Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

No declarations of interest were made.

The Chair made no announcements.

The minutes of the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held on 13 December 2016 have been circulated and the Committee will be asked to confirm them as a correct record.

AGREED:

that the minutes of the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held 13 December 2016 be confirmed as a correct record.

Councillor Porter entered the meeting during Item 9, Questions for the City Mayor, and requested an amendment to the above minutes.  The Chair stated that although the minutes had been agreed, an amendment could be made as follows:

Minute item 57: The Police and Crime Commissioner

To add the following text to the minute:

Councillor Porter asked a question about the decriminalisation of drugs and Lord Bach responded that he thought the possession of cannabis was now effectively decriminalised.

The Chair updated Members on progress on the actions agreed at the previous meeting of the Overview Select Committee. Updates included the following:

·      For the Chair to write to the Police and Crime Commissioner setting out the views of the Committee on his policing plan proposals – this had been actioned.

·      For the City Mayor to talk to the Assistant City Mayor for Jobs and Skills about the Council’s procurement process – The Chair believed that the City Mayor’s office would facilitate this.

·      For the City Mayor’s Office to ask for mobile CCTV Pod Cameras to be included in the general review of the City’s CCTV Cameras – the City Mayor confirmed that these would be included in that review.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any questions, representations or statements of case received.   

The Monitoring Officer reported that no Questions, Representations or Statements of Case had been received.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any petitions received.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no petitions had been received.

The Monitoring Officer submits a report that updates Members on the monitoring of outstanding petitions. The Committee is asked to note the current outstanding petitions and agree to remove those petitions marked ‘Petitions Process Complete’ from the report.

Members were asked to consider the Tracking of Petitions Monitoring Report and agree to remove those petitions marked ‘Petitions Process Complete from the report.

Members noted the current position and Councillor Dempster thanked officers from Transport and Highways for the progress they had made on the petitions that had been submitted to their department.

AGREED:

1)    that the report be noted; and

2)    that those petitions marked ‘Petitions Process Complete’ namely 11/07/2016, 13/08/2016, 16/09/2016, 03/10/2016, 03/10/2016, 17/11/2016 and 22/09/2016 be removed from the Monitoring Report.

The City Mayor will answer questions raised by members of the Overview Select Committee on issues not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

Members of the Committee were invited to raise questions for the City Mayor:

Rutland Street / Granby Street Junction

Councillor Newcombe said that he had expressed concerns at the previous meeting of the Committee about road safety at the Rutland Street / Granby Street junction.  He asked for an update on the issue.

The City Mayor responded that some Give Way markings had been put on the street which appeared to be effective. The initial response was therefore positive, but the situation would be kept under review and further signage would be added if necessary.

Sports Services Review

Councillor Newcombe stated that he had previously asked for updates on the review of the Sports Services and he questioned the current position. The City Mayor said that the review was underway and officers were looking at the underlying costs and usage figures of the sports centres. The City Mayor hoped that the findings of the review would be published within the next few months.

Leicester Market

Councillor Newcombe asked how the market development was progressing and what action was being taken to address the issue of empty stalls in the market.

The City Mayor responded that there were arrangements in place to enable discussions with market traders about future developments. He suggested that the Chairs of the appropriate Scrutiny Commissions might wish to meet with him and the Assistant Mayors to discuss the market proposals.   Councillor Newcombe asked to be kept informed on the market developments.

Councillor Khote, Chair of the Economic Development, Transport and Tourism Scrutiny Commission said that in respect of the number of empty market stalls, a recommendation had been made for stalls to be rented out on a daily basis.

Admission Policy at Beauchamp College

Councillor Grant said that he had earlier that day written to the Secretary of State at the Department of Education about the admissions process at Beauchamp College. He understood that they were breaking the national admissions code by requesting parents to provide certain information and operating selectively. Children from Leicester schools attended Beauchamp College and he requested that officers in Children’s Services inform parents of the situation. Councillor Grant added that the Lionheart Trust, of which Beauchamp College was a part, was looking to operate in Leicester City.

The City Mayor said he was grateful to Councillor Grant for the information. He needed to make some enquiries to look into this further, but would be very concerned if this was happening. He was aware that the Lionheart Trust was looking to expand its operation in the City and there was a need for a good understanding of their intentions and how they managed their admissions procedure. He would ask officers to look into this and feedback to Councillor Grant.

Knighton Library

Councillor Grant asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80.

Members will be asked to comment on the draft General Fund Revenue Budget 2017/18 to 2019/20, which will be considered at the meeting of Council on 22 February.

