MENDIP DISTRICT COUNCIL

Report as inappropriate Your report has been received

Shared by: VJ8WT3Qf

Tags

Stats

views:: 0
posted:: 2/8/2013
language:: English
pages:: 10

Public Domain

Document Sample

MENDIP DISTRICT COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Monday, 11 July 2011 in the Council
Chamber, Council Offices, Shepton Mallet commencing at 6.30 pm.

COUNCILLORS
PRESENT:
Cllr Harvey Siggs Leader of Mendip District Council
Cllr Philip Ham Portfolio Holder for Governance, Assets and
Public Spaces
Cllr Tom Killen Deputy Leader of Mendip District Council
Cllr Graham Noel Portfolio Holder for Access to Services
Cllr John Parham Portfolio Holder for Regulatory Services
Cllr Steven Priscott Portfolio Holder for Finance
Cllr Nigel Taylor Portfolio Holder for People and Places
Cllr Nigel Woollcombe-Adams Portfolio Holder for Built Environment

OTHER COUNCILLORS
PRESENT:
Cllr Damon Hooton
Cllr Claire Hudson
Terry Napper

OFFICERS
Tracy Aarons Corporate Manager Built Environment
Chris Atkinson Corporate Manager Access to Services
Stuart Brown Chief Executive
Claire Dicken Committee Officer
Jo Milling Senior Policy Officer
Donna Nolan Corporate Manager, Governance, Assets and
Public Spaces
Adam Savery Deputy Corporate Financial Advisor
Sara Skirton People and Places Manager
Laura Thomas Senior Communications Officer
Geoff Thompson Corporate Support Manager
Haylee Wilkins Customer Services Revenues and Benefits
Manager

Agenda Subject Actioned By
Item
Number
1 Chairman’s Announcements

The Chairman explained the procedures in the case of an
emergency and asked that all mobile telephones and
Blackberries be turned off or switched to silent.

The Chairman explained the hearing induction loop and advised
that hearing aid users should switch their hearing aids to position
‘T’.

Mendip District Council 1
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
2 Apologies for Absence

None.

3 Declarations of Interest

None.

4 Public Participation

Rob Reed had requested to speak about item 8 the
Accommodation Review. He would speak during the
consideration of the item.

5 Previous Minutes Claire
Dicken
The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 6 June 2011 were
agreed.

6 Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places Donna
Nolan/
Local authorities were statutorily required to divide every Steven Lake
constituency into polling districts for the purposes of UK
Parliamentary elections, to designate a polling place for each
polling district, and to review these at least once every four years.

The next review was to be completed by the end of 2011.
Cabinet was asked to establish a working group, with delegated
powers, to complete the review.

Members were keen that the working group also consider
whether any lessons could be learned from the election process
in May 2011.

It was clarified that the County Council review of the number of
County Councillors would not affect the District Council’s review
of Polling Districts and Polling Places.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party requested that the
District Council comment on the review of boundaries taking
place at the County Council.

RESOLVED

1. That Cabinet delegate authority to review the Council’s
designated Polling Districts to a Working Group.

2. That the Working Group comprise of the Leader (or
Deputy) of the Council, Leader of Opposition (or Deputy)
of the Council, the Portfolio Holder and the Shadow
Portfolio Holder for Governance, Assets and Public
Spaces, the (Acting) Returning Officer, the Corporate

Mendip District Council 2
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
Manager Governance, Assets and Public Spaces and the
Manager of Electoral Services.

3. That the recommendations of the Working Group be
approved by Full Council at their meeting on 29
September 2011.

7 Council Tax – Review of Single Person Discount Chris
Atkinson/
A recent update report to the Audit Committee highlighted the Steve
progress that Mendip had made in reducing fraud and error in the Shrimplin
benefits system and the increased revenue this success would
bring.

This report provided Members with the current cost, volume of
single person discount (SPD) awarded to Mendip council tax
payers and the previous success rate in detecting and removing
fraudulent claims.

