Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Ruthin
Media
Webcast: View the webcast
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POINTS OF NOTICE The Leader – · welcomed everyone to the first Cabinet meeting of the new Council and reported that the meeting would be webcast · advised that one minute’s silence would be observed at 11.00 a.m. in remembrance of the victims of the events in London, and · the six Cabinet members present were introduced and details given as to their portfolios. It was explained that the two remaining Cabinet seats had been offered to the Plaid Cymru Group but those appointments needed to be ratified by their National Executive. In the interim the Leader and Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill would lead on the two remaining portfolios Highways and Sustainable Travel and Corporate Standards respectively. Additional documents: |
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APOLOGIES Additional documents: Decision: There were no apologies Minutes: There were no apologies. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS PDF 115 KB Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Additional documents: Decision: No declarations of interest had been raised Minutes: No declarations of 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. Additional documents: Decision: No urgent matters had been raised. Minutes: No urgent matters had been raised. |
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To receive the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 28 March 2017 (copy enclosed). Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 28 March 2017 be approved as a correct record and signed
by the Leader. Minutes: The
minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 28 March 2017 were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 28 March 2017 be approved as a correct record and signed
by the Leader. |
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PROPOSED NEW 3 - 16 CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN RHYL PDF 442 KB To consider a report (copy enclosed) on the findings of the formal consultation on the proposal and seeking approval of the publication of a statutory notice to close Ysgol Mair and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School on 31 August 2019 and for the Diocese of Wrexham to establish a new 3 – 16 Catholic School on the existing site from 1 September 2019. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) notes the
findings of the formal consultation for the closure of St. Mary’s Catholic
Primary School (Ysgol Mair) and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School and the
opening of a new 3 – 16 Catholic School; (b) approves the publication of a statutory
notice for Denbighshire County Council closing St. Mary’s Catholic Primary
School (Ysgol Mair) and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School on the 31st August
2019; and the Diocese of Wrexham to establish a new 3 – 16 Catholic School on
the existing site from the 1st September 2019, and (c) confirms it has
read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment as part
of its consideration. Minutes: Councillor
Huw Hilditch-Roberts presented the report on the findings of the formal
consultation on the proposal and sought approval of the publication of a
statutory notice to close St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Ysgol Mair) and
Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School on 31 August 2019 and for the Diocese
of Wrexham to establish a new 3 – 16 Catholic School on the existing site from
1 September 2019. Councillor
Hilditch-Roberts introduced the Right Reverend Peter Brignall,
Bishop of Wrexham and thanked him for his support within the process. Details
of the formal consultation undertaken by the Council in partnership with the
Diocese of Wrexham had been included in the report and Councillor
Hilditch-Roberts was pleased to report on the positive reaction from all
sectors with an overwhelming response in favour of the proposal. He also took the opportunity to highlight the
benefits of the proposal in terms of the new model of curriculum delivery. Having considered the consultation findings
it was recommended that Cabinet proceed with the next steps which included
publication of a statutory notice based on the current proposal. At
the Leader’s invitation the Right Reverend Peter Brignall
addressed Cabinet and expressed support for the proposal on behalf of the
Diocese of Wrexham. He commended the
proposal to Cabinet as an exciting project highlighting the opportunities that
the new school would provide for those wishing for a faith based education within
the area and he looked forward to its progression. The
Leader welcomed the report which demonstrated the Council’s continued
commitment to invest in education within the county and he paid tribute to the
hard work involved in developing the proposal to date. Cabinet echoed those sentiments and was
pleased to support progression of the proposal to the next stage. It was noted that the current budget estimate
for the project was £23.8m and there was a small element of risk given that the
Council had to provide initial funds to develop the business case before Welsh
Government would commit to its funding share. Further
discussion focused on the following – ·
clarification
was sought regarding the merits of the new 3 – 16 model as a positive
offer. Officers referred to the whole
ethos and spirit of faith education around nurture and inclusion and advised
that education for all learners could be configured so that the curriculum
could be delivered appropriately in terms of age requirements whilst the values
of the school continued right through so that the transition between primary
and secondary provision was seamless.
