Issue - meetings

Lisa Quinn to provide an oral report.

Arthur Pritchard, Head of Assets, attended the meeting and briefed Members on a draft report due to be considered by Cabinet on 14 February 2011 on the disaggregation of shared assets between Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester Councils. Following local government re-organisation and the creation of the two new unitary Cheshire Authorities, the former County Council’s assets and liabilities as at 31^st March 2009 were required to be allocated between the two new Councils on a fair, equitable and transparent basis.

In accordance with guidelines issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) this had to be achieved by 31^st December 2008.

Arrangements were also put in place at that time to provide for, amongst other things, a formal arbitration procedure to determine the liability for and ownership of assets in the event that agreement could not be reached.

Negotiations and discussions had been ongoing between the two authorities for some time in an attempt to reach agreement regarding a number of disputed assets.  The draft report set out the provisional agreement which had been reached at officer level and would be seeking formal Cabinet approval to that agreement.

The proposed settlement was due to be considered by Cheshire West and Chester (CWAC) Executive on 9^th February 2011, with a recommendation to Council on 24^th February 2011.

RESOLVED – (a)     That consideration of this matter be deferred to a special meeting of this Committee to be held on Thursday 10 February 2011 at 10.00am.

                          (b) That the Head of Assets be requested to submit to the special meeting on 10 February 2011, the report due to be considered by Cabinet on 14 February 2011, together with details of the valuation of the individual assets involved in the disaggregation process.