Decisions

Cabinet considered a report outlining changes to the draft Local Transport Plan for Cheshire East following consultation.

Councillor S Akers Smith, speaking as the Council’s Walking and Cycling Champion, commented on the need to strengthen the wording around the travel options of walking, cycling, rail and public transport. She recommended that the vision for strategic routes be re-visited to add further weight to the proposals with tangible, effective statements which would help the Council to achieve its health outcomes.

The Deputy Leader undertook to consider Councillor Akers Smith’s comments and provide a written reply.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    recommends to Council that the Local Transport Plan (as outlined at Appendix 1 to the report) be adopted; and

2.    notes the development of the emerging South East Manchester Multi-Modal Strategy document.

Cabinet considered a report on proposals to re-commission short breaks services for children with disabilities.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    approves the re-commission of Short Breaks Services for Children with Disabilities; and

2.    delegates authority to the Executive Director People to award contracts for Short Breaks Services for Children with Disabilities.

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval to accept capital funding from the Department for Education, when confirmed, to enable the Council to expand the offer of childcare provision.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    approves the addition of Capital Projects for £226,267 in respect of Ash Grove School, Macclesfield and £700,722.95 in respect of Beechwood School, Crewe to the Council’s Capital Addendum;

2.    delegates authority to the Executive Director People to accept the Capital Grants from the Department for Education; and

3.    delegates authority to the Executive Director People to enter into a contract to deliver and manage the works committed by the grant funding on terms and conditions to be agreed with the Department for Education, subject to approval of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, ICT and Communication and the S.151 Officer to remove the items from the Capital Addendum.

Cabinet considered a report on the Mid-Year Review (Finance) for 2019/20.

The report outlined the budgetary pressures facing the Council and the mitigation measures to manage the forecast outturn.

Annex 1 to the report set out details of how the Council was performing in 2019/20.

Councillor J Clowes, Chairman of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reported that the Committee had considered the report at its meeting on 3^rd October 2019 and had resolved to make the following comments to Cabinet:

§  That in relation to CCTV, the Committee is of the view that the Council should consider making more use of ‘invest to save’ initiatives and would therefore request Cabinet to provide more information as to how partners such as Town and Parish Councils, the Police and Fire Authorities work with the Council on such matters;

§  That Cabinet be requested to lobby the Government regarding the Government’s ongoing policy review and anticipated Green Paper on Adult Social Care;

§  That Cabinet be requested to consider how the Council would mitigate against a potential reduction in business rates revenue in the event that changes to national non-domestic rates arrangements, as announced by the government recently, are introduced.

The Leader responded that more information would be provided on how the Council worked with its partners in relation to CCTV; the Council would continue to lobby the Government on its review of adult social care policy; and the Council would welcome certainty, and a fair settlement, from Government regarding national non-domestic rates.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    notes the contents of the report and the mitigating actions to manage the forecast outturn;

2.    notes the contents of Annex 1 to the report;

3.    approves, in accordance with Finance Procedure Rules, fully funded supplementary capital estimates over £500,000 and up to £1m (Appendix 4, Annex C):

§  £628,195 increase to Education and Skills 14-19 due to additional Devolved Formula Grant.

§  £533,171 increase to the Highways Investment Programme relating to the pothole fund.

4.    approves, in accordance with Finance Procedure Rules, Capital  virement over £1,000,000 and up to £5,000,000 (Appendix 4, Annex C):

§  £4,830,000 transfer from the Strategic Capital Project to Best4Business to enable the project to continue, whilst recognising that final scheme costs are under review.

5.    recommends that Council approve a fully funded supplementary capital estimate above £1,000,000 in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules as detailed in (Appendix 4 Annex D):

§  £5,130,000 increase in the Best4Business budget to recognise the further contribution from Cheshire West and Chester towards this shared project.

Cabinet considered a report on the Macclesfield Town Centre Strategic Regeneration Framework.

Councillor J P Findlow, Chairman of the Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reported that the Committee had considered a report on this matter at its meeting on 16^th September 2019 and had made a number of comments which he reported to Cabinet.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    notes the content of the consultation report as outlined in Appendix A to the report; and

2.    approves the Macclesfield Town Centre Strategic Regeneration Framework as outlined in Appendix B.

Cabinet considered a report on the Local Industrial Strategy for Cheshire and Warrington.

