CABINET
Minutes of a meeting held on 19th
November, 2008.
Present: Councillor G.C. Kemp
(Chairman); Councillor T.H. Jarvie (Vice-Chairman); Councillors
Mrs. J.E. Charles, P. Church, G.A. Cox, A.M. Ernest, H.J.W. James
and Mrs. D.M. Turner.
Also present: Councillor Mrs. P. Drake.
C224
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE -
These were received from Councillors A.D.
Hampton and R.L. Traherne.
C225
MINUTES -
RESOLVED - T H A T the minutes of the meeting
held on 5th November, 2008 be approved as a correct
record.
C226
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST -
The following Members declared interests as
indicated below:
Councillor Mrs. J.E. Charles - Agenda Item
Nos. 13 and 16 in that the Council had appointed her to be a Board
Member of the YMCA (but had no other interests).
Councillor H.J.W. James - Agenda Item No. 20:
Safer Vale Funding and Allocations - specifically Alleygates at
High Street, Barry as the owner of a property in High Street.
Councillor James vacated the room during consideration of the
matter.
Councillor Mrs. D.M. Turner - Agenda Item No.
9, Improvement Agreement 2008-11, specifically the matter relating
to Green Dragon in that her husband was employed by the overseers
of Green Dragon. Councillor Turner vacated the room during
consideration of the matter.
C227
COMMUNITY LEGAL ADVICE NETWORK: (REF - MIN. NO. 441) -
The Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee
had, on 15th October, 2008, received a report from
Rachel Connor from the Vale Council for Voluntary Services which
detailed the Voluntary Sector’s concerns over the development of an
integrated social welfare service for the Vale of Glamorgan,
Bridgend and Cardiff. By way of background it was explained
that in March 2006 the Legal Services Commission (LSC) had
published a strategy for the Community Legal Service. In
Wales that Strategy had identified eight regional procurement
areas, one of which was Bridgend, Cardiff and the Vale. In
the Vale of Glamorgan it was envisaged that a large proportion of
the Council’s Advice Grant funding would contribute to the
Community Legal Advice Network (CLAN) for generalist level
provision with the balance used for social policy work. It
was proposed that tenders would be invited for the delivery of a
CLAN across the region with the aim of providing an integrated
civil and legal advice service.
The Voluntary Sector perspective was that the
nature of the tendering process involved in establishing a CLAN
placed the Voluntary Sector providers at a disadvantage.
Other concerns expressed by the Voluntary Sector included the
possible closure of the Vale of Glamorgan’s Citizens Advice Bureau
as a consequence of the development of a CLAN resulting in a
reduced service to citizens of the Vale, that the interests of
regional working could be put before the needs of the citizens of
the Vale, and that the introduction of CLANs in Wales seemed to
contradict an important aspect of the Making the Connections
agenda.
The Voluntary Sector expressed concerns that
there appeared to have been very little consultation or public
debate on what amounted to a major change in service
provision. The Director of Legal, Public Protection and
Housing Services confirmed that meetings had been held with
officers of the LSC, WAG and local authorities involved in the
proposals. The Director further confirmed that the
specification recently distributed was still subject to the
information gathering process and workshops had been held for the
voluntary sector on the tendering process. It was the
intention of the LSC to present a report to the Vale of Glamorgan,
Bridgend and Cardiff Councils in November 2008 about a CLAN for the
three areas. As indicated above, specifications for the
service were still being fine tuned and the voluntary sector would
be able to join in scrutinising the proposals when the report
progressed through the Council’s scrutiny process. Members of
the Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee had indicated that
they would welcome a presentation from the LSC and subsequently
agreed that the LSC be invited to make a presentation to all
Members of the Council with an invitation being extended to
voluntary sector representatives. Members of the Committee
also requested that a covering letter be sent with the above
invitation drawing attention to the seriousness of the issues
involved. The Committee then went on to request Cabinet to
consider:
·
that the Vale of Glamorgan Council does not proceed to sign up to
the CLAN
·
the Vale of Glamorgan Council meets with local service providers to
establish the way forward for establishing a new integrated service
for the Vale of Glamorgan which built upon but did not go beyond
current funding provisions
·
that Members and officers of the Vale of Glamorgan had discussions
with the other two local authorities in the region in order to
develop an alternative regional model that would really meet the
needs of their citizens.
It was reported that a special meeting of the
Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources) had been arranged for
27th November, 2008 for the specific purpose of meeting
with LSC to which all Members of the Council together with
representatives from the Voluntary Sector and the CAB and other
interested parties had been invited.
RESOLVED - T H A T the recommendations of the
Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee be accepted for further
consideration by Cabinet following the meeting of the Scrutiny
Committee.
Reason for decision
To take account of the views expressed given
that the issues would imminently be considered by Scrutiny.
C228
PROPOSALS TO CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE IN
WALES (REF - MIN. NO. 500) -
Cabinet had, on 31st July, 2008
asked the Scrutiny Committee (Social Care and Health) to consider
“whether the best interests of Vale residents would be served by an
NHS body covering the Vale and Cardiff” (Min. No. C51). The
Scrutiny Committee had been informed that the Local Health Board
(LHB) and Trust would be split into seven health boards.
Recruitment had already commenced but it was the intention to
consult in respect of the boundaries for the areas in the very near
future. It was apparent that a lot of detail in relation to
administration, set up and boundary changes needed to be dealt with
and it posed real challenges to the local authorities who would
need to work closely together in order to ensure stability was
maintained as well as to ensure clarity of purpose. This
Council would also have to consider how it would work with Cardiff
Council in particular to ensure an equal footing was maintained for
both Councils in any negotiations. The Cabinet Member advised
Committee that she had every intention of ensuring that the Vale of
Glamorgan was represented at every meeting; she further
advised that she would be arranging meetings for the Member from
Cardiff and the Directors of Social Services for both the Vale and
Cardiff which it was anticipated would take place in the next few
weeks. The Director referred to the joint appointment that
had been made between the Health Service and Social Services and
stressed the importance of a unified approach by both the Vale and
Cardiff local authorities. The Director also recognised
that it would be important to consult with the voluntary / private
sectors in both local authorities and to ensure that the voice of
the Western Vale was strongly represented. Having considered
the report, the Scrutiny Committee urged Cabinet to ensure that the
Council was equally represented on any board that would be set up
in respect of the proposals and asked for a further update on the
new arrangements in January 2009.
RESOLVED - T H A T the recommendations of the
Scrutiny Committee be accepted.
Reason for decision
To take account of the views expressed.
