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

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors M Barry (the Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Public Realm) and I J Henderson (the Deputy Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration & Tourism).

To confirm and sign the minutes of the last meeting of the Cabinet held on Friday 20 March 2026.

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

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet, held on Friday 20 March 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 of 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.

There were no announcements made by the Leader of the Council on this occasion.

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

Princes Theatre – 95^th Anniversary

The Arts, Culture & Heritage Portfolio Holder (Councillor Scott) read out the following statement:-

“I’d like to acknowledge the 95^th anniversary of the Princes Theatre in Clacton, an important milestone for one of the District’s best loved cultural venues. Since opening in 1931 the Theatre has played a significant role in public life. Generations have attended performances, community events and civic occasions and it remains a place people can feel a strong connection to.

Recent refurbishments work uncovered items from the past, discarded by the original builders and a message from the 1990s. Theatre staff have created a small, time capsule of their own. It is a simple gesture, but it reflects its continuity over the decades. It still hosts over 150 events per year despite the changes in audience expectations and the industry more widely. It continues to adapt and serve the community well.

I would also like to highlight the recent “Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang” performance by the Princes Theatre Youth group. When I attended on 10 April 2026 the children performed so professionally it had a West End style to it and what remarkable performers we have in our District.

This anniversary is a reminder of the importance of maintaining and supporting local cultural assets not just for entertainment but for the sense of place they create. I hope Members will join me in recognising the work of the staff, volunteers and performers who keep the Princes Theatre open and marking its milestone as we look ahead to its centenary.”

The Leader of the Council (Councillor M Stephenson) endorsed those sentiments.

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.

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

There were no matters referred to the Cabinet by a Committee on this occasion.

There are no items submitted to the Cabinet by the Leader of the Council on this occasion.

There were no items submitted to the Cabinet by the Leader of the Council on this occasion.

In accordance with the Council’s adopted Procurement Strategy, the report seeks Cabinet approval for the Procurement Procedure Rules for Essex Procurement Partnership to be recommended onto Full Council for adoption, replacing the Council’s current Procurement Procedure Rules, contained with the Rules of Procedure set out in Part 5 of the Council’s Constitution.

The report also provides an update of the activity within the Essex Procurement Partnership and the Local Government Reorganisation for Greater Essex, Procurement and Contracts System Working Group.

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

(a)     approves in principle, the draft Procurement Procedure Rules, as set out in Appendix A to report A.1, as developed by the Essex Procurement Partnership, of which Tendring District Council is an active Member Authority, for recommendation onto Full Council for adoption;

(b)     authorises the Corporate Director (Law & Governance), being the responsible Officer for the Council’s corporate procurement function and the Council’s statutory Monitoring Officer, to make any necessary minor amendments and to produce a final draft of the Procurement Procedure Rules, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Assets and Community Safety, for Full Council to consider;

(c)     recommends to Council that the final draft Procurement Procedures Rules be adopted, replacing the Council’s current Procurement Procedure Rules, as contained with the Rules of Procedure set out in Part 5 of the Council’s Constitution;

(d)     endorses the review to be undertaken by both Internal Audit and the Audit Committee to ensure the Council’s corporate governance requirements continue to be maintained through the new Rules and lessons learnt have been captured;

(e)     notes the update of the activity within the Essex Procurement Partnership and the Local Government Reorganisation for Greater Essex, Procurement and Contracts System Working Group; and

(f)       notes Officers will present the outcome of the detailed analysis of the Council’s Contracts Register in due course in readiness for the transition phases of LGR.

In accordance with the Council’s adopted Procurement Strategy, Cabinet considered a report of the Assets & Community Safety Portfolio Holder (A.1) which sought Cabinet’s approval for the Procurement Procedure Rules developed through Essex Procurement Partnership to be recommended onto Full Council for adoption, thereby replacing the Council’s current Procurement Procedure Rules, contained with the Rules of Procedure set out in Part 5 of the Council’s Constitution. The report also provided a high-level update of the Local Government Reorganisation for Greater Essex, Procurement and Contracts System Working Group.

Members were aware that Tendring District Council (TDC) formed part of the Essex Procurement Partnership (EPP) (Cabinet 21 February 2025 minute no. 128 referred) through its agreement to enter into a Collaboration Agreement for the delivery of joint procurement services for a three-year period together with:

·      Braintree District Council

·      Castle Point Borough Council

·      Epping Forest District Council

·      Essex County Council

Those Parties had agreed through the Collaboration Agreement to create common procurement documentation including common tender documents, a shared set of procurement rules and a procurement strategy. Following Cabinet’s recommendation, Full Council had adopted the Procurement Strategy on 25 March 2025 (minute no. 132 referred).

The Parties had also agreed, at the time as an interim measure, to adopt the EPP Procurement Rules where they were not in conflict with the Constitution of each Party.  The Parties had agreed with the objective of moving to formal joint procurement procedure rules to be embedded within their organisations over the period of the Agreement.

