Agenda and minutes

Venue: 0.02 Chamber - Quadrant, The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, NE27 0BY. View directions

Contact: Yvonne Harrison 

Items
No. Item

CAB66/19

To Receive any Declarations of Interest and Notification of any Dispensations Granted

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

 

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation in relation to any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

 

Please complete the Declarations of Interests card available at the meeting and return it to the Democratic Services Officer before leaving the meeting.

 

Minutes:

No declarations of interest or dispensations were reported.

CAB67/19

Minutes pdf icon PDF 124 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 14 October 2019.

Minutes:

Resolved that the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 14 October 2019 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

 

CAB68/19

Report of the Young Mayor

To receive a verbal report on the latest activities of the Young Mayor and Young Cabinet.

Minutes:

The Young Mayor reported on the following activities in which she and Young Cabinet Members and/or Youth Councillors had been involved:

 

           Local Democracy Week activities which included the Annual Debate, Young People’s Question Time and a Democracy Café event held in Newcastle.

           Youth Councillors had been involved in the Assistant Director of Education interviews.

           The Deputy Young Mayor had attended VODA’s Annual General Meeting where he had presented an award to the Young Volunteer of the year.

           Youth Councillors had attended the It’s Our Future Event held at the Institute for Civil Engineers at Westminster in London, and in partnership with Barnardo’s, young people had attended from across the country, with their views being used as part of larger research project into youth voice and would form the core of Barnardo’s campaigns and lobbying.

           A group of SEND Youth Forum members had taken part in a Council for Disabled Children planning event at the Parks Leisure Centre and had received the Innovation Award at the North Tyneside Customer Services Awards.

           Attendance at Remembrance services around the borough and laying of wreaths at Forest Hall, North Shields, Wallsend and Whitley Bay and at the Jigsaw Memorial, Killingworth.

           The Anti-Bullying Group members had presented awards to the winners of the Creative Writing and Poetry competition and were helping to support the Young Mayor’s pledge to have more discussion around feminism, sexism and homophobia. 

           Youth Councillors had attended an Emergency First Aid Course with St John’s Ambulance. 

           Young Cabinet Member for Community Safety Abbie Armstrong had been selected as a Knife Crime Ambassador.

           The Make Your Mark 2019 vote had concluded in mid-October with almost 900,000 young people taking part nationally. The results for the North Tyneside National vote were Protect the Environment and To End Knife Crime,

           UK Youth Parliament members had debated the top five topics which were voted on nationally - the Climate Emergency, Tackling Hate Crime, Young People’s Mental Health, Knife Crime and a Curriculum for Life. At the end of the debates Members of UKYP had voted by a huge majority for The Climate Emergency to be the main campaign for 2020.

           The theme of this year’s State of the Area Event was The Climate Emergency with workshops being very solution focused and lots of ideas put forward about what everyone could do to become more environmentally sustainable

           The environment group had continued to look at ways that they could improve things in North Tyneside by preparing a joint a letter to Government and working closer with the Authority’s Environmental Sustainability team in highlighting that everyone had to take responsibility to make changes.

 

The Elected Mayor thanked the Young Mayor for the report. 

 

CAB69/19

2019-20 Financial Management Report to 30 September 2019 pdf icon PDF 113 KB

To receive the third budget monitoring report for the current financial year which reflects the forecast financial position as at 31 March 2020.   

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the third monitoring report outlining the Authority’s 2019/20 financial position which provided an update on the expected revenue and capital financial position of the Authority as at 31 March 2020.

 

Thereport covered the forecast outturn of the Authority’s General Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue budget including management mitigations where issues had been identified; the delivery of2019/20approved budget savingsplans; and an update on the Capital Investment Plan, includingdetails of variations and reprogramming, that were recommendedforapproval.

 

The forecast overall pressure on the General Fund was estimated at £4.809m against the approved net budget of £155.730m.  This was driven mainly by Health, Education, Care and Safeguarding reflecting the continued pressures in Children’s Services of £4.615m and Adult Services of £1.384m, partly mitigated by the contingency balances that had been created by Cabinet as part of the 2018/19 budget setting process and continued to be held centrally to reflect the on-going pressures in social care being felt locally and nationally. Included in this projection was £3.656m of pressures in Corporate Parenting and Placements and £2.178m in Wellbeing and Assessment.  The drivers for these pressures continued from 2018/19, as outlined in the report.