C229
EXTREME WEATHER EVENT 4-5TH SEPTEMBER 2008
(REF) -
The Scrutiny Committee (Housing and Public
Protection) had, on 6th November, 2008 received a
comprehensive update on the above event and the involvement of the
various Council services including the involvement of partner
stakeholders and emergency services in managing the event. On
18th September, 2008 a formal de-brief had taken
place facilitated by the Council’s Civil Protection Unit and a
report encapsulating the output from that de-brief was currently
being compiled. In the meantime, however, initial actions
were being proposed such as a review of the emergency planning
procedures for flooding / severe weather events and a review of the
Council’s resources to be undertaken by the Civil Protection Unit
and the Head of Visible Services. The Committee expressed
concern with regard to the current arrangements for maintaining the
river ways within the Vale of Glamorgan and the general consensus
reached that the Environment Agency should be more proactive in
ensuring river maintenance was carried out on a planned
basis.
The Committee subsequently recommended that
the Head of Public Protection raise the matter of river maintenance
with the Environment Agency and that a further report be submitted
to that Committee once a response had been received; that emergency
planning procedures for flooding / severe weather events be
reviewed; that a review of the Council’s resources be undertaken;
and that the Cabinet Member for Visible and Building Services be
requested to raise the matter of river maintenance at the next
meeting of the Environment Agency Flood Risk Management Wales
Committee. The Cabinet Member confirmed that all the
recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee had either been
implemented or were in the course of being implemented and that the
Cabinet Member for Visible and Building Services had agreed to the
above request.
RESOLVED - T H A T the recommendations of the
Scrutiny Committee be accepted.
Reason for decision
To take account of the views expressed.
C230
SICKNESS ABSENCE REPORT - FULL YEAR APRIL 2007 - MARCH 2008 AND
QUARTER 1, APRIL TO 30TH JUNE 2008 (REF) -
The Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources)
had, on 11th November 2008, been apprised of the current
proposals as contained in the original report to Cabinet on
5th November and to amended arrangements for service
plan sickness targets for 2008/09 following the recommendation made
by the Cabinet on the above date which “required an overall
reduction of 10% sickness absence targets be set at 10% below last
year’s overall figure”.
The general consensus of the Committee, having
examined the available information, was that the current proposals
were not sufficiently challenging. The Committee also
discussed various other matters, namely the current special leave /
flexible working arrangements and the adequacy of such;
responsibility of managers to manage sickness absence properly in
accordance with the Council’s agreed policies, a general need for a
cultural shift by managers to manage sickness absence within their
respective Directorates, Divisions and Sections effectively; and
that the current intervention arrangements contained within the new
Management of Attendance Policy were being used appropriately and
consistently by managers. The Cabinet Member for Human
Resources and Equalities had, at that meeting, indicated that the
Cabinet would be reviewing targets for the next financial year at
the appropriate time, alluding also to the presentations currently
being made to managers on the new Management of Attendance
arrangements which, she considered, could usefully be made to
Members in order to enhance their knowledge base. In
addition, the Operational Manager for Human Resources referred to
the impending appointment of a project officer who would be
responsible for facilitating the implementation of the Management
of Attendance Action Plan including improving monitoring and review
arrangements.
The Committee subsequently recommended:
·
That Cabinet be advised that whilst it was accepted that the
targets were set using indicative figures, a 10% reduction for
service plan sickness targets for 2008/09 was not considered to be
stringent enough and that the Cabinet be requested to ensure
targets for 2009/10 were sufficiently challenging.
·
That Cabinet be requested to review and monitor performance
regularly in the remaining part of this financial year to ascertain
whether managers were proactively working towards current
targets.
·
That Cabinet and this Scrutiny Committee receive a further report
in March from the Director of Finance, ICT and Property regarding
providing appropriate evidence of how sickness absence was being
currently managed by managers across the Council and where any
deficiencies existed.
·
That the Director of Finance, ICT and Property be requested to
investigate how current special leave provisions and flexible
working arrangements could be improved with a view to such being
used as a tool to reduce sickness absence levels and that a further
report be presented to Cabinet and this Scrutiny Committee in March
2009.
·
That the Director of Finance, ICT and Property be requested to
arrange the same presentation to this Scrutiny Committee regarding
the management of sickness attendance provided to officers for
training purposes.
The Cabinet Member confirmed that the above
recommendations had now been taken on board and that monthly
reports, commencing December, 2008 would be made to Cabinet on
performance.
RESOLVED - T H A T the recommendations of the
Scrutiny Committee be accepted and that monthly reports, commencing
December, 2008 be made to Cabinet on performance.
Reason for decision
To take account of the views expressed.
C231
REVISED PROCUREMENT STRATEGY, POLICY AND GUIDANCE (REF)
-
The Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources)
had, on 11th November 2008, considered a revised
Procurement Strategy, Policy and Guidance which had been developed
and based on the premise that the Council operated in a changed
procurement landscape which was led by an agenda for improvement
and incorporated issues of new technology, changing demographics,
increasing awareness of sustainability issues, registered changes
and the drive for efficiencies. At that meeting, the Head of
Accountancy and Resource Management indicated that the new Guidance
should be viewed with the intention of providing a much simpler
reference document to assist with prospective purchases. He
indicated that a key change to the existing process would be the
requirement to contact the Council’s Procurement Unit in advance
where it was envisaged that a purchase would be in excess of £15k.
which would allow for a more accurate Sourcing Plan to be developed
and the procurement advice and expertise as to the best course of
action engaged at an early stage of the process.
Consideration was also given at the meeting as to whether the value
of £15k. should be reduced, with the Head of Accountancy and
Resource Management indicating that the situation would be
monitored and, if necessary, the threshold reduced. The
Committee subsequently recommended that the revised Procurement
Strategy, Policy and Guidance be endorsed and recommended to
Cabinet for approval.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED - T H A T the revised Procurement
Strategy, Policy and Guidance be approved as recommended by the
Scrutiny Committee.
Reason for decision
In order to implement the new Strategy, Policy
and Guidance.
C232
IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENT 2008/11 (CX) (SCRUTINY - CORPORATE RESOURCES)
-
Proposals for undertaking a new Policy
Agreement with the WAG were considered. The Council had
entered into two previous Policy Agreements with WAG and the key
differences between those Policy Agreements and the Improvement
Agreement (IA) included:
·
the incentive grant would be paid on a sliding scale instead of the
“all or nothing” approach used in previous years
·
two activities or targets were required to be chosen under each of
the four themes within the IA (a healthy, fair and just society
adults; a healthy, fair and just society children; sustainable
communities; a prosperous, cultural and diverse society)
·
both activities and performance indicators could be used whereas in
the previous Policy Agreement only performance indicators were
used
·
evidence must be provided annually for each activity / indicator to
show progress to receive the incentive grant.
A draft set of activities / indicators for the
IA had been developed by managers and agreed by the Corporate
Management Team. Those draft activities / indicators and
their targets (as appended to the report) were subject to
negotiation and agreement by WAG. It was noted that the IA
had to be signed off by 31st December, 2008 to qualify
for the performance incentive grant in the current financial
year.
