Cabinet Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda.  A flowchart providing guidance on interests is attached to assist councillors.

There were no declarations of interest made by councillors in accordance with the code of conduct in relation to items under consideration at this meeting.

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2013.

Agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2013.

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, 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.

There were no questions from the public for this meeting.

With the consent of Cabinet, Councillor James (Chair of the Co-operative Scrutiny Board) will attend the meeting to provide an update on scrutiny.  

With the consent of Cabinet, Councillor James (Chair of the Co-operative Scrutiny Board) attended the meeting and provided an update on scrutiny.

Cabinet were advised -

Councillor Evans asked Councillor James to pass the thanks of Cabinet to all councillors involved in the reviews and he looked forward to seeing the outcomes. 

Agreed that, in future, a written report is also presented to Cabinet on the work of scrutiny. 

Councillor Tuffin, Chair of the former Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel Task and Finish Group, has been invited to attend the meeting to present the scrutiny report following their review of library modernisation.

Councillor Tuffin (Chair of the former Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel Task and Finish Group), attended the meeting and presented the scrutiny recommendations following their review of library modernisation.

Darin Halifax (Community Cohesion Co-ordinator) and Andrew Stephens (Assistant Director for Customer Services) also attended the meeting for this item.

Councillor Peter Smith (Deputy Leader) responded and indicated that he and officers had started to develop a policy having regard to the recommendations.  Free wifi was already being installed in libraries and he would keep scrutiny informed of progress. 

Councillor Evans (Chair) joined with Councillor Peter Smith to thank Councillor Tuffin for his work, together with the task and finish group members and all those who supported the review.    

The recommendations were noted and members were advised that a draft policy on libraries would be submitted to Cabinet in due course.  

The Director for People will submit a report on options for the delivery of children’s centres, which offer an integrated community based service to all families with children from pre-birth to five year’s old.  The proposed business case groups the delivery of the service into six new clusters and all provision will be tendered including local authority delivered and schools’ delivered services, alongside existing contracted services.    

Background papers to this report can be accessed at the Council’s website Council and Democracy/Councillors and Committees/Library/Cabinet background papers or using the following hyperlink –

http://tinyurl.com/bdqgk2r

Carole Burgoyne (Director for People) submitted a report on options for the delivery of children’s centres, to provide an integrated community based service to all families with children from pre-birth to five year’s old.  The proposed business case grouped the delivery of the service into six new clusters and all provision would be tendered including local authority delivered and schools’ delivered services, alongside existing contracted services.   

Fiona Fleming (Strategic Commissioning Manager) and Jo Hall (Senior Adviser Early Years and Childcare) attended the meeting for this item.

Councillor Evans (Chair) also drew Members’ attention to the separate private report containing commercially sensitive financial details, referred to in minute 56 below.

Councillor Williams (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) introduced the proposals and indicated that -  

Jo Hall also reported on the consultation exercise.

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

As set out in the report.

Agreed that –

The Director for People will submit a report on a proposal to delegate the final decision regarding the local schools funding formula, which ensures the equitable distribution of funding across all schools, to the Assistant Director for Education, Learning and Family Support in consultation with the Plymouth Schools Forum and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.

Carole Burgoyne (Director for People) submitted a report on a proposal to delegate the final decision regarding the local schools funding formula, which ensured the equitable distribution of funding across all schools, to the Assistant Director for Education, Learning and Family Support in consultation with the Plymouth Schools Forum and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.

David Northey (Head of Finance) and Anita Martin (Group Accountant) attended the meeting for this item.    

Councillor Williams (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) introduced the proposals which provided a transparent scheme of delegation.    

Anita Martin advised Cabinet Members that the government had reduced the timescales for decision making and the proposal would speed up that process.

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

As set out in the report.

Agreed that the decision making authority regarding the Schools Funding Formula is delegated to the Assistant Director for Education, Learning and Family Support in consultation with the Plymouth Schools Forum and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People. 

The Interim Director for Corporate Services will submit a report on the principle of creating a public sector shared services company ‘DELT’ and the transfer of Plymouth City Council ICT services to this company, together with a detailed Business Case setting out the basis for establishing the new joint venture company.  

David Trussler (Interim Director for Corporate Services) submitted a report on the principle of creating a public sector shared services company ‘DELT’ and the transfer of Plymouth City Council ICT services to this company. 

The report indicated that following approval of an outline business case, Cabinet, in February 2013, approved the development of a detailed business case to be worked up between the proposed partners (minute 147 (12/13) referred). 

The detailed Business Case was also submitted setting out the basis for establishing a new joint venture company, to share in the first instance ICT, across public sector partners. 

Independent reviews of the business case, had broadly supported the approach but made it clear that a large amount of work would be necessary before a successful DELT operation could start and this would be addressed during the due diligence and implementation planning period.

The report identified progress, the current status on risks, and assumptions of the DELT Business Case.

Mel Gwynn (Head of ICT) and Chris Randall (Strategic Finance Manager) attended the meeting for this item.

In the absence of Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance), Councillor Peter Smith (Deputy Leader) introduced the report and indicated that -

Cabinet Members commented that the partner organisations could be extended to include the police and that the proposals should be progressed as soon as possible in order to generate the maximum savings.

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

As set out in the report.

Agreed that –

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 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.

(Members of the public to note that, if agreed, you will be asked to leave the meeting).

Agreed that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public are 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.

Further to agenda item 7 above, the Director for People will submit a private report on commercially sensitive financial details relating to the proposal for the delivery of children’s centres.    

Further to minute 52 above, Carole Burgoyne (Director for People) submitted a private report on commercially sensitive financial details relating to the proposal for the delivery of children’s centres.