Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received. 

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2016

Decision Made:

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 23 June 2016 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Head of Corporate Resources

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Corporate Resources which provided details of the revenue outturn position on the 2015/16 General Fund including the Schools’ Delegated Budget.

Decision Made: That

(1)       the General Fund net surplus of £2.376m for 2015/16 be noted;

(2)       the Schools Delegated Budget net deficit of £0.073m for 2015/16 (plus the transfer of resources of £0.624m re schools transferring to academies) be noted;

(3)       approval be given to the use of resources from the in-year surplus as follows:

(a)       To continue the current modern apprenticeship scheme until 31 March 2017, at a cost of £0.100m pending the introduction of the national scheme from 2017/18; and

(b)       In accordance with previous events, the Council will support the preparation for the Open Golf Championship at Birkdale in 2017 and during 2016/17 will determine whether a financial contribution will be made as part of that support from the in-year surplus.

Reasons for Decision:

To ensure Cabinet are informed of the revenue outturn position for 2015/16.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

None

Report of the Head of Schools and Families

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Schools and Families which provided details of proposals for the development of a single Music Education Hub for the Local Authority Areas of Sefton and Knowsley.

Decision Made: That

(1)       approval be given to Option 3 set out in the report, to develop the SKY Music Hub (Sefton and Knowsley Youth Music Hub) as the single Music Hub for the two Local Authority Areas, with Sefton Council acting as the Lead Hub organisation for a trial period up until 31^st March 2017; and

(2)       officers be granted authority authority to enter a Partnership Agreement for the joint Music Hub with Knowsley MBC.

Reasons for Decision:

The creation of a single Music Education Hub across Sefton and Knowsley would improve the range, quality and impact of music education opportunities for children and young people across the two Local Authority Areas by harnessing complementary strengths.

A single music education hub for Sefton and Knowsley would bring economies of scale and therefore cost efficiencies. For example, the joint commissioning of Continuing Professional Development.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Option One - Status Quo. This would mean that (compared with Option 3) there would be fewer opportunities for children and young people and a less comprehensive offer of CPD (Continual Professional Development) for teachers in schools.

Option Two - A wider regional partnership, such as the North West or Merseyside had been considered, but there was not yet a state of readiness amongst all potential partners.

Report of the Head of Regeneration and Housing

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Regeneration and Housing which provided details of the consultation undertaken by the Council on the Playing Pitch Strategy, which included comments received and any proposed changes before the documents are officially adopted by the Council.

Decision Made:

That approval be given to the adoption of the Sefton Playing Pitch Strategy.

Reasons for Decision:

In order to increase the weight that can be attached to the Sefton Playing Pitch Strategy it was necessary for the Council to officially adopt the document.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

One alternative would be not to adopt the Sefton Playing Pitch Strategy; however this would limit the weight that could be attached to it in future decisions.

Report of the Head of Regeneration and Housing

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Regeneration and Housing which provided details pf proposals to make a Stage 1 application (of a 2 stage process) to the Heritage Lottery fund for the Townscape Heritage funding stream for Southport Town Centre including Lord Street and the Promenade Conservation Areas.

Decision Made:

(1)       approval be given to the submission of a Stage 1 application for Heritage Lottery Funding for Southport Town Centre;

(2)       subject to approval of the Stage 1 application:

(a)       the Head of Regeneration and Housing proceeds with Development of the Project for a Stage 2 application and that

(b)       prior to submission of the Stage 2 application a further report is submitted to the Cabinet seeking approval to proceed with the application and setting out the Partnership Funding arrangements.

Reasons for Decision:

Historic England (HE) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) advised very strongly that the best chance of success at Stage 1 would be to focus on vacant buildings and public realm within a specified zonal area within Southport to create more of a Townscape impact and to build on previous regeneration initiatives such as Kings Gardens. It was with close adherence to the advice provided by HE and the HLF, relating to the links between Kings Gardens and Lord Street, that the bid was developed, as this most closely met the Townscape Heritage programme criteria. The bid was complementary to the work and investment into Kings Gardens, was consistent with wider aims of the draft Southport Development Plan and Local Plan and would sit alongside future identified projects. 

Both Lord Street and the Promenade Conservation Area were placed on the national Heritage at Risk Register in 2014. As a result the Council responded by forming a partnership with Historic England and identifying a series of complementary initiatives to seek to improve the area until it can be removed from the Register. One of these initiatives was the access to external Heritage Lottery Funding in order to fund the gap to repair and restore vacant historic buildings and to bring them back into sustainable use.

The provision of grants would support positive enforcement action by the Council on the poor appearance of these properties. Improvements to the local environment will complement the work being undertaken to grow the visitor economy in the town.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

These two Conservation Areas were chosen over others within the borough as they are currently classified as being "at risk" and so are in priority need of investment. The other four Conservation Areas "at risk" within the authority are not located within any Town Centre and do not have the identified need that that would suit the individual eligibility criteria and outcomes required as part of Townscape Heritage funding stream.

The Townscape Heritage funding stream was selected as a funding option, as there are currently no other grant funding streams available which building owners can access to undertake the necessary improvements.