Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bradshaw, Rimmer, Sumner and Welsh.

Minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2014

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Council Meeting held on 23 January 2014 be approved as a correct record.

To deal with matters raised by members of the public resident within the Borough, of which notice has been given in accordance with the procedures relating to public questions, motions or petitions set out in Paragraph 36 to 46 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

The Mayor reported that no matters had been raised by Members of the Public.

To receive and consider questions to Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees or Spokespersons for any of the Joint Authorities upon any matter within their portfolio/area of responsibility, of which notice has been given by Members of the Council in accordance with Paragraphs 48 to 50 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules, set out in Chapter 4 of the Council Constitution.

The Council considered a schedule setting out written questions submitted by Councillor Sir Ron Watson to the:

·         Leader of the Council (Councillor P. Dowd)

·         Cabinet Member – Communities and Environment (Councillor Hardy)

·         Cabinet Member – Children, Schools, Families and Leisure (Councillor Moncur)

·         Cabinet Member - Regeneration and Tourism (Councillor Maher)

together with the responses given.  Supplementary questions were asked and responded to by the Leader of the Council and the three Cabinet Members.

Report of the Director of Corporate Services

The Council considered the report of the Director of Corporate Services which provided details of the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 25 February 2014, and required all local authorities to amend their Constitution, so as to include provisions requiring recorded votes at Budget Council meetings on motions relating to the determination of the budget, council tax levels and the issuing of precepts.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to the inclusion of the following provision within the Council and Committee Procedure Rules, in Chapter 4 of the Constitution:

“Recorded Votes at Budget Council Meetings

The votes of all Members present in the room will be recorded for and against the motion or amendment or abstaining from voting and will be taken down in writing and recorded in the minutes of Budget Council meetings in respect of the determination of the budget, setting of council taxes or issuing of precepts.”

Report of the Chief Executive

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That:

(1)       the Council confirms its previous decision that the Council should formally become a constituent member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority;

(2)       the position on the making of the Orders, as contained in Appendix One of the report, and the Parliamentary process in train be noted;

(3)       the Constitution for the Combined Authority as contained in Appendix Two of the report be endorsed for adoption;

(4)       the Operating Agreement for the Combined Authority as contained in Appendix Three of the report be approved for adoption;

(5)       the Leader of the Council (Councillor P.Dowd) be appointed as the Council’s representative on the Combined Authority and the Deputy Leader of the Council (Councillor Maher) be appointed as the Council’s substitute representative on the Combined Authority;

(6)       Councillors Carr, Dodd, Friel and Kermode be nominated as the Council’s representatives on the Merseytravel Committee, on the basis of continuing with the existing arrangements until the Annual General Meeting in June 2014;

(7)       it be noted that no allowances (other than travel and subsistence) will be paid to Members of the Combined Authority, the Scrutiny Panel and other Committees and Boards, with the exception of the Merseytravel Committee (as part of the transitional arrangements);

(8)       it be agreed that the payment of allowances for co-opted members of the Merseytravel Committee (using the current Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority scheme) would be dealt with by this Council’s own scheme as part of the transitional arrangements, and funded by Merseytravel, as set out in the financial implications;

(9)       it be noted that a review of the Combined Authority’s arrangements would be undertaken during the first year and reported to the Combined Authority in 2015; and

(10)     approval to make any technical amendments to the Constitution and Operating Agreement for the Combined Authority on behalf of the Council be delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council.”

An amendment was moved by Councillor Robertson, seconded by Councillor Hubbard that the Motion be amended by the addition of the following text:

“(11)    the Council commits to positively lead an exploration of all the realistic options to expand the Combined Authority to encompass those areas of Lancashire and Cheshire that are presently not a part of the Combined Authority but may aspire to be such.”

Councillor P. Dowd indicated that he accepted the amendment and it was

RESOLVED:

That:

(1)       the Council confirms its previous decision that the Council should formally become a constituent member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority;

(2)       the position on the making of the Orders, as contained in Appendix  ...  view the full minutes text for item 93.

Further to Minute No. 100 of the Cabinet meeting held on 27 February 2014, the Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which provided details of the proposed procedures and strategy to be adopted in respect of the Council’s Treasury Management Function in 2014/15.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to:

(1)       the Treasury Management Policy Document for 2014/15 as set out in  Annex A of the report;

(2)       the Treasury Management Strategy Document for 2014/15 as set out in  Annex B of the report;

(3)       the amendment to the banking arrangements contained within the Financial Procedure Rules of the Constitution as referred to in paragraph 3 and Annex A of the report; and

(4)       the option set out in paragraph 4.4 of the report being used as the basis for the calculation of the Minimum Revenue Provision for Debt Repayment in 2014/15.