Cabinet was informed that reducing duplication was included within the rationale for collaboration both within the Collaboration Agreement and Procurement Strategy, as:

“Both in terms of procurement activities but also in documentation and adherence to procurement rules, allowing the Parties to focus on additional cost saving activity.  This will also provide benefit to the entire supplier community, particularly Small to Medium Enterprises and Voluntary sector organisations, reducing the time to understand bid documents.”

Through its decision making in 2025, Cabinet and Council had been informed that following adoption of the Procurement Strategy, a review of the Procurement Procedure Rules which had commenced and was in progress, would follow for approval, to meet the partnership’s collaborative objectives.

Cabinet recalled that the Portfolio Holder for Assets and Community Safety, being the Executive member responsible for procurement, represented this Council at the Member Advisory Group (MAG) with elected members from each local authority.  The MAG had been established in September 2023 and provided executive member oversight of the EPP by reviewing the performance of EPP in delivering against its objectives and acting as both critical friends and champions of the partnership. 

It was reported that the MAG had met in January 2026, when Officers had informed Members that the draft Procurement Procedure Rules had been designed to provide a framework of best practice for all procurement activities to deliver against the Procurement Rules and support the Councils in achieving value for money and delivering the Councils’ corporate objectives.  The draft documentation, at that time, were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 140.

To provide a general update and overview of the Council’s financial position against the 2025/26 budget as at the end of December 2025 and looking ahead across the two-year financial plan period (2026/27 and 2027/28).

RESOLVED that -

(a)     the Council’s in-year financial position as at the end of December 2025 along with the latest financial forecast update be noted;

(b)     the proposed adjustments to the budget as set out in Appendix 1H be approved;

(c)     the most up to date CRP budgets as set out within Appendix 1D(i) be agreed;

(d)     the views of the Resources and Service Overview and Scrutiny Committee be invited on the information set out in this report along with the Council’s wider financial position as part of its work programme for the year;

(e)     in respect of the cost pressure of £0.427m in 2026/27 relating to the Investment in Assets (General R&R Priority Items), as set out within Appendix 1H, the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Finance and Governance, be authorised to allocate this funding across the various associated schemes;

(f)       subject to an associated agreement with Essex Police, the transfer to them of the previously agreed annual contributions for the Harwich PCSO for the period covering 2025/26 to 2027/28 be approved; and

(g)     Pride In Place external grant funding of £0.360m (capital) and £0.232m (revenue), along with associated additional capacity funding of £0.150m to support the delivery of the programme, be accepted ahead of a future separate report that will include further details / associated governance arrangements as necessary.

Cabinet considered a report of the Corporate Finance & Governance Portfolio Holder (A.2) which provide a general update and overview of the Council’s financial position against the 2025/26 budget as at the end of December 2025 and looking ahead across the two-year financial plan period (2026/27 and 2027/28).

SECTION 1 - In-year financial position at the end of December 2025:

It was highlighted that several adjustments had been made to the 2025/26 budget as part of developing the detailed estimates that had been agreed by Full Council in February 2026. With that in mind, and along with a few adjustments included in the earlier Financial Performance Reports, the in-year position at the end of December 2025 continued to broadly perform to the underlying budgetary position, with no new major issues emerging relating to 2025/26.

However, it remained timely to address a limited number of cost pressures that had been identified at the end of Quarter 3, which were set out in Appendix 1H.  Given the two-year approach to the forecast, the items set out covered the period 2026/27 and 2027/28 as necessary, rather than just in-year changes. They were supported by the Corporate Investment Funds / Reserves as necessary which continued the approach set out and adopted as part of the budget setting process for 2026/27 that had been agreed by Full Council in February 2026.

The position to the end of December 2025, as set out in more detail within the appendices, showed that, overall, the General Fund Revenue Account was underspent against the profiled budget by £1.128m (£3.661m at the end of September 2025). However, it was noted that this position continued to primarily reflect the timing of expenditure and income such as the Government’s reimbursement of the cost of meeting housing benefit claims.        

In terms of proposed adjustments to the budget, Appendix 1H set out a limited number of largely ‘business as usual’ type activities where there had been an identified increase in costs or to reflect the on-going outcome from stock condition surveys / reviews. It was expected that further items along with those relating to the investment in priorities etc. would be considered later in the year as necessary.

In-line with the two-year financial plan framework adopted, the overall net impact of the proposed budget adjustments as set out in Appendix 1H would be adjusted against the Corporate Investment Funds and/or reserves as necessary.

In addition to the adjustments set out in Appendix 1H, any further issues that had emerged or developed during the second half of the year along with updates to previously reported matters were discussed in more detail within this report (A.2).

In respect of other areas of the budget such as the Housing Revenue Account, capital programme, collection performance and treasury activity, additional details were set out later on in this report (A.2).

SECTION 2 - Two-year Financial Plan Update:

Members recalled that a summary of the most up to date position had been considered by Full Council on 17  ...  view the full minutes text for item 141.

There are no items submitted to the Cabinet by Management Team on this occasion.

There were no items submitted to the Cabinet by the Management Team on this occasion.