Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: Conference Room 1a, County Hall, Ruthin
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APOLOGIES Decision: Apologies had been received from the Corporate Director: Customers. Minutes: Apologies had been received from the Corporate Director: Customers. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Decision: No declaration of personal or prejudicial interest had been raised. Minutes: No declaration of personal or prejudicial interest had been raised. |
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URGENT MATTERS
Notice of
items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting
as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the
Local Government Act 1972. Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses settlement of the Council’s current equal pay claims on the basis detailed within the report as agreed in principle with the Claimants’ Solicitors. Minutes: In accordance with the requirements of Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Leader declared that he intended to include for discussion the following confidential matter requiring urgent attention – UPDATE ON EQUAL PAY COMPENSATION. It was agreed to consider the matter later in the meeting under Part II of the agenda. |
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To receive the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 29 October 2013 (copy enclosed). Decision: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 29 October 2013 be approved as
a correct record and signed by the Leader. Minutes: The
minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 29 October 2013 were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 29 October 2013 be approved as
a correct record and signed by the Leader. |
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To consider a report by Councillor Huw Jones, Lead Member for Tourism, Leisure and Youth (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet’s support for the formation of a Joint Committee for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) supports
the formation of a Joint Committee for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB; (b) agrees
the Authority signs with Wrexham and Flintshire the Legal Agreement prepared by
legal, financial and the AONB Officer as set out in the appendix to the report,
and (c) the
Joint Committee and AONB Partnership ensure that local members whose wards are
wholly or partically within the area of the AONB are regularly updated and
informed of the business to be considered by both the Joint Committee and AONB
Partnership. Minutes: Councillor Huw Jones
presented the report seeking Cabinet’s support for the formation of a Joint
Committee (JC) for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley
AONB which now stretched across Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire. The existing AONB Committee had recommended a
JC to strengthen relations with local authorities and ensure good
governance. Leaders, Chief Executives
and Lead Officers from the three local authorities had been supportive of the
approach. The Principal Countryside Officer (PCO) responded
to members’ questions, elaborating upon the requirements for creating a JC
together with the proposals in terms of membership, powers and roles,
operational support and the benefits to be derived from such an approach. Cabinet was supportive of a partnership
approach but sought assurances regarding the involvement of local members
within the process together with local accountability. The PCO clarified that membership of the JC
would be determined by each individual authority and would be supported by an
AONB Partnership and Annual Forum involving local members. The JC would also report back to the local
authorities’ executives/committees. In
response to a question from the Leader the PCO highlighted the potential
economic impact and value to the area as a consequence of the expanded AONB
range, specifically in terms of tourism and grant funding leading to the
development of various projects. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) supports the formation of a Joint
Committee for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB; (b) agrees
the Authority signs with Wrexham and Flintshire the Legal Agreement prepared by legal, financial
and the AONB Officer as set out in the appendix to the report, and (c) the Joint Committee and AONB Partnership ensure that local
members whose wards are wholly or partially within the area of the AONB are
regularly updated and informed of the business to be considered by both the
Joint Committee and AONB Partnership. |
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DENBIGHSHIRE SUPPORTING PEOPLE LOCAL COMMISSIONING PLAN 2014 - 15 & 2015 - 16 PDF 58 KB To consider a report by Councillor Bobby Feeley, Lead Member for Social Care and Children’s Services (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet’s approval of the Supporting People Local Commissioning Plan 2014 – 15 & 2015 – 16 for submission to the North Wales Regional Collaborative Committee and the Welsh Government. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the Supporting People Local Commissioning Plan
for 2014/15 & 2015/16 and its submission to the North Wales Regional
Collaborative Committee and the Welsh Government. Minutes: Councillor Bobby Feeley
presented the report seeking Cabinet’s approval of the Supporting People Local
Commissioning Plan (LCP) 2014/15 & 2015/16 prior to submission to the North
Wales Regional Collaborative Committee and the Welsh Government. She confirmed Communities Scrutiny Committee
had considered and supported the LCP. Supporting People (SP) was a policy framework
and funding stream providing housing related support to vulnerable people. The Corporate Director: Modernising and Wellbeing
drew members’ attention to the main strategic priorities and proposed actions
detailed within the report together with funding implications arising from the
new funding formula and general funding cuts.
The proposals for cuts had been delivered in a strategic way and there
was also investment in Denbigh Youth Project which had been identified as an
area of significant need. RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the Supporting People Local Commissioning Plan
for 2014/15 & 2015/16 and its submission to the North Wales Regional
Collaborative Committee and the Welsh Government. |
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TOWN AND AREA PLANS PDF 100 KB To consider a report by Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Lead Member for Economic Development (copy enclosed) updating Cabinet on Town and Area Plans and seeking adoption of the Area Plans for Llangollen, Corwen and St. Asaph and approval of funding for the priorities contained within those plans. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the adoption of Area Plans (incorporating the
existing Town Plans) for Llangollen, Corwen and St. Asaph; (b) approve the funding for the priorities detailed in the above
referred Area Plans; (c) note the timetable for future Town & Area Plans, and (d) note the position statement on the current financial
position for Town & Area Plans. Minutes: Councillor Hugh Evans presented the report
updating Cabinet on Town and Area Plans and seeking adoption of the Area Plans
for Llangollen, Corwen and St. Asaph
(attached to the report) and approval of funding for the priorities contained
within those plans. The report also
included a timetable for future plan approvals and the current financial
position. The new plans set out the current situation in
the towns and associated areas, key challenges and opportunities together with a
vision and actions to deliver that vision.
