Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Online

Contact: Dereck Francis  Tel: 01902 555835 or Email: dereck.francis@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Note: Please note this meeting will be conducted in line with the The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020. 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

No apologies for absence were received for the meeting.

2.

Declaration of interests

Minutes:

Councillors Linda Leach and Ian Brookfield both declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 6 (Wolverhampton Homes Delivery Plan 2021-2022) in so far as they are leaseholders of Wolverhampton Homes property.

3.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 356 KB

[For approval]

Minutes:

Resolved:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 17 February 2021 be approved as correct record and signed by the Chair.

4.

Matters arising

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting]

Minutes:

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

5.

Pay Policy Statement 2021-2022 pdf icon PDF 374 KB

[To recommend that Full Council approves a Senior Pay Policy Statement for 2021-2022]

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Council be recommended to:

 

1.      Approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021 - 2022.

 

2.      Approve the publication of the Pay Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.

 

3.      Note that the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives has not yet been agreed.

Minutes:

The intention to make a key decision on the report ‘Pay Policy Statement 2020-2021’ at the meeting was not publicised in advance as required by the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.  The decision was urgent and could not be reasonably delayed for the following reasons:

 

·       Section 39 of the Localism Act requires the Pay Policy Statement to be prepared and approved by the end of 31 March immediately preceding the financial year to which it relates.

 

·      The Pay Policy has been reviewed and is required to be submitted to Cabinet and Council for consideration. In order to meet the requirements of the Act the authority must publish the approved Pay Policy Statement.

 

In light of the above, consent had been obtained for the key decision to be made at the meeting under the General Exception provisions

 

Councillor Paula Brookfield presented the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for recommendation to Full Council for approval and publication. She highlighted from the statement that as a result of efforts in recent years, the Council had one of the lowest pay gap ratios in the West Midlands region in terms of its chief officers and employees who are not chief officers. Councillor Paula Brookfield also reported that the Pay Policy was specifically aimed at attracting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce.  The flexibility, adaptiveness and innovation shown during the Covid-19 pandemic while still driving forward with an ambitious programme for the future was a testament to all of the Council’s employees.

 

Resolved:

That Council be recommended to:

 

1.      Approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021 - 2022.

 

2.      Approve the publication of the Pay Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.

 

3.      Note that the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives has not yet been agreed.

6.

Wolverhampton Homes Delivery Plan 2021-2022 pdf icon PDF 170 KB

[To recommend that Full Council approves the Wolverhampton Homes Delivery Plan 2021-2022]

Additional documents:

Decision:

That Council be recommended to approve:

1.    The Wolverhampton Homes Business Plan Delivery Plan 2021-2022.

 

2.    New arrangements for monitoring the delivery of the Wolverhampton Homes Business Plan Delivery Plan to Council scrutiny.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Jacqueline Sweetman presented the Wolverhampton Homes (WH) Annual Delivery Plan 2021-2022 and its monitoring arrangements for recommendation to Full Council for approval. The plan set out how WH would contribute to the council strategic objective ‘Better Homes for All’ and how it would operate in the coming year. In presenting the report Councillor Sweetman spoke about some of the key improvements made by WH during the year despite the operational challenges it faced in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. She also highlighted examples of where WH would be asked to focus in response to the challenges and opportunities presented from the Social Housing White Paper ‘The Charter for Social Housing Residents’.

 

Resolved:

That Council be recommended to approve:

1.    The Wolverhampton Homes Business Plan Delivery Plan 2021-2022.

 

2.    New arrangements for monitoring the delivery of the Wolverhampton Homes Business Plan Delivery Plan to Council scrutiny.

 

7.

Relighting Our City Recovery Commitment Refresh pdf icon PDF 269 KB

[To approve a refresh of the Relighting Our City Recovery Commitment]

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

1.      That the refreshed Relighting Our City recovery framework be approved.

 

2.      That it be noted that the Relighting Our City priorities were developed after extensive engagement with over 2,500 local people to ensure that the Council’s recovery planning is reflective of the City’s needs.

 

3.      That the performance against the priorities during 2020-2021 and approach to performance management for 2021-2022 be noted.

Minutes:

Councillor Ian Brookfield presented for approval a refreshed Relighting Our City plan, which outlined the Council's commitment to continue to work with partners to support the city to live with and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The report also included an update on current council performance against the key priorities set by local people since the inception of the commitment in September 2020 and the approach to continue to develop the performance framework for 2021-2022. Councillor Ian Brookfield also reported on the key achievements that demonstrated the scale and scope of the Council’s response to the pandemic over the last 12 months.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the refreshed Relighting Our City recovery framework be approved.

 

2.    That it be noted that the Relighting Our City priorities were developed after extensive engagement with over 2,500 local people to ensure that the Council’s recovery planning is reflective of the City’s needs.

