The Cabinet is asked to note any apologies for absence received from Members.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors I J Henderson (the Deputy Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism) and J B Chapman BEM (the Leader of the Independent Group).

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Friday 30 January 2026.

It was moved by Councillor Stephenson, seconded by Councillor Bakerand:-

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet, held on Friday 30 January 2026, be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Other Registerable Interests or Non-Registerable Interests, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made by Members on this occasion.

The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by the Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council made the following statement:-

“Within this agenda item I am required to confirm that I have used urgency powers to make a decision, and in this case, it was in respect of the engagement of resources from Local Government East to provide urgent capacity within the Housing repairs team.

As I’m sure Cabinet Members and Group Leaders will be aware, the regulatory expectations for housing services have increased, at the same time as there is a well-documented national skills shortage in specialist local government roles, particularly building surveyors and social housing professionals. This has created a highly competitive recruitment market affecting councils nationally and making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain skilled staff.

Within this context, two members of the Housing Repairs service management team have recently resigned and, together with an existing vacancy that the service has struggled to fill, has created a situation where all three management posts, within the repairs team, are vacant.

As indicated, previous recruitment exercises have failed to attract suitably qualified candidates, indicating that both the resignations and ongoing vacancies reflect the wider national labour-market pressures I mentioned.

Therefore, to ensure that sufficient management resource is available as timely as possible to ensure the delivery of the housing repairs service, the decision was taken to engage Local Government East (on a draw down basis) to provide additional support, via specialist resource to support the delivery of the Housing Repairs service.

I was grateful to Councillor Paul Honeywood for his agreement to the use of the urgency provisions and this concludes my statement made in compliance with paragraph 3.4 of Schedule 3 to the Constitution.”

The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by Members of the Cabinet.

Women’s Safety Charter

The Assets and Community Safety Portfolio Holder was proud to announce that a new Women’s Safety Charter had been launched by this Council on Tuesday 24^th February 2026 in the Princes Theatre. The Tendring Community Safety Partnership (CSP) had worked closely with Karen Whybro, who had founded the Women’s Safety Charter and Rebecca Callaghan the Director of Brand Elect.

The Charter was part of a broader effort to address behaviours that make women and girls feel unsafe and to challenge those behaviours and make a cultural change within our community. Following the launch the first training session for businesses and organisations had been held on Friday 13 March 2026 with further sessions planned throughout the year. A wider, more formal public launch of the charter would follow later in 2026.

There are no matters referred to the Cabinet by the Council on this occasion.

There were no matters referred to the Cabinet by Full Council on this occasion.

To enable Cabinet to consider a recommendation submitted to it by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee in relation to the provision of grant funding by the Council and other bodies, with a particular focus on its suitability in meeting the needs of the District, together with the response of the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships thereto.

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee be welcomed and noted and that they be given consideration for inclusion in the forthcoming external funding policy which is currently being developed.

Cabinet was informed that, as part of the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s (“the Committee”) Work Programme, the Committee had examined the provision of grant funding by the Council and other bodies, with a particular focus on its suitability in meeting the needs of the District. In preparation for its formal meeting on 15 January 2026, Members had met informally on 8 January 2026. This informal session had enabled Members to develop key lines of inquiry for the subsequent formal scrutiny meeting.

It was reported that, at its formal meeting on 15 January 2026, the Committee had considered a report presented by the Head of Health and Partnerships. Members had posed a series of questions to both the Head of Service and the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships, many of which had been formulated during the earlier informal session. Additional supplementary questions were also raised during the meeting.

The accompanying presentation had significantly assisted the Committee in evaluating the extent of corporate oversight applied to the wide range of grant schemes administered by the Council. Following the responses to Members’ supplementary questions, the Committee had gained a clearer understanding of the constraints and broader implications of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) on grant funding, as well as the potential safeguards that could be introduced to ensure fairness and consistency in the assessment of applications.

Cabinet was reminded that, at its meeting held on 14 January 2025 (minute 5 referred), the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee had made recommendations to the Cabinet, which were referenced in the left-hand column of the table below. The answers given in reference to those recommendations at the 15 January 2026 (minute 31 referred) meeting were as set out in the righthand column of the table below and were themselves in response to the following question:-

“Could you please provide an update on the delivery against the recommendations from this Committee previously approved in respect of a grants policy?”

To enable Cabinet to consider a recommendation submitted to it by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee in relation to the final report from its Council’s Youth Provision Task and Finish Group, which had been submitted following that Group’s conclusion of its enquiry concerning the youth provision of school aged children, together with the response of the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm thereto.

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee be noted, and that the response of the Leisure & Public Realm Portfolio Holder thereto, be endorsed.

Cabinet was informed that the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 14 January 2026, had considered a final report from its Council’s Youth Provision Task and Finish Group, which had been submitted following that Group’s conclusion of its enquiry concerning the youth provision of school aged children.

The Task and Finish Group’s final report was attached as an appendix to the reference report (A.2).

The Committee had duly resolved:-

1)   “to recommend to Cabinet that a platform is provided for children and young people to access information about activity which is taking place in their community;

2)   to endorse this recommendation, including the proposal to develop the existing Active Essex, ‘Find Your Active’ database to be promoted through the Community Sports Partnerships section of the developing ‘Active Tendring’ website; and

3)   to note that funding for that work had been subject to agreement by Cabinet in a separate report (due January 2026), which had provided an update on progress on the implementation of the Sport and Activity Strategy, and sought agreement to a number of budget allocations including the development of the ‘Find Your Active’ webpage.”

