Agenda and minutes

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.

Councillor K Clark declared a registerable personal interest in agenda Item 6: 2022-23 Financial Management Report to 30 September 2022 (CAB61/22), and Item 7: 2023-2027 Financial Planning and Budget Process: Cabinet’s Initial Budget Proposals (CAB62/22), as she was a Director and Employee at Justice Prince CIC (Working Roots) which had contracts with North Tyneside Council funded to deliver community-based programmes.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 17 October 2022.

Resolved that the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 17 October 2022 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

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

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

·       Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) Hannah Clarke-McKeran had delivered a powerful speech in the House of Commons on the 4 November on support for young people’s mental health and was working with the Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Committee and the Ready for Life Committee looking at the resources available to support young people in the borough. She had also met with the Authority’s Director for Public Health and her team to learn about what was already being provided in North Tyneside.

·       The Young Mayor had visited Hadrian Park Primary school to help with planting trees, the school was registered with the Eco School Award and this activity would score them points in achieving the award and ultimately their Green Flag status.

·       The Young Mayor continued to attend the Carbon Net Zero Board meetings covering the many things that had been put into place by the Authority and the ongoing campaign to persuade people to change their behaviour. 

·       Youth Councillors had taken part in a litter pick at the Rising Sun Country Park which they found to be very clean with not a lot of litter to collect and were very encouraged to know that people were taking social responsibility for their spaces.

·       A Swap Shop in North Shields Library on the 10 December between 11am and 2pm was planned to coincide with Northumberland Square Christmas Fayre, anything left over after the swap had finished would be taken to the local charity shops.

·       The Children in Care Council hosted their first annual awards celebration night on the 29 October dedicated to children and young people who were in care and to recognise the amazing things they had achieved throughout the past year, from hard work ethic and career development to sporting triumphs. Three of the awards that were presented were in memory of foster carers who had lost their lives during the pandemic, and individual awards which were presented by the Authority’s Director of Children’s Services to the winning young people.

·       The Young Mayor had joined young people from North Tyneside’s Children’s Council, Youth Council, SEND Youth Forum and Children in Care Council to take part in a consultation session facilitated by the Authority’s Participation Team, and an independent Children’s scrutineer, when views were shared on what safeguarding meant to them, along with their understanding of North Tyneside Safeguarding Children’s Partnership and their priorities for the year ahead, including how effectively safeguarding arrangements were working for children, families and practitioners.  

·       Alexander Kinney had been presented with the Young Mayor’s Award as part of the Spirit of North Tyneside Awards for the environment volunteering work at his school.

·       Youth Councillors had laid wreaths at 5 of the memorials and cenotaphs around the borough on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

·       Youth Councillors had attended the State of the Area Event focusing on the rising cost of living and the opportunity  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB59/22

To consider a report on the findings of the Storm Arwen (Scrutiny) Task & Finish Group submitted to Full Council on 21 July 2022, which referred the report to Cabinet to consider and formulate a response to the Group’s recommendations.

Cabinet considered a report of the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee, which presented the Storm Arwen Task & Finish Group’s recommendations at Appendix 1 to the report to the Authority’s response into the handling of Storm Arwen.

At its meeting 20 January 2022 Council debated a Motion in relation to Storm Arwen. Following debate, it was agreed that the Elected Mayor would; -

“write to the Prime Minister to raise our concerns with the way the situationwas

handled and to commit to providing funding to aid the recovery”.

“Launch a cross party inquiry into the handling of Storm Arwen by North Tyneside Council, including what work is outstanding and what lessons can be learned, and report back to full Council before the end of the municipalyear”.

The Elected Mayor requested that a review be undertaken by the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee (OS&PD).  It was agreed that OS&PD would establish a Task & Finish group to review Storm Arwen.  In drawing up the Group’s terms of reference it was agreed that it would be appropriate for other named storms that occurred after Storm Arwen up to February 2022 to be included in the report.

The approach and Terms of Reference for the review was presented and agreed by the OS&PD Committee at its meeting on 14 March 2022.

All non-executive members were canvased to be part of the Group, and 8 members took up the opportunity to be involved. The agreed approach for the review was through two focussed sessions, which took place on 16 and 23 May 2022. On the completion of its work a report was presented at the full Council meeting 21 July 2022, where Council decided to refer the report to Cabinet for its consideration as it had the responsibility to implement any changes to the Authority’s Emergency Planning arrangements. The Group was supported by a team of officers who had key positions of responsibility during any emergency events, including severeweather.

