Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Cummins.

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.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 January be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Planning and Economic Development Director

Further to Minute No 131 of the Cabinet Member - Technical Services meeting held on 10 February 2010, the Cabinet Member considered the report of the Planning and Economic Development Director on the Economic Strategy for Rural Merseyside and Action Plan – Phase 2, indicating that a decision on the matter was required in order to comply with the standard portfolio reporting procedures.

The report indicated that whilst the vast majority of the £3.9 billion available from the Rural Development Programme for England was earmarked for agri-environment and other land management schemes in rural areas, some £2.2 million was available for the Merseyside sub-region; that a study had been undertaken by specialist consultants – ‘Rural Innovation’ and the next steps required for the development of an Action Plan, which would attract funding from a number of sources including the Regional Development Agency and European Regeneration Development Fund; and that the Action Plan would support the preparation of master bids to draw down the funding if approved.

RESOLVED:

That the report, and the fact that further update reports would be submitted, as necessary, be noted.

Joint report of the Planning and Economic Development Director and the Leisure and Tourism Director

Further to Minute No 180 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member - Technical Services held on the 10 February 2010, the Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Planning and Economic Development Director and the Leisure and Tourism Director on ‘Shop Sefton 2010’ – Supporting Our Town Centres, seeking approval to enter into a partnership agreement with Liverpool Biennial in order to deliver a range of activities within Sefton’s town centres that would help to enhance their viability and vitality, and indicating that a decision on the matter was required to comply with standard portfolio reporting procedures.

The report indicated that whilst officers had met with different owners of empty shops throughout the borough in order to use premises for a range of activities, including art work shops, window dressing, business advice etc, in order to create greater foot fall and raise the profile of centres, due to rent and other overheads the remaining Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) grant of £48,131 would not sufficiently cover all costs for such purposes.  Officers had explored alternatives and recommended that a partnership with Liverpool Biennial be established to deliver a range of activities in retail centres across the Borough.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the report, and the fact that further progress reports would be submitted, as necessary, be noted by the Cabinet Member; and

Cabinet be recommended to:

(1)               note and endorse the bid submitted to the Arts Council, England;

(2)               subject to securing Arts Council grant funding – as outlined in paragraph 7.2 of the report, agree that Sefton Council enter into a Partnership Agreement with Liverpool Biennial as outlined in paragraph 8.0 of the report;

(3)               note that the indicative delivery timetable is subject to change, as outlined in paragraph 6.0 of the report; and

(4)               give authority to the Legal Director to execute the partnership agreement.

Joint report of the Leisure and Tourism Director and the Acting Finance and Information Services Director

The Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Acting Finance and Information Services Director and the Leisure and Tourism Director seeking approval for the awarding of a discretionary rate relief (DDR) to Sefton Sports clubs in 2010-2015 and indicating that a decision on the matter was required under the Local Government Act Section 47 and 48.

The report indicated that the key principle of the DRR policy was to reward those sports clubs with a percentage discount based on the impact it had within its community, particularly in the context of ‘open access’ and alignment to good sports development practices; that 23 clubs had applied for DRR; and that based on those clubs that met the criteria, it was estimated that the cost to Sefton Council would be £12,926.17.

A copy of the criteria which the clubs were invited to meet and full details of what each club had been recommended to receive by the assessment panel were attached as annexes to the report.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed levels of DRR to the borough’s sports clubs as presented by the Sefton Sports Council Assessment Panel, and as set out in Annex B, be approved.

Joint report of the Acting Finance and Information Services Director and the Leisure and Tourism Director

Further to Minute No. 67 of the meeting held on 2 December 2009, the Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Leisure and Tourism Director and the Acting Finance and Information Services Director giving details of the quarterly forecast position, based on information as at 31 December 2009, in relation to the Portfolio’s 2009/10 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme.

RESOLVED:

That the expenditure/income levels on the Leisure Services Department’s revenue budgets that were subject to risk-based monitoring be noted.

Report of the Leisure and Tourism Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Leisure and Tourism Director proposing that the fees and charges in 2010/11 for a range of services delivered by the Leisure Services Department, be either frozen at the 2008/09 level or reduced to stimulate increased usage.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet be recommended to approve the fees and charges for 2010/11 attached at Annex A be accepted.

Joint report of the Leisure and Tourism Director and the Acting Finance and Information Services Director

Further to Minute No. 68 of 2 December 2009, the Cabinet Member considered the joint report of the Head of Tourism and the Acting Finance and Information Services Director, giving details of the quarterly forecast position, based on information as at 31 December 2009 in relation to the Tourism Department’s 2009/10 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme.

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 expenditure/income levels on the Tourism Department’s revenue budgets that were subject to risk-based monitoring be noted;

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

(3)               the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) be recommended to note the contents ofthe report and indicate whether any comments about the overall performance of this Portfolio’s revenue budget should be referred to Cabinet.