The council are scheduled to meet to discuss a motion to rescind a prior climate change declaration, and to consider a revised licensing policy and changes to contract procedure rules.

Motion to Rescind Climate Emergency Declaration

Councillor Robin Hunter-Clarke, Leader of Reform UK Group, has proposed a motion to rescind the Climate Change Emergency declaration adopted by Breckland District Council in 2019. The report pack does not offer any further information on the reasons for this motion.

Revised Statement of Licensing Policy

The council are scheduled to consider a report from Councillor Helen Crane, Executive Member for Waste, Environmental Health, Licensing & Sustainability, regarding a revised Statement of Licensing Policy as required by the Licensing Act 2003.

The Licensing Act 2003 requires the council, as the licensing authority, to prepare and publish a statement of its licensing policy at least every five years. The current policy came into force on 7 January 2021, and must be reviewed, revised and published by 7 January 2026.

The draft revised Statement of Licensing Policy seeks to provide general guidance to applicants and other persons on the approach that Breckland Council will take in terms of determining all licences under the Licensing Act 2003 with the overriding aim of promoting the four licensing objectives:

• The prevention of crime and disorder
• Public safety
• The prevention of public nuisance
• The protection of children from harm

The report pack states that consultation has taken place in line with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003, and the results were considered by the Committee of the Licensing Authority at its meeting on 24 September 2025.

The report pack also includes the full draft of the proposed Statement of Licensing Policy, which provides detail on a range of issues including:

• Definitions of key terms used in the policy
• The council's approach to licensing policy
• Applications for licences
• The licensing objectives
• General information
• Responsible authorities and other persons
• A guide for operating schedule conditions
• Delegation of functions
• Other statutory requirements

The foreword to the statement is written by Councillor Marion Chapman-Allen, Chairman of Breckland's Licensing Committee. It recognises the council's role in the strategic vision of Breckland: a place where people and business can thrive, and acknowledges the importance of well-run entertainment and leisure premises in enabling communities to remain healthy and safe.

Constitution Changes - New Contract Procedure Rules and Scheme of Delegations to Officers

The council are scheduled to consider a report of Councillor Paul Hewett, Executive Member for Property, Projects & Procurement and Rob Walker, Deputy Chief Executive & Monitoring Officer, regarding proposed changes to the council's constitution relating to contract procedure rules.

The report pack states that under Section 135 of the Local Government Act 1972, a local authority is required to make standing orders for the contracting of goods, works and services. The Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs) are the council's standing orders as required under the Act. The CPRs are intended to promote good procurement practice, public accountability and deter corruption.

The proposed amendments to the CPRs reflect a significant update in line with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, repealing previous regulations. The new rules promote stronger governance, auditability and cleaner procedural steps and have been designed at all stages to support the enhanced transparency requirements of the Procurement Act 2023 and use of the Government's Central Digital Platform.

The report pack highlights some of the key changes introduced by the Procurement Act 2023, including:

• Simplified procurement procedures, streamlining the number of competitive tendering procedures to just two: the Open procedure and the Competitive Flexible procedure.
• A transparency by default position through the requirement to publish seventeen new procurement notices covering the full lifecycle of a procurement and any subsequent contract.
• Replacing 'Most Economically Advantageous Tender' (MEAT) with the broader 'Most Advantageous Tender' (MAT), emphasizing a wider array of evaluation factors beyond cost such as social value and environmental impact.
• The introduction of a Central Digital Platform (CDP) as the UK's unified digital hub for public procurement.
• New grounds for Direct Awards are introduced, including the ability for a Minister of the Crown to authorize direct awards to protect human, animal or plant life, health or public order.
• Enhanced scrutiny for assessing suppliers, extended now to include subcontractors, and any associated and connected persons for whom the procurement or the contract relies.
• A new Procurement Review Unit (PRU) has been established to combine audit, compliance and debarment functions and introduces a new centralised Debarment Register which lists all suppliers excluded from public contracts due to serious misconduct or non-compliance.
• Contracts exceeding £5 million must now include at least three published Key Performance Indicators.
• Making public procurement more accessible to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), micro-businesses, and social enterprises.
• Strengthened conflict management by requiring contracting authorities to identify and mitigate actual or potential conflicts throughout the procurement process.
• Introducing a default expectation that suppliers will be paid within 30 days of invoice receipt.

The report pack includes the proposed Contract Procedure Rules, which set out the rules that apply to all officers, decision makers and agents acting on behalf of the council, involved in procurement, commissioning and contract management. It also includes the updated Scheme of Delegation to officers in relation to contracts and procurement.

Chairman's Engagements

The report pack includes a list of engagements undertaken by Councillor Samantha Taylor, Chairman of the Council, between 10 July 2025 and 9 October 2025. These include events such as the Festival of Thetford and Punjab, the Watton Skate Park Opening, and the Dereham Civic Service.

Minutes from Prior Meetings

The report pack includes the minutes from the following prior meetings:

• Council meeting on 10 July 2025
• Special Council meeting on 18 September 2025
• Planning Committee meeting on 5 August 2025

These minutes are included for information only.