Following full Council adoption of the new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Governance Arrangement and Funding Decision Protocol in January 2022, a further amendment was recommended in order to streamline the process further and remove potential delays, and clarity regarding the ‘Climate Emergency Bonus Fund’ (CEBF) was also required.

The revised protocol allowed for the Chief Executive to implement the recommendations of the Steering Group, as had previously been the case, which would speed up the timeframe in which funding decisions were confirmed to give infrastructure providers, Parish and Town Councils and other applicants greater assurance in deliverability. 

 Any round of funding allocation  which may occur before the proposed changes to the protocol are approved at the Full Council meeting in May 2022, as detailed in the timetable in Appendix 1 to the report, would  follow the current procedure to gain final approval from Council, but in May rather than June as shown in error.  Subsequent funding allocations due to take place after full Council had met in May, would follow the revised procedure if approved.

The CEBF supported the Council’s commitment to be a carbon neutral district by 2030 as set out in the Environment Strategy (September 2020) and would provide funding, either in part or in whole, where infrastructure projects could demonstrate a significant contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions or to the offsetting of carbon emissions.  It was also clarified that the CEBF would enable the Council to consider allocating monies to projects identified by the Climate Change Steering Group that met the basic CIL requirements but may not have other obvious funding streams. Members were clear that the Climate Emergency Bonus Fund was intended to be a stand alone fund which funded projects primarily  generated from the Climate Emergency Steering Group (where those projects met the CIL requirements) but could also be used to top up the other two funds where appropriate.

Cabinet were asked to recommend to Council the revised version of the CIL Governance Arrangement and Funding Decision Protocol, and clarification with regard to the CEBF as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, which Members were pleased to support.  An additional recommendation was proposed and agreed to allow ad hoc CIL Allocation Panels to be convened if and when required, with the authority of the Chief Executive and Chair of the CIL Allocations Panel.

RECOMMENDED: That:

1)         the amended version of the ‘Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Governance Arrangement and Funding Decision Protocol’ be approved and adopted;

2)         the Chief Executive be granted delegated authority to implement the recommendations of the CIL Allocations Panel in line with the proposed new process; and

3)         ad hoc CIL Allocation Panels be convened when required with the authority of the Chief Executive and Chair of the CIL Allocations Panel.