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.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 June 2019 were agreed as a true and accurate 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, 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 urgent business from the Chair.

Councillor Evans OBE (Leader) made announcements on the following:

·         Plymouth will host the finish of the 2019 Fastnet race from 06 to 08 August 2019. A delegation has recently been to London to the Royal Ocean Racing Club headquarters to discuss details. This is a highly prestigious event in the racing community but will also be a free and fun event for all. A free ferry will operate from the Barbican landing stage to the Yacht Haven at Mount Batten.

·         The Plymouth lifejacket scheme will be rolled out across the country after much campaigning. A quarter of a million pounds has now been allocated by the Government for this purpose to improve safety at sea.

·         The masterplan has been published for Plymouth Railway Station which mainly relates to the exterior of the station. More announcements will follow as the plans progress.

·         Womble Bond Dickenson have signed a new lease confirming they will remain in Ballard House and have plans to expand their operations in Plymouth. This is a £75m deal over time and represents a significant investment in the City.

·         The Council has recently signed up with the Music Venue Trust, a national charity which acts to protect, secure and improve grassroots music venues. Consultation will be undertaken with key stakeholders and this work will culminate in a ‘Plymouth fightback’ live music festival.

·         Drake Circus Leisure outputs so far:

o   20 apprenticeships; 0 work experience placements; 12 construction careers and guidance events; 21 workers gaining NVQ2 level qualifications or above; 25 educational site visits and an in depth insight day for Pilgrim Primary School.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing and Cooperative Development) provided updates on:

·         The culmination of Co-operatives Fortnight; a stand was organised at Armed Forces Day and a major networking event held to cultivate the ideas emerging from the growing number of co-operatives in the city. Thanks were extended to the many organisations and to those Council staff in economic development involved in making this fortnight a success.

Councillor Kate Taylor (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care) provided updates on:

·         The re-procurement for community health and care services launched last week. This is an exciting step on the delivery of integrated services for residents of the city;

·         The recent visit to Mount Gould Hospital with children from Salisbury Road Primary School and the powerful and positive impact this had on the children and patients involved.

Councillor Jon Taylor (Cabinet Member for Education, Transformation and Skills) provided updates on:

·         Challenge and Support policy has continued to progress and work continues with Plymouth Education Board to develop the operational arm of that Board;

·         Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) – a bid was submitted in March for a new free school in the city and this will be a good addition to the special school network. A provider is currently being sought to run the school and it is hoped it will open in academic year 2020/21;

·         The upskilling of the workforce in relations to early years settings is progressing; we are now one of 23 local authorities working towards developing a regional hub;

·         The upcoming Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths event taking place in Plymouth Lido on 16 and 17 July. This will turn the Lido into a lab for two days with over 30 experiments taking place to involve many children and young people in the city.

·         The Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) conference; this is the inaugural year and the hope is this will grow as we become a STEM city.

Cabinet noted the completion of a further three pledges which takes the total completed to 50 pledges out of 100. The manifesto commitment was to complete 100 pledges over four years; 50 have now been completed within 14 months.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) provided an update on the completion of:

·         Pledge 61 - Plymouth City Council has pledged support for the development of a new, local bank with an investment of £60,000 making it the largest investor in the first phase of development.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing and Cooperative Development) provided an update on the completion of:

·         Pledge 81 - more homes will be made available in the city centre to increase diversity and vibrancy of the area, including spaces above shops which have previously stood empty. The Joint Local Plan identified a number of sites across the city centre for new homes including the Civic Centre which be developed to provide housing for local people on the private rental market.

·         Pledge 78 - Asylum seekers and refugees came together, supported by Plymouth City Council and its partners, to develop the proposals and programme that led to us being a ‘City of Sanctuary’. This reinforces the city’s commitment to recognise the contribution of refugees and asylum seekers, build relationships with them and include them in activities. Thanks were extended to those individuals involved.

Cabinet noted the pledge update and extended thanks to all Officers involved across the Local Authority for their input. The need to publicise, promote and celebrate the work undertaken to bring these pledges to completion was highlighted.

Councillor Laing (Cabinet member for Children and Young People) introduced the report.

This initial business case sets out the ambition to transform how Early Help and Targeted Support for children, young people and families is delivered in Plymouth, through the creation of a neighbourhood network of 0-19 Family Hubs and Targeted Support citywide teams.

The importance of engaging with as many people and families as possible, and with professionals and partners in the city who deliver these services was highlighted.

Following a short debate and having considered the information in the reports, Cabinet agreed that:

1: Engagement be carried out with children, young people and families and professionals (including schools), to cover the following aspects:

·      Co-design the Family Hubs model to expand the use of Children’s Centre’s from a 0-5 year old offer to 0-19 year old Family Hubs, whilst retaining the specialism in Early Years and working with partners to deliver the 5-19 offer seamlessly to families. The partners will include currently commissioned services and the following in-house Plymouth City Council provision

o      REACH function (missing children and those at risk of exploitation), prevention function of Youth Offending Team (YOT), Family Intensive Intervention Project (FIIP), Family & Community Solutions, Families With A Future (FWAF), Adolescent Support Team, Early Help Advice and Support, Community Youth Services and Crisis Intervention

·      The name and branding of the proposed Family Hubs (during consultation in Autumn 2018, 74% of respondents liked the name Family Hubs, but this needs further testing);

·      The location of future services and the neighbourhood coverage of these buildings (a map will be created to assist as a visual aid with the consultation,) including the completion of building surveys as part of the estates strategy;

·      The location of the proposed Targeted Support teams and possible delivery sites including the completion of building surveys as part of the estates strategy;

·      The interface with other built community assets such as Health and Wellbeing Hubs to maximise opportunities for the creative use of buildings.

