Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

Apologies were received from Cllr Williams.

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting held on 17^th July 2013.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th July 2013 be agreed as a correct record.

To receive a presentation from Mr Ellis regarding the Police and Crime Plan (Safer, Fairer, United Communities for Staffordshire 2013-18).

Cabinet members received a presentation from The Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mr Matthew Ellis regarding his strategy for 2013 to 2018.

Resolved: That the presentation be received.

(a) That Members note the contents of the report and recommend that the Council continues to monitor and scrutinise performance alongside finances.

(b) That Members note that the appendix A is a new style of finance report

(c)That Members note that the appendix B is a new style of performance as detailed in line with the Performance Management Framework Review and the Council Plan 2013-14 to 2015-16.

A report was submitted to provide Cabinet with the Financial and Performance Review for the 2013/14 First Quarter (April -June).

The monitoring reports provided information about the corporate performance of individual council services, alongside financial information.  This report had previously been presented to the Transformation & Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 2 September 2013. 

Resolved: (a) That Members note the contents of the report and recommend that the Council continues to monitor and scrutinise performance alongside finances.

(b) That Members note that the appendix A is a new style of finance report

(c)That Members note that the appendix B is a new style of performance as detailed in line with the Performance Management Framework Review and the Council Plan 2013-14 to 2015-16.

(a)  To retender the Newcastle Housing Advice Service Contract for a 3 year contract with an option to extend for a further 3 years subject to satisfactory performance and funding.

(b)   That Cabinet approve the proposal to accept variants bids as part of the retendering of the Newcastle Housing Advice Service Contract.

(c)   That Cabinet require the successful contractor to work with the Council to enhance the customer journey in future years of the contract.

(d)   That the Executive Director for Regeneration and Development is authorised in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to finalise the specification/service outline.

(e)  That once details of the relevant bids have been received they are shared with the relevant scrutiny committee to help ensure that the important parts of the contract are protected before any contract is awarded.

The delivery of a housing advice, homelessness and housing register service was a statutory function, which meant that the Council had to provide assistance to assist individuals and families who were homeless or threatened with homelessness who applied for help. The report set out the options available for the provision of the Council’s statutory homelessness, housing advice and housing register services for April 2014 onwards when the current extended contract expired.

In line with the Council’s overarching aim to seek at least 10% savings from all newly commissioned contracts, it was anticipated that the future budget for the service would be reduced from £300,000 to £270,000, therefore it was necessary for the Council to consider ways to deliver the service in more efficient ways. The report outlined the options available and highlighted how the retendering process would enable future delivery of the service to be brought in within the desired budget when the current contract expired at the end of March 2014.

Resolved: (a)           To retender the Newcastle Housing Advice Service Contract for a 3 year contract with an option to extend for a further 3 years subject to satisfactory performance and funding.

(b)   That Cabinet approve the proposal to accept variants bids as part of the retendering of the Newcastle Housing Advice Service Contract.

(c)   That Cabinet require the successful contractor to work with the Council to enhance the customer journey in future years of the contract.

(d)   That the Executive Director for Regeneration and Development is authorised in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to finalise the specification/service outline.

(e)  That once details of the relevant bids have been received they are shared with the relevant scrutiny committee to help ensure that the important parts of the contract are protected before any contract is awarded.

(a) That Cabinet authorises the Head of Operations to undertake a procurement exercise via the ESPO Grounds Maintenance Services contract 245 framework for the provision of a grounds maintenance and burial service contract for a period of 4 years, commencing April 1^st 2014, and following consultation with the Portfolio Holder, accept the most economically advantageous tender, after consideration of opportunities to seek an efficiency saving from the existing budget provision if necessary.

(b) That option (iii) on page 43 be the preferred option – to expose the work to a competitive tendering process utilising an existing framework.

(c) That Cllr Beach report back regarding the potential cost of the refurbishment of the baling shed once it is known.

A report was submitted to consider options for the future procurement of the Bereavement Services Grounds Maintenance Contract 

Resolved: (a) That Cabinet authorises the Head of Operations to undertake a procurement exercise via the ESPO Grounds Maintenance Services contract 245 framework for the provision of a grounds maintenance and burial service contract for a period of 4 years, commencing April 1^st 2014, and following consultation with the Portfolio Holder, accept the most economically advantageous tender, after consideration of opportunities to seek an efficiency saving from the existing budget provision if necessary.