The Group received extensive information to each storm event, which included the background and the Authority’sresponse, Command and control arrangements, Timeline ofevents, Summary of the impacts of eachstorm, Communication activity and Impact and work undertaken by Authority service areas.  The conclusion of the Group’s very comprehensive review was that resilience and emergency planning practice constantly evolved through experience. Through its review the Group had made a number of recommendations for consideration byCabinet.  The Group also recognised the significant work that had taken place during the storms - by individuals, neighbours, communities, responders, voluntary groups, businesses, and others who came out in very challenging conditions to provide help to those in need.

The Group concluded that the Authority was able to rapidly mobilise staff with the necessary specialist technical skillsets to support the range of requirements needed to keep residents and property safe.  The Group’s view was that the activation and effective mobilisation reduced possible further impact to residents/businesses within the borough and all staff  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB60/22

To receive the third budget monitoring report for the current financial year which reflects the first indication of the potential revenue and capital position of the Authority at 31 March 2023.

Cabinet considered the third monitoring report outlining the 2022/23 financial position.  It provided an early indication of the expected revenue and capital financial position of the Authority as at 31 March 2023. The view in this report was expected to change over the coming months as the recovery to a pre Covid-19 position continues, the impact of market conditions became clearer, further inflationary factors became apparent and management actions started to take effect.

The Budget for 2022/23 was approved by full Council at its meeting on the 17 February 2022. The net General Fund revenue budget was set at £163.512m. This included (£7.257m) of savings to be achieved, of which (£3.113m) related to new business cases included in the 2022-2026 Medium-Term Financial Plan, (£1.607m) of full year effect of prior year business cases and (£2.537m) of savings previously achieved by one-off mitigations and non-permanent solutions.

Prior to any mitigation, the Authority’s approved net revenue budget was forecast to outturn with a pressure of £15.500m. Table 1 in section 1.5.2 of the report set out the initial variation summary across the General Fund.

The Authoritycontinued totake aprudent approachto forecastingincluding inrelation to theon-going impactof Covid-19,which currentlywas forecastto addpressures of £5.226m to the General Fund in 2022/23. These pressures were primarily where fees and charges income had yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, where additional fixed term staff were employed to cover increased demand or to enable front-line service provision to continue unimpacted by employees needing to self-isolate. In addition to Covid-19, global market pressures existed around the Authority’s supply chain and currentinflation levels,these combinedadded afurther £7.182mto theoverall pressure. The remaining £3.092m related primarily to staffing and other income related pressures across theservices.

As part of the 2022-2026 Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) agreed by full Council in February £2.200m was set aside from the Change Reserve to support additional pressures in Home to School Transport (£0.400m), Special Educational Needs (£0.400m), additional children’s social care provision (£1.200m) and for the development of the Customer Relationship Management programme (£0.200m). The (£0.400m) relating to Home to School Transport had now been allocated to Commissioning & Asset Management and was reflected in the services projected position, leaving (£1.800m) to support the overall pressure.

In addition to the use of the Change Reserve, £2.000m was also set aside to create a Covid-19 Reserve as part of the 2022-2026 MTFP, this included (£0.650m) to support additional caseloads within Children’s Services, (£0.350m) to support Home to School Transport and (£1.000m) to support reduced fees and charges income following the pandemic. The (£0.350m) relating to Home to School Transport had now been allocated to Commissioning & Asset Management and was reflected in the services projected position, leaving (£1.650m) to support the overall pressure.

Within the 2022-2026 MTFP, (£0.150m) was identified as planned use of the Insurance Reserve to support additional Repairs and Maintenance costs within the Authority’s Commissioning & Asset Management Service Area. The use  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB61/22

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

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval for the Cabinet’s initial budget proposals for 2023/24 in the context of the 2023-2027 Financial Planning and Budget. This report represented a key milestone in the development of the 2023/24 Budget and 2023- 2027 Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP), as it sets out Cabinet’s initial Budget proposals for the next financial year and beyond.

The Authority’s 2022/23 Budget and 2022-2026 MTFP were agreed by full Council on 17 February 2022. At that time, it was impossible for the Authority to foresee the global economic impact of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. Rising interest rates and inflation had caused a significant impact leading to a cost-of-living crisis, which would see a real term reduction in living standards for families throughout the Borough. At the time of writing this report inflation (as measured by the consumer price index (CPI)) has reached 10.1%, with forecasts that it could rise further towards the end of the financial year. This would have a significant impact on the cost of delivering essential services and the InvestmentPlan.

