Agenda item

A report from the Executive Director – Place is attached. (Key decision – reference number 5029)

(Report No.195)

Councillor Nesil Caliskan (Leader of the Council) introduced the report of the Executive Director – Place (No.195) seeking approval to set up new decision-making and reporting systems to inform the prioritisation and allocation of community infrastructure levy (CIL) and section 106 funding (S106) and ensure compliance with the new CIL regulations, which would facilitate the delivery of timely infrastructure and the phasing of development across the borough.

NOTED

1.            That both receipts had increased significantly over the past financial year (2018/2019), as the result of major developments in Enfield and improvements to monitoring and collection. In 2018/2019 the Council had collected over £2.7m of section 106 receipts and over £6.3m of CIL receipts.

2.            The proposals for setting up new decision-making arrangements to spend the receipts received, as detailed in the report.

3.            The background and use of the neighbourhood CIL as detailed in section 3 of the report. The recent report of the Enfield Poverty and Inequality Commission had highlighted 27 measures to tackle Enfield’s on-going deprivation and inequalities. These 27 recommendations would form clear criteria for assessing and prioritising spending proposals. This in turn would feed into the Council’s corporate priorities and neighbourhood spend. This report had been welcomed by the Council and its partners and there was a commitment to act on its recommendations. It was proposed to spend £1m of neighbourhood CIL receipts to support and implement these recommendations. The administration of the Enfield Neighbourhood Fund and decisions on how this money was spent would be reported to Cabinet at a future date.

4.            That the launch of the Enfield Poverty and Inequality Commission report had been well-received and supported by the Council and its partners. Feedback had been sought and suggestions received on the effective implementation of the recommendations. The Council and its partners, including the NHS, Police and Voluntary Sector were committed to working together. It was further noted that not all of the 27 recommendations received funding for example, extending and encouraging participation in the School Street programme with a shift in emphasis to the East of the Borough.

5.            In response to a question raised, Members were advised of the spending requirements of section 106 monies and the legal agreements that had to be adhered to.

6.            The proposed decision-making arrangements as set out in section 3.12 of the report.

7.            That each year, local community groups and stakeholders would be invited to put forward proposed projects through a new Enfield Neighbourhood Fund that would be established later in 2020 (paragraph 3.20 of the report referred).

Alternative Options Considered: NOTED, the detailed alternative options that had been considered as set out in section 4 of the report.

DECISION: The Cabinet agreed to

1.            Recommend to full Council that from April 2020 onwards to allocate CIL spend through the main capital programme and agree on the priorities on its allocation, as part of the annual budget setting process.

2.            Approve the proposed governance arrangements through which decisions on the funding of infrastructure (CIL and S106 agreements) would be determined (as detailed in section 3.12 of the report).

3.            Note the revocation of the Regulation 123 List (April 2016) which restricted the use of CIL to specified projects.

4.            Delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning to approve consultation on the neighbourhood portion (based on 15% of CIL receipts) and the priorities on how is was spent.

5.            Approve the publication of the Borough’s first Infrastructure Funding Statement (as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report) setting out how CIL and S106 income had been spent over the previous financial year (2018/2019) and how spend would be prioritised over the next reporting period.

6.            Delegate authority to the Executive Director – Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning to approve the publication of future Infrastructure Delivery Statements and authority to consult on updates to the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

Reason: NOTED, the detailed reasons for the above decisions as set out in section 5 of the report. The Council needed to develop transparent and accountable governance and reporting structures to decide how CIL/S106 income was spent and administered in line with the CIL regulations. 

(Key decision – reference number 5029)