Agenda and decisions

Members are requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interest and/or other interest, not already on their register of interests, in any item on the agenda and withdraw from the meeting at the appropriate time.

To approve as a correct record and the Leader to sign the Minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 23 October 2025 and the Special Cabinet held on 6 November 2025.

Report of Councillor N Barker, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership & Finance

RESOLVED –

That progress against the Council Plan 2023-2027 objectives was noted.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Report of Councillor N Barker, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Finance

RESOLVED – That

1.     Cabinet agreed the proposed amendments and adopted the draft policy.

2.     Cabinet agreed the implementation date of 1 April 2026, except for the  flexible Tenancy amendment which will be withdrawn immediately as this type of tenancy is no longer in use.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Report of Councillor N Barker, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Finance

RESOLVED – That

Cabinet agreed the proposed amendments to remove Flexible Tenancies from the Tenancy policy and adopt the draft policy.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Report of Councillor J Barry, Portfolio Holder for Growth and Assets

RESOLVED – That

Cabinet approved the refreshed Equality and Diversity Policy

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Report of Councillor P R Kerry, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Finance

RESOLVED – That

1.     Cabinet made the following recommendations to Council:

a.     the budget in respect of the General Fund as set out in Appendix 1 of this report be approved as the Current Budget for 2025/26.

b.     the budget in respect of the HRA as set out in Appendix 3 of this report be approved as the Current Budget for 2025/26.

c.     the Capital Programme as set out in Appendix 4 of this report be approved as the Current Budget for 2025/26.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

To consider any other matter which the Leader is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with the provisions of Statutory Instrument 2012 No 2089, Regulation 11.

The Leader to move:-

That the public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of the following items of business to avoid the disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).  [The category of exempt information is stated after each item].

Private Session

Report of Councillor N Barker, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Leadership and Finance

RESOLVED – That

1.     Cabinet approved RHL’s proposal to acquire 39 homes for rent at Earls Park Holmewood

2.     Cabinet recommended, to Council, borrowing of £5.553m to provide investment, in the form of a loan, to RHL to progress with the acquisition.

This was a Key Decision.  The call-in period for this decision would run until Thursday 4 December 2025.

To consider any other matter which the Leader is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with the provisions of Statutory Instrument 2012 No 2089, Regulations 5 and 11.