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.

Minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2010

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2010, be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director updating on the change of title of the Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO’s) issued for Bedford Road/Queens Road Phase 3 and Klondyke Phase 1B as part of the Housing Market Renewal Programme.

The report indicated that because the Cabinet approval to issue the CPO’s was in 2009 and the date of issue of the order was in 2010 the formal name which the CPO’s would be known by had now changed to the following:

·                 The Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (Bedford Road/Queens Road, Bootle, Phase 3) Compulsory Purchase Order 2010; and

·                 The Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (Klondyke, Bootle, Phase 1B) Compulsory Purchase Order 2010.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet be recommended to note the report detailing changes to the titles of the Compulsory Purchase Orders.

Report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director seeking approval to the new ‘Enforced Sales’ Procedure, and in particular to utilise this procedure in respect of a long-term empty property at 24 Lander Road, Litherland.

The report indicated that Enforced Sales was a new practice for Sefton, though it had been used by a number of Councils across the country; that it was a procedure primarily designed to enable Councils to recover outstanding debts, created by certain enforcement actions that resulted in land charges against a property; and that it also provided a method for getting long-term problematic empty properties back into use.

The report also indicated that a new Standard Operating Procedure had been produced which provided a complete description of the process and roles involved.  Given that this was a new procedure, officers were to bring this to the attention of Cabinet for approval, and to avoid any future challenges from property owners on the basis that the Council had not fully considered and approved it’s policy and procedures in respect of Enforced Sales.

A copy of the Standard Operating Procedure was attached as an appendix to the report.

The report concluded by detailing problems experienced by the property 24 Lander Road, Litherland, which had been vacant since 1981; and indicated that considering the length of time the property had been vacant and its condition, Enforced Sale was considered the most appropriate course of action to take.

RESOLVED:            That Cabinet be recommended to:

(1)            approve the use of Enforced Sale powers and the Policy and Procedures as set out in the Guide attached to the report;

(2)            request the Council to amend the Constitution so that the Cabinet Member - Regeneration had delegated powers to authorise the use of the Enforced Sales Procedure; and

(3)            approve the use of the Enforced Sales Procedure in respect of the property at 24 Lander Road, Litherland.

Report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director seeking authority to:

(i)            dispose of part of the former Peoples Showroom site to the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance, to develop a new place of worship and community facility; and

(ii)        use Housing Market Renewal funding to make a grant to the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance towards the community and landscape elements of the building.

RESOLVED:            That the Cabinet be recommended to:

(1)            approve the granting of a two year Development Lease to the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance (referred to in the report as ‘the Church’) for the former Peoples Showroom building, so that the building can be refurbished to use as a place of worship and community facility;

(2)            delegate authority to the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director to agree the terms for the long-term disposal of the site to the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance, upon successful completion of the works under the Development Lease; and

(3)            approve the contribution of £200,000 from the Housing Market Renewal Programme 2010/11 to the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance towards the cost of refurbishing the building for community use and associated landscaping, subject to a legal obligation on the church to provide the agreed level of funding for the project.

To consider passing the following resolution:

That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.  The Public Interest Test has been applied and favours exclusion of the information from the Press and Public.

RESOLVED:

That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.  The Public Interest Test has been applied and favours exclusion of the information from the Press and Public.

Report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director advising of the provisional out-turn of the South Sefton Housing Market Renewal Programme for 2009-2010 and seeking approval to the 2010-2011 programme and the Council contribution towards this.

RESOLVED:            That

(1)            Cabinet be recommended to:

(i)         note the provisional expenditure and outputs achieved by the Housing Market Renewal programme during 2009-2010;

(ii)        note the HMRI allocation for 2010-11 of £9.350 million;

(iii)       note the required level of Council contribution of £2.6 million;

(iv)            subject to (iii) above, approve the Housing Market Renewal Programme for 2010-11; and

(v)            delegate the completion of the Deed of Variation in respect to the HCA Funding for 2010-11 to the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director in consultation with the Head of Corporate Legal Services; and

(2)       the Neighbourhoods and Investment Programmes Director and his Housing Market Renewal Team be thanked for their sterling efforts in managing the Housing Market Renewal Programme in 2009-10.