The Committee’s resolutions 1) and 2) above were pertinent to the Cabinet.

Cabinet had before it the formal response thereto as submitted by the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm, which was as follows:-

“I thank the Task and Finish Group for the work achieved on their enquiry into youth provision of school aged children.  I can confirm that the most common response from local people through the Sport and Activity Strategy consultation exercise, was for the Council to provide a digital platform, to easily allow residents to search for what sport and activity provision is available in their local area. 

With that in mind, at their meeting on 30 January 2026, Cabinet allocated £3,599 from the Sport and Activity budget to support improvements to the existing 'Find Your Active' platform hosted by Active Essex.  Together with all Tendring residents, this digital platform will support our local children and young people to access information about activity which is taking place in their community.

I am looking forward to evaluating the success of the upgraded platform, once the new system has been upgraded.  I sincerely hope this can be used to signpost our younger residents to some of the great activities that are available to them.”

Having considered the resolutions of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the formal response thereto of the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm:-

It was moved by Councillor Barry, seconded by Councillor Placey and:-

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee be noted, and that the response of the Leisure & Public Realm Portfolio Holder thereto, be endorsed.

To enable Cabinet to consider a recommendation submitted to it by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee in relation to a presentation by the Stakeholder Engagement Lead for Konectbus, Charlie Poulter, together with the response of the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism thereto.

 The presentation had given the Committee an overview of operational improvements, including enhanced punctuality and reliability statistics. It also outlined the Tendring BSIP grants and associated additional services, developments within the commercial network, progress on Park and Ride and Demand Responsive Transport initiatives and matters relating to socially necessary travel.

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee be noted, and that the response of the Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism Portfolio Holder thereto, be endorsed.

Cabinet was made aware that the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 15 January 2026, had received a presentation by the Stakeholder Engagement Lead for Konectbus, Charlie Poulter. That presentation had provided Members with an overview of operational improvements, including enhanced punctuality and reliability statistics. It also outlined the Tendring BSIP grants and associated additional services, developments within the commercial network, progress on Park and Ride and Demand Responsive Transport initiatives and matters relating to socially necessary travel.

It was reported that, prior to the formal meeting of the Committee, an informal meeting had been held on 8 January 2026 when Members had prepared questions, upon which Officers had drafted responses ahead of the formal meeting. Further supplementary questions had been put at the formal meeting to the Stakeholder Engagement Lead for Konectbus which had provided Members with a greater understanding on key priorities across Tendring, the understanding of bus arrival times and subsequent improvements and Konectbus’ plans on collaborative working on the approach to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Cabinet was informed that the Leader of the Council had met with representatives from Konectbus on two occasions, once late last year (2025) and once in January 2026. The first meeting had had other Clacton ward councillors attending from various parties, and the second meeting had been a follow up.

The Committee had duly resolved that it:-

1)   “urges Cabinet to press Konectbus for solutions to ensure that bus services between such as Harwich, Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea and Colchester include the Colchester Institute site to facilitate skills development for those with limited ability to otherwise access the Institute from across Tendring, and in addition, to improve access to school sites across the District; and

2)   reemphasises the desirability of prioritising gaining developer contributions for new bus routes in the delivery of the revised local plan.”

Both of those resolutions were pertinent to the Cabinet.

Cabinet had before it the following formal response thereto submitted by the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism, which was read out at the meeting by the Leader of the Council:-

“I support the Committee’s resolution urging Cabinet to continue pressing Konectbus for solutions to improve public transport connectivity between Harwich, Walton on the Naze, Clacton on Sea and Colchester, specifically to ensure that services include the Colchester Institute site. Reliable access to further education is essential for strengthening Tendring’s skills base, especially for residents who have limited ability to travel independently. Improved access to our District’s school sites is equally important as we work to support attendance and safeguard young people. Improving these connections aligns directly with our wider economic and social objectives, including reducing inequality and improving pathways into higher-value employment.

As part of this, it is increasingly important that bus and rail timetables are properly integrated, ensuring smooth and reliable connections for residents. Effective timetable coordination reduces waiting times, improves overall journey confidence, and enhances access to education, employment and healthcare across  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121.

To enable the Cabinet to consider the recommendation made to it by the Licensing and Registration Committee in relation to the formal adoption of the Council’s Charitable Collections Policy following an 8-week period of consultation (previously authorised by the Licensing & Registration Committee).

RESOLVED that -

1)       the proposed Charitable Collections Policy, as set out in Appendix A to the reference report (A.4), be adopted; and

2)       Officers be authorised to make minor amendments to the policy to ensure that it reflects the operational position of the Council and legislative / case law relevant to the policy.

Members were informed that Tendring District Council was the Licensing Authority for Charitable Street Collections under Section 5 of the Police, Factories, etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916 and the Charitable House to House Collections under the House-to-House Collections Act 1939.

It was reported that the Licensing and Registration Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 29 October 2025, had received a draft Charitable Collections Policy and had agreed to undertake a public consultation thereon.

