The Babergh Cabinet met and approved the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Expenditure Programme for September 2025, allocating funds to various infrastructure projects, and agreed to sell council-owned land in Hadleigh¹ following the withdrawal of a previous offer. The cabinet also noted the General Fund financial monitoring for the first quarter of 2025/26, along with the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) financial outturn and the Q1 performance report.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Expenditure Programme

The Babergh Cabinet approved the CIL Expenditure Programme September 2025, which outlines how the council plans to spend Community Infrastructure Levy² funds. The programme includes decisions on seven CIL bids, with four requiring cabinet approval and three delegated decisions for the cabinet to note.

The cabinet approved the following CIL bids:

• Hadleigh Parkside Pre-school Facility: £174,144 from the Ringfenced Infrastructure Fund (Hadleigh) was allocated, subject to securing a 25-year lease, for the Hadleigh Parkside Pre-school Facility.
• Green Willows Footpath: £65,550.76 from the Ringfenced Infrastructure Fund (Lavenham) was allocated for the Green Willows Footpath link to Harwood in Lavenham.
• Ipswich Recycling Centre: £123,266 from the Strategic Infrastructure Fund was allocated for the Ipswich Recycling Centre, as a departure from the CIL Expenditure Framework, subject to Suffolk County Council completing the purchase of the new site.
• Church Lane Play Area Project: £87,502.55 from the Local Infrastructure Fund was allocated for the Church Lane Play Area Project in Sproughton.

The cabinet noted the following delegated decisions:

• Holbrook Footpath 023 Upgrade: £3,745 from the Local Infrastructure Fund for the Holbrook Footpath 023 Upgrade in Holbrook.
• Acton Village Hall - Eco lighting Project: £9,990 from the Ringfenced Infrastructure Fund (Acton) for the Acton Village Hall - Eco lighting Project in Acton.
• Little Cornard Village Hall: £25,428 from the Local Infrastructure Fund for the Little Cornard Village Hall in Little Cornard.

The cabinet also endorsed the CIL Expenditure Programme, which includes details of emerging infrastructure and CIL bids.

Council-Owned Land at Hadleigh

The cabinet resolved to sell a council-owned land parcel at Hadleigh (A1071 roadside) after a previous preferred bidder withdrew their offer. The land parcel, approximately 1.17 acres, will be sold based on the terms and basis of 'Bid 1' as identified in Confidential Appendix A of the Public reports pack.

The cabinet delegated authority to the Director for Property, Development and Regeneration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets & Investments, to negotiate the final terms of disposal. The aim is to complete the sale as soon as reasonably achievable and for the best consideration reasonably obtainable.

General Fund Financial Monitoring

The cabinet noted the General Fund financial monitoring for the first quarter of 2025/26, which showed a surplus of £517,000. The forecast for the year is a deficit of £509,000, against a budget deficit of £633,000. The capital programme spend to date is £1.7 million, with a forecast of £12 million for the financial year.

Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Quarter One Financial Outturn

The cabinet noted the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) quarter one financial outturn for 2025/26, which showed a deficit of £1.3 million. The forecast deficit for the year is £7.8 million, against a budget deficit of £8.3 million. The capital programme spend to date is £1.8 million, with a forecast of £26.3 million for the financial year.

Q1 Performance Report

The cabinet noted the performance report for the first quarter of 2025/26, including key performance indicators that are shown as red in the status, and commentary around these. The Q1 report has redesigned section headers to improve accessibility. In addition to the Q1 Performance Report, the Council Housing Assurance Report has been added as an appendix.