Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Ruthin
Media
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POINTS OF NOTICE (i) the Leader welcomed Judith Greenhalgh, Chief Executive to her first meeting of the Cabinet and members present were introduced (ii) Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts referred to the positive findings of the recent Estyn Inspection of Education Services and paid tribute to the hard work and contributions of all those involved in that success, both past and present – specific mention was made to Karen Evans, Head of Education and Children’s Services 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: Councillor Tony Thomas – Personal Interest – Agenda Item 9 Minutes: Councillor Tony Thomas declared a personal interest in
agenda item 9 – Properties on West Parade and Sussex Street, Rhyl because he
was a Rhyl Town Councillor. |
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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 20 March 2018 (copy enclosed). Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on March 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed by
the Leader. Minutes: The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 20 March 2018 were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 20 March 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed
by the Leader. |
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To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (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 budget
strategy. Minutes: Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill presented the
report detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed
budget strategy. He provided a summary
of the Council’s financial position as follows – ·
service and
corporate budgets were forecast to be underspent by £889k with options as to
how the underspend could be utilised if the position remained ·
highlighted
current risks and variances relating to individual service areas including a
number of uncertainties which may affect the financial outturn ·
a projected
net deficit balance of £0.844m for schools and impact of the additional Welsh
Government allocation of £484k for maintenance costs, and ·
provided a general
update on the Housing Revenue Account, Housing Capital Plan and the Capital
Plan (including the Corporate Plan element). The following matters were raised during debate
– ·
pressures
on Children and Adult Services had been well documented and would be considered
during the budget process along with other identified pressures ·
an
assessment of costs incurred as a result of the extreme weather conditions was
being undertaken and whilst Welsh Government had announced funding for councils
to offset those costs it would not cover the entire amount incurred – it was
noted that Welsh Government officials would be attending a future meeting of
the Performance Scrutiny Committee to discuss highway funding ·
the
Council was not liable for school transport costs to Denbigh College because it
was a tertiary facility but other ancillary costs would be incurred as a result
of its closure ·
Councillor
Mabon Ap Gwynfor proposed
that funding for education, specifically additional learning needs, be included
as an option for the potential underspend with a report to scrutiny on its
allocation. Councillor Julian
Thompson-Hill explained the reasoning behind the options identified within the
report and clarified the decision making process for allocation of the final
underspend – the underspend represented one-off cash funding and a final figure
would be included in the financial outturn report to Cabinet in June to
determine how it would be utilised.
Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts highlighted the significant investment
in education and felt there would be merit in providing members with further
detail in terms of how education was funded, including the commitment to Band B
funding, in order for them to gain a better understanding in that regard. It was agreed to provide that information as
part of the next members’ budget workshop. RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the budgets set for 2017/18 and progress against the agreed budget strategy. |
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CABINET FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 293 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 and it was noted that the financial outturn report would be added to
the work programme for June. RESOLVED that Cabinet’s Forward Work Programme be noted. |
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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 item
of business on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of
exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 14 and 15 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A
of the Act. Additional documents: |
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FORMER NORTH WALES HOSPITAL, DENBIGH To consider a report by Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Lead Member for the Economy and Corporate Governance (copy enclosed) seeking a decision on the preferred party to take ownership of the site once the Compulsory Purchase Order is completed. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms Jones Bros
in association with the North Wales Building Preservation Trust as the
preferred party to take ownership of the site upon completion of the Compulsory
Purchase Order; (b) agrees to the Council entering into a
Development Agreement and Occupational Licence, that is acceptable to the
Council, taking effect on the completion of the Compulsory Purchase Order and
delegates authority to negotiate the terms and conditions to the Corporate
Director: Economy and Public Realm in consultation with the Lead Member for
Economy and Corporate Governance, Head of Legal, HR and Democratic Services and
the Head of Finance (i.e. the Section 151 Officer), and (c) recommends that
Planning Committee formerly authorise the serving of the General Vesting
Declaration, which is the last stage of confirming the Compulsory Purchase
Order, having regard to (a) and (b) above. Minutes: Councillor
Hugh Evans presented the confidential report seeking a decision on the
preferred party to take ownership of the site once the Compulsory Purchase
Order had been completed. The
report detailed the process for determining the preferred party based on a
development agreement approach together with the technical assessment of the
tender submissions including the evaluation criteria and scoring matrix. Cabinet was asked to assess each proposal for
the site having regard to all the information provided in order to determine
the preferred development option.