 

The other main areas of pressure existed within the Resources section, primarily due to additional costs within ICT Retained Services.  It was anticipated that the overall outturn forecast would improve over the course of the financial year as planned remedial actions began to impact on both expenditure and income.  

 

The HRA was forecast to have year-end balances at 31 March 2020 of £7.585m, which was £3.714m higher than budget which was set at £3.871m.  The higher than forecast balances were mainly as a result of higher opening balances due to the impact of the previous year’s financial performance (£1.101m) but there was also an in-year estimated overall underspend of £2.613m, against an in-year budget of £2.331m, due to additional income of £0.496m combined with reduction to expenditure of £2.117m, which was linked to savings identified following the end of the Kier JV from April 2019.

 

Universal Credit had been fully implemented across North Tyneside on 2 May 2018. As of the end of September 2019, 2,850 North Tyneside Homes tenants had moved on to Universal Credit and a team was working proactively with tenants to minimise arrears.  This position would be closely monitored as the year progressed to identify any adverse impacts on the budget position.  

 

The total planned schools’ deficit for 2019/2020 was £5.045m. The trend for reducing school balances continued, and some individual schools continued to face significant financial challenges. There were nine schools with approved deficits in 2018/19, five of which continued to be in deficit for 2019/20.  Six schools were also new to deficit in 2019/20.   

 

The High Needs Block had ended 2018/19 with a pressure of £0.920m.  Initial forecasting of the budget position for 2019/20 indicated a similar level of pressure within the year of £0.952m.  In line with the national picture, there had been  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB69/19

CAB70/19

2020-2024 Financial Planning and Budget Process: Cabinet's Initial Budget Proposals pdf icon PDF 121 KB

To consider a report detailing Cabinet’s initial budget proposals and associated matters.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval to the Cabinet’s initial budget proposals in the context of a refreshed Our North Tyneside Plan 2020-24. The proposals covered a four-year planning period from 2020-24 for the Revenue Budget and a five-year planning horizon for the Investment Plan.

 

The 2019/20 financial year was the final year of the 2016 Spending Review, which had afforded local government some financial certainty with which to plan over the medium term.  The lack of a multi-year Spending Review had meant that there was a significant level of uncertainty when undertaking financial planning for the longer term.  Political uncertainty remained high.  Brexit had been delayed until 31 January 2020 and the forthcoming General Election had caused delays for major funding announcements. The initial proposals had therefore been prepared on the basis of assumptions included in the Spending Round 2019 (SR19) announced in September.

 

The SR19 was limited to a single year, which included headline numbers for Government spending for 2020/21 and indicative three-year allocations for schools.  In addition, SR19 confirmed the Government’s proposal to ‘roll forward’ the 2019/20 Local Government Finance Settlement.  Specific funding allocations were yet to be confirmed and a full multi-year Spending Review was now planned to be held in 2020.  The main headlines announced in SR19 included:

 

           Departmental spending to increase by 4.1% in real terms, whilst keeping within the Government’s fiscal rules;

           Social care grants received by local authorities in 2019/20 would continue in 2020/21;

           The Improved Better Care Fund would be maintained at 2019/20 levels, and the Winter Pressures Grant (£240m allocated in 2019/20) would be rolled into the Fund for 2020/21;

           An additional £1bn of grant funding would be distributed for social care in 2020/21, plus local authorities would be able to charge a further 2% Adult Social Care Precept;

           A real terms increase in the Public Health and Revenue Support Grant; and

           Authorities would be able to increase Band D Council Tax up to 2% for the basic element in line with the referendum limit for 2020/21.

 

Consultation with Government was underway on the basis of distribution of the additional social care grant.  However, initial indications were that the Authority would receive additional social care funding of £4.300m in 2020/21.

