Agenda and minutes

Cabinet - Tuesday 14 December 2010 2.00 pm

Venue: Warspite Room, Council House. View directions

Contact: Nicola Kirby, Senior Democratic Support Officer (Cabinet)  Email: nicola.kirby@plymouth.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

79.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cabinet Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.

Minutes:

In accordance with the code of conduct, Councillor Jordan declared a personal interest in minute 86, on the proposed transformation of Downham Special School and Woodlands Community School, as a member of the Tor Bridge Federation.

80.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 122 KB

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 November 2010.

Minutes:

Agreed that the minutes of the meeting, held on 16 November 2010, are confirmed as a correct record.

81.

QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC

To receive questions from the public in accordance with the Constitution.

 

Questions, of no longer than 50 words, can be submitted to the Democratic Support Unit, Corporate Support Department, Plymouth City Council, Civic Centre, Plymouth, PL1 2AA, or email to democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk. Any questions must be received at least five clear working days before the date of the meeting.

Minutes:

There were no questions from the public submitted for this meeting.

82.

CHAIR'S URGENT BUSINESS

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

Minutes:

There was no Chair’s urgent business.

83.

2011/12 INDICATIVE BUDGET (REVENUE AND CAPITAL) ALLOCATED TO CORPORATE PRIORITIES pdf icon PDF 722 KB

CMT Lead Officer: Assistant Chief Executive and Director for Corporate Support

Minutes:

The Director for Corporate Support submitted a written report -

 

(a)

setting out the Council’s indicative revenue and capital budget, building on income assumptions  and their impact on the Council tax; 

 

(b)

indicating that the draft budget brought together the elements of the Council’s income and expenditure strategy, summarised by each department, together with its capital strategy.  It also reviewed the impact on future revenue and capital plans for 2012/13 and 2013/14; 

 

(c)

advising that, as a Council, preparations were being made for unprecedented reductions throughout the 2010/11 budget period, applying in-year budget reductions of £4m.  Full clarification of the Council’s settlement and the implications on grant allocations, were still awaited;

 

(d)

 

outlining a new approach to the development of this year’s budget, by rolling forward the revenue reductions of £4m in 2010/11; revising the assumptions on inflation and growth; challenging down future years spending profiles; stopping some activity linked directly to withdrawn grants and setting new, targets linked to the four top level priorities (to deliver growth; raise aspirations; reduce inequality; and provide value for communities);

 

(e)

 

indicating that eleven budget delivery groups had been set up to review expenditure across the Council and target savings had been agreed and applied. These reductions had then been converted into clear three year departmental budgets;

 

(f)

 

appending the following documents -

 

?

departmental indicative budgets;

 

?

breakdown of revenue ‘Invest to Save Reserve’;

 

?

Local Government Act 2003, Section 25 -

Section 1: Analysis of Budget Robustness

Section 2: Adequacy of Reserves;

 

?

Capital Investment Programme 2010/11 to 2014/15;

 

?

directorate revenue budget delivery plans.

 

The Chair introduced the 2011/12 indicative budget advising that, over the next three years, the Council had to make significant efficiency savings from the overall capital and revenue budget.  The aim was to protect front line services and delivery plans had been prepared to deliver efficiencies, working towards a significant transformation as it became lean and strategic, with a strong enabling focus.  Work was being undertaken to provide more customer services and better value for money at both council and partnership level.

 

The Council had also recommitted, with partners, to the vision to make Plymouth one of Europe’s finest, most vibrant waterfront cities and developed four key priorities, shared with partners, to help drive that vision. 

 

Councillor Bowyer (Cabinet Member for Finance, Property, People and Governance) outlined the report indicating that it was a measured response providing a solution to the national problem.  He outlined the methodology which had been used to develop the budget.   He indicated that –

 

(g)

to improve transparency and public confidence, all items of expenditure over £500 would be published monthly online, beginning from January 2011; 

 

(h)

their policy was to minimise job losses but it was felt that 500 posts would be lost over the next three years to reduce workforce costs by approximately 14%.  Negotiations would commence shortly with trades’ unions on staff terms and conditions;

   

(i)

the documents were still in draft, for consultation and scrutiny in January 2011.

 

Councillor Sam Leaves  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.

84.

COUNCIL TAX BASE SETTING pdf icon PDF 74 KB

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Corporate Support

Minutes:

The Director for Corporate Support submitted a written report on the Council tax base for tax setting purposes, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992, as amended by Statutory Instrument 2003/3181. 

