Agenda and minutes

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 to be discussed and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applied to them.

There were no declarations.

The Leader asked Councillor Osman to explain the Council’s recent success in being selected as one of the Authorities out of 75 that applied for the Government’s Pathfinder scheme. The Council had been awarded £285,000 for additional work on community cohesion with voluntary sector groups.

Councillor Willmott extended congratulations to all those involved in securing this award.

The Minutes  of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 27 January 2003, have been circulated to Members and the Cabinet is asked to approve them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

that the minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2003, having been circulated to Members, be taken as read and signed by the Chair as a correct record subject to Minute 160 being amended to show that it was Councillor Draycott who responded to the Revitalising Neighbourhoods item raised by the Finance, Resources and Equal Opportunities Scrutiny Committee.

There were no matters referred from Scrutiny.

Councillor Draycott submits a report requesting Cabinet approval of the Supporting People Interim Contract Arrangements and the related authority for signing such contracts. The Cabinet is asked to approve the Supporting People Interim Contract arrangements, waive contract procedure rules 5,6,8.2, 10 and 11.5 as detailed in Appendix A of the report, approve the relevant authorisation to the Corporate Director of Housing as detailed in Appendix 3.(a) in the report and recommend to Council that an addition be made to the Cabinet Portfolio for Social Care and Health.

Councillor Draycott submitted a report requesting the Cabinet’s approval of the ‘Supporting People’ Interim Contract Arrangements and the related authority for signing such contracts. It was noted that the ‘Supporting People Grant’ created the need to contract with a number of providers for the provision of housing related support services which were currently funded from various sources. It was hoped the government would provide a suitable level of funding to meet the needs of fulfilling the ‘Supporting People’ contract.

RESOLVED:

(1)that the ‘Supporting People’ Interim Contract arrangements be approved;

(2)that Contract Procedure rules 5, 6, 8.2, 10 & 11.5 be waived as described in Appendix A (2) of the report;

(3)that the Corporate Director of Housing be authorised to negotiate and let interim Contracts for the purposes of the “Supporting People” grant as detailed in Appendix A, 3. (a) of the report;

(4)that Council be recommended to add the following to the Cabinet Portfolio for Social Care & Health:

“12 to exercise the Council’s functions in relation to grants for welfare services.”

Councillor Getliffe submits a report informing the Cabinet of the impact of a proposed increase in the maximum charge for the Home Care Service. The Cabinet is asked to approve option 3 of the proposals contained within the Supporting Information which increases the maximum charge to 75% of the minimum charge for residential care which equates to a maximum weekly charge for Home Care of £175, note that only service users receiving more than 40 hours care per week and having disposable capital in excess of £19,500 would ever reach this threshold, and confirm that this maximum charge is made to all new service users assessed to pay it with effect from April 2003 and for existing service user after a notice period of six months.

Councillor Getliffe submitted a report informing the Cabinet of the impact of a proposed increase in the maximum charge for the Home Care Service. It was noted these represented an increase in charging; however there would be few people paying the maximum charge and the increased revenue would be able to continue to fund other services which would avoid service reductions.

RESOLVED:

(1)that option 3 of the proposals described in the Supporting Information of the report, be approved which would increase the maximum charge to 75% of the minimum charge for residential care which would equate to a new weekly maximum charge for Home Care of £175;

(2) that only service users receiving more that 40 hours care per week and having disposable (ie non-property) capital in excess of £19,500 would ever reach the maximum threshold;

(3)that the maximum charge be made to all new service users assessed to pay it with effect from April 2003, and for existing service users after a notice period of 6 months, from 1 October 2003.

Councillor Willmott submits a report presenting the outcome of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment and subsequent requirements. The Cabinet is asked to note the results of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, the proposed inspection programme and annual refreshment of scores, to approve the improvement plan, the Best Value Review Programme, the Scrutiny of progress of the improvement and to refer the report to the Finance, Resources and Equal Opportunities Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Willmott submitted a report presenting the outcome of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment and subsequent requirements and action plans arising from it.

Councillor Willmott noted this was a ‘signpost’ for work that the Council needed to undertake and confirmed the Council’s performance, strengths and weaknesses.

Councillor Draycott and Councillor Willmott thanked all those Officers and Councillors involved in assistance with the assessment that took place over two weeks in June 2002.

RESOLVED:

(1)that the results of the Corporate Performance Assessment, the proposed inspection programme and the annual refreshment of scores, be noted; and

(2)that the Improvement Plan, the Best Value Review Programme and the Scrutiny of progress of the Improvement be approved.

Councillor Holden submits a report seeking agreement to the arrangements for the selection of the preferred contractor for the Braunstone Leisure Centre and to authorise the project to proceed to the construction stage in accordance with the City Council’s Project Management Standards. The Cabinet is asked to authorise the Corporate Director of Cultural Services and Neighbourhood Renwal in consultation with the Cabinet Members Working Group, to approve the selection of the main contractor for the construction of the Braunstone Leisure Centre, approve the revised funding package, authorise the Corporate Director of Cultural Services and Neighbourhood Renewal to approve the date/arrangements for the selected contractor to take legal possession of the site, authorise the Head of Legal Services to enter into contracts for the main contractor and to secure funding and to approve progression to the Project Construction phase in accordance with the City Council’s Project Management Standards.

