Present at the meeting:
- Councillor D T Molyneux (Cabinet Champion for Environment and Regeneration)(In the Chair)
- Councillor K Anderson (Cabinet Champion for Neighbourhood)
- Councillor J B Baldwin (Cabinet Champion for Cultural)
- Councillor K Cunliffe (Cabinet Champion for Healthier Communities and Older People)
- Councillor Mrs S Loudon (Cabinet Champion for Children)
- Councillor P Prescott (Cabinet Champion for Lifestyle)
- Councillor C Ready (Cabinet Champion for Improvement)
- Councillor F B Walker (Cabinet Champion for Efficiency)
Officers in attendance
- Christine Charnock- Jones - Principal Committee Services Officer
- Nick Hudson – Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services
- Sue Johnson – Deputy Chief Executive
- Martin Kimber – Executive Director of Environmental Services
- Kevin Lawson – Service Director, Borough Solicitor
- Joyce Redfearn – Chief Executive
- John Rowbotham – Information Officer
- David Smith – Executive Director of Business Support Services
- Bernard Walker – Executive Director: Health and Well Being
Please note that where a resolution is in bold, then this determines that the report involved a key decision.
51 Apologies for absence: Councillors P R C Smith (Executive Leader) and G M Bretherton (Cabinet Champion for Equality and Young People).
52 Minutes: The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 30 July 2009 were approved as a correct record.
53 Exclusion of the public - section 100a Local Government Act 1972: Resolved: The public is excluded from the meeting when the Cabinet discusses the following item for the reason set out below:-
|
Agenda Item No. |
Title of report |
Minute No. |
Description of exempt information by reference to the paragraph number in schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 |
| E1 |
Business Support Solutions |
56 |
3 (Information about the financial or business affairs of any person or organisation, including the Council) |
54 Outcome of Stage 1 consultation on the proposal to close Montrose School, Wigan (minute 301 – May 2009 refers): The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services, Nick Hudson, which informed Members of the outcome of the stage one statutory consultation on the proposal to close Montrose School. The report recommended to Members that the proposal was to be progressed to the next stage of consultation, through the publication of statutory notices.
The Executive Director referred to the main points contained within the report including the relevant factors to be considered by the Members as the decision maker in this matter and the responses to the consultation.
The report set out details of the alternative options that had emerged from the consultation and these were contained within section 5.10 of the report.
Members asked a number of questions and commented on the various aspects of the report. Reference was made in particular to the work undertaken with parents and the Executive Director confirmed the support that had been given.
The Cabinet Champion for Children (Councillor Mrs S Loudon) supported the proposal and commended the work of the officers and suggested that should the school close, then any savings should be designated to special needs provision and officers were asked to explore how the resource might support the reduction of the number of children using facilities outside of the borough. She also suggested that it was important to consider the future use of the school building. Councillor Mrs Loudon agreed to meet with the governing body regarding the proposals if necessary and appropriate to do so.
Resolved: The Cabinet requests the Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services to:-
(1) publish statutory notices on the proposal to close Montrose School with effect from 31 August 2010.
(2) consider the use of savings and the future of the school building should the proposal be adopted.
(Councillor P Prescott declared a prejudicial interest in this item as his wife is a School Governor at Montrose school and left the meeting during discussion thereon).
55 Feedback from Scrutiny Committees (if any): There was none.
56 Wigan for Work European Programme Closure - Business Support Solutions (minute 237 – February 2009 refers): The Deputy Leader agreed to this additional item being taken as urgent, the special circumstances being the need to keep the Cabinet up to date on relevant issues.
The Cabinet received a verbal update from the Executive Director of Environmental Services, Martin Kimber, which referred to a potential claw back of grant on ERDF funding from Business Support Solutions, which could also affect the Council as the accountable body for the grant
He stressed the importance of protecting the Council’s interest without compromising Business Support Solutions in this period of economic decline.
The Executive Director referred to the ongoing dialogue with Government Office for the North West (GONW) regarding any correction and to an outstanding invoice from the Council to Business Support Solutions. He also referred to a letter from GONW, which suggested that the invoice should be paid in these circumstances.
Resolved: The Cabinet agrees the course of action proposed by the Executive Director of Environmental Services to pay the outstanding invoice.
Deputy Leader
The meeting concluded at 3.35 p.m.