(b) That option (iii) on page 43 be the preferred option – to expose the work to a competitive tendering process utilising an existing framework.

(c) That Cllr Beach report back regarding the potential cost of the refurbishment of the baling shed once it is known.

That Cabinet give approval to:

• undertake a procurement exercise and subsequently award a contract for the supply of replacement ICT Desktop equipment;
• implement the ICT Desktop Strategy (the Strategy) as detailed in the report.

A report was submitted to seek Cabinet approval to procure and subsequently award a contract for replacement ICT Desktop equipment as a result of the move to Windows 7 and Office 2010, and in parallel to put in place a robust and manageable ICT Desktop Strategy.

Resolved: That Cabinet give approval to:

• undertake a procurement exercise and subsequently award a contract for the supply of replacement ICT Desktop equipment;
• implement the ICT Desktop Strategy (the Strategy) as detailed in the report.

(a) That Cabinet support the consultation proposals outlined in the report.

(b) That Cllr Snell and Cllr Stubbs liaise with the Head of Communications to add one or two Saturday morning consultation events.

(c) That Cllr Snell and Cllr Stubbs write to all LAPS and parish councils and offer to go and speak to them regarding the budget proposals.

(d) That electronic copies of the budget reporter and web links be sent to all members.

A report was submitted to inform Cabinet of consultation proposals as part of the preparation to produce the council’s Budget for 2014/15. The borough council was committed to being a “co-operative council” and this included a desire to be an “open, honest and transparent organisation which undertook regular consultation with its residents and listened to their views.”

Resolved: (a) That Cabinet support the consultation proposals outlined in the report.

(b) That Cllr Snell and Cllr Stubbs liaise with the Head of Communications to add one or two Saturday morning consultation events.

(c) That Cllr Snell and Cllr Stubbs write to all LAPS and parish councils and offer to go and speak to them regarding the budget proposals.

(d) That electronic copies of the budget reporter and web links be sent to all members.

That the Council supports the delivery of a PM Training Concordat Action Plan which would include:

·        Supply chain management - the Council and PM Training to continue to promote the partnership throughout the Boroughs supply chain.

·        Procurement link to Social Value Act – the Council to highlight PM Training as an exemplar organisation in achieving desired outcomes in relation to training and employment

·         Joint procurement with the Aspire Group – investigate opportunities to jointly procure goods and services

·        Work experience opportunities – investigate opportunities to provide structured work experience placements

·        Support for Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM) – the Council to seek to promote SEWM to its stakeholders and supply chain and consider becoming a Social Enterprise supporter of SEWM

A report was submitted to request approval from Cabinet to take forward actions in line with the PM Training Concordat Action Plan over the forthcoming 2 years.

Resolved: That the Council supports the delivery of a PM Training Concordat Action Plan which would include:

·        Supply chain management - the Council and PM Training to continue to promote the partnership throughout the Boroughs supply chain.

·        Procurement link to Social Value Act – the Council to highlight PM Training as an exemplar organisation in achieving desired outcomes in relation to training and employment

·         Joint procurement with the Aspire Group – investigate opportunities to jointly procure goods and services

·        Work experience opportunities – investigate opportunities to provide structured work experience placements

·        Support for Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM) – the Council to seek to promote SEWM to its stakeholders and supply chain and consider becoming a Social Enterprise supporter of SEWM

That the Supplementary Planning Document relating to Audley Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan be adopted.

Resolved: That the Supplementary Planning Document relating to Audley Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan be adopted.

That members note:

i.       the decision taken by officers to offer an option on a parcel of council-owned land, consistent with the council’s scheme of delegation, and;

ii.          the work being undertaken by officers to enable the efficient movement of vehicles to/from the site whilst minimising nuisance to local residents.

A report was submitted to review the process which led to JCB’s decision to invest in the Blue Planet building and in particular to enable members to review the Officers’ decision to offer an option to develop Council-owned land at a later date. The main reason for making this decision was to facilitate economic growth for the long term economic well-being of the borough.

Members all agreed that this was a fantastic development and requested that the all officers involved in the project be thanked.

Resolved: That members note:

i.       the decision taken by officers to offer an option on a parcel of council-owned land, consistent with the council’s scheme of delegation, and;

ii.          the work being undertaken by officers to enable the efficient movement of vehicles to/from the site whilst minimising nuisance to local residents.