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.

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 8 October 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 08 October 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.

The Leader, Councillor Evans OBE made the following announcements:

·         Councillor Penberthy received an award from the Local Government Information Unit Awards under the Innovation and Transformation section – he was particularly commended for his balanced approach to risk and his work on the City Challenge Fund;

·         The opening of the Barcode complex which houses the third largest Imax cinema in the UK;

·         The arrival of figureheads at the Box – the biggest conservation project of this kind in the UK;

·         Commencement of work on Oceansgate phase two;

·         A 126 Bed hotel has been announced for Millbay

·         Securing of £700k of funding to host the British Arts Show in 2021;

·         A planning application to be submitted prior to Christmas for Langage phase three;

·         Broadley Park – work will start on site in January 2020 on a project which will develop 22,500 sq. ft.

·         Plymouth International Business Park which will develop 20,000sq ft.

·         Work at Brunel Plaza continues with planning consent now granted to the University of Plymouth for a change of use for Intercity House to become the Faculty for Medical Sciences; 

·         Mount Batten Watersports Centre is being reimagined to do more to encourage participation. Councillors Derek and Goslin are driving a piece of work to encourage greater participation of young people on the water. Cabinet will be updated in March on progress;

·         The Council has be shortlisted for four Local Government Chronicle Awards including team of the year for the Joint Local Plan team; Community Involvement for the City Change Fund; the Housing award for Plan for Homes and for the entrepreneurial work for the Plymouth Family of Companies;

·         Congratulations were offered for the exceptional memorial service conducted on the Hoe yesterday, thanks were extended to the Council staff and the volunteers who supported the event.

Councillor Kate Taylor, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care made the following announcement:

·         Last week saw the launch of the culinary care cookbook, a collaboration between Plymouth City Council, City College Plymouth and Plymouth College of Art. The book brings together a selection of favourite recipes, offering choice and variety and acting as a resource library for care homes.

Councillor Haydon, Cabinet Member for Customer Focus and Community Safety made the following announcements:

·         A consultation has been launched regarding Public Space Protection Orders to tackle alcohol related antisocial behaviour. The proposal is not a ban on consuming alcohol outside in the city but to tackle antisocial behaviour and keep residents safe;

·         The Best Bar None awards take place tomorrow evening with awards being given to establishments for being safe places to drink. All of these establishments took part in the Purple Flag Award.

·         The new crematorium will be situated on 7.1 hectares of space next to the Drake Memorial Park Cemetery. This new development has yet to be named and suggestions are welcome to be sent to the bereavement team; the site is due to open in summer 2021.

Councillor Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance made the following announcements:

·         There are currently 450 CCTV cameras in Plymouth and investment in these continues, particularly in housing estates and anti-social behaviour hotspots. Recently a number of additional cameras have been installed both to tackle anti-social behaviour and to monitor traffic flow.

Councillor Dann, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene made the following announcements:

·         Attendance at a recent International Air Quality Summit saw the importance of urgent action to eliminate air pollution highlighted as a national priority. Since a Climate Emergency was called by the Council actions have already been underway such as the replacement of our fleet to electric vehicles; improved pedestrian access and cycle lanes will be a priority going forward;

·         The Plymouth Waterfront Partnership has received a special recognition award for their work on the elimination of single use plastics.

Councillor Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure made the following announcements:

·         Plymouth City Council has been shortlisted for the People’s Award for Transport Planning for the Plymotion initiative – 13 per cent of those residents engaged with by the programme are now cycling where they wouldn’t have before and 22 per cent are leaving their car at home. Plymotion have also engaged with 2300 employees in 44 workplaces to talk to them about sustainable travel. Free bus travel has also been negotiated, working with Jobcentre Plus this has supported people to attend interviews, with over 50 now landing new employment.

Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Transformation and Skills made the following announcements:

·         The procurement tender for the full fibre network will go to tender this week, this is an important investment in the city’s infrastructure;

·          The Customer Advocacy Service will be launched in December - this service will assist those individuals who cannot access digital services. The service will also act as a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

The Leader, Councillor Evans OBE invited Councillor Winter, Chair of the Brexit, Infrastructure and Legislative Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee to introduce the report on Scrutiny Recommendations: Impact of Brexit on Plymouth.

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         seek a response to the letter written by Councillor Evans OBE, Leader of the Council to the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the potential impact of Brexit on the City of Plymouth;

·         seek a formal response from the city’s three MPs regarding the support and assistance they are providing to the City Council with Brexit-related issues;

·         seek clarification on the methodology behind the initial assessment undertaken by central Government which had not identified Plymouth as a Strategic Port, and request a reassessment, acknowledging that Plymouth is a growing port city.

The Leader, Councillor Evans OBE invited Councillor Winter, Chair of the Brexit, Infrastructure and Legislative Change Overview and Scrutiny Committee to introduce the report on Scrutiny Recommendations: Impact of Brexit on Plymouth.

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         seek a response to the letter written by Councillor Evans OBE, Leader of the Council to the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the potential impact of Brexit on the City of Plymouth;

·         seek a formal response from the city’s three MPs regarding the support and assistance they are providing to the City Council with Brexit-related issues;

·         seek clarification on the methodology behind the initial assessment undertaken by central Government which had not identified Plymouth as a Strategic Port, and request a reassessment, acknowledging that Plymouth is a growing port city.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report on completed pledges.

Following the completion of a further 6 pledges in October, the total number of pledges completed is 60 out of 100.

After a discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

note the completion of pledges 6, 56, 64 46, 50 and 53 in October 2019, bringing the total number of completed pledges to 60.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report on completed pledges.

