Agenda and minutes

Venue: The meeting will be held virtually and live streamed

Contact: Yvonne Harrison 

Media

Items
No. Item

CAB138/20

Introduction

Minutes:

Mrs Norma Redfearn, Elected Mayor, welcomed everyone to this meeting of North Tyneside Council’s Cabinet which was the third virtual Cabinet meeting held by the Authority following the recent introduction of regulations by the Government enabling local authorities to conduct their meetings remotely in the light of the current Coronavirus pandemic.

 

CAB139/20

Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2020 (previously circulated)

Minutes:

Resolved that the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 29 June 2020 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

 

CAB140/20

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.

 

 

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were reported.

 

CAB141/20

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:

 

·         The Young Mayor had continued to work on her pledge to create better support in schools for mental health issues and work on improving and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing via social media.

·         Work was in progress to create a small gift for all young people in school years 7 to 13 which would be given to them on their return to school, accompanied by a z card leaflet which would include information and activities about what to do to keep good mental health and wellbeing and who to contact should they or a friend need extra support.

·         A newly formed International Youth Mayor’s Association network group had met including participants from Holland and Belgium, the aim was to meet monthly to support one another, collaborate on campaigns and sharing good practice.

·         UK Youth Parliament Member, Abi Tang’s pledge to reduce North Tyneside’s carbon footprint and engage young people in tackling climate change was achieving her aims through continuing to use social media.

·         Abi had met the Stockton Member of Youth Parliament to see how they could roll out the Reuse Refill idea. The reuse, refill campaign which was now spreading across the region with Middlesbrough and Sunderland also interested in doing this in their area too.

·         Youth Parliament Members from the North East Region were looking to hold their own meeting with the Carbon Trust and Abi was helping to coordinate this with the British Youth Council with the first meeting due to be held in August.

·         The Young Mayor continued chairing Youth Council meetings on Microsoft Teams with around 20 Youth Councillors regularly active online.

·         The debate topic about online schoolwork verses traditional schooling had been reintroduced on using technology, support from teachers, skills you can learn from online education, creating more independence and the social aspect.

·         Youth councillors had been thanked for their involvement in celebrating the NHS 70th Birthday, some NHS staff would like to work more closely with the Youth Council on future projects.

·         The SEND youth forum had been meeting regularly and some members were making a film for the local offer website which so far was looking good and expected to be finished soon.

·         Youth Councillors had met with PHD students from the Open Lab, Planning and Architecture department at Newcastle University to talk about the Metro Consultation for 2020 early in the process before rollout to all in September.

 

The Elected Mayor thanked the Young Mayor for the report.

 

 

CAB142/20

2020/21 Financial Management Report to 31 May 2020 pdf icon PDF 118 KB

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

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the first monitoring report outlining the 2020/21 financial position.  It provided an early indication of the potential revenue and capital financial position of the Authority as at 31 March 2021.

 

The report 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 of 2020/21 approved budget savings plans; an indication of the impact of Covid-19 on Collection Rates and on the Collection Fund; the implications of Covid-19 for the Authority’s cash position; and an update on the Capital Investment Plan including details of variations and reprogramming that were recommended for approval.

 

The budget for 2020/21 had been approved by full Council at its meeting on the 20 February 2020.  The net General Fund revenue budget was set at £161.361m.  This included £3.244m of savings to be achieved (£0.805m relating to 2020/21).

 

The forecast overall pressure for the General Fund Revenue Account was estimated at £12.968m against the approved net budget. This was made up of a forecasted pressure of £0.908m on normal activities and £12.060m relating to the impact of Covid-19.  The £0.908m pressure in the services was driven mainly by Health, Education, Care & Safeguarding reflecting the continued pressures in Children’s Services of £4.284m and Adult Services of £1.023m, partly mitigated by the contingency balances that had been created 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 £3.663m of pressures in Corporate Parenting and Placements, £2.195m in Wellbeing and Assessment, and £0.848m in Disability and Mental Health.  The drivers for these pressures continued from 2019/20, as outlined in the report.

 

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.

 

With regards to the impact of Covid-19, the main drivers behind the £12.060m shortfall were also within Health, Education, Care and Safeguarding where £11.991m was for increased costs to the Authority of supporting the market (£3.513m), impact on savings targets (£2.691m), additional demand (£2.454m), increased costs for children in care (£1.211m) and lost income within School Improvement (£0.868m).

 

Significant Covid-19 related pressures existed in Environment, Housing and Leisure, (£5.427m) due to loss of income in Sport & Leisure and Highways & Transport and in Commissioning & Asset Management through income lost within Catering (£3.824m).

 

The report outlined the revenue grants which had been received during April and May 2020.

 

Schools were required to submit their rolling three-year budget plan by 31 May each year.  The total planned deficit for 2020/21 was £6.689m. The Authority had been working with schools for a number of years with regard to the long-term strategic issue of surplus secondary places and the associated financial pressures which continued to be compounded by rising employment costs.  As anticipated, 2019/20 was the fifth year of balances decreasing following a long-term  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB142/20

CAB143/20

2021-2025 Financial Planning and Budget Process incorporating the Associated Engagement Strategy pdf icon PDF 161 KB

To consider a report outlining the process to be adopted for the Authority’s Financial Planning and Budget process for 2021/22 as part of the proposed framework for the four years 2021/22 to 2021-2025.

 

 

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to the proposed 2021-2025 Financial Planning and Budget process including information on the key decision milestones; and as part of the process, the proposed approach to Budget Engagement. 

 

Whilst this report formed an important part of the Authority’s Budget-setting process for the 2021/22 Budget, it also provided Cabinet with an overview of the potential financial implications of COVID-19, for both the current year and for the period of the Authority’s Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).  An initial review of the MTFS had been carried out in light of future Government announcements and, as the scale of the financial impact of

COVID-19 became clear, it would need to be updated.

 

In addition, the report acknowledged the exceptional circumstances in which the 2021/22 Budget would need to be prepared.  The last few years had been uncertain and challenging for local government, but financial planning for 2021/22 was particularly difficult due to the impact of Covid-19 on the organisation’s ability to achieve planned Budget savings and income for 2020/21, its capacity to develop and deliver new Budget proposals for 2021/22, and on a wider Budget position, which was the Budget planning process for 2021/22.  It was almost impossible to predict the ongoing financial impact to the Authority’s resources with any certainty.  In this context, the report also provided a summary of key areas of wider risk and uncertainty for Cabinet’s consideration.  

 

The new Chancellor of the Exchequer had announced the Spring Budget 2020 on 11 March 2020.  The Budget included various announcements with implications for local authority funding, including a plan to undertake a Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), due to be completed in July 2020.  As part of the response to COVID-19, the Chancellor had announced on 24 March 2020 that the CSR would be delayed from July to enable the Government to remain focused on responding to the public health and economic emergency. 

 

On 21 July 2020 the Chancellor had announced the launch of the CSR which would be published in the Autumn 2020; no date had been given for when the review would be concluded.  The review would set UK Government departments’ resource budgets for the years 2021/22 to 2023/24 and capital budgets for the years 2021/22 to 2024/25, and devolved administrations’ block grants for the same period. 

 

Due to unprecedented uncertainty, the Chancellor had not fixed a set spending envelope, but confirmed that departmental spending (both capital and resource) would grow in real terms across the CSR period and that the Government would deliver on the commitments made at the Spring Budget.

 

Given the impact COVID-19 had had on the economy, the Chancellor was clear there would need to be tough choices in other areas of spending at the review.  As part of their preparations for the CSR departments had been asked to identify opportunities to reprioritise and deliver savings.  Departments would also be required to fulfil a series of conditions in their returns, including providing evidence they were delivering the government’s priorities and focusing  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB143/20

CAB144/20

North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay Masterplan pdf icon PDF 118 KB

To receive a report on the progress made in delivering the North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay Draft Masterplan since April 2019; and agree the Masterplan to be used as a basis for consultation and engagement with residents, businesses and stakeholders over the Summer / Autumn 2020.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report on the progress made delivering the North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay Draft Masterplan since April 2019, and to seek approval for the Masterplan to be used as a basis for consultation and engagement over the Summer /Autumn 2020.

