Apologies were received from Councillor Williams (Portfolio Holder for Client Services).

There were no disclosures of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2019 to be submitted and signed.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2019 were submitted and signed.

The Cabinet may wish to consider whether there are any items on which there is general agreement which could be considered now, to enable discussion to focus on those items where the Cabinet sees a need for further debate.

The Mayor advised that agenda item 5 dealt with CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy).

Report of the Interim Group Head of Place Shaping

Resolved –

1.  that the Regulation 123 list be removed to reflect changes in the Community Infrastructure Levy legislation which means it is no longer applicable from September 2019.

2.  that updated governance methodology for Strategic CIL and Neighbourhood CIL portion, as set out in this report to manage the spending of CIL receipts, be agreed.

3.  that the priorities for Strategic and Neighbourhood CIL spending, as set out in the report, be agreed.

4.  that it be noted that Strategic CIL resources will not be allocated at this point but will be built up in order to provide a fund for major infrastructure to support development in the future.

5.  that delegated powers to the Group Head of Place Shaping be agreed to approve the Infrastructure Funding Statement (as required by the new legislation to replace the s62 report on developer contributions spend) for publication.

6.  that new charges for the monitoring and administration of section 106 agreements be agreed.

Cabinet received a report of the Interim Group Head of Place Shaping which set out details of the new Community Infrastructure Legislation (CIL) enacted in September 2019.  The report recommended the council’s response to the legal changes.

Councillor Sharpe introduced the report, explaining that it dealt with the methodology and arrangements for CIL and emphasised the importance of the 15% neighbourhood portion of the levy.  Councillor Sharpe also gave additional information on the strategic part of the levy, namely that funds obtained under this part of the levy would be accrued to allow spending on larger scale projects. 

Mayor Taylor commented that it was important to find the correct balance of charging, when compared to five nearby authorities.  He enquired if the Watford Borough Council Community Infrastructure Levy was set high enough. 

In response to a comment from Councillor Collett, it was noted that the CIL charging schedule was being reviewed as part of the evidence base for the draft Local Plan. 

RESOLVED –

1.      that the Regulation 123 list be removed to reflect changes in the Community Infrastructure Levy legislation which means it is no longer applicable from September 2019.

2.      that updated governance methodology for Strategic CIL and Neighbourhood CIL portion, as set out in this report to manage the spending of CIL receipts, be agreed.

3.      that the priorities for Strategic and Neighbourhood CIL spending, as set out in the report, be agreed.

4.      that it be noted that Strategic CIL resources will not be allocated at this point but will be built up in order to provide a fund for major infrastructure to support development in the future.

5.      that delegated powers to the Group Head of Place Shaping be agreed to approve the Infrastructure Funding Statement (as required by the new legislation to replace the s62 report on developer contributions spend) for publication.

6.      that new charges for the monitoring and administration of section 106 agreements be agreed.

Report of the Interim Group Head of Place Shaping

Resolved –

that the draft Hertfordshire Growth Board Memorandum of Understanding, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved.

Cabinet received a report of the Interim Group Head of Place Shaping which sought approval for the council to sign up to the Memorandum of Understanding for the Hertfordshire Growth Board.

Mayor Taylor introduced the report and invited Councillor Sharpe to make comment.  

Councillor Sharpe commented that the Hertfordshire Growth Board was represented at Leader/Mayoral level and was important to maximise the investment in Hertfordshire. Such an understanding between the local authorities gave far more weight at a national level when bidding for resources.  He added that the South-West Herts Board sat under the Growth Board. 

Mayor Taylor added that whilst there was already considerable alignment between the authorities, he welcomed the move towards a more tangible level of agreement. 

The discussion concluded with Councillor Watkin commenting that this Memorandum of Understanding built on the two tier system of government. 

RESOLVED –

that the draft Hertfordshire Growth Board Memorandum of Understanding, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved.