Middlesbrough Council 6 July 2011
MEETING OF MIDDLESBROUGH COUNCIL
At a Meeting of Middlesbrough Council, lawfully convened, and held in the Council Chamber, Middlesbrough on 6 July 2011.
PRESENT: Councillor Bloundele (Chair); R Mallon, The Mayor,
Councillors Arundale, Biswas, Bloundele, Brady, Brunton, Budd, Carr, Clark, Coppinger, Cox, Dryden, Hanif, Hawthorne, C Hobson,
J Hobson, Hubbard, Hussain, Junier, P Khan, S Khan, Lancaster, Lowes, Mawston, McIntryre, McPartland, McTigue, Morby, Pearson,
G Purvis, P Purvis, Rehman, Rooney, Rostron, Sanderson, Saunders,
J Sharrocks, Taylor, B Thompson, J A Walker and N J Walker.
OFFICERS: M Braithwaite, A Hoy, J Lewis, R G Long, I Parker, M Robinson and
M Storey.
**APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE were submitted on behalf of Councillors Cole, Davison, Hudson, Kerr and P Sharrocks.
**MINUTES
The minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 May 2011 were taken as read and approved as a correct record.
**DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations for this meeting.
Middlesbrough Mela
The Chair reminded Members of the forthcoming twenty-first annual Middlesbrough Mela to be held on 16 and 17 July in Albert Park and urged Members to attend. Sporting events would take place on Saturday 16 July with musical events being held on Sunday 17 July. NOTED
MAYOR’S REPORT AND STATEMENT
Expanding upon the matters raised in his report, the Mayor made a statement regarding the budgetary challenges facing the Council in the coming year and beyond. The Council was faced with its greatest budget challenge which would require significant and long term savings leading which could lead to the loss or reduction of services such as Sure Start and street wardens, the closure of facilities such as libraries, leisure centres and community centres and increases in charges e.g. car parking. A consequence of those changes could lead to the potential loss of 400/500 jobs. The rise in oil prices, higher inflation and rises in interest rates would all impact on the Council’s ability to balance the books and some stark choices would be necessary. Members were informed that the Council would also have to borrow additional resources in order to deal with major housing issues in the town and that further information on that theme would be reported in a future address by the Mayor.
One item of good news had been the award of the Enterprise Zone via the Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnership. The award had generated interest from the private sector, from which it was hoped that new jobs would be created providing for increased employment opportunities to help reduce the numbers of people unemployed and on benefits. The Mayor stated that he intended to make a public address on this issue at a later date.
The Mayor also indicated that in the coming weeks he intended to arrange a series of meetings with Councillors to seek their views on the budget situation. He re-emphasised that with the exception of services for vulnerable people and safeguarding of children, all other services were under threat.
Members responded to the comments made. In clarification as to the role and purpose of the forthcoming meetings on the budget the Mayor confirmed that the meetings would be open to all Councillors to debate the wider budgetary situation rather than the minute details but that any Councillor would be free to advance their own proposals.
NOTED
DEPUTY MAYOR AND EXECUTIVE MEMBER REPORTS
The Chair invited Members to raise items for general discussion arising from the Information Booklet of Executive Member reports (previously circulated) and which detailed activities carried out within the respective Executive Member portfolios (Section 1), Executive decisions taken (Section 2) or to be taken where known, prior to and following the meeting (Section 3 and 4).
Members commented or posed questions in relation to the following matters and Executive Members responded where appropriate: -
(a) Street Wardens
As a result of the merging of Social Care and Environment services in October 2010 responsibility for the street warden service had transferred to community safety and a review undertaken regarding changes to future service delivery arrangements. The Executive Member for Community Protection was asked whether the role and job descriptions for the wardens would change. In reply the Executive Member indicated that as part of the review there would be a reduction in the number of wardens but in order to mitigate the reduction the review was looking at more efficient ways of delivering the provision of services, this could include taking on noise patrols and incorporating them within the enforcement team.
(b) Selective Licensing
In regard to the above matter within her report, the Executive Member for Community Protection, was asked to pass on congratulations to officers for their work in this area of Council service. The Executive Member advised Councillors of the work carried out in connection with the licensing of landlords of privately rented properties which had lead to the successful prosecution of the first landlord for failing to register their property and reported that this had resulted in further voluntary requests to licence other properties being received.
(c) Free Schools
The views of the Executive Member for Children and Learning were sought in regard to the establishment of Free Schools. The Executive Member explained that Free Schools were independently sponsored government funded schools. The schools themselves, not local authorities, work directly with the Department for Education and were responsible for consultation about, and maintenance of the school. It was known that two groups had expressed interest in opening new schools in the Middlesbrough area with the potential for two to three more. The local authority had no role in approving the school, although they may in the future be asked to provide an opinion on them. The authority did however have concerns about their impact on the town in regard to the quality of the schools to be provided; the lack of experience and track record of those people who would be responsible for running the schools; the increase in the number of academies and the impact all the changes would produce in regard to community cohesion.