Officers reported upon some late information received from one of the
parties and discussed with members how much weight should be attached to that
information. Cabinet considered the merits
of the proposals having regard to the evaluation criteria and weighting
attached to each criteria. Non Cabinet
members were also given the opportunity to share their views and local Denbigh
members were specifically invited to contribute to debate. Officers responded to questions and it was
noted that the detail of the development would be subject to the planning
process. The importance of the site was
reiterated together with the need to develop the site in order to provide the
historic buildings with a sustainable future whilst also benefitting the
economy. In reaching their decision
members acknowledged the complex history of the site and thanked officers for
their hard work in progressing to the current stage in the process to safeguard
the site. It was noted that the Denbigh
members supported the recommendations in the report and the preferred bidder as
advised by Cabinet. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) confirms Jones Bros
in association with the North Wales Building Preservation Trust as the
preferred party to take ownership of the site upon completion of the Compulsory
Purchase Order; (b) agrees to the Council entering into a
Development Agreement and Occupational Licence, that is acceptable to the
Council, taking effect on the completion of the Compulsory Purchase Order and
delegates authority to negotiate the terms and conditions to the Corporate
Director: Economy and Public Realm in consultation with the Lead Member for
Economy and Corporate Governance, Head of Legal, HR and Democratic Services and
the Head of Finance (i.e. the Section 151 Officer), and (c) recommends that
Planning Committee formerly authorise the serving of the General Vesting
Declaration, which is the last stage of confirming the Compulsory Purchase
Order, having regard to (a) and (b) above. At
this point (11.05 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break. |
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IN HOUSE SERVICE UPDATE REPORT To consider a confidential report by Councillor Bobby Feeley, Lead Member for Wellbeing and Independence (copy enclosed) regarding the tender exercise in relation to the transfer of Hafan Deg Day Centre in Rhyl and seeking approval of the contract award to the preferred bidder. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet
agrees the awarding of the contract to the preferred bidder as identified
within the report. Minutes: Councillor
Bobby Feeley presented the confidential report regarding the tender exercise in
relation to the transfer of Hafan Deg
Day Care Centre in Rhyl and sought approval of the contract award to the
preferred bidder identified in the report to take over the lease and running of
the day care service. Some
background information was provided on the decision regarding the future
provision of services at Hafan Deg
including the extensive consultation process and involvement of Performance
Scrutiny Committee and Task and Finish Group in evaluating potential
impacts. Details of the tendering
exercise and outcome of the evaluation process had been included within the
report together with proposed future monitoring of the contract management plan
via Performance Scrutiny Committee.
Councillor Huw Jones, Chair of Performance Scrutiny Committee advised of
the outcome of the Task and Finish Group and subsequent report to Performance
Scrutiny Committee and confirmed that, subject to a number of observations and
assurances in relation to the tender evaluation process, it was recommended
that Cabinet support the contract award to the preferred bidder. Councillor Jones also highlighted the
difficulties faced by the Task and Finish Group within the scrutiny process but
was satisfied that the issues had been resolved with lessons learned for the
future. Councillor Glenn Swingler was
also a member of the Task and Finish Group and voiced his concerns regarding
the scrutiny process in this case. During
debate officers responded to questions regarding safeguards within the contract
and elaborated upon sub-letting provisions, financial and quality controls and
performance measures. Reference was also
made to the contract management arrangements to ensure a smooth transition and
monitor the effectiveness of service delivery.
Cabinet noted the benefits of the transfer which would enhance and
expand the services currently on offer.
