Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ashton, Ball, Veronica Bennett, Bliss, Bradshaw, Brodie-Browne, Hardy, Kerrigan, Mahon and Roche.

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 19 November 2015

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 19 November 2015 be approved as a correct record.

Holocaust Memorial Service

The Mayor reported that the Mayoress and himself were very honoured to attend the Holocaust Memorial Service on Sunday 24 January 2016 at Christ Church, Southport. He indicated that it had been a very moving service, attended by various Councillors and members of the public, and it had been a great privilege for them to represent Sefton at this event.

Mayoral Engagements

The Mayor reported that he and the Mayoress had enjoyed attending 197 engagements so far during his Mayoral Year and that currently the Mayor’s Twitter account had over 213 followers and this continues to rise every day.

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 in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme set out in Chapter 12 of the Council Constitution, one public petition had been submitted for consideration at the Council meeting.

The Council heard representations from Mr Tony Brough of the Ainsdale Civic Society on behalf of a deputation who had submitted a petition containing 3,316 signatures which stated:

“We ask Sefton Council to have winter vehicular access to Ainsdale Beach reinstated.”

Members of the Council thanked Mr Brough for making his representations.

It was moved by Councillor Maher, seconded by Councillor Grace:

“That the petition be noted and referred to the Cabinet Member – Locality Services for consideration.”

An amendment was moved by Councillor Hartill, seconded by Councillor Preece that the Motion be amended to read:

“That the petition be noted and referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Skills) for consideration.”

Following debate, on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the amendment was lost by 35 votes to 19.

Thereafter, on a show of hands, the Mayor declared the Motion was carried by 35 votes to 6 with 14 abstentions and it was

RESOLVED:

That the petition be noted and referred to the Cabinet Member – Locality Services for consideration.

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 Paragraph 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 the written questions submitted by:

·         Councillor Dawson to the Cabinet Member – Planning and Building Control (Councillor Veidman)

·         Councillor Dawson to the Cabinet Member - Locality Services (Councillor

Fairclough)

·         Councillor Dawson to the Cabinet Member - Adult Social Care (Councillor Cummins)

·         Councillor Daniel Lewis to the Cabinet Member – Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services (Councillor Lappin)

together with the responses given. Supplementary questions were responded to by the Cabinet Members – Planning and Building Control; Adult Social Care; and Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services.

Report of the Interim Head of Health and Wellbeing

Further to Minute No. 83 of the Cabinet meeting held on 14 January 2016, the Council considered the report of the Interim Head of Health and Wellbeing which incorporated the annual report on key health issues affecting the Sefton population for 2015, with a particular focus on the measures taken to deal with the impact of austerity on people living in Sefton.

It was moved by Councillor Maher, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the annual report be received; and

(2)       it be noted that the report will be published.

Report of the Chief Finance Officer

Further to Minute No. 86 of the Cabinet meeting held on 14 January 2016, the Council considered the report of the Chief Finance Officer which provided details of the feedback received on the recent consultation exercise regarding the proposed amendments to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2016/17, the options for recommendation to the Council on the 2016/17 Council Tax Reduction Scheme and the updated Council Tax Base for 2016/17.

It was moved by Councillor Maher, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the level of minimum liability for Council Tax Reduction be approved at 16%;

(2)       the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2016/17 as set out in the report be approved; and

(3)       the relevant Council Tax Base for 2016/17 as set out in Annex B of the report be approved.

Report of the Chief Personnel Officer

Further to Minute No. 12 of the meeting of the Pay and Grading Committee held on 15 January 2016, the Council considered the report of the Chief Personnel Officer on the proposed Pay Policy for the Council as required by the Localism Act 2011.

It was moved by Councillor Lappin, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED:

That the proposed Pay Policy, as detailed at Annexe A of the report, be approved.