 

3.    That the performance against the priorities during 2020-2021 and approach to performance management for 2021-2022 be noted.

8.

Gender Pay Gap Report 2020 pdf icon PDF 174 KB

[To present the Gender Pay Gap Report 2020]

Additional documents:

Decision:

1.      The contents of the report on the Gender Pay Gap as of the snapshot date of 31 March 2020 be noted.

 

2.      That it be noted that the median Gender Pay Gap for 31 March 2020 is 0.0% and the mean is 4.24%.

 

3.      That it be noted that the comparison with March 2019 data – the median Gender Pay Gap was 0.23% and the mean was 4.54%.

 

4.      That the proportion of men and women in each quartile in our pay structure as of 31 March 2020 be noted.

 

5.      That the actions the Council has taken so far to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within the workplace be noted.

 

6.      That the actions proposed to continue to remove inequality and further promote equality, diversity and inclusion be noted

 

7.      That it be noted that the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) regulations 2017 only requires organisations to report on the gender pay gap. In addition to this, the Council have chosen to report on the race pay gap and the disability pay gap to identify areas for improvement. The Council would continue to expand this portfolio and hopes to include a review of the LGBTQ+ pay gap soon.

Minutes:

Councillor Paula Brookfield presented the Gender Pay Gap Report 2020 which met a statutory requirement on public sector employers to produce and publish a snapshot of various figures to demonstrate how large the gender pay gap is between their male and female employees.  The Council had a median pay gap of 0% and a mean pay gap of 4.24% which equated to 66 pence difference an hour. Councillor Paula Brookfield added that equalities drives everything the Council does and there had been remarkable progress over the last year to address equality and inclusion. The report highlighted progress on actions taken so far and future plans to reduce the mean pay gap further and encourage diversity in all quartiles.

 

Resolved:

1.    The contents of the report on the Gender Pay Gap as of the snapshot date of 31 March 2020 be noted.

 

2.    That it be noted that the median Gender Pay Gap for 31 March 2020 is 0.0% and the mean is 4.24%.

 

3.    That it be noted that the comparison with March 2019 data – the median Gender Pay Gap was 0.23% and the mean was 4.54%.

 

4.    That the proportion of men and women in each quartile in our pay structure as of 31 March 2020 be noted.

 

5.    That the actions the Council has taken so far to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within the workplace be noted.

 

6.    That the actions proposed to continue to remove inequality and further promote equality, diversity and inclusion be noted

 

7.    That it be noted that the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) regulations 2017 only requires organisations to report on the gender pay gap. In addition to this, the Council have chosen to report on the race pay gap and the disability pay gap to identify areas for improvement. The Council would continue to expand this portfolio and hopes to include a review of the LGBTQ+ pay gap soon.

9.

Temporary Accommodation Action Plan pdf icon PDF 273 KB

[To approve the actions proposed to mitigate against the rising need for Temporary Accommodation in the City]

Decision:

1.      That the Temporary Accommodation Action Plan be supported, and authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in consultation with the Director of City Environment, to approve the implementation of the actions as detailed in the report.

 

2.      That the immediate use of a maximum of 20 additional Council owned properties for temporary accommodation use be approved.

 

3.      That the development of a new property acquisition programme to purchase up to 50 additional units initially for temporary and settled accommodation be approved.

 

4.      That the development of a new private property lease programme to identify up to 50 additional units to lease from a private owner and negotiate long term lease arrangements for use as temporary accommodation be approved.

 

5.      That an amendment to City of Wolverhampton Council’s Allocations Policy as detailed in paragraph 7.1 of the report be approved.

 

6.      That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in consultation with the Director of City Environment, to agree the expenditure on individual property purchases.

 

7.      That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in consultation with the Director of City Environment, to agree the entering into individual lease arrangements, following negotiated lease terms and conditions as agreed with private property owners.

Minutes:

Councillor Jacqueline Sweetman presented for endorsement, a Temporary Accommodation Action Plan.  The proposed actions in the plan would address an underspent in the budget mitigate against the increasing demand for both temporary and settled accommodation in the city.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the Temporary Accommodation Action Plan be supported, and authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in consultation with the Director of City Environment, to approve the implementation of the actions as detailed in the report.

 

2.    That the immediate use of a maximum of 20 additional Council owned properties for temporary accommodation use be approved.

 

3.    That the development of a new property acquisition programme to purchase up to 50 additional units initially for temporary and settled accommodation be approved.

 

4.    That the development of a new private property lease programme to identify up to 50 additional units to lease from a private owner and negotiate long term lease arrangements for use as temporary accommodation be approved.

 

5.    That an amendment to City of Wolverhampton Council’s Allocations Policy as detailed in paragraph 7.1 of the report be approved.