 

SR19 also included a three-year funding settlement for schools, high needs and early years which were part of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG).  Nationally, additional funding would be £2.6bn in 2020/21, £4.8bn in 2021/22 and £7.1bn in 2022/23.  The main headlines announced included:

 

           An increase in per pupil funding for all schools in line with inflation in 2020/21 (1.8%) with minimum per pupil funding levels set at Primary £3,750, Key Stage 3 £4,800 and Key Stage 4 £5,300;

           Minimum rate per pupil for primary schools rising to £4,000 in 2021/22;

           Additional funding of £700m in 2020/21 for children with special educational needs;

           Additional early years funding of £66m;

           Additional funding of £400m in 2020/21 for further education;

•  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB70/19

CAB71/19

An Ambition for North Tyneside Update pdf icon PDF 122 KB

To provide an update on what has been achieved across the borough since the ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’ was adopted 12 months ago; and the Authority’s future planned activities across the borough over the next 12 months and beyond.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which provided an update on what had been achieved across the Borough since the ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’ had been approved by Cabinet on 26 November 2018.

 

Since then significant progress had been made by the Authority and its partners in keeping its promise and delivering a range of projects across the borough. This included commencing work on the second phase of the Centre for Innovation in Wallsend. New family housing had been brought forward at the coast on sites that had formerly blighted the Authority’s coastal visitor offer such as the former Avenue Public House. There had been investment in flood defences at Killingworth Lake as well as further investment in the Authority’s housing stock, highways and schools.

           

The report also set out future planned activities across the borough over the next 12 months and beyond. These included plans for Segedunum World Heritage Site, further work to develop at Killingworth Lake, as well as completing public realm work at Whitley Bay. It also set out the next steps for the regeneration and masterplanning of North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay.

 

Further details of progress made to date and plans for future work in each of the four areas of the Borough were set out in the report, and how the plans linked into the Our North Tyneside Plan.

 

Progress on the plan would be reported regularly to Cabinet. Property-related projects would be dealt with via the Strategic Property Group and investment projects overseen by the Investment Programme Board. Specific project and working groups would be established to handle more significant projects with appropriate Elected Member and Chief Officer leadership.

 

The next steps would include agreeing the Authority’s Budget and Investment Plan Proposals to reflect this programme; options on the major projects moving through appropriate governance; and finalising the Investment Programme based on a £10m budget over 5 years.

 

The Elected Mayor thanked the Cabinet Members and the Officer teams for their work in developing the programme.

 

Resolved that (1) the progress made in delivering the overall plan since November 2018 be noted;

(2) the ‘Ambition for North Tyneside’ continue to be monitored by the Investment Programme Board and progress be reported regularly to Cabinet. 

CAB72/19

Adoption of the National Register for Taxi Licence Revocations and Refusals pdf icon PDF 85 KB

To seek approval for the proposed use of a National Register, referred to as the National Register of Taxi Licence Revocations and Refusals and the steps that need to be taken by the Authority if it wishes to make use of the Register.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval for the use by the Authority of the National Register of Taxi Licence Revocations and Refusals developed by the Local Government Association and the National Anti-Fraud Network.

 

When considering applications for hackney carriage and private hire drivers’ licences, the Authority must be satisfied that the applicant was a fit and proper person to be granted a licence. As part of the application process an applicant was asked if they had ever had a licence application refused or revoked by another licensing authority. Currently the answer given to this question was checked against a Regional Register that the 12 North East licensing authorities had adopted and updated on a regular basis. Before the introduction of the National Register it had not been possible to check for the refusal or revocation of an individual’s licence outside the North East region.

 

The National Register, to be known as the ‘NR3 Register’, was a mechanism that enabled licensing authorities to share details of individuals who had had a hackney carriage or private hire driver licence revoked or an application for such a licence refused and the reason for the revocation or refusal. The adoption of the use of the National Register would enable the following to occur: -

 

·         When a hackney carriage or private hire driver’s licence was revoked, or an application for a licence was refused, the Authority would automatically record this decision for inclusion in the National Register;

·         The checking of all applications for a new licence or licence renewal against the National Register.

 

The Local Government Association and National Anti-Fraud Network had issued guidance which was attached to Appendix A to the report. The guidance stipulated the procedure that a local authority should follow in order to provide information for inclusion in the National Register and for the Authority to access the Register.

 

The National Register would be hosted by the National Anti-Fraud Network and information would be retained in the National Register for a period of 25 years as recommended in the Guidance.

 

If a search of the National Register resulted in a match with the applicant, or existing driver on renewal of a licence, the Authority would seek further information about the entry in the Register from the Authority that recorded that information. Any information received because of a Register search would only be used in respect of the specific licence application and would not be retained beyond the determination of that application.

 

Historic information concerning revocations and refusals of licences 7 years old and less would be added to the National Register. Before an individual’s information was added the National Register, the Authority would write to the individual whose information was recorded in the National Register stating that the information would be uploaded at a future date and informing the individual of the purpose of sharing that information and their legal right to object to the inclusion of their information in the National Register. The Authority would then consider any objections  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB72/19

CAB73/19

Ten Year Plan for Waste pdf icon PDF 150 KB

To consider a report which presents the ten year plan for waste and, in doing so, sets out the strategic landscape for waste by describing the international, national and local drivers that are shaping the Authority’s thinking. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval for a ten year plan for waste. The Authority had a statutory duty to collect and dispose of household waste arising within the borough.  Annually it dealt with around 94,000 tonnes of waste material with an overall cost to the Authority of £11.339 million to collect, dispose of and treat.

 

In October 2013, Cabinet had adopted a Waste Strategy 2013-2030 with the overarching strategic aim to reduce waste and use it as a resource.  Since then the average waste per household had reduced and more waste was being diverted away from landfill.  Over 90% of waste material was either recycled or converted into energy and, following the introduction of alternate weekly household collections in August 2018, kerbside recycling was increasing.

 

The government had published its new strategy for waste in December 2018 and had stated its intention to introduce legislation aimed at creating a ‘circular economy’: minimising waste and using it as a resource.  This would have a direct impact on local authorities.

 

Within North Tyneside, the number of households in the borough was set to grow in line with the housing requirement within the Local Plan, the Elected Mayor had outlined her ambition to create a borough free of single-use plastics and full Council had declared a Climate Emergency in July of this year.  All of these drivers would have an impact on future waste management in the borough.  The Authority therefore needed a plan to guide its approach for the remaining 10 years of its waste strategy, an action identified in Cabinet’s budget proposals which formed part of the 2019-2023 Financial Planning and Budget process.

 

The ten-year plan for waste was appended to the report.  It set out the strategic landscape for waste by describing the international, national and local drivers that were shaping the Authority’s thinking.  It then identified actions that the Authority would need to take in order to address the future challenges that were anticipated.  This included a proposal to extend the Authority’s successful waste disposal contract arrangements over the medium-term to ensure that it had the required flexibility to secure the right decisions for the longer-term. 

 

There was an action plan within the strategy to 2023 with a commitment to review it in 2019.

 

The Authority had made significant progress in delivering the strategic aims, and a summary of the key outcomes was set out in Table 1 in the report.  Within the borough the Authority had supported the Young Mayor’s campaign to increase the number of water refill stations and constructed a mobile water fountain for use at public events such as the 10km road race to reduce the single-use of bottles.

 

It was clear from the detail of what had been outlined in the report that a number of policy, legislative and contractual drivers had had to be taken into account, as outlined in the report. The report also set out the Authority’s key actions as follows:

 

           Investigate and implement separate food waste  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB73/19

CAB74/19

Climate Emergency Update pdf icon PDF 106 KB

To consider a report which provides an update on the work undertaken since the declaration of a Climate Emergency, and the next steps to be taken to address the commitments agreed by Council in July 2019.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which provided an update on the work undertaken since the declaration of a Climate Emergency, and the next steps to be taken to address the commitments agreed by Council in July 2019.

 

The Climate Emergency declared by the Council set a target to reduce the carbon footprint of the Authority and the Borough by 50% by 2023 and to become carbon neutral by 2050. The Authority was clear in its commitment to tackling the Climate Emergency and had taken a number of immediate steps as detailed in paragraph 1.5.1 of the report.

 

The Authority’s carbon footprint was made up of the power, heat and water used to run its operational buildings, the electricity used to power over 31,000 street lighting apparatus, the fuel used to operate over 400 fleet vehicles and the business related miles staff travelled in their own vehicles (not including commuting to and from work). The Borough’s carbon footprint was made up of the power and heat used in the commercial, industrial and domestic buildings across the whole of the Borough, emissions from road and rail transport, and land use and forestation activities, which could result in either a release into or removal of emissions from the atmosphere.

 

To build on the Authority’s track record of reducing carbon emissions and the actions it had already taken since the declaration of a Climate Emergency, the Authority was developing an action plan to identify carbon reduction projects that could be delivered across its own estate. In addition to this, the Authority was procuring external specialist support to develop the actions that could be taken across the Borough by the Authority, residents, businesses and land owners to tackle the Climate Emergency and this would form part of the action plan.

 

As part of the work programme associated with the declaration of the Climate Emergency, including the development and delivery of an action plan, it was considered appropriate to create a clear and accountable governance structure.

 

Cabinet was therefore asked to approve the establishment of a Climate Emergency Board which would shape the action plan that would be presented to Cabinet in the summer of 2020; receive regular updates on a number of workstreams; consider and advise on key issues as they emerged; and oversee performance and budget management. The Board would be co-chaired by the Head of Environment, Housing and Leisure and the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport.

 

The action plan would address a number of cross-cutting themes within the Climate Emergency. These included a collective approach to environmental protection; improving energy efficiency in building stock; cleaning up (de-carbonising) the Authority’s electricity supply, heat supply; and travel. Further details on each of the key elements of the action plan were set out in the report.

 

Although the disposal of waste did not form part of the Authority’s or Borough’s respective carbon footprints, it was nevertheless essential that the Authority continued to improve in this area as part of its long standing commitment to protecting the  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB74/19

CAB75/19

Construction Project - Delivery and Benefits Realised pdf icon PDF 170 KB

To receive a report detailing the objectives achieved, lessons learned and the benefits realised through the Construction Project.

 

 

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report on the objectives achieved, lessons learned and the benefits realised through the transfer of maintenance and construction services back to the Authority following Cabinet’s decision at its meeting on 27 September 2017.

 

In making this decision Cabinet had agreed a set of policy objectives which applied to all the construction needs of the Authority, as follows:

 

·         Having taken a view on the delivery of the rest of the Authority’s construction work, the majority of the requirement was about housing

·         Value for money; and

·         Flexibility

 

Over the past two years, a project team, overseen by a Steering Group consisting of the Cabinet Member for Housing, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources and the Deputy Mayor and Senior Officers, had worked hard to develop and deliver the correct arrangements to directly deliver a repairs and maintenance and construction service to customers.

 

The transfer of services from Kier to North Tyneside Council had seen:

 

·         Over 360 staff successfully transferred to the Authority on 1 April 2019, receiving initial induction training, and importantly their first pay cheques on time as Council employees

·         A new ICT system solution had been procured, tested and implemented to manage the repairs and maintenance and construction business

·         A new fleet of around 130 vehicles had been established; with a further 10 electric vehicles being piloted, contributing to the Authority’s climate change targets

·         New supply chain frameworks for suppliers and subcontractors had been put in place providing greater opportunities for smaller, local businesses to deliver work on behalf of the Authority

·         Staff welfare facilities at the Killingworth Depot site had been refurbished

·         Appropriate Safety, Health and Environment frameworks implemented and gas and electric accreditations secured to ensure the service was compliant and that staff could be safely put to work; and

·         Working with customers the service offer had been reviewed to ensure it met their needs.

 

Performance levels had continued to meet and, in some cases, exceed expectations despite all the changes resulting from the transfer of services.

 

There had also been a significant increase in investment in local businesses through the supply chain with the proportion of spend increasing from 12% to 29%. This upwards trend was expected to continue as the procurement strategy was further refined.

 

In establishing the service, a baseline budget for the 2019/20 financial year had been created. From the inception of the Construction Project in September 2017 through to the end of the 2019-20 financial year, it was forecast that total one-off savings of around £6m would be achieved.

