Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Aqbany, Cooke, Kitterick and Wann.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

Members were asked to declare any interests they may have in the business on the agenda and/or declare that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applied to them. No such declarations were made.

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 April 2009, have been circulated to Members and the Cabinet is asked to approve them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the meeting of Cabinet, held on 20 April 2009, be confirmed as a correct record.

Councillor Dempster submits a report that informs Cabinet of the work undertaken to date on the Sure Start Capital Strategy 2008-2011 and proposes how these funds might best be deployed to meet the government requirements and contribute to the ‘one Leicester‘ Vision.  Cabinet is asked to approve the recommendations as set out in Paragraph 3 of the report.

A minute extract from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, to be held on 7 May 2009, will be circulated as soon as it is available.

Councillor Dempster submitted a report that informed Cabinet of the work undertaken to date on the Sure Start Capital Strategy 2008-2011 and proposed how these funds might best be deployed to meet the government requirements and contribute to the ‘One Leicester’ vision.

It was noted that this presented good news for all young children in the City, as they would have a centre within a reasonable distance. The comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board were noted.

RESOLVED:

                        that Cabinet:

1)     approves the Sure Start Early Years Quality and Access Grant Priorities as detailed in the main report and approves the application of the £2.927m early years and sustainability grant funding in block C of the Children & Young People’s Services (CYPS) capital programme;

2)     approves the process for assessing the grant applications by the Sure Start Grants Panel  and delegates authority to the Corporate/Strategic Director in consultation with the Lead Member and Service Director, A.I.P. for individual awards;

3)     approves the location of the Phase Three Children Centres and approves the application of the £1.738, Children Centres phase three funding in block C of the CYPS capital programme;

4)     receives a further report to agree the sites for the phase three centres;

5)     delegates authority to the Corporate/Strategic Director in consultation with the Lead Member and Service Director A.I.P. for virement between the Early Years Quality Improvement strand and Children Centre strand if required.

Councillor Connelly submits a report which enables Cabinet to approve the burial land extension scheme of £420,000 included in the 2009/10 Capital programme approved in March 2009.  Cabinet is recommended to approve the burial land extension scheme and request a further report setting out the longer term strategic requirements for the provision of land for burials and cremations in the future.

Councillor Connelly submitted a report that enabled Cabinet to approve the burial land extension scheme of £420,000 included in the 2009/10 Capital Programme approved in March 2009.

Councillor Connelly stated that there was a longer-term issue with burial site provision, and a report would be submitted to a future meeting of Cabinet. He also stated that he was pleased that the additional revenue costs of the extended burial site had been absorbed within the current budget allocation.

RESOLVED:

                        that Cabinet:

1)     approves the burial land extension scheme of £420,000 at Gilroes  Cemetery which was included in the 2009/10 capital programme as a scheme approved by the Council but requiring Cabinet approval;

2)     requests a further report setting out the longer term strategic requirements for the provision of land for burials and cremations in the future.

Councillor Cooke submits a report that describes the proposed use of the provisional capital allocation to Elderly Persons Homes in the 2009/10 budgets.  Cabinet is recommended to agree the capital allocation as detailed in the report, note the required standards of regulated provision and note the importance of maintaining these for the benefit of residents.

A minute extract from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, to be held on 7 May 2009, will be circulated as soon as it is available.

Councillor Willmott, in Councillor Cooke’s absence, submitted a report that described the proposed use of the provisional capital allocation to Elderly Persons’ Homes in the 2009/10 budgets.

The comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board were noted.

RESOLVED:

                        that Cabinet:

1)     notes the required standards for regulated provision and the importance of maintaining these for the benefit of residents;

2)     agrees the capital allocation for 2009/10 of £58,000 as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

Councillor Aqbany submits a report which provides an update on the tenants’ and leaseholders’ involvement and consultation activities and the resulting outcomes in terms of service improvements.  Cabinet is asked to approve the recommendations as set out in Paragraph 3 of the report.

A minute extract from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, to be held on 7 May 2009, will be circulated as soon as it is available.