 

6.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in consultation with the Director of City Environment, to agree the expenditure on individual property purchases.

 

7.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, in consultation with the Director of City Environment, to agree the entering into individual lease arrangements, following negotiated lease terms and conditions as agreed with private property owners.

10.

Creating more opportunities for our young people: #YES Annual Report pdf icon PDF 476 KB

[To provide an update on #YES and priorities for the next 12 months]

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

That the achievements set out in the #YES (Youth Engagement Strategy) Annual Report and 2021/22 priorities identified to create more opportunities for our city’s young people be endorsed.

Minutes:

Councillor John Reynolds gave a brief introduction to the #YES Annual Report, drawing Cabinet’s attention to the Council’s backing of new investment of around £2 million in the key priority of opportunities for young people, and the highlights of what young people have achieved over the last 12 months.

 

Anna Tabner, Youth Council representative introduced the Youth Engagement Strategic Board’s Annual Report video, that highlighted the diverse work of young people on the YES Board and the other youth groups in the city that sit under #YES.

 

Cabinet endorsed what young people under #YES had achieved during the first year of the strategy.  They extended their thanks to Anna Tabner and her colleagues for their tremendous work and energy.

 

Resolved:

That the achievements set out in the #YES (Youth Engagement Strategy) Annual Report and 2021/2022 priorities identified to create more opportunities for our city’s young people be endorsed.

11.

Black Country Transport Team pdf icon PDF 310 KB

[To approve the establishment of a Black Country Transport Team and a Collaboration Agreement between the four Black Country Local Authorities]

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

1.      That the establishment of the Black Country Transport Team be approved.

 

2.      That the Black Country Transport Collaboration Agreement be approved and authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Resources and Director of Governance to sign the Agreement on behalf of City of Wolverhampton Council.

 

3.      That authority be delegated to Cabinet Member for Resources and the Director of Finance to enter into grant agreements and to create appropriate supplementary budgets for transport funds awarded to the Black Country Transport Team.

 

4        That the City of Wolverhampton Council would host the Black Country Transport Team on behalf of the Four Black Country Local Authorities and provide Ancillary Services as defined in the Collaboration Agreement.

 

5        That the City of Wolverhampton Council would hold and manage the Joint Commissioning Budget and act as the Lead Authority (in each case as defined in the Collaboration Agreement).

 

6        That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Resources and the Director of Governance and the Cabinet Member for City Environment and the Director of City Environment to enter into all necessary legal agreements to give full effect to the Business Case and the Collaboration Agreement.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Steve Evans presented the report seeking approval to the establishment of a Black Country Transport team to provide additional capacity to the four Black Country local authorities to work on strategic transport schemes which unlock growth and help support the Councils’ key agendas.  Approval was also sought to sign a Collaboration Agreement on behalf of the Council alongside the other three Black Country transport authorities. The agreement set out a clear framework for how the transport team would operate, governance arrangements, how the team would be financed, how risks and liabilities are dealt with and how disputes between parties to the agreement might be resolved.

 

Resolved:

1.    That the establishment of the Black Country Transport Team be approved.

 

2.    That the Black Country Transport Collaboration Agreement be approved and authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Resources and Director of Governance to sign the Agreement on behalf of City of Wolverhampton Council.

 

3.    That authority be delegated to Cabinet Member for Resources and the Director of Finance to enter into grant agreements and to create appropriate supplementary budgets for transport funds awarded to the Black Country Transport Team.

 

4.    That the City of Wolverhampton Council would host the Black Country Transport Team on behalf of the Four Black Country Local Authorities and provide Ancillary Services as defined in the Collaboration Agreement.

 

5.    That the City of Wolverhampton Council would hold and manage the Joint Commissioning Budget and act as the Lead Authority (in each case as defined in the Collaboration Agreement).

 

6.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Resources and the Director of Governance and the Cabinet Member for City Environment and the Director of City Environment to enter into all necessary legal agreements to give full effect to the Business Case and the Collaboration Agreement.

 

12.

Black Country Tenancy Strategy pdf icon PDF 162 KB

[To adopt the Black Country Tenancy Strategy]

Additional documents:

Decision:

That the adoption of the Black Country Tenancy Strategy be approved.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Jacqueline Sweetman presented the report seeking approval to adopt a revised Black Country Tenancy Strategy. The Council in conjunction with the neighbouring Black Country local authorities had conducted a review of the Black Country Tenancy Strategy 2013 to ensure it continued to be fit for purpose. The strategy provided guidance to registered social landlords and as such updating the strategy allowed for a consistent approach to the use of fixed term tenancies and affordable rents to be applied across the sub-region.

 

Resolved:

That the adoption of the Black Country Tenancy Strategy be approved.