The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment which sought approval for officers to make an order as required by Government to confirm that the Sefton Council Permit Scheme is fully compliant with the revised statutory regulations and guidance.
Decision Made:
That:
(1) the Head of Regulation and Compliance be granted authority to make an order to the effect that the Sefton Council Permit Scheme was compliant with the Government’s revised statutory regulations and guidance;
(2) authority be delegated to the Head of Regeneration and Housing to make any further necessary revisions to the scheme and report to Cabinet Member – Locality Services as appropriate; and
(3) it be noted that the proposal was a Key Decision but had not been included in the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions. Consequently, the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Skills) had been consulted under Rule 27 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by the Cabinet as a matter of urgency on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan because the Council is required to make an order confirming that the Sefton Council Permit Scheme complies with revised statutory guidance (not yet published) no later than 1st September 2015.
Reasons for Decision:
The Government required that each authority operating a permit scheme ‘makes an order’ to confirm their scheme complies with revised statutory guidance.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
None. The permit scheme would become illegal should the Council not proceed with the order