The draft budget has been considered by the different Scrutiny Commissions and draft minute extracts of their discussions are either attached or will be circulated separately.  Because of the timetable of Scrutiny Commission meetings, some minute extracts will not become available until after the agenda is published.

Additional Information

Minute extracts relating to the consideration of the following Scrutiny Commissions are now attached:

Adult Social Care Scrutiny Commission

Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Commission

Neighbourhood Services and Community Involvement Scrutiny Commission

Further additional Information

The minute extract from the meeting of the Children, Young People and Schools Scrutiny Commission held 31 January 2017 is now attached.

Members were asked to comment on the draft General Fund Revenue budget 2017/18 to 2019/20 prior to its consideration at the meeting of the Council on 22 February 2017.

The Chair commented on the seriousness of the situation following the cuts in the Government’s Revenue Support Grant to Local Authorities. He said that it was fortunate that the Council had embarked early on a strategy of managed reserves to help with the budgetary situation, but these were now being drawn upon and it was forecast that they would be used up before 2020.  The budget report gave details of all of the different service areas and each Scrutiny Commission had been given the opportunity to consider and comment.

Draft budget minute extracts from a number of different Scrutiny Commissions had been circulated and Members were invited to add any further comments to those in the minutes of their meetings.

Councillor Cleaver, Chair of the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Commission asked the City Mayor about the Better Care Fund. Concerns were expressed that this was said by the Government to be extra money given to the Local Authorities, but this had previously not been the case. Councillor Cleaver added that the Council had experienced delays in receiving the money and asked if any action could be taken to improve the situation. The City Mayor agreed that the fund had not provided new money and only provided a small portion of what was required to meet demand. The Director of Finance added that the Council had lost money from the New Homes Bonus and gained some through the New Social Care Grant but overall the total loss and gain in unitary authorities such as Leicester, in balance remained about equal in 2017/18. 

Councillor Cleaver asked that the Council lobbied the Government further on funding for adult social care. The City Mayor agreed and stated that they would add their voice to the voices of the Local Government Association and Councils of all political parties because the financial burden on providing Adult Social Care was such that other services were being put in jeopardy.

Councillor Dempster, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Commission commented that it was recognised that the budget had to be managed in a different way because of the reduction in the Government’s Revenue Support Grant. Timeliness was important to enable meaningful scrutiny to take place and she requested earlier work in future between the Executive and Scrutiny.

Councillor Dempster made reference to the Council’s reserves and stated that she hoped that the Council would be cautious and only use them where no other option was available. The City Mayor confirmed the need for caution and added that the budget was now amended throughout the year (rather than just once a year) and the review process needed to be transparent. Scrutiny did therefore need to be aware of what was happening, so subject to checking with Members of the Executive, he intended to make a pro-forma based document available  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

The Chair announced that under Scrutiny Procedure Rule 4E Rule 14, he had agreed to accept the following item on the Call-in of the decision on Transforming Neighbourhood Services (North East Area) on the grounds that it needed to be referred to a relevant Scrutiny Commission prior to its consideration at Council which was due to meet on 22 February 2017.

The Monitoring Officer submits a report that explains that an Executive Decision taken by the Assistant Mayor, Neighbourhood Services relating to Transforming Neighbourhood Services – North East Area has been subject to a five Member call-in  The Overview Select Committee is recommended to either:

A)   Note the report – which has the effect of rolling the call-in forward to Council without comment. 

B)   Comment on the specific issues raised by the call-in, for forwarding to the next meeting of Council

C)   Resolve that the call-in be withdrawn

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report relating to the Call-In of Executive Decision: Transforming Neighbourhood Services, North East Area. The Committee were recommended to:

a)    Note the report, which would have the effect of rolling the call-in forward to Council without comment; or

b)    Comment on the specific issues raised by the call-in for forwarding to the next meeting of Council; or

c)     Resolve that the call-in be withdrawn.

The Chair invited Councillor Willmott to address the Committee. Points made by Councillor Willmott included the following:

·       The constituents and fellow Councillors felt strongly about the decision taken on the Rushey Mead Library and the Rushey Mead Recreation Centre under the Transforming Neighbourhood Services (TNS) programme.

·       Moving the library into the Recreation Centre would lead to the loss of a well- used facility and would only achieve a very small saving.

·       Both buildings were small. 

·       Local people had not been listened to and other options had not been explored. 

·       Last year, the library had 27000 users and the centre had 24000 users; however if the number of users decreased, the Council would lose income. It would not be possible for example to have a keep fit class next to a room where children were doing their homework.

·       A petition had been raised against the decision which now had 4000 signatures.