WAG had set aside £30m. for the IA across the
whole of Wales and, if entirely successful in achieving its target,
this Council could expect to receive £1.18m. each year of the IA
(over 3 years). It was further noted that the grant was
entirely unhypothecated.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED - T H A T the Chief Executive in
consultation with the Leader be directed to negotiate and finalise
the Improvement Agreement with the WAG.
Reason for decision
In order to agree mutually beneficial targets
that will secure the incentive grants from WAG.
C233
EXTERNAL FUNDING APPLICATIONS (CX) (SCRUTINY - ECONOMY AND
ENVIRONMENT) -
Authority was sought to submit an external
funding application to Salix Finance in respect of the Carbon
Management Fund and to enter into a Local Authority Partnership
Agreement with the Sports Council for Wales. By way of
background, Cabinet was reminded that the Sports Council for Wales
was a major partner in the strategic planning and delivery of
sports and physical activity in the Vale, currently providing
significant grant funding (estimated at £500,000) to the Council to
deliver a number of national initiatives at local level. It
was reported that the Sports Council had recently reviewed its
working arrangements with the Council and, as a result, had begun
to introduce Local Authority Partnership Agreements (LAPAs).
The main purpose of the LAPA in the Vale would be to create an
overarching agreement which co-ordinated the diverse range of
programmes currently being delivered by the Council and, in so
doing, raise the profile of sport and physical activity. An
overview of LAPA was appended to the report. The Sports
Council would also be looking for the Council to adopt a whole
Authority approach which was inclusive of other Council departments
and agencies (e.g. Local Health Board) as far as sport and physical
activity was concerned. It was expected that additional
funding of up to £70k. per annum would be made available by the
Sports Council once the LAPA had been agreed. In order to
plan and manage the LAPA process effectively, a Strategic
Management Group would be established, details of those who would
be invited to join the Group being appended to the report. It
was considered that it would also be necessary to establish a
working group which would bring together all parties who would
either potentially impact or could benefit from the LAPA process;
again, the proposed initial membership of the group was appended to
the report. Reference was also made to the need to retain the
Council’s Sports Development Team whose present contracts would
expire on 31st March, 2009.
As regards the Carbon Management Fund, Members
were informed that Salix was an independent, not-for-profit company
funded through the Carbon Trust which provided interest free match
funding to invest in energy efficiency projects which reduced
energy bills and reduced emissions. It was proposed that the
Council seek £150k. from Salix to establish a ring-fenced £450k.
Carbon Management Fund to finance energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects within the Council in line with the Council’s
Carbon Management Programme. A minimum of 75% of investments
/ projects financed by the Fund would be paid back into the Fund
over an agreed period to finance further energy saving
projects. It was proposed that the balance be retained by
service departments as a form of revenue savings. Investment
projects would be subject to evaluation and projects would need to
deliver CO2 and revenue benefits and would have to offer
long-term savings.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the establishment of a Local Authority Partnership Agreement with
the Sports Council for Wales be agreed and the Director of
Environmental and Economic Regeneration be instructed to undertake
the necessary work to develop the Agreement.
(2) T H A
T the establishment of the Management Board and the Steering Group
to manage and deliver the opportunities represented by the Local
Authority Partnership Agreement be agreed.
(3) T H A
T a progress report on the Local Authority Partnership Agreement be
presented to the relevant Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet on an
annual basis.
(4) T H A
T the contracts of the existing Sports Development Team who were
grant funded be extended to 31st March 2011 by the
Director of Environmental and Economic Regeneration in line with
the funding agreements contained within the proposed Local
Authority Partnership Agreement.
(5) T H A
T the submission of the application to Salix Finance in respect of
the Carbon Management Fund be approved.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To
increase the opportunities for residents of the Vale of Glamorgan
to participate in sport and physical activity.
(2) To
ensure that there is a whole Authority commitment to the
development of sport and physical activity in the Vale of
Glamorgan.
(3) To
keep the Council informed of progress.
(4) To
increase job security for the Sports Development Team who are
currently on fixed term contracts due to end at the end of March
2009.
(5) To
help the Council reduce costs, energy consumption and CO²
emissions.
C234
USE OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S EMERGENCY POWERS (CX) (SCRUTINY - AS
INDICATED BELOW) -
RESOLVED - T H A T use of the Chief
Executive’s Emergency Powers as indicated below be noted:
(a)
Authority to implement the pay award under the JNC for Youth and
Community Workers - Circular No. 155, Pay Settlement 2007.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(b)
Authority to a waive Contract Standing Orders to enable LGA (the
current contractor) to extend their existing contract in order to
complete additional work at the original tendered rates.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment.)
(c)
Authority to transfer £200k. from the Housing Grants budget to the
Penarth Central Renewal Area budget to ensure a full spend of the
Housing budget and prevent an overspend on the group repair schemes
in the Penarth Central Renewal Area.
(Scrutiny - Community Wellbeing and
Safety.)
(d)
Authority to allocate funding from the underspent Capital Programme
allocation for flood prevention works at Dyffryn House.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment.)
(e)
Authority to submit letters to the WAG underwriting match funding
of £648k. required for the Creative Rural Communities Business
Plan.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment).
(f) Authority to
implement the NJC Car Allowances as revised from
1st April 2008 under the NJC Circular 1/08.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(g)
Authority to implement the pay award under the JNC for Coroners -
Coroners' Circular No. 48.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(h)
Authority to approve a Safer Vale Strategic Analyst post in order
to meet the statutory obligations (funding for the post having been
agreed by the Home Office).
(Scrutiny - Housing and Public
Protection.)
(i) Authority to
approve the purchase, with funding available from the surplus
reserved for the Directorate, of 4 Cardio Wave Machines for the
Lifestyle Fitness Suites at a time-limited special price.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment.)
(j) Authority to
approve increasing the amount of the remaining contract for the
construction and fitting of Alley Gates by 3.4%.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment.)
(k)
Authority to waive Contract Standing Orders under Clause 6.1.3 in
order to award the works in respect of the Merrie Harrier Bus
Prioritisation measures on Cardiff Road to the Highway Maintenance
Division due to reasons of time constraint as not to permit the
invitation of tenders.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment.)
(l) Authority to
transfer £60k. from the existing Rhws Primary Additional
Accommodation scheme to the Gwenfo Church in Wales Primary School
in order to re-wire the school during the 2008 summer holidays.
(Scrutiny - Lifelong Learning.)
(m) Authority to
approve £101.5k. expenditure for 14-19 Learning Pathways Centre
Project for planning and design fees and an exception to Contract
Standing Orders.
(Scrutiny - Lifelong Learning.)
(n)
Authority to implement the Teachers pay award 2008-11.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(o)
Authority to approve a change to the membership of the Scrutiny
Committee (Social Care and Health).
(Scrutiny - Social Care and Health.)
(p)
Authority to approve the acceptance of two tenders submitted for
the Housing Major Repairs Allowance Programme 2008/09 in order to
maximise MRA spend.
(Scrutiny - Housing and Public
Protection.)
