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 17 February 2010, be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Planning and Economic Development Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of Planning and Economic Development Director that: informed of the contracts awarded to Sefton Council under the Stepclever Delivery Plan 2010-12; sought approval for a recruitment process for filling new posts that maximised redeployment and minimised recruitment; and approval for a revised structure and establishment for the Economic Regeneration Division of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Department.

Attached to the report were four annexes that detailed the: Enterprise Gateway current staffing; Build Sefton current staffing; Step Up to Supply (Buy Side) Project current staffing; and Enterprise Gateway proposed staffing and context diagram.

This was a key decision and was included on the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the Enterprise Gateway posts, as detailed within the report, be established;

(2)      the organisation chart as detailed in annexe four be approved; and

(3)      the maximum use of redeployment procedures to fill vacancies within the new structure be approved, with market recruitment a last resort and requiring the permission of the Vacancy Panel.

Joint Report of the Planning and Economic Development Director and the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director

The Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Planning and Economic Development Director and the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director that explained the requirement on the local authority to secure additional pitch provision for gypsies and travellers; sought approval for the methodology for site appraisal and selection; explained the process and likely timescale for site appraisal and submission of an application for gypsy and traveller site grant; and sought delegated authority for the relevant Directors to make and submit an application for site grant should a suitable site (or sites) be identified, subject to subsequent endorsement by Cabinet.

The Cabinet Member and Party Spokespersons asked a variety of questions and had a detailed discussion regarding the provision of additional pitch provision for Gypsies and Travellers in Sefton, which were answered by Officers.

Attached as an annexe to the report was a Scoring Framework / Methodology for the appraisal and selection of potential Gypsy and Traveller sites in Sefton.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the report and the need to secure additional pitch provision (transit and permanent) for Gypsies and Travellers be noted;

(2)      the Cabinet be recommended to approve the methodology for site appraisal and selection as detailed within the report and its annexe;

(3)      the Cabinet be recommended to authorise the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director, in consultation with the Planning and Economic Development Director, to make minor changes to the scoring framework if early consultations with key partners/stakeholders show that this is necessary; and

(4)      the Planning and Economic Development Director and the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director be requested to draft a further report regarding potential sites.

Report of the Planning and Economic Development Director

Further to Minute No.188 of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 10 March 2010, the Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Development Director of the findings of the draft Informed Assessment of the Economic Viability of Affordable Housing in Sefton Study and the intention to carry out a formal public and stakeholder consultation on the study.

RESOLVED:

That the informed Assessment of the Economic Viability of Affordable Housing in Sefton Study – Consultation Draft report be noted

Report of the Planning and Economic Development Director

Further to Minute No.187 of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 10 March 2010, the Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Development Director that reported the key findings of the Joint Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Study 2008, which was one of a number of key evidence gathering studies that had been undertaken to inform the Core Strategy process and to guide advice and decisions on individual housing proposals and planning applications.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the key findings of the Joint Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Study for Sefton be noted;

(2)      subject to (3) below, the the key findings of the study to inform the emerging Core Strategy process be adopted and used to inform advice and decisions in relation to individual pre application proposals and planning applications which raise housing issues; and

(3)      the Cabinet be recommended to endorse the key findings of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Study to inform the emerging Core Strategy process.

Report of the Neighbourhood and Investment Programmes Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director that provided monitoring information on housing issues, as contained in the ‘Local Resilience Action Plan, Responding to the Recession’.

RESOLVED:

That the Local Resilience Action Plan Monitoring report be noted.