Decisions

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Re-Imagining the Harris project is a partnership between Lancashire County Council and Preston City Council which started in 2015 with the aim of repositioning the Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library. Since the project’s inception one of the main priorities has been to develop a shared service in the building to ensure customers receive highest quality and joined up services, delivered in the most efficient manner. To achieve this shared service, this report recommends that the library function at the Harris building is delegated to Preston City Council under a section 101 Local Government Act 1972, delegation of function agreement.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report and recorded it's thanks to all the officers who assisted in producing this report.

The report details proposals for a number of technologies used in libraries that either require replacing or enhancing.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report is being presented to the three Lancashire Councils and where necessary, the Executive bodies of the Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Police and sets out the recommended option for the replacement of the Local Safeguarding Children's Board to comply with the new area children’s safeguarding arrangements.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In line with the county council's procurement rules, this report sets out a recommendation to approve the commencement of the tendering process for the provision of transport services, Dynamic Purchasing System.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

On 14 February 2019 Full Council approved the high level apportionment of anticipated 2019/20 highway maintenance and transport grant funding from the Department for Transport (DfT). Subsequently, this report recommends approval of a more detailed apportionment and approval of a number of detailed programmes of work relating to this funding as set out at Appendices 'B' to 'H'.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Cabinet recorded it's thanks to all the officers who assisted in producing this report.

This report sets out the proposals for the allocation of schools capital funding to address a further phase of high priority building condition repairs on Community, Voluntary Controlled and Maintained Schools in Lancashire.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2019 were presented.

Resolved:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2019 be confirmed and signed by the chair.

Resolved: That the press and public 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 paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972, as indicated on each item. It is considered that in all the circumstances the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

As the current Chair was excluded from the meeting having declared a pecuniary interest in the next item of business the Board discussed the appointment of a Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

Resolved: That Mr S Thompson be appointed as Chair of the Board for the remainder of this meeting.  

Mr Smith, Technical Adviser Pensions for the LCPF, updated the Board on the following pension regulatory matters.

·  The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2018 [SI 2018/1366]

·  Actuarial factors

·  Cost Cap update

·  Quadrennial valuations

·  Pensions Increase

·  Fair Deal – Strengthening pension protection – Consultation

The Chair informed the Board that at the recent LGPS Governance Conference it had been announced that the next local Fund valuation would be in 2023. With regard to the Fair Deal consultation it was suggested that members of the Board send any comments on the proposed amendments to Mr Smith who would draft a response which could be shared with Board Members before submission. 

Resolved:

1.  That the regulatory updates set out in the report and given at the meeting are noted.

2.  That individual members of the Board send any comments they may have in relation to the introduction of Fair Deal proposals into the Local Government Pension Scheme to Mr Smith before the 15^th March 2019 so that they can be collated into a single response on behalf of the Board. The draft response to be shared with all members of the Board before being submitted ahead of the 4^th April 2019 deadline. 

3.  That the Early Retirement fact sheet published on the Your Pension Service website be updated to reflect current guidance.

The Head of Fund informed the Board that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government had invited views on the draft statutory guidance in relation to asset pooling as set out in the Appendix to the report.

When discussing the draft the Board noted the requirement to establish a 'pool governance body' to oversee operation of pooled funds and ensure that the democratic link to pool members was maintained. The Board also recognised the acknowledgement of the key role of Pension Boards in assisting authorities to secure compliance with legislation and ensure effective/efficient governance and administration of the LGPS. The Head of Fund reported that she was a member of a cross pool group of officers and would also discuss the implications of the draft guidance for Lancashire with colleagues in due course.

Resolved:

1.  That individual members of the Board send any comments they may have on the draft statutory guidance on asset pooling to the Head of Fund by the 1^st March 2019 so that she can collate views into a single response on behalf of the Lancashire County Pension Fund for submission before the 28^th March 2019 deadline.

2.  That the contents of the Lancashire County Pension Fund response referred to in 1 above be shared with the Local Pensions Partnership and the London Pensions Fund Authority before it is submitted.

The Head of Fund updated the Board on discussions at the Pension Fund Committee held on the 30^th November 2018 and decisions taken.

The Board discussed the Lancashire County Pension Fund Strategic Plan which had previously been circulated to members in accordance with the decision of the Committee. It was also noted that the revised Responsible Investment Policy had been approved by the Committee.

It was suggested that in future all Board members should receive a copy of any newsletters circulated to members of the Fund so that they were aware of communications. 

Resolved:

1.  That the updates regarding reports considered by the Pension Fund Committee held on the 30^th November 2018 and decisions taken are noted.

