Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from County Councillors Azhar Ali OBE and Lorraine Beavers.

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.

County Councillor Peter Buckley declared a Non-Pecuniary interest in relation to Agenda Item 6 – Procurement Report, as his wife was the Leader of Fylde Borough Council and Fylde Borough Council was partly funding the M55 Heyhouses scheme.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 April be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

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 C35(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.

There were no questions received.

Cabinet considered a report proposing a number of proposals in relation to the council's governance and committee arrangements, in the following areas:

• Cabinet Portfolios
• Cabinet Committee on Performance Improvement
• Scrutiny
• Political Governance Working Group
• Local Member Grants
• Lead Members

In presenting the report, it was proposed that the following recommendation be added:

viii.Full Council be asked to approve that the Political Governance Working Group meet quarterly to be a forum for matters relating to the political management of the authority.

Resolved: That;

1. The amendments to the Cabinet Member portfolio descriptions as set out at Appendix 'A', be approved;
2. Full Council be asked to approve the amendments to the constitution to reflect the changes to the portfolio descriptions;
3. Approval be given for the Cabinet Committee on Performance Improvement be disestablished;
4. Full Council be asked to approve the proposed changes to the scrutiny function as set out in the report;
5. Approval be given to allow for decisions on Local Member Grants to be made by the Monitoring Officer where the local member has an interest that prevents them taking the decision;
6. Approval be given for any funds left over in the Local Member Grant budget at year end over the £200 that each member can carry forward be allocated to schemes or projects designed to support looked after children and care leavers, with details of these allocations to be reported to the Corporate Parenting Board.
7. The position of "Lead Member for Highways" be retitled "Lead Member for Highways and Active Travel" and Full Council be asked to approve the necessary amendments to the constitution to reflect this.
8. Full Council be asked to approve that the Political Governance Working Group meet quarterly to be a forum for matters relating to the political management of the authority.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to commence the procurement exercise for M55 Heyhouses surfacing in accordance with the county council's procurement rules.

In presenting the report, members requested that "Supporting economic growth" be added to the Corporate Priorities listed for the report.

Resolved: That, the commencement of the procurement exercise for the M55 Heyhouses surfacing be approved.

Cabinet considered a report proposing the award of a grant contribution of £50,000 to support the development of a Changing Places facility at Lancaster Train Station.

Resolved: That;

1. Approval be given to enter into a grant funding agreement with Avanti West Coast for the county council's contribution of £50,000 towards delivery of the project; and
2. The Director of Highways and Transport be authorised, in consultation with the Director of Corporate Services and Director of Finance, to agree and finalise the terms of the agreements with Avanti West Coast. The grant funding would be taken from the unallocated balance of the approved Changing Places programme.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to add £234,545 to the county council's 2022/23 Capital Programme from two developer contributions received through previously approved agreements under S106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

It was noted that in accordance with the S106 agreements, the funding would be used to investigate, design, consult on and deliver improvements to bus stops in Longridge and along the Longridge – Grimsargh – Ribbleton – Preston bus route.

Resolved: That, the addition of £234,545 from two S106 agreements to the Externally Funded schemes Block of the 2022/23 Capital programme, be approved.

Cabinet considered a report proposing to introduce Waiting and Loading restrictions on Clifton Drive North, St Annes, between Highbury Road West and Squires Gate Lane.

In presenting the report, it was noted that consultation and formal advertising of these proposals together with a Police parking bay had been undertaken, and that comments from the public had been fully taken into account.

Resolved: That, the making of the Order for the introduction of Loading and Waiting restrictions, in addition to a Police Vehicle Parking Bay, as shown in Appendix 'A' of the report, be approved.

Cabinet considered a report that proposed to make an order to introduce a new Prohibition of Driving along a short section of Moss Lane, Whittle-le-Woods, and the revoking and reintroduction of a number of orders with anomalies in the districts of Hyndburn, Pendle, and West Lancashire to allow for effective enforcement by the Police.

The order further removed restrictions that were no longer required due to duplication of orders or where an order was still in place that was not indicated on site in the districts of Pendle, Preston, and West Lancashire.

In presenting the report, members expressed thanks to all the officers involved in producing the report and bringing it before Cabinet in a timely manner.

Resolved: That, the proposals for restrictions on the various lengths of road within the Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston, and West Lancashire districts, as detailed within the report and as set out in the Modified Draft Order at Appendix 'A2' of the report, which included the amendment to the wording of Article 9 and small sections within both the Metropolitan District of Sefton and the Metropolitan District of St Helens, be approved.