Cabinet was reminded that the primary piece of legislation in the UK for street collections was the Police, Factories, etc (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916. This Act provided for the Council (acting as the Licensing Authority) to make regulations with respect to the places where, and the conditions under which, collections might be permitted. The Council had made regulations (Appendix B to the report A.4), which required the promoter to obtain a permit from the Council before such a collection could take place. A person could be fined £200 if they collected money for charity on the street without a permit.

Members further recalled that the authorisation of House-to-House collections was regulated by the House-to-House Collections Act 1939. This Act required the promoter to obtain a licence from the Council (as the Licensing Authority) before a collection could be carried out. The Council must grant a licence upon application unless one of the grounds set out in the Act for refusing the licence applied. In addition to the local regulation of House-to-House collections, there was a National Exemption Order (NEO) scheme.  Holders of an NEO authorisation were exempted under section 3 (1) of the House-to-House Collections Act 1939 from having to apply for individual collection licences from local authorities. This exemption allowed organisations to conduct house-to-house collections without the need to apply separately to each local licensing authority, thereby reducing administrative burdens and costs.  From the Government’s website, there were currently 36 such NEO authorisations.

A person organising a collection of funds going house to house without a licence could face imprisonment for up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to £1,000.

Currently, there was no Council adopted policy concerning Charitable Collections, with decisions on applications based upon historical previous decisions and practices.

It was in order to provide applicants with guidance and a framework for consistent decision-making, that a policy covering charitable collections had been drafted. The objectives of the proposed charity collection policy were to ensure that:-

• charity collections were treated in a fair and consistent way and were well run and regulated;
• each application was considered on its merits;
• the public was not exposed to an excessive number of street collections;
• relevant objectives of the Council’s Corporate Plan were supported;
• that the obligations of the Council’s Public Sector Equality duty under the Equality Act 2010, section 149 were fulfilled by eliminating discrimination, harassment, victimisation and were otherwise not conducted in a manner prohibited by the Act, advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations between persons who shared and those who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 122.

To enable the Cabinet to consider the recommendation made to it by the Licensing and Registration Committee in relation to the Council’s Scrap Metal Policy following an 8-week period of consultation (previously authorised by the Licensing & Registration Committee).

RESOLVED that -

1)    the proposed Scrap Metal Policy, as set out in Appendix A to the reference report (A.5), be adopted; and

2)    Officers be authorised to make minor amendments to the policy to ensure that it reflects the operational position of the Council and legislative / case law relevant to the policy.

Cabinet was made aware that Tendring District Council was the Licensing Authority for dealing with scrap metal licences which included site and collectors’ licences under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.

It was reported that the Licensing and Registration Committee (“the Committee”), at its meeting held on 29 October 2025, had received a draft Scrap Metal Policy and had agreed to undertake a public consultation upon it.

Members were informed that the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (“the Act”) had come into effect on 1 October 2013 with transitional arrangements taking effect from 1 September 2013. The Act required that scrap metal sites and collectors were licensed by the local authority. The legislation had been introduced to stem the increase in metal theft at the time.

The Act had replaced the previous regulatory scheme for scrap metal dealers and for vehicle dismantlers. It required anyone who dealt in scrap metal to obtain and display a relevant licence and gave the Police and local authorities more powers of entry and inspection as well as allowing a more thorough application process whereby licences could be refused or subsequently revoked if dealers were deemed ‘unsuitable’.

The Act provided for two types of Scrap Metal Dealer licences, a ‘Site Licence’ and a ‘Collector’s Licence’, both of which lasted for three years.

The Act had followed the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 which had introduced provisions for licensing motor salvage operators.  Prior to that, licensing of Scrap Metal dealers had been by virtue of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964. The Government had also issued guidance for Councils in respect of determining the suitability to hold a scrap metal dealers’ licence.  The Scrap Metal Dealers Act (Prescribed documents and information for verification of name and address) Regulations 2013 also applied to the licensing arrangements administered by the Council.

Site Licence

Cabinet was advised that a site licence was applicable when the licence holder had a physical site(s) that they used to carry on their business as a scrap metal dealer. This licence allowed the licence holder to accept scrap metal from any of the sites listed on the licence; and to transport scrap metal to and from the sites listed in the licence.

Collector’s Licence

A collector’s licence was applicable when the licence holder’s business consisted of collecting scrap metal, for example, by going from door to door asking for scrap. This licence allowed the licence holder to collect scrap metal from within the boundaries of the local authority issuing the licence. A separate licence would be required from each local authority within whose boundary a person wished to operate.

It was emphasised that the adoption of a policy in this area of licensing was intended to support the following themes from the Council’s Corporate Plan 2024-28, namely:-

• Pride in our area and services to residents; and
• Working with Partners to improve quality of life.

It was believed that the application of this policy would provide clarity when determining applications and would reduce the risk  ...  view the full minutes text for item 123.

To enable the Cabinet to consider the recommendation made to it by the Licensing and Registration Committee in relation to the cessation of the requirement for a fourth (or Standby) Member at meetings of the Premises/Personal Licences Sub-Committee in the light of recent operational experiences.

RESOLVED that it is recommended to Full Council that Council Procedure Rule 34.5 be amended to remove the requirement for a fourth (or Standby) Member to be present at every meeting of the Premises/Personal Licences Sub-Committee.

