| Place: | Shield Room, Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland PR25 1DH |
| Present: | Councillor Mrs M R Smith (Leader of the Council) (in the Chair) Councillors P Mullineaux (Deputy Leader and Neighbourhoods & Street Scene), P Hamman (Shared Services & Corporate Support), C Hughes (Strategic Planning & Housing), S M Robinson (Finance & Resources) and P J Smith (Regeneration, Leisure & Healthy Communities) |
| In attendance: | Chief Executive, (Mike Nuttall), and Democratic Services Manager (Martin O?Loughlin) |
| Public attendance: | Nil |
| Other Members and Officers: | 5 other Council members and 3 officers were present |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEN ITEMS | ||||
| 9 |
Apologies for Absence No apologies were submitted. |
Noted | ||
| 10 |
Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest. |
Noted | ||
| 11 |
Minutes of the Last Meeting Minutes attached RESOLVED: (Unanimous) That the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 13 June 2012 be signed as a correct record. |
Agreed | ||
| 12 |
Community Covenant - Armed Forces Report attached The Leader (Councillor Mrs M R Smith) introduced this report which explained that the Government was encouraging local authorities to make links with the Armed Forces community and lead on the development of a Community Covenant. A Community Covenant was a voluntary statement of mutual support between a civilian community and its local Armed Forces community. It aimed to encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces in their area and promote understanding and awareness amongst the public of matters affecting the Armed Forces community. The report also outlined the work undertaken ahead of the signing of a Community Covenant by the Member Champion for the Armed Forces and made recommendations that a Community Covenant be signed. The Leader proposed that it would be appropriate for the covenant to be signed following the Remembrance Parade on Sunday 11 November 2012. RESOLVED (Unanimous): 1. That the work undertaken by the Member Champion for the Armed Forces since her appointment in May 2012 be noted. 2. That the recommendations for the 4 priorities within the Community Covenant be agreed. 3. That the South Ribble Community Covenant to be signed following the Remembrance Parade on Sunday 11 November 2012 |
Agreed | ||
| 13 |
Localisation of Council Tax Support Scheme Report (82K/bytes) attached Timetable (58K/bytes) attached Councillor S M Robinson (Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources) introduced this report which informed Cabinet that in October 2010 the Government announced its intention to replace Council Tax Benefit (CTB) with a Local Scheme for Council Tax Support (LSCT). This formed part of the Welfare Reform agenda which would see the merging of all remaining benefits including Housing Benefit into a single benefit called Universal Credit. The move to a localised scheme for Council Tax Support would see responsibility for delivering schemes move from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Previously Council Tax Benefit was fully funded from central government, as part of this transfer the DCLG stated its intention to reduce the level of funding to Local Government by ?500m. This meant that any locally introduced scheme must be implemented at a level of 10% less than the total cost of the CTB scheme. Councillor S M Robinson (Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources) emphasised that this was putting forward proposals for consultation on two alternative schemes and was not proposing a decision on which scheme would be implemented. He also confirmed that the Scrutiny Committee would be a consultee. RESOLVED (Unanimous): 1. That the Council undertake public consultation on two alternative schemes, namely a percentage reduction from Council Tax Benefit and a flat rate deduction from Council Tax Benefit. 2. That public consultation should run for a period of 8 weeks 3. That the Council undertakes full and rigorous impact assessments to ensure whatever scheme is adopted and implemented is within the law 4. That the proposed timetable of events to ensure that the Council is able to publish its scheme in January 2013 be agreed |
Agreed | ||
| 14 |
Performance Monitoring Report ? Year End 2011/12 - April 2011 to March 2012 Report attached Appendix 1 attached Appendix 2 attached The Leader (Councillor Mrs M R Smith) introduced this item which reported on the Council?s corporate plan as agreed in September 2011 following extensive engagement with councillors after May?s elections, and which was a two-year plan in-line with the local government finance settlement and as this had only recently been agreed many of the projects and actions were underway and therefore showed an on-track status. It was further reported that the performance management landscape had changed significantly with the ending of nationally driven performance framework and assessments and to help the Council manage its performance effectively and continue to meet the challenges and aspirations of Members and residents, a comprehensive review of performance management was underway. The Leader informed Cabinet that this report had previously been considered by the Council?s Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 19 June 2012 and referred to the recommendations of that Committee. She commented that although the report showed excellent progress there were still many challenges ahead. RESOLVED (Unanimous): That the report be noted |
Noted | ||
| 15 |
Queen Elizabeth II Fields Report attached Councillor P Mullineaux (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods & Street Scene) introduced this item which informed Cabinet that the Fields in Trust (FIT), formerly The Playing Field Association, had been and was still promoting a scheme to recognise the Queen?s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 London Olympics. Their challenge was to achieve dedicated status for 2012 playing fields / open spaces across the country. He informed Cabinet that following extensive consultation the following sites had been successfully nominated and subject to the completion of the deed of dedication would achieve protected status: Much Hoole Playing Field Middleforth Park Croston Manor Farington Park Withy Grove Park Gregson Lane Playing Field RESOLVED (Unanimous): That approval for the deeds of dedication to be signed by the Duly Authorised Officer, the Council?s Legal Services Manager be granted. |
Agreed | ||
| 16 |
Boundary Review Report attached The Leader (Councillor Mrs M R Smith) introduced this item which informed Cabinet of the forth coming Boundary Review and proposed that the Council create a Boundary Review Committee to develop proposals for submission to the Boundary Commission and to respond to submissions and representations from the Boundary Commission. RESOLVED (Unanimous): 1. That the Council note the forthcoming Boundary Review to be undertaken by The Local Government Boundary Commission for England. 2. That the Council create a Boundary Committee to develop proposals for submission to the Boundary Committee and to respond to submissions from the Boundary Committee within the terms of reference set out in the report. 3. That the Membership of the Committee, with names to submitted at Council, be as follows: (a) Conservative (6) (b) Labour (3) |
Agreed | ||
| 17 |
The Cabinet's Forward Plan Forward Plan attached RESOLVED (Unanimous): That the Forward Plan submitted under section 22 of the Local Government Act 2000 be approved. |
Agreed | ||