Cabinet considered a report that provided the outcomes of the informal consultation that had been carried out in relation to a proposal to expand Morecambe Road School, Lancaster. It was proposed that the school expansion would be achieved through the creation of 34 additional places. 22 of these places would be based within the existing school site. The additional teaching space required would be achieved through building work commissioned and financed by the school, and 12 places would be based in a satellite provision at Lancaster and Morecambe College, which was located 0.3 miles away from Morecambe Road School. The separate 'satellite' provision would be operated as part of Morecambe Road School.

The report also included a proposal to seek expressions of interests, and initiate feasibility studies and the informal consultation process that would further support the development of SEN units in schools in different locations across the County.

Resolved: That, following consideration of the results of the informal consultation that had been carried out in relation to a proposal to expand Morecambe Road School, Lancaster;

1. The publication of a statutory notice in relation to increasing the number of special school places at Morecambe Road School by 22 places to 177 that would be created through the building of additional teaching space on the main school site and the initiation of the formal consultation process required to make the prescribed alteration/significant change to Morecambe Road School, be approved;
2. The publication of a statutory notice in relation to the creation of another 12 special school places at Morecambe Road School to increase the overall number of places at the school to 189 through the development of satellite provision on the site of Lancaster and Morecambe College and the initiation of the formal consultation process required to make the prescribed alteration/significant change to Morecambe Road School, be approved;
3. The publication of a statutory notice in relation to changing the designation of Morecambe Road School from one for pupils with moderate learning difficulties to one for pupils with generic learning difficulties, and the initiation of the formal consultation process required to make this prescribed alteration/significant change to Morecambe Road School, be approved;
4. The initiation of a process to seek expressions of interest to further support the development of SEN units in schools in different locations across the County where this continues to be required, be approved; and
5. The initiation of the informal consultation process, be approved.

Cabinet considered a report proposing the creation of a Lancashire Levelling Up Investment Fund of £5m. The bespoke fund will enable, accelerate, unlock and assist in the delivery of Lancashire's multi-£billion pipeline of major development projects and infrastructure programme, complementing the Government's Levelling Up White paper.

Resolved: That;

1. The allocation of up to £5m to fund a targeted programme as outlined in this report, be approved;
2. The Executive Director of Growth, Environment, Transport and Community Services be authorised to finalise the programme and award funding to projects, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Growth, Director of Corporate Services and Director of Finance, and to enable the commissioning and procurement of further work as required and entering into legal/funding arrangements as required.

Cabinet considered a report on the Better Working Between Lancashire County Council and Parish and Town Councils: Parish & Town Council Charter 2022-2024 which set out the relationship between Lancashire County Council and Parish and Town Councils in Lancashire. The Charter had been revised, in conjunction with the Parish and Town Councils, and set out the aim to work effectively together for the benefit of local people, whilst recognising respective responsibilities as autonomous democratically elected, statutory bodies.

In presenting the report, members invited Parish and Town Councils to also bring the Parish & Town Council Charter 2022-2024 to each of their own council meetings for a discussion. Furthermore, it was noted that the pictures included on the front page of Appendix 'A' of the report were some of the areas of the Parish and Town Councils that attended the workshop held in March 2022.

County Councillors Aidy Riggott, Graham Gooch, Shaun Turner and Phillippa Williamson each declared a Non-Pecuniary interest as they were Parish Councillors.

Resolved: That, the Better Working Between Lancashire County Council and Parish and Town Councils: Parish and Town Councils Charter 2022 – 2024, as set out at Appendix 'A' of the report, be approved.

The following urgent decisions have been taken by the Leader of the County Council and the relevant Cabinet Member in accordance with Standing Order C16(1) since the last meeting of Cabinet, and can be viewed by clicking on the relevant links:

-  Facilities Management - Fees and Charges 2022/23

-  Request for Waiver of Procurement Rules

Resolved: That the two urgent decisions taken by the Leader of the County Council and the relevant Cabinet Member, since the last meeting of Cabinet, 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 were no items of Urgent Business.

The next meeting of Cabinet will be held on Thursday 9 June 2022 at 2.00 pm at County Hall, Preston.

It was noted that the next meeting of Cabinet would be held at 2pm on Thursday 9 June 2022 at County Hall, Preston.

No representations have been received.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Cabinet considered a report that sought approval to waive the county council's procurement rules to allow for a direct award.

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