Following the completion of a further 6 pledges in October, the total number of pledges completed is 60 out of 100.

After a discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         note the completion of pledges 6, 56, 64 46, 50 and 53 in October 2019, bringing the total number of completed pledges to 60.

Councillor Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the Corporate Performance, Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report 2019/20 – Quarter 2.

In terms of performance against the Corporate Plan, this report provides analysis as at the end of September 2019 of performance against the Council’s key performance indicators (KPIs), providing a detailed performance update against the Corporate Plan priorities.

The Revenue and Capital report outlines the finance monitoring position of the Council as at the end of September 2019. The primary purpose of this report is to detail how the Council is delivering against its financial measures using its capital and revenue resources, to approve relevant budget variations and virements, and to report new schemes approved in the capital programme

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note the Corporate Plan Quarter Two Performance Report and consider the implications for delivery of the Council’s priorities;

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

·         Approves the non-delegated virements which have occurred since 1 July 2019;

·         Recommend to Council that the Capital Budget 2019-2024 is revised to £845.354m (as shown in Table 5 of the Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report 2019/20 Quarter 2).

Councillor Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the Corporate Performance, Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report 2019/20 – Quarter 2.

In terms of performance against the Corporate Plan, this report provides analysis as at the end of September 2019 of performance against the Council’s key performance indicators (KPIs), providing a detailed performance update against the Corporate Plan priorities.

The Revenue and Capital report outlines the finance monitoring position of the Council as at the end of September 2019. The primary purpose of this report is to detail how the Council is delivering against its financial measures using its capital and revenue resources, to approve relevant budget variations and virements, and to report new schemes approved in the capital programme

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note the Corporate Plan Quarter Two Performance Report and consider the implications for delivery of the Council’s priorities;

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

·         Approves the non-delegated virements which have occurred since 1 July 2019;

·         Recommend to Council that the Capital Budget 2019-2024 is revised to £845.354m (as shown in Table 5 of the Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report 2019/20 Quarter 2).

Councillor Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People introduced the report on Joint Arrangements: Torbay Council Children’s Services. The Director for Children’s Services then provided an overview of the proposals and the options considered. This was following an annual stocktake meeting held early in October 2019 between both local authorities and the Department for Education.

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed:

·         That the joint arrangement for the provision of children’s services between Plymouth and Torbay Councils be drawn to a close by mutual agreement with effect from the end of January 2020, in recognition of the need to revert to a full time, dedicated Director of Children’s Services (DCS) in Torbay and to establish equivalent DCS capacity in Plymouth.

Councillor Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People introduced the report on Joint Arrangements: Torbay Council Children’s Services. The Director for Children’s Services then provided an overview of the proposals and the options considered. This was following an annual stocktake meeting held early in October 2019 between both local authorities and the Department for Education.

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed:

·         That the joint arrangement for the provision of children’s services between Plymouth and Torbay Councils be drawn to a close by mutual agreement with effect from the end of January 2020, in recognition of the need to revert to a full time, dedicated Director of Children’s Services (DCS) in Torbay and to establish equivalent DCS capacity in Plymouth.

Councillor Kate Taylor, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, introduced the Healthy Weight Declaration.  

The ‘Healthy Weight Declaration’ sets out a number of commitments to support development of a Healthy City; produced by Food Active, this has been adopted by Public Health England, and provides a national benchmark on how serious local authority areas are in tackling this issue

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed that:

·         The Council makes the Healthy Weight Declaration communicating the consistent progress which has been made as a result of the Plymouth Plan, Thrive Plymouth and other health related strategies in the city.

·         The Council commits to continuing to prioritise healthy lifestyles in the city through progressing the 14 commitments of the declaration

·         The Council commits to progressing the three local commitments

·         The Council agree to support the delivery of the action plan

Councillor Kate Taylor, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, introduced the Healthy Weight Declaration.  

The ‘Healthy Weight Declaration’ sets out a number of commitments to support development of a Healthy City; produced by Food Active, this has been adopted by Public Health England, and provides a national benchmark on how serious local authority areas are in tackling this issue

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed that:

·         The Council makes the Healthy Weight Declaration communicating the consistent progress which has been made as a result of the Plymouth Plan, Thrive Plymouth and other health related strategies in the city.

·         The Council commits to continuing to prioritise healthy lifestyles in the city through progressing the 14 commitments of the declaration

·         The Council commits to progressing the three local commitments

·         The Council agree to support the delivery of the action plan

Councillor Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure introduced the report on the Adoption of Highways Permitting Scheme.

Under the new permitting scheme anyone wishing to carry out works on the public highway must initially apply to the City Council as Highway Authority for permission. As such the Highway Authority can refuse, approve and place conditions on each notice.

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed:

·         For the Council to proceed to the statutory consultation process;

·         That following the consultation process, any objections or comments are considered by the Cabinet Member Strategic Planning & Infrastructure and delegated authority is provided to the Head of Plymouth Highways to proceed to adopt the Plymouth City Council Permit Scheme.

Councillor Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure introduced the report on the Adoption of Highways Permitting Scheme.

Under the new permitting scheme anyone wishing to carry out works on the public highway must initially apply to the City Council as Highway Authority for permission. As such the Highway Authority can refuse, approve and place conditions on each notice.

Following a discussion, Cabinet agreed:

·         For the Council to proceed to the statutory consultation process;

·         That following the consultation process, any objections or comments are considered by the Cabinet Member Strategic Planning & Infrastructure and delegated authority is provided to the Head of Plymouth Highways to proceed to adopt the Plymouth City Council Permit Scheme.