 

In addition, it was forecasted that around £1.5m of permanent revenue savings and £1m of permanent capital savings per year would be recognised over the lifetime of the 30-year HRA Business Plan.

 

Taking into account the one-off savings, forecast revenue savings and forecast capital savings, savings of the best part of £80m should be achievable. This could be re-profiled and re-invested back into the service to meet Cabinet and tenant priorities.

 

Recognising these efficiencies had already allowed the Authority to:

 

·         Increase  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB75/19

CAB76/19

Annual Review of Council Policy on Covert Surveillance Policy pdf icon PDF 89 KB

To seek approval for an updated Covert Surveillance Policy in accordance with the Statutory Codes of Practice applying to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report seeking approval of an updated Covert Surveillance Policy. The draft Policy had been considered by the Regulation and Review Committee on 24 October 2019 and had been referred to Cabinet for further consideration and, if appropriate, approval. No substantive changes had been proposed as the previously adopted Policy remained fit for purpose. The aims of the Authority’s Policy were to:

 

·         Set out the Authority’s arrangements for complying with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA); the relevant Codes of Practice and guidance issued by the Home Office; and guidance from the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO);

·         Give effect to the rights of citizens to respect for their private and family lives (pursuant to the Human Rights Act 1998); and

·         Protect the Authority from legal challenge when undertaking surveillance.

 

The report detailed recent developments in the law relating to surveillance and in particular in relation to the use of social media, such as Facebook, to monitor the activities of individuals who were the subject of investigation.  Information had been provided to Heads of Service to raise awareness of the requirements of the law in relation to surveillance and to prompt feedback in relation to potential surveillance that did not come within the statutory framework for covert surveillance.

 

The Codes of Practice applying to RIPA indicated that elected members of a local authority should review its use of RIPA and set the general surveillance policy at least annually. A local authority should also consider internal reports on the use of RIPA to ensure that it was being used consistently in compliance with the Authority's Policy and that the Policy remained fit for purpose.

 

To meet these requirements the Policy Statement provided that:

 

·         Cabinet receives an annual report covering the Authority’s use of RIPA powers, and review of the Policy for the following year;

·         Reports would be presented to the Regulation and Review Committee on the Authority’s use of RIPA powers. The Committee’s role would be to look at compliance, oversight and use of RIPA. The Committee would also consider whether the Policy remained fit for purpose and recommend changes to the Policy as appropriate for Cabinet’s consideration; and

·         The Elected Mayor would receive regular updates from the Senior Responsible Officer regarding the use of the Authority’s powers.

 

It was noted that there had been no RIPA authorisations granted in the last year.

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options: To approve the Authority’s Policy on Covert Surveillance, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, and review and note the use of surveillance by the Authority in the preceding year, or alternatively, to ask officers to revise the draft Policy and/or provide additional information regarding any matters contained in the report.

 

Resolved that (1) the Authority’s Policy on Covert Surveillance, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved; and

(2) the use of surveillance by the Authority in the preceding year be noted.

 

Reason for decision:  Approving the Authority’s Policy on Covert Surveillance will secure adherence to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB76/19

CAB77/19

Integrated Sexual Health Service Procurement 2020-21 pdf icon PDF 107 KB

To seek approval to undertake a procurement exercise for the provision of Sexual Health services in North Tyneside.

 

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval to undertake a procurement exercise for Integrated Sexual Health Services in North Tyneside.

 

North Tyneside Council had a statutory duty to improve the health of the population and to provide local public health services, including the provision of comprehensive open access sexual health services.

 

The current contract for the open access sexual health service in North Tyneside was held by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and was due to expire on 31 March 2021.  In line with the Authority’s Procurement Strategy consideration must be given to whether any part of the service could be directly delivered by the Authority.  There was no evidence of any local authority in England in-sourcing a sexual health service.  This was likely to be due to the highly specialist and clinical nature of the service.

The procurement would be guided by a detailed phased project plan.  A brief outline of the plan was set out in the report.

 

A Procurement Steering Group would be convened with representatives from the Authority, Clinical Commissioning Group and National Health Service England to enable a whole system review of sexual health services for residents in North Tyneside and to facilitate more collaborative approaches to commissioning.

