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Cabinet -14th February

2:58 pm, Thursday, 29th February 2024 - 2 months ago

Present: Councillor Jackson (in the Chair)
Councillors Dawkins, Harness, Shepherd, Shreeve and S Swinburn

Officers in attendance:

• Carolina Borgstrom (Director of Economy Environment and Infrastructure)
• Zoe Campbell (Senior Scrutiny and Committee Advisor)
• Helen Isaacs (Assistant Chief Executive)
• Simon Jones (Assistant Director of Law and Governance)
• Ann-Marie Matson (Director of Children’s Services)
• Rob Walsh (Chief Executive)
• Sharon Wroot (Executive Director of Place and Resources)

Also present:

• Michelle Lalor (Head of Communications and Customer)

There were no members of the public and one member of the press present.

CB.74 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE


Apologies for absence were received for this meeting from Councillor Cracknell.


CB.75 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Dawkins declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in items CB.77 and CB.88, as his spouse is an employee of Equans. He vacated the room for these parts of the meeting.

CB.76 MINUTES

RESOLVED – The minutes of the Cabinet meeting on the 17th January 2024 and 22nd January 2024 were agreed as a correct record.

CB.77 EQUANS REVEW

Cabinet considered a report from Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder Economy, Net Zero, Skills and Housing seeking to endorse the delivery model approach set out in the closed appendix.

Cabinet considered the recommendations of the joint meeting of the Economy Scrutiny Panel and the Communities Scrutiny Panel.

RESOLVED –

  1. That the delivery model approach, as set out in the closed appendix of the report now submitted, be endorsed.
  2. That the Director for Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be delegated responsibility to oversee the strategic and operational aspects in the implementation of the proposed delivery model, as set out in the closed appendix of the report now submitted.
  3. That the Director for Economy, Environment and Infrastructure update Cabinet by way of further report at least 6 months in advance of 1st July 2025.
  4. That the recommendations of the joint meeting of the Economy Scrutiny Panel and the Communities Scrutiny Panel be accepted and implemented soonest, namely:

i) That the Executive and Scrutiny Liaison Board, in consultation with the Statutory Scrutiny Officer, consider the establishment of temporary scrutiny arrangements to enable the overview and scrutiny of the transition to the new delivery model.

ii) That, in line with the recommendation of the joint scrutiny panel, the financial considerations section of the report now submitted be amended so that paragraph 5.1 reads as follows:

In 2010, a ten-year partnership agreement was entered into with BBW for a number of council functions, with the aim of utilising the expertise and commercial nous of BBW to deliver improvements to these services. This partnership arrangement has been extended by the maximum period of five years and cannot be extended beyond 30th June 2025. By adopting the proposed delivery model outlined in Appendix 1 (closed report), the Council can use part of the contract fee beyond 1st July 2025 to fund any.

CB.78 HUMBER FREEPORT

Cabinet considered a report from the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Economy, Net Zero, Skills and Housing providing an update on the progress in the establishment of a Humber Freeport Company and seeking approval to support the submission of three North East Lincolnshire Seed Capital Business cases to the Accountable Body, on behalf of the Humber Freeport Company.

RESOLVED –

  1. That the Executive Director for Place and Resources, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to enter into appropriate agreements, including acceptance and defrayal of £15m of Seed Capital funding.
  2. That the submission of three Seed Capital Business Cases to the Accountable Body, on behalf of the Humber Freeport, to utilise the £15m North East Lincolnshire Seed Capital funding allocated by the Humber Freeport to bring further inward investment to the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme (SHIIP), be supported.
  3. That, subject to acceptance of seed capital funds and support of internal governance mechanisms, the Executive Director for Place and Resources in consultation with the Leader of the Council be delegated authority to:

• implement such projects and arrange for all procurement activity, including award, mobilisation, and delivery,
• keep Cabinet updated as to progress of delivery at such times as the Executive Director shall deem fit,
• be responsible for all ancillary activity reasonably arising from the above.

  1. That the Assistant Director Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer) be delegated the responsibility to execute all documentation arising.

CB.79 DEPOT RATIONALISATION CAPITAL FUNDING

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport seeking approval of the allocation of further capital funding to progress the delivery of a single depot and co-locate all the council’s operational services to the Doughty Road Depot site.

RESOLVED –

  1. That the allocation of £1.3m of additional capital funding plus a minimum 10% contingency of £0.328m to allow for completion of the project, as set out in paragraph 1.13 of the report now submitted, be approved.
  2. That the estimated nature of remaining costs be accepted and authority be delegated to the Director for Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Executive Director, Place and Resources (as Section 151 Officer) and the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, to make any required adjustments in funding to the maximum contingency of 20% and implement all actions necessary to bring the works to completion and to take all ancillary actions reasonably arising.
  3. That the Chief Legal and Monitoring Officer be authorised to execute and complete all requisite legal documentation in relation to the matters outlined above.

CB.80 COUNCIL PLAN RESOURCES AND FINANCE REPORT – QUARTER 3 2023/24

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets presenting the Council Plan Performance Report for quarter three of 2023/24.

RESOLVED –

  1. That the content of the report now submitted be noted.
  2. That the report be referred to all Scrutiny Panels for further consideration and oversight.