Capita, who were responsible for administering council tax for
Mendip, had proposed a proactive review on a “risk and reward”
basis. That meant there was only a cost to Mendip if the review
meant the discount was removed (which in turn would generate
additional council tax revenue).

The report recommended that Members approve the option for a
proactive, “no win no fee”, review of council tax single person
discounts to be carried out over the summer of 2011. Whilst
there was no upfront cost, there was a need to pay for the costs
once the additional council tax revenue was secured and
Members were asked to approve a one off supplementary
estimate of up to £30,160.

During the discussion that followed it was clarified that the
service provider would be Experian who were established and
could share credit data.

It was further clarified that the new service would be publicised.
It was hoped that such publicity may stop some fraudulent
claims.

It was noted that some other authorities had a similar service and
information would be shared across district boundaries.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party was concerned that
where false claims had been made due to genuine error or
ignorance then such cases should be dealt with sympathetically.

The Leader of the Council agreed that such cases should be
flagged up and dealt with appropriately.

Mendip District Council 3
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
RESOLVED

1. To approve the option for a proactive, “no win no fee”,
review of council tax single person discounts to be carried
out over the summer of 2011.

2. To approve a one off supplementary estimate of up to
£30,160 to cover the cost of the review.

8 Review of Council Office Accommodation and Creation of a Donna
Public Sector Hub Nolan

This report considered a strategy for the Council to rationalise
and transform its existing civic and administrative office
accommodation. The report highlighted that in adopting a
rationalised approach to its future office accommodation the
Council had an opportunity to create a public sector hub in
Shepton Mallet. The strategy, outlined in the report, sought to
put the customer at the heart of public sector service delivery,
and reduce costs for the Council and its partners. The revenue
generated by the facilitation of a public sector hub would help
protect essential public services in the current challenging
financial climate, to the benefit of the residents of Mendip and
across Somerset.

The recommended approach was coupled with an enhancement
of flexible working through corporate adoption of remote working.

The report proposed the creation of a public sector hub
comprising:

 Mendip District Council.
 Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
 Capita, providing services to Mendip and a variety of local
authorities across the country.
 Connect South West.
 Housing One Stop Shop (Flourish Homes).
 Shepton Mallet Town Council.
 Shepton Mallet Registry Office.
 Somerset County Council.
 South West Audit Partnership

In leading an initiative of this nature the Council would be at the
forefront of creating an innovative long term strategy for public
and voluntary sector estate management. The report
demonstrated that the proposed strategy was deliverable and
would also provide value for money and a revenue income for the
Council, thus protecting frontline services and providing an
enhanced environment for Council staff, partners and customers.

The Portfolio Holder for Governance Assets and Public Spaces
Mendip District Council 4
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
explained that it was expected that this project would save the
Council a substantial amount of money per year. He said this
was the most exciting project that Mendip District council had
been involved with for some time.

Rob Reed was invited to speak. He was the Chairman of the
Strawberry Line East Group. He hoped that the Strawberry Line
East Project would not be lost in the accommodation review. He
said Shepton 21 had already come up with projects to regenerate
Shepton Mallet including improved transport links. He further
said, the key to completing the multi user path that followed the
Strawberry Line was the area outside the Council offices
including its car park. He hoped that the Cabinet would recommit
to the Strawberry Line East Project.

The Corporate Manager Governance Assets and Public Spaces
said that it should be possible for both the Strawberry Line East
project and the Accommodation Review to work together
successfully.

Councillor Damon Hooton was invited to speak. He was
concerned that the accommodation review may have an adverse
impact on other towns including Frome. He was also concerned
about the future of the Council Advisory Points. As Chairman of
the Scrutiny Board he requested that comments from the
Scrutiny Board would be included in any decision.

During the discussion that followed the Leader of the Council
clarified that if the Council could not get suitable telephony or IT
solutions, or if the project did not appear to be advantage for the
public, or make savings then the project would not go ahead.

Councillors agreed that the project was very strong.

The Finance Portfolio Holder said it was one of the best financial
cases that he had ever seen.

