Agenda item

Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Minutes:

Background:

 

This report provided details of proposals for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme, to which the Leader’s approval under urgency provisions, was sought. The report explained that this Programme was funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and aimed to provide Free School Meal (FSM) eligible children with food and activities over the 2021 Spring, Summer, and Winter holidays.

 

The report noted that the urgency provisions were set out in the Constitution (paragraph 3.2 of Part 3 (Responsibility for Cabinet functions) of Chapter 3 (Responsibility for Functions) of the Constitution).

 

The Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the taking of these decisions was urgent and could not be reasonably deferred until the next Cabinet meeting on 2 March 2021, in accordance with Section 11 (Cases of special urgency) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 and Rule 17 (Special Urgency) of the Access to Information Rules (Part 2 of Chapter 4 in the Constitution).

 

Additionally, and in line with rule 15.11 of Chapter 4, Part 5 of the Constitution, call-in could be waived where any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the Council’s or the Public’s interests. The Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that the decisions proposed were reasonable in all the circumstances and to them being treated as a matter of urgency and to waive call-in.

 

The report noted that furthermore, it was proposed that the Chief Executive uses the urgency provisions as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the Employee Delegation Scheme (including consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Labour Group) to agree the addition of the Holiday Activities Funding to the revenue budget funded from grant provided by Central Government as set out in section 2.8 of the report. The use of these urgency provisions would be reported to Full Council on 22 April 2021 for information.

 

Decision:

 

Decision number:

Decision:

30/2021

The Leader, using urgency powers, agreed the proposals set out in section 3 and Appendix 1 to the report as the Council’s approach to delivering the HAF funding and agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Leader and the Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services, to finalise and implement these proposals.

31/2021

The Leader, using urgency powers, agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health in consultation with the Leader and the Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services, to make minor amendments to the proposals to enable them to continue to support vulnerable children and their families in Medway, including where further Government advice is provided.

32/2021

The Leader agreed that decisions 30/2021 and 31/2021 are considered urgent and therefore should not be subject to call in.

 

Reasons:

 

Given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of cost to the local taxpayer it is appropriate for the Council to introduce these measures.

Supporting documents: