Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Booth and Fairclough.

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 declarations of interest were received:

Minutes of the meeting held on 8 December 2011

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 8 December 2011 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Chief Executive

Further to Minute No. 57 of the meeting held on 10 November 2011, the Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive which provided an update on the progress made under the Transformation Programme in the delivery of budgetary savings for 2011/12 previously approved by the Council.

This was not a Key Decision but it had been included in the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       approval be given to a further £112,000 of unachievable savings for 2011/12 being met from the Budget Pressures Reserve; and

(2)       any shortfall in the achievement of the savings of £768,000 for 2011/12 listed in paragraph 2.4 of the report be funded from in-year Council budget underspends to be met from Budget Pressures Reserve.

Report of the Chief Executive

Further to Minute No. 58 of the meeting held on 10 November 2011, the Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive which provided an update on the progress made under the Transformation Programme on the establishment of the 2012/13 budget, reviews of services and consultation processes being undertaken on the budget savings options.  The report also set out proposals for the reprioritisation of services.

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

RESOLVED:            That

(1)       the work programme timetable set out in Annex A of the report be noted;

(2)       the Council be recommended to approve the reprioritisation of services as set out in Annex B of the report; and

(3)       it be noted that further options may be subsequently developed and submitted to Council for approval.  However any such options will require appropriate consultation prior to their approval and implementation.

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet Sub Committee – Capital Programme held on 15 December 2011 and the report considered by the Sub Committee are attached. The Cabinet is requested to endorse the recommendations of the Sub Committee for approval by the Council

Further to Minute No. 68 of the meeting held on 8 December 2011, the Cabinet considered the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee - Capital Programme held on 15 December 2011 and the joint report of the Strategic Director - Place and the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which provided an update on committed and uncommitted schemes in the Capital Programme, which had been considered by the Sub-Committee.

RESOLVED:            That the Council be recommended to give approval to:

(1)       the confirmation of the following uncommitted capital schemes in the Capital Programme:

·        Other Capital Maintenance -      £1,089k

·        Other Modernisation -      £88k

·        Other Schools Access Initiative -      £102k

·        New Pupil Places -      £508k

·        Disabled Facilities -      £26k

·        IT Server Replacement -      £25k

·        Members ICT -      £27k

·        Adult Personal Social Services -      £1,605k

·        Hesketh Park Visitor Office -      £50k

·        Southport Sports Park -      £75k

·        Botanic Gardens Museum and Roof -      £25k

·        Southport Commerce Park -      £884k

(2)       the reduction/abandonment of the following uncommitted schemes to the Capital Programme:

·        South Sefton 6^th Form Centre -      £70k

·        Waste Infrastructure Grant -      £244k

·        Development Fund -      £9k

·        Members ICT -      £50k

·        IT Server Replacement -      £23k

·        Southport Sports Park -      £307k

·        Highway Parking Improvements-       £100k; and

(3)       the merging of the IT Server Replacement and Botanic Gardens Museum and Roof schemes to form a Capital Contingency Fund.

Report of the Strategic Director - People

The Cabinet considered the report of the Strategic Director - People which set out background information relating to the development of the Southport Cultural Centre in the context of economic development and the funding strategy employed to realise the proposal.

The report also outlined the various options that had been considered in terms of operating the Centre including the option of it being managed by a community team with volunteers.

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

RESOLVED: That

(1)       approval be given to the opening of the Southport Cultural Centre with a limited but appropriate programme, with an additional budget uplift to the Arts Budget of £398,150 in 2012/13 and £722,200 in subsequent financial years;

(2)       the Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of £973,200 be accepted in accordance with the conditions of the grant;

(3)       the additional budget requirements be built into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan;

(4)       a report detailing the full operational costs of the Centre be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet for consideration and approval; and

(5)       the determination of the name for the Centre be referred for public consultation and consideration by the Southport Area Committee with a view to the Committee making a recommendation to the Cabinet for determination.

