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.

No declarations of interest were received.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 18 November 2009 be confirmed as a correct record.

Joint report of the Finance and Information Services Director, the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director, and the Head of Technical Services.

The Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Finance and Information Services Director, the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director, and the Head of Technical Services, regarding the quarterly forecast position, based on information as at 30 September 2009, in relation to the Portfolio’s 2008/09 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme; and indicating that a decision on the matter was required to comply with the corporate performance management process.

The report also sought a view on whether any comments should be made to the Cabinet regarding the overall performance of the revenue budget and the schemes within the capital programme.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the progress of the Technical Services Portfolio’s revenue budgets that are subject to risk based monitoring be noted;

(2)               the progress made on the schemes within the portfolio’s elements of the Council’s Capital Programme be noted; and

(3)               the fact that the Council’s budget freeze (which has been in place for two financial years) was now impacting on service delivery be raised with Cabinet and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services).

Report of the Assistant Director Transportation and Development

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director seeking approval for the Legal Director, in conjunction with the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services, to make an application to the Magistrate’s Court for the stopping up of an un-named area of highway leading to Rafter Avenue and adjoining the property numbered 7 Rafter Avenue, Bootle, under Section 116 of the Highways Act 1980, following an application from One Vision Housing Association under Section 117 of the Act; and indicating that a decision on the matter was required to enable the area to be closed for use by the general public.

RESOLVED:

That the Legal Director, in conjunction with the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services, be authorised to request the Magistrate’s Court to stop-up the areas of highway as referred to above and as shown on the plan numbered DC0484 attached to the report, subject to the applicant bearing all costs associated with the application.

Report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director on the 2009/10 Local Transport Plan – Revised Transportation Capital Programme; seeking approval for revised funding allocations for individual schemes within the approved 2009/10 Local Transport Plan Transportation Capital Programme which, when amended would reflect the current financial and programme position for the 2009/10, and the Provisional 2010/11 Local Transport Plan Transportation Capital Programme in terms of the Integrated Transport and Highway structures programmes contained within it; and indicating that a decision on this matter was required as the detail and the funding profile of the programme had changed due to amendments in scheme cost estimates and project delivery timetables, and the Cabinet Member - Technical Services had the delegated powers to approve the programme of schemes within the Local Transport Plan Transportation Capital Programme.

The report indicated that the programme had been revised as Sefton Council had initially received funding from Transportation Capital Funding programme via the Council’s Single Funding Pot in November 2007, (£4,873,000) for the provision of Integrated Transport, Maintenance (Carriageways, Drainage, Bridges and Street Lighting) and Supplementary schemes for 2009/10; but that the Council had subsequently been awarded a number of grants from the Department of Transport including £793,000 for the maintenance on the detrunked A565; £89,000 for maintenance on the detrunked A570, and £69.100K to develop asset management capability for highway assets; and that latest cost estimates, provision for fees paid to Capita Symonds to carry out work within the partnership contract and fees relating to Client Services had also been taken into account.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the revised 2009/10 Local Transport Plan Transportation Capital Programme be approved;

(2)               the revised Provisional 2010/11 Local Transport Plan Transportation Capital Programme, in terms of the Integrated Transport and Highway Structures programmes contained within it, subject to approval of the 2010/11 Capital Programme by Cabinet, be approved; and

(3)               work to develop Sefton Council’s asset management capacity for its highway assets, subject to Cabinet approval for the inclusion of the Department for Transport funding into the 2009/10 Transportation Capital Programme, be approved.

Joint report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director and Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services and Deputy Chief Executive

Further to Minute No 87 of the meeting held on 18 November 2009, the Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services and the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director on potential funding for energy and efficiency and renewable energies in social and low income housing; and seeking approval to make a request to Cabinet for the approval of Sefton Council to take on the financial and legal responsibility of being an accountable body for a sub-regional project.

The report indicated, that in addition to the £7 billion made available by Central Government, the European Commission had agreed to devote £29 million of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme resources to domestic energy and renewable actions; that in response to Department for Communities and Local Government guidance issued in August 2009 which stated that measures should be directed at existing social housing, defined in Articles 68-70 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, and a call from the Regional Development Agency for a sub-regional bid to directly stimulate the market for low carbon and environmental technologies and renewable energies via their application within existing social and low income housing, five officers from five local authorities, plus Halton, representatives of local universities, RSLs and Utilities had submitted a proposal, to address five themes as follows:

(a)               Physical housing improvement works to reduce CO2 emissions;

(b)               Developing small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the local supply chain;

(c)               Growing the market for a low carbon economy through renewables and energy efficiency;

(d)               Evaluation and local learning; and

(e)               Engagement with private landlord sector to complement the work on a sub regional accreditations scheme.

The report also indicated that monies from the ERDF could be used for the administration of the bid; and that whilst taking on the accountable status would impose financial and legal responsibilities on the Local Authority, it would allow existing expertise and experience to be developed in this area.

The Assistant Director of Asset Management updated the committee and indicated that the bid had been successful in moving to the next stage; and that positive feedback on the bid had been given following a meeting with the North West Development Agency (NWDA).

A copy of the expression of interest was attached as an Annex to the report.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the report be noted;

(2)               Cabinet be requested to note the Expression of Interest submitted to North West Regional Authority; and

(3)               Cabinet be requested to support the principle of Sefton Council to be the accountable body for this sub-regional bid, subject to sufficient external funding being made available for the management of the project, and Cabinet approval.

Joint report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director and Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services and Deputy Chief Executive

The Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environmental Services and the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director on the potential funding opportunity for low carbon communities challenge 2010-2012 indicating that Central Government had made (£500,000) worth of resources available under the Low Carbon Communities Challenge Programme; that the Government were seeking to work with 20 ‘test beds’ communities to spur the development of broader plans for cutting carbon emissions in their area; that following discussions with Formby Parish Council agreement had been reached for the Parish Council to submit a bid to the Low Carbon Communities Challenge Programme; that  Formby Parish Council had requested assistance in the development and delivery of a successful bid for which the Parish Council would be the accountable body; and that, if successful, the project would require significant officer time input, for which Cabinet approval would be necessary.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the report be noted;

(2)               Cabinet be requested to approve that assistance from Sefton officers be given to Formby Parish Council in the development of the bid, and then, if successful, with the bid’s delivery; and

(3)               Cabinet be requested to approve the submission of further update reports as necessary.