 

A detailed Needs Assessment was currently being carried out.  It was anticipated that this would be concluded by December 2019 and would form the basis of a comprehensive consultation exercise planned for January – March 2020. 

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options: either to agree the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report, or alternatively to disagree with the proposals.

 

Resolved that the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Head of Health, Education, Care and Safeguarding, Head of Commissioning and Asset Management, Head of Resources, Head of Law and Governance and the Cabinet Members for Public Health and Wellbeing and Finance and Resources, be authorised to:

(a)       undertake a procurement exercise for Sexual Health Services in North Tyneside to identify a provider(s); and

(b)       appoint and award following the procurement exercise, a contract for the provision of a Sexual Health Service across the borough for an initial contract period of 36 months, with an option to extend for a further two 12 months periods.

 

(Reasons for decision: in order to continue to provide and improve a model of integrated sexual health services that is based on expressed local need and evidence of effectiveness, also ensuring best value for the Authority. 

 

Local Authorities have a duty to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of their local population, including the provision of open access sexual health services. If approved, the Authority will be able to commence a procurement exercise to appoint a replacement provider when the current contract expires on 31 March 2020, allow for a comprehensive consultation exercise to be carried out and provide a sufficient transition period.  This length of contract is designed to encourage interest from a wide range of organisations and to provide financial sustainability to the successful provider  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB77/19

CAB78/19

Council Tax Empty Homes Premium pdf icon PDF 99 KB

To consider a report detailing the results of the consultation outlining options  for the potential to introduce Council Tax premiums from 1 April 2020.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report on the outcome of the consultation undertaken, as approved by Cabinet on 14 October 2019, regarding options to consider for the potential to introduce a Council Tax Empty Homes Premium from 1 April 2020.

 

The National Landlords Association had responded by stating that as many councils had already implemented this strategy, they could not object to a policy which was reasonable. If the person was not making efforts to get the property back into use, they were not acting as a responsible landlord, a two-year window was reasonable.

 

One caveat would be if the landlord had done all in their power to provide a property which was fit for letting and the property remained empty due to environmental factors i.e. the property was in an area suffering from criminal activity or anti-social behaviour and therefore there was no demand for property from any suitable tenants then perhaps the Authority could work with the landlord to find a solution, and take these factors into account regarding Council Tax.

 

The environmental issue raised by the National Landlords Association had also been highlighted by a local landlord who had asked that the government guidance on this issue was expressly noted in any Council decision in relation to the empty home premium. The guidance stated that any owner of a property that had been empty in excess of two years who could demonstrate that the property was actively being marketed for sale or for rent at a reasonable level meant that their property could be exempted from the Council Tax empty home premium. 

 

From the Community and Voluntary Sector the Director of North Tyneside Citizens Advice had commented that they agreed with the proposals to introduce Council Tax premiums and the objective of minimising empty properties.

 

The question posed in the on-line consultation engagement portal was: ‘Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the proposal to introduce Council Tax premiums in order to discourage owners from leaving properties empty for long periods, in excess of two years’. 

 

33 responses (67%) agreed with the proposal to introduce Council Tax premiums; zero responses (0%) neither agreed or disagreed with the proposal; and 16 responses (33%) disagreed with the proposal to introduce Council Tax premiums.

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options:

 

Option 1 - Based on the outcome of the consultation, to make a recommendation to Council at its meeting on 20 January 2020, to determine that the Council Tax empty homes premium set out below will apply across the Borough.

 

a) From 1 April 2020 charge a 100% Council Tax premium for properties that have been   empty for more than two years;

b) From 1 April 2020 charge a 200% premium on those properties which have been empty for five years or more;

c) From 1 April 2021 charge a 300% premium on those properties which have been empty for ten years or more.

 

In line with Government recommendation agree that owners of properties that could demonstrate that the property  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB78/19

CAB79/19

Whitley Bay Crematorium and Cemetery upgrade pdf icon PDF 84 KB

To seek approval to commence a procurement exercise to upgrade and refurbish Whitley Bay Crematorium and Cemetery.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval to commence a procurement exercise in supporting the upgrade and refurbishment of Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium.