 

In introducing the report, the Deputy Mayor also invited John Sparkes, Head of Regeneration and Economic Development, to give a presentation on the updated position of the Masterplan.

 

At its meeting on 1 April 2019, Cabinet had agreed a report which set out ‘An Ambition for North Shields and the Fish Quay’. This built on the Authority’s wider regeneration objectives that had been agreed at the Cabinet meeting on 26 November 2018. An Ambition for North Tyneside had identified North Shields Town Centre and Fish Quay as a specific priority.

 

The policy objectives for North Shields, agreed by Cabinet in April 2019, included a smaller but more vibrant and connected, high quality town centre; a connected and vibrant Fish Quay; better transport flows and connectivity; and a better-quality built environment.

 

On 12 March 2019, the North of Tyne Combined Authority, recognising the contribution of North Shields and the Fish Quay to the North of Tyne economy, had approved business case development funding for work to continue to develop a masterplan for the area.  This had provided £0.200m of funding and had enabled the Authority to refine a draft masterplan and supporting documents which would provide a strong foundation from which to develop individual projects identified in the Masterplan.

 

The report provided background and a summary of the work done so far in developing a Draft Masterplan. Subject to the Masterplan being endorsed by Cabinet, it was proposed that it was used, over the coming months, as a basis for consultation and engagement with residents, businesses and other stakeholders with an interest in the regeneration of North Shields. Once a final Masterplan was agreed by Cabinet, it was proposed to adopt it as Supplementary Planning Guidance.

 

Since receiving the funding from the North of Tyne Combined Authority, officers had been working with the North Shields Project Group, comprising the Deputy Mayor, Chief Executive and Heads of Service to refine a Draft Masterplan which reflected the Authority’s ambition for the town centre and delivered policy objectives and which contained a series of self-contained projects that could be further developed and delivered as and when funding allowed.

 

The report outlined achievements to date. There were nine projects within the Masterplan, these were:

 

Project 1 – Gateway Improvements: Improving the image and quality of public realm in key gateway sites into North Shields would enhance the experience for residents and businesses as well as those visiting the town.

 

Project 2 - Transport Hub and Interchange: The improvement of North Shields public transport offer was a key foundation to the successful regeneration of the town centre. Located adjacent (south) of the existing Metro station the proposals would provide customers with an improved quality of service giving access to a sustainable and  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB144/20

CAB145/20

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 items 9 and 10 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 items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

 

Reasons for taking the items in private: The reports contain 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 items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

 

CAB146/20

Health and Safety services

To consider a report seeking approval for the Head of Resources to progress the return of Health and Safety Services to direct management and operation by the Authority.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for the Head of Resources to progress the return of Health and Safety Services (which was currently delivered as part of the business partnership with Engie) to direct management and operation by the Authority.

 

The transfer of these services back to the Authority would align in management terms (as well as operationally) the Health and Safety service with the human resource and organisational development service.  This would optimise opportunities for efficiency and effectiveness.

 

If Cabinet agreed to this proposal, it was suggested that the return of Health and Safety Services from Engie to the Authority would take place on 1 October 2020.

 

Cabinet considered the following decision options: to accept the recommendations as set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report, or alternatively, to not approve the recommendations.

 

Resolved that (1) the transfer of the Health and Safety Services currently provided by Engie to the direct management and operation of the Authority be agreed; and

(2) the Head of Resources, in consultation with the Head of Law and Governance, the Deputy Mayor and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, be authorised to carry out the necessary steps, including the agreement of a Deed of Variation of the Partnership Agreement between the Authority and Engie, to progress the return of Health and Safety Services to the Authority.

 

(Reasons for decision: This would enable all aspects of the Authority’s Health and Safety functions to be delivered, managed and controlled directly by the Authority thus optimising efficiency and effectiveness.)

 

CAB147/20

Corporate Risk Management 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.)

 

CAB148/20

Date and Time of Next Meeting

Monday 21 September 2020 at 6.00pm.

Minutes: