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.

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 9 October 2018.

The minutes of the 9 October 2018 were agreed.

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, Ballard House, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ, 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 members of the public.

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

There was no items of Urgent Business.

Councillor Tudor Evans OBE (Leader) (via video) –

·         Barden Corporation job Losses

·         Oceansgate Enterprise Zone

Councillor Smith (Deputy Leader)

·         GMB “Making it Campaign”

·         Maritime Autonomous Systems Trials and Evaluation Centre at Turnchapel Wharf

·         Union Street Bridge

·         Outdoor Play Improvements

Councillor Jon Taylor (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Transformation)

·         Pledges – Operation Encompass

·         Pledge – Awareness of Young Carers

Councillor Chris Penberthy (Cabinet member for Co-operative Development)

·         Pledge 27 – Supporting building of new bungalows and extra care

Councillor Sue Dann (Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene)

·         Pledge – Blocked drains and gullies

Councillor Ian Tuffin, (Cabinet member for Health and Social Care)

·         Red Bag Scheme

·         Improving hydration and nutrition in care homes

·         PAUSE Project delivered by Trevi House

Councillor Jonny Morris (Chair of the Brexit, Infrastructure and Legislative Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee (BILCO)) introduced the report from BILCO.

Following a debate Cabinet agreed to –

1.    thank the Councillors of BILCO for their diligent consideration of the potential impact of Brexit on the City.

2.    resolve to write to the representatives of Plymouth Manufacturing Group, Destination Plymouth, The University College of St Mark and St John and the University of Plymouth thanking them for giving their time and expert opinion.

3.    note the progress made in implementing the recommendations it endorsed in September in relation to the Fishing and Fisheries Select Committee.

4.    endorse BILCO’s recommendations in relation to the impact of Brexit on Higher Education with the amendments noted below.

4.1           to ask the Government to:

(a)         clarify the status of EU citizens in the UK in the event of a ‘no deal Brexit;

(Accepted) Reason – in spite of the progress made in implementing the Settled Status Scheme for EU migrants who will have 5 years residence in the UK by December 2020 there is still a lack of clarity in how this will be operated in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

(b)         Take international students out the net migration figures and give an assurance that changes to immigration rules and visa requirements will not limit the ability of universities to attract and recruit world leading researchers and teachers;

(Accepted) Reason – International students contribute an estimated £120m annually to our local economy. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report on International Students recognised that although international student numbers have risen in recent years, the UK’s overall market share has fallen slightly and competitor countries are more active in recruitment. The MAC nevertheless rejected the suggested made by many respondents to their call for evidence to remove International Students from net migration figures arguing that, “if there is a problem with students in the net migration target, it is with the target itself rather than the inclusion of students in that target”. Since the government has yet to commit to removing the target entirely we support the recommendation.

(c)         Provide greater clarity on what the UK Shared Prosperity Fund might look like and where possible to negotiate close relations with existing structures such as Framework Programme 9;

(Accepted) Reason – we anticipate details of the Shared Prosperity Fund will be published before Christmas 2018. The government may instead opt to maintain access to EU funding streams post Brexit. This will be clarified in the terms of the withdrawal agreement which will need to be in place by December 2018.

(d)         Offer EU nationals continued access to UK research facilities and a matched funding scheme to support international collaborative research;

(Accepted) Reason – the future ability of EU nationals engaged in research in the UK and vice versa to access research facilities is also likely to be clarified in the withdrawal arrangements.

(e)         Allow us greater flexibility in how we use Adult Education and Schools  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

Councillor Richard Ball (Chair of the Performance, Finance and Customer Focus Overview and Scrutiny Committee) introduced the report on Debt Recovery and Enforcement.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to  support the recommendations made by the Performance, Finance and Customer Focus Overview and Scrutiny Committee review of Debt Recovery and Enforcement Scrutiny and that the Portfolio Holder would monitor the progress of the associated actions.

Councillor Sally Haydon (Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Customer Focus) introduced the report on the Customer Experience Peer Challenge Action Plan for approval.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to-  

1.    extend its thanks on behalf of the Council to the Peer Challenge team for their work;

2.    note the content and recommendations of the LGA Customer Experience peer Challenge Report of July 2018 at Appendix I;

3.    endorse the Council’s response to the ‘quick wins and practical actions’, and the recommendations of the report at Appendices II and III;

4.    ask the Performance, Finance and Customer Focus Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider the report and the Council’s response and to propose how it might contribute to the development and delivery of the Council’s Customer Experience Programme.

Councillor Tuffin (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care) introduced a report on the Independence at Home Contract.

Following a short discussion Cabinet agreed, having considered the Part II report, to

1.    to approve the in-principle decision for the service to be brought back in-house – with day to day management support services being provided by Livewell Southwest;

2.    to recommend to the Leader to make the final decision to bring the service back in-house subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence by officers.

Councillor Chris Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Co-operative Development) introduced the report Co-operative Economy for approval.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to-

1.       note the Mapping Study

2.       accept and adopts the Co-operative and Mutuals Strategic Action Plan for doubling the size of the sector by 2025

3.       support work to explore establishment of a capital investment fund that will enable delivery of the Strategic Action Plan over 4 years.  Allocation of any Plymouth City Council budget or borrowing will be subject to the normal governance procedures.

Councillor Sally Haydon (Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Customer Focus) introduced the report on the Customer Experience Peer Challenge Action Plan for approval.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to- 

1.    recommend to the City Council that the draft Licensing Statement of Policy contained in Appendix A is adopted with effect from 31 March 2019;

2.    recommend to the City Council to retain the Special Policy on Cumulative Impact following Cumulative Impact Assessments for each of the following areas:

·         Union Street (including Derry’s Cross)

·         Barbican

·         North Hill

·         Mutley Plain

·         Stoke

3.    authorise officers to undertake a further Cumulative Impact Assessment consultation regarding the extension to the North Hill cumulative impact areas as recommended by Devon and Cornwall Police. 

(Councillor Coker was absent for this item due to interests declared)

Councillor Chris Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Co-operative Development) introduced the report Housing improvement and Civil Penalties Policy for approval.

Following a short debate, Cabinet agreed the Housing Improvement Policy 2018.

Councillor Mark Coker (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure) introduced a report on changes to the Controlled Parking Zone Policy for approval.

Following a brief debate Cabinet agreed to approve the changes to the Councils Controlled Parking Zone Policy, as set out in the briefing paper, to ensure the Councils CPZ policy reflects the Councils values and priorities.

Councillor Mark Lowry (Cabinet member for Finance) introduced the report and provided Cabinet members with highlights from the report.  Following a short discussion Cabinet agreed to -

1.    note the additional key performance indicators reported in quarter two;

2.    note the Corporate Plan Quarter Two Performance Report.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet member for Finance) introduced the report following a short discussion, for the reasons set out in the report, Cabinet agreed to –

1.    Note the current revenue monitoring position and action plans in place to reduce/mitigate shortfalls;

2.    It is recommended that Cabinet approve the non-delegated virements which have occurred since 1st July 2018;

3.    Cabinet are asked to recommend to Council that the Capital Budget 2018 -2023 is revised to £581.1m (as shown in Table 6);

4.    to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in letter signed by the Cabinet Member for Finance, calling for Plymouth City Council to be allocated its fair share of the additional £84 million announced in last month’s budget for children’s services;

5.    to support the request (4 above) and make the case for extra funding, the Section 151 Officer and the Director of Children’s Services are asked to provide a business case to support the request setting out why Plymouth City Council should be one of the 20 local authorities which are due to be selected by the Government to receive a proportion of the additional funding.