Cabinet considered the recommendation made to it by the Licensing and Registration Committee in relation to the cessation of the requirement for a fourth (or Standby) Member at meetings of the Premises/Personal Licences Sub-Committee in the light of recent operational experiences.

Members were made aware that, since the Licensing Act 2003 had commenced in 2005, the Premises/Personal Licences Sub-Committee (“the Sub-Committee”) had operated for 20 years. In that time, it had been on very rare occasions that the Council had had to call on the fourth (or Standby) Member to participate in the Sub-Committee’s hearing. Therefore, in the opinion of Officers, the removal of the requirement for a Standby Member would have minimal effect on the administration of the Sub-Committee.

Cabinet was reminded that, currently, Council Procedure Rule 34.5, inter alia, required the Democratic Services Manager to ensure that a fourth (or Standby) Member, drawn from amongst the appointed membership of the Licensing and Registration Committee (“the Committee”), was present at every meeting of the Sub-Committee. Such Member would act as a member of the Sub-Committee in the event that one of the three Sub-Committee members became unable to act due to, for example, illness or conflict of interest.

However, operational experience had demonstrated that there was no real requirement for such a Standby Member and that it was an unnecessary use of Members’ time and resources. Therefore, it was proposed that Cabinet sought the removal of that requirement from the Council’s Constitution. Provision would still exist within rule 34.5 for the Democratic Services Manager to appoint a substitute for a Sub-Committee Member should the circumstances require it.

In addition, in arranging the Sub-Committee meeting where additional members of the Committee had indicated their availability those Members would be requested to keep that date free in their diaries and they would be sent a copy of the agenda and reports and accompanying documents etc. Therefore, in the event of the Sub-Committee being inquorate the meeting would be adjourned whilst Officers attempted to contact one of the forementioned members of the Committee and to request them to attend the Sub-Committee.

In the event of the above not being possible in the circumstances then the Sub-Committee meeting would be adjourned until another date. Officers would have suggested available dates at the meeting to try and facilitate a quick re-arrangement of the meeting.

The Licensing and Registration Committee, at its meeting held on 2 February 2026 (minute 19 referred), had considered this matter and had:-

“RESOLVED that the Licensing and Registration Committee requests Cabinet to consider and subsequently recommend to Full Council that Council Procedure 34.5 be amended to remove the requirement for a fourth or Standby Member to be present at every meeting of the Premises/Personal Licences Sub-Committee.”

The report referred to in the above decision of the Licensing and Registration Committee was set out as an Appendix to the reference report (A.6).

Cabinet was cognisant that under the Leader of the Council’s approved Scheme of Delegation, as set out in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 124.

To present a new Corporate Sponsorship Policy for consideration and adoption by Cabinet, together with a proposal for increasing sponsorship contributions and exploring opportunities for further sustainability and value for money of key Council managed events.

RESOLVED that –

a)       the Sponsorship Policy, as set out in Appendix A to report A.7, be formally adopted for use across all Council services; and

b)       an associated cost pressure of £20,000, for the commissioning of a specialist organisation, be submitted for consideration as part of the next corporate cost pressure review process early in 2026/27.

Cabinet considered a report of the Leader of the Council (A.7) which presented a new Corporate Sponsorship Policy for its consideration and adoption, together with a proposal for increasing sponsorship contributions and exploring opportunities for further sustainability and value for money of key Council managed events.

The Leader’s report proposed that Tendring District Council adopted the Corporate Sponsorship Policy, as set out in Appendix A, and outlined practical options for its implementation. The proposed policy set out how the Council would manage and oversee sponsorship opportunities across its services, as well as implement opportunities for possible sponsorship packages across initiatives such as the Airshow and Tendring4Growth events to increase their appeal and reach to sponsors.

For clarity, it was reported that sponsorship referred to an arrangement whereby an organisation provided financial support, goods, or services in return for association with Council events, programmes, or venues.  Sponsorship had long played a role in supporting projects across the Council, from the Clacton Airshow and Tendring4Growth, to roundabout improvements and other initiatives. With interest in sponsorship growing, a clear policy for Council departments to adhere to would provide consistency and transparency across all services.  Adopting a Sponsorship Policy would ensure the Council had an agreed and co-ordinated approach to reducing the cost of appropriate events, by attracting financial contributions from commercial organisations to reduce the operating costs.  The policy would also ensure that sponsors were consistent with the values of the Council and added value to the services offered to local communities.      

It was believed that the policy established clear criteria for accepting sponsorship up to £10,000, ensuring transparency and consistency. Organisations wishing to sponsor had to demonstrate alignment with the Council’s values, including social responsibility, sustainability, and community engagement. Each proposal would be subject to due diligence checks covering reputation, financial stability, and regulatory compliance. Sponsorship would not be accepted from sectors or organisations that could harm the Council’s reputation, such as those linked to alcohol, tobacco, gambling, payday lending, adult entertainment, political activity, or unethical practices.

Cabinet was informed that to maintain a coordinated approach; all sponsorship agreements would be recorded in a central sponsorship register and published on the Council’s website. If adopted, applications would be submitted using an official sponsorship application form and assessed against the policy’s criteria. Oversight of the policy register would sit with the Place and Well-being Directorate, and it would be reviewed regularly to maintain relevance and alignment with other Council strategies. Any use of the Council’s branding or sponsor logos would be reviewed by the Council’s Communications team.