Consequently it was – RESOLVED that Cabinet
agrees the awarding of the contract to the preferred bidder as identified
within the report. |
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PROPERTIES ON WEST PARADE AND SUSSEX STREET, RHYL To consider a confidential report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) seeking approval of the acquisition of Phase 1 buildings and taking of an option to acquire the Phase 2 buildings as detailed within the report. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the
acquisition of Phase 1 land and buildings and the completion of an Option to
acquire Phase 2 land and buildings conditional on the following terms - ·
the proposed acquisition is 100% externally
funded and that there are no revenue costs associated with any of the
acquisitions. If for any reason the
grant funding for the proposal is not forthcoming then the acquisition should
not proceed ·
prior to the serving of any Option Notice to acquire the
Phase 2 land and buildings, the Council must satisfy the same conditions
precedent before obtaining approval to serve the Notice (b) confirms that it
has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment
attached as Appendix 2 to the report as part of its consideration. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the confidential report seeking approval of the
acquisition of Phase 1 buildings and taking of an option to acquire the Phase 2
buildings in Rhyl Town Centre as detailed within the report. The
reasoning behind the proposed acquisitions was explained in order to facilitate
a project to improve the vitality of Rhyl town centre by returning a site
occupied by under-utilised and derelict properties to productive uses which
would enhance the town offer. It was
proposed that the acquisitions only proceed on the basis that they would be
fully funded externally (via grant funding) at no cost to the Council. The
Leader added his support to the recommendation which he believed to be a key
element in the next step to link the investment in the new waterfront
developments to the town centre and to stimulate further private sector
investment in the town. Cabinet noted
the regeneration merits of the proposal and supported the recommended acquisitions
on the basis as set out within the report. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the acquisition of Phase 1 land
and buildings and the completion of an Option to acquire Phase 2 land and
buildings conditional on the following terms - ·
the proposed acquisition is 100% externally funded and that
there are no revenue costs associated with any of the acquisitions. If for any reason the grant funding for the
proposal is not forthcoming then the acquisition should not proceed ·
prior to the serving of any Option Notice to acquire the
Phase 2 land and buildings, the Council must satisfy the same conditions
precedent before obtaining approval to serve the Notice (b) confirms that it has read, understood and
taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment attached as Appendix 2 to the
report as part of its consideration. |
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GYSPY AND TRAVELLER SITES To consider a confidential report by Councillor Tony Thomas, Lead Member for Housing, Regulation and the Environment (copy enclosed) regarding proposals for the Council to meet the needs identified in the Denbighshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet
approve that further development work is undertaken on the sites as recommended
in Appendix 4 of the report in order to progress to Planning Application Stage. Minutes: Councillor
Tony Thomas presented the confidential report regarding proposals for the
Council to meet the needs identified in the Denbighshire Gypsy and Traveller
Accommodation Assessment (GTAA). The
Housing (Wales) Act 2014 required local authorities to undertake an assessment
of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs and make provision if a need was
identified. The GTAA had identified a
need for one permanent residential site and one transit site and an outline of
the actions to date in the site selection process to meet those needs had been
provided within the report together with the availability of grant funding and
timescales for delivery. Following a detailed
assessment process of potential sites it was recommended that further
development work be undertaken on specific sites identified within the
report. It was clarified that Welsh
Government was reluctant to grant funding for residential and transit sites in
close proximity and further investigation would be required to pursue that
option. During
a detailed debate reference was made to the comprehensive work carried out to
date in identifying and assessing the viability of particular sites. It was acknowledged that there was a
statutory requirement to meet the needs identified and there was some debate as
to whether provision for both residential and transit sites could be met
simultaneously and if not whether there was a preference on which provision
should be met first, particularly given the tight timescales in which to apply
for grant funding. Councillor Richard
Mainon challenged some of the assumptions made in the site options appraisal
and reasoning behind the recommendations as to which sites should be
progressed. He also felt more consideration
should be given to the individual merits of each site rather than focusing on
the availability of grant funding.
Councillor Tony Thomas outlined the current position and potential
outcomes and highlighted the availability of grant funding as an important
consideration within that process. Councillor
Mainon asked that the outcome of the vote be recorded on this item. Upon being put to the vote 7 members voted in
favour of the recommendation and 1 member voted against the recommendation. Consequently it was – RESOLVED that Cabinet
approve that further development work is undertaken on the sites as recommended
in Appendix 4 of the report in order to progress to Planning Application Stage. Councillor Richard Mainon asked for it to be recorded that he voted against the above resolution. The meeting concluded at 1.35 p.m. |