(q)
Authority to implement the pay award under the JNC for Local
Authority Craft and Associated Employees - Circular CR 1/08,
2008/09 Craft Pay Rates.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(r)
Authority to amend the Council's Treasury Management and Investment
Strategy in order to amend the amounts of internally managed
Specified Investments and Non-Specified Investments with the
Treasury should conditions indicate this to be the most appropriate
course of action.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(s)
Authority to amend the Cowbridge Christmas Lights Deed of Grant to
reflect Cowbridge Chamber of Trade rather than Cowbridge Town
Council as the relevant party.
(Scrutiny - Economy and Environment.)
(t) Authority to
implement the pay award under the NJC for Local Government Services
- NJC Circular 2/08, 2008/09 Payscales and Allowances.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
(u)
Authority to implement the pay award under JNC for Chief Executives
of Local Authorities - Chief Executives' Pay Agreement 2008.
(Scrutiny - Corporate Resources.)
Reason for decision
To inform the
Cabinet.
C235
TIMETABLE OF MEETINGS: MAY 2009 - MAY 2010 (CX) (SCRUTINY -
CORPORATE RESOURCES) -
Having had regard to the draft timetable of
meetings for the above period, it was
RESOLVED - T H A T the timetable of meetings
for May 2009 - May 2010 as set out in Appendix A to the report be
approved, subject to the following amendments and to any future
changes in arrangements for meetings deemed appropriate by the
Mayor of the Council or the relevant Committee Chairman:
-
the date of Council in October being amended to read
14th
-
the date of the Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee in October
being amended to read 7th
-
the dates of the Christmas holiday period being shown.
Reason for decision
To approve / publish the calendar of meetings
for the forthcoming municipal year.
C236
APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE - BRO RADIO (DFICTP) (SCRUTINY
- CORPORATE RESOURCES) -
Approval was sought to award grant funding to
the Vale of Glamorgan Broadcasting CIC (Bro Radio). Bro Radio
was a Community Interest Company (CIC) and had been established as
a partnership between Barry YMCA and the Vale of Glamorgan
Broadcasting CIC. It would operate from the Barry YMCA
premises. Bro Radio’s Business Plan, reproduced at Appendix A
to the report, stated that the station was planning to operate on a
24/7 basis with content that would meet the needs and wishes of the
local community with broadcasts comprising a mix of music, talk,
information provision and news. Bro Radio had requested
financial support from the Council through an ongoing Service Level
Agreement (SLA), providing £2,500 per month which would entitle the
Council to presenter-led discussions, advertisements, and links to
the Council on the Station’s website. Bro Radio had been
awarded £9,000 grant from WAG and all capital requirements for the
operation of the station had been met by the YMCA. The
projected financial statements were predicated on achieving income
from SLAs rising from £3,000 per month in the first year to £6,000
per month by the third year. The Business Plan also assumed
increasing income so that by year 3 annual income of £48,000 would
be achieved comprising sponsorship of £19,000 and advertising of
£29,000.
Consideration was given to the two main
options for grant funding namely a one off grant or an annual /
monthly sum to be paid supported by a SLA. It was considered
that the SLA was the more stable support in that the Council would
be receiving specific services for its money. The Council
could reduce its risk by entering into a SLA based on monthly
payments which could cease within a certain period. Were an
SLA agreed, programme content and other points would be negotiated
with Bro Radio to ensure that the Council got best value for
money. Any SLA would be monitored and managed by the
Council’s Chief Executive’s Department Communications
Section. It was noted that the SLA would need to be reviewed
once firmer figures were available on the number of listeners and
the extent to which the Council’s target residents / clients were
being reached. To make any SLA worthwhile, it was considered
that Departments would have to supply the material for topical
discussions and see it as value to them.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T grant funding for the Vale of Glamorgan Broadcasting CIC in the
sum of £2,000 per month be agreed, payable monthly in advance over
a period of 36 months from the date of commencement of broadcasting
with a three month break clause.
(2) T H A
T the above funding be subject to a Service Level Agreement being
entered into with Vale of Glamorgan Broadcasting CIC prior to the
commencement of funding, the aforementioned SLA being referred to
Cabinet for approval.
(3) T H A
T the above SLA be negotiated and subsequently monitored through
the Chief Executive’s Department Communications Section.
(4) T H A
T a progress report on service provision and related matters be
submitted to Cabinet after 12 months’ broadcasting.
Reasons for decisions
(1&2) To demonstrate the Council’s
commitment to the provision of a community radio station within its
area.
(3&4) To ensure appropriate service
provision and compliance with conditions to be observed by Bro
Radio.
C237
GOVERNMENT CONNECT AND THE GOVERNMENT SECURE INTERNET (GSI)
(DFICTP) (SCRUTINY - CORPORATE RESOURCES) -
Cabinet was apprised of the ongoing work to
obtain accreditation for the Council to connect to the Government
Secure Internet (GSI). It was explained that Government
Connect (GC) was a strategic partnership between National
Government and the Local Government community to roll out a secure
IT infrastructure to support better collaboration between Central
Government departments and local authorities. GC would help
to deliver fast and more secure services and, if fully adopted,
using GC in place of existing postal and courier services for
communicating with Central Government and other public sector
agencies, could reduce the local authority sectors’ costs by over
£30m. per year. It was reported that GC connectivity was
being rolled out to all Welsh local authorities as a result of the
Department of Work and Pensions funding contribution to the GC
Programme. This would be compulsory for all local authorities
in the UK, although some authorities had asked for an extension of
time to obtain compliance with the GSI Code of Connection
(CoCo).
This Council was currently being assessed as
to its ability to meet the demands of the CoCo. Once
that assessment had been completed, the Council would then know
what had to be done to complete the accreditation. Whilst
initial assessments showed that the majority of the mandatory
security controls required were already wholly or partly in place,
there would however have to be changes made to some of the process
and procedures that were currently common practice within the
Council. It was noted that considerable ICT staffing
resources had already been utilised to reach the current stage of
the ongoing accreditation procedure. To date all those costs
had been borne by the Revenue and Capital Budgets of the ICT
service although it was considered that additional financial
resources might be required to meet the terms of the
CoCo.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED - T H A T the information contained
within the report be noted and the introduction of new security
measures to allow the Council to gain accreditation for the GSI be
approved.
Reason for decision
To enable the Council to access GSI to
exchange e-mails, data and services with other Local and Central
Government organisations in a secure environment.
C238
DRAFT POLICIES - CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE USE OF ICT SERVICES AND
HOMEWORKING (DFICTP) (SCRUTINY - CORPORATE RESOURCES)
-
Approval was sought for the implementation of
the above policies, both of which were appended to the
report. The two policies had been developed following an
extensive process of drafting and consultation involving HR
Officers, the Council’s Employment Lawyer, the HR Policy Review
Group, the Homeworking Group and Trade Union representatives.