Further to Minute No. 101 of the Cabinet meeting held on 27 February 2014, the Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT on proposals to establish the Prudential Indicators required under the Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities.  This would enable the Council to effectively manage its Capital Finance Activities and comply with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED: That:

(1)       the Prudential Indicators as detailed in the report, and summarised in Annex A, be approved as the basis for compliance with The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities;

(2)       approval be given to the amendment of relevant Prudential Indicators in the event that any unsupported borrowing is approved, as part of the 2014/15 Revenue Budget;

(3)       it be noted that estimates of capital expenditure referred to in paragraph 2.2 of the report may change as grant allocations are received; and

(4)       the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT be granted delegated authority to manage the Authorised Limit and Operational Boundary for external debt as detailed in Section 5 of the report.

Further to Minute No. 102 of the Cabinet meeting held on 27 February 2014, the Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which provided details of the 2014/15 Capital Allocations received to date and their use in the development of a new starts programme for 2014/15.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That approval be given to:

(1)       the inclusion within the Capital Investment Plan of the Capital schemes to be  funded from the 2014/15 Single Capital Pot as outlined in Appendix A of the report, and

(2)       the inclusion within the Capital Investment Plan of the Property Intervention Fund 2014/15 allocation of £500,000 to be funded from Capital Receipts as outlined in paragraph 5 of the report.”

An amendment was moved by Councillor Hands, seconded by Councillor Hubbard that the Motion be amended by the addition of the following text:

“(3)      the deletion of the self financed scheme to partially demolish the Ainsdale Hope Centre, set out in Appendix B of the report.”

Following debate thereon, on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the amendment was lost by 35 votes to 26.

On a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the original Motion was carried by 35 votes to 10 with 16 abstentions and it was

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to:

(1)       the inclusion within the Capital Investment Plan of the Capital schemes to be  funded from the 2014/15 Single Capital Pot as outlined in Appendix A of the report, and

(2)       the inclusion within the Capital Investment Plan of the Property Intervention Fund 2014/15 allocation of £500,000 to be funded from Capital Receipts as outlined in paragraph 5 of the report.

Report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

The Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which provided an assessment of the robustness of the estimates and the tax setting calculations, the adequacy of the proposed financial reserves and the production of longer term revenue and capital plans, based on the proposals set out in the reports on the Revenue Budget 2014/15 and the Budget and Council Tax Recommendation 2014/15 (Minute No’s. 99 and100 below refer).

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher and

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To receive statements by the Leaders of the three Political Groups on the Revenue Budget for 2014/15

The Mayor indicated that this item would be merged with the following item on the agenda and any contributions by Political Group Leaders could be made under Minute No. 99 below.

Report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

Further to Minute No. 99 of the Cabinet meeting held on 27 February 2014, the Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT which identified the required changes to the Medium Term Financial Plan, arising from the non-achievement of specific savings in 2013/14, amendments to resources and anticipated expenditure variations for 2014/15; and requested Members to consider how the short fall of £4.781m would be met from a Council Tax increase, one-off resources and/or new sustainable options.

The report indicated that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Performance and Corporate Services) at its meeting held on 18 February 2014, had considered and noted a report on the budget position.

The report also provided details of the level of fees and charges for 2014/15 which had previously been considered by the appropriate Cabinet Member and approved by the Cabinet.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

“That the Council:

(1)       notes the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Performance and Corporate Services) and thanks them for their attention to this matter;

(2)       endorses the revised two year financial plan detailed at Annex A of the report, subject to resolution (3) below:

(3)       reduces the savings target from the Strategic Parking Review (referred to in page 97 of the report) from £300k to £100k. This reflects a reassessment of this proposal following the ongoing dialogue with businesses and residents. This shortfall would be met in 2014/15 by the use of the one off resources identified at paragraph 4.2 of the report;

(4)       approves a Council Tax increase of 1.99% for Sefton Council services which would generate additional income of £1.941m (paragraph 3.1 of the report refers);

(5)       approves a £2.84m contribution from general balances brought forward arising from the 2012/13 Revenue Account surplus (paragraph 4.1 of the report refers);

(6)       approves the 2014/15 budget detailed at Annex B of the report, amended to reflect resolutions (3) to (5) above;

(7)       notes that resolutions (3) and (5) above contain the use of one off resources and that the ongoing shortfall had already been assumed within the Medium Term Financial Plan; and

(8)       notes that the Medium Term Financial Plan is forecasting a further savings requirement of £55m over the period 2015-2017 and that reports on the options available would be presented throughout the year.”

