soft market test

1:54:30earlier in this year was confirmed

1:54:33that there is a strong interest from

1:54:35potential partners. 10 responses were

1:54:38received and five were shortlisted for

1:54:40further engagement. We are confident

1:54:42that a competitive procurement process

1:54:44will yield a yield a capable and

1:54:47committed deliver partner. We recommend

1:54:50that the cabinet delegates authority to

1:54:53the director of communities and

1:54:55opportunities to procure this partner

1:54:57using a dynamic purchasing system or

1:55:00framework and to negotiate and award the

1:55:03contract. This approach will streamline

1:55:05the process, reduce resource demands and

1:55:08ensure we are ready to begin

1:55:10installations by the autumn. Thank you.

1:55:16>> Thank you, Councelor Stansfield. And um

1:55:19we have two speakers uh from the members

1:55:21registered starting with councelor Pera

1:55:23please

1:55:32chair welcome this report and welcome

1:55:36the application to central government a

1:55:39labor government providing the funding.

1:55:41So we are doing practical things to

1:55:44achieve this and there are huge

1:55:46challenges both in our private sector

1:55:49housing and our public sector housing

1:55:51and fuel poverty is a real challenge for

1:55:54people and we know from the pilot I one

1:55:58of the good things that we've done in

1:55:59West Hampton and one of the good things

1:56:01that that MH actually did was to do some

1:56:04of the pilots on this warm homes things

1:56:07and they showed that you can reduce

1:56:09housing cost heating costs to a third of

1:56:13the previous level with a wellinssulated

1:56:16house. So, this is a really important

1:56:18area that that we've got to do more. And

1:56:21to me, the the great challenge is is our

1:56:23terrace houses uh and particularly my

1:56:26ward, we've got lots of them and

1:56:28insulating them is a is a real challenge

1:56:31and we we've hardly started. So, I

1:56:34welcome this. It's only 180 houses.

1:56:37Better that it was 1,800.

1:56:41Better than it would 18,000 really. But

1:56:44that's the scale of the problem that we

1:56:46face. So more power to to to uh everyone

1:56:49involved in this and I hope that that

1:56:52that that we can continue to take

1:56:54advantage of these schemes. Thank you.

1:56:57>> Thank you.

1:56:59>> Like to invite councelor Christine Wear

1:57:02to speak the second registered speaker.

1:57:03Thank you.

1:57:14Thank you, chair. We welcome the news

1:57:16that West North Council have secured

1:57:18grant funding for the warm homes local

1:57:20grant. This is welcomed by our

1:57:22communities, some of whom face

1:57:24challenges of heating or heating in the

1:57:26colder months. It's good news that HUK

1:57:282, which has significantly helped some

1:57:30of our residents already, is getting a

1:57:32new phase.

1:57:34I have five questions for you. They are

1:57:38what analysis has been done to esta

1:57:40establish the additional workload

1:57:43required by our team for the new

1:57:44iteration of warm homes.

1:57:47Number two, how did the consortium

1:57:50manage this work previously and what

1:57:52lessons have we taken from them?

1:57:55Number three, it's mentioned that

1:57:57additional and s add additional risks

1:58:00and significant resource costs are

1:58:03associated with an in-house solution.

1:58:06What are they

1:58:08given WNC administered hug 2? What

1:58:11exactly are we looking to outsource for

1:58:14warm homes local grant? And my final

1:58:17question, how will we make sure we

1:58:19stretch this the grant funding as far as

1:58:22possible to benefit our residents? Thank

1:58:25you.

1:58:28>> Thank you, councelor. I'll take

1:58:30questions to councelor standill from the

1:58:32cabinet, please. Anyone to comment?

1:58:35Councelor Hasty from housing.

1:58:40No, clearly obviously we welcome this

1:58:42and um and yeah, echo Bob's comment.

1:58:46Yeah, it be nice if there was some more.

1:58:50>> Councelor Stansfield.

1:58:51>> Yeah. Uh first of all, thank you uh

1:58:53councelor Pera. Thank you for your the

1:58:55comments and um we really we would love

1:58:58it to be 18,000 houses or not 180. Um I

1:59:03welcome your comments as well. We will

1:59:05come back to you with a full response on

1:59:07that. Thank you.

1:59:10Anybody else? Any officers wishing to

1:59:13comment?

1:59:14Okay, I'll conclude. I see a timer.

1:59:17Maybe that's set for me. Um to to

1:59:20conclude on on that, I might add some uh

1:59:22some comments. I echo what councelor

1:59:24Pera said. I think it's a key point

1:59:25there. And if you look at terrace

1:59:26housing, particularly having been

1:59:29someone who's renovated one and uh you

1:59:31wait till it snows and it still does

1:59:33occasionally in this country, you see

1:59:34that I have all the snow on the roof and

1:59:36everybody else's melts quite quick. and

1:59:38it highlights an absolute salient point.

1:59:40So I welcome this too. Um it is a point

1:59:42I will raise with my audience with um

1:59:45Lucy Riby MP Casey MP this week and uh

1:59:48see if we can do more for this area and

1:59:51bring more funding in as we commit

1:59:53ourselves to our residents. So if

1:59:55there's no further comments on this

1:59:57report, we'll uh seek a proposal from

2:00:00the cabinet please. Councelor

2:00:02Stansfield, seconded by councelor Cous.

2:00:04And we'll take that to a vote with a

2:00:05show of hands.

2:00:08Thank you everybody.

2:00:11And on that note, we will move on to

2:00:13item number 11 on the agenda, the

2:00:15affordable housing acquisition. Uh we

2:00:17return to councelor hasty to introduce

2:00:19the report. Thank you councelor.

2:00:23>> Thank you chair. Um,

2:00:27so the affordable housing acquisition,

2:00:29the recommendations are we're asking

2:00:31cabinet to approve the proposal to

2:00:33acquire the property subject to

2:00:35satisfactory due diligence having been

2:00:37undertaken and approval by the S151

2:00:39officer. And we're also asking Del's

2:00:42authority to the assistant director of

2:00:44assets and and environment in

2:00:46consultation with the S151 officer

2:00:49portfolio holder for housing and the uh

2:00:52the portfolio holder for finance to

2:00:53negotiate and acquire the properties and