As regards the Code of Practice for the Use of ICT Services, the
Head of Strategic ICT had updated the previous policy which had
been written in 2000. In respect of the Homeworking Policy,
it was explained that this was a new policy for employees who
worked from home on a full time basis.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED - T H A T the implementation of the
aforementioned policies be approved.
Reason for decision
To obtain approval to implement the
policies.
C239
BARRY YMCA - LOAN (DFICTP) (SCRUTINY - CORPORATE RESOURCES)
-
Consideration was given to the application
from the Barry YMCA for a variation in the terms of the loan
provided by this Council and for the status of the associated legal
charge on the YMCA premises to be placed on an equal standing with
another three Charges. Members were reminded that when this
matter had last been considered by Cabinet (on 2nd April
2008 Minute No. C3462) the request had been deferred for a further
report outlining all the alternatives available to resolve the
issue, including an extension to the original loan or waiving the
grant or any combination of a resolution available. Cabinet
had asked that that report should also include all the costs and
legal implications to both the Council and the YMCA where
possible.
The YMCA had now provided cash flow
projections and had indicated that its finances over the next three
years were expected to be insufficient to provide for the payment
of the Council’s loan on its existing basis whilst at the same time
achieving an adequate level of financial reserves. The YMCA’s
three year cash flow projections were appended to the report and
had been based on the repayment of a loan over a 10 year
period. A request had been received from the YMCA for the
Council to agree to its charge on the property being amended so
that it would have equal ranking with the existing charges i.e.
WAG, the National Council of the YMCA of Wales and also the Big
Lottery Fund whose charge had yet to be registered.
Solicitors for the YMCA had advised that WAG and the National
Council had already agreed to the existing charges being amended to
have equal ranking but no response had been received to date to
this Council’s request to those solicitors as to the implications
of the Council not agreeing to a change. The various actions
open to the Council with regard to the payment of the loan were
outlined within the report. Despite looking to identify new
sources of income, there was no evidence that the finances of the
YMCA were likely to improve in the foreseeable future to allow for
full repayment of the loan on the original terms and, indeed, the
continued burden of the loan repayments on the original terms could
have a detrimental impact on the further development of the much
valued community facility.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
Having regard to the options available it
was
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the term of the loan be varied to provide for repayment over a
period of ten years from 1st April 2008.
(2) T H A
T the above variation be conditional upon the National YMCA
consenting to the loan continuing to be secured by way of a legal
charge against the YMCA building.
(3) T H A
T the request of the Barry YMCA for the status of the legal charge
to be amended to rank equally with the other charge holders and the
Big Lottery Fund be declined.
Reason for decisions
(1-3) To assist the YMCA in
its ongoing financial difficulties and to facilitate further
development of the facility.
C240
INITIAL HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT BUDGET PROPOSALS 2009/2010 AND
REVISED BUDGET 2008/09 (DLPPHS & DFICTP) (SCRUTINY - HOUSING
AND PUBLIC PROTECTION) -
Approval was sought for the revised estimates
2008/09 and the initial budget proposals for 2009/10 prior to their
submission to the relevant Scrutiny Committee for
consultation.
The revised budget for 2008/09 was appended to
the report and showed a variance of £189k., the net decrease being
due to several reasons. The budget had been adjusted to
reflect more accurately the capital financing charges following the
repayment of debt during 2007/08, an increase in rent income due to
less Right-to-Buy sales than anticipated during 2007/08 as well as
2008/09, an estimated increase in interest earned on HRA balances,
an increase in net rental income from properties used to
temporarily house the Homeless, and a decrease in the central
recharges.
The Budget Strategy for 2009/10 outlined that
services should prepare the revenue budgets for next year based on
the costs of providing the current level of service and approved
policy decisions including the cost of price increases and pay
awards. Attention was drawn to the fact that, due to the
nature of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) in that it was ring
fenced and that any growth had to be funded from the balance, no
Cost Pressures had been formally identified.
A second Budget Review was being initiated
with would inform 2009/10 budget process. As part of that
Budget Review, Cost Centre Analyses (CCAs) for al budget cost
centres had been produced and those relating to HRA funded areas
were appended to the report.
The proposed 2009/10 budget was set out
Appendix A to the report under the following headings:
·
HRA (General)
·
General Management
·
Special Services
·
Housing Repairs Fund Contribution
·
Central Support and Operational Building Charges
·
Capital Financing.
The charges for rent and other services
provided by the Housing Service were reviewed annually and would be
subject to a future report once the necessary information had been
received from WAG. It was noted that the new Rent Setting and
Service Charges Policy had been approved, that it would be
implemented from 1st April 2009 and had been
incorporated into the initial budget proposal.
|
2008/09 Original
Budget
|
Inflation / Pay
Award
|
Committed Growth /
Savings
|
Estimated Rent
Increase
|
Additional Service
Charge Income
|
Capital Expenditure
from Revenue Account (CERA)
|
2009/10 Proposed
Budget
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
|
(300)
|
396
|
(302)
|
(620)
|
(164)
|
4,065
|
3,075
|
It was explained that the savings of £302,000
were due to the following factors:
·
£782,000 was attributable to a reduction in the contribution to the
Repairs Fund
·
£61,000 was due to the discontinuation of the Grass Cutting service
previously provided to elderly tenants free of charge
·
£170,000 decrease in the anticipated Capital Financing charges for
2009/10.
The above savings were offset by:
·
£663,000 increase in the expected HRA Subsidy payable to WAG during
2009/10
·
£48,000 general budget adjustments.
The next stage was for the estimates to be
submitted to the relevant Scrutiny Committees for consideration
with responses from those Committees being made by 23rd
December 2008 so that Cabinet could make its recommendations on the
final budget proposals by 25th February 2009. It
was noted that whilst the initial proposals did not require to be
referred to Council, the final 2009/10 budget would require the
approval of Council.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the revised budget estimate 2008/09 be approved.
(2) T H A
T the initial budget proposals for 2009/10 be approved for
consultation with the Scrutiny Committee.
(3) T H A
T the increase suggested for rent and other services be subject to
a future report when the necessary information was available from
the WAG.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To
facilitate monitoring of the revised budget.
(2) To
inform Cabinet of the comments of the Scrutiny Committee before
making a final proposal on the budget.
(3) To
meet the statutory deadline to notify tenants of the new charges as
required by Statute.
C241
INITIAL CAPITAL PROGRAMME PROPOSALS 2009/10 (DFICTP) (SCRUTINY -
ALL) -
Approval was sought for the revised Capital
Programme 2008/09 and the initial capital proposals for 2009/10
prior to their submission to the various Scrutiny Committees for
consultation.
Progress on the Capital Programme as at
31st October, 2008 was appended to the report.
