The Executive approved the adoption of the High Peak Plan for Nature, the Domestic Abuse Policy, the write off of non-recoverable debts, and the second quarter financial, procurement and performance report. In a closed session, the Executive also approved the Glossop Halls Concession Agreement and Project Update. The Executive noted the Forward Plan and the draft Medium Term Financial Plan.

High Peak Plan for Nature

The Executive approved the adoption of the High Peak Plan for Nature and its proposed governance structure. The plan contains a review of the state of nature in the High Peak and makes recommendations about how and where nature recovery efforts should be prioritised. It also identifies some specific habitat creation and restoration targets for the council.

The requirement to take action to reverse this decline is critical and is reflected in the statutory duty imposed on the Council by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (and subsequently enhanced by the Environment Act 2021) to take appropriate action to conserve and enhance biodiversity.

— High Peak Plan for Nature

The plan aims to ensure that 30% of the borough is managed for wildlife by 2030, in line with national targets. It also promotes the use of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) to make new developments biodiversity-positive. BNG is a requirement under the Environment Act 2021, and requires developers to calculate the biodiversity value of a site before and after development and demonstrate that the development delivers at least a 10% net gain. Developers can deliver this by creating or enhancing habitats on or off-site, and often have to buy biodiversity units to offset losses.

The plan recommends that the council considers setting up a habitat bank on council-owned land to sell these units to developers. The plan goes on to make a number of suggestions about specific locations and opportunities for biodiversity gain, including remeandering watercourses and creating new woodlands and wetlands.

Domestic Abuse Policy

The Executive approved the Domestic Abuse Policy. The policy was written in response to the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which came into force on 1 April 2024 and introduced a new regulatory framework for social landlords. This framework includes Consumer Standards and requires that landlords have policies that set out how they will support tenants who are experiencing domestic abuse.

Registered providers should understand the significant impact that domestic abuse can have both on tenants experiencing it and their household members. In achieving this outcome registered providers should have a victim-centred approach to assisting tenants who experience domestic abuse.

— Consumer Standards

The Domestic Abuse Policy sets out the steps that the council will take to support survivors of domestic abuse, including making referrals to the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) and providing information about the support that is available from other agencies. The policy also describes the measures that the council will take to deal with perpetrators, including the use of injunctions and eviction.

Second Quarter Financial, Procurement & Performance Report

The Executive noted the Second Quarter Financial, Procurement & Performance Report, which provides an update on the council's progress in achieving its strategic aims. The report shows that at the end of September 2024, 67% of the council's Key Performance Indicators were on track to meet target. The report identifies some of the pressures that the council is facing, such as rising inflation, and details some of the actions that the council is taking to mitigate these risks, including identifying potential savings through its Efficiency Programme.

Draft Medium Term Financial Plan

The Executive noted the draft Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), which sets out the council's budget and spending plans for the next four years (2025/26 to 2028/29). This draft plan is unbalanced, but does include information about inflationary pressures, interest rates, and significant changes in income and expenditure.

The medium-term financial planning process provides the Council with the opportunity to plan its delivery of public services in accordance with local priorities and against the backdrop of unprecedented annual public sector financial constraint.

— MTFP Report

A revised MTFP, which will be informed by this draft, will be presented to the council for approval in February 2025.