2.  That the Head of Fund arrange for all Board members to be included in the circulation list for future newsletters from the Your Pension Service in order the communications with the Fund membership can be monitored.

The Chair informed the Board that he had attended the recent LGPS Governance Conference and highlighted the following:

•  Representatives from each of the four Actuaries on the panel had put forward one suggestion each on how to make the valuation process less complex and to mitigate the unexpected consequences of the cost cap exercise. The Government Actuary Department representative (in the audience) agreed to take them away and consider.

•  The Local Government Pension Scheme was due to be given a new template for the measurement of costs and the intention was to establish a similar template for all Pension Funds.

•  The Pension Regulator and Pensions Ombudsman had signed an agreement to facilitate closer working in the future.

•  Speakers had referred to lessons to be learnt from recent cases involving other Funds, including a death payment where the most recent guidance had not been followed and a scam regarding a transfer statement. 

Mr Neville informed the meeting that since the agenda had been circulated there had been an additional Workshop on the 23rd January 2019 in relation to Responsible Investment attended by Y Moult, K Haig and K Wallbank which had been well received.

Resolved: That the feedback on conferences and events attended by Board members as set out above is noted.

During consideration of the draft 2019/20 Work Plan the Board discussed the most appropriate frequency for reporting with regard to breaches and it was suggested that an update on breaches relating to contributions should be presented every 6 months and for data at every meeting. With regard to the annual update on the Local Pension Partnership Transformation Plan it was acknowledged that more regular updates would be appropriate in order that the Board can effectively monitor progress.

Resolved:

1.  That the Board receive an update regarding contributions breaches on a 6 monthly basis and at every meeting in relation to data.

2.  That an update on the Local Pension Partnership Transformation Plan be presented to each meeting of the Board.

3.  That, subject to the amendments specified at 1 and 2 above, the 2019/20 Work Plan for the Lancashire Local Pension Board, as set out in the Appendix to the report presented, is approved.

The Head of Fund presented a report which summarised the findings of the Scheme Actuary following a review of the quality of the membership data for the Fund.

In considering the report the Board noted that given the prudent approach undertaken by the Actuary it was likely that the real figures in relation to liability impact would be lower than those set out in the report. The Board also acknowledged that whilst the report identified some areas that required attention no major concerns regarding the quality of the membership data for the Fund had been identified. It was noted that the full report would be shared with the Local Pensions Partnership with a view to addressing any issues as part of the normal scheduled processes associated with the 2019 valuation.

Resolved: That the findings of the review by the Scheme Actuary on the quality of membership data held by the Fund, as set out in the report presented, is noted.

The Risk and Governance Officer informed the Board that since the review last year there had been a number of improvements in data quality and confirmed that overall compliance with Code of Practice No 14 was good, with updates within sub-sections such as 'knowledge and understanding required by board members', 'internal controls', 'maintaining contributions' and 'reporting breaches of the law' all indicating that overall levels of compliance had improved.

Resolved: That the detailed Compliance Statement in relation to the Pension Regulator Code of Practice No 14, as set out in the Appendix to the report presented, is noted.

The Board considered a report on the proposed programme of meetings for 2019/20 and agreed that future meetings should continue to be held in Meeting Rooms at County Hall rather than in Committee Room 'D' – The Henry Bolingbroke Room as proposed. It was also noted that the intention was to arrange the 2020 appraisals of the Board around the meeting scheduled for the 14^th January 2020.

Resolved: That the 2019/20 programme of meetings for the Lancashire Local
Pension Board, as set out below, is approved, with all meetings to be held at 2.00pm in one of the ground floor meeting rooms at County Hall, Preston.

Tuesday 9th July 2019

Tuesday 15th October 2019

Tuesday 14th January 2020

Tuesday 21st April 2020

The Chair referred to the discussion regarding the CIPFA Guide for Local Pension Boards and Mr Neville confirmed that a copy of the Guidance was available for members of the Board to view via the secure Pensions Library.

It was noted that in accordance with the decision at the last meeting the Deputy Director Member Operations from the Local Pension Partnership would attend the meeting later to discuss the pension administration service.

Resolved: That the Minutes of the meeting held on the 16^th October 2018 are confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

Resolved: That the press and public 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 paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972, as indicated against the heading of each item. It is considered that in all the circumstances the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

During consideration of the draft Minutes from the last meeting it was suggested that the reporting of the discussion in relation to item 13 did not sufficiently reflect the level of concern expressed by the Committee in relation to the pension administration service. Accordingly it was agreed that in the second paragraph of the wording of the Minute would be amended to read 'considerable' concern.