Councillor Holden submitted a report seeking the the Cabinet’s approval to the arrangements for the selection of the preferred contractor for the Braunstone Leisure Centre and to authorise the project to proceed to the construction stage in accordance with the City Council’s Project Management Standards.

Councillor Holden thanked the Braunstone Community Association, Sport England and Council Officers for their work in relation to the Leisure Centre.

Members of the Cabinet also agreed to a minor amendment to the text of recommendation a. of the report to read ‘economic and advantageous’ in order to more clearly reflect the need for issues of quality to be taken into account as well as cost, when considering awarding the contract.

RESOLVED:

(1)that the Corporate Director of Cultural Services and Neighbourhood Renewal, in consultation with the Cabinet Members’ Working Group, be authorised to approve the selection of the main contractor for the construction of the Braunstone Leisure Centre, on the basis of the most economic and advantageous tender, provided confirmation has been received form the Braunstone Community Association, Sport England and Sure Start with regard to their financial contribution to the project;

(2)that the revised funding package as outlined in the financial implications of the report, be approved;

(3)that the Corporate Director of Cultural Services and Neighbourhood Renewal be authorised to approve the date/ arrangements for the selected contractor to take legal possession of the site;

(4)that the Head of Legal Services be authorised to enter into contracts for the main contractor and to formalise the legal agreements to secure funding with the Braunstone Community Association, Sport England and Sure Start; and

(5)that the progression to the Project Construction phase in accordance with the City Council’s Project Management Standards, be approved.

Councillor Patel submits a report updating the Cabinet on the progress of the Capital Programme for 2002/03 up to the end of November 2002. The Cabinet is asked to note the projected outturn for 2002/03 of £65.937 million, note the expenditure at Period 8 of £30.653 million, approve a projected overspend of £78,000 in respect of repairs to the Canal Street bridge, note various additional funding and progress on specific schemes.

Councillor Patel submitted a report updating the Cabinet on the progress of the Capital Programme for 2002/03 up to the end of November 2002.

RESOLVED:

(1)that the projected outturn for 2002/03 of £65.937m, be noted;

(2)that the spend at Period 8 of £30.653 million, representing 46.5% of the revised forecast outturn for 2002/03, compared to 50% after the same period in 2001/02, be noted;

(3)that a projected overspend of £78,000 in respect of repairs to the Canal Street bridge, to be funded by savings of £19,000 elsewhere in he capital programme, and a transfer of resources from the Highways Maintenance scheme to cover the remaining £59,000 overspend, be approved;

(4)that additional funding, be noted as follows:-

i)£16,000 in respect of contaminated land investigations at Thurmaston Boulevard;

ii)a grant of £21,788 toward vehcle emissions road side testing;

iii)£19,406 for St George’s Public Realm improvements;

iv)£100,00 to tackle Small Retail Crime in Deprived Areas; and

(5)that progress on specific schemes be noted.

Councillor Patel submits a report showing a summary position which compares expenditure with the budget at the period 8 position. The Cabinet is asked to note the spend to date and the forecast outturn, note the action proposed as set out in the appendix the report to ensure that spending is contained within departmental budgets and to approve the budget virements detailed in the appendices attached to the report.

Councillor Patel submitted a report showing a summary position which compared expenditure with the previously agreed budget at the period 8 position.

RESOLVED:

(1)that the spend to date and the forecast outturn be noted;

(2)that the action proposed, as set out in the appendix to the report, to ensure that spending is contained within departmental budgets, be noted; and

(3)that the budget virements, as detailed in the appendices attached to the report, be approved.

At the 2002 Annual Council Meeting (Mayor Making), the date of the Annual General Meeting was fixed for 15 May 2003.

In order to allow sufficient time for the Political Group processes to take place after the City Council elections on 1 May 2003, and the associated appointments to be made at the Annual Council Meeting, it is proposed that the Annual Council Meeting (Mayor Making) be moved back a week to Thursday, 22 May 2003.

Being a new Council, there is also unlikely to be a significant amount of business to conduct at that time.  This will, in all probability, obviate the need for a further Council Meeting at the end of May 2003.

The Council’s Constitution [Part 4.A.1.(c)] provides that the Cabinet may change the date of the Annual Meeting within the limits of legislation (i.e. in election years, on the eighth day after the retirement of Councillors or on any other day within 21 days immediately following the retirement of Councillors as the Council may fix).

The Cabinet is asked to approve the amendment of the Annual Council meeting in May 2003 to 22 May 2003.

The Chair asked the Cabinet to agree to the moving of the Annual Council Meeting for May 2003 to allow for Political Group processes to take place after the City Council elections on 1 May 2003.

RESOLVED:

that the amendment of the Annual Council meeting in May 2003 to 22 May 2003, be approved.

The meeting closed at 5.22pm.