Councillor J P Findlow, Chairman of the Environment and Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reported that the Committee had considered a report on this matter at its meeting on 16^th September 2019 and had made a number of comments which he reported to Cabinet.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    notes the current position in relation to  the development of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Industry Strategy;

2.    delegates authority to the Deputy Leader of the Council, as the Cheshire East Local Enterprise Partnership Board representative, to consider the Government response, to make appropriate amendments and approve the final draft of the Local Industrial Strategy on behalf of the Council; and

3.    notes that the Cheshire East Local Area Industrial Strategy is currently being developed and will form part of the final draft of Economic Strategy for the Borough.

Cabinet considered a report on the re-commissioning of Housing Related Support Services.

Councillor S Gardiner, as the Council’s Equality and Diversity Champion, welcomed the proposals.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    agrees to the recommissioning of the services as outlined within this report using an open procurement process for an initial term of 3 years from 1^st April 2020 with the option to extend for up to a further 2 years; and

2.    delegates authority to the Executive Director of Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration to award the contracts following the procurement process.

Cabinet considered the Everybody Sport & Recreation Annual Performance Report 2018/19 and Future Investment Programme.

Councillor L Wardlaw asked if the five business cases referred to in the report would be submitted to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration. She also referred to some apparent inconsistencies in the financial figures in the report and sought clarification.

The Leader undertook to consider the matters raised and provide a written response.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    notes the progress made by Everybody Sport & Recreation in its fifth year of trading as an independent charitable trust; and

2.    delegates authority to the Executive Director Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Communities, to enter into all necessary contracts to deliver the improvement programme as set out in the report subject to approval by the Finance Portfolio Holder to transfer the capital budget for each scheme from the addendum into the main capital programme.

Cabinet considered a report on the Cheshire East Enforcement Policy 2019.

Councillor J Clowes stressed the need for more resources for planning enforcement and asked about the current strength of the enforcement team. She also asked about the availability of funding to enable parish councils to purchase equipment for litter picking. The Leader undertook to provide a written response on the number of planning enforcement officers, which would be copied to all members of the Cabinet.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    approves the overarching Cheshire East Enforcement Policy 2019 as set out in Appendix 1 to the report; and

2.    delegates authority to the Portfolio Holders that have specific responsibility for enforcement activity to approve changes to service specific policies as required.

Cabinet considered a report on the disposal of the former Vernon Road Infant School Site, Poynton.

Councillor J Saunders sought a commitment from Cabinet that the funds raised by the disposal of the playing field would definitely be reinvested in local education sports provision in Poynton.

The Acting Chief Executive undertook to seek advice as to whether this could be included in the application to the Secretary of State for consent to the disposal of the playing field.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet

1.    confirms that the Former Vernon Road Infant School Site can be declared as surplus to the Council’s requirements and authorises the advertisement of the intention to dispose of the land delineated ‘cross hatched red’, as outlined on Appendix 1 to the report, which is identified as open space, in accordance with section 123 of the Local Government Act;

2.    delegates authority to the Executive Director Place to give due and proper consideration to any representations and/or objections made in response to the requisite public open space advertisement and in consequence of such consideration, to decide whether or not the proposed disposal will proceed;

3.    subject to either there having been no representations and no objections made in response to the requisite advertisement of the proposal to dispose of open space land or the Executive Director – Place having given due and proper consideration to those responses made and having taken a decision to proceed with the proposed disposal delegates authority to:

(a)  the Head of Education Infrastructure & Outcomes to undertake the consultation exercise required as detailed in section 8 of this report and to seek and obtain any necessary consents required from the Secretary of State for Education through the Department for Education; and

(b)  The Head of Estates to seek and obtain any other consents necessary prior to or in respect of the proposed disposal; and

4.    subject to either there having been no representations and objections made in response to the requisite advertisement of the proposal to dispose of open space land, or a decision having been taken to dispose of the land in accordance with resolution 2 above and all requisite consents having been obtained under resolution 3 above, delegates authority to the Executive Director for Place in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration to develop a disposals strategy for the Site and to report back to Cabinet with the proposed strategy and recommendations for the method of disposal of the Site.

Cabinet considered a report on the Cheshire East Partnership Five Year Plan. The report sought the Council’s endorsement of the Plan as a key partner in leading the transformation of health and care in Cheshire East.

Councillor L Wardlaw, Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee, reported that the Committee had considered the Five Year Plan at its meeting on 12^th September 2019 and had asked for its comments to be submitted to the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership for consideration.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet endorses the Cheshire East Partnership Five Year Plan and its submission to the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership.