Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Ruthin
Media
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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 116 KB Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Additional documents: Decision: Councillors Meirick Davies and Emrys Wynne declared a
personal interest in agenda item 9. Minutes: The following members declared a personal interest in agenda
item 9 – Finance Report (2017/18 Financial Outturn) – Councillor Meirick Davies – Governor Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog
and Ysgol Trefnant Councillor Emrys Wynne – Governor Ysgol Borthyn |
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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 22 May 2018 (copy enclosed). Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 22 May 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed
by the Leader. Minutes: The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 22 May 2018 were submitted. The Leader drew attention to questions raised with regard to the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan which reflected a high level of scrutiny which would be better placed in a scrutiny committee. Given that Cabinet was a decision making forum he asked that members focus on the report recommendations with any item requiring more in-depth examination being directed through the scrutiny process. RESOLVED that the minutes
of the meeting held on 22 May 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed
by the Leader. |
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GROWTH VISION AND STRATEGY FOR THE ECONOMY OF NORTH WALES: GOVERNANCE AGREEMENT PDF 115 KB To consider a report by Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader and Lead Member for the Economy and Corporate Governance (copy enclosed) regarding the Governance Agreement required to formalise the constitutional arrangements of, and confer decision making powers to, the North Wales Economic Ambition Board within prescribed limits. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that – (a) progress on the
development of a Growth Deal Bid is noted and welcomed; (b) the first stage
Governance Agreement is approved subject to Council’s approval of the
non-executive arrangements i.e. the arrangements for Scrutiny; (c) the Council be
presented with the final draft Growth Deal Bid for review and consent in
September/October prior to the stage of reaching Heads of Terms with both
Governments; (d) delegated authority be given to the Chief
Executive, Corporate Director: Economy and Public Realm and Head of Legal, HR
and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Leader to finalise the terms
of the Governance Agreement substantially in accordance with the draft attached
to this report, and (e) that Cabinet
approve the executive arrangements contained within the Governance Agreement
and recommend that Council approve their inclusion in the Constitution along
with the non-executive arrangements relating to Scrutiny. Minutes: Councillor
Hugh Evans introduced the report regarding the Governance Agreement required to
formalise the constitutional arrangements of, and confer decision making powers
to, the North Wales Economic Ambition Board within prescribed limits. Some
background information was provided regarding previous collaborative approvals
to adopt the Growth Vision and develop a Growth Deal Bid. The next step required approval of the first
stage Governance Agreement from all six North Wales local authorities – Cabinet
approval was sought in so far as it related to executive arrangements subject
to Full Council’s approval of non-executive arrangements. The first Governance Agreement covered the
preparatory and development stage up to mid-July 2019 after which a second
stage more in-depth Governance Agreement would need to be approved to cover the
implementation phase and project delivery. Cabinet
welcomed the progress in developing the Growth Bid and reiterated the need for
robust governance arrangements, particularly when progressing to the second
stage of prioritising projects in the region and financial contributions. In response to questions the Leader and Head
of Legal, HR & Democratic Services – ·
detailed membership of the Board which
included representatives from each of the six local authorities, two
universities, two further education colleges and the North Wales Mersey Dee
Business Council and confirmed provisions in place for nominated substitute and
replacement representatives to ensure continuity ·
confirmed the joint committee model as the
most appropriate means of governance currently available but there had been
calls on the Welsh Government to create a more appropriate model given that
only local authorities had voting rights with no such provision for partners ·
elaborated upon the governance map which
included a stakeholder forum with representatives from relevant sectors and
monitoring of the Board and advised that the second stage would involve the
creation of various sub groups ·
clarified provisions in Schedule 1
(Delegations Policy), point 21 which related to incidental matters with any
major matters being reserved as set out in the table ·
advised that each local authority was
represented on the Board by their Leader and decisions would be made in
accordance with agreed governance arrangements with clear accountability ·
explained that funding of £50k had been
committed to progress initial work but far greater investment would need to be
considered as matters progressed and the costs of potential projects and
financial contributions became clearer ·
clarified scrutiny arrangements which would
be local scrutiny in the first stage Governance Agreement with potential for
regional scrutiny in the second stage ·
explained
the context of the Local Development Plan in terms of potential future projects
with Bodelwyddan identified as a priority for the
area – there was no impact on current arrangements as a result of the
Governance Agreement. RESOLVED that – (a) progress on the
development of a Growth Deal Bid is noted and welcomed; (b) the first stage
