In the last 7 days (since Saturday 22 June 2024), the council has held the following meetings:

Cabinet Meeting - Tuesday 25 June 2024

The Cabinet convened on Tuesday 25 June 2024, and several key decisions were made. Below are the highlights:

Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation

The Cabinet approved a new policy on Additional Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). HMOs are properties occupied by three or more people who do not form a single household and share facilities. This policy extends the licensing requirement to smaller HMOs with three or four occupants, in addition to the existing requirement for larger HMOs with five or more occupants.

The new scheme will cover parts of the Saltwell ward, and parts of the Bridges and Deckham wards. Evidence indicated that many properties in these areas are in poor condition with insufficient facilities and management. A consultation held earlier this year showed majority support for the proposals in both areas.

In 2021/22, 75% of complaints to the Private Sector Housing Team about HMOs related to the management or condition of the properties.

Treasury Management Annual Report

The Cabinet approved the Treasury Management Annual Report 2023-24. This report, produced in accordance with the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management, confirmed that the Council managed its treasury function well during the financial year.

The Code requires the Council to approve an annual strategy which sets out how it will manage its treasury function.

Contract List

Several new contracts were awarded:

• North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust: A contract worth £132,000 to provide the council with an Occupational Health Service, running from July 2024 to June 2027, with an optional 12-month extension.
• Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited: A contract worth £150,000 to provide interim legal staff, running until December 2026.

Capital Monitoring

The Capital Monitoring Report for the last quarter of the 2023-24 financial year showed an underspend of £1.647m due to delays in several projects, including:

• Gateshead Quays arena and conference centre
• Baltic Quarter
• Follingsby Max

Revenue Budget

The Revenue Budget Monitoring report showed an overspend of £1.4m, mainly due to higher than expected inflation in energy and fuel costs.

Housing Delivery Test Action Plan

The Cabinet reviewed and agreed to an action plan to improve the borough's performance against the Government's Housing Delivery Test, which assesses whether local areas are building enough homes. The plan includes steps such as working with housing associations and developers, and identifying more land for housing.

Nomination of School Governors

The Cabinet approved the appointment of seven new local authority governors to maintained schools.

Maintained schools are funded by the local authority.

North of Tyne Combined Authority Borrowing Powers

The Cabinet supported a proposal to allow the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) to borrow up to £200m to invest in its Investment Fund.

The NTCA is a group of local councils in the North East of England working together on economic development. Its members include Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, and Northumberland County Council.

For more detailed information, you can view the full Cabinet meeting transcript.