Cabinet - Thursday 29 November 2007

Present at the meeting:

• Councillor P R C Smith (Executive Leader)
• Councillor K Anderson (Cabinet Champion for Healthier Communities and Older People)
• Councillor J B Baldwin (Cabinet Champion for Lifestyle)
• Councillor K Cunliffe (Cabinet Champion for Neighbourhood)
• Councillor T W Halliwell (Cabinet Champion for Organisational Change)
• Councillor J A O’Neill (Cabinet Champion for Regeneration)
• Councillor C Ready (Cabinet Champion for Equality)
• Councillor Mrs E Smethurst (Cabinet Champion for Improvement)
• Councillor B M Wilson (Cabinet Champion for Children and Young People)
• Councillor J A O’Neill (Cabinet Champion for Regeneration) in the Chair.

224 Apologies for absence: Councillor D T Molyneux (Cabinet Champion for Environment).

225 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 15 November 2007 were approved as a correct record.

226 Exclusion of the public - section 100a Local Government Act 1972: Resolved: The public is excluded from the meeting when the Cabinet discusses the following items for the reasons set out below:-

227 Response on the proposed closure of Post Offices in Orrell, Wigan and Leigh: The Cabinet considered a report on the Post Office’s proposals under its network change programme to close offices in Lower Ince, Scholes, Leigh and Orrell.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to enable a Council response to the Post Office, along with those submitted directly by ward councillors and local residents.

Resolved: The Cabinet authorises the Assistant Chief Executive to arrange a meeting of interested parties to discuss these proposals and thereafter, following consultation with the Executive Leader, to send an appropriate response to the Post Office.

228 Single Commissioning Agency: The Cabinet considered a report on proposals to establish a Single Commissioning Agency (SCA) with Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust to commission jointly functions currently associated with adult health and social care provision to the benefit of patients and individual service users. Statutory responsibilities would remain with the local authority and the NHS as at the moment.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to produce the service or financial benefits which can be gained from a more formal approach of joint commissioning inline with Government policy.

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

• approves the establishment of a Single Commissioning Agency with Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT;
• requests the Chief Executive to arrange for the local authority to assume the role of Clerk to the proposed SCA Board; and
• agrees the next steps outlined in the report in order to:
• arrange a knowledge exchange workshop to explore critical issues;
• develop the detailed governance model for the SCA for submission to a shadow Board meeting in January or early February 2008;
• continue to progress with the joint executive group to further the detailed planning for the SCA;
• ensure congruency with the other Council and PCT organisational changes underway and harmonise timings wherever possible;
• identify the SCA structure, staffing and impact on current arrangements and human resources processes;
• initiate a communications strategy across the partner organisations; and
• develop a year one work programme for the SCA.

At this point in the proceedings, Councillor P R C Smith (Executive Leader) took the Chair.

229 Highway maintenance programme 2007/08 supplementary planned structural highway maintenance programme: The Cabinet considered a report on a supplementary planned structural highway maintenance programme for implementation during 2007/08. This identified schemes in the programme that had been postponed to align them more effectively with work being undertaken by the statutory undertakers, whilst identifying further schemes that could be funded instead in 2007/08.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to re-allocate the funding earmarked for the postponed schemes, to avoid any prejudice to the Council's best value performance indicators performance and to maintain progress in maintaining the council's highway network.

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

• agrees to postpone the schemes shown in Appendix A with them being included when it is prudent to do so in a forthcoming planned structural highway maintenance programme;
• approves the supplementary planned structural highway maintenance work programme for 2007/08 shown in Appendix B;
• authorises the Director of Environmental Services to invite tenders for any work listed in the programme of planned work; and
• authorises the Director of Environmental Services in accordance with the council constitution or when necessary in consultation with the Environment Portfolio holder to accept suitable tenders.

230 Resource allocation model (minute 239 of November 2006 refers): The Cabinet considered a report on the implementation of a resource allocation model pilot in adult services. The basic principle of the model was to give a points weighting to a series of factors which related to the components of care packages. This determined an overall points score, which when multiplied by a locally determined £ amount of resource per point, would give an indicative value to a particular package. The £ amount of resource would be determined by reference to the current financial resources put into existing packages and the portfolio of current care packages.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to demonstrate a commitment to service users to give them increased choice and personalisation.

Resolved: The Cabinet agrees to the introduction of the resource allocation model pilot, subject to the Director of Adult Services submitting a report reviewing the operation of the system over the next 12 months with a view to rolling the model out on a broader basis in future.

231 AGMA public protection partnership project - proposal to support the establishment of business regulation solutions: The Cabinet considered a report on the change management programme being undertaken by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) Public Protection Partnership and the company Business Regulation Solutions already established as the delivery mechanism to improve business compliance throughout Greater Manchester.

The Licensing Committee had endorsed the report (minute 19 refers).

There were no alternative options available for consideration.

