Agenda and minutes

Cabinet - Tuesday, 10 May 2016 3.00pm

Venue: Meeting Room 2 - Level 3, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR. View directions

Contact: Wayne Hemingway/Anthony Law, Democratic Services Officers 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Rodney Chambers OBE (Inward Investment, Strategic Regeneration and Partnerships), Mike O’Brien (Children’s Services) and Rupert Turpin (Business Management).

2.

Record of decisions pdf icon PDF 155 KB

Minutes:

The record of the meeting held on 5 April 2016 was agreed and signed by the Leader as a correct record.  

3.

Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests pdf icon PDF 88 KB

Minutes:

Disclosable pecuniary interests

 

There were none.

 

Other interests

 

There were none.

4.

Housing (Demand, Supply and Affordability) Task Group pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report provided details of the in-depth review into the demand, supply and affordability of housing in Medway. A copy of the Task Group’s report was attached to the report which set out the findings and recommendations of the Task Group together with the comments from the Regeneration, Community and Culture (29 March 2016) and Business Support (14 April) Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

 

It was noted that the Task Group’s terms of reference had been to review the demand, supply and affordability of housing in Medway in the context of the key social and economic role that housing plays, particularly for those who are struggling to access housing.

 

The Member Task Group had met with mhs Homes, Hyde Housing Association, Redrow and Berkeley as well as Medway Citizen’s Advice Service and a Kent representative from the National Landlords Association. In addition, there were briefings from officers and desktop research was undertaken.

 

A Diversity Impact Assessment was included with the report from the Task Group review.

 

Decision number:

Decision:

66/2016

Recognising that the Council, as a regeneration authority, will wish to continue to use its best endeavours to meet its objectively assessed housing needs, the Cabinet agreed to make representations to the Government that the Council should not be penalised as a result of developers failing to deliver housing, particularly where planning permission has been granted.

67/2016

Given the importance of building enough homes to meet the increasing need for housing, the Cabinet agreed to lobby the Government to introduce measures to encourage developers and land owners to develop sites for housing which have the benefit of planning permission or are allocated for housing development, within the relevant timeframe, in the Development Plan or Neighbourhood Plan.

68/2016

In relation to sites identified in recommendation 2 above, Cabinet agreed to ask the Government to consider introducing a national scheme for a local tax on undeveloped (land banked) land in order to:

·           incentivise developers and/or landowners not to sit on sites they have acquired and have either planning permission or are allocated for housing development, within the relevant timeframe, in the Development Plan or Neighbourhood Plan, and;

 

·           to build out more quickly where planning permission has been given.

69/2016

The Cabinet agreed with its partners to explore the use of more innovative construction methods and forms of housing in order to increase the supply of homes.

 

The Cabinet noted that the Director of Director of Regeneration, Culture, Environment and Transformation is asked to agree that developers be offered at the pre-application stage, as a matter of course, the opportunity to commission services needed before development on sites can commence, for instance archaeology, ecology and contamination studies in order to allow schemes to start on site without further delay.

70/2016

The Cabinet agreed to work with partners to identify suitable funding sources and opportunities in order to develop additional homes, including securing external funding to help meet the costs involved in getting sites ready for development.

71/2016

The Cabinet agreed to ask  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Better Care Fund: Update and Section 75 Budget Arrangements pdf icon PDF 141 KB

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report provided an update on the arrangements for the approval of the Better Care Fund (BCF), which the Council was required to establish in accordance with Section 75 of the Health and Social Care Act 2006. Section 75 of the Act allowed Local Authorities and NHS bodies to enter into partnership arrangements to provide a more streamlined service and to pool resources, if such arrangements were likely to lead to an improvement in the way their functions were exercised. For Medway, it was noted that the BCF for 2016/17 would have a value of £18.255m.

 

During discussion, clarification was sought on the references to differing financial years in paragraphs 6.2 and 7.4 of the report with a request that this be provided outside the meeting.

 

Decision number:

Decision:

77/2016

The Cabinet agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Children and Adults Services, in consultation with the Chief Legal Officer and the Portfolio Holder for Adult Services, after it has been considered and endorsed by the Health and Wellbeing Board, to produce and finalise the Section 75 Pooled Fund for the Better Care Fund for 2016/17 with the Accountable Officer of the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

 

Reasons:

 

Delegating authority to the Director of Children and Adults Services, in consultation with the Chief Legal Officer and the Portfolio Holder for Adult Services, allows more time to establish the pooled fund agreement within the foreshortened timeframes within which NHS England operates.

 

Regular reports on the progress of the BCF programme will be provided but this arrangement will sit better with existing governance arrangements.

6.

6 Monthly Review of the Council's Corporate Business Risk Register pdf icon PDF 185 KB

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report provided details of the latest review of the Council’s Business Risk Register. Details of the review process was set out in paragraph 3 of the report which specified proposed amendments to Risk SR30b (Finances) and Risk SR17 (Regeneration).

 

The Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered this report on 14 April 2016 and its comments were set out in paragraph 5 of the report.

 

Decision number:

Decision:

78/2016

The Cabinet approved the amendments to the Council’s Risk Register, as detailed in Appendix A and B to this report.

 

Reasons:

 

The establishment of a corporate framework for risk management is recommended by CIPFA and SOLACE and will complement and support the work already being carried out within each directorate to manage risks.

7.

Recruitment Freeze pdf icon PDF 61 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report presented information on vacancies that officers had requested approval to commence recruitment for, following the process agreed by Cabinet on 7 January 2003 (decision number 9/2003).

 

Details of the posts were set out within Appendix 1 to the report and an additional form was tabled at the meeting.

 

Decision number:

Decision:

79/2016

The Cabinet agreed to unfreeze the following posts, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report and tabled at the meeting:

Business Support Department

a)    Democratic Services Officer

Regeneration, Culture, Environment and Transformation

b)   Head of ICT

c)    Customer Relations Team Leader

Children and Adults

d)   Business Information Officer x 2

e)    Support Services Assistant – Mental Health

f)     Support Services Assistant – QA & Safeguarding

g)   Admin Assistant

h)   DOLS Administrator.

 

Reasons:

 

The posts presented to Cabinet would support the efficient running of the Council.

 

8.

Gateway 3 Report: Provision of Fully Integrated Sexual Health Services pdf icon PDF 366 KB

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report provided details of the procurement process for the award of contract for fully integrated sexual health services. The full details of the services to be provided under this contract were set out in paragraph 2 of the report and it was noted that a venue in Chatham town centre, 4 Clover Street, had been sourced and refurbished to act as an integrated Sexual Health services hub with increased opening hours which would improve accessibility for all and ensure a full range of services were available.

 

The Procurement Board considered this report on 13 April 2016 and supported the recommendation set out in the report.

 

An exempt appendix provided details of the financial analysis, tender evaluation stages and the results of the tender evaluation.

 

The Council's decision to award these contracts would be subject to observing the procurement standstill period of a minimum of 10 working days in accordance with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Council would be unable to enter into the contract or conclude the framework agreement before the end of the standstill period.

 

Decision number:

Decision:

80/2016

The Cabinet agreed to award the contract for the provision of Integrated Sexual Health Services to Kent Community Health NHS Trust.

 

Reasons:

 

The proposed procurement will provide the opportunity to deliver improved sexual health services whilst performing against Council strategic objectives including local and national public health obligations.