Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson and County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE.

Members are asked to consider any Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

There were no interests declared.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2016 be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

County Councillor Bill Winlow, chair of the Executive Scrutiny Committee, reported that the recommendations set out in the reports for consideration for Cabinet had been confirmed with no amendments or additional recommendations.

It was noted that a constructive and lengthy debate was held on all items, particularly the Supporting People and Property Strategy items.

Particularly in relation to the Property Strategy, the Committee and Cabinet members present heard cases presented for the retention of individual library or other buildings, including in Thornton Cleveleys, Fulwood, Freckleton, Ormskirk, Galgate, Whalley, Bacup and others)..

The Committee also considered by rejected motions to defer the decision to allow for district by district working groups to consider the issues and to keep a number of the facilities open.

The ESC was assured that the responses to the consultation have been made available to members, and would continue to be so, and that Cabinet would take account of these.

ESC also generally welcomed the modernisation of the mobile library fleet and the commitment to Independent Community Libraries. It was also noted that the large number of Expressions of Interest received for County Council properties would be worked through in due course following Cabinet's decision.

Cabinet received a report setting out the financial position as at 30^th June 2016, the latest position in respect of the County Council's reserves and the County Council's updated financial outlook (Medium Term Financial Strategy) for period 2017/18 to 2020/21.

Cabinet considered the current predicted overspend and the ongoing risks to the council's financial position due to increasing demand and reduced resources. Particular reference was made to the reserves position, noting that by 31st March 2018, the County Council is expected to have reserves available of £21.772m, with the total current reserve essentially already committed or required to meet the budget shortfall in 16/17 and 17/18. Attention was also drawn to the fact that, whilst the reported funding gap had reduced, this was because of a new assumption built in to the figures that there would be a Council Tax increase of 3.99% each year.

Resolved: That

(i)  the forecast overspend of £11.267m on the 2016/17 revenue budget be noted;

(ii)  the position in respect of the Council's reserves and to agree the transfers outlined in the report be noted;

(iii)  authority be delegated to the Director of Financial Resources, in consultation with the Deputy Leader of the County Council, to authorise appropriate use of the Transitional Reserve within the parameters of the level of funding agreed by Cabinet and Full Council in setting the budget;

(iv)  the revised funding gap of £147.944m as set out in the Medium Term Financial Strategy be noted

Cabinet received a report on the outcomes of the consultation on the proposed savings to the Supporting People budget, and the work of the Prevention and Early Help Cabinet Member Working Group and its recommendations in relation to the allocation of the Prevention and Early Help Fund.

It was moved and seconded that, in addition to the recommendations in the report, a further recommendation be added:

"d) To request officers to prepare an agreement with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for the commissioning of domestic abuse and medium to high risk victim services, on the basis of the county council contributing £300,000 pa to those services for a minimum of three years; 2017/18 to 2019/20 from the £1.25m annual allocation under item b) above."

On being out to the vote, the additional recommendation was agreed, and it was therefore:

Resolved:

1. that the proposal  to cease the funding of the non-statutory Supporting People services as set out in the Report be approved

  ii.  (that an annual budgetary provision  from the Prevention and Early Help Fund of:

be approved

  iii.  that up to £1 million of the planned underspend from the 2016/17 Prevention and Early Help Fund budget during 2017/18 be utilised to facilitate:

  iv.  to request officers to prepare an agreement with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for the commissioning of domestic abuse and medium to high risk victim services, on the basis of the county council contributing £300,000 pa to those services for a minimum of three years; 2017/18 to 2019/20 from the £1.25m annual allocation under item b) above.

Cabinet considered a report on the outcomes of the consultation in relation to the proposals agreed on 12 May 2016 regarding the Council's Property Strategy. The attention of cabinet was drawn to a further petition and a letter from Hyndburn Borough Council's Scrutiny Committee received shortly before the meeting. Cabinet members were also provided with responses on a number of questions raised at the Executive Scrutiny Committee.

Cabinet members noted the comment in the report stressing the importance of having read all of the paperwork, and confirmed that they had read the paperwork, were familiar with the large number of responses received, and were prepared to make a decision at the meeting on that basis, and on the basis of the debate that followed.

Resolved: That

1. the outcomes of the consultation as set out in the report be noted.

2. the Planning and Needs Assessment for the Library Service set out at Appendix "I" be approved as the basis of determining the level of provision for the Council's statutory library service.

3. the Library Strategy at Appendix "H" be approved.

4. the proposed investment in the Mobile Library Service set out in the report be approved.

5. the proposed model for an "Independent Community Library Offer" as set out in the report be endorsed on the basis that these community libraries are in addition to the provision made by the Council to satisfy section 7 of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

6. the exploration of the development of alternative options for the future delivery of library services be continued, including, but not limited to, the extended use of volunteers and the development of a potential model which would allow the Library Service to be run independently of the Council as described in the report.

7. the revised proposals for the implementation of the Property Strategy set out at Appendix "B" be approved

8. a consultation on the proposal to discontinue use of Upholland Children's Centre, St Thomas the Martyr CE Primary School, on the basis set out in the report be agreed.

9. the buildings identified in Appendix "B" as not to be retained for future use are declared surplus to requirements and that the services delivered from them will be discontinued on the basis of the timeline set out at Appendix "P".

10. officers be instructed to consider the viability of the expressions of interest received in relation to the transfer of Council premises as set out in Appendix "B" and to bring back a further report to the next meeting of Cabinet for consideration.

11. the request from the Schools Forum for transition funding for schools with attached children's centres and that this will be the subject of future discussions between officers and the Schools Forum be noted.

Resolved: That the report of Key Decisions taken by the Leader of the County Council, the Deputy Leader of the County Council and Cabinet Members be noted

Resolved: That the report on the waiver of procurement rules by the Deputy Leader of the County Council be noted.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the Minutes, the Chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

There was no urgent business

The next meeting of the Cabinet will be held on Thursday, 6 October 2016 at 2pm at County Hall, Preston.

It was noted that the next meeting of Cabinet would be held on Thursday 6 October 2016 at County Hall, Preston.