There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

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

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2016 be approved as a correct record.

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes.]

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

[To approve delegation of the 2016/17 ring-fenced allocation from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership (SWP)]

Councillor Samuels introduced the report which sought approval to transfer funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to the Council, specifically for use by the Wolverhampton Safer Partnership to aid delivery of agreed City-wide crime and community safety objectives.  The PCC had indicated that the community grant allocation across the seven West Midlands local authority areas would be subject to a 25% reduction in 2016/17.  The indicative figures were that for Wolverhampton the allocation of £493,000 in 2015/16 would be reduced by £124,000 to £369,000.

Resolved:

To approve the delegation of the 2016/17 ring-fenced allocation from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to the Safer Wolverhampton Partnership (SWP) for the purposes of delivering against the City’s Crime Reduction, Community Safety and Drugs Strategy 2014-17 and the Local Policing & Crime Plan 2016-17.

[To approve the extension of the scheme for discretionary rate relief for charitable and voluntary organisations for 2016/17]

Councillor Johnson introduced the report which sought to extend the discretionary rate relief scheme (charitable and voluntary organisations) for 2016/17.

Resolved:

To approve the extension of the scheme for discretionary rate relief for charitable and voluntary organisations for 2016/17.

[To provide a projection if the likely revenue outturn position, compared with the Council’s approved revenue budgets for 2015/16]

Councillor Johnson introduced the report, which detailed projections of the likely revenue outturn positions for the General Fund and Housing Revenue accounts, compared with the Council’s approved revenue budgets for 2015/16 and related targets.

The Panel noted that the overall projected outturn for the General Fund was a net underspend of £348,000, after funding net projected redundancy costs of £5.3 million from the General Fund.  The projected redundancy costs remained subject to change dependent upon the actual redundancies approved by year end.  In addition, there was a forecast increase in Corporate Resources due to the additional New Homes Bonus adjustment grant totalling £233,000 and additional S31 grant funding totalling £524,000 in 2015/16.

The Panel received an update on the position with regard to school balances, which was set out in Section 8 to the report, and an update on Yoo Recruit, with the forecast financial benefit being approximately £370,000 for 2015/16.

The Panel noted that 31 non-domestic rates accounts totalling £75,143.36, together with 4,122 council tax accounts totalling £71,118.32, and 99 sundry debt accounts totalling £27,532.14 had been approved for write off by the Director of Finance in accordance with the Financial Procedure Rules.

The Panel noted that a surplus of £18.5 million on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was projected, compared with a budget surplus of £15.7 million shown at table 8 and detailed in Appendix J to the report.  The projected increased surplus of £2.8 million would be used to redeem debt in line with the HRA Business Plan.

Resolved:

1.    That the use of £934,000 from the Efficiency Reserve be approved, to fund one-off expenditure as detailed at Table 6 of the report.

2.    That the approval be given to the use of £35,000 from the Budget Contingency Reserve to fund a contract extension for an additional Assistant Category Manager to support the Public Health workstream (Corporate Procurement).

3.    That the use of £105,000 from the Transformation Reserve be approved, to fund expenditure detailed at Table 7 of the report.

4.    That approval be given to the use of £62,000 from the Local Strategic Partnership Reserve to fund the Interim Head of Skills.

5.    That approval be given to the write-off of two non-domestic rates debts totalling £29,256.02, as detailed in Appendix F to the report.

6.    That approval be given to the write-off of one sundry debt totalling £7,651.09, as detailed in Appendix G to the report.

7.    That approval be given to the write-off of three housing benefit debts totalling £31,017.41, as detailed in Appendix H to the report.

8.    That approval be given to 14 virements totalling £583,000, for transfers within service directorates, as detailed at Appendix I to the report.

[To approve further enhancements to the Civic Centre Car Park facilities and equipment to enhance the parking offer and generate additional income]

Councillors Johnson and S. Evans presented the report, which sought approval for further enhancements to the civic centre car park facilities and equipment to enhance the parking offer and generate additional income with funding via a virement from the corporate contingency.

Resolved:

1.    That approval be given to the further enhancements to the civic centre care park facilities and equipment to enhance the parking offer and generate additional income.

2.    That an additional capital allocation of £350,000 for the enhancements funded from additional annual external income of £43,000 that will be generated be approved, and the civic halls revenue budget be adjusted from 2017/18 to reflect this income.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Resources and the Cabinet Member for City Environment, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Service Director, City Environment, to approve the award of contracts for the works and equipment.

