Agenda and minutes

Cabinet - Thursday, 9th May, 2024 2.00 pm

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings to watch them in person at any of the venues across the County. Publicly accessible meetings held in County Hall will be webcast, which means they are available to be watched live or recorded on our website. Please see our webcasting notice here. The Committee may, in certain circumstances, resolve to hold part of the meeting in private. If this is the case, you will be required to leave the meeting.

Venue: Committee Room 'B' - The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston

Contact: Josh Mynott 

Note: This meeting has been moved from 2 May 2024. 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from County Councillors Jennifer Mein and Lorraine Beavers.

2.

Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests

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.

Minutes:

County Councillor Michael Green declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 18: City Deal – Proposed Revised Terms, as he was a South Ribble Borough Councillor. County Councillor Green stated that he would leave the meeting prior to the agenda item being discussed.

3.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 April 2024 pdf icon PDF 213 KB

Minutes:

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 April 2024 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

4.

Questions for Cabinet

To answer any verbal questions and supplementary questions from a county councillor, about any matter which relates to any item under Part I on the agenda for this meeting under Standing Order C34(7).

 

To submit a question to Cabinet, click here.

 

There will be a maximum of 30 minutes for the questions to be asked and answered.

Minutes:

There were no questions for Cabinet.

5.

Procurement Report pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Please note that Appendix 'B' to this report is in Part II and appears as Item No. 17 on the Agenda.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to commence the following procurement exercise in accordance with the county council's procurement rules:

 

(i)  Employee Screening Service

 

The report also recommended the extension of the Young People's Supported Accommodation Contracts for four months, to allow the procurement exercise and contract mobilisation to be satisfactorily completed.

 

It was also noted that Appendix 'B' of the report was in Part II and appeared at Item No 17 on the agenda.

 

Resolved: That

 

  1. The commencement of procurement exercises for the following be approved:

 

  1. Employee Screening Service

 

  1. The extension of the Young People's Supported Accommodation Contracts for four months, to allow the procurement exercise and contract mobilisation to be satisfactorily completed, be approved.

 

6.

Lancashire Enterprise Partnership - Integration of Functions into the County Council pdf icon PDF 133 KB

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for Lancashire County Council to assume those tasks and financial responsibilities detailed in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities' guidance on Local Enterprise Partnership integration into local democratic institutions, as an interim solution, to be reviewed once the planned Combined County Authority was established.

 

Resolved: That

 

  1. Lancashire County Council takes steps to provide the necessary interim hosting of all former Lancashire Enterprise Partnership functions in consultation with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Blackpool Council; and
  2. The Executive Director of Growth, Environment, Transport and Health and/or the Executive Director of Resources be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Growth, to undertake all the residual functions of the former Lancashire Enterprise Partnership including management of continued investment activity through the Growing Places Fund.

7.

Bus Service Improvement Plan Phase 3 Funding pdf icon PDF 160 KB

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to proceed with the spending plan for £7.025m Bus Service Improvement Plan Phase 3 funding from the Department for Transport, as approved by the Enhanced Partnership Executive Board on 26 February 2024.

 

Resolved: That the spending plan as approved by the Enhanced Partnership Executive Board, as set out in the report, be approved.

8.

Lancashire Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans pdf icon PDF 137 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report outlining the requirements for the development of Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans and the subsequent development of seven Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan documents for Lancashire.

 

It was noted that at this stage, the documents set out broad cycle corridors and walking zones only, within a broad network.  In the future the corridors and zones would provide the focus for further work to define detailed routes and locations for active travel infrastructure across the county.

 

Resolved: That

 

  1. The Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans as summarised in the Executive Summary at Appendix 'A', be approved; and
  2. The Director of Environment and Planning be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to approve any minor changes of each of the seven plans prior to publication.

9.

Integrated Transport Capital Funding 2024/25: Proposed Apportionment pdf icon PDF 133 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report requesting approval of the proposed 2024/25 Transport Programme, funded by the Department for Transport's Integrated Transport Grant totalling £6.101 million; together with approval that an allocation of £491,000, held as a contingency in the 2023/24 Transport programme, be added to and allocated as part of the 2024/25 programme. It was noted that this would create a total fund of £6.592 million in 2024/25.

 

Resolved: That, the following be approved:

 

i.  The Department for Transport 2024/25 Integrated Transport grant of £6.101 million be added to the Transport Block of the Capital Programme.

ii.  The allocation of £491,000, held as a contingency in the 2023/24 Transport programme, be added to and allocated as part of the 2024/25 programme, creating a total funding envelope of £6.592 million in 2024/25.

iii.  The proposed apportionment of the 2024/25 Department for Transport Integrated Transport Grant as detailed at Appendix 'A' of the report; and

iv.  The proposed 2024/25 New Starts Public Rights of Way programme at Appendix 'B' of the report.

10.

Proposed Bus Lane, New Hall Lane, Preston pdf icon PDF 156 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report proposing the introduction of a dedicated bus lane to improve journey times and reliability of bus services travelling southwest bound on New Hall Lane, as part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan. It was noted that the proposal, in co-ordination with other schemes in the Bus Service Improvement Plan, aimed to encourage a greater proportion of sustainable travel. The two lanes available for other traffic will remain, but less wide.

 

Resolved: That the proposed creation of a 406m long bus only lane, with exception for cycles, as set out in this report and in Appendix 'A' of the report, be approved.

11.

Determination of the Home to School Transport Policy - Academic Year 2025/2026 pdf icon PDF 152 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report on the determination of Home to School Transport Policy - Academic Year 2025/2026. It was noted that the county council reviewed its Home to School Transport Policy on an annual basis, and the Department for Education had issued new guidance on Home to School Transport for children of compulsory school age. Although there were no changes to the statutory entitlement of pupils, the amended policy reflected the Department for Education's recommendations that all the information in relation to transport assistance was available to parents in one document.

 

Resolved: That the Home to School Transport Policy for the academic year 2025/2026, as set out at Appendix 'A' of the report, be approved.

12.

Urgent Decisions taken by the Leader of the County Council and the relevant Cabinet Member(s)

There have been no urgent decisions taken since the last meeting of Cabinet.

Minutes:

There had been no urgent decisions taken since the last meeting of Cabinet.

13.

Urgent Business

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.

Minutes:

There was one item of Urgent Business to be considered in relation to additional highway maintenance capital allocations for 2024/25.

13a

Additional Highway Maintenance Capital Allocations for 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 125 KB

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report on additional highway maintenance capital allocations for 2024/25. It was noted that Cabinet approved the 2024/25 Highway Block of the Capital Programme in March 2024 which included the indicative Department for Transport highway maintenance grant funding of £28.811m and £3.661m additional funds for 2024/25 announced by the Government in October 2023 as part of the Network North fund.

 

It was now proposed to add an additional £5m to be spent on priority areas, as described within the report, with the funding being made available through the application of capital receipts which had been achieved at higher levels than factored into the capital programme and revenue budget under the existing flexibilities.

 

It was noted that the reason for urgency was to ensure that the works were programmed in for 2024/25 and that work started immediately in May to ensure priority areas were addressed.

 

Resolved: That

 

i.  The following be approved:

 

a.  The additional £5,000,000 funding provided by Cabinet, be added to the Highway Block of the Capital Programme for 2024/25.

b.  The additional funding be allocated as follows:

 

  i.  £1,500,000 for the Localised Deterioration Fund

  ii.  £1,000,000 White lines and road signs

  iii.  £2,500,000 Responsive Patching

 

ii.  The Director of Highways and Transport be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to approve the Localised Deterioration Fund schemes to be delivered from the additional funding for 2024/25.

iii.  The decision be implemented immediately for the purposes of Standing Order C28 as any delay could adversely affect the execution of the county council's responsibilities.  The reason for this was to ensure work started immediately in May to ensure priority areas were addressed.

14.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of Cabinet will be held on Thursday 6 June 2024 at 2.00 pm at County Hall, Preston.

Minutes:

It was noted that the next meeting of Cabinet would be held at 2pm on Thursday, 6 June 2024 at County Hall, Preston.

15.

Notice of Intention to Conduct Business in Private

No representations have been received.

 

Click here to see the published Notice of Intention to Conduct Business in Private.

Minutes:

Cabinet noted the Notice of Intention to Conduct Business in Private and that no representations had been received.

16.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The Cabinet is asked to consider whether, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, it considers that the public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there would be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the appropriate paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as indicated against the heading to the item.

 

Minutes:

Resolved: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that there would be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the appropriate paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

17.

Appendix 'B' to Item 5 - Procurement Report

Exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. The Appendix contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minutes:

Exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. The appendix contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). It was considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Resolved: That Appendix 'B' to Item 5 - Procurement Report, be noted.

18.

City Deal - Proposed Revised Terms

Exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. The report contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minutes:

Exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. The report contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). It was considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Cabinet considered a report on the proposed revised terms for the City Deal.

 

Resolved: That the recommendation, as set out in the report, be approved.