Governance Agreement is approved subject to Council’s approval of the
non-executive arrangements i.e. the arrangements for Scrutiny; (c) the Council be
presented with the final draft Growth Deal Bid for review and consent in
September/October prior to the stage of reaching Heads of Terms with both
Governments; (d) delegated authority be given to the Chief
Executive, Corporate Director: Economy and Public Realm and Head of Legal, HR
and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Leader to finalise the terms
of the Governance Agreement substantially in accordance with the draft attached
to this report, and (e) that Cabinet
approve the executive arrangements contained within the Governance Agreement and
recommend that Council approve their inclusion in the Constitution along with
the non-executive arrangements relating to Scrutiny. |
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CORPORATE PLAN PERFORMANCE REPORT QUARTER 4 - 2017-18 PDF 205 KB To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) presenting an update on the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2017 – 2022 as at the end of quarter 4 of 2017-18. 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 2017/18. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report updating members on the delivery of
the Corporate Plan 2017 – 22 as at the end of quarter 4 of 2017/18. The report included two main elements – ·
Executive
Summary – detailed achievements/key exceptions with two pieces of commentary
for each priority: Performance Status and Programme Progress ·
Full
quarterly report – generated from the Verto
Performance Management System and provided an evidence based assessment of the
current position. An explanation behind both the Performance
Status and Programme Progress for each priority had been included within the
report with key issues highlighted and elaborated upon further at the
meeting. Two areas assessed as Red:
Priority for Improvement (1) Resilient Communities and (2) Young People were
not directly under the Council’s control with greater involvement of external
partners. Low performance levels were
expected at this early stage but over time the expectation was for both
performance and programme levels to correlate with at least a ‘good’ status
outcome. Reference was also made to the
governance arrangements and role of the Programme Boards in assessing project
briefs and business cases. During consideration of the report members
discussed the following – ·
the
reporting mechanisms for monitoring performance and progress in delivering the
Corporate Plan was clarified which involved reports to Cabinet, Scrutiny
Committees, Corporate Governance Committee and Senior Leadership Team ·
Councillor
Bobby Feeley provided further information on matters relating to her portfolio
including extra care housing developments which would help to reduce
residential care home stays; a project to further support carers; positive
feedback for Single Point of Access and Locality Teams in supporting people’s
independence, and a range of other ongoing work to effect improvements ·
Councillor
Brian Jones advised that the Highways Strategy had been subject to a positive
scrutiny process and an illustration of street works was being presented to the
Member Area Groups; he also reported upon progress with the surface dressing
programme ·
the Plan
was deliberately ambitious and challenging and had been aligned to the Public
Service Board objectives in terms of prioritising Resilience and Connected
Communities; the Chief Executive added that the Plan had been given top
priority and provided assurances regarding its future delivery ·
Councillor
Mabon ap Gwynfor questioned
the acceptable performance status for Connected Communities given the
unacceptable condition of the B4401 road and lack of action in addressing those
concerns. The methodology for assessing
and benchmarking performance against other authorities in Wales was explained –
however it was acknowledged that there were stretches of road which fell below
those standards. Councillor Brian Jones
agreed to take up the issue with regard to the B4401 and encouraged
complainants to log incidents on the CRM system ·
officers
confirmed that the overall figure for new council housing included buying back
of former council houses and agreed to clarify the issue in future reports ·
Councillor
Rhys Thomas asked Cabinet to bear in mind that even though the report was
measured against overall national targets, there were areas of underperformance
in individual communities which should not be overlooked. RESOLVED that Cabinet
receives the report and notes the progress in delivering the Corporate Plan as
at the end of quarter 4 of 2017/18. |
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ESTABLISHMENT OF A DYNAMIC PURCHASING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER TRANSPORT SERVICES PDF 133 KB To consider a report by Councillor Brian Jones, Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet’s approval to commence a procurement to establish a transport dynamic purchasing system to operate learner transport and local bus services across Denbighshire. Additional documents: Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the
commencement of the procurement to establish a DPS for learner transport and
local bus services; (b) authorise the
Head of Highways and Environment Services to appoint suppliers to the DPS
during its lifetime, provided a supplier meets the qualifying criteria for
appointment to the DPS; and to remove suppliers who no longer wish to be
registered on the DPS or who fail to be eligible to be part of the DPS; (c) authorise the
Head of Highways and Environmental Services to administer mini-competitions
under the DPS during its lifetime and to award contracts as required, and (d) to confirm that
arrangements can be extended to adult social care transport. Minutes: Councillor
Brian Jones presented the report seeking approval to commence a procurement to
establish a transport dynamic purchasing system (DPS) to operate learner
transport and local bus services across Denbighshire. The