An amendment was moved by Councillor Robertson, seconded by Councillor Hubbard that the Motion be amended by the addition of the following text at the end of resolution (6):

“and the reinstatement of the Formby, Crosby and Sefton East Parishes Area Committees (to replace the Central Area Committee) at a cost of £8,000 which would be financed by a reduction of the Special Responsibility Allowances for Cabinet Members and the Planning and Licensing Chairs by 5%, which would create a compensating saving of £8,000.”

In accordance with Minute No. 92 above, the voting on the amendment was recorded and the Members of the Council present at the time, voted as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.

Report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT

(A copy of the draft Budget Resolution will be circulated at the Council Meeting)

The Council considered the report of the Head of Corporate Finance and ICT on the level of levies and precepts set for 2014/15 and the options available for setting the Council Tax for 2014/15.

A copy of the formal budget resolution to be agreed by the Council, based on the resolutions referred to in Minute No. 99 above, was circulated to Members of the Council for consideration.

It was moved by Councillor P. Dowd, seconded by Councillor Maher:

That the content of the formal budget resolution for 2014/15 be approved.

Following debate thereon and in accordance with Minute No. 92 above, the voting on the Motion was recorded and the Members of the Council present at the time, voted as follows:

FOR THE MOTION:

Councillors Atkinson, Bennett, Brennan, Byrom, Carr, K.Cluskey, L. Cluskey,  Cummins, M. Dowd, P. Dowd, Fairclough, Friel, Gatherer, Hardy, J. Kelly, J. J. Kelly, Kermode, Kerrigan, Killen, Lappin, P.Maguire, Maher, Mahon, McGinnity, McKinley, Moncur, Murphy, Page, Roberts, Robinson, Roche, Thompson, Tweed, Veidman and Webster.

AGAINST THE MOTION:

Councillors Ashton, Ball, Blackburn, Booth, Brodie-Browne, Crabtree, Cuthbertson, Dawson, Dodd, Dorgan, Dutton, Lord Fearn, Hands, Hartill, Hubbard, Jones, Keith, S. McGuire, McIvor, Papworth, Robertson, Shaw, Tonkiss, Sir Ron Watson and Weavers.

ABSTENTION

The Mayor (Councillor M. Fearn)

The Mayor declared that the Motion was carried by 35 votes to 25 with 1 abstention and it was

RESOLVED:

That:

(1)       it be noted that at its meeting on 23 January 2014, the Council calculated the following amounts for the year 2014/15 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 1992 (as amended):

(2)       the Council calculates that the Council Tax requirement for the Council's own purposes for 2014/15 (excluding Parish Precepts) is £99,465,195;

(3)       the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2014/15 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

No changes were made to the Membership of Committees.

Report of the Leader of the Council

The Council considered the report of the Leader of the Council setting out the details of those urgent matters dealt with in accordance with Rule 46 of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules in Chapter 6 of the Council Constitution.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Sir Ron Watson:

“The Council recognises the significant amount of funding received under the Discretionary Housing Payments which in 2013-14 is £547,790.00 together with the additional sum of £140,000 which was applied for separately in the light of the Council;s experience.

The Council is concerned, however, that the spare room subsidy commonly known as the Bedroom Tax does not adequately represent the position of people with disabilities and urges the Government to ensure that disabled people who are in receipt of the higher level of DLA payment should be exempt from the system.

The Council also believes that in respect of Sefton, consideration should be given to the involvement of Elected Members in determining the allocation of funding in respect of applications received for exemption."

It was moved by Councillor Sir Ron Watson, seconded by Councillor Cuthbertson:

“The Council recognises the significant amount of funding received under the Discretionary Housing Payments which in 2013-14 is £547,790.00 together with the additional sum of £140,000 which was applied for separately in the light of the Council’s experience.

The Council is concerned, however, that the spare room subsidy commonly known as the Bedroom Tax does not adequately represent the position of people with disabilities and urges the Government to ensure that disabled people who are in receipt of the higher level of DLA payment should be exempt from the system.

The Council also believes that in respect of Sefton, consideration should be given to the involvement of Elected Members in determining the allocation of funding in respect of applications received for exemption."

Following debate thereon, on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the Motion was lost by 35 votes to 25 with 1 abstention and it was

RESOLVED:

That no action be taken on the Motion.

To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Lappin and seconded by Councillor Hardy:

The Government’s Welfare Reforms and the impact on the lives of people in Sefton

“Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council faces unprecedented levels of cuts to its budget due to the Government’s austerity measures.

