Councillor Charlie Hastie

...to facilitate the letting of vacant town centre and high street units, the Cabinet endorsed a structured approach to using powers under Part 10 of the Levelling up and Regeneration Act 2023, aiming to revitalize these areas while minimizing costs, risks, and interference with the property market.

...to re-procure a corporate Customer Records Management system via direct award through the GCloud 14 framework, delegating authority to the Executive Director for Resources to secure the best contract and award it to the provider, with the new contract starting in May 2026.

...to focus its limited resources on matters directly benefiting local people and businesses, the council approved the proposal to no longer retain the current targets for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030 for its own operations and by 2045 for residents and businesses, while continuing to progress the "Sustainability Project," Investors in the Environment accreditation, and annual Sustainability Report.

...to approve the sharing of specific financial data with third parties, subject to due diligence and legal agreements, to identify potential efficiencies and savings for the council, while also delegating authority for further data sharing within defined parameters.

...to ensure complete awareness and transparency around the usage of the Public Health Grant, they approved the adoption of the refreshed Public Health Framework 2025-27 and noted that any spend above £500k, deemed a key decision, would be recommended to Cabinet for approval.