It was recognised that there was potential to explore major sponsorship opportunities to support the sustainability of events such as the Clacton Airshow and to seek to reduce costs that, currently, were met directly by the Council’s revenue budgets. Attracting sponsorship income would therefore ease the financial pressures on the Council in a challenging climate and free up resources for other community priorities. It would provide the means to refresh and develop the Airshow, keeping it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 125.

To enable Cabinet to consider the timetable of meetings for the 2026/2027 Municipal Year, together with provisional dates of meetings for the remainder of the calendar year (2027).

RESOLVED that –

(a)     the timetable of meetings for the Council and its Committees, as set out in the Appendix to the report (A.8), be agreed, in principle, subject to the correction of the date of the All Members’ Briefing in July 2026, and be submitted to the Annual Meeting of the Council for formal approval; and

(b)     the proposed dates for formal meetings of the Cabinet, the All Members’ Briefings and Councillor Development Sessions be noted.

Cabinet considered a report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder (A.8) which enabled it to consider the timetable of meetings for the 2026/2027 Municipal Year, together with provisional dates of meetings for the remainder of the calendar year (2027) and to, as required by the Constitution, to submit a timetable of meetings for formal approval to the Annual Meeting of the Council.

Members were made aware that the Structural Changes Order for the Local Government Reorganisation process was anticipated to come into force in November or December 2026. At this point the Joint Committee would be formed which would require further decisions to be made. Dates of the meetings of the Joint Committee and further related information would be provided to Members in due course. The Joint Committee would operate until the Shadow Unitary Authority first met which would be in May 2027.

It was pointed out that the date of the All Members’ Briefing in July 2026 should have been listed for 8^th July (a Wednesday) rather than 11^th July (which was a Saturday).

Having considered the timetable of meetings proposed by the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder and to enable the timetable of meetings to be submitted to the Annual Meeting of the Council for approval and adoption, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution:-

It was moved by Councillor Stephenson, seconded by Councillor Scott and:-

RESOLVED that –

(a)     the timetable of meetings for the Council and its Committees, as set out in the Appendix to the report (A.8), be agreed, in principle, subject to the correction of the date of the All Members’ Briefing in July 2026, and be submitted to the Annual Meeting of the Council for formal approval; and

(b)     the proposed dates for formal meetings of the Cabinet, the All Members’ Briefings and Councillor Development Sessions be noted.

To agree the Annual Capital and Treasury Strategy for 2026/27 (including Prudential and Treasury Indicators) for submission to Council on 31 March 2026.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

a)       notes the contents of the report previously considered by the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Governance in making his previous executive decision on this matter, as attached as Appendix A1 to report A.9 and the supportive comments from the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee; and

b)       agrees that the Annual Capital and Treasury Strategy for 2026/27 (including Prudential and Treasury Indicators), as attached within Appendix A2 to report A.9, be submitted to Council for its formal approval.

Cabinet considered a report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder (A.9) which sought its agreement of the Annual Capital and Treasury Strategy for 2026/27 (including Prudential and Treasury Indicators) for submission to Full Council on 31 March 2026.

Cabinet was reminded that the Local Government Act 2003 and supporting regulations required the Council to set out its treasury strategy for borrowing, and to prepare an Annual Investment Strategy (as required by Investment Guidance subsequent to that Act) that set out the Council’s policies for managing its investments and for giving priority to the security and liquidity of those investments, “having regard” to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Prudential Code and the CIPFA Treasury Management Code of Practice. Revised editions of both documents had come into force in 2023/24.

It was reported that the Capital Strategy continued to be combined with the Treasury Strategy into one document, which was required to be updated / approved annually. The proposed Annual Capital and Treasury Strategy for 2026/27 was set out in Appendix A2 to the Portfolio Holder’s report (A.9) and it continued to reflect the various changes set out in the latest Codes mentioned above.

Members were informed that the Capital Strategy element of the combined document covered the various elements surrounding capital investment decisions and the key criteria that investment decisions should be considered against.

The Treasury Strategy element of the combined document covered the various elements that satisfied the requirements of the various codes that governed the borrowing and investment activities of the Council and had been prepared in the light of advice received from the Council’s Treasury advisors and reflected the latest codes and guidance.

Cabinet was made aware that Prudential and Treasury indicators had been included as an Annexe to the combined strategy and had therefore been included within Appendix A2.

Members were advised that, under the Prudential Code, the Council had freedom over capital expenditure if it was prudent, affordable and sustainable. The Prudential Indicators either measured the expected activity or introduced limits upon the activity and reflected the underlying capital appraisal systems and enabled the Council to demonstrate that it was complying with the requirements of the Prudential Code.

Cabinet was reassured that the Council’s investments would be undertaken in accordance with its Treasury Management Practices (TMPs).

Cabinet was informed that, following on from comments made last year, the Strategy now acknowledged potential obligations that would be placed on the Council due to the emerging legislation around Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

Members were cognisant that the Annual Capital and Treasury Strategy for 2026/27, including Prudential and Treasury Indicators, had been approved by the Corporate Finance and Governance Portfolio Holder on 2 March 2026 for consultation with the Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had duly considered the Strategy at their meeting held on 10 March 2026, and following such consideration, the Committee had resolved:-

“That the Committee notes the Annual Capital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 127.