DPS would replace the traditional tender process with a more streamline
procurement system, support the council’s business needs and help deliver value
for money. There was no extra cost as a
result of the DPS and the new system would enable the council to tender for
actual services as the budget allowed. The
Passenger Transport Manager referred to negotiations with adult social care
services and sought Cabinet approval to add this service to the DPS framework
providing all the necessary documentation was in place by the July 2018
deadline. Councillor Bobby Feeley
commended the new process and supported the amendment to include adult social
care services which was endorsed by Cabinet. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the commencement of the
procurement to establish a DPS for learner transport and local bus services; (b) authorise the Head of Highways and
Environment Services to appoint suppliers to the DPS during its lifetime,
provided a supplier meets the qualifying criteria for appointment to the DPS;
and to remove suppliers who no longer wish to be registered on the DPS or who
fail to be eligible to be part of the DPS; (c) authorise the Head of Highways and
Environmental Services to administer mini-competitions under the DPS during its
lifetime and to award contracts as required, and (d) to confirm that arrangements can be
extended to adult social care transport. |
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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A VOID HOUSING MAINTENANCE AND REFURBISHMENT FRAMEWORK PDF 142 KB To consider a joint report by Councillors Tony Thomas, Lead Member for Housing, Regulation and the Environment and Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet approval to commence a procurement and enter into a contract to appoint a number of contractors to a framework to undertake refurbishment work to empty domestic properties owned by the Council. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet
approve the commencement of the procurement to set up a framework and appoint
contractors to the various lots. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the report seeking approval to commence a
procurement and enter into a contract to appoint a number of contractors to a
framework to undertake refurbishment work to empty domestic properties owned by
the council (known as voids). The
provision of a framework would reduce costs and time spent on void housing
works and was considered the most advantageous solution. The report included full details of the
proposed framework and specifications including a 60% price and 40% quality
focus with an expected value of £11m over four years. The possibility of collaborative procurement
had been considered but discounted in this case due to the differences in
requirements. In response to questions the Lead Officer – Corporate Property & Housing Stock – ·
elaborated upon the in-house resources
available to undertake work on void housing which tended to focus on reactive
work and was currently under review ·
explained the reasoning behind the 60% price
and 40% quality split and acknowledged that prices did tend to be similar but
quality would be monitored through the framework – the new process would reduce
the time spent on the tendering process and allow more time to focus on quality
and reviewing cost ·
reiterated the need for contractors to have a
local base and employ Denbighshire residents through a set of community benefit
schemes with a view to maximising local economic growth and a good response was
expected from local contractors ·
confirmed an average of 250 void properties
per year and clarified that the voids were temporary pending works to bring
them up to standards for new tenants ·
acknowleged
the benefits of the new quality standards for housing prior to letting but the
turnaround time had increased as a result; there was an expectation that the
turnaround time would be further reduced under the new framework RESOLVED that Cabinet
approve the commencement of the procurement to set up a framework and appoint
contractors to the various lots. At this point (11.30 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break. |
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FINANCE REPORT (2017/18 FINANCIAL OUTTURN) PDF 241 KB To consider a report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) detailing the final revenue position for 2017/18 and proposed treatment of reserves and balances. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) notes
the final revenue outturn position for 2017/18; (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 2017/18 and
proposed treatment of reserves and balances. 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 underspend of £1.244m (0.7% of the net revenue budget). The main areas to note had been highlighted and included an improved financial position for schools (net deficit position of £0.343m, down from £1.056m last year), together with pressures on Community Support Services, Education and Children’s Service and Highways and Environment Services, and those issues were elaborated upon further at the meeting. Reference was made to the transfers to and from earmarked reserves and a number of year-end transactions had also been recommended for approval. The position on the yield from Council Tax was also highlighted. 