The Authority’s financial planning had previously assumed that COVID-19 pressures would abate in line with the withdrawal of Government support. However, as reported to Cabinet at this meeting in the Budget Monitoring Report for September, the Authority continued to feel the financial effects movingforwards.

Whilst the Authority carried forward COVID grants, which had been used to smooth the financial position in 2022/23, it was anticipated that these grants would be fully utilised in the current financial year with no residual funding available to meet any ongoing costs into future years. This posed a significant risk to the Authority’s financial position for 2023/24 and future years and the Senior Leadership Team, supported by Senior Officers, continued to mitigate this as far as possible in budget monitoring and planning.

It was highly likely that key income sources including Council Tax, through both the Collection Fund and tax base growth, and business rates would continue to be under significant pressure in 2022/23. The current MTFP position incorporates prudent assumptions about these income streams, which would need to be reviewed over the course of the Budget-setting period. This would include Government announcements around the inflationary uplifts to business rates, which are set nationally.

Despite all this, Cabinet would be aware that the Authority’s priorities, as set out in the ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’, continued to be met and that the Authority had a goodtrack record of delivering those priorities within the funding resources that were available. This was evidenced by the fact that Cabinet had delivered balanced outturns, without the need to use reserves, in each of the last three financialyears.

The cost-of-living crisis was accelerating inequalities in the Borough, pushing families further towards crisis and realigning many of the inequalities that already existed in the Borough. Cabinet was determined that this gap would not widen and would do everything it could to get support to families that needed it whilst making sure  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB62/22

To consider a report seeking approval for the draft Wallsend Masterplan and to use it as a basis for engagement with residents and businesses in Wallsend.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for the draft Wallsend Masterplan and to use it as a basis for engagement with residents and businesses in Wallsend.

At its meeting on 28 March 2022, Cabinet received a report which set out a set of policy priorities for Wallsend Town Centre. These policy priorities were developed with the Deputy Mayof and following engagement with the Ward Councillors for Battle Hill, Howdon, Northumberland and Wallsend and were to inform a Masterplan for Wallsend which was identified as a priority in Our North Tyneside Plan 2021-2025. 

Over the past 6 months, working with the Deputy Mayor, Ward Members, the Chief Executive and other stakeholders the Authority had prepared a draft Masterplan which reflected its ambition for the town centre and delivered on the policy objectives which were agreed in May 2022. The draft Masterplan enshrined the Cabinet’s agreed policy objectives and included a series of projects to deliver them. The first stage of that work was now complete, and a draft Masterplan had been prepared. 

The scope of the Masterplan area covered the town centre core of High Street East and West, the Forum shopping centre and Station Road, with their surrounding catchment area of housing. It also included the Segedunum Roman Fort and Museum and Wallsend riverside as far as Davy Bank. And to the north it included the Parks, Wallsend Hall, and the former Buddle School and arts centre building. This built on the early engagement with ward members which had helped inform thinking and the direction of the Masterplan.

In addition, since March 2022 the Authority had been working to better understand the issues, challenges and opportunities in Wallsend focussing in particular on the three policy priorities i) Improve the quality of the housing offer in Wallsend; ii) Make the town centre and the nearby neighbourhoods great places to visit and live; and iii) Make sure Wallsend residents were connected to good jobs.  This work had included:

·       A review of recent reports such as the surveys of town centre businesses and customers in 2021 (the “Understanding the Heart of our Town” report);

·       An assessment of the town centre’s buildings, roads, streets, footpaths and public spaces and development of ideas for improving them;

·       A review of the local property market to better understand the supply of and demand for homes, shops and offices;

·       Identification of opportunities to support residents in securing employment and improving their skills e.g. adult education and a “Working Well” employability hub;

·       Creation of the River Tyne Task Force with the North of Tyne Combined Authority, Port of Tyne, businesses and other local authorities marketing the offshore energy opportunities under the ‘Tyne Powered’ brand and providing a collective voice to talk to Government.

·       A review of traffic flows, transport usage and car parking;

·       Working with the Academic Health Service Network and the One Public Estate initiative to understanding the opportunities for the Masterplan to support public health initiatives and provision.