In response to some concerns about possible future disputes, it
was confirmed that the Council would act as landlord to the other
agencies.

It was further confirmed that the County Council would be paying
for the cost to convert the building for their use and that any
leases would be written to minimise the risk of tenants
withdrawing from the premises.

Members said it was fantastic news for Shepton Mallet and would
have a positive impact on the town and its regeneration.

Members considered the recommendation in the report. The
Leader of the Council proposed that point 1b be amended to
include the Leader of the Opposition onto the Sponsor Board.

Mendip District Council 5
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
RESOLVED

1a. To approve the establishment of a public sector hub in
Shepton Mallet in accordance with the principles
outlined in the report and the framework in the
appendices.

1b. To give delegated authority to the Project Sponsor
Board, (comprising of the Leader, the Deputy Leader,
the Finance Portfolio Holder, the Portfolio Holder for
Governance, Assets and Public Spaces, the Chief
Executive, the Strategic Finance Officer and the
Corporate Manager Governance, Assets and Public
Spaces and the Leader of the Opposition) for all
budgets, and associated practical strategic and financial
management responsibilities associated with the
delivery of the public sector hub, subject to the provision
of regular update reports to Cabinet.

2a. Approve Corporate Remote Working to support the
establishment of a public sector hub in accordance with
the principles outlined in the report and the framework in
the appendices.

2b. To give delegated authority to the Project Sponsor
Board (as defined at 1b above) for all budgets, and
associated practical strategic and financial management
responsibilities associated with Corporate Remote
Working to support the establishment of a public sector
hub, subject to the provision of regular update reports to
Cabinet.

3. To give delegated authority to a Project Strategic
Linkages Board (comprising the Corporate Managers’,
Built Environment, Regulatory Services, Access to
Services and People and Places and representatives
from partner agencies) to identify and deliver service
linkages to support the establishment of a public sector
hub, subject to the provision of update reports to
Cabinet.

4. To approve the Document Storage and Retention Policy
at Appendix 1 of the report, with delegated authority to
the Deputy Leader, Portfolio Holder and Corporate
Manager for Governance, Assets and Public Spaces to
make any necessary amendments in the interest of
operational efficiency.

9 Preparation of a Strategy to Address Issues of Rural Sarah
Isolation Guscott/
Jo Milling

Mendip District Council 6
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
At its meeting in October 2010 Cabinet agreed addressing rural
isolation as one of its 4 priorities. Production of a rural isolation
strategy was identified as the critical first stage to delivery of the
priority.

This report scoped out the issues that a rural isolation strategy
would need to address and set out an approach to its production.

The report proposed that the preparation of a strategy begin with
information gathering in the Summer of 2011 and include a
consultation. The final strategy would be published in Summer
2012.

Members were invited to form a working group to guide the
preparation of the strategy. It was suggested that this should be
a cross party group comprising of no more than 10 members with
an interest in the issues arising from rural isolation. All Members
would also be asked to provide anecdotal evidence of issues in
rural wards.

The Leader of the Council suggested that the Portfolio Holder for
People and Places be given delegated authority to set the
group’s composition which should be made up of a maximum of
10, but preferably less.

There was a discussion about whether the group should be made
up of rural members or both rural and urban members.

The Leader of the Opposition said the group should be made up
of rural Councillors where possible. However, members with
urban wards should also be involved. She agreed that this
particular group need not be strictly proportionate between the
political groups.

During the discussion that followed members said it was
important to learn the issues in rural areas. It was agreed that
the group should be made up of members from a mixture of ward
types.

In response to queries the Deputy Leader of the Council said that
this new strategy should dovetail successfully with the Parish
Forum and the replacement for the Community Partnerships.

RESOLVED

1. To agree the approach set out in the report for preparation
of a strategy addressing rural isolation
2. That the Portfolio Holder for People and Places form a
working group of up to 10 Councillors from a mix of rural
and urban wards.
3. That all members be invited to contribute their knowledge
of problems arising from rural isolation.