§  To update Cabinet on the outcome of progress of the Local Regeneration Fund (LRF) schemes, delivering significant regeneration projects in the District’s town centres incorporating:

o  Carnarvon Terrace in Clacton-on-Sea (formerly Levelling Up Fund (LUF)): 28 homes, re-provided multi?storey car park, commercial space and public realm; and

o  Homes for Dovercourt (formerly Capital Regeneration Projects (CRP1)): including town centre car park improvements at Milton Road and eight new social homes on Victoria Street;

§  To recommend next steps in taking the projects forwards and confirm Cabinet’s continuing commitment to delivering the schemes;

§  To seek authority to grant two unilateral undertakings (UU) to the Planning Authority:

o  to secure obligations relating to the Recreational Disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) in relation to the Victoria Street development; and

o  to update the UU for Carnarvon Terrace to reflect its delivery as 100% affordable housing.

RESOLVED that Cabinet formally –

a)       approves progressing the Carnarvon Terrace and Homes for Dovercourt projects and reiterates the Council’s commitment to the delivery of the schemes whilst recognising the ongoing delivery risks;

b)       approves an underlying policy direction and associated ‘in principle’ approach that the tenure mixes of the housing at Carnarvon Terrace be 100% socially rented and for the future management of the scheme to be led directly by the Council, subject to a future full report to Cabinet;

c)       notes the omission from the Carnarvon Terrace budget of £390,000 of grant funding previously identified for Electric Vehicle charging and reported to Cabinet as not secured, for reasons of feasibility attached to the funding terms and conditions;

d)       notes the value engineering underway and authorises the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and the Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Public Realm, to approve the submission of amendments to the planning consents as required, to the extent that amendments remain within the parameters of the Memorandum of Understanding with MHCLG and as approved by Cabinet to date;

e)       approves that the Council, in its capacity as landowner and developer, grants an Unilateral Undertaking (UU) to the Planning Authority to discharge the RAMS payment in lieu of a Section 106 agreement for obligations in relation to application reference 24/01911/FUL (“the Victoria Street Development”); and

f)         approves that an application is made to the Council’s Planning Services for the Unilateral Undertaking (UU) dated the 15^th July 2025 given by the Council in respect of planning permission reference 24/01890/FUL for the development at Carnarvon Terrace (‘the Planning Permission’) to be discharged and that a new replacement UU be entered into by the Council for the purposes of securing RAMS, Biodiversity Net Gain Monitoring fee, and 100% Affordable Housing in respect of the Planning Permission.

Cabinet considered a comprehensive report of the Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism Portfolio Holder (A.10) which:-

(i)       updated Cabinet on the outcome of progress of the Local Regeneration Fund (LRF) schemes, delivering significant regeneration projects in the District’s town centres incorporating:

·     Carnarvon Terrace in Clacton-on-Sea (formerly Levelling Up Fund (LUF)): 28 homes, re-provided multi?storey car park, commercial space and public realm; and

·     Homes for Dovercourt (formerly Capital Regeneration Projects (CRP1)): including town centre car park improvements at Milton Road and eight new social homes on Victoria Street;

(i)       recommended next steps in taking the projects forwards and confirmed Cabinet’s continuing commitment to delivering the schemes; and

(ii)      sought authority to grant two unilateral undertakings (UU) to the Planning Authority:

·     to secure obligations relating to the Recreational Disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) in relation to the Victoria Street development; and

·     to update the UU for Carnarvon Terrace to reflect its delivery as 100% affordable housing.

It was reported that, in accordance with previous decisions of the Cabinet, procurement exercises had been undertaken on the TDC-led schemes in late 2025, which had been unsuccessful as only single bids had been received, and which had not adequately demonstrated value for money. Following this, a new approach had been developed, utilising recent changes in procurement legislation.

This approach had been tested with the market in February 2026 through a ‘Pre-Market Engagement’ exercise. This exercise had –

§  demonstrated strong interest from the market in the projects, largely from regional medium scale organisations;

§  established support for the revised procurement approach, which targeted an open process, rather than frameworks, as in the previous unsuccessful attempt, and two stage procurement; and

§  provided detailed feedback on the project programme and budget, including value engineering opportunities.

Next steps

Cabinet was cognisant that delivery of significant regeneration projects of this scale presented challenges to the developer with risks including financial, programme and quality. The level of risk reduced as the project moved through delivery but remained significant at this stage until a contractor was secured for construction. Bearing this in mind, the outcomes of the aforementioned Pre-Market Engagement offered the Council the confidence to move forwards with the projects by suggesting a likelihood of success of a future procurement exercise and the deliverability of the schemes within the existing funding envelope. Risks attached to the funding envelope would be further reduced once an award of contract had been made.

What changes are proposed to the schemes?

Members were informed that alterations to the scheme had been considered as part of the re-procurement strategy, including where value engineering could support value for money and ensuring the projects were deliverable within the available funding.

The general principle was to seek simplification and savings whilst retaining the overall design concept and layout of the schemes, as set out within the funding and planning consent. This meant changes were limited to material and non-material amendments. Key alterations were as follows:

§  delivering Carnarvon Terrace as a 100% affordable housing scheme  ...  view the full minutes text for item 128.