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

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 falling within paragraphs 3 and 5 of Schedule 12A to the Act relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons (including the authority holding that information)]

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 paragraphs 3 and 5 of Schedule 12A to the Act relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

[To approve the marketing and disposal of further land for residential development at Bilston Urban Village]

Councillor Reynolds presented the report, which sought approval to the marketing and disposal of further land for residential development at Bilston Urban Village.

Resolved:

1.    That approval be given to the marketing and disposal of further land for residential development at Bilston Urban Village, as identified in the report.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Development in consultation with the Service Director City Economy, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance, for the subsequent agreement of terms.

[To delegate authority to approve the terms of academy conversions]

Councillor Bilson presented the report, which sought authorisation to approve the terms and agreements necessary for academy conversion.

Resolved:

1.    That authorisation be given to the Council to enter into such contracts, documents and agreements necessary for the conversion of Schools to Academies.  [The Council would need to enter into a lease, Commercial Transfer Agreement, together with any ancillary documents as set out in paragraph 2 of the report].

2.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets, in consultation with the Service Director for City Assets and the Director of Governance, to approve the terms of any leases, commercial transfer agreements, development agreements, under-leases, licences or other documents necessary for academic conversions to complete and approve amendments where such documents depart from the standard forms issued by the Department of Education in such a way that the Council mitigates risk.

3.    That authorisation be given to the Council to recharge schools for costs resulting from the legal processes necessary to achieve each academy conversion, based as a minimum on the schedule attached as an Appendix to the report, with any additional costs charged following advance notification to the schools.

[To approve school projects and to note the resources available to implement the 2016/17 Capital Building Programme]

Councillor Darke introduced the report, which sought approval of detailed projects for schools capital maintenance and relevant delegations to execute the works.  The report also detailed the resources available to implement the programme in the sum of £2,032,000.

Resolved:

1.    That approval be given to the detailed projects for schools condition allocation funding in 2016/17:

·         Boiler upgrades/replacement pipework/heaters - £625,000

·         Roof replacements and ceilings - £330,000

·         Window upgrade - £120,000

·         Structural/demolition/external works/security - £210,000

·         Rewiring and electrical upgrades - £333,850

·         Asbestos removal - £100,000

·         Contingency for emergency works - £313,793

2.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education, to accept suitable tenders for the works.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education, to initiate emergency works preventing a school closure, the nature of which would not allow sufficient time to gain normal Council approvals.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education, to initiate works in relation to asbestos removal preventing a school closure, the nature of which would not allow sufficient time to gain normal Council approvals.

[To award contracts and delegate authority to execute the contracts in respect of the recommendations as required]

The recommendations for the award of contracts for works, goods and services were introduced by the relevant Cabinet Members.

Resolved:

1.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for City Assets, in consultation with the Strategic Director for Place, to approve the award of a contract for the supply of frozen meals when the evaluation process is complete.

2.    That the award of a contract for advocacy services for looked after children to The Children’s Society for three years from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2019, with an option to extend until 31 March 2020, for an estimated total contract value of £180,691, be approved.

3.    That through utilisation of the Birmingham Fostering Framework, contracts be awarded to the contractors shown in paragraph 2.3.5 of the report, for the two years from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2018, with an option to extend for a further two years, for a potential total contract value of £54.8 million.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Resources, in consultation with the Director of Finance, to approve the award of a contract for ICT desktop hardware when the evaluation process is complete.

5.    That the award of a contract to Faithful and Gould for support services for transformation and regeneration projects, for a duration of four years from 15 March 2016 to 24 March 2020 for a total estimated contract value of £1 million, be approved.

6.    That the award of a contract to West Midlands Fire Service for Telecare Mobile Responder Service, for up to five years from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2021 for a total contract value of £525,000, be approved.

7.    That the variation of the contract with Domiciliary Care Providers for existing packages of care from 1 April 2016 to £13.72 per hour, with a variation value of approximately £1.1 million, be approved.

8.    That the award of a contract to J Harper & Sons (Leominster) for the new pavilion and changing facilities at Bilbrook Football Club, for a duration of eight months from 1 April 2016 to 30 November 2016, for a total contract value of £689,562, be approved.

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

[To approve the receipt of an assignment of an equity scheme for housing units as a form of affordable housing]

Councillor Bilson presented the report, which sought approval for the Council to receive an assignment of an equity share for housing units as a form of affordable housing.  The report also sought authority to accept an equity share in six properties at the former Rakesgate Primary School, now known as Buttercup Close.

Resolved:

That the Council’s receipt of an assignment of a share in the equity of six housing units as a form of affordable housing provision at Butterfield Close, Rakesgate, be approved in principle.