Here's a summary of the North West Leicestershire District Council Cabinet meeting held on 26 August 2025.

The Cabinet approved a new financial assistance policy to support vulnerable and disabled residents, agreed to allocate £1.6 million for new housing development in Measham, and approved a Scrutiny/Cabinet protocol to promote a positive working relationship between Scrutiny and the Cabinet. The Cabinet also noted the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account finance updates, the performance monitoring report, supplementary estimates, and virements, and approved the write-off of sundry debts.

Here's a more detailed look at the key discussion points:

Disabled Facilities Grants Delivery

The Cabinet approved a new Financial Assistance Policy and the use of underspent Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) capital to implement it. The policy includes a new Adapted Property Home Improvement Grant to increase the quality and availability of privately rented homes for people with disabilities on the council's housing register.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, Community and Climate Change Portfolio Holder, presented the report, noting recommendations from the Corporate Scrutiny Committee made at its meeting on 26 June 2025.

The new Adapted Property Home Improvement Grant will offer up to £90,000 to private landlords to improve and adapt their properties to rent to people with disabilities on North West Leicestershire's housing register. To be eligible, landlords' properties must be vacant.

Conditions of the grant include:

• Giving nomination rights to North West Leicestershire District Council for five years.
• Setting rent at the local housing allowance rate for the grant condition period.
• A legal land charge will be placed on the property for the grant condition period.

There are repayment conditions if:

• The property is sold during the grant condition period.
• A no-fault eviction notice is served during the grant condition period.
• An unlawful eviction is carried out during the grant condition period.
• Landlord permission for a tenant's disabled facilities grants application is refused during the grant condition period.

The Cabinet delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Housing and Communities, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer¹, to agree terms with Foundations² to support the policy's implementation and to make minor amendments to the policy, including legislative changes.

HRA New Stock Development

The Cabinet agreed to enter into a contract with a construction company for the design and build of six new properties in Queen Street, Measham. The decision allocates £1.6 million from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital programme's development pool to the active pool for the project. Councillor Andrew Woodman, Housing, Property and Customer Services Portfolio Holder, presented the report.

The development will consist of:

• A three-bedroom detached house
• A one-bedroom bungalow
• Four two-bedroom semi-detached houses

The form of contract being tendered is a JCT Design and Build³ with some amendments proposed by internal legal services.

The Cabinet delegated authority to the Strategic Director responsible for housing to finalise and agree all necessary agreements and take appropriate procedural and process steps to deliver the project.

Scrutiny/Cabinet Protocol

The Cabinet agreed to trial a Scrutiny/Cabinet Protocol for six months, with a view to adopting it as part of the council's constitution if the trial is successful. Councillor Nick Rushton, Infrastructure Portfolio Holder, presented the report.

The protocol aims to promote a positive working relationship between Scrutiny and the Cabinet, in line with statutory guidance. It defines the relationship between the executive and scrutiny functions and the role of Cabinet Members in the scrutiny process.

Key aspects of the protocol include:

• Commitment from Cabinet Members to attend relevant Scrutiny Committee meetings and present reports.
• A framework for disagreement and debate.
• Frequent and honest dialogue between Cabinet Members and Scrutiny Members.
• Regular discussions regarding Cabinet and Scrutiny work programmes/activities.

General Fund Finance Update

The Cabinet noted the General Fund Finance Update - 2025/26 Quarter 1. The report highlighted a forecasted underspend of £113,000, but also noted challenges such as rising staffing costs due to recruitment and retention difficulties, and pressures on income from commercial leasehold properties.

The report noted that local authorities are facing rising costs due to their reliance on agency workers, as they struggle to fill permanent positions.

The report also noted that local government employers confirmed a pay award of 3.2% for 2025/26. The council had budgeted for 3%. The difference equates to an additional cost of approximately £40,000.

The government has announced the final allocations for the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) payment for 2025/26. The final allocation has now been confirmed at approximately £2 million. This represents an uplift of £0.432 million compared to earlier expectations. The additional funding will be used to offset any overspends by departments.

The council is undertaking an in-year review of the vacancy control assumption within specific services. An update on the outcomes of this review will be provided in the quarter two monitoring report.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Finance Update

The Cabinet noted the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Finance Update - 2025/26 Quarter 1. The report showed a forecasted underspend of £46,000, compared to a budgeted underspend of £62,000.

Based on the high-level assessment at quarter one, there is a one-off pressure of £16k forecasted due to the pay award being agreed at 3.2%, an increase of 0.2% when compared to the budget.

Performance Monitoring Report - Quarter 1

The Cabinet considered the Performance Monitoring Report - Quarter 1. Allison Thomas, Chief Executive, presented the report.

The report highlighted key progress areas, including:

• Planning and Regeneration: The Planning and Development Team has exceeded national targets for determining applications within the stipulated timeframes.
• Housing and Communities: The team achieved a 100% compliance rate in contacting landlords within the specified time period for non-compliance with the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) policy⁴ in Quarter 1.
• Clean and Green: The enforcement of the mandatory 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)⁵ on large and small-scale developments.

The report also identified areas requiring improvement, including:

• Housing and Communities: Resident satisfaction with housing services and the repairs service has declined. A comprehensive recovery plan for the repairs service is in place.
• A Well-run Council: Response rate to complaints within the expected timeframe was 74%, short of the 90% target. The production of the 2023/24 Accounts is still underway.

Supplementary Estimates, Virements and Capital Approvals

The Cabinet approved a virement of £130,000 to reflect the movement of the Internal Audit team from Head of Legal and Support Services to the Director of Resources. Councillor Keith Merrie, Finance and Corporate Portfolio Holder, presented the report.

The Cabinet noted the supplementary estimates detailed in appendix 2 of the Supplementary Estimates, Virements and Capital Approvals Cabinet Report.

Former Tenant Rent Arrears, Current Tenant Rent Arrears, Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and Sundry Debts Write Offs

The Cabinet approved the write-off of a sundry debtor to the value of £20,444.30. The debt relates to a former housing tenant for costs to rectify damage to the property following their eviction. Councillor Keith Merrie, Finance and Corporate Portfolio Holder, presented the report.