Mendip District Council 7
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
10 Mendip’s Partnership Framework Sarah
Guscott/
The purpose of this report was to provide background Sara Skirton
information, particularly to new members, on the Mendip
Strategic Partnership (MSP) and the Sustainable Community
Strategy for Mendip. The MSP’s purpose was to bring together
organisations and agencies from the public, private and voluntary
and community sectors to jointly address the key issues for the
district.

The report summarised the challenges for the partnership and
the steps that had, and were, being taken to improve
collaborative working, including a proposed partnership
framework for Mendip.

The report included a framework which showed the
interrelationships with other partners. This framework included
“an Executive” including representatives from agencies with
direct influence on main public spend in Mendip. The Council’s
Chief Executive explained that this group had met recently and
discussion had been very positive. He said they had a clear
focus on the needs of young people and this would be pursued at
a workshop later in the month.

The Leader of the Council paid tribute to some of the work that
the MSP had carried out in the past. He said the Government
would expect District Councils to work interagency more often in
the future.

During the discussion that followed it was clarified that the GP
Commissioning Bodies or the Health and Wellbeing Board would
be included in the Executive Group.

It was suggested that the Executive Group should remain flexible
so that they could ask representatives from business and finance
to join them as and when required.

The Leader of the Opposition raised whether, now the Executive
had been established, the MSP should be dissolved at this point.
She was also concerned about how people were able to get on
the MSP.

In response, members of Cabinet felt that it was important to
keep the MSP because it included important agencies such as
community groups and voluntary sector groups that could assist
the Council in delivery of some of its services.

It was also confirmed that the terms of reference for the MSP
would be reviewed imminently.

RESOLVED

Mendip District Council 8
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
1. That the report be noted
2. That Cabinet’s comments and views be fed into the
proposed partnership framework
3. That Scrutiny be asked to be involved in the further
development of the framework

11 Ground Care Donna
Nolan/
This report detailed the actions necessary to provide a new Geoff
working relationship with our contractors in respect of the Thompson
Council’s care contracts, so that there was sufficient flexibility in
our contractual arrangements to allow for any unexpected
variations in the funding available to the Council.

The Portfolio Holder Governance, Assets and Public Spaces said
he endorsed the report and commended it to the Cabinet. He
also suggested the make up of the Project Board.

During the discussion that followed Members said that it was
important not to overpay for services.

The Corporate Manager for Governance, Assets and Public
Spaces was confirmed that the advantage of this type of contract
would give greater financial flexibility on a year on year basis.

It was noted that the timescales were tight, but there was
confidence that arrangements could be completed on time.

RESOLVED

1. That there be a Competitive Dialogue approach to the
procurement of a partner to provide a range of care
services for the Council over the coming years with the
initial work package being for the delivery of ground care
services.

2. That a Project Board be appointed consisting of:

The Deputy Leader of the Council, the Portfolio Holder for
Governance, Assets and Public Spaces (GAPS), the
Shadow Portfolio Holder for GAPS, Corporate Manager
GAPS and The Deputy Corporate Finance Officer.

3. That a Project Team be appointed consisting of:

The Managers for Corporate Support, Strategic Assets,
Operational Assets and Contracts, the Principal Solicitor,
the Deputy Corporate Finance Officer. The Project
Manager will be the Manager for Corporate Support.

Mendip District Council 9
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11
4. That the decision as to whether to extend the existing
ground care contract to 30 June 2012 be delegated to the
Portfolio Holder and Corporate Manager GAPS in
consultation with the Managers for Corporate Support and
Operational Assets and Contracts.

12 Register of Portfolio Holder Decisions

There were no recent decisions to report.

13 Key Decisions for the Forward Plan

The Plan was noted.

14 Minutes for Information

Cabinet noted the following minutes:

Scrutiny Board draft minutes of 20 June 2011
Audit Committee draft minutes of 23 June 2011

16 Urgent Business

None

The meeting finished at approximately 8.10 pm

Mendip District Council 10
Cabinet Minutes 11.07.11