The 14 proposed projects listed in section  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB63/22

To receive a report on delivering new Council homes and tackling derelict properties and seeking approval for two sites to be developed by the Authority through the Housing Revenue Account.  

Cabinet received a report on delivering new Council homes and tackling derelict properties, which sought approval for two sites to be developed by the Authority through the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

The Affordable Homes Programme was approved by Cabinet on the 14 May 2013 and has delivered 1,934 affordable homes to date, including 573 new Council homes. This performance represents a 145% improvement on the ten years prior to the programme starting. The Authority’s work to support private landlords and tackle empty and derelict properties continues to improve communities and since 2019 the number of empty homes in the borough has reduced by 39%.

The Our North Tyneside Plan was approved at full Council on 23 September 2021 and included a priority to deliver 5,000 affordable homes and confirmed a commitment to reduce the number of derelict properties across the borough.

This new, ambitious target increased the previous delivery target by 1,000 affordable homes whilst remaining within the Authority’s objectively assessed housing need and in line with the North Tyneside Local Plan that was adopted in July 2017. To meet this challenge, the target of 5,000 homes would be delivered in two phases.

Phase One would see the delivery of a further 2,000 affordable homes bringing the Phase One total to 4,000 by 2032. This would include the delivery of a ten-year Housing Revenue Account (HRA) plan that would aim to deliver at least 350 new Council homes, utilising new technology to reduce carbon emissions, supporting the Authority’s work in response to the climate emergency declaration.

Phase Two of the programme would include work to identify new opportunities to deliver affordable homes. This would include assessing brownfield sites in the borough and actively seeking ‘windfall’ opportunities that may include new sites or opportunities that were not currently within the Local Plan. for homes that were currently not within the plan. The two sites that were the subject of this report were both ‘windfall’ opportunities that would contribute to delivering the 1,000 homes in Phase Two of the programme.

This former West House Pub Site, CamperdownWard, was overgrown and causing blight in the community and was put up for sale by the owner and following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Strategic Property Group, it was recommended that the site be purchased to provide new Council homes. An offer for the land was accepted at £0.210m and the sale was completed on the 27 May 2022.

Preliminary design work and consultation with the Planning Authority had led to an outline design of 22 new affordable homes. The mix of homes aligned to housing need in the area and will include 10, two-bed houses, 2, three-bed house, 2 one-bed apartments and 8, two-bed apartments. Three of the properties would be built for wheelchair accessibility and the scheme would incorporate a full suite of green technology that exceeded the current Building Regulations.  The scheme would be delivered through the HRA with the expected cost to be circa £4.1m.  Subject  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB64/22

To receive the Authority’s Annual Corporate Complaints Report 2021/22.

Cabinet considered a report which detailed complaint related activity during 2021-22 and which complied with the requirement to publish a report on complaints under the relevant statutory complaint’s legislation.

The Authority’s Annual Complaints Report, attached at Appendix 1, shared information about the corporate complaints the Authority had received in 2021-22.

Both the Our North Tyneside Plan 2021 – 2025, agreed by Council on 23 September 2021 and the customer service programme, agreed by Cabinet on 28 May 2019, made clear the Authority’s commitment to using customer feedback, including complaints, to design, deliver and improve its services.

Every complaint received by the Authority, was an opportunity to demonstrate that the Authority listened to its residents and cared about their views and concerns. The way in which complaints were received and responded to was an important element of a customer’s experience and should follow the Authority’s Corporate Complaints Procedure. All complaints provided an insight into what was working well and what was not. The analysis of complaints data could provide a rich source of intelligence, to inform future prioritisation, planning and service delivery by the Authority.

The Authority served over 208,000 residents each year with millions of individual services and transactions, including those to businesses and visitors, Whilst the overwhelming majority of the services were well received, the Authority knew it did not always get it right, for every one of those customers, first time. The Authority’s aim was to listen, learn and improve, where it doesn’t get it right

The Authority received 647 corporate complaints in 2021-22. Whilst this number was very low as a proportion of the services provided, the Authority was committed to learning from each and every complaint raised and was grateful to those who took the time to share their experiences.

At its meeting of the 17 October 2022, Cabinet agreed the ‘We Listen, We Care’, Customer Service Programme End of Phase Two report which detailed other feedback on customer experiences of council services and the improvements the Authority was making in response to this feedback. The definition of a complaint could be wide-ranging but can be defined as an expression of dissatisfaction with the service provided, or lack of action by the Authority or its employees. This could include failure to achieve specific standards of service.

