Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Lawrence.

There were no declarations of interest.

[To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.]

The minutes were approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes.]

There were no matters rising.

[To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Learning, in consultation with the Assistant Director Finance, to confirm and sign the Grant Agreement with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) as soon as it is received by the Council for the funding total detailed in the EFA Payment Schedule for local authority maintained schools’ sixth forms, the Adult Education Service (AES) and special schools with sixth form provision, for the academic year 2014/15, which will be approximately £7 million. The actual amount will be confirmed by the EFA in the Grant Agreement.]

Cllr Page introduced the report.

Resolved:

To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Learning, in consultation with the Assistant Director Finance, to confirm and sign the Grant Agreement with the Education Funding Agency (EFA) as soon as it is received by the Council for the funding total detailed in the EFA Payment Schedule for local authority maintained schools’ sixth forms, the Adult Education Service (AES) and special schools with sixth form provision, for the academic year 2014/15, which will be approximately £7 million. The actual amount will be confirmed by the EFA in the Grant Agreement

[To approve the expenditure of £188,000 to be funded from the SEND Reform Grant to fund the Implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014 in relation to disabled children.]

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Cllr Gibson introduced the report and reiterated that the grant was from the government and incurred no additional cost to the Council. This report outlined how the grant will be spent, with additional capacity added to enable delivery of changes introduced by central government.

Resolved:
To approve the expenditure of £188,000 to be funded from the SEND Reform Grant to fund the Implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014 in relation to disabled children.

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[To note the summary of open and exempt individual executive decisions approved by the appropriate Cabinet Members following consultation with the relevant designated employees.]

Resolved:     

            To note the summary of Individual Executive Decisions approved by the appropriate Cabinet Member or Cabinet Members, following consultation with relevant senior employees.
 

[To pass the following resolution:

That in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business as they include the likely disclosure of exempt information on the grounds shown below.]

Resolved:
That in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business as they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within the paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Act set out below:

[To approve the termination of negotiations between the Council and Heantun Housing Association for the sale of the site of the former Bilston Leisure Centre, Prouds Lane, Bilston and approve the remarketing of the site.]

Cllr Bilson introduced the report. There was a discussion regarding the potential implications for the capital budget.

Resolved:

To approve the termination of negotiations between the Council and Heantun Housing Association for the sale of the site of the former Bilston Leisure Centre, Prouds Lane, Bilston and approve the remarketing of the site.

[To approve a dispensation from the Council’s tendering requirements as set out in the Contract Procedure Rules in relation to the gas monitoring/maintenance contract at Bowmans Harbour, to approve the appointment of Enitial as environmental monitoring and landfill gas specialists for the Bowmans Harbour site, for a period of two years and to authorise the execution of the contract by an authorised officer.]

Cllr Reynolds introduced the report.

Resolved:     

1.    To approve a dispensation from the Council’s tendering requirements as set out in the Contract Procedure Rules in relation to the gas monitoring/maintenance contract at Bowman’s Harbour.

2.    To approve the appointment of Enitial as environmental monitoring and landfill gas specialists for the Bowmans Harbour site, for a period of two years.

3.    To authorise the execution of the contract by the Chief Legal Officer.

[To consider the issues set out in the report in respect of private owners of conjoined properties who are not willing to agree to any of the options originally proposed. To agree to proceed with a second phase of consultation with private owners on the options originally proposed in order to obtain a final decision from private owners. Where the private owners are unwilling to proceed with a property sale, agree to progress with Options C and D set out in Appendix 1, and including approval of the potential payment details set out in Appendix 2. To agree to ring-fence void properties on the Low Hill estate for transfers from tenanted pod properties conjoined to privately owned properties, and relax the allocations eligibility rules in these cases as necessary until all conjoined property issues are resolved. To agree to give delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Renewal in consultation with the Strategic Director for Education and Enterprise to consider and approve through an Individual Executive Decision Notice the future use or disposal of Low Hill conjoined pod properties purchased and any Low Hill Council-owned conjoined pod properties that become vacant.]

Cllr Bilson introduced the report and added that this report was part of a wider complex issue. Cllr Sweet acknowledged that there had been a lot of work to solve this issue.

Resolved:

1.    Agree to proceed with a second phase of consultation with private owners on a revised set of options based upon those originally proposed in order to obtain a final decision from the private owner.

2. Agree to re-house tenants from conjoining council owned pod properties and award Band 1 priority together with the Home loss and disturbance payments set out in the report.

3. Agree to ring-fence void properties on the Low Hill estate for transfers from tenanted pod properties conjoined to privately owned properties. This will permit these residents to have access to local refurbished voids, and provide an incentive for them to move.

4. Agree to relax the allocations eligibility rules for tenants in pod properties conjoined to privately owned properties where the owner has refused to sell. This will permit residents to have access to properties equivalent in size to those which they are leaving, and provide an incentive for them to move.

5. Agree to give delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Prosperity in consultation with the Strategic Director for Education and Enterprise to consider and approve through an Individual Executive Decision Notice the future use or disposal of Low Hill conjoined pod properties purchased and any Low Hill Council-owned conjoined pod properties that become vacant.

[To agree to remove Rocket Pool Youth Centre from public sale and reduce the capital receipts requirements from the Disposal programme by £80,000 in 2014/15. To transfer the use of the Building to the Governing Body of Bilston Nursery School for the operation of Children’s Centre services on a peppercorn rental basis. To note the legality and practicality of recouping any monies from the original capital investment made at St Martins CE Primary.]

Cllr Gibson introduced the report.

Resolved:

1.    To agree to remove Rocket Pool Youth Centre from public sale and reduce the capital receipts requirements from the disposal programme in 2014/15.

2.    To transfer the use of the building to the Governing Body of Bilston Nursery School for the operation of Children’s Centre services on a peppercorn rental basis

3.    To seek to recoup the loss of capital receipt and refurbishment costs from St Martin’s Primary School

4.    To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Resources in consultation with the Strategic Director for Education and Enterprise for approval of the capital expenditure on the children’s centre facilities