Councillor Willmott, in Councillor Aqbany’s absence, submitted a report that provided an update on tenants’ and leaseholders’ involvement and consultation activities and the resulting outcomes in terms of service improvements.

The comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board were noted. It was also noted that there would be a new way of the tenants’ and leaseholders’ consultations working with Community Meetings, and that significant sums of money would be available for the local community to administer. Councillor Draycott stated that, following Cabinet approval, guidance would be circulated to Councillors and officers, and she hoped that good working relationships would develop through the process.

RESOLVED:

                        that Cabinet:

1)     notes the outcomes achieved through the new involvement and consultation structure agreed by Cabinet in January 2008;

2)     agrees the new flexible funding arrangements for Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations’ activities;

3)     agrees the proposed consultation mechanisms for the Environmental Works element and CRI funding of the Housing Capital Programme.

Councillor Osman submits a report which updates Cabinet on the work that has been undertaken across the organisation following the 1st October 2008 Black Workers Group Report on Workforce Representation and presents the Reach Higher Programme.  Cabinet is recommended to note the work that has taken place to progress BME workforce representation and endorse the Reach Higher Programme and the proposals for its implementation.

A minute extract from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, to be held on 7 May 2009, will be circulated as soon as it is available.

Councillor Osman submitted a report that updated Cabinet on the work that had been undertaken across the organisation following the 1 October 2008 Black Workers Group on Workforce Representation and presented the Reach Higher Programme.

The comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board were noted, and their request to receive six-monthly update reports was welcomed.

RESOLVED:

that Cabinet notes the report and progress made on workforce representation and the Reach Higher Programme.

Councillor Dempster submits a report which summarises conclusions drawn from the options review process of Riveside Business and Enterprise College and recommends an immediate course of action to address this situation.  Cabinet is asked to agree the recommendations set out in paragraph 3.2 of the report.

A minute extract from the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, to be held on 7 May 2009, will be circulated as soon as it is available.

Councillor Dempster submitted a report that summarised conclusions drawn from the options review of Riverside Business and Enterprise College and an immediate recommended course of action to address this situation.

Councillor Dempster stated that six options and suggestions from the governing body, staff and unions had all been considered. However, taking into consideration parental preference, the falling admission numbers, demographic projections, the educational and social outcomes for the students, and the amount of resources that would be required in future years, to the detriment of other schools, the last resort option to consult on closure was being recommended. She drew Members’ attention to the representations made and responses to these at the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

Councillor Dempster stated that Cabinet recognised the dedication and commitment of the staff at the school, and she thanked the staff and governing body for their work. She stated, in response to concerns from parents, that initial notification letters had been sent out through pupil post, and that, when it was brought to officers’ attention that not all letters had been received by parents, a further letter was sent by Royal Mail. All future letters to school parents regarding consultation would be sent by Royal Mail.

Councillor Mugglestone stated that closure should be a last option, and he felt that not all options had been exhausted, such as academy status. He also stated that a school was the heart of the community and that standards at Riverside had improved, so time was needed to increase confidence in the school. He drew comparison with New College, which had been turned around in the last few years.

Councillor Coley stated that he recognised the reasons behind the recommendation, but felt that there had not been debate on the options or how to increase intake at the schools. He stated that there would be no negative cost impact for the next year and felt that the school needed time to improve its profile. He mentioned new housing developments in the vicinity, which would impact on the admission numbers. He also suggested that a 14-19 school or an academy would be more desirable than closure. He felt that, if all city parents sent their children to city schools, there would be insufficient capacity, and this could be an issue as city schools improved.

Councillor Willmott thanked the Opposition Group Leaders for their comments. He stated that full discussion had taken place, and that a decision was required based on the facts in the report. He emphasized that closure was the last option and its recommendation had not been taken lightly.  The Council’s commitment to the school had been demonstrated by the high staff/student ratio and the large financial investment in the school.

In response to the Opposition Group Leaders’ comments regarding 14-19 schools, Councillor Dempster stated that the County Council had identified that this system did not work very well. It had also been identified that the academy option would also not be possible.

Councillor Osman pointed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 284.

The meeting closed at 1.46pm.