Details were presented of changes to the Capital Programme and
Cabinet approval requested for the same together with their
referral to Council for approval where appropriate. Those
changes related to the following schemes:
·
Rhoose Primary Accommodation
·
Refurbishment of Barry Hostel
·
Harbour View Buyback of Leases
·
Neighbourhood Renewal Area Assessment
·
Knap Shelter Refurbishment
·
Network Rail Highway Bridge Strengthening
·
Vehicle Renewals Programme
·
Dyffryn Gardens Phase 1
·
Rural Local Regeneration Plan
·
Penarth Pier Pavilion
·
Rhoose and Llantwit Major Vale of Glamorgan Line
·
Disabled Access Audit and Improvements
·
OneVale
·
Glamorgan Records Office
·
CASH grants
·
Office accommodation.
Members were reminded that Cabinet had the
authority to withdraw a budget from the Capital Programme if the
scheme were not contractually committed within 18 months of being
included in the Capital Programme. The following schemes
remained contractually uncommitted 18 months after approval but the
services concerned had requested that the schemes remain in the
Capital Programme and be slipped from 2008/09 into 2009/10:
·
Day Services for Older People in Penarth - £250,000 to be slipped
into 2009/10
·
Adult Respite Care - £250,000 to be slipped whilst the Service
considered the most appropriate way forward.
As regards the 2009/10 General Capital
Funding, the provisional allocation as announced in October was
unchanged from the current year at £8,198,000. The final
settlement was expected to be announced by January 2009.
Attention was also drawn to the fact that Cabinet would be advised
as soon as an announcement had been made in respect of the Major
Repairs Allowance (MRA). Appendix B outlined the proposed
2009/10 Capital Programme and the table below detailed the General
Capital Funding and the internal resources required to fund the
proposed schemes:
|
Analysis of Net Funding required for
the
Indicative 2009/10 Capital
Programme
|
£’000
|
£’000
|
|
Resources from Welsh Assembly Government
Supported Borrowing
General Capital Grant
|
5,701
2,047
|
|
|
|
|
7,748
|
|
Council Resources
Capital Receipts
Reserves / Leasing
|
1,583
2,785
|
|
|
|
|
4,368
|
|
Net Capital Resources
|
|
12,116
|
The table below detailed the Housing Capital
Funding and internal resources required to fund the proposed
schemes:
|
Analysis of Net Funding required for
the
Indicative 2009/10 Housing Capital
Programme
|
£’000
|
£’000
|
|
General Fund Resources from Welsh Assembly
Government
Supported Borrowing
|
450
|
|
|
|
|
450
|
|
Council Resources
Housing Capital Receipts
Housing Reserves
|
3,219
3,958
|
|
|
|
|
7,177
|
|
Net Capital Resources
|
|
7,627
|
The indicative 2009/10 Capital Programme shown
in Appendix B to the report included allocations already approved
by Council and the slippage requests mentioned above.
Indicative asset renewal budgets had been
included in Appendix B as follows:
|
Education
|
£800,000
|
|
Social Services
|
£150,000
|
|
Visible Services
|
£800,000
|
|
Leisure Services
|
£150,000
|
|
Miscellaneous Buildings
|
£150,000
|
It was noted that the above constituted an
un-earmarked general provision. In addition, Directors had
made specific bids which had been classed as asset renewal by the
Corporate Asset Management Group. Due to the inclusion of the
indicative Asset Renewal Budgets, those specific bids had been
shown as a separate heading in Appendix C which listed the
unsuccessful bids.
Information received since the Initial Capital
Programme Report was sent out had indicated that the expenditure
incorporated into the initial Capital Programme Proposals for the
breakdown of Disabled Facilities Grants between General Fund and
Housing Revenue Account required amending. Included within
the report was a table indicating a year on year reduction in the
proportion of the DFGs relating to the HRA. Consequently, it
was proposed that the sum included in the 2009/10 Capital Programme
for HRA DFGs be amended to £520,000. It was reported that the
sum for General Fund DFGs within Private Housing would be
correspondingly increased by £170,000 to £1.22m. The above
amendments to the Capital Programme meant that the transfer
required from the General Fund to HRA for supported borrowing was
now £280,000. Since there had been a requirement to inform
WAG by 18th November, it was noted that the Chief
Executive had used his powers to authorise the Director of Finance,
ICT and Property to notify WAG of the request to transfer the sum
of £280,000 from General supported borrowing to the HRA.
In addition to the Capital Bids shown in
Appendix B, Appendix C listed the Capital Bids which were
unsuccessful and had not been put forward for inclusion.
Council, having previously approved the School Investment Strategy,
had also approved that the School Development budget be increased
by £1,000,000 from 2008/09 onwards. It had also approved that
the £9m. one off School Building Improvement Grant and £1.4m. of
existing useable capital receipts be utilised for the School
Investment Strategy. Approval had also been given for capital
receipts generated by schools to be ringfenced for the Investment
Strategy up to £6.5m. and that unsupported borrowing of up to
£7.3m. could be undertaken. It was noted that a £500,000 bid
had been received for the Dinas Powys Bus Prioritisation lane which
was 100% Transport Grant funded although grant approval had not yet
been received and it was not proposed to include that scheme in the
Programme at this stage. It was proposed that the Project
Fund be used to provide match funding for a grant towards the
setting up of a Carbon Management Fund in line with the Council’s
Carbon Management Programme.
Cabinet was informed that the next stage for
the estimates would be consideration by the Scrutiny Committees
with the Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources) being the lead
Committee. The responses of the Scrutiny Committees would
have to be made no later than 23rd December, 2008.
A further report would then be made to Cabinet no later than
25th February, 2009 following which Cabinet’s final
Capital Programme proposals would be considered at the meeting of
the Council to be held on 4th March, 2009.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the initial budget proposals for the 2009/10 Capital Programme be
approved for consultation with the Scrutiny Committees.
(2) T H A
T the following changes to the 2008/09 Capital Programme be
approved:
·
Refurbishment of Barry Hostel - reduce the current budget to
£28,000.
·
Neighbourhood Renewal Area Assessment - reduce the current budget
to nil.
·
Vehicles Renewal - reduce the current budget to £673,000.
·
Rural Local Regeneration Plan - reduce the 2008/09 budget to
£455,000.
·
Rhoose and Llantwit Major Vale of Glamorgan Line - increase the
2008/09 Capital Programme to £14,000, an additional £2,000 funded
from the Visible Services Maintenance Fund.
·
CASH Grants (slipped budgets) - reduce the current budget to
£13,000.
(3) T H A
T the following be referred to Council for approval:
·
Rhoose Primary Accommodation - vire funding of £110,000 to the
School Investment Strategy Budget
·
Day Services for Older People in Penarth - reduce the current
budget to nil (carry forward £250,000 to 2009/10).
·
Extend respite house for adults, Rhoose Road - reduce the current
budget to £3,000 (carry forward £250,000 to 2009/10).
·
Harbour View buyback of leases - reduce the current budget to
£15,000 (carry forward £257,000 to 2009/10).
