Agenda and minutes

Members will disclose any pecuniary and any other significant interests they may have in relation to the matters to be considered at this meeting.

Councillor Vivien Taylor declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Item 11 of the agenda as her family owned a business adjacent to the ferry slipway and because she had made a declaration of ongoing public support for the ferry service and she left the meeting during discussion of the item.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 15 February 2017.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 15 February 2017 were confirmed as a correct record.

To receive and respond to any questions from members of the public.

Public questions can be delivered in writing to Democratic Services or sent by email to: publicquestions@wyre.gov.uk. Public questions for this meeting must be received by noon on Thursday 16 March 2017. Questioners should provide their name and address and indicate to which Cabinet member the question is to be directed.

The total period of time allocated for public questions will not normally exceed 30 minutes.

None

Report of the Chairman of the Domestic Abuse task group and Service Director Performance and Innovation.

Cabinet agreed that the order of agenda items be rearranged so that item 6 on the agenda could be taken next to allow Councillor Reeves, the Chairman of the Domestic Abuse task group, to leave immediately afterwards.

The Chairman of the Domestic Abuse task group and the Service Director Performance and Innovation submitted a report detailing the work of the Domestic Abuse task group.

The Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety Portfolio Holder thanked the members of the task group and Peter Foulsham, Scrutiny Officer, for their work on the task and acknowledged that Councillor Reeves, as chairman, had been the driving force behind the group and that it had been a high point in her work as a councillor.

Councillor Berry gave his wholehearted support to all six of the task group’s recommendations and advocated that all were accepted. He added that in respect of recommendation 4, Councillor Barry Birch had already asked to be one of the Domestic Abuse Champions. Councillor Christine Smith was then nominated as the other councillor Domestic Abuse Champion and this was accepted.

The Chief Executive informed Cabinet that he had volunteered himself to be one of the officer Domestic Abuse Champions and that the Service Director Health and Wellbeing, Neil Greenwood (Head of Environmental Health and Community Safety) and Dave McArthur (Private Sector Housing and Housing Options Manager) had also volunteered to give four officer options.

Decision taken

Cabinet agreed

1.    That steps be taken by the council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel and/or the Portfolio Holder and officers of the council to make representations to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner to ensure that the views of Wyre Council, as a recognised stakeholder, are taken into account throughout the process of performance monitoring of the newly commissioned service.

2.    That all councillors be offered and encouraged to take part in domestic abuse training, to be delivered by the end of March 2018.
 

3.    That the Council continues to support and promote the annual White Ribbon Campaign.

4.    That the Council appoints two councillors and two officers as Domestic Abuse Champions

5.    That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee receives a briefing report, preferably specific to the Wyre Council area, from the council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel or the Portfolio Holder about the newly commissioned service at the beginning of the 2018/19 Municipal Year.

6.    That the report from the council’s representative on the Police and Crime Panel or the Portfolio Holder to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the beginning of the 2018/19 Municipal Year includes comments about the implementation of each of the task group’s recommendations.

The Leader thanked Councillor Reeves on the eve of her resignation as a councillor for all she had done for the council since becoming an elected member.

Report of the Chairman of the Food Hygiene task group and Service Director Performance and Innovation.

The Chairman of the Food Hygiene task group and Service Director Performance and Innovation submitted a report detailing the work of the Food Hygiene task group.

The Health and Community Engagement Portfolio Holder praised the thoroughness of the task group’s report, thanked the members and stated that she fully supported all the recommendations.

Decision taken

Cabinet agreed

• that the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme be promoted across the borough, using all methods that the council has at its disposal, to raise public awareness and interest, and to help raise food hygiene standards in commercial premises and in residential establishments.
  
  
• that, recognising the positive effect of legislation in Wales, a letter be sent from the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive to the Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (copied to Wyre’s three MPs) urging the Government to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity to introduce a mandatory Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
  
  

• that it be made a requirement:
  
  

i.              that for any festivals and events run by the council

any food business should have a Food Hygiene Rating of 3 or more to trade. The council should also endeavour to reflect the same terms, where possible, in new lease arrangements for any food business run from council premises.;

ii.            that for the Wyre Business Awards

any food business taking part should have a Food Hygiene Rating of 4 or 5 (reflecting the fact that the Awards are an exhibition of excellence in the borough).

In accordance with Paragraph 11 of the Access to Information Rules in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, the Chief Executive has determined that the report submitted under item 11 of this agenda is “Not for Publication” because it contains “exempt information”, as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

If Cabinet agrees that the public and press should be excluded for this item, it will need to pass the following resolution:

“That the public and press be excluded from the meeting whilst agenda item 11 is considered, on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in category 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) of Part 1 of Schedule 12(a) of the Local Government Act, 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Variation Order 2006 and, that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information”.

Cabinet agreed that the order of agenda items be modified to allow item 11 on the agenda to be taken next so that non-executive members who had left the still-continuing Planning Committee meeting to attend for this item could return to that meeting immediately afterwards.

In accordance with Paragraph 11 of the Access to Information Rules in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, the Chief Executive had determined that the report submitted under item 11 of the agenda was “Not for Publication” because it contains “exempt information”, as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Decision taken

Cabinet agreed that the public and press be excluded from the meeting whilst agenda item 11 was considered, on the grounds “that their presence would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in category 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) of Part 1 of Schedule 12(a) of the Local Government Act, 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Variation Order 2006 and, that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information”

Report of the Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder and Service Director People and Places.

The Planning and Economic Development Portfolio Holder and Service Director People and Places submitted a report to provide an update on the procurement exercise undertaken for the operation of the Fleetwood to Knott End Ferry.

Decision taken

Cabinet agreed to defer the decision and negotiate to continue the service in the short term.

Report of the Resources Portfolio Holder and Service Director Performance and Innovation.

The Resources Portfolio Holder and Service Director Performance and Innovation submitted a report asking Cabinet to consider the capital overspend in relation to restoration of the dome at the Marine Hall, Fleetwood.

Decision taken

Cabinet noted the explanation of the variations to the budget and agreed that the most recently reported 2016/17 Capital Budget and its funding be updated to reflect an overspend of £19,389.

Report of the Resources Portfolio Holder and Head of Finance.

The Resources Portfolio Holder and the Head of Finance submitted a report setting out the policies and objectives of the Council in respect of Treasury Management activities, explaining how the Council seeks to achieve the objectives and manage and control the activities, and asking Cabinet to agree a strategy for 2017/18.

Decision taken

Cabinet approved

• the Treasury Management Policy Statement 2017/18 and agreed to formally adopt clauses 4 to 7.

• the revised Treasury Management Practices 2017/18.

• the Treasury Management and Annual Investment Strategy 2017/18.

·         the MRP Policy Statement 2017/18.

Report of the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive.

The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive submitted a report providing Cabinet with a summary of the findings from the Life In Wyre Survey.

Decision taken

Cabinet agreed to note the findings and ensure that the survey data is used to shape future service provision.