Mr Crewe reported that the issues regarding the backlog of casework which he had raised with the Director of Strategic Programmes and Group Secretary from the Local Pensions Partnership after the last meeting had been resolved.

The Head of Fund confirmed that to date no response had been received regarding the proposed Joint Working Group on Responsible Investment and undertook to raise the issue with the London Pension Fund Authority.  

Resolved:

1.  That the text of item 13 in the draft Minutes are amended to read 'However, there was considerable concern that the backlog had still not been cleared and clarification on that point was requested'.

2.  That, subject to the amendment specified at 1 above, the Minutes of the
meeting held on the 30^th November 2019 are confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

The outcomes of the consultation undertaken in relation to the proposed savings of £644,000 to the Adult Social Care budget which funds 24 hour care services in 14 sheltered accommodation schemes across the county. 

The recommendations are in response to service legacy issues, and do not impact on the council's proposal to develop new purpose built Extra Care schemes.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report concerns the determination of the statutory scheme and the mandatory timetable for co-ordinating admissions for Lancashire's primary and secondary schools and academies for 2020/21. 

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report presents proposals relating to fees and charges in the Libraries, Museums, Culture and Registrars Service following an annual review of charges to ensure that they support service efficiency and effectiveness, recover costs where this is appropriate and achievable, and as far as possible ensure consistency across the service.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

To determine the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools and sixth forms schools for the school year 2020/2021.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Request for a waiver of procurement rules in relation to the Pension Fund's current Independent Advisor arrangements.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Approval is sought to revise a funding allocation approved in July 2015 in relation to the Burnley Pendle Growth Corridor programme in order to fund and implement a highway improvement scheme at the junction of Colne Road and Halifax Road in the centre of Brierfield.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Vehicle Restraint Systems Code of Practice at Appendix 'A' outlines the guidance to be followed in respect of the installation and maintenance of vehicle restraint systems on the adopted vehicular highway in Lancashire.

In accordance with the UK Roads Liaison Group's national guidance publication 'Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice' the Vehicle Restraint Systems Code of Practice also outlines the methodology to be used to risk assess and prioritise the inspection of vehicle restraint installations.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Lancashire County Council reviews the Home to School Transport policy on an annual basis. As there have been significant changes to the Home to School Transport Policy in recent years, the amendments to the policy for the academic year 2020/2021 are minimal. There are no changes in respect of parents' entitlement to receive home to school transport assistance. Some minor changes have been made to the wording of the policy to provide clarification for parents.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In line with the county council's procurement rules, this report sets out a recommendation to approve the commencement of the following procurement exercises:

(i)  Provision of fresh bread and morning goods and;

(ii)  Carriageway Recycling.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Currently Lancashire has different bus station usage charging schemes. The bay rental arrangement at Preston Bus Station is unique and is not directly associated with number of departures. Changing the charging arrangements will align all our bus stations and can be expected to deliver a budget saving. Currently the bay rental charge is £5,620 per bay at Preston and departure charge is £0.75 per departure at other sites. 

The Cabinet deferred the report to a future Cabinet meeting.

A corporate strategy for the county council has been developed.  It is entitled 'Our Vision for Lancashire' and is attached at Appendix 'A' for Cabinet's consideration and recommendation to Full Council for approval.

The strategy clearly and concisely sets out the key objectives and ambitions for Lancashire, highlights what success looks like, and shows how the county council, its partners and the residents of Lancashire can all work together to make Lancashire the best it can be.

 
The key objectives of the strategy will be measured by a set of high level, key performance metrics, which will enable the overall success and progress of the strategy to be demonstrated. A proposed set of high level metrics is included at Appendix 'B'.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report provides an update to Cabinet on the county council's 2018/19 revenue financial position as at the end of December 2018 and an updated Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) covering the period 2019/20 to 2022/23. The MTFS reflects the final financial settlement for 2019/20 announced on 29 January 2019 and also includes c£77m of savings proposals and management actions, identified through the service challenge process and aimed at delivering better and sustainable services at a lower cost that were agreed at Cabinet in December.

The reduction in the forecast funding gap continues to represent a significantly improved position compared to that at the start of the financial year, however a structural funding gap remains and work continues on phase two of the service challenge process to identify further proposals to enable the council to achieve a financially sustainable position over the strategy period.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Multi-Agency Self-Neglect Framework has been developed by members of the Lancashire Safeguarding Adults Board in order to ensure that all partners, including the county council, meet their statutory responsibilities. Self-neglect under this Framework relates to instances where self-neglect poses a significant risk of serious harm, injury or death and the individual is not willing to engage with services. However, a formal safeguarding enquiry for people who self-neglect is not, in the majority of cases, an appropriate or proportionate response.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Resolved: That the minutes of the Audit, Risk and Governance Committee held on 29 October 2018 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

The Chair welcomed Robin Baker, Director and Engagement Lead and Angela Pieri, Engagement Manager, representing Grant Thornton, the county council's external auditors, to their first meeting of the committee.