·
Network Rail Highway Bridge Strengthening - reduce the current
budget to £10,000 (carry forward £10,000 to 2009/10 and £543,000 to
2010/11).
·
Dyffryn Gardens Phase 1 - reduce the current budget to £190,000
(carry forward £536,000 to 2009/10).
·
Penarth Pier Pavilion - reduce the current budget to £10,000 (carry
forward £240,000 to 2009/10).
·
Disabled Access Audit and Improvements - reduce the current budget
to £388,000 (Carry forward £156,000 to 2009/10).
·
OneVale - reduce the current budget to £113,000 (carry forward
£316,000 to 2009/10).
·
Glamorgan Records Office - reduce the current budget to £515,000
(carry forward £365,000 to 2009/10).
·
Office Accommodation - reduce the current budget to £248,000 (carry
forward £196,000 to 2009/10).
(4) T H A
T it be noted that the proposal for 2009/10 Disabled Facilities
Grants had been amended to £1,220,000 in Private Housing and to
£520,000 in HRA, as contained within the revised Appendix
B.
(5) T H A
T the consequently amended transfer of £280,000 from the General
Capital supported borrowing allocation to the HRA be noted.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To
allow full consultation on the future Capital Programmes.
(2) To
amend the 2008/09 Capital Programme.
(3) To
amend the 2008/09 and 2009/10 Capital Programmes.
(4&5) To reflect better the actual
amount required for Council and private DFGs in 2009/10.
C242
INITIAL REVENUE BUDGET PROPOSALS 2009/10 (DFICTP) (SCRUTINY - ALL)
-
Cabinet’s approval for the amended original
budget for 2008/09 and the initial revenue budget proposals for
2009/10 were sought in order that they might be submitted to the
Scrutiny Committees for consultation.
The Council’s budget was largely determined by
the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) settlement set by the WAG;
the provisional settlement had been announced in October with
details of the final settlement expected by January 2009.
Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) represented WAG’s view of the
relative resources need to provide a standard level of service in
each local authority in Wales and its primary use was to allocate
RSG. For 2009/10 the Council’s provisional SSA had been
notified as £195.170m. The Council had been provisionally advised
that, for 2009/10, it would receive from WAG RSG of
£111.733m. and Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) of £35.909m. Together
those sums constituted the Council’s Aggregate External Finance
(AEF). The AEF represented an increase of £5.487m. which
equated to 3.9% over that received for 2008/09. The
provisional settlement included additional resources of £140k. in
respect of new responsibilities for Learner Travel. WAG had
also announced that the Council would provisionally continue to
receive a Deprivation Grant of £167k. and an Improvement Agreement
Grant of £1,252,000.
Appendix 1 to the report set out the necessary
transfers to the original estimate for 2008/09 which were
required to be made as follows:
·
asset rents - mainly due to revisions to the Accounting Code of
Practice
·
recharges - adjustment required to reflect movement in charges
between internal Council services
·
budget transfers - adjustments to reflect transfers of functions
and responsibilities between services, details of which were
contained within the report.
Details were contained within the report of
the amended original budget with the projected outturn for
2008/09. Overall, the Education Budget was projected to
balance as at the end of March 2009. Currently all divisions
within Social Services were projected to outturn on target at the
Amended Original Budget. In respect of Children and Young
People’s Services, the Original Budget had been reduced by £670,000
to arrive at the Amended Original Budget. The savings
identified had been used to increase the Amended Original Budget
for Adult Services. Attention was, however, drawn to the fact
that if the assumptions used in projecting the outturn were not
achieved there could be a deficit on outturn. In respect of
Adult Services, the Original Budget had been increased by
£1,094,000. The increase in the budget was required due to
continued pressure on the community care budget and it was noted,
as was the case with the Children and Young People’s Services’
budget, that any variation to the assumptions used might adversely
affect the outturn position. No allowance had been made for
the outcome of the current arbitration case which, should the
outcome not be in the Council’s favour, could have a significant
impact on the outturn position. The Service Strategy was
projected to outturn on target after the adjustment which was
transferred to Adult Services. The projected outturn for
Planning and Transportation was for a favourable variance of
£118,000 whilst that for Economic Development and Leisure was for
an adverse variance of £118,000. The projected outturn
for Visible Services overall was balanced to the amended Original
Budget as was the case for Building Services. Catering was
anticipated to outturn on budget as was Legal, Democratic and
Registrars etc. As regards Public Protection, there was a
projected overspend for 2008/09 of £26,000 - with this Council’s
share being £7,000 which it was anticipated would be met from
Public Protection’s existing resources. Private Sector
Housing / Community Safety showed a balanced budget as did
Policy. It was reported that there was an estimated Council
Tax surplus for 2008/09 in the sum of £700,000 which would be
transferred to the Council Fund at the year end. General
Reserves as at 31st March 2009 were estimated as £2.4m.
and it was noted that, as a prudent minimum level for the General
Reserve was £4m., some specific reserves might need to be
“un-earmarked” and transferred to the General Reserve at the year
end.
The budget strategy for 2009/10 outlined that
services should prepare initial revenue budgets for next year based
on the cost of providing the current level of service and approved
policy decisions (including the cost of price increases and pay
awards). Services would be expected to identify and achieve
current efficiency savings equivalent to at least 2% of their
budget and schools should plan for efficiency savings of at least
0.3%. The target for Social Services would be £2m. as
previously agreed in order to meet the requirements of the Change
Plan. The cost of service development would need to be met
from within the respective services from savings identified.
A summary of the overall base budget for 2009/10 was appended to
the report. Inflation amounted to £4.801m. of which £1.62m.
related to pay awards and £3.181m. for general price
increases. It was noted that the aforementioned figures
excluded inflation for schools. Committed growth totalled
£3.712m. as follows:
·
Environmental and Economic Regeneration, Visible Services -
£332,000 for Landfill Tax annual increase
·
General Policy - net reduction in interest receivable of £535,000
as a result of the use of balances and a reduction in forecast
interest rates
·
Chief Executive - £845,000 use of reserve during the 2008/09 budget
process
·
Met from General Reserve - £2,000,000 planned use of balances for
the 2008/09 budget.
A list of 2009/10 cost pressure as identified
by Services was attached at Appendix 3 to the report.
Altogether those totalled £13.646m. Attention was drawn to
the fact that that figure excluded the cost of redundancies which
might be incurred in order to maintain the budget within the
resources available. Increased energy costs were likely to
have a significant impact right across the Council and a
provisional cost pressure of £2.75m. was included within
Policy. It was noted that there was some uncertainty as to
the likely level of future energy prices and further work would be
carried out in that respect by the Budget Working Group.