The Authority’s Corporate Complaint Procedure covered all services it provided and had a three-stage process. Corporate complaints also included statutory complaints received through the Local Authority Social Services Complaints (England) Regulations 2006. A copy of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s Annual Review of complaints concerning North Tyneside Council for 2021-22 was attached at Appendix2 to the report.

Cabinet had recently reviewed the work of the second phase of its Customer Service Programme – ‘we listen, and we care’ at its meeting of 17 October 2022. This report detailed other feedback on customer experiences of council services and the improvements the Authority was making in response to this feedback.

The Authority had many ways that it received feedback  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB65/22

To consider a report seeking agreement to the proposed merger of the coronial areas of North Tyneside and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Cabinet received a report which sought approval to the proposed merger of the Coronial areas of Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside.

In September 2019 following the retirement of the Senior Coroner for South East Northumberland and North Tyneside, Mrs Karen Dilks was appointed as the Acting Senior Coroner for North Tyneside with effect from 1 October 2019. That appointment was made in the knowledge that the Ministry of Justice had indicated that the merger of the North Tyneside Coronial area with the Newcastle upon Tyne Coronial area was appropriate and in line with that department and the Chief Coroner’s intention to reduce the overall number of Coronial areas through mergers.

The appointment of Mrs Dilks as Senior Coroner was therefore seen as an interim arrangement until such time as the North Tyneside and Newcastle upon Tyne Coronial areas were merged. It was envisaged at that time that Mrs Dilks would be appointed as Senior Coroner for the newly merged coronial area of Newcastle Upon Tyne and North Tyneside.  Against that backdrop, Cabinet agreed in principle to the merger of the Newcastle Upon Tyne and North Tyneside Coronial areas, subject to the development of an agreed Business Case. The Business Case had now been jointly developed by officers of the Authority and Newcastle City Council and was appended to the report for Cabinet’s endorsement and submission to the Ministry of Justice.

Mrs Dilks had given notice of her intention to retire as Senior Coroner in early 2023. Given the proposed merger of the two Coronial areas, the Authority had undertaken a joint recruitment exercise with Newcastle City Council to appoint a Senior Coroner for both jurisdictions.  After due deliberation, the interview panel, which consisted of Senior Officers from both Authorities, decided to offer the post of Senior Coroner for North Tyneside and Newcastle upon Tyne to Ms Georgina Nolan as the highest-scoring candidate.  Ms Nolan was currently an Assistant Coroner for both the North Tyneside and Newcastle Upon Tyne jurisdictions, as well as the North and South Northumberland jurisdictions. The appointment of Ms Nolan as the Senior Coroner for both Coronial areas was subject to approval by the Chief Coroner and the Lord Chancellor.  Both had approved the appointment of Ms Nolan for each Coronial area.

Newcastle City Council at its full Council meeting on 2 November 2022 appointed Ms Nolan as its Senior Coroner.  Full Council made a similar appointment for North Tyneside at its meeting on 24 November 2022.

If the Ministry of Justice agreed to the merger of the North Tyneside and Newcastle upon Tyne Coronial areas, then subject to the making of the appropriate Order by the Lord Chancellor, Ms Georgina Nolan would become the Senior Coroner for the newly merged Coronial area of Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside.

The interim arrangements had worked extremely well including during the Covid-19 pandemic. The re-location of the North Tyneside Coroner’s service to Newcastle Civic Centre, the funding of staff and the cost-sharing model agreed between the  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB66/22

To receive a report on representations that have been made to the Authority in relation to statutory advertisements confirming the Authority’s intention to dispose of an area of land within its ownership at Newsteads Drive, Monkseaton.

Cabinet considered a report detailing the representations that had been made to the Authority in relation to statutory notices placed in the press confirming the Authority’s proposal to dispose of an area of public open space within its ownership at Newlands Drive in Monkseaton. The land was shown by dark outline on the plan appended to the report.

The proposed disposal of the land would be to facilitate the development of a new medical centre as a replacement for Beaumont Park Medical Centre which no longer met the current NHS standards.  A planning application for the scheme had not yet been submitted.

This land was declared surplus to the Authority’s requirements on 14 December 2021, in accordance with the Officer Delegation Scheme.