Report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance

Further to Minute No. 89 of the Cabinet meeting held on 14 January 2016, the Council considered the report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance which provided details of the proposed Programme of Meetings for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

It was moved by Councillor Maher, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the Programme of Meetings for the Council; Member Briefing Sessions; Regulatory Committees; Overview and Scrutiny Committees and Area Committees for 2016/17 as set out in Annexes B, C and D of the report be approved; and

(2)       the Programme of Meetings for the Cabinet; Public Engagement and Consultation Panel; Sefton Safer Communities Partnership; and the Health and Wellbeing Board for 2016/17 as set out in Annexes A and E of the report be noted.

Report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance

Report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance

Further to Minute No. 25 of the meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee held on 9 December 2015, the Council considered the report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance, seeking approval for an addition to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules of the Constitution that would require Members calling-in items to provide as much information, detail, explanation, evidence and/or facts as possible so as to allow the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to understand the full reasons, evidence, rationale and purpose of the call-in.

It was moved by Councillor Brennan, seconded by Councillor Fairclough and

RESOLVED:

That Chapter 6, Paragraph 40 of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules of the Constitution be amended by the addition of the following text:

“In relying on paragraphs (a) to (e) above, Members instigating a call-in shall provide as much information, detail, explanation, evidence and/or facts as possible so as to ensure that the full reasons, evidence, rationale and purpose of the call-in are understood”.

Councillor Grace proposed the following change:

·         Councillor Murphy to replace Councillor Roche as a Member of the Planning Committee and Councillor Thompson to be her Substitute Member.

RESOLVED:

That the changes to the membership of the Committee be approved.

To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Moncur:

“Public Health Grant Allocation Formula

In October 2015 the Government announced a short consultation on the changes to the public health grant allocation formula. This followed the announcement in June that the Department of health was reducing its spending on in year public health grants to local authorities by £200 million. The reduction was labelled ‘department of health non-NHS’ and represented a cut of 7.4% of the total £2.8billion provided to Local Authorities for 2015-16.

The potential impact of the in-year reduction and revised formula is stark, with the most deprived authorities facing the greatest cuts. Sefton’s 15-16 grant was cut by £1.3million and the forecast for 16-17 will see a further reduction of around £3.5million.

This reduction violates the new burdens doctrine. Local Authorities inherited new duties for public health in April 2013 and further responsibilities in 2015, namely the provision of the Prime Minsters personally championed flagship universal health visiting service. We are expected to honour these commitments with a devastating reduction in funding. This will exacerbate existing inequalities within Sefton and between our borough and more affluent local authority areas.

The reduction is at odds with the Governments expressed desire to strengthen prevention in order to reduce health and social care demand. It also disregards analysis by NICE that shows public health interventions are a good use of public money that can result in future savings for the NHS and are also good value for money.

Sefton’s population suffers from a number of serious public health problems, which need to be addressed urgently. Prevention is absolutely crucial in overcoming the challenges of smoking, child and adult obesity and alcohol related harm. Reductions in services will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable who urgently require lifestyle interventions.

Many of the services provided through the public health grant are indispensable elements within our comprehensive National Health Service, e.g. sexual health, school nursing, health screening etc. It is difficult to see how reducing these services will not compromise the NHS five year forward view’s call for a ‘radical upgrade in prevention and public health’.

As such we agree with the British Medical Association’s view that the Governments disregard of the benefits of a properly funded public health service is short sighted and imprudent.

This Council firmly believes that it is more important than ever that the distribution of available resources reflects the needs of areas (i.e. the level of deprivation and health inequalities). And that the Government should prioritise and protect investment in ill-health prevention and public health services.

The Council therefore calls on the Government to:-

(i)            Re-consider its short-sighted proposals to revise the public health grant funding formula, which in effect reallocates essential prevention funding from the most deprived local authorities to the least deprived; and

(ii)          Publish or conduct an equality impact assessment in respect of the application of revised formula, in order that the impact of the formula can be fully understood, and the government  ...  view the full agenda text for item 84.

