Decision details

Cabinet received a report which followed the completion of a task and finish group instigated by the Sustainable Growth and Environmental Capital Scrutiny Committee.  The Task and Finish Group objective was to review the future management of the Council’s Farms Estate with a view to help informing and developing a long term strategy for the development of the estate.

The Group was established by the Committee at its meeting on 20 January 2014. At its meeting on the 17 March 2015, the Committee endorsed the Strategy for the Management of the Farms Estate and recommended the Strategy to Cabinet for approval.

Cabinet considered the report, along with a supplementary report containing additional recommendations (as highlighted in italics) and RESOLVED:

1.    To adopt the proposed strategy for the management of Peterborough City Council farm estate;

2.    To agree that the strategy be delivered within existing approved resource allocations and if necessary a report be brought forward to a future meeting if extra resources are required or submitted as part of the medium term financial planning process;

3.    Cabinet delegates to the Cabinet Member for Resources:

                      i.        That a working group be set up comprising of the Cabinet Member for Resources, three opposition councillors and three members of the Peterborough City Farm Tenants Association to bring forward an action plan arising out of  the Strategy for  the Management of the Farms Estate, such action plan to be presented to Cabinet within six months for approval and implementation; and

                    ii.        Approve the lettings procedure including associated guidelines on criteria.

Effective ownership of an agricultural estate required a long-term view to ensure sustainable management. Decisions made could affect the estate for many years and decades. Without a clear understanding of the aims of the Council with regard to the estate, effective management was handicapped. On occasion quick decisions were required to take advantage of events. In recent years there had not been an agreed strategy for the estate to enable such decisions to be made, resulting in lost opportunities. A clear strategy also should act as a means of informing the Council so that it had an understanding of the asset and the reasons for its ownership.  The Council’s Farm Estate was a long term positive asset held by the Council for the benefit of the rural community.  It produced a steady stream of income and employment for the wider city of Peterborough. The Farm Strategy had been produced in conjunction with our tenant farmers

None. There was no recorded publically held strategy for the management of the farms estate. This provided a transparent framework for their future operation and ownership.

None declared.

None.