As the area of land was public open space it was subject to the relevant provisions of the Local Government Act 1972.  As such, the Authority must advertise its intention to dispose of the land by placing statutory notices in the press in accordance with Section 123 of the Act, and formally consider any representations made.  This was initially done in December 2021, and the representations received by the Authority were referred to Cabinet in May this year when the decision was taken to uphold the objections to the sale of the land.

Following the meeting of Cabinet, Beaumont Park Medical Practice found it necessary to apply to NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board for a temporary closure of their patient list.  This was because of issues being experienced by the practice with the existing medical centre building as detailed in section 1.5 of the report and added difficulty for the practice in recruiting and retaining staff.

There was now a risk to the ongoing viability of the practice and if the NHS contract were to be handed back due to the challenges faced, it was likely to result in a list dispersal.  This would have a significant impact on surrounding practices if 6,000 patients needed to find an alternative GP to register with.  Because of the list closure and these implications, the practice and the NHS Care Board asked the Authority to reconsider its position regarding the sale of the land at Newsteads Drive, and on the 17 August the Strategic Property Group agreed to officers undertaking the Section 123 procedure again.

Details of the 84 representations received in response to the statutory notices placed in the press during December of last year and again in September of this year were detailed in Section 1.5 of the report, together with information about concerns raised by the Monkseaton Ward Members regarding the proposed disposal of the land. The main points of objection had been carefully considered by the Authority’s officers, the agent acting on behalf of Beaumont Park Medical Practice and the NHS Care Board, and their responses to the points raised were provided in the report.

The report also confirmed the main points of support for the proposed disposal of the land including statements  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB67/22

To consider a report seeking approval for the proposed changes within the refresh of the Fostering Strategy 2022-25.

Cabinet received a report seeking approval for the proposed changes within the refresh of the Fostering Strategy 2022 to 2025, attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

The strategy sought to give effect to the Authority’s duties under Section 22G of the Children Act 1989, which required the Authority take steps to secure, so far as reasonably practicable, sufficient accommodation within the Authority’s area which met the needs of children that the Local Authority cared for and whose circumstances were such that it would be consistent with their welfare for them to be provided with accommodation that was in the Local Authority’s area (the so-called ‘sufficiency duty’).

The Fostering Strategy had the following key aims and objectives:

1.     To increase the total number of local Foster Carers available for the children and young people of North Tyneside who required care;

2.     To increase the number of Foster Carers with the skills to care for teenagers;

3.     To increase the number of Foster Carers with the skills to care for sibling groups;

4.     To improve the resilience of our Foster Carers through our support to them, reducing the number of foster care arrangements which break down;

5.     To cease the use of Independent Fostering Agency placements in emergency situations;

6.     To reduce the number of external Children’s Home placements for children and young people in favour of placements with skilled Foster Carers.

The Authority had pledged to the children and young people of the Borough that it would only care for them when it had first worked tirelessly to keep them safe within their family home. The Authority successfully delivered on this pledge and hundreds of children who remained within their family home and connected to their community because of the help and support that the Authority and its partners provided to make it safe for them to do so.

When it was absolutely necessary for a child or young person to move from their family home to keep them safe, the Authority would try to place a child or young person in the care of someone known to them and part of their family and friend’s network. Such placements minimised the impact on children and young people having to leave their own home. At the current time there were approximately 100 of our children helped in this way by the Authority. Where the network of family and friends around a child or young person was not able to care for them, the Authority required Foster Carers – residents who opened their door and their lives to a child or young person in need of love and care. At any one time, approximately 100 of our children and young people were cared for in Foster Care. Accordingly, Foster Carers made an extraordinary and important contribution to the life of our community.

Nationally, there were too few Foster Carers for the number of children and young people requiring care. This was also the situation locally. The Authority had faced significant challenge in  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB68/22

To receive a report detailing the progress to date and outcomes of the consultations as forming the basis of the strategic objectives for a boroughwide Cultural Strategy.

Cabinet received a report which detailed the progress to date and outcomes of the consultations as forming the basis of the strategic objectives for a boroughwide Cultural Strategy.

The value of culture and its vital role in supporting health and wellbeing was brought into sharp relief during the COVID 19 pandemic, when the initial absence of cultural provision was keenly felt, and the cultural sector had to find new ways to connect with audiences. The value of shared human experience and the sense of connectedness that cultural activity brought, whether as participant or audience, was key to helping many people navigate and emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic.