There would be one leadership team managing curriculum and operational
delivery of the school which was conducive to the spirit of the new
curriculum. The new model would also support
quality delivery of teaching and learning and enhance opportunities and
in-house training. A 3 – 18 model
operated successfully at St. Brigid’s, Denbigh and the 3 – 16 model operated
successfully in other areas ·
whilst
the outcome of the Well-being Impact Assessment was positive, it had focused
primarily on the physical environment in terms of resilience with less emphasis
on individuals in the community and within the school. Officers advised that the model itself would
strengthen resilience by supporting skills development and qualification
attainment which would leave pupils far better equipped given the environment
which was being created. Councillor
Hilditch-Roberts confirmed that future Well-being Impact Assessments would
include more detail about the impact on people as well as the physical
environment. Councillor Joan Butterfield also welcomed the project which she felt was integral to the regeneration of Rhyl and thanked all those involved for their commitment and perseverance in progressing ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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RENEWAL OF NORTH WALES CONSTRUCTION FRAMEWORK PDF 142 KB To consider a report (copy enclosed) outlining the proposed approach to procure the next generation North Wales Construction Framework. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) endorses the
approach outlined within the report to procure the next generation North Wales
Construction Framework, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 2 to the report) as part of its consideration. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report seeking approval to commence
procurement of the second phase of the North Wales Construction Framework
(NWCF) to be effective following expiry of the first phase in May 2018. A further report would be presented to
Cabinet on the outcome of that procurement exercise. The
NWCF was a partnership between the six North Wales councils, of which
Denbighshire had the lead role, and provided a streamlined and cost effective
mechanism to secure contractors to build new schools and other public
buildings. There were currently six
contractors on the NWCF with twenty projects being progressed across the region
with a value in excess of £200m. Details
of Denbighshire projects had been included within the report together with
community benefits secured under the NWCF with investment in local skills and
the economy. It was noted that 80% of
the supply chain spending came from within a 30 mile radius of projects. Reference was made to the existing NWCF
arrangements and how to build on that success in terms of benefits and savings
for the second phase. Key
changes to the new framework included – ·
reduction of the financial thresholds for
contracts which would increase the number of local contractors on the framework ·
maximising delivery of community benefits
such as training requirements and developing local supply chains, and ·
introducing a framework charging fee to
reduce the cost of the framework to the local authorities, whereby contractors would
be charged a fee per project won Due
to the increase in work involved it was proposed to expand the current team
slightly and provision in the budget had already been made. Finally reference was made to the Well-being
Impact Assessment with a positive impact on all areas and a good sustainability
rating. Cabinet
noted the success of the framework and commended the Framework Management Team
who had won national awards for their work in the construction industry. Members considered the approach to procure
the second phase and discussed the following issues in more detail – ·
most of
the current contractors were not based locally and it was explained that the
framework had initially been established to deal with large projects for which
many local contractors did not have the capacity to deliver. However within the supply chain a significant
amount had been carried out by local firms and much work had been carried out
with local contractors to make it easier for them to be considered for
contracts and develop local companies where gaps in the supply chain
existed. It was also anticipated that a
significant number of local contractors would qualify for the framework as a
result of the proposed reduction in the financial thresholds for contracts in
the second phase ·
the
current framework had been in operation since 2014 and the budget was
considered adequate to manage the framework with no additional funding
requested; the revenue allocated by the six local authorities was sufficient to
cover the slightly enhanced Framework Management Team to assist with key
changes. There would also be capacity in
the Design and Development Team to assist and in the event of any shortfalls
additional resources could be commissioned on an ad hoc basis ·
when
the framework was developed Welsh Government had concentrated on targeted
recruitment and training and the framework had been set up to deliver those
elements of community benefits. There
was flexibility with the framework to deliver physical community benefits which
had been delivered in some cases, when appropriate, depending on the specific
project and needs of the region · the proposed contract fee was discussed and it was suggested that the fee ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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CORPORATE PLAN PERFORMANCE REPORT QUARTER 4 - 2016/17 PDF 217 KB To consider a report (copy enclosed) providing an update on the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2012 – 17 as at the end of quarter 4 2016/17. Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet
receives the report and notes the progress in delivering the Corporate Plan as
at the end of quarter 4 of 2016/17. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report updating members on the delivery of
the Corporate Plan 2012 – 17 as at the end of quarter 4 of 2016/17. The report included two main elements – ·
Executive Summary
– detailed achievements and key exceptions with good performance overall. Only one outcome had been assessed as Red:
Priority for Improvement – Outcome 7 Students achieve their potential, which
was an annual indicator (no new data this quarter) as previously reported and
discussed. All other outcomes had been
evaluated as acceptable or better, and ·
Full
quarterly report – provided an evidence based assessment of the current
position focusing on key exceptions. An explanation behind the status of particular
indicators had been included within the report with key issues highlighted and
elaborated upon further at the meeting.
Most of the areas were annual indicators with little movement since the
last quarter. During consideration of the report members
discussed the following – ·
Outcome 7:
Students achieve their potential – for clarity, the Head of Education and
Children’s Services explained the background to the current position. In 2012 the Council had set itself an
ambitious target to be the best performing Council in Wales for education
attainment. Estyn measured performance
according to the Council’s Free School Meal ranking of which Denbighshire was
14th, and Denbighshire’s level of success was in line with that. In April 2013 the regional School Improvement
Service, GwE, went live and the service was delegated to deliver on behalf of
local authorities on a regional basis and resources were directed to those
authorities most in need. As
Denbighshire was performing well the approach meant improvement did not
continue at the same rate, and although the Council was still achieving
positively commensurate with Estyn’s profile of the authority, it had not
achieved its ambition. As there was now
greater consistency across the region it was anticipated that Denbighshire’s
rate of improvement would increase. The
Leader added that the Council’s ambitions remained high and there was a need to
ensure an improving trend. In terms of
future challenges the Head of Service advised that KS2 pupils achieved well but
there was a gap in the performance level from KS2 to KS4 and discussions would
be held with GwE to ensure the right level of support in that regard. Councillor Hilditch-Roberts added that as
there was now a greater consistency across the region there was a need to
strive for a greater level of improvement and he was confident that the next
report would reflect that aim. The Chief
Executive advocated greater emphasis on the quality of education in schools
rather than the quality of the support service and felt there may be merit is
reviewing the target although it should remain ambitious ·
Outcome 8:
Improving our roads – the challenge of continually maintaining the quality of
the county’s roads was discussed and whether additional investment would be available
for that purpose. It was noted that
members would discuss the council’s corporate priorities for investment at full
Council in July ·
Outcome 9:
New Measure – the number of new placements of adults whom the authority
supports in care homes (aged 65 and over).