Since 2010, the Council has reduced the amount of money it has to spend in real terms by £115 million. Out of every pound available to the Council to spend, 52pence is spent on delivering social care services to vulnerable adults and children in support of its core purpose of protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. This accounts for 52% of the budget available to spend, £116m out of a total budget of £224m. In 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 the Council needs to further reduce its budget by a further £55m.

Sefton Council is extremely concerned that the impact of these cuts, added to the impact of the Government’s welfare reforms, will cause long term and irreversible damage to our adults, to our children, to our families, to our very communities.

Today in Sefton:

·         4 Trussell Trust food banks had been established since May 2013 – one each in Southport, South Sefton, Crosby and Maghull – which to date have helped 4,162 adults and 2,760 children to eat with demand increasing for the services week on week;

·         There has been over 8,000 applications for our Emergency Limited Assistance Support Fund since it came into place in 2013. The rate of applications has now risen to over 1,000 applications per month;

·         402 referrals have been made to the Sefton Helping Hand Service for emergency provision of equipment, bedding and cooking facilities;

·         Sefton Citizens Advice Bureau has seen a 28% increase in demand for welfare benefits advice since 2011 and a 54% rise in debt relief orders since 2011 – and in terms of clients seeking debt advice, the levels of debt of those clients has increased by 108% in the last year;

·         3,140 people, between October 2012 and June 2013, have had their Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance sanctioned due to the changes in conditions as part of the Government’s welfare reform measures;

·         Unemployment and youth unemployment rates remain higher than the UK average, with youth unemployment 3% higher than the national rate. The overall International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate continues to climb and the gap between Sefton and UK continues to widen;

·         Seftons largest registered social landlord, One Vision Housing, has seen a 23% increase in void properties as a result of welfare reform changes, which has led to 4,963 people on the waiting list for its stock of 2,783 one bedroom properties, and been left with over supply of 2/3/4 bedroom properties due to the introduction of the Bedroom Tax;

·         There has been a 489% increase in Discretionary Housing Payments, compared to 2012/13;

·         The number of homelessness cases dealt with, and the number of interventions made to prevent homelessness, has increased from 493 cases in 2010-11 to 575 cases  ...  view the full agenda text for item 104.

It was moved by Councillor Lappin, seconded by Councillor Hardy:

The Government’s Welfare Reforms and the impact on the lives of people in Sefton

“Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council faces unprecedented levels of cuts to its budget due to the Government’s austerity measures.

Since 2010, the Council has reduced the amount of money it has to spend in real terms by £115 million. Out of every pound available to the Council to spend, 52 pence is spent on delivering social care services to vulnerable adults and children in support of its core purpose of protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. This accounts for 52% of the budget available to spend, £116m out of a total budget of £224m. In 2015/16 and 2016/17 the Council needs to further reduce its budget by a further £55m.

Sefton Council is extremely concerned that the impact of these cuts, added to the impact of the Government’s welfare reforms, will cause long term and irreversible damage to our adults, to our children, to our families, to our very communities.

Today in Sefton:

·         4 Trussell Trust food banks had been established since May 2013 – one each in Southport, South Sefton, Crosby and Maghull – which to date have helped 4,162 adults and 2,760 children to eat with demand increasing for the services week on week;

·         There has been over 8,000 applications for our Emergency Limited Assistance Support Fund since it came into place in 2013. The rate of applications has now risen to over 1,000 applications per month;

·         402 referrals have been made to the Sefton Helping Hand Service for emergency provision of equipment, bedding and cooking facilities;

·         Sefton Citizens Advice Bureau has seen a 28% increase in demand for welfare benefits advice since 2011 and a 54% rise in debt relief orders since 2011 – and in terms of clients seeking debt advice, the levels of debt of those clients has increased by 108% in the last year;

·         3,140 people, between October 2012 and June 2013, have had their Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance sanctioned due to the changes in conditions as part of the Government’s welfare reform measures;

·         Unemployment and youth unemployment rates remain higher than the UK average, with youth unemployment 3% higher than the national rate. The overall International Labour Organisation (ILO) unemployment rate continues to climb and the gap between Sefton and UK continues to widen;

·         Sefton’s largest registered social landlord, One Vision Housing, has seen a 23% increase in void properties as a result of welfare reform changes, which has led to 4,963 people on the waiting list for its stock of 2,783 one bedroom properties, and been left with over supply of 2/3/4 bedroom properties due to the introduction of the Bedroom Tax;

·         There has been a 489% increase in Discretionary Housing Payments, compared to 2012/13;

·         The number of homelessness cases dealt with, and the number of interventions made to prevent homelessness, has increased from 493 cases in 2010-11 to 575 cases in 2012-13, a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104.