2: Co-design workshops be held to begin to develop the service specification, outcomes framework and workforce development plan. This in turn will inform how effectively system partners are able to work collaboratively, which will determine any procurement options or other proposals for partnership arrangements. The workshops together with the consultation will be used to promote the idea that Family Hubs are a component part of the wider Early Help system for Plymouth. These workshops will also be delivered utilising the learning from research and local place based approaches such as the Together for Childhood pilot in Ernesettle.

3: The process and feedback from engagement be used as part of a statutory consultation (required by the Department for Education) where possible changes to the delivery of children’s centres are being considered, including changes to the range and nature of services provided. Any consultation is required to explain how the local authority will continue to meet the needs of families with children under five as part of any reorganisation of services.

4:  ...  view the full decision text for item 20.

Councillor Laing (Cabinet member for Children and Young People) introduced the report.

This initial business case sets out the ambition to transform how Early Help and Targeted Support for children, young people and families is delivered in Plymouth, through the creation of a neighbourhood network of 0-19 Family Hubs and Targeted Support citywide teams.

The importance of engaging with as many people and families as possible, and with professionals and partners in the city who deliver these services was highlighted.

Following a short debate and having considered the information in the reports, Cabinet agreed that:

1: Engagement be carried out with children, young people and families and professionals (including schools), to cover the following aspects:

·      Co-design the Family Hubs model to expand the use of Children’s Centre’s from a 0-5 year old offer to 0-19 year old Family Hubs, whilst retaining the specialism in Early Years and working with partners to deliver the 5-19 offer seamlessly to families. The partners will include currently commissioned services and the following in-house Plymouth City Council provision

o      REACH function (missing children and those at risk of exploitation), prevention function of Youth Offending Team (YOT), Family Intensive Intervention Project (FIIP), Family & Community Solutions, Families With A Future (FWAF), Adolescent Support Team, Early Help Advice and Support, Community Youth Services and Crisis Intervention

·      The name and branding of the proposed Family Hubs (during consultation in Autumn 2018, 74% of respondents liked the name Family Hubs, but this needs further testing);

·      The location of future services and the neighbourhood coverage of these buildings (a map will be created to assist as a visual aid with the consultation,) including the completion of building surveys as part of the estates strategy;

·      The location of the proposed Targeted Support teams and possible delivery sites including the completion of building surveys as part of the estates strategy;

·      The interface with other built community assets such as Health and Wellbeing Hubs to maximise opportunities for the creative use of buildings.

2: Co-design workshops be held to begin to develop the service specification, outcomes framework and workforce development plan. This in turn will inform how effectively system partners are able to work collaboratively, which will determine any procurement options or other proposals for partnership arrangements. The workshops together with the consultation will be used to promote the idea that Family Hubs are a component part of the wider Early Help system for Plymouth. These workshops will also be delivered utilising the learning from research and local place based approaches such as the Together for Childhood pilot in Ernesettle.

3: The process and feedback from engagement be used as part of a statutory consultation (required by the Department for Education) where possible changes to the delivery of children’s centres are being considered, including changes to the range and nature of services provided. Any consultation is required to explain how the local authority will continue to meet the needs of families with children under five as part of any reorganisation of services.

4:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

Councillor Laing (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) introduced the report to update on the Ofsted Improvement Plan and progress to date.

This Improvement Plan was developed following an Ofsted inspection undertaken in October and November 2018, under the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services framework (ILACS). The overall judgement from this inspection is that Plymouth Children, Young People and Families Service (CYPFS) requires improvements to be good.

The plan is work in progress and each area has more detailed plans that are being implemented and monitored by the monthly Improvement Board in the Children, Young People and Families Service

Key progress includes:

·         A reduction in the percentage of children subject to multiple placements;

·         An improvement in short term placement stability (the number of children experiencing three or more moves in one year);

·         An improvement in long term placement stability (the number of children that in long term care that are still in the same placement after two years.)

Following a short discussions Cabinet agreed the recommendations as set out in the report.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Evans OBE, introduced the report on the designation of a City Centre Conservation Area.

The designation of conservation areas is a tool for conserving and enhancing the special character or appearance of a particular area.  59% of those that responded to our public consultation were in favour of the proposal.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to:

Designate part of Plymouth City Centre as a Conservation Area pursuant to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 section 69 as shown on Map 1 within the report.

To authorise Officers to carry out the notification procedures prescribed in section 70 of the Act.

To instruct officers to carry out a Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan for the City Centre Conservation Area.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Evans OBE, introduced the report on the designation of a City Centre Conservation Area.

The designation of conservation areas is a tool for conserving and enhancing the special character or appearance of a particular area.  59% of those that responded to our public consultation were in favour of the proposal.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to:

Designate part of Plymouth City Centre as a Conservation Area pursuant to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 section 69 as shown on Map 1 within the report.

To authorise Officers to carry out the notification procedures prescribed in section 70 of the Act.

To instruct officers to carry out a Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan for the City Centre Conservation Area.