§  To update Cabinet on progress on the Community Regeneration Partnership and the ‘substantial start and commitment’ achieved across the programme.

§  To recommend that Cabinet ends the Ten_05 Tudor Fields project and consolidates the funding into the Ten_09 Jaywick Sands Public Open Spaces project as one overall package, to better enable the funding in the area to be coordinated and achieve outcomes and objectives identified through public consultation for the benefit of the local community.

§  To recommend to Cabinet, as part of the above, to expand the scope of the Ten_09 project to include investment into two areas of unregistered land:

o  to repair the unadopted road Brooklands, to improve the condition and remove the danger to traffic; and

o  the Beach, to deliver new amenity supporting accessibility, connectivity, active travel and coastal economy.

RESOLVED that Cabinet formally –

a)       increases the budget of the Ten_09 Jaywick Sands Public Open Spaces project, to a total project budget of £4.5m, by ending the Ten_05 Tudor Fields project and consolidating its £1m remaining funding within Ten_09 Jaywick Sands Public Open Spaces;

b)    notes the substantial start made to all the remaining projects across the programme as set out in the milestones section below, and reiterates the Council’s commitment to their delivery;

c)       having considered the public consultation and advice from the consultant team, including visual surveys, determines repairs are required to Brooklands Road to obviate danger to traffic and wishes to rely on section 230 of the Highways Act 1980 to repair an unadopted road, using the one-off external funding available, within Ten_09 allocation;

d)       authorises the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism and the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm to determine the feasibility and cost of the repairs and progress, through the Senior Responsible Officer, the necessary operational requirements including consents and procurement of contractors, in consultation with Essex Highways;

e)       authorises the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, and the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm, to approve the final list of projects to be delivered under Ten_09 Jaywick Public Open Spaces;

f)         reduces the budget for the Ten_11 Martello Tower E by £250,000 to £2.75m and increases the budget of Ten_12 Active Wellbeing Centre: Ride and Play by £250,000 to £4m to fund the opportunity to undertake roof works alongside the approved solar panel installation project;

g)       requires the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism to consult with the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm, in addition to the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, on any work funded by the Community Regeneration Partnership on land held within the Housing Revenue Account; and

h)       notes the previous executive decision taken by the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism to reallocate unspent grant funding under Ten_02 Community Transport Buses, thereby reducing the budget from £210,000 to £181,750, to the Ten_08 Shopfront Improvements project, increasing the budget from £700,000 to £728,250.

Cabinet considered a comprehensive report of the Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism Portfolio Holder (A.11) which:-

(i)       updated Cabinet on progress on the Community Regeneration Partnership and the ‘substantial start and commitment’ achieved across the programme.

(ii)      recommended that Cabinet formally ended the Ten_05 Tudor Fields project and consolidated the funding into the Ten_09 Jaywick Sands Public Open Spaces project as one overall package, to better enable the funding in the area to be coordinated and achieve outcomes and objectives identified through public consultation for the benefit of the local community.

(iii)    Recommended that Cabinet, as part of the above, formally expanded the scope of the Ten_09 project to include investment into two areas of unregistered land, namely:-

·     to repair the unadopted road Brooklands, to improve the condition and remove the danger to traffic; and

·     the Beach, to deliver new amenity supporting accessibility, connectivity, active travel and coastal economy.

The report reported, in detail, the following matters:-

(1)     progress made since the last report to Cabinet;

(2)     further reallocation of funding within the programme;

(3)     consolidation of projects in Jaywick Sands;

(4)     works to Brooklands road and Jaywick beach;

(5)     the next steps.

Having duly considered the reasoning behind the report’s recommendations together with the alternative options available; all as detailed within the Portfolio Holder’s report (A.11):-

It was moved by Councillor Stephenson, seconded by Councillor Baker and:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet formally –

a)       increases the budget of the Ten_09 Jaywick Sands Public Open Spaces project, to a total project budget of £4.5m, by ending the Ten_05 Tudor Fields project and consolidating its £1m remaining funding within Ten_09 Jaywick Sands Public Open Spaces;

b)    notes the substantial start made to all the remaining projects across the programme as set out in the milestones section below, and reiterates the Council’s commitment to their delivery;

c)       having considered the public consultation and advice from the consultant team, including visual surveys, determines repairs are required to Brooklands Road to obviate danger to traffic and wishes to rely on section 230 of the Highways Act 1980 to repair an unadopted road, using the one-off external funding available, within Ten_09 allocation;

d)       authorises the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism and the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm to determine the feasibility and cost of the repairs and progress, through the Senior Responsible Officer, the necessary operational requirements including consents and procurement of contractors, in consultation with Essex Highways;

e)       authorises the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning, and the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm, to approve the final list of projects to be delivered under Ten_09 Jaywick Public Open Spaces;

f)         reduces the budget for the Ten_11 Martello Tower E by £250,000 to £2.75m and increases the budget of Ten_12 Active Wellbeing Centre: Ride and Play by £250,000 to £4m to fund the opportunity to undertake roof works alongside the approved solar panel installation project;

g)       requires  ...  view the full minutes text for item 129.

To inform Cabinet on how the Council has delivered its obligations under the Environment Act 2021 in respect of furthering its general Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) objective ahead of the publication of its first report covering the period February 2024 to December 2025. The publication of the BNG report is a statutory obligation under the Act and represents a starting point for a future required 5-year report in 2030.