It was explained that this was a new measure with no figures as yet but
its purpose was to identify future trends.
However the overall trend was down because there were now many
alternatives to care homes. RESOLVED that Cabinet
receives the report and notes the progress in delivering the Corporate Plan as
at the end of quarter 4 of 2016/17. |
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FINANCE REPORT (2016/17 FINANCIAL OUTTURN) PDF 225 KB To consider a report (copy enclosed) detailing the final revenue outturn position for 2016/17 and proposed treatment of reserves and balances. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) notes
the final revenue outturn position for 2016/17; (b) approves the proposed
treatment of reserves and balances as described in the report and detailed in
Appendices 1, 2 and 3, and (c) notes
the details of transfers to and from Earmarked Reserves as set out in Appendix
4. Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill
presented the report on the final revenue outturn position for 2016/17 and
proposed treatment of reserves and balances.
The first draft of the Annual
Statement of Accounts for 2016/17 would be submitted to external auditors by 30
June and the audited accounts would be presented to the Corporate Governance
Committee in September for formal approval. Members were guided through the
detail of the report and appendices. In
brief the final outturn position on service and corporate budgets (including
schools) was an overspend of £2.626m (1.4% of the net
revenue budget). The main areas to note
had been highlighted and included pressures on School Finances; Community
Support Services; Education and Children’s Service and Highways and Environmental
Services and those issues were elaborated upon further at the meeting. In terms of schools it had been a difficult
year due to higher than usual inflationary pressures and the outturn position
included an overspend of £2.618m on delegated budgets – 26 schools were showing
deficit balances and finance officers were working closely with them on
financial recovery plans. Reference was
made to the transfers to and from earmarked reserves and a number of year-end transactions
had also been recommended for approval.
Given the overall position within services and the availability of
corporate funds, it was proposed that services carry forward the net
underspends listed as committed services balances to help deliver the 2017/18
budget strategy and meet existing commitments.
It had generally been a good year for the authority although there was
an underlying trend of overspend overall, and it was important to monitor the
position in schools to ensure the situation did not worsen in the future. The Leader felt it was important
to better understand the pressures facing Community Support Services and the
financial implications going forward as using reserves to contain the budget
pressures was unsustainable. Councillor
Bobby Feeley highlighted some of the financial pressures facing the service
adding that pressures on social care was a universal issue. She agreed there would be some merit in
discussing the issue with the Senior Leadership Team. The Head of Finance explained that the Medium
Term Financial Plan did recognise the additional burdens on social care which
would form part of the discussions during the next budget setting process. He confirmed that cash reserves were used in
2015/16 and 2016/17 and the final year end position allowed for the replenishment
of some of those reserves. It was
recognised that the use of cash reserves was not a long term solution. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) notes
the final revenue outturn position for 2016/17; (b) approves the proposed
treatment of reserves and balances as described in the report and detailed in
Appendices 1, 2 and 3, and (c) notes
the details of transfers to and from Earmarked Reserves as set out in Appendix
4. |
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FINANCE REPORT (MAY - INCLUDING BUDGET SUMMARY BOOK 2017/18) PDF 329 KB To consider a report (copy enclosed) detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed budget strategy. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet
notes the budgets set for 2017/18 and progress against the agreed strategy. Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the
report detailing the latest financial position and service budgets for 2017/18
together with the Budget Summary Book 2017/18 (Appendix 1 to the report). He provided a summary of the Council’s
financial position as follows – ·
the net
revenue budget for 2017/18 was £189.252m (£185.062m in 2016/17) ·
details of
service efficiencies worth £0.902m which had already been agreed as part of the
budget with the assumption that all would be delivered – any exceptions would
be reported to Cabinet if required ·
there
being no variances to report at this stage in the financial year but a number
of service pressures had been highlighted which required careful monitoring,
and ·
a general update on
the Capital Plan, Housing Revenue Account and Housing Capital Plan. Councillor Huw Jones queried the budget reduction shown
against parking services which was predominantly the budgeted income expected
to be raised from parking charges. The
Head of Finance agreed to ascertain whether the amount included any other fees
or elements which might account for the reduction and report back thereon. RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the budgets set for 2017/18 and progress against the agreed strategy. |
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CABINET FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 274 KB To receive the enclosed Cabinet Forward Work Programme and note the contents.
Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet’s
Forward Work Programme be noted. Minutes: The Cabinet Forward Work Programme was
presented for consideration and it was noted there may be a delay in submission
of the 21st Century Schools Programme Band B Proposals scheduled for July. RESOLVED that Cabinet’s
Forward Work Programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 11.55 a.m. |