The outcome of the Budget Review initiated in
2004/05 had been to put in place a financial strategy for the
period leading up to the 2008 elections. Whilst the previous
review objectives still remained valid, it was now proposed to
initiate a further Budget Review during 2008/09 which would inform
the 2009/10 budget process. The 2008/09 Review would be
supported by Cost Centre Analyses (CCAs) which would provide
details for each cost centre within a service area including:
·
comparisons of the 2007/08 budget, actual outturn and current year
budget over the different types of expenditure and income
·
separation of the largely controllable (e.g. salaries and wages)
and uncontrollable (e.g. recharges from other departments) elements
of income and expenditure
·
identification of the activities provided and the relevant Service
Head / Operational Manager and budget holder where different
·
objectives for the range of activities provided under that cost
centre
·
where appropriate other relevant information to supplement the
financial information e.g. staffing outputs.
It was noted that the results of the budget
review would be included in the final Budget Report for 2009/10
presented to Cabinet in February 2009.
The next stage was for the estimates to be
submitted to Scrutiny Committees for consultation with the
responses of the Scrutiny Committees being made known no later than
23rd December 2008. Cabinet would make its final
budget proposals no later than 25th February 2009 prior
to their submission to Council on 4th March
2009.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the amended budget for 2008/09 as set out in paragraph 8 of the
report and outlined above be approved.
(2) T H A
T the Director of Social Services take appropriate action to ensure
that any potential over commitment of the 2008/09 budget was
curtailed.
(3) T H A
T the Initial Revenue Budget proposals for 2009/10 be approved for
consultation with the Scrutiny Committees.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To
facilitate monitoring of the budget.
(2) To
contain expenditure within the budget.
(3) To
inform Cabinet of the comments of the Scrutiny Committees before
making a final proposal on the budget.
C243
SAFER VALE FUNDING AND ALLOCATIONS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 2008/09
(DLPPHS) (SCRUTINY - PUBLIC PROTECTION AND HOUSING SERVICES)
-
The Safer Vale Partnership had been awarded
£50,109 capital funding from the Crime Reduction and Anti-Social
Behaviour Fund for 2008/09 to tackle and reduce crime and disorder
and the fear of crime in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The Safer Vale Commissioning Group had
allocated the funding on the following initiatives to tackle
alcohol related occurrences surrounding late night economy
issues:
·
CCTV - £25,109 capital value - the installation of a CCTV camera
within the Boverton Road area of Llantwit major (monitored by the
Council’s CCTV Unit)
·
Alleygates - £25,000 capital value - to be installed in the Broad
Street / High Street area of Barry.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED - T H A T the above schemes allocated
by the Safer Vale Partnership be added to the Council’s Capital
Programme for 2008/09.
Reason for decision
To comply with Council policy and enable the
allocation of funding.
C244
ACCOMMODATION STRATEGY FOR OLDER PEOPLE: OUTCOME OF AN APPRAISAL
EXERCISE IN RESPECT OF THE COUNCIL’S IN-HOUSE RESIDENTIAL CARE
PROVISION (DSS) (SCRUTINY - SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH) -
Details were presented of the work being done
to develop an accommodation strategy for older people in the Vale
of Glamorgan, including the outcome of an appraisal exercise which
examined the Council’s in-house residential care service for older
people and the ability of each residential care home to deliver the
objectives for this service. Bryneithin had been clearly
identified in that appraisal as the least viable of the three
Council homes. Cabinet approval was therefore sought for a
formal consultation process regarding the future of Bryneithin
Residential Care Home. The growing number of frail elderly
people meant that the Council needed to review and, where
appropriate, reconfigure its existing services to ensure that they
were able to meet the needs of the population both now and in the
future. The 2008-11 Health, Social Care and Wellbeing
Strategy which had been adopted by the Council gave a commitment to
ensuring that people were supported to live as independently as
possible. In May 2008, the Director of Social Services had
begun work on developing a strategy which would enable the Council
to identify accommodation options for older people, the work being
done in collaboration with partners from the health, social care
and housing community. An appraisal was undertaken of the
three Council-run residential care homes namely Southway in
Cowbridge, Cartref Porthceri in Barry and Bryneithin in Dinas
Powys.
The outcome of the appraisal was appended to
the report and showed that Bryneithin was identified clearly as the
least viable of the three Council homes. It was now proposed
that a more detailed and formal consultation exercise be undertaken
which would involve:
·
looking at options, including possible closure of the home
·
providing proper opportunities for all key stakeholders to make
representations in advance of any decision by the Council
·
enabling staff from Social Services to assess again the needs of
all individual residents and the likely impact of any change upon
their wellbeing
·
examining how the Council could safeguard the interests of staff
working in the home
·
working with key partners to explore how residential services in
the Vale of Glamorgan could change to meet the need for fulfilling
additional demand for residential services for older people
suffering from dementia and other illnesses which impacted upon
their mental health
·
providing the Scrutiny Committee (Social Care and Health) with the
opportunity to examine the appraisal and to play an important role
in facilitating the process of consultation.
It was anticipated that the above exercise
would take three months. Whilst there were no plans in place
for either closing the home or for making alternative use of the
premises and site, it was considered that it would be appropriate
to place a moratorium on any new admissions.
The Cabinet Member stressed that the purpose
of the report was to seek approval for a formal public consultation
exercise to take place which would extend over 12 weeks. The
Scrutiny Committee referred to above would take place on
24th November and any interested members of the public
could attend. The likely outcome of that meeting was thought
to be simply that a timetable for consultation would be
considered. All parties involved in Bryneithin would be
informed of that timetable.
This was a matter for Executive decision.
RESOLVED -
(1) T H A
T the outcome of the appraisal be accepted.
(2) T H A
T a twelve week period of formal public consultation regarding the
future of Bryneithin Residential Care Home be approved, with a
moratorium on new long-term admissions during that period.
(3) T H A
T the Director of Social Services be authorised to carry out an
exercise which would identify options for extending the provision
of residential services for older people suffering from dementia
and other illnesses which had an impact upon their mental health
(in line with the Council’s commitment to ensuring a diverse market
which supported choice for residents and their families).
(4) T H A
T the report be referred to the next appropriate meeting of the
Scrutiny Committee (Social Care and Health) for consideration.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To
allow further progress on the work being done to develop the
overall accommodation strategy for older people.
(2) To
ensure that the views of all stakeholders are sought via a
structured and open process so that any future decisions on the
viability of Bryneithin are taken with due regard to these views
and representations made.
(3) To
ensure both current and future demand for residential care EMI
(Elderly Mentally Infirm) provision can be met.
(4) To
allow appropriate scrutiny of the appraisal that has been
undertaken.
C245
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC -
RESOLVED - T H A T under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government
Act 1972, the press and public be 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 Part 4 of
Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Act, the relevant paragraph of the
Schedule being referred to in brackets after the minute
heading.
C246
EQUAL PAY (DFICTP & DLPPHS) (EXEMPT INFORMATION - PARAGRAPHS 15
AND 16) (SCRUTINY - CORPORATE RESOURCES) -
RESOLVED - T H A T the report on the above be
deferred to the next meeting of Cabinet.
Reason for decision
To allow further consideration to the contents
of the report.