A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Council and councillors

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Catmose

Contact: Natasha Taylor  01572 720991

Items
No. Item

138.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Mr D Wilby and Mr A Walters.

139.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND/OR HEAD OF THE PAID SERVICE

Minutes:

There were no announcements from the Chairman or the Head of Paid Service.

140.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

In accordance with the Regulations, Members are required to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have and the nature of those interests in respect of items on this Agenda and/or indicate if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were received.

141.

RECORD OF DECISIONS

 

To confirm the Record of Decisions made at the meeting of the Cabinet held on 19 June 2018.

Minutes:

The record of decisions made by Cabinet on 19 June 2018, copies of which had been previously circulated, were confirmed by Cabinet.

142.

ITEMS RAISED BY SCRUTINY

To receive items raised by members of scrutiny which have been submitted to the Leader (copied to Chief Executive and Governance Officer) by 4.30 pm on Friday 13 July 2018.

Minutes:

Mrs L Stephenson, former Chair of the Adults and Health Scrutiny Panel, summarised the items raised by the panel at their last meeting on 28 June 2018. Items included the possible formation of a cross panel task and finish group to investigate the issue of residential care developments and the funding for care, the update from the new Healthwatch Rutland provider and the Panel’s intention to inform them of potential topics for investigation, and the ongoing watch on the Sustainability and Transformation plan.

 

During discussion the following points were raised:

 

·         The development of a Young Healthwatch Rutland was to be welcomed.

143.

ANNUAL REPORT ON TREASURY MANAGEMENT AND ACTUAL PRUDENTIAL INDICATORS 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 129 KB

(KEY DECISION)

 

Report No. 101/2018

Minutes:

KEY DECISION

 

Report No. 101/2018 was received from the Director for Resources.

 

Mr Gordon Brown, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regulatory Services, Waste Management, Planning Policy & Operations, Property Services, and Finance, including Revenue & Benefits and Internal Audit introduced the report, the purpose of which was to show how the Council had performed against the Treasury Management Strategy for 2017/18 as had previously been set out in Report No. 41/2017.

 

During discussion the following points were raised:

 

·         Officers were to be congratulated on their prudent management of finances.

·         The nature of the markets and the maturity of three year rates, which had been at  higher levels, explained the slight decrease in returns from 0.75% in 2016/17 to 0.66% in 2017/18 (Q4)

·         The investment strategy was one part of a positive financial picture that needed to be communicated to residents.

 

 

DECISION

 

1.    Cabinet NOTED the actual 2017/18 prudential indicators within the report.

 

2.    Cabinet NOTED that the treasury management stewardship for 2017/18 was in compliance with the Treasury Management Strategy.

 

 

Reason for decision

 

1.    The report summarised treasury management performance in the year and met the requirements set out in section 6 of the report.

 

 

144.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS pdf icon PDF 70 KB

(KEY DECISION)

 

Report No. 103/2018

Minutes:

KEY DECISION

 

Report No. 103/2018 was received from the Director for Resources.

 

Mr Gordon Brown, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Regulatory Services, Waste Management, Planning Policy & Operations, Property Services, and Finance, including Revenue & Benefits and Internal Audit introduced the report.

 

The report sought Members’ approval for use of Council finances to support community organisations that had successfully applied for LEADER grant funding but required assistance in bridging the period between confirmation of grant award and completion of the works being funded.

 

During discussion the following points were raised;

 

·         Mr Brown requested that the decision recommendations section within the report be amended to read Cabinet Member for Finances rather than Cabinet Member for Resources

·         Rutland had been very successful in receiving grants for the LEADER priorities as outlined in section 2.3 of the report.

·         LEADER grant funding was not paid until the completion of works which often left successful applicants with a cashflow problem.

·         2% interest would be charged on the loan over its short term duration and would provide a reasonable return.

·         The initial LEADER application process was so rigorous that the risk of default by those organisations that applied for this assistance was very low.

·         This type of assistance had been offered before with other sources of funding, eg. the grants received by Uppingham Cricket Club and Ketton Sports Centre, but this mechanism gave a much more structured approach.

·         17 out of the 24 applications currently in the pipeline for funding to the Rutland and Rural Peterborough Local Action Group (LAG) were from Rutland.

·         The Peterborough and Rutland LAG had had meetings with the potential applicants for this assistance which indicated that there would be a positive take-up of this offer.

·         There was a small window of opportunity in which to offer this assistance as projects needed to be finished and paid for by 31 March 2019 in order to secure funding.

 

 

DECISION:

 

1.    Cabinet AUTHORISED the Director for Resources, in consultation with the Cabinet Member with Portfolio for Finances, to provide funds (not exceeding £200,000 in total) to community organisations on a short term loan basis to enable successful grant funded projects to be completed.