RESOLVED that the Biodiversity Net Gain Report 2024-2025, and the Biodiversity Net Gain Reporting Data which underpins it, be approved.

Cabinet considered a report of the Corporate Director (Planning and Community) (A.12) that informed it on how the Council had delivered its obligations under the Environment Act 2021 (“the Act”) in respect of furthering its general Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) objective ahead of the publication of its first report covering the period February 2024 to December 2025. The publication of the BNG report (as set out in Appendix A to the report) was a statutory obligation under the Act and represented a starting point for a future required 5-year report in 2030.

Members were reminded that biodiversity - short for biological diversity - was the variety of all living things, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi, and the ecosystems they formed in habitats.

BNG required most new developments of homes and businesses to deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value compared to pre-development levels. It aimed to combat habitat loss ensuring development left the environment in a measurably better state for at least 30 years. BNG was a mandatory planning requirement that came into effect in February 2024; at first for major developments, and then in April 2024, for other, minor, development sites.

It was reported that all local authorities had to publish a BNG report.  This was to communicate what Councils were doing to improve the environment and to show the positive changes they were making.

The general biodiversity objective was defined as:-

“…the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in England through the exercise of functions in relation to England.’

In complying with Sections 40(1) and (1A) of the Act, the authority must, in particular, have regard to—

a)    any relevant local nature recovery strategy, and

b)    any relevant species conservation strategy or protected site strategy prepared by Natural England.

This Council’s first biodiversity report had to contain:-

a)    a summary of the action which the authority has taken over the period covered by the report for the purpose of complying with its duties under section 40(1) and (1A) of the Environment Act 2021;

b)    a summary of the authority's plans for complying with those duties over the period of five years following the period covered by the report;

c)    any quantitative data required to be included in the report by regulations under subsection (8)(b), and

d)    any other information that the authority considers it appropriate to include in the report.

The Council’s first report had therefore looked at:-

1.  each of its functions.

2.  the actions taken to conserve and enhance biodiversity in the Tendring District.

3.  areas where the Council could best conserve and enhance biodiversity.

4.  the policies and objectives in place to enhance biodiversity in the District.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning made the following statement:-

“This report presents the Council’s first Biodiversity Net Gain report, covering the period from February 2024 to December 2025, and I am pleased to formally move its publication.

The report fulfils a statutory obligation under the Environment Act 2021, demonstrating how the Council has  ...  view the full minutes text for item 130.

To enable Cabinet to consider the comments submitted to it by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee’s Outcome of the Council’s Carnarvon Terrace Regeneration Project Task and Finish Group, together with the response of the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism thereto.

RESOLVED that the comments made by the Carnarvon Terrace Regeneration Project Task and Finish Group be noted, and that the response of the Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism Portfolio Holder thereto, be endorsed.

Cabinet recalled that, at the meeting of Council held on 14 August 2025, the work programmes for the two Overview and Scrutiny Committees had been approved.  They had included, within the scope of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee to, in relation to the progress and implementation of the Carnarvon Terrace regeneration project, conduct overview and scrutiny of that project and make relevant formal comments / recommendations, as appropriate.

It was reported that, on 3 February 2026, a decision in the name of the Assistant Director (Corporate Policy & Support) had been published constituting the Carnarvon Terrace Regeneration Project Task and Finish Group and setting the date of 10 February 2026 for it to meet.  Authority for that decision had derived from resolution (d) to minute 12 of the meeting of the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 29 July 2025. That provided for the aforementioned Assistant Director to be authorised, in consultation with the Chairman of the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee, to make appointments to Task and Finish Groups and other necessary administrative arrangements.

In addition, the Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee, at its meeting held on 10 February 2026 (minute 40 referred) had authorised, in view of the restricted timescales involved, the Assistant Director (Corporate Policy & Support),  in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee, to directly report to the Cabinet meeting to be held on 20 March 2026 the outcome of the Task and Finish Working Group's enquiry together with its recommendations and/or comments et cetera.

The Task and Finish Group had duly met on the evening of 10 February 2026 and had AGREED that Cabinet be informed that the Working Group –

(a)     welcomes the use of a pre-market engagement exercise and would advocate this as an ongoing procurement policy for TDC as a good way to ensure TDC’s contract policies and specifications are sound going forward;

(b)     supports the decision to end the initial procurement of the Local Regeneration Projects, including Carnarvon Terrace;

(c)     notes that lessons have been learned; and

(d)     acknowledges and endorses that the actions taken have protected the Council’s reputation.

The Task and Finish Group’s final report was attached as an appendix to the Assistant Director’s report (A.13).

Cabinet had before it the following formal response thereto submitted by the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism, which was read out at the meeting by the Leader of the Council:-

“I would like to thank the Task and Finish Group for their questions and engagement on the issue of the procurement of the Carnarvon Terrace scheme. I appreciate their support for the approach we have taken so far, and I fully endorse their view that pre-market engagement with contractors should be a key part of the procurement process on such a scheme. I am content to return to the Task and Finish Group at a future point to update them on progress.” 

Having considered the comments of the Carnarvon Terrace Regeneration Project Task and Finish Group and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 131.