Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Councillor Andrew Johnson. The Vice-Chair, Councillor Roger Lawrence assumed the Chair for the meeting.

An apology for absence was also submitted on behalf of Councillor Elias Mattu who was due to present the report at agenda item 6.

Councillor Reynolds declared a disclosable non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda item 14, specifically in relation to the provision of Children’s Centres.

[For approval]

Resolved:

            That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2015 be approved as a correct record.

[To consider as necessary]

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

[To endorse the action taken with regard to schools with surplus balances]

Councillor Page introduced the report, which updated the Panel on the actions taken with regard to those schools that reported a high level of balances at the end of 2013/14.  He pointed out a typographical error at section 3.1 of the report in that the date of the Cabinet (Resources) Panel should read 9 September 2015.

Resolved:

1)    That the action taken with regard to schools with surplus balances, as detailed at section 3 of the report, be endorsed.

2)    That a further report be presented in September 2015 on Local Authority maintained schools balances for 2014/15.

[To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Communities and Strategic Director Place to sign off the funding agreement between Wolverhampton City Council and Arts Council England]

Councillor Lawrence introduced the report, seeking delegated authority to sign off the funding agreement between Wolverhampton City Council and the Arts Council of England as part of the funding agreement by 27 March 2015.

Resolved:

            That authority be delegated to the Cabinet member of Leisure and Communities and Strategic Director Place to enter into an agreement with the Arts Council in relation to the National Portfolio Funded contemporary arts and craft programme at the Art Gallery and Bilston Craft Gallery 2015-18.

[To provide a projection of the likely revenue outturn position, compared with the Council’s approved revenue budgets for 2014/15 and related targets]

Councillor Lawrence introduced the report, which detailed a projection of the likely revenue outturn position, compared with the Council’s approved revenue budgets for 2014/15 and related targets.

The Panel noted that the projected outturn for the General Fund was a net underspend of £9.2 million (-3.72%) against the net budget requirement of £247.6 million.  This, combined with the receipt of an additional Business Rates support grant totalling £2.7 million in 2014/15, would result in a contribution of £1.9 million to general fund reserves during the year, rather than drawing down almost £9.9 million of general fund reserves to balance the budget in 2014/15 as originally budgeted for.

Resolved:

1.    That the use of £140,000 from the Efficiency Reserve be approved, to fund an invest to save savings proposal ‘Transitioning from Local Neighbourhood Partnerships to Community Led Economic Development-Stage 2.

2.    That the use of £68,000 from the Regeneration Reserve be approved, to fund various regeneration priorities as detailed at table 7 of the report.

3.    That the use of £20,000 from the Local Strategic Partnership Reserve be approved, to fund the set-up of the Wolverhampton Skills Commission, to ensure that Wolverhampton has an appropriately skilled workforce to support the City’s economic growth.

4.    That approval be given to the establishment of expenditure budgets within the 2014-15 approved budget for grant funding streams obtained within the year, as detailed at section 4.0 of the report.

5.    That approval be given to the write-off of two sundry debts that individually exceed £5,000, as a result of liquidation and a deceased debtor, as detailed at Appendix F to the report.

6.    That approval be given to two virements totalling £935,000, for a service transfer between service directorates in addition to a budget transfer between directorates, as detailed at Appendix G to the report.

[To seek approval to undertake improvements to facilities at the crematorium and cemeteries]

Councillor Reynolds introduced the report, which sought approval to undertake improvements to facilities at the crematorium and cemeteries funded from the cemeteries and crematorium reserve fund.

Resolved:

            That the following proposals to improve facilities at the crematorium and cemeteries, funded from the cemeteries and crematorium reserve fund, be approved:

a)    Increase seating capacity of the west chapel at the crematorium;

b)    resurface worn roads and footpaths at the crematorium;

c)    installation of concrete plinths for memorials, and

d)    installation of Wesley music system at the crematorium.

[To approve the implementation of the corporate customer service standards]

Councillor Reynolds introduced the report, which proposed the introduction and implementation of a set of clear, easily understandable and accessible corporate customer service standards for the City of Wolverhampton Council.

Resolved:

            That the corporate customer service standards be approved.

[To note the summary of decisions approved by the appropriate Cabinet Member in consultation with the relevant employee]

Councillor Lawrence introduced the report.

Resolved:

            That the summary of open and exempt individual executive decisions, approved by the appropriate Cabinet Members following consultation with the relevant employees, be noted.

[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 involve 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 paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Act,  in respect of the financial or business affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information).

[To approve the principle of transferring a number of shops from within the Housing Revenue Account into the General Fund]

Councillor Bilson introduced the report, which sought approval to the principle of transferring a number of shops, currently held within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), into the General Fund.

Resolved:

            That approval be given to the principle of appropriating an element of the portfolio of shops currently held within the Housing Revenue Account into the General Fund asset register in accordance with Section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972 as at 1 April 2015.

[To consider the relevant issues in order to reach a decision on the request of The Haven for the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) of the freehold of this property]

Councillor Bilson presented a report, which detailed issues requiring consideration in order to reach a decision on the request by the Haven for the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) of the freehold, 103 Salop Street.

Resolved:

1)    That a grant of a certain term to the Haven’s existing lease at 103 Salop Street be approved, on a short-term basis to January 2017.

2)    That the Strategic Land and Property Board’s categorisation of 103 Salop Street as a Strategic Asset, being located in a strategic regeneration area and as such not currently surplus to Council requirements, be endorsed.

3)    That approval be given to the strategy for the Council to work with the Haven to find a solution to meeting their accommodation requirements in the City Centre.

[To award contracts for the provision of Children’s Centres and supply, installation and maintenance of backhaul circuits, the wireless network and associated equipment; to enter into the Access Agreement with Scape to call off the framework; to award a five year contract for the provision of CCTV circuits; to approve a waiver of the Council’s contract procedure rules to enable revised contracts, and to delegate authority to the Director of Governance to execute contracts in respect of these recommendations as required]

Councillor Lawrence introduced the report, relating the award of various contracts.

Resolved:

1.    That the award of contracts for the provision of Children’s Centres to each of the Accountable Bodies listed in the report for one year with an option to extend for a further year, at a total cost of £9,379,360, be  approved.

2.    That the award of a contract to BT Global, of 81 Newgate Street, London, EC1A 7AJ, for the supply, installation and maintenance of backhaul circuits, the wireless network and the associated equipment (UTCMS) at a total contract value of £1.5 million and that a collaborative agreement be entered into with partner authorities for the provision and delivery of this contract.

3.    That a Access Agreement be entered into with Scape in order to call off the framework.

4.    That the award of a five year contract be approved, for the provision of CCTV circuits provided by BT Redcare at a total contract value of £501,040.

5.    That approval be given to a waiver of the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules to enter into a revised contract with Healthwatch Wolverhampton until 31 March 2016 at a cost of £195,000 per annum.

6.    That approval be given to a waiver of the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules to facilitate a six month contract extension to the contract for Client Caseload Information System (CCIS) at an estimated cost of £106,592 (£34,652 for Wolverhampton).

7.    That authority be delegated to the Director of Governance to execute contracts as required in respect of the above decisions.