It was moved by Councillor Moncur, seconded by Councillor John Joseph Kelly and unanimously

RESOLVED:

Public Health Grant Allocation Formula

In October 2015 the Government announced a short consultation on the changes to the public health grant allocation formula. This followed the announcement in June that the Department of Health was reducing its spending on in year public health grants to local authorities by £200 million. The reduction was labelled ‘department of health non-NHS’ and represented a cut of 7.4% of the total £2.8billion provided to Local Authorities for 2015-16.

The potential impact of the in-year reduction and revised formula is stark, with the most deprived authorities facing the greatest cuts. Sefton’s 15-16 grant was cut by £1.3million and the forecast for 16-17 will see a further reduction of around £3.5million.

This reduction violates the new burdens doctrine. Local Authorities inherited new duties for public health in April 2013 and further responsibilities in 2015, namely the provision of the Prime Minister’s personally championed flagship universal health visiting service. We are expected to honour these commitments with a devastating reduction in funding. This will exacerbate existing inequalities within Sefton and between our borough and more affluent local authority areas.

The reduction is at odds with the Government’s expressed desire to strengthen prevention in order to reduce health and social care demand. It also disregards analysis by NICE that shows public health interventions are a good use of public money that can result in future savings for the NHS and are also good value for money.

Sefton’s population suffers from a number of serious public health problems, which need to be addressed urgently. Prevention is absolutely crucial in overcoming the challenges of smoking, child and adult obesity and alcohol related harm. Reductions in services will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable who urgently require lifestyle interventions.

Many of the services provided through the public health grant are indispensable elements within our comprehensive National Health Service, e.g. sexual health, school nursing, health screening etc. It is difficult to see how reducing these services will not compromise the NHS five year forward view’s call for a ‘radical upgrade in prevention and public health’.

As such we agree with the British Medical Association’s view that the Government’s disregard of the benefits of a properly funded public health service is short sighted and imprudent.

This Council firmly believes that it is more important than ever that the distribution of available resources reflects the needs of areas (i.e. the level of deprivation and health inequalities), and that the Government should prioritise and protect investment in ill-health prevention and public health services.

The Council therefore calls on the Government to:-

(i)            Re-consider its short-sighted proposals to revise the public health grant funding formula, which in effect reallocates essential prevention funding from the most deprived local authorities to the least deprived; and

(ii)          Publish or conduct an equality impact assessment in respect of the application of revised formula, in order that the impact of the formula can be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84.

To consider the following Motion submitted by Councillor Dawson:

“The Council notes the ever-growing pressures upon Health and Social Services resulting from an increasing aged population.

The Council welcomes the all-party initiative by former Health Ministers Norman Lamb, Alan Milburn and Stephen Dorrell calling for an independent Commission to examine the provision of Health and Community Care services in England and Wales to see how such services can be provided more efficiently and effectively.

The Council notes how Health and Social Services have been provided to each part of Northern Ireland for decades by a single Authority which, since 2009 has been a single Health and Social Care Board for the province and would wish this method of organisation and delivery of services to be one of the issues investigated by a Commission.

The Council confirms its commitment to co-operate with local NHS commissioners and providers with the aim of providing a seamless service to local residents which fully addresses their Heath and Care needs.”

It was moved by Councillor Dawson, seconded by Councillor Daniel Lewis:

“The Council notes the ever-growing pressures upon Health and Social Services resulting from an increasing aged population.

The Council welcomes the all-party initiative by former Health Ministers Norman Lamb, Alan Milburn and Stephen Dorrell calling for an independent Commission to examine the provision of Health and Community Care services in England and Wales to see how such services can be provided more efficiently and effectively.

The Council notes how Health and Social Services have been provided to each part of Northern Ireland for decades by a single Authority which, since 2009 has been a single Health and Social Care Board for the province and would wish this method of organisation and delivery of services to be one of the issues investigated by a Commission.

The Council confirms its commitment to co-operate with local NHS commissioners and providers with the aim of providing a seamless service to local residents which fully addresses their Heath and Care needs.”

Following debate, on a show of hands, the Mayor declared that the Motion was lost by 42 votes to 14 and it was

RESOLVED:

That no action be taken.