Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence received.

If a member requires advice on Declarations of Interest, he/she is advised to contact the Legal & Democratic Services Manager in advance of the meeting.  (For the assistance of members a checklist for use in considering their position on any particular item is included at the end of this agenda sheet.)

The following Declarations of Interest were received:

If, by virtue of the date by which a decision must be taken, it has not been possible to follow Rule 15 (i.e. a matter which is likely to be the subject of a key decision has not been included on the Forward Plan) then the decision may still be taken if:

a)    The Chief Operating Officer, on behalf of the Leader, obtains the agreement of the Chairman of the Executive Overview and Scrutiny Committee that the making of the decision cannot be reasonably deferred,

b)    The Chief Operating Officer, on behalf of the Leader, makes available on the Council’s website and at the offices of the Council, a notice setting out the reasons that the decision is urgent and cannot reasonably be deferred.

The following item of business was included on the agenda for the meeting under Special Urgency:

(Relevant Portfolio Holder: Councillor D Evans)

Councillor D Evans introduced the report of the Corporate Director of Place & Community, as contained on pages 1477 to 1496 of the Book of Reports, sought confirmation of the use of capital funding for urgent public realm improvements at Wheatsheaf Walk, to include the removal of the pagoda and planters to create a more open and functional space to aid social distancing and the re-opening of businesses during the current COVID-19 outbreak.

Councillor D Evans referred to representations that had been received from a member of the public, which was available on the Council's website.

A Motion from Councillor D Evans, circulated prior to the meeting, was moved and seconded.

A vote was taken on the Motion, which was CARRIED.

RESOLVED:   A.      That Members note the consultation feedback on the Wheatsheaf Walk public realm improvement proposals provided at Appendix 2 to this report.

B.      That the matter be referred to Executive Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 26 June 2020 for consideration.

C.      That delegated authority be given to the Corporate Director of Place & Community, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder, to make a decision in relation to the proposed removal of the pagoda and planters at Wheatsheaf Walk in Ormskirk, taking into account the agreed comments of the Executive Overview & Scrutiny Committee.  

D.      That Call In is not appropriate for this item as the report is being referred to Executive Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

Residents of West Lancashire, on giving notice, may address the meeting to make representations on any item on the agenda except where the public and press are to be excluded during consideration of the item.  The deadline for submissions is 10.00am Friday 5 June 2020.

It was noted that representations had been received in relation to item 2(a) on the agenda 'Use of Capital Funding for Public Realm Improvements at Wheatsheaf Walk'. 

To receive as a correct record the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, 10 March 2020.

RESOLVED:            That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on the 10 March 2020 be received as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

Consideration was given to the reports relating to the following matters requiring decisions and contained on pages 1339 to 1422 of the Book of Reports.

(Relevant Portfolio Holder: Councillor D Evans)

Councillor David Evans introduced the report of the Corporate Director of Place and Community, which provided details to Members of an update to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 Governance and Expenditure Framework.  The update had been prepared to respond to the Government amendments to the CIL Regulations (2019), and to reflect Cabinet decisions made since the adoption of the original Governance Framework and as a result of a best practice review of operations designed to ensure that the framework remains the most appropriate and effective approach for CIL and S106 expenditure.

A Motion from Councillor D Evans, circulated prior to the meeting, was moved and seconded.

A vote was taken on the Motion, which was CARRIED.

In reaching the decision below, Cabinet considered the details as set out in the report before it and the reasons contained therein.

RESOLVED:     That the revisions to the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 Governance and Expenditure Framework, as attached at Appendix A to the report, be endorsed for consideration by Council at the meeting on 22 July, subject to:

A.      An amendment of paragraphs 6.19 – 6.21 of the Governance and Expenditure Framework to increase the amount of strategic CIL which can be allocated to smaller-scale projects each year through the CIL Funding Programme to £200,000.

B.      The removal of the word "(annually)" from paragraph 4.2 of the Appendix '(Update to the) Governance Framework for Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 Expenditure – June 2020'

(Relevant Portfolio Holder: Councillor A Yates)

Councillor Yates introduced the report of the Corporate Director of Transformation and Resources which presented performance monitoring data for the quarter end 31 March 2020.

In reaching the decision below, Cabinet considered the details as set out in the report before it and accepted the reasons contained therein.

RESOLVED:   A       That the Council's performance against the indicator set for the quarter period ended 31 March be noted.

                        B     That the call-in procedure is not appropriate for this item as the report will be submitted to the meeting of the Corporate and Environmental Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 11 June 2020.

Councillor Yates introduced the report of the Head of Finance, Procurement and Commercial Property, which set out the results of a review of the Council's Anti-money Laundering Policy.

A copy of the minute of Audit & Governance Committee held on 28 January 2020 was circulated prior to the meeting.

In reaching the decision below, Cabinet considered the details as set out in the revised report before it and accepted the reasons contained therein.

RESOLVED:            That the updated Anti-Money Laundering Policy as set out in Appendix 1 to the Report be approved.

It is recommended that members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 4 (Labour Relations) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act and as, in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption under Schedule 12A outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

(Note: No representations have been received about why the meeting should be open to the public during consideration of the following items of business).

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 it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 4 (Labour relations) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of that Act and as, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption under Schedule 12A outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

(Note:  No representations had been received in relation to the following item being considered in private).

Consideration was given to a report relating to the following matter requiring a decision and contained on pages 1423 to 1475 of the Book of Reports.

(Relevant Portfolio Holders: Councillors Y Gagen & K Wilkie)

Councillor Wilkie introduced the joint report of the Corporate Director of Transformation and Resources and the Corporate Director of Place and Community, which sought approval of a revision of the terms and conditions of staff as detailed in the Harmonisation and Single Status Document to facilitate the more efficient delivery of services during the weeks around Christmas and New Year.

In reaching the decision below, Cabinet considered the details as set out in the report before it and accepted the reasons contained therein.

RESOLVED:            That the proposed changes to the Harmonisation and Single Status Document as presented at Appendix 1 to the report be agreed and that they be presented to Council in July 2020.