 

 

Reason for the decision

 

1.    LEADER funding was time limited with final applications required before 31 March 2019 so it was important that as many grant funding applications as possible were completed before that date. It was also important that the Council supported the voluntary and community sector and providing this funding to bridge the gap between grant award and final payment would achieve both objectives.

 

2.    With each application being assessed on a case by case basis and given the anticipated short loan duration, the risk of default on repayments was considered to be low and the administration charge to be levied would ensure a cost neutral initiative.

145.

LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND LOCAL SAFEGUARDING ADULTS BOARD (LRSAB) BUSINESS PLAN 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 74 KB

Report No. 123/2018

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report No. 123/2018 was received from the Chair of the Leicestershire & Rutland Local Safeguarding Adults Board (LRLSAB)

 

Mr. Robert Lake, the Independent Chair of the LRLSAB, introduced the report, the purpose of which was to set out the draft proposed Business Plan priorities for the LRLSAB for 2018/19 for noting and comment by Cabinet.

 

During discussion the following points were raised:

 

·         Prevention of safeguarding need was one of the priorities for the Board who felt that there was a particular issue growing around self-neglect that needed to be monitored and addressed.

·         It was essential that all agencies needed to understand each other’s safeguarding adult thresholds.

·         The Board was aware that they had not had enough direct contact with care users and so an engagement officer had been employed to capture the views of adults with care and support needs so that they clearly influenced the future work of the board.

·         Healthwatch Rutland was an important participation group that the Board worked with but they needed to engage with other user groups in order to broaden the base from which they heard views. In this respect, Members could be very helpful in informing the Board of the issues that they needed to hear about.

·         The Director for People (DAS) stressed that effective services were in place and that the input sought from such organisations as Citizens Advice and Veteran organisations was solely about informing the work of the board.

·         There was extensive CCG representation on the LRLSAB so issues brought up by the Patient participation groups that were attached to GP surgeries should be picked up.

 

 

DECISION:

 

1.    Cabinet NOTED the LRLSAB Business Plan for 2018/19.

 

 

Reasons for the decision

 

1.    It was recommended that the Cabinet commented on the Business Plan 2018/19 for the LRLSAB, particularly in relation to the business of the County Council in 2018/19.

146.

LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND LOCAL SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN BOARD (LRLSCB) BUSINESS PLAN 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Report No. 124/2018

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report No. 124/2018 was received from the Chair of the Leicestershire & Rutland Local Safeguarding Children Board (LRLSCB)

 

Following an introduction from the Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding Children & Young People, Mr Simon Westwood, the Independent Chair of the LRLSCB, summarised the report, the purpose of which was to set out the draft proposed Business Plan priorities for the LRLSCB for 2018/19 for noting and comment by Cabinet.

 

During discussion the following points were raised:

 

·         The Children and Social Work Act 2017 introduced measures that would mean the Board would be replaced by local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements

·         A new Child Safeguarding Practice Panel which had become fully operational on 29 June 2018, required the LRLCSB (until new partnerships were in place) to undertake a rapid review into all serious child safeguarding cases and complete this within fifteen working daysof becoming aware of the incident.

·         The Panel understood the pressures of this 15 day deadline and although they required the Board to do the best they could within the time available this did not preclude the arrival at a different decision further down the line.

·         The new arrangements gave more flexibility and permission to organise arrangements to suit the locality, although there were still some common requirements.

·         New guidance for schools would be available from September 2018 and the Board intended that the role for schools within the new arrangements would be clear and understood by the schools and statutory partners by March 2019.

·         Engagement with schools would be a challenge given the diversity of schools

·         York City Council had received a grant from the DfE to pilot engagement with schools and the Board would take some learning from that.

·         Home schooled children were not included in the children missing from education category but the Board kept a close eye on home schooled children as a potential risk factor.

·         The Local Authority did not have any jurisdiction to enter homes or influence the situation but did have a duty to safeguard home schooled children.

·         Home schooled children were not a particular issue locally as the Council had taken a more pro-active stance, using mechanisms to take time in the family environment to learn more about the child.

·         Child exploitation, including child sexual exploitation and child trafficking, had been ably led by Detective Superintendent Simon Cure of Leicestershire Police but was now being handed over to Detective Chief Inspector Matt Ditcher. The Council was actively involved in the handover process.

 

 

 

 

DECISION:

 

1.    Cabinet CONSIDERED and NOTED the LRLSCB Business Plan for 2018/19.

 

 

Reasons for the decision

 

1.    It was recommended that the Cabinet commented on the Business Plan 2018/19 for the LRLSCB, particularly in relation to the business of the County Council in 2018/19.

 

147.

ANY ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS

To receive items of urgent business which have previously been notified to the person presiding.

Minutes:

No items of urgent business had previously been notified to the Chairman.