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

• agrees to participate in this initiative and to enter into a memorandum of understanding (‘MoU’) to take it forward;
• nominates the Assistant Director (Regulatory Services) to serve as a Non Executive Director on the Board of Business Regulation Solutions;
• agrees that any surplus produced by the Company will be invested back into service development rather than distributed to the participating local authorities;
• authorises the Assistant Director (Regulatory Services) to enter into arrangements to provide resources and expertise to Business Regulation Solutions, in return for payment by the Company of the Council’s full costs;
• authorises the Deputy Director of Legal and Property Services to agree the terms of company memorandum / articles, MoU, governance arrangements, ethical protocol, etc; and
• indemnifies the Assistant Director (Regulatory Services) in relation to any action of or failure to act by the officer in question when discharging their responsibilities as a Non Executive Director on the Board of Business Regulation Solutions in accordance with the Council’s approved employee indemnity scheme.

232 New growth point expression of interest: The Cabinet considered a report on an expression of interest, submitted to government, along with other AGMA authorities, to form part of a Greater Manchester-wide new growth point. Designation as a new growth point would bring additional government funding to authorities that had committed to bringing forward higher rates of new housing growth than previously planned by 2016 with the extra funding being allocated for investment in infrastructure and capacity building needed to bring forward such growth in housing.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to take advantage of gaining substantial additional funding for investment in the local area.

Resolved: The Cabinet accepts the report and the action taken in submitting the expression of interest in conjunction with AGMA colleagues. 

233 New governance arrangements in Greater Manchester: The Cabinet considered a report on outline proposals for the constitutional arrangements for sub regional governance in Greater Manchester. The purpose of the exercise was to work together in order to achieve the promotion or improvement of the economic wellbeing of the Manchester City Region, its people and businesses, through measures and joint actions which member authorities may determine from time to time. However, this would not create a separate local authority. The ‘sovereign bodies’ would remain the 10 local authorities within Greater Manchester, with any existing statutory responsibilities and services delivered by or on behalf of individual local authorities remaining their responsibility, unless that local authority agreed to devolve such responsibility to the new sub regional arrangements. If other authorities outside wished to join the partnership, this would be considered.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to comply with principles approved by the AGMA Executive.

Resolved: The Cabinet, subject to the concurrence of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, approves the proposed new governance arrangements in Greater Manchester insofar as this Council is concerned.

234 Phase 3 Grand Arcade development possible involvement of the Council: The Cabinet considered a report on an offer made by Modus Properties (Wigan) Limited to acquire the Civic Centre from the Council and to provide new offices in the Grand Tower as part replacement. The site of the Civic Centre would then be absorbed into phase 3 of the Grand Arcade development.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to deliver the required office accommodation whilst generating the maximum uncommitted capital receipt.

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

• agrees in principle to dispose of the Council’s interest in the Grand Arcade site and the Civic Centre and to take a lease of accommodation in the Grand Tower on the terms now set out in the report, subject to agreement on the detailed terms; and
• authorises the Deputy Director of Legal and Property Services to negotiate and agree the detailed terms and enter the necessary legal agreements in consultation with the Leader, the Chief Executive and the Director of Finance and Information Technology.

235 Landgate - additional accommodation (minute 386 of March 2007 refers): The Cabinet considered a report and Form CPR1 on the agreed maximum price for the additional accommodation at Landgate School required to enable the school to cater for pupils from 4 to 19 years of age.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to obviate any delay in the project whilst taking advantage in procurement.

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

• accepts the agreed maximum price negotiated with the partner constructor Cruden Construction Ltd in the sum of £941,695; and
• grants budget release in the sum of £1,141,500 (£350,000 modernisation £21,500 devolved formula capital £120,000 revenue contribution £650,000 prudential borrowing) and amendment to the capital programme.

236 The proposed disposal of The Way We Were: The Cabinet considered a report on the potential for the disposal of the Council’s interest in the Way We Were and Education Centre buildings at Wigan Pier and the terms provisionally negotiated with the successful developer following a marketing exercise; the inclusion of additional areas as required for the successful completion of the regeneration project; and the benefits of assigning the whole of the Council’s current interest in the Pier.

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered. The reason for selecting the one recommended was to rationalise the whole of the Council’s landholding in the Pier Quarter.

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

• approves in principle the offer from Bruntwood Limited set out in the report;
• authorises the Officers to undertake further negotiations with Bruntwood to establish any additional areas that might be required for the successful completion of the regeneration proposal;
• approves the assignment of the whole of the leased area in view of the Council’s vacation of the site and, if appropriate, authorises further negotiations with Bruntwood in this respect and delegates power to the Deputy Director of Legal and Property Services, in consultation with the Leader, to approve any amended terms arising from the outcome of further negotiations with Bruntwood on this point; and
• authorises a formal approach to British Waterways Board in respect of the consent required under the terms of the existing lease and authorises the Corporate Property Officer to conclude such negotiations with any costs to be netted from the total proceeds of sale.

237 Award of contracts for the provision of 24 hour support to people with a learning disability: The Cabinet considered a report on the award of contracts for the provision of 24-hour support to people with a learning disability, Ref A0217.

There were no alternative options available for consideration.

Resolved: The Cabinet approves the award of contract to IAS Services Limited on the terms and conditions set out in the report.