CB.81 TREASURY MANAGEMENT POLICY AND STRATEGY STATEMENT 2024/25

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets presenting the restated Treasury Policy Statement and the Treasury Management Strategy Statement.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL –

  1. That the Treasury Management Policy Statement, as set out at Appendix 1 of the report now submitted, be approved.
  2. That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Prudential Indicators for 2024/25, as set out at Appendix 2 of the report now submitted, be approved.
  3. That the Minimum Revenue Provision Policy Statement, as set out in Annex 2 of Appendix 2 of the report now submitted, be approved.

CB.82 NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL CONCESSIONARY FARES SCHEME

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport seeking approval to continue with the current, statutory minimum North East Lincolnshire Concessionary Fares Scheme (with existing non-statutory local enhancements) from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

RESOLVED –

  1. That the continuation of the current, statutory minimum North East Lincolnshire Concessionary Fares Scheme (with existing non-statutory local enhancements) from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 be approved.
  2. That the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, be authorised to approve 2024/2025 Concessionary Fares Scheme reimbursement arrangements with transport operators.
  3. That the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, be authorised to ensure that all actions necessary and ancillary to the above resolutions be completed.
  4. That the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport (subject to the agreement of the Section 151 Officer), be authorised to manage and take decisions relating to expenditure in the 2024/25 financial year to secure any bus services which are deemed socially necessary.
  5. That the Assistant Director Law and Governance be authorised to complete and execute all requisite legal documentation arising.

CB.83 SCHOOL ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 2025-2026 ACADEMIC YEAR FOR NELC COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Children and Education to approve the general admission arrangements, including published admissions numbers (PANs), for the local authority’s community and voluntary controlled schools for 2025-2026.

RESOLVED –
  1. That the position whereby the general admission arrangements, including published admissions numbers (PANs), for the local authority’s community and voluntary controlled schools for 2025-2026 remain unchanged be supported.
  2. That the position that no material changes be made to the local authority’s co-ordinated school admission arrangements published schemes other than the updating of dates and deadlines be supported, and that locally agreed protocols that support admission arrangements continue to be reviewed on a regular basis.
  3. That the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the governing bodies of community and voluntary controlled schools and the Portfolio Holder for Children and Education, be delegated authority to increase the published admission number of an individual year group in a school in exceptional circumstances.
  4. That it be noted that those schools / academies that are their own admission authorities have the ability to consult and determine their own admission arrangements (details of known proposed changes were provided at Appendix 1 of the report now submitted).
  5. That it be noted that with the increasing number of academies within the local authority, the number of schools for which the local authority is responsible for in respect of determining admission arrangements is reduced.

CB.84 SCHOOL TERM DATES FOR NORTH EAST INCOLNSHIRE’S COMMUNITY AND VOLUNTARY CONTROLLED SCHOOLS FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2025-2026

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Children and Education to approve the proposed dates for voluntary controlled and community schools for the 2025–2026 academic year.

RESOLVED –
  1. That the proposed dates in Appendix A of the report now submitted for voluntary controlled and community schools for the 2025–2026 academic year be approved.
  2. That the Director for Children’s Services be authorised to so implement and take all reasonable steps arising in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Children and Education.

CB.85 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENCE PROJECT PROCUREMENT

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets to note the commencement of a procurement exercise via a recognised framework to support the delivery of the Information Management Resilience project.

RESOLVED –
  1. That the commencement of a procurement exercise via a recognised framework to support the delivery of the Information Management Resilience project be noted.
  2. That the Executive Director Place and Resources, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Assets, be delegated authority to award in accordance with the closed appendix of the report now submitted, and thereafter progress all activity required to implement and mobilise the arrangement and deal with all ancillary matters reasonably arising.
  3. That the Assistant Director Law and Governance be authorised to execute and complete all requisite legal documentation in relation to the matters outlined above.

CB.86 NEW CONTRACT FOR SUPPLY OF VEHICLE PARTS AND ASSOCIATED SERVICES

Cabinet considered a report from the Portfolio Holder for Children and Education on a new contract for the supply of vehicle parts and associated services.

RESOLVED –

  1. That the Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, be delegated authority to award the contract for the supply of vehicle parts to the successful tenderer, as set out in the closed appendix 1 to the report now submitted.
  2. That the Director of Economy, Environment, and Infrastructure be authorised to oversee the implementation and performance of the arrangement.
  3. That the Assistant Director Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer) be authorised to execute documentation arising.

CB.87 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

RESOLVED – That the press and public be requested to leave on the grounds that discussion of the following business was likely to disclose exempt information within paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

CB.88 EQUANS REVIEW

Cabinet received the closed appendix referred to at item CB.77 on the agenda.

RESOLVED – That the closed appendix be noted.

CB.89 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND RESILIENCE PROJECT PROCUREMENT

Cabinet received the closed appendix referred to at item CB.85 on the agenda.

RESOLVED – That the closed appendix be noted.

CB.90 NEW CONTRACT FOR SUPPLY OF VEHICLE PARTS AND ASSOCIATED SERVICES

Cabinet received the closed appendix referred to at item CB.86 on the agenda.

RESOLVED – That the closed appendix be noted.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 5.45pm.