 

The Authority operated two crematoria in the Borough (Tynemouth and Whitley Bay).  Both carried out around 1,000 cremations per annum. Following the completion of the upgrade at Tynemouth Crematorium in 2015 an improvement plan for Whitley Bay had been considered.  The cremators at Whitley Bay were approaching the end of their economic life and it was considered best practice that any replacement cremators were mercury abatement compliant.

 

The two cremators at Whitley Bay had been fully commissioned in January 2000.  They were nearly 20 years old and used outdated technology with no mercury abatement in place.  Historically, Tynemouth Crematorium carried out the most cremations, however, over the past few years demand for both Crematoriums had become similar.  This was largely due to residents from outside of the Borough choosing to use Whitley Bay. 

 

Details of the design and procurement upgrade at Whitley Bay Crematorium were outlined in the report. The Authority would be able to maintain a cremation service at Tynemouth Crematorium during the period of time that Whitley Bay Crematorium was closed for refurbishment.  Funeral Directors would liaise directly with families, so they were aware of the alternative options available in respect of the cremation service.

 

A competitive tendering exercise would be carried out for the provider of the cremation equipment. The overall programme of works was proposed to take place in the financial year 2020/2021 and was scheduled to take 26 weeks.

 

The Elected Mayor thanked all those involved in supporting this important upgrade.

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options:  Option 1: to approve the recommendations set out in paragraph 1.2 to upgrade Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium including the installation of one larger size fully mercury abated cremator and commence a procurement.

 

Option 2: to not approve the recommendations and continue to run the cremators with no improvements and defer a decision to later a date. 

 

Resolved that (1) the upgrade and refurbishment and the provision of a new cremator at Whitley Bay Cemetery and Crematorium be agreed subject to approval of the budget by Full Council; and

(2) the Head of Environment, Housing and Leisure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Head of Resources and Head of Law and Governance, be authorised to commence a procurement and, subject to budget approval, award a contract to the bidder who represents the most economically advantageous tender.

 

(Reasons for decision: the Authority, as the Cremation Authority, is required in accordance with the Cremation Acts of 1902 and 1952 and the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 to ensure that crematoria are maintained and in good working order. 

 

The cremators are coming to the end of their useful life and becoming more difficult to repair.  Not only will on-going maintenance costs increase but there is also a high risk of breakdowns.  Unplanned repairs would cause operational difficulties and potential distress for bereaved  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB79/19

CAB80/19

Exclusion Resolution

This is to give further notice in accordance with paragraphs 5(4) and 5(5) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 of the intention to consider item 16 below in private.

 

Cabinet is requested to consider passing the following resolution:

 

Resolved that under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act

1972 (as amended) and having applied a public interest test as

defined in Part 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act, the press and public be

excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the

grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

 

Reasons for taking the item in private: it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information).

Minutes:

Resolved that under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and having applied a public interest test as defined in Part 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

CAB81/19

Corporate Risk Management Summary Report

To consider a report on the latest review of key corporate risks undertaken by the Senior Leadership Team.

 

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report which detailed the corporate risks that had been identified for monitoring and management by the Authority’s Senior Leadership Team and relevant Cabinet members. The report also provided detailed information on each risk and how it was being managed.

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options:   To consider the information provided for each of the corporate risks and endorse the outcome of the latest review by the Authority’s Senior Leadership Team; and after consideration of the detailed information provided for the corporate risks, suggest changes to the corporate risks and their controls.

 

Resolved that the latest review of key corporate risks undertaken by the Senior Leadership Team be endorsed.

 

(Reasons for decision: Each of the corporate risks has undergone substantial review and challenge as part of the corporate risk management process. This is designed to provide assurance that corporate risks and opportunities are being identified and appropriately managed.)

CAB82/19

Date and Time of Next Meeting

Monday 20 January 2020 at 6.00pm.

Minutes:

Monday 20 January 2020 at 6.00pm

 

 

Minutes published on Thursday 28 November 2019.

 

Unless called in by 3 Non-Executive Members for consideration by the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee, the decisions contained within these Minutes may be implemented immediately following the expiry of the call-in period; i.e. 5.00pm on Thursday 5 December 2019.