Cabinet, at its meeting on 15 April 2026, will consider a report to approve the decision-making route for Councillor applications for Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy spend and approve amendments to with part 4 of the Council Constitution to reflect those arrangements.

Cllr Susan Brown, Leader and Cabinet Member for Partnership Working and Jonathan Malton, Committee and Member Services Manager have been invited to present the report and take part in discussions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 15 April 2026, will consider a report to approve the decision-making route for Councillor applications for Ward Member Budget and Community Infrastructure Levy spend and approve amendments to with part 4 of the Council Constitution to reflect those arrangements. 

Jonathan Malton, Committee and Member Services Manager, was present to respond to questions.   

The Committee and Member Services Manager introduced the report, noting that it provides an update on the decision-making route for ward member budgets and community infrastructure levy (CIL) applications. The Committee heard that the process has been formalised, and it ensures delegation is made to appropriate officers. Members were also informed that the report summarises the ongoing work of reviewing the applications process to ensure it is fit for purpose and aligned with relevant legislation.  

The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

The Chair asked how decision regarding central CIL spend are reached and also requested an explanation of the process for adding to the central CIL list.  

The Committee and Member Services Manager explained that, although outside the scope of this report, strategic CIL (i.e. that not allocated to member CIL budgets /parish /Neighbourhood forums or on CIL administration) is agreed as part of the wider budget process. CIL projects are discussed through the Development Board process with the Director of Planning & Regulation and the Group Finance Director agreeing on both the appropriateness of the item, and the capacity of the CIL budget to incorporate any new nominations. In response to the Chair’s second question, The Committee and Member Services Manager relayed a response from officers which explained that additional requests come forward via the Development Board process where the proposal is for the strategic CIL budget, with ultimate approval via the budget process. 

Councillor Stares welcomed the changes listed in the report and noted that they have been effective in streamlining the processes.  

Councillor Ottino also welcomed the changes and requested clarity on when planning permission is required for ward member budget and CIL requests.  

The Committee and Member Services Manager explained that the relevant form has been updated to include questions relating to the need for planning permission and location; this will ensure necessary permissions are in place before CIL is spent. The Committee were minded that due to the number of stakeholders across the city, it is not possible to give a one-size-fits-all response. In relation to ongoing costs, the Committee and Member Services Manager also explained that ward member spend cannot be used for projects which involve ongoing costs; examples were discussed.  
Councillor Ottino requested additional clarification of what would be classified as an ongoing spend.  

The Chair also welcomed the changes set out in the report. The Chair queried the response times for applications and requested a description of the background processes involved. 

In response to Councillor Ottino, the Committee and Member Services Manager outlined that anything not accounted for in an annual ongoing budget cannot be accepted, this included examples of waste bins with ongoing staffing and material costs. 

In response to the Chair, the Committee and Member Services Manager explained that following the introduction of the new form, Councillors would be asked not to use the Member Enquiry Form to request quotations from ODS. The Committee heard that this is now the responsibility of officers; when the member budget form is completed, it will be passed to the relevant officers for completion on the councillors’ behalf. In terms of timings, the Committee and Member Services Manager explained that an understanding of this will be developed once the form is rolled out in May, but it is hoped that the new triage process will prevent any cases from being missed.  

Councillor Ottino queried whether there is a mechanism for Members to add suggestions to the strategic CIL spend plans; the Chair also queried whether this could be facilitated. 

The Committee and Member Services Manager recommended that the request be placed via the Member Enquiry Form to ensure a response from the relevant officer can be obtained.  

To avoid several submissions of the same query, the Chair requested that this action be taken away by the Scrutiny and Governance Advisor to follow up on behalf of the Committee.  

Councillor Ottino queried how often spend requests are refused or called in. 

The Committee and Member Services Manager noted that rejections are very rare and assured the Committee that officers work hard to liaise with any councillors who have made applications which are not clear or feasible. The Committee also heard that it is very rare for applications to be called in; there was no recent example. The Committee and Member Services Manager explained that there is provision within the constitution for call in of applications, and if this occurred, the application would be brought to the Committee for consideration.  

The Chair requested information on what is being spent across the various wards. 

The Committee and Member Services Manager explained that spend over the past 12 months are normally published after May each year. However, due to the pre-election period, the information will not be shared during this meeting; instead, Members can review their own balance in real time via their QL page.  

The Chair invited the Committee to consider possible recommendations. 

The Committee resolved to recommend to Cabinet: 

1. That the annual pricing list of regular work also itemises the permissions required for each work in order to provide members with all, if not most, information needed to submit a complete application.