Each of the three Area Plans had been approved by their respective
Member Area Group. Councillor Huw Jones elaborated upon the process of linking the
surrounding areas to towns in order to reflect the issues, actions and
priorities within those communities. The
Economic and Business Development Manager reported upon the latest position on
spend highlighting funding commitments and match funding elements together with
the forecast position to the year end. As a point of notice Councillor Barbara Smith
advised that the wards in her area had been attached to different Area
Plans. It had since been agreed that Cwm
would form part of the St. Asaph Area Plan together
with Tremeirchion and Waen. Cabinet discussed the process for funding
allocations contained within the Area Plans which was predominately based on a
bidding process for priorities as opposed to a set provision for each
area. The need for greater clarity in
terms of available funding when setting priorities was highlighted including
match funding elements and external grant funding sources. Questions were also raised about the
flexibility of the Area Plans in responding to changing priorities and in cases
where priorities differed from County Council policy. Comments were made regarding the length of
time taken to develop the Area Plans and the need to progress the priorities
without undue delay. Officers responded
to members’ questions and comments as follows – ·
elaborated
upon work on going to ensure a fair distribution of funding across the county
with further guidance for towns and communities being prepared on various
funding sources available and how they could be accessed – a discussion in that
regard would be had at the Economic Ambition Programme Board in December and a
report with recommendations on distribution of funding would be provided to
Cabinet for consideration ·
confirmed
that plans should be driven by Member Area Groups with clear priorities
identified ·
advised
that Area Plans would be live documents to be amended as priorities changed and
subject to regular review by Member Area Groups – officers had committed to a
review programme to develop that process and to help members identify sources of
funding to support priorities ·
explained the
factors which had delayed development of the plans including the work involved
in widening the initial plans, the
consultation process and timetabling of meetings with town/community councils. The Chief Executive added that a report would
be commissioned to assess the impact of the priorities within towns and
communities and establish what difference had been made as a result. The importance of links with the town/community
councils was also highlighted and the need for a more coordinated
approach. Cabinet endorsed the Area
Plans as the way forward for delivering priorities within local communities. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the adoption of Area Plans (incorporating the
existing Town Plans) for Llangollen, Corwen and St. Asaph; (b) approve the funding for the priorities detailed in the above
referred Area Plans; (c) note the timetable for future Town & Area Plans, and (d) note the position statement on the current financial
position for Town & Area Plans. |
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To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets (copy enclosed) detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed budget strategy. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the latest financial position and progress against the
agreed budget strategy; (b) agree in principle the arrangement of a loan to Llangollen Town Council to assist with the cash flow supporting
a capital investment and to delegate authority to the Head of Finance and
Assets to progress the arrangement if and when required; (c) agree
that £100k of the refund payment made under the Carbon Reduction Scheme be set
aside for investment in new energy efficiency schemes, and (d) that a study be carried out into the impact of the reduction
in car parking charges in Ruthin on the levels of car
park usage and income earned from car parking in the town. Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the
report detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed
budget strategy and sought Cabinet’s agreement in principle to provide a short
term loan to Llangollen Town Council. He
provided a summary of the Council’s financial position as follows – ·
an under
spend of £763k was forecast across service and corporate budgets ·
67% of
agreed savings had been achieved to date (target £3.061m) ·
highlighted
key variances from budgets or savings targets relating to individual service
areas ·
a positive
movement of £85k on school balances brought forward from 2012/13 ·
a general update on
the Capital Plan and Housing Revenue Account. Cabinet was also asked to approve a proposal to
set aside £100k of the £152k refund on payments made under the Carbon Reduction
Scheme to invest in new energy efficiency schemes. Councillor Eryl
Williams referred to the parking income levels being down on the previous year
resulting in a pressure of £108k – the main areas affected being Rhyl and Prestatyn. He referred to the Ruthin
Member Area Group funding allocation to subsidise car parking charges in the
area and sought assurances that there would be parity between affected areas to
ensure Ruthin did not lose out if pressures were
offset from within the directorate. He
also requested that a study be carried out into the reduction in car parking
charges in Ruthin to assess the impact. It was noted that some work had been carried
out to assess the impact of the subsidy in Ruthin but
it had been difficult to reach a definitive conclusion. Councillor David Smith highlighted the need
for further investigation into the budget setting process if the Council was
depending on car parking charges as an income.