To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Dawson:

“This Council: 

(a)       notes that the Local Government Boundary Commission, in its final report of November 1997, concerning the governance of Sefton Metropolitan Borough, recognised the serious difficulties arising from having a borough within which the communities have relatively little in common and concluded:

·         “There are a range of democratic and management arrangements that could be used to address the problem. If these changes are to succeed, they must provide a shared agenda for the Council and those who have been campaigning for Southport to leave Sefton. 

·         The encouragement of a culture within Sefton Council which recognises the distinctiveness and importance of Southport and other parts of the borough is needed. We have seen little evidence that Seton Council as a whole has this kind of decentralised approach and thinking. This is reflected in the way in which residents across the borough feel that other areas receive more favourable treatment - which will only change if the Council behaves in a different way. 

·         If the government places a duty upon local authorities to promote the overall social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the communities they serve then Sefton Council will have to decide how it will implement this new obligation. Best value will require local authorities to discuss and agree these plans with their communities and review them on a regular basis. At the very least, these developments will call upon Sefton Council to develop new styles of working with residents throughout its territory.

·         We believe that Sefton Council could achieve more efficient and convenient local government throughout the various communities it serves. But how to accomplish this must be a matter for the Council, no doubt following consultation with its residents and after examining the experience of other local authorities. We recognise that this may not be an easy process but we have concluded it is an essential one if the demands for splitting the borough are not to resurface at regular intervals.”

(b)       believes that, over the past 16 years, Sefton MBC has failed to adequately-address the issues clearly-identified by the Local Government Boundary Commission and the Council's performance in the areas identified as needing change has, arguably, deteriorated rather than improved particularly during the past two years. In particular, we note:

1.    double-rating of parished areas such as Maghull and Lydiate, meaning that residents in those areas have unfairly been pay twice for the same services;

2.    a programme of library closures which clearly discriminated againstresidents of individual communities within the Borough; and

3.    the creation of a Sefton Central Area Committee which flies in the face of the purpose of Area Committees in that it has councillors from different communities determining matters which should best be decided upon only by councillors of the communities concerned.

(c)        notes the introduction by the Member of Parliament for Southport of the "Local Government Boundary Commission (Public Representations) Bill 2013-14", due to have its Second Reading on 16th  ...  view the full agenda text for item 105.

It was moved by Councillor Dawson, seconded by Councillor Robertson:

“This Council: 

(a)       notes that the Local Government Boundary Commission, in its final report of November 1997, concerning the governance of Sefton Metropolitan Borough, recognised the serious difficulties arising from having a borough within which the communities have relatively little in common and concluded:

·         “There are a range of democratic and management arrangements that could be used to address the problem. If these changes are to succeed, they must provide a shared agenda for the Council and those who have been campaigning for Southport to leave Sefton. 

·         The encouragement of a culture within Sefton Council which recognises the distinctiveness and importance of Southport and other parts of the borough is needed. We have seen little evidence that Sefton Council as a whole has this kind of decentralised approach and thinking. This is reflected in the way in which residents across the borough feel that other areas receive more favourable treatment - which will only change if the Council behaves in a different way. 

·         If the Government places a duty upon local authorities to promote the overall social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the communities they serve then Sefton Council will have to decide how it will implement this new obligation. Best value will require local authorities to discuss and agree these plans with their communities and review them on a regular basis. At the very least, these developments will call upon Sefton Council to develop new styles of working with residents throughout its territory.

·         We believe that Sefton Council could achieve more efficient and convenient local government throughout the various communities it serves. But how to accomplish this must be a matter for the Council, no doubt following consultation with its residents and after examining the experience of other local authorities. We recognise that this may not be an easy process but we have concluded it is an essential one if the demands for splitting the borough are not to resurface at regular intervals.”

(b)       believes that, over the past 16 years, Sefton MBC has failed to adequately-address the issues clearly-identified by the Local Government Boundary Commission and the Council's performance in the areas identified as needing change has, arguably, deteriorated rather than improved particularly during the past two years. In particular, we note:

1.    double-rating of parished areas such as Maghull and Lydiate, meaning that residents in those areas have unfairly been paying twice for the same services;

2.    a programme of library closures which clearly discriminated againstresidents of individual communities within the Borough; and

3.    the creation of a Sefton Central Area Committee which flies in the face of the purpose of Area Committees in that it has councillors from different communities determining matters which should best be decided upon only by councillors of the communities concerned.

(c)        notes the introduction by the Member of Parliament for Southport of the "Local Government Boundary Commission (Public Representations) Bill 2013-14", due to have its Second Reading on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105.