This meeting covered the surrender of a lease, the Council's budget, housing allocations, visitor information and the future of fees and charges. It also considered recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Hickling Public Toilets

The meeting included discussion of a request to surrender the lease on the public toilets at Hickling Staithe. The report pack says this is to reduce the council's financial liabilities and that the landlord, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, intends to continue running the facilities.

Housing Allocations Scheme

The meeting considered a proposal for a new Housing Allocations Scheme, which sets out how the council allocates affordable homes.

The report pack says the scheme was last reviewed in 2018 and that it needs to be updated to meet the aims of the council's Housing Strategy 2021-2025 and Homeless and Rough Sleeper Strategy 2020-2024.

A key concern highlighted in the report pack is the disparity between the demand for affordable homes and the available supply. As of 1 April 2024, there were 2,454 households on the waiting list but only 258 homes available. The report pack says that this has led to a situation where only those assessed as being in the most urgent need have a realistic chance of getting a home.

The report pack proposed moving away from the existing choice based lettings scheme, where applicants can bid for available properties, to a blended system. Under this new system, some homes would be nominated directly by the council, others would continue to be allocated using a choice-based system, and Registered Providers would be able to let up to 20% of their properties to their existing tenants.

The report pack says that this new approach would allow the council to respond more flexibly to acute housing need and better reflect local need for affordable homes . It also argues that it will ensure homes go to those in the highest need , that it will be more transparent , and that it will manage customer expectations .

Visitor Information Service

The report pack asked the Cabinet to agree to stop providing a physical Visitor Information Service from the North Norfolk Information Centre in the Meadow Car Park, Cromer. The report pack suggests that this would save the council £129,000 a year, based on budget figures from 2023/24.

The report pack states that the council has considered outsourcing the service, making it more commercial, providing it in partnership with an external facility, and replacing it with digital provision.

It concluded that none of these options offered sufficient benefits or value for money and that ceasing the service completely would be the best option. The report pack states:

To make financial savings from a service that is discretionary, considered to no longer to present value for money due to the changing way in which visitors access information and to generate additional income from the asset that would be vacated due to the termination of the service.

Budget Monitoring P6 2024/25

The meeting received a report on the council's budget for 2024/25. The report pack states that the General Fund is forecasting an overspend of £0.995m on the budget of £22.456m for the full year 2024/25.

The report pack says that this is after adjusting for all known variations and full year forecasting by service managers and that it does not include the awaited workforce strategy.

Medium Term Financial Strategy 2025-2029

The meeting considered a report on the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the years 2025 to 2029. The report pack says the strategy will be updated following the budget announcements made on 30 October 2024 and that it aims to provide:

...preparatory work for the following year’s budget...

Fees & Charges 2025/26

The report pack includes proposals for the council's fees and charges for 2025/26.

The report pack says that alternatives for the individual service fees and charges proposed have been considered by service managers as part of the process of creating this report.

It recommends that the fees and charges are increased by 2% to reflect the rate of inflation and that delegated authority be given to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to agree the remaining fees and charges.

Recommendations from Overview & Scrutiny Committee

The report pack says that the Overview & Scrutiny Committee made recommendations on the Visitor Information Centre and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) during their meeting on 13 November 2024. The committee recommended:

• That the council consider making the Visitor Information Centre building available for an alternative use that generates income
• That the council consider making provisions to continue a tourist information service, whether it be through an enhanced online presence, electronic information boards, or leaflet stands in prominent locations such as Cromer Pier
• That the council explore relocating the Deep History Coast display from the North Norfolk Visitor Centre to a more suitable location, possibly the Cromer Museum.

The report pack does not say whether the Cabinet agreed with the recommendations.