The Head of Housing and Community Development advised that Communities
Scrutiny Committee had agreed that a review of the car parking policy be
carried out and reported back to scrutiny in March 2014. He confirmed that issues raised by members
would be incorporated within that review. Councillor Meirick
Davies raised questions over the pressure on School Transport and the need to
review the discretionary transport element.
Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill referred to previous debates regarding
the issue and the Chief Executive added that there was a separate budget for
discretionary transport which would form part of future budget
discussions. It was also noted that the School
Transport budget fluctuated depending on the number of school days during the
year. In response to a question from
Councillor Bill Cowie, Councillor David Smith advised
that the service restructure for Highways and Environmental Services would
hopefully be resolved by the end of March 2014. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the latest financial position and progress against the
agreed budget strategy; (b) agree in principle the arrangement of a loan to Llangollen Town Council to assist with the cash flow
supporting a capital investment and to delegate authority to the Head of
Finance and Assets to progress the arrangement if and when required; (c) agree
that £100k of the refund payment made under the Carbon Reduction Scheme be set
aside for investment in new energy efficiency schemes, and (d) that a study be carried out into the impact of the reduction
in car parking charges in Ruthin on the levels of car
park usage and income earned from car parking in the town. |
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CABINET FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 107 KB To receive the enclosed Cabinet Forward Work Programme and note the contents.
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet’s Forward Work Programme be noted. Minutes: Councillor Hugh Evans presented the Cabinet
Forward Work Programme for consideration.
It was agreed to delete a duplicate entry in the work programme for
January regarding the Procurement Business Case. RESOLVED that Cabinet’s Forward Work Programme be noted. At this juncture (11.40 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for a
refreshment break. |
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EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC RESOLVED
that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public
be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds
that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in
Paragraphs 14 and 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 |
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URGENT MATTER - UPDATE ON EQUAL PAY COMPENSATION Minutes: [This item was considered as a matter of
urgency, notice having been given by the Leader at the commencement of the
meeting.] Councillor Barbara Smith presented a
confidential report updating Cabinet on the Council’s negotiations to settle
its equal pay liabilities and seeking endorsement of the proposed settlement as
detailed within the report. The
Corporate Director: Economic and Community Ambition provided some background to
the current proposals and responded to members’ questions thereon. RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses settlement of the Council’s current equal pay
claims on the basis detailed within the report as agreed in principle with the
Claimants’ Solicitors. |
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BUSINESS RATES WRITE OFFS
To consider a confidential report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet’s approval to write off the irrecoverable Business Rates as detailed within the report. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves to write off the irrecoverable Business Rates as
detailed in Table 1 of the report, and (b) that Council writes to the Welsh Government to express its concerns
in terms of practices adopted by particular companies to circumvent paying
creditors and requests it looks into the legislative requirements to close
those loopholes. Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill introduced Mr. Rod Urquhart, newly appointed Head of Revenues and
Benefits (HRB). He presented a
confidential report seeking Cabinet’s approval to write off the irrecoverable
Business Rates for a number of companies where recovery action could not
continue because they had either been wound up or dissolved. A detailed history relating to each company
had been included within the report. Cabinet discussed the circumstances relating to
the companies concerned with the HRB and expressed concerns regarding practices
used by particular companies to avoid paying creditors. The HRB elaborated upon the legalities and
recovery action undertaken and highlighted recent changes to act earlier in the
recovery process if necessary. Councillor Meirick
Davies referred to a recent Ombudsman’s report regarding overpayment of
business rates. The Head of Legal and
Democratic Services advised that such matters were reported to the Corporate
Governance Committee and he agreed to look into the specific case referred to
by Councillor Davies. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves
to write off the irrecoverable Business Rates as detailed in Table 1 of the
report, and (b) that Council writes to the Welsh Government to express its
concerns in terms of practices adopted by particular companies to circumvent
paying creditors and requests it looks into the legislative requirements to
close those loopholes. |
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SCALA CINEMA AND ARTS CENTRE - FINANCIAL UPDATE To consider a confidential report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill (copy enclosed) detailing the current financial position of the company. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet
delegates authority to the Head of Finance and Assets to monitor the financial
situation, manage the payroll service to Scala Prestatyn Company Limited and to take any appropriate
action. Minutes: It was noted that Councillor Julian
Thompson-Hill was a member of Prestatyn Town Council
but there was no requirement for him to declare an interest in this item. Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the
confidential report detailing the current financial position of the Scala Prestatyn Company
Limited. Cabinet discussed the financial
position with the Head of Finance and Assets and the Chief Executive who
clarified particular issues in response to questions thereon. Whilst agreeing to delegate authority to the
Head of Finance and Assets to take appropriate action members also asked that
they be kept informed of any developments in relation to the matter. RESOLVED that Cabinet
delegates authority to the Head of Finance and Assets to monitor the financial
situation, manage the payroll service to Scala Prestatyn Company Limited and to take any appropriate
action. The meeting concluded at 1.00 p.m. |