Decisions

To direct under the terms of the contract between the Council and Orbitas that amend the Orbitas fees and charges from 1 September 2024.

On 16 November 2023 the Acting Executive Director - Place, utilising authority delegated by full Council, and having considered the outcome of a transparent selection process run by external independent advisors, determined to allocate £1,349,400 of UKSPF for the refurbishment of Macclesfield indoor market comprising £80,000 revenue and £1,269,400 capital, and £495,000 for the project Macc on Foot (£415,000 capital, £80,000 revenue).  Both these capital sums were reflected in the capital programme submitted as part of the MTFS and approved by full Council on 22 February 2024.  Initially they were to be supplemented with £358,200 that was within the Capital Programme as part of Macclesfield Town Centre regeneration capital scheme.

However, mindful of the Council’s financial position with regard to prudential borrowing the projects sought further UK SPF funding to negate the need for Council prudential borrowing.

Consequently, on 13 February 2024 the Acting Executive Director - Place awarded an additional £229,100 of UKSPF to the Macc Indoor Market project, (£50,000 revenue and £179,100 for capital works) and a further £179,100 of UK SPF was awarded to Macc on Foot for capital works (£408,200 across the two projects).  The additional amounts were not fed into the MTFS and Budget papers due to timing constraints with those papers.

This decision is therefore reflecting the awards of 13 February 2024, noting that £21,000 of the £50,000 revenue allocation is also being vired across to capital and is ensuring that the capital programme reflects the correct values. It also allows for the balance of the Macclesfield Town Centre regeneration scheme to be removed from the capital programme.

The alternative to doing this would be that each project would have to value engineer costs out of the budget and there is a risk that some UK SPF funding would be unspent and would be potentially returned to central government.

To approve Supplementary Capital Estimates and the virement of £379,200 from the revenue allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (E762220) to the Capital Programme: £200,100 to be added to the Macclesfield Indoor Market Refurbishment Project (CAP-10478) and £179,100 to be added to Macc on Foot (CAP-10477) in order to progress and deliver these externally funded capital projects.

In response to a Statutory Blight Notice and in consideration of the relevant statutory criteria to seek approval from the Monitoring Officer.

The committee considered the report which set out the proposals and timescales to review the senior management structure following the recommendations from the LGA’s Decision Making Accountability Review (DMA) and the Corporate Peer Challenge. The committee noted that the proposed structure would ensure there was sufficient capacity and skills to address the recommendations within the Peer Challenge and meet the requirements to achieve financial stability, deliver the Children’s Services Improvement Plan and the Council’s Transformation Programme.

The committee welcomed the proposed new structure and agreed it was clear where specific responsibilities would rest, especially for statutory officers. The committee queried the costs of an employment partner and noted that whilst there would be costs associated with the recruitment process, it was significantly better value for the council to recruit permanent staff than to employ interim staff. Assurance was provided that the financial costs associated with Phase 1 would not jeopardise the transformation plan and 20234-25 MTFS.

The committee noted that due to the decision-making framework and formal consultation period, it was unlikely that permanent staff would not join the organisation earlier than March 2025. It was confirmed that a report would be considered by Council in October 2024 and the recruitment process, both internally and externally, would commence in November 2024.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

That the Corporate Policy Committee

1.    Approve the proposed senior management structure produced by the Chief Executive subject to consultation and agree that the Chief Executive commences formal consultation with affected employees and recognised trade unions on the proposed changes to the senior management restructure.

2.    Note the overall implementation timeline for a new senior management structure.

3.    Note that, following formal consultation, the outcome of the senior management structure review will be considered by the Corporate Policy Committee and presented to full Council for approval, including approval of any new positions with salaries in excess of £100,000 per annum and statutory officers, prior to implementation.

4.    Note the interim and temporary senior management arrangements across the organisation outlined in paragraphs 45 - 48 and that these will continue until implementation of and appointment to the new structure including any additional interim capacity to support the Chief Executive within the current financial envelope.

The Committee considered the report which provided a further update on the devolution direction from government following the outcome of the general election. The committee noted that engagement indicated that the new government wished to move at pace and that Cheshire and Warrington had been identified as a potential candidate to progress an agreement.

The committee noted the proposal to establish a Member Reference Group in order to assist with the increased level of pace and engagement required, and to provide advice and guidance to officers. The final proposal would be considered by the Corporate Policy Committee for review and scrutiny. It was proposed, seconded and carried that the membership of the Member Reference Group be expanded to six elected members, to include the Chair or Vice Chair of the Highways and Transport Committee.

Some concerns were raised in relation to the council’s readiness for devolution and that an understanding of the opportunities and the asks of the council were needed. It was highlighted that the Member Reference Group would assist in progressing these discussions to understand the further detail and what powers and financial benefits there could be. The committee agreed that any devolution agreement needed to be the right agreement for Cheshire East.

RESOLVED (by majority):

That the Corporate Policy Committee

1.    Note the new Government’s intention to engage with local authorities to develop early devolution proposals.

2.    Approve the setting up of a Member Reference Group to assist in providing guidance and advice in the development of proposals, enabling officers to further progress opportunities and discussions with government officials.

3.    That the membership of the Member Reference Group be expanded to 6 elected members to include the Chair or Vice Chair of the Highways and Transport Committee

The meeting adjourned for a 10-minute break.

Decision to implement two initiatives included in the indicative 2023/24 delivery programme approved by Committee in November 2023: 1. Introduce a multi-operator ticket in Macclesfield and surrounding area, with local bus operators. 2. Trial a young person’s concessionary fare pass for 16-19 year olds. The initiatives are being delivered as part of the Enhanced Partnership (EP) Scheme. At the meeting of the EP Board on 15th August, it was agreed unanimously to add Appendix 1 and 2 of this ODR to the EP Scheme as an Addendum.

Decision to implement two initiatives included in the indicative 2023/24 delivery programme approved by Committee in November 2023: 1. Introduce a multi-operator ticket in Macclesfield and surrounding area, with local bus operators. 2. Trial a young person’s concessionary fare pass for 16-19 year olds. The initiatives are being delivered as part of the Enhanced Partnership (EP) Scheme. At the meeting of the EP Board on 15th August, it was agreed unanimously to add Appendix 1 and 2 of this ODR to the EP Scheme as an Addendum.