Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

The following declaration of interest was received:

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2012

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 19 January 2012 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Chief Executive

Further to Minute No. 81 of the meeting held on 19 January 2012, the Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive detailing the progress made towards the establishment of the budget for 2012/13 and the reviews of services and consultation processes completed and in progress, as part of the Transformation Programme.

The report comprised of three parts and incorporated the following information:

Part A - Low and Medium Impact Options

·                     Introduction/Background

·                     Work Programme and Prioritisation

·                     Consultation and Engagement Overview

·                     Impact Assessment Overview

·                     Risk Management Overview

·                     Options not to be progressed

·                     Options to be redefined

·                     Reviews

·                     Low and Medium Impact Options to Progress

·                     Options requiring further consideration

·                     Conclusion

Part B - Progress made in relation to Landscape Services

Part C - Progress made in relation to Supporting People Commissioned Services

The Chief Executive introduced the content of the report which contained details of the consultation feedback (20,000 responses from service users and the public), the equality analysis assessment, risks and the mitigating actions for each budget saving proposal set out in the report. She referred to the extensive consultation exercise undertaken by the Council on the options and made Members aware that the report contained a range of implications for service users and Members of staff affected by the proposals in the report.

The Chief Executive outlined to Members that the report contained complex, comprehensive and detailed information.  In light of the scale of information being presented to Members, the Chief Executive confirmed that all Members had a further opportunity to seek additional information or clarification.

The Chief Executive requested the Cabinet to consider the low and medium impact options in

the report at this meeting and the proposals relating to Landscape Services and Supporting

People Commissioned Services at the next Cabinet Meeting on 16 February 2012. Mitigating actions had been identified by consultees and wherever possible, Officers had sought or would seek to incorporate these suggestions.  Overwhelmingly, the consultation responses did not support some of the difficult decisions that Members faced.  However, the Council must set a balanced budget and the level of Council Tax for 2012/13 at the Budget Council Meeting on 1 March 2012.  

The Leader of the Council, in furtherance of the Chief Executive’s introduction, re-iterated the significance of the consultees’ responses and took the opportunity to thank respondents for their various contributions.  Cabinet Members acknowledged the receipt of further communications received by them in their capacity as ward Members.

Members of the Cabinet expressed their appreciation for the high volume of responses received from service users, partners and the public in general to the consultation exercise undertaken on all of the budget savings options and thanked the Officers for the quality of the consultation work.

The Leader of the Council reminded Cabinet Members to ask questions about the reports in front of them, with particular reference to the outcome of consultation, equality analysis reports, risks and mitigating actions.

A Member of Cabinet sought clarification on the consequences should the Council fail to set a balanced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94.

Report of the Director of Built Environment

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment on proposals for the adoption of the Sefton Carbon Management Plan to reduce emissions and associated consumptions from the Council’s property estate by 25% by 2016 and to agree the policy statement to shape the development of a Sefton Sustainable Energy Action Plan, which would provide a comprehensive local approach to sustainable energy for all Sefton communities.

This was a Key Decision and was included in the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       it be agreed as Sefton Council corporate policy, that “Sefton Council will seek to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from its activities by 25% from the 2009/10 baseline by 2016 through the delivery of the 2011 - 2016 Carbon Management Plan, as funding allows”;

(2)       it be agreed as Sefton Council corporate policy that “Carbon Management is a common thread integrated through all service plans and binds together existing and future policies/strategies under a single umbrella of Carbon Management”;

(3)       approval be given to the adoption of the Carbon Management Plan 2011 - 2016 set out in Annex 1 of the report,  subject to the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT preparing a financial delivery plan within available resources;

(4)       it be agreed as Sefton-wide policy that “Sefton Council will meet challenges and seize opportunities to enable our households, our businesses and all our stakeholders to reduce their reliance on costly utility supplies, transport costs, reduce carbon emissions, maximise available resources and services for our communities and bring tangible benefits to Sefton’s economy”; and

(5)       approval be given to the development of a Sefton Sustainable Energy Action Plan that considers carbon reduction and economic development progress for the maximum benefit of Sefton communities and meets the criteria of the Covenant of Mayors.

Report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning on the draft Programme of Meetings for the 2012/13 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the Programme of Cabinet Meetings for 2012/13 as set out in Annex A of the report be approved;

(2)       the Council be recommended to give approval to the Programme of Meetings for the Council, Member Briefing Sessions and Regulatory Committees; Overview and Scrutiny Committees; and Area Committees for 2012/13, as set out in Annexes B, C and D of the report; and

(3)       the Programme of Meetings for the Leaders’ Group, Strategic Leadership Team, Public Engagement and Consultation Panel and Sefton Borough Partnership Operations Board and Strategic Board for 2012/13, as set out in Annex E of the report, be noted.

Report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which sought approval to write off irrecoverable non-domestic rate debts with balances over £10,000

RESPLVED: That:

(1)       approval be given to 25 non-domestic rate debts amounting to £460,941.25 being written-off; and

(2)       Annex A of the report be considered later in the meeting, following the exclusion of the press and public.

To consider passing the following resolution:

That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.  The Public Interest Test has been applied and favours exclusion of the information from the Press and Public.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.  The Public Interest Test has been applied and favours exclusion of the information from the press and public; and

(2)       the representatives of the Trade Unions be permitted to remain in the meeting during the consideration of Minute Numbers 99 and 100.

Further to Minute No. 97 above, the Cabinet considered Annex A of the report by the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT relating to the write off of irrecoverable non-domestic rate debts with balances over £10,000.

RESOLVED:

That Annex A of the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Street Scene

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Street Scene on proposals to extend the current Grounds Maintenance Contracts in order to generate a saving in 2012/13 and bring certainty to the costs of delivering the service for the next seven years.

This was a Key Decision and was included in the Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

RESOLVED:

That approval, in principle, be given to the option to extend the Grounds Maintenance Contracts by seven years, on final terms and conditions to be agreed by the Director of Street Scene.