Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Josie Iles, Jarrett and Potter.

The record of the meeting held on 11 June 2019 was agreed by the Cabinet and signed by the Deputy Leader as a correct record. 

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

Councillor Doe declared an OSI in agenda item 8 (Proposed Use of Part of the Cornwallis Avenue Site for School Provision) because he was Director and Chairman of Medway Commercial Group Ltd and he relied on a dispensation agreed by the Councillor Conduct Committee to enable him to take part in the discussion and vote on this item.

Councillor Doe also declared an OSI in agenda item 5 (Pentagon Centre Update and Mountbatten House) and in agenda item 6 (Deangate Ridge) because he was Director and Chairman of Medway Development Company Ltd and he relied on a dispensation agreed by the Councillor Conduct Committee to enable him to take part in the discussion and vote on this item.

Councillor Gulvin declared an OSI in agenda item 5 (Pentagon Centre Update and Mountbatten House) and in agenda item 6 (Deangate Ridge) because he was Director of Medway Development Company Ltd and he relied on a dispensation agreed by the Councillor Conduct Committee to enable him to take part in the discussion and vote on this item.

Councillor Rupert Turpin declared an OSI in agenda item 8 (Proposed Use of Part of the Cornwallis Avenue Site for School Provision) because he was Director of Medway Commercial Group Ltd and he relied on a dispensation agreed by the Councillor Conduct Committee to enable him to take part in the discussion and vote on this item.

Other interests

There were none.

With the agreement of the Deputy Leader, Councillor Pendergast presented a petition to the Cabinet asking Medway Council “to use its influence and powers to prevent the merger of Stoke Community School and Allhallows Primary Academy”.

Background:

This report set out details of how the Council proposed to respond to the ‘Climate Change Emergency Motion’ passed by Full Council on 25 April 2019, as set out at Appendix B to the report. 

Proposed action, which was detailed in Section 3 of the report, included holding a workshop on 1 July 2019 for officers across the Council to scope the wider piece of work; developing a cross-cutting action plan; establishing a cross-party Member Advisory Group to set direction and monitor success and developing an Officer Steering Group to ensure the action plan is produced with relevant measures to be progressed and reported on.

Reasons:

This will enable the Cabinet to respond to the motion agreed by Full Council in April 2019.

Background:

This report provided an update on the acquisition of the Pentagon Centre and sought authority to work with the owners of Mountbatten House to bring it forward for development or to acquire the building and to add it to the list of developments to be progressed by the Medway Development Company (MDC). 

The report also set out recommended amendments to a delegation agreed by the Cabinet in February 2019 in relation to the Pentagon Centre and the renewal of or amendment to individual leases in order to enable the Council to move as quickly as possible when dealing with such lettings. The amendments were set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

Background:

This report requested Cabinet to recommend to Full Council on 18 July 2019 to agree to funding of up to £150,000, from revenue reserves for the redevelopment of the site, to enable surveys and a high-level capacity study to be completed in order to ascertain the level of development that is achievable on the site. This information would allow Medway Council to enter into discussions with various parties and would also form the basis of the information required for negotiations in regards to the potential sustainable development options for the site which were detailed within the report.

The report also set out details of the development options available, for information only at this stage, for the Deangate Ridge site. These options included:

·         Exploring a joint venture (JV).

·         Selling to a developer/promoter either the whole site or split into parcels.

·         Medway Council or Medway Development Company Limited bringing the site forward for sustainable development

The report stated that work to establish the development potential of Deangate Ridge was being carried out in the context of the preparation of the new Medway Local Plan.

Appendix 1 to the report provided a site plan of Deangate Ridge.

Reasons:

The outcome of the initial investigation surveys and the high-level capacity study will inform the best route forward for the sustainable redevelopment of the site.

Background:

This report set out the rationale for moving into regionalised arrangements, between Medway Council, Kent County Council and the London Borough of Bexley, for the delivery of adoption services to commence in April 2020.

The Department for Education (DfE) had mandated that all local authorities must be delivering their adoption services through a regional arrangement by April 2020 and the premise of this was to increase the number of children adopted and improve outcomes for adopted children and adoptive families as well as improve efficiency and effectiveness of adoption agencies.

The report set out the background, potential benefits and outline service delivery model, alongside the likely financial implications of entering into a regional model and sought authority to formulate the detailed design of the Regional Adoption Agency, in collaboration with the partner authorities and to complete a full business case which would be presented to the Cabinet for approval in October 2019.

Reasons:

An agreement to begin the detailed design of the model is now required as the DFE mandate states that the model must be in operation from April 2020. Undertaking the detailed design alongside the formulation of a full business case will allow the adoption agency to be set up within the mandated timescales.

A full business case will be necessary for both the executive and elected members, in order to make a final, informed decision on the viability of the model.

Background:

This report requested the Cabinet to approve the grant of an agreement for a lease and a lease or leases of land at Cornwallis Avenue, Gillingham, to a third party for the purpose of developing education facilities to meet pressure on specialist school places.

The action proposed in the report superseded the decisions made by the Cabinet on 4 September 2019 (decision numbers 112-113/2018 refer), which approved the leasing of the site (as shown hatched black on the site plan set out at Appendix 1 to the report) to Medway Commercial Group (MCG) for the provision of educational and associated uses as this proposal was no longer being progressed. Therefore, officers were exploring alternative opportunities with the Department for Education to bring forward a suitable solution.

Members asked that an updated site plan be provided to clarify where the access would be to the part of the remaining sports field (the non-hatched area on Appendix 1).

Reasons:

To ensure that sufficient land is available for additional education provision to meet expected demand from across all sectors of the place planning system, which will help to ensure that the Council meets its statutory duty to provide sufficient school places.

Background:

This report provided an overview of treasury management activity during 2018/19.

Overall the Interest and Financing budget made a surplus over its targeted budget of £348,000. The overspend on interest paid was due to increased borrowing and the move from the use of short term to long term borrowing.

Bank rate had increased from 0.5% to 0.75% in August 2018 but there was no further change since that, which was likely to continue until the uncertainties over Brexit have cleared. 

The report was considered by the Audit Committee on 27 June 2019, and comments from this Committee were set out in section 13 of the report.

Reasons:

Section 7.1 (e) of the Council’s Financial Rules state that the Chief Finance Officer shall report to Cabinet and the Audit Committee not later than September on treasury management activities in the previous year.

Background:

This report provided details of how the Council had performed in 2018/19 against the Council’s three priorities using 43 key measures of success and 13 programmes which supported these priorities.

It was explained that, with regards to quarter 4, it was only possible to report on 38 of the key measures of success as 2 measures were data only and 3 measures were not currently available. It was noted that 76.3% of key measures of success had met or exceeded the target, 6.3% were slightly below the target and that 18.4% of key measures of success were significantly below target.

The report would also be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committees between June-July.

Cabinet Members highlighted a number of key issues during discussion.

Reasons:

Regular monitoring of performance by management and Members is best practice and ensures achievement of corporate objectives.

Background:

This report presented information on a number of 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 the addendum report which was tabled at the meeting.

Reasons:

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