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

There were no declarations of interest in accordance with the code of conduct from councillors in relation to items under consideration at this meeting.  The Assistant Director for Democracy and Governance clarified that councillors who had season tickets for Plymouth Argyle Football Club did not need to make any declarations.

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 13 September and 10 October 2011 (to follow).

Agreed that the minutes of the meetings held on 13 September and 10 October 2011 are confirmed as a correct record.

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.

Two questions were submitted by the public, for this meeting in accordance with paragraph 10 of the Constitution, as set out below. 

In the absence of Mr Sharpe and Mr Taylor, the questions and the responses were circulated and written responses would be provided to them.

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

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

Cabinet Members: Councillors Bowyer and Wigens

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Development and Regeneration

Councillor Nicholson (Chair of the Task and Finish Group and the Growth and Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Panel) has been invited to attend the meeting to present the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group, contained in the scrutiny report on Winter Maintenance Preparation (Gritting).   Councillor James (Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board) has also been invited to attend.

A written report will be submitted on the scrutiny recommendations.  

Councillor James (Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board) advised Cabinet Members that Councillor Nicholson (Chair of the Growth and Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Panel and the Task and Finish Group) was unable to attend the meeting today and, on his behalf, presented the scrutiny report on winter maintenance preparation (gritting).  In order to progress the matter speedily, he and Councillor Mrs Aspinall had been given delegated authority to approve the report on behalf of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

Councillor James indicated that the Task and Finish Group had found that there was not a co-ordinated approach on gritting and that there was a question on whether the current practices provided value for money.

The Director for Development and Regeneration submitted a written report on the recommendations of the Growth and Prosperity Overview and Scrutiny Panel’s Task and Finish Group.

The report indicated - 

CouncillorWigens (Cabinet Member for Transport) presented the recommendations contained in the written report of the Director for Development and Regeneration and indicated that as a result of learning from the last two, severe winters, the service would be better prepared this year. 

Cabinet Members were also advised that, although the winter plans had been launched on one of the hottest days, the road show had been well received. 

The Leader thanked Councillor James for attending Cabinet.

Agreed –

The Director for Development and Regeneration will submit a written report on the possibility of the purchase of the freehold of Home Park, by the Council, on a commercial basis.

The Director for Development and Regeneration submitted a written report - 

Agreed –

Note: This item has been designated as urgent in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and is not subject to the call in procedure.

(See also minute 69a below)

Further to minute 69 above,

To Recommend to the City Council the amendment to the capital programme, as set out in the report, to incorporate the purchase of Home Park.

The Director for Development and Regeneration will submit a report on the background to a procurement exercise of services to replace the current hostel services for single homeless people and recommending the award of a contract.

A separate confidential report is referred to in item   below.

The Director for Development and Regeneration submitted a written report on the background to a procurement exercise of services to replace the current hostel services for single homeless people and recommending the award of a contract.

The attention of Cabinet Members was drawn to the separate confidential written report, referred to in minute 73 below, which contained details of the tender process and proposed contract. 

Agreed that a three year contract, with an option for a three year extension, is awarded to the preferred provider for a single homeless hostel support service.

(In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair took the Chair for this item.)

1.                  The Director of Services for Children and Young People will submit a report a review of capital allocations was undertaken by Partnership for Schools. Following the review, capital allocations of £11.5m for All Saints Academy, Plymouth and £9.5m for Marine Academy, Plymouth were approved in May 2011.

1.1.            PfS have indicated that the funding allocated is reliant on the procurement being through the Academies Framework administered by Partnership for Schools, managed through the Council. This was reinforced through a meeting with the Director for Services for Children and Young People and the Director for Corporate Support on 21 May 2011. 

1.2.            As the Academies are separate organisations to Plymouth City Council there is no financial advantage to the Council in acting as the procurement agents. The condition liability of the schools falls to the Academies and the government so there is no direct reduction of liability that this investment would bring.  However the wider benefit to the city that such an investment would bring to the Council is significant. The capital investment would improve the school environments and bring up to current legislation the building fabric.

1.3.            The City Council is a co- sponsor of these Academies which means that it retains an influence and a responsibility to support these organisations as partners in the important object of serving some of the most disadvantaged communities in the city. The Council has been fully involved in making the case to Government that these schools need capital investment to resolve long standing condition issues and to modernise their environments.

1.4.            Both All Saints and Marine Academy have achieved substantial gains in attainment since becoming Academies but there remains much more to achieve. It is therefore recommended that the Council should support these projects by acting as the responsible body in the capital delivery and to therefore secure this investment for the city.

The Director of Services for Children and Young People submitted a written report on the capital investment delivery for the Marine Academy Plymouth and All Saints Academy, Plymouth.

The report stated that –

Agreed that the Council is the procurement agent for the delivery of the design and construction programmes at the Marine Academy Plymouth and All Saints Academy, Plymouth, in accordance with the schemes approved by Partnership for Schools.

(In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair took the Chair for this item.)

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 items of business on the grounds that they involve 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.

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 items of business on the grounds that they involve 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.

Further to item  above, the Director for Development and Regeneration will submit a report on the details of the proposed contract.

With reference to minute 70 above, the report of the Director for Development and Regeneration was submitted on the details of the tender process and the proposed contract.

(In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair took the Chair for this item.)

The Director for Community Services will submit a written report on the recommendations arising from the Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee of the 30 September 2011, which outlined some immediate action to be taken at the park, in line with the recommendations approved by Cabinet on 22 July 2011.

The Director for Community Services submitted a written report on the recommendations of the Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee, held on 30 September 2011, seeking approval of invest to save options.  

In response to questions by Cabinet Members, the Assistant Director for Culture, Sport and Leisure reported on the programme of advertising for the sale of Picklecombe Cottage and reported, following further clarification, on the estimated revised cost of photovoltaic cells.

Agreed that the recommendations of the Mount Edgcumbe Joint Committee are approved -–

(In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair took the Chair for this item.)