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 service balances to help deliver the 2018/19 budget strategy and meet existing commitments. Debate focused on the following areas – · Education and Children’s Services – there was some discussion and clarification around the pressures facing this service and the volatility in terms of out of county placement costs which had a significant impact on the budget and was largely beyond the Council’s control. It was noted that it was a national issue across Wales and the UK and some exploratory work was being undertaken regionally to consider options to develop more local provision although the needs of some children were incredibly complex. The merger of Education and Children’s Services had provided opportunities to establish early intervention and prevention measures when working with children and young people to try and prevent the escalation of needs and provide some level of resilience thereby placing less reliance on statutory provision · Schools – the pressures facing schools was acknowledged but assurances were provided regarding the robust financial planning processes in place to support schools which had been borne out by the improved financial position for schools with a reduced net deficit position of over £300k compared to the previous year. Given that some schools also had large balances the Schools Budget Forum had been asked to review the policy with regard to school balances. The important role of the Governing Bodies in managing schools was also highlighted, particularly given the future financial challenges facing schools · the Head of Finance agreed to provide Councillor Mark Young with details of the annual income from the mobile phone mast on the Skytower in Rhyl. Such income was included in the budget for the service in possession of the asset. Cabinet noted the overall outturn position was good given the current circumstances and the Leader commended the way services had been maintained under pressure and to a high standard and thanked officers in that regard. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) notes
the final revenue outturn position for 2017/18; (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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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 2018/19 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 – ·
the net
revenue budget for 2018/19 was £194.418m (£189.252m in 2017/18) ·
an
overspend of £1.210m was forecast for service and corporate budgets ·
detailed
agreed savings and efficiencies worth £4.6m including those which had already
been achieved with the assumption that all service efficiencies/savings would
be delivered – any exceptions would be reported to Cabinet if required ·
highlighted
current risks and variances relating to individual service areas, and ·
provided a
general update on the Housing Revenue Account, Housing Capital Plan and the
Capital Plan (including the Corporate Plan element). The Leader questioned the continuing pressure highlighted
in Highways and Environment relating to the income shortfall as a result of the
amount of work and reimbursement coming from the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road
Agency. Councillor Brian Jones confirmed
that the previous level of income was no longer achievable and the issue was
being reviewed by the service. The Head
of Finance added that the pressure would be considered as part of the 2019/20
budget process. In response to a
question from Councillor Bobby Feeley, Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts provided
assurances that funding to address the need for more equitable outside space
for Rhos Street School at Glasdir could be contained within the contingency
snagging budget at no additional cost. RESOLVED that Cabinet
notes the budgets set for 2018/19 and progress against the agreed budget
strategy. |
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CABINET FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME PDF 284 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 that an options appraisal for the
future provision of environmental crime enforcement in the county would be
added to the work programme for September. 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 Paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A of the
Act. Additional documents: |
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INSURANCE SERVICES CONTRACT AWARD To consider a confidential report by Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets (copy enclosed) seeking Cabinet approval to award the Council’s Insurance Contract to the named providers as detailed within the report. Additional documents:
Decision: RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) awards the contract to the two named
insurance providers for Lots 1 – 6 as detailed within the report on a three
year contract with an option for the Council to extend for a further two years
and another option for the Council to extend for a further two years beyond
that, depending on market conditions (as per the Contract Award Recommendation
report attached at Appendix One to the report), and (b) authorises the
Head of Legal, HR and Democratic Services to agree and enter into an
appropriate form of contract with each insurer in order to appoint the insurer
as the Council’s insurance provider. Minutes: Councillor
Julian Thompson-Hill presented the confidential report seeking approval to
award the Council’s insurance contract to the named providers as detailed
within the report. The
Council’s existing insurance contracted expired on 30 July 2018 and a new
contract was required from this date.
Details of the insurance programme had been included within the report
together with an evaluation of the tenders submitted and recommendations based
on the most economic option. It was
noted that insurance was not an area suitable for collaborative procurement due
to individual requirements. Officers
elaborated upon the tender and evaluation process in response to questions and
Cabinet was pleased to note that a cost saving could be made given the current
market conditions at no loss of cover or increase in excess. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) awards the contract to the two named
insurance providers for Lots 1 – 6 as detailed within the report on a three
year contract with an option for the Council to extend for a further two years and
another option for the Council to extend for a further two years beyond that,
depending on market conditions (as per the Contract Award Recommendation report
attached at Appendix One to the report), and (b) authorises the Head of Legal, HR and
Democratic Services to agree and enter into an appropriate form of contract
with each insurer in order to appoint the insurer as the Council’s insurance
provider. The
meeting concluded at 12.30 p.m. |