Following agreement with the Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure in September 2021, the process of initiating consultation on a Cultural Strategy for North Tyneside began in April 2022. The agreed approach was that, while the Authority should take the initiative in providing a framework for the cultural offer, the active engagement of the wider public sector, private and voluntary sectors would also be vital. The strategy should be one for the Borough, not just the Authority.

Consultants Iain Watson OBE (former TWAM Director) and Catherine Hearne (formerly CEO Helix Arts and BBC Executive ) were commissioned to work with the Head of Culture to undertake a process of consultation which would result in a boroughwide strategy and cultural compact, consistent with the Arts Council England (ACE) guidance in their ten year plan Let’s Create (2020-2030), which emphasised partnership working and the development of broad based cultural compacts in developing the cultural offer for the benefit of residents and the economy.

Consultation had identified a number of challenges which any strategy for the borough would need to address if it was to sustain the engagement of key stakeholders.  The report provided details of the seven emerging challenges identified which were summarised in section 1.5.5 of the report. The consultation had demonstrated an enthusiasm and readiness to engage along with a willingness to be part of an ongoing process of developing the cultural agenda for the borough.

The development of a unified Cultural Strategy would provide the opportunity to give an even greater strategic profile to the cultural offer in the Borough, promoting new ways of more effectively engaging communities, supporting the wider objectives of ‘Our North Tyneside Plan’ and contributing towards town centre recovery.  Recent work by ACE, A High Street Renaissance (2021), illustrated how investment in arts and culture could bring people and pride back to high streets.

The process and outcomes of the three phases of consultation were detailed in section 1.5.2 of the report.  In total 359 responses were received to the public survey, an analysis of which was provided at Appendix 1 to the report.

The journey to date had certainly demonstrated an enthusiasm and readiness to engage and a willingness to be part of an ongoing process of developing the cultural agenda for the Borough. Harnessing and sustaining this energy would be key to  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB69/22

To consider a report seeking approval for the Authority’s draft Covert Surveillance Policy 2022-23.

Cabinet received a report seeking approval of an updated Covert Surveillance Policy.  In accordance with Statutory Codes of Practice applying to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) the Authority was required to review its use of RIPA and set the general surveillance policy at least annually.

The Authority’s current Surveillance Policy was approved by Cabinet in November 2021 and was subject to annual review.  That Policy was had been reviewed and a draft Surveillance Policy was attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  The draft Policy had been considered by members of the Regulation and Review Committee who had made no recommendations for amendments to be made to the Policy, and had been referred to Cabinet for consideration and, if appropriate, approval.

No substantive changes had been proposed as the previously adopted Policy remained fit for purpose.  The report also explained that there had been no RIPA authorisations granted in the last year.

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 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 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.

Cabinet considered the following decision options: To approve the Authority’s Policy on Covert Surveillance, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, 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 2022-23, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(2) the Chief Executive and the Head of Technical & Regulatory Services, in consultation with the Elected Mayor as appropriate, be authorised to implement the policy and all ancillary matters relating to it; and

(3) an update report  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB70/22

To consider a report seeking approval for the Authority’s revised Infrastructure List 2022 and amended Developer Contributions Governance process.

Cabinet received a report seeking approval for the Authority’s infrastructure list and updated development contributions governance arrangements. 

The report presented the Authority’s revised infrastructure list and updated development contributions governance arrangements. This was proposed for the Authority to continueto make best use of developer contributions that supported growth and development and to ensure the borough continued to be an attractive, sustainable place to live andwork.

Developer contributions were an important mechanism to support investment in infrastructure and are secured through either planning obligations entered into with developers under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (commonly referred to as “section 106 agreements”), the payment of a levy by a developer under the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) or through agreements for the execution of works entered with developers under section 278 of the Highways Act 1980 (commonly referred to as “section 278 highway agreements”) . Their use was subject to legislative controls designed to ensure they are usedfairly.

In March 2018 Cabinet adopted an update to the Authority’s Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). The Planning Obligations SPD provides guidance for planning applicants on the circumstances in which planning obligations might be sought from developments across a range of different infrastructureneeds.  In November 2018 full Council approved the Authority’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule and Cabinet approved the Infrastructure List associated with CIL.