 

Agreed that approval is given to the Council tax base for 2011/12 tax setting as 77,066 Band D equivalents, which is the tax base after allowing for an estimated collection rate of 98.5%.

85.

PAVILIONS FUTURE OPTIONS pdf icon PDF 66 KB

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Community Services

Minutes:

The Director for Community Services submitted a written report on the future options for the Pavilions.

 

The report indicated that -

 

(a)

the Pavilions was a strategic site which was identified in the Mackay Vision to link the city centre to Millbay;  

 

(b)

approval was being sought to invite expressions of interest in the Pavilions site to establish whether there was any interest in the disposal of the site and, consequentially, the re-provision of ice and arena facilities in the city; 

 

(c)

 

there had been previous work undertaken that established potential demand for an ice facility and an arena in the city;

 

(d)

 

the City Council also needed to remove the subsidy paid to the Pavilions to support capital borrowing for the Plymouth Life Centre.

 

The attention of Cabinet Members was also drawn to the confidential report referred to in minute 88 below.

 

Agreed that –

 

(1)

officers seek expressions of interest (via a soft market testing exercise advertised through the OJEU) in the purchase of the freehold of the Pavilions site based on the re-provision of an arena and ice facility on the site or elsewhere in the city. This exercise will result in a detailed understanding of whether there is any interest in the Pavilions;

 

(2)

parties expressing an interest in the site will be asked to undertake, as a function of the purchase, to maintain the provision of the arena facility until such a time as a new

facility is provided. If the proposal is to redevelop the Pavilions to provide an arena and leisure ice, this may necessitate a gap in provision;

 

(3)

 

the outcome of this exercise will be presented to Cabinet in April 2011 for a decision on how to proceed.

 

86.

PROPOSED TRANSFORMATION OF DOWNHAM SPECIAL SCHOOL AND WOODLANDS COMMUNITY SCHOOL pdf icon PDF 109 KB

CMT Lead Officer: Director of Services for Children and Young People

Minutes:

The Director of Services for Children and Young People submitted a written report, indicating that -  

 

(a)

removing the management of short break provision from individual schools and co-ordinating it across the city, would provide a more effective service, together with inclusive organisational opportunities for challenging vulnerable and special needs pupils across the city;

 

(b)

the proposed changes were considered to be in the best interests of children, families and staff at the schools;

 

(c)

it was proposed to defer implementation of the decision to relocate Downham Special School to Tor Bridge, ensuring that the children’s education was not disrupted by ongoing building work on the site;

  

(d)

 

the removal of boarding provision from Downham Special School would formalise the arrangements currently in place at the school and the current staffing structure would support the proposed change; 

 

(e)

 

the removal of boarding provision from Woodlands Community Special School would formalise the arrangements to provide short break stays for children and give vital support to parents and families with disabled children. The current staffing structure would support the proposed change.

 

Agreed –

 

(1)

to consult on a proposal to remove boarding provision from Downham Special School. It is proposed to replace it with a stand-alone Short Break Residential Unit at Downham House (registered under Children’s Home regulations) although if the proposal was not adopted, the service would remain dual

registered as both a residential special school and a children’s home;

 

(2)

to consult on a proposal to remove boarding provision from Woodlands Community Special School. It is proposed to replace it with a stand-alone Short Break Residential Unit (registered under Children’s Home regulations) although if the proposal were not adopted, the service would remain dual registered as both a residential special school and a children’s home;

 

(3)

 

to defer the relocation of Downham Special School to Tor Bridge from September 2011 to September 2012 to ensure that the children’s education is not disrupted by ongoing building work on the site and ensure their safety;

 

(4)

 

that the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, is authorised to determine whether to publish formal proposals to undertake the above changes, affecting Downham Special School and Woodlands Community Special School, in light of the outcomes of and responses to the formal consultation;

 

(5)

that, if a public notice is published, the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is authorised to make a final determination about these proposals.

 

(Councillor Jordan declared a personal interest in the above item)

87.

EXEMPT BUSINESS

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the press and public from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it (they) involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph(s) 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Minutes:

Agreed that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

88.

PAVILIONS FUTURE OPTIONS

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Community Services

Minutes:

The Director for Community Services submitted a written report on future options for the Pavilions, providing further details on contractual arrangements, for noting.  

 

(See also minute 85 above).