Robin Baker, Director, Grant Thornton UK, presented the external audit progress report and sector update 2018/19 as of January 2019.

The committee's attention was drawn to the following key areas of the report:

·  The audit of the 2017/18 council's financial statements had been completed and the audit opinion including the value for money conclusion had been issued on 28 August 2018.

·  The audit of the 2017/18 pension fund had been completed and the unqualified audit opinion had been issued on 31 July 2018. 

·  The closure certificate from 2012/13 onwards remained outstanding as a result of an ongoing police investigation.  Once the investigation had been concluded the auditors would be in a position to assess the implications on the audit of the council.

·  Planning for the 2018/19 financial audit had commenced and would be shared with officers and the committee in due course.

·  The certification of the Teacher's Pension Return had been completed prior to the deadline date and no significant issues had been identified.

·  The external auditors provided a range of workshops, network events and publications and thanks were expressed to the council for facilitating a forthcoming event. 

Resolved: That the report now presented be noted.

A report was presented on the proposed diversion of part of Dinckley Footpath 12, from the route shown as A-B on the Committee plan attached to the agenda papers, to the route shown as A-C-D.

It was reported that a request had been received from the owners of Wardfall, Ribchester Road, Dinckley, Blackburn, BB6 8AH, for an Order to be made under Section 119 of the Highways Act 1980 to divert part of Dinckley Footpath 12, Ribble Valley Borough.

The Committee noted that Wardfall was a residential dwelling that included former agricultural buildings that had now been converted for domestic use. The footpath ran from Ribchester Road, up the driveway of the property and out through a gate that led to a pasture field currently grazed by sheep.

It was reported that the buildings and gardens at Wardfall were located at either side of the footpath and the diversion, if successful, would move the footpath to the eastern boundary of the property, thereby increasing the privacy and security for the residents, whilst providing a route that was safe and convenient for public use.

No objections or adverse comments on the proposal had been received.

Resolved:

(i) That subject to satisfactory responses to the consultations, an Order be made under Section 119 of the Highways Act 1980 to divert part of Dinckley Footpath 12, from the route shown by a bold continuous line and marked A-B to the route shown by a bold broken line and marked A-C-D on the attached plan.

(ii) That in the event of no objections being received, the Order be confirmed and in the event of objections being received and not withdrawn, the Order be sent to the Secretary of State and the Authority take a neutral stance with respect to its confirmation.

(iii) That provision be included in the Order such that it is also made under Section 53A of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to amend the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way in consequence of the coming into operation of the diversion.

A report was presented on a decision on an appeal made by the applicant, under Section 53 and Schedule 14 of The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, against the refusal to make a Definitive Map Modification Order, which had been received from the Inspector directed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to determine the appeal. 

The Committee had considered a report at their meeting on 15 November 2017 on an application for a set of footpaths around Glasson Canal Basin, Thurnham, to be added to the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way.  The Committee had resolved that the claim for a public footpath around Glasson Canal Basin be not accepted.  The applicant had appealed against this refusal to the Secretary of State.

It was reported that an Inspector had been directed to consider the appeal, and that he had allowed the appeal, in part.  Details of the appeal decision were provided with the agenda papers. The Committee noted that the county council had been directed to make an order under Section 53(2) and Schedule 15 of the Act, to modify the Definitive Map and Statement for the area to add public footpaths for the following routes:

Route 1 from Point A through Points B and C to Point D;

Route 2 from Point D through Points E, F, Y, G and Z to Point J;

Route 3 from Point J through Points Z, G, X, and I to Point H; and

Route 4 from Point K though Points L and M to Point N.

Resolved:

(i)  That the report be noted.

(ii) That, in light of the Inspector's decision to uphold the appeal lodged in

respect of file numbers 804/519 and 804/555, an order be made pursuant to Section 53 (2) (b) and Section 53 (3) (c) (i) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to modify the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of way by adding four Public Footpaths from Tithbarn Hill to School Lane adjacent to Glasson School and around Glasson Dock Canal Basin, Thurnham Parish, Lancaster as shown by a bold dashed line on the attached plan.

(iii) That should no objections be received, the order be confirmed, but if

objections are received the county council as order making authority submit the order to the Secretary of State for formal determination, but the county council shall notify the Secretary of State that it does not actively support the order and to adopt a "neutral stance" as regards confirmation of the order.

A report was presented on an application for the route known as Waingate Road – Waingate Lane, Rawtenstall, as shown between points A-B-C-D-E-F-G on the Committee plan attached to the agenda papers, to be upgraded on the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way from Footpath to Restricted Byway.

A site inspection had been carried out in July 2018.

It was reported that the route under consideration was currently recorded as a public footpath. It was advised that, as there was no express dedication in this matter, the Committee should consider, on balance, whether there was sufficient evidence from which to have its dedication inferred at common law from all the circumstances, or for the criteria in Section 31 Highways Act 1980, for a deemed dedication to be satisfied, based on sufficient twenty years 'as of right' use to have taken place, ending with this use being called into question.

The Committee noted that the whole of the route was shown on numerous historical maps from 1849 onwards, as a through route connecting Newchurch Road and Hurst Lane at Cotes Road, and was also shown named as Waingate Road and Waingate Lane.  In addition, the Finance Act 1910 showed that the route under investigation was excluded from the taxable hereditaments which was considered to be good evidence that public carriageway rights existed, and that there appeared to be no evidence that such rights had ever been extinguished.  Therefore, on balance, it was suggested that the map and documentary evidence provided was sufficient from which to infer dedication under common law.

It was reported that there were very few users providing evidence of their use and that such use must be more than trivial and sporadic to be sufficient use to give rise to a deemed dedication.

Taking all of the information into account, it was suggested that the Committee may, on balance, consider the evidence insufficient, from which to find that the criteria of Section 31 could be satisfied.  However, coupled with the extensive map and documentary evidence, Committee may be of the view, on balance, that there was sufficient evidence from which a dedication of a vehicular highway could be deemed or inferred in law, and therefore that the application be accepted.

Resolved:

(i) That the application for Waingate Road – Waingate Lane, Rawtenstall to be

recorded as a Restricted Byway on the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way, in accordance with File No. 804-599, be accepted.

(ii) That an Order be made pursuant to Section 53 (2)(b) and Section 53 (3)(b)

and/or Section 53 (3)(c)(ii) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to upgrade Footpath Rawtenstall 348 to Restricted Byway on the Definitive Map and Statement of Public Rights of Way as shown on Committee Plan between points A-B-C-D-E-F-G.

(iii) That being satisfied that the test for confirmation can be met the Order be

promoted to confirmation.

This report outlines the work of the District Youth Councils in their role in recommending grant monies to third sector organisations which are registered with the Children and Family Wellbeing Service.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Following the introduction of the Care Act 2014, the county council has undertaken to review all adult social care policies, practice and guidance to ensure compliance. A new policy is now presented for approval:

• Occupational Therapy, including Adaptations and Equipment

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In line with the county council's procurement rules this report sets out a recommendation to approve the commencement of the following procurement exercises:

(i)  Provision of library stock and other library materials

(ii)  Provision of fresh produce, water and additional food groups

(iii)  Insurance programme for Lancashire Renewables Limited

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, Lancaster University and Lancaster City Council, as key local stakeholders, are working with Eden International to explore the development of a new visitor facility of national significance in Lancashire. (Eden International is the global arm of Eden's operations which includes the Eden Project in Cornwall). To make progress, the four local stakeholders have been asked to contribute £250,000 each to advance the business case in support of the "Eden of the North" opportunity in Morecambe, with this total sum of £1m fully matched by Eden International. 

The purpose of this report is to secure the £250,000 funding contribution from Lancashire County Council, subject to confirmed contributions from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, Lancaster University and Lancaster City Council, and match funding from Eden International.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

There is a need to review the operation and delivery of both the Mobile Library Service and the Home Library Service and this report recommends how both services can be reviewed as part of a unified process.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

A report on the Future Provision of ICT Services.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report sets out a proposal to revoke structural weight limits of 7.5 tonne on two bridges in Irwell Vale and replace them with an 18 tonne environmental weight limit. The structural weight limits are no longer appropriate as the bridges have been strengthened. The 18 tonne weight limit is considered necessary to protect the private roads in Irwell Vale from unsuitable heavy vehicles but allow a reasonable level of access for deliveries to the area.

The proposals have been advertised in the local press and one objection has been received.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In accordance with the Government's school funding Regulations and Guidance, the Authority is required to submit a final Schools Block budget proforma for 2019/20 to the Education and Skills Funding Agency by 21 January 2019. This report seeks the approval of the Cabinet to submit the Schools Block budget proforma and requests approval for the Early Years, High Needs and Central Schools Services Block budgets for 2019/20.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.