A formalised developer contributions governance process was agreed by Cabinet inMay 2018. This process outlined how the Authority would ensure decisions taken regarding section 106 planning obligations would be fair and reasonable and aligned with the priorities of the Mayor andCabinet. This process and the CIL charge had now been in place for over four years and had remained under continuous review to ensure they were effective and fit for purpose.  In order to continue to ensure developer contributions were utilised to best support the sustainable development of the area this report considered some amendments to the Authority’s Infrastructure List and developer contributions governancearrangements.

Developer contributions was the term used to refer to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and planning obligations “(commonly referred to as ‘Section 106’ or S106 contributions after Section 106 of the Planning Act). These were planning tools used to secure financial or non-financial contributions towards the provision of infrastructure to support and enable development and to mitigate the impact ofdevelopment.  Within North Tyneside the framework for administering developer contributions was comprisedof:

·       North Tyneside Local Plan 2017 (adopted by full Council, July 2017.

·       Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document (adopted by Cabinet, 12 March 2018).

·       Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule (CIL) (adopted by full Council, 22 November 2018

·       Community Infrastructure Levy Infrastructure List (former Regulation 123 List) (approved by Cabinet 19 November 2018)

·       Developer Contributions Governance Arrangements (adopted by Cabinet 14 May 2018)

Each of the above arrangements had been in place for a number of years. This report detailed proposals to refresh the Authority’s Infrastructure List, as part of the Infrastructure Funding  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB71/22

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 18 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.

Reason for taking the item in private: the report in Item 18 contains information to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information).

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 involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

To consider a report seeking approval to declare the Authority’s land holdings at the Murton Gap Strategic Housing Site (as shown on plans appended to the report) surplus to its requirements and for them to be made available for sale by private treaty for the development of affordable homes.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to declare land holdings at the Murton Gap Strategic Housing Site (as shown on Plans 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 appended to the report), that were owned by the Authority surplus to its requirements and for the sites to be made available for sale by private treaty for the development of affordable homes.

The report outlined the strategic context for the delivery of housing across the Murton Gap Strategic Housing Site and detailed how the Authority would assist in this process as a landowner, the Local Planning Authority and as Highway Authority.

The report provided the details of the commercial arrangements that would be needed with the other landowners across the Site in order to ensure that all of the strategic infrastructure was provided over an eleven-year period to support the development of new homes.

The report also explained how two areas of land within the ownership of the Authorityand located in Shiremoor and Backworth could be utilised in order to assist in bringing forward the Site fordevelopment.

Resolved that (1) the Authority’s land holdings at Murton Gap Strategic Housing Site (as shown on Plans 1 and 2 appended to the report), be declared surplus to the Authority’s requirements and available for disposal by private treaty for the development of affordable homes, be agreed;

(2)  the Director of Housing and Property Services, in consultation with the

Elected Mayor, with the Elected, the Director of Resources and the Assistant Chief Executive, be authorised to agree the final terms of sale;

(3) the Director of Resources, be authorised to negotiate a sale contract, together with associated documents and complete the freehold transfer of the land at Murton Gap Strategic Housing Site in accordance with all relevant legal requirements, the Authority’s Constitution and FinancialRegulations;

(4) the land at Earsdon Road in Shiremoor (as shown on Plan 3 appended to the report), be declared surplus to the Authority’s requirements and available for freehold transfer, be agreed;

(5) the Director of Housing and Property Services, in consultation with the Elected Mayor, the Director of Resources and the Assistant ChiefExecutive, be authorised to agree the financial arrangements required for the Murton Gap Development Consortia to compensate the Authority for the value of the land at Earsdon Road in Shiremoor;

(6) the Director of Resources, be authorised to negotiate a sale contract, together with associated documents and complete the freehold transfer of the land at Earsdon Road in Shiremoor in accordance with all relevant legal requirements, the Authority’s Constitution and FinancialRegulations;

(7) the land at Fisher Road in Backworth (as shown on Plan 4 appended to the report), be declared surplus to the Authority’s requirements and to make it available to the Murton Gap Development Consortia as a site for ecologicalmitigation, be agreed;

(8) the Director of Housing and Property Services, in consultation with the Elected Mayor, the Director of Resources and the Assistant ChiefExecutive, be authorised to agree the financial arrangements required for  ...  view the full minutes text for item CAB73/22

Monday 23 January 2023 at 6.00pm.

6.00pm on Monday 23 January 2023.