Report of the Director of Young People and Families

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Young People and Families which outlined the progress on procurement options for securing Information, Advice and Guidance services for young people for 2012/13 and the contractual implications between the six Liverpool City Region Local Authorities and Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership Limited.

RESOLVED:            That

(1)            officers continue to negotiate a one year agreement in 2012/13 with Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership for Information Advice and Guidance services, within each local authority’s available budget;

(2)       notice be served on Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership on 31 January 2012, if agreement cannot be reached with all six authorities;

(3)       the parallel procurement process be continued; and

(4)       the Director of Young People and Families in consultation with the Leader of the Council be granted delegated authority to procure the Information, Advice and Guidance services.

Report of the Director of Older People

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Older People on the outcome of the re-commissioning and tendering of domiciliary personal care services for vulnerable adults.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       contracts be awarded for the provision of Domiciliary Personal Care for Vulnerable Adults to the following providers with the highest score in each lot identified below, for a 5-year period, with an option for 2 further years, commencing 1 April 2012:

Area 1 - Careforce Group Plc

Area 2 - Delta Care Plc

Area 3 - Warren Care Limited

Area 4 - Care Connect UK Limited

Area 5 - Care Connect UK Limited

Area 6 - Warren Care Limited

(2)       the following providers with the second highest score in each lot be appointed as the Reserve Supplier of services in the event of capacity problems or service failure of the primary supplier:

            Area 1 - City and County Healthcare Group

            Area 2 - Careforce Group Plc

Area 3 - Delta Care Plc

Area 4 - ALPHACARE NORTHWEST

Area 5 - Local Solutions

Area 6 - Local Solutions

(3)       it be noted that the proposal was a Key Decision but, unfortunately, had not been included in the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions.  Consequently, the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) had been consulted under Rule 15 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by Cabinet as a matter of urgency on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan, because the new contracts would result in more favourable rates and better value for money to the Council and that an early decision would allow for timely commencement of new contracts without needing to extend the existing contracts.

Report of the Director of Built Environment

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment on the proposed declaration of two Air Quality Management Areas in Sefton.

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

RESOLVED:

That the Council be recommended to declare the two Air Quality Management Areas as detailed in the Order set out in Annex 1 to the report.

Report of the Director of Built Environment

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment which sought approval to the adoption of the Joint Recycling and Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Merseyside and the Sefton Council Waste Action Plan.

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

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to:

(1)       the adoption of the Joint Recycling and Waste Management Strategy for Merseyside set out in Appendix 1 to the report; and

(2)       the adoption of the Sefton Council Waste Action Plan set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

Report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT on the requirement for the Council to set its Council Tax Base for 2012/13.

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

RESOLVED:

That, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 1992 (as amended), the amount calculated as the Council Tax Base for Sefton and for each Parish Area for 2012/13 shall be as follows:

Report of the Director of Corporate Support Services

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Corporate Support Services on a change to the Employee Code of Conduct which forms part of the Council Constitution.

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

RESOLVED:

That Council be recommended to give approval to the inclusion of the following revised text in Paragraph 10.1 of the Employees Code of Conduct in Part 5 of the Council Constitution:

“10.1   Some jobs within the Authority are politically restricted.  This means that the employees in these posts are not allowed to take part in political activities, such as standing as a candidate for election to a public body, canvassing at elections or being a non-executive Director of a Health Trust, etc.  The posts concerned are those of Chief Officers and Deputy Chief Officers and certain other politically sensitive posts.  All the posts are listed in a central register maintained by the Legal Department.”

Report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning seeking the appointment of the Council’s representatives on the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Cheshire and Merseyside Vascular Service Review, for the duration of its existence.

RESOLVED:

That the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Health and Social Care (Councillor Hill) and the two spokespersons (Councillors Griffiths and Webster) or their nominees be appointed as the Council representatives on the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, established to scrutinise the Cheshire and Merseyside Vascular Service Review.