·       There were alternative options; for example to re–model the library so that the centre and library were on one site. The centre could then be sold, thereby raising £125k. Additional funding would still be needed, but the Council had recently committed £400K for works to the Pork Pie Library. Other options included a Community Asset Transfer or using £14k from another budget to keep the library open.

Councillor Willmott concluded by asking the Committee to review the decision.

The Chair invited local residents Jo Popat and Dixit Chauhan to address the Committee and points raised included the following:

·       The community felt very strongly about the decision concerning the library and the Recreation Centre.

·       People did not feel the consultation had been adequate or sufficiently robust and they felt they had not been consulted on the impact. People did not understand what options were available.

·       People believed that the decision had already been made regardless of the outcome of the consultation.

·       The benefits would be outweighed by the negative impact.

·       The users of the Recreation Centre included the elderly, the vulnerable and the disabled; they were unable to defend themselves.  The Government stated that there should be a focus on mental health, so services such as these should not be closed.

·       The saving of just £5k was ludicrous.

·       The facilities represented the heart of the community.

Councillor Kirk Master, Assistant City Mayor for Neighbourhood Services then responded to the concerns expressed; his points included the following:

·       He had met with some of the campaigners earlier that afternoon and heard concerns that residents had not been part of the consultation. However dates of meetings and focus groups had been produced which demonstrated extensive  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.

The Director of Finance submits a report that proposes a strategy for managing the Council’s borrowing and cash balances during 2017/18. The Overview Select Committee is asked to comment as it wishes.

The Director of Finance submitted a report which proposed a strategy for managing the Council’s borrowing and cash balances during 2017/18. The Overview Select Committee was asked to comment on the report prior to its consideration at Council on 22 February 2017.

Members considered the report and the Chair questioned whether other Local Authorities had adopted a similar strategy. The Director of Finance responded that generally most other Local Authorities had adopted a similar approach with being very risk aware and risk averse when looking at investments and cash balances.  Returns received were relatively low but investments were safe and secure.

The Director referred to the report on Investment Opportunities, which was the next item on the agenda, and said that base rates were at an all-time low and Leicester like other Local Authorities were looking at how cash could be used to stimulate the economy instead of sitting in a bank account and bringing in a very low return. Instead investment funds could be used to buy assets, such as empty shops, offices or factories which would be put onto the market for rent to bring them back into use. This provided a welcome revenue income stream and also brought in income from business rates. Numerous other  Local Authorities were doing this at the moment to develop their city centres in preparation for Business Rates Retention. This strategy had been used successfully in Leicester before with Hastings Direct. Investment for refurbishment had led to growth and had created jobs. The Director added that the Council took a serious approach to risk. The City Mayor commented that historically, Leicester City Council had been active in using investments in similar ways to add income to the revenue budget.

Councillor Grant commented that he recognised that the strategy could be valuable but also carried an element of risk and questioned whether independent advice was sought from commercial experts. The Director confirmed that In the Council consulted relevant expert advisors as part of the process. Managing risk was the fundamental concern whilst also trying to obtain a good return on the asset and make it work for the City.

AGREED:

that the Overview Select Committee endorse the Treasury Strategy 2017/18.

The Director of Finance submits a report that proposes new ways to invest in local property based projects.  The Overview Select Committee is asked to comment as it wishes.

The Director of Finance submitted a report that proposed new ways to invest in local property based projects. 

Members considered this report alongside the previous report on the Treasury Strategy.  Members agreed to note the report.

AGREED:

                   that the report on Investment Opportunities be noted.

Scrutiny Commission Chairs will be invited to update the Committee on the work currently being undertaken by their Commissions.

The City Mayor referred to the plans for the Haymarket Theatre and suggested that while there were aspects of the business plan that needed to be kept private for the time being, the Overview Select Committee and the relevant Scrutiny Commission might wish to learn more about the proposals and hear from the promoters at an informal private briefing.  The proposals could then be considered at Scrutiny.  Councillor Khote stated that she had asked for that report to be brought to the Economic Development, Transport and Tourism Scrutiny Commission. 

Councillor Cleaver, Chair of the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Commission thanked the City Mayor for coming to hear the Rap song at the recent meeting of the Commission. The theme of the rap was about raising awareness of autism. Councillor Cleaver also thanked Dan Martin from the Leicester Mercury for the part he had played in raising awareness of the condition.

A work programme for the Overview Select Committee is attached.  The Committee is asked to consider this and make comments and/or amendments as it considers necessary.

There was no discussion on the Overview Select Committee Work Programme.

Members are asked to consider and comment on the Corporate Plan of Key Decisions.

Members were asked to note and comment on the Plan of Key Decisions.

AGREED:

                   that the Plan of Key Decisions be noted.

The meeting closed at 8.11 pm.