NOTED
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY REPORT
Council received and considered a report submitted by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board outlining the work of the Board and Scrutiny Panels in the period up to June which comprised completion of a number of topics from the previous municipal year. Work to establish work programmes for the coming year was being pursued. The Chair invited Members to discuss either with her or with individual scrutiny officers if they wished to submit suitable subjects for investigation.
NOTED
STRATEGIC PLAN 2011/2012
Council received and considered the final draft 2011/2012 Strategic Plan, which formed part of the Council’s Policy Framework. The Strategic Plan was the Council’s overarching plan outlining:
· headline performance measures, standards and targets for key services; and
· major improvement activity for the coming year and beyond.
The Plan formed the basis of the Council’s corporate performance management framework. CMT, Overview and Scrutiny Board and Executive monitor progress against the Plan on a quarterly basis following a performance / budget update discussion between the Assistant Chief Executive, Director of Strategic Resources, and Director / departmental management teams.
Historically, performance management in local government had been influenced significantly by the requirements of national government. In 2008, the Council published a three-year Strategic Plan for the period up to 2010/11, which was subsequently revised on an annual basis to ensure that it remained fit for purpose. A significant proportion of the content of the Plan was focused on compliance with the national performance framework for local government and its partners put in place by the last Labour administration, which featured components such as Local Area Agreements, the National Indicator Set and Comprehensive Area Assessment.
The coalition government had now taken steps to abolish many of the components of the national performance framework in order to reduce unnecessary central bureaucracy and to allow a localist approach to performance management to emerge, with councils focusing much more on specific outcomes important to local communities. On 9 June 2011 the Deputy Mayor agreed proposals to streamline the corporate performance management framework for 2011/12 onwards.
In respect of the Strategic Plan, it was agreed that:
· the main focus of the document from 2011/12 would be frontline service performance and transformation programmes and projects;
· fewer performance indicators would be used and those selected would be directly related to the Council’s services, so that the Council has the levers to genuinely influence performance[1];
· to improve accountability, the plan would be ordered by department and service, rather than thematically, as in previous years;
· the style of the plan would be simpler, reflecting that used in government department business plans, and a 50% reduction in the size targeted;
· as in 2010/2011, the plan would not be printed, but be published online once approved (at www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/open-data) and circulated via email.
The revised plan had been endorsed by the Executive at its meeting on 21 June 2011.
Moved, seconded and ORDERED that the Strategic Plan 2011/2012 be approved.
**URGENT ITEMS
There were no urgent items to report.
MEMBERS’ QUESTION TIME
There were no questions for this meeting.
NOTICE OF MOTION No. 100 – HOUSING BENEFIT CHANGES
Consideration was given to the following motion, moved by Councillor Rooney and seconded by Councillor Brunton of which notice had been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 11.
‘This Council agrees to lend its support to the Child Poverty Action Group’s Judicial Review of the Conservative-led governments plans to cap housing benefit payments. The plans will mean that families will not be able to claim housing benefit for homes with more than four bedrooms regardless of family size and housing benefit will be capped at £250 for a one bedroom flat and £400 for a four bedroom house.
As rental prices outstrip housing benefit levels many homes will be beyond people’s means and this will mean ghettoising thousands of families across the country with many areas becoming like private members clubs where only more affluent people can afford to live. Homelessness will be an increasing problem as ordinary families who rely on housing benefit can no longer afford to pay the rent.
Even the London Mayor Boris Johnson has said that this policy will lead to a “Kosovo-style social cleansing.” This council agrees that this is yet another systematic attack on the most vulnerable in our society and that the deliberate, ideological strategy of attacking those on benefits pursued by the Conservative-led government is seriously damaging the social fabric of Britain. We ask that the Work and Pensions Secretary looks again at this policy and that the government thinks again about implementing this divisive and dangerous policy’.
On a vote being taken the motion was APPROVED.
NOTICE OF MOTION NO. 101 – CULTURAL EVENTS
Consideration was given to the following motion, moved by Councillor Junier and seconded by Councillor Hussain of which notice had been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 11.
'This council believes Middlesbrough's history - and our future - is much strengthened by the spirit of tolerance and co-operation between and within, over 100 nationalities who make up our population.
As a council we continue to work tirelessly to promote and encourage tolerance and understanding between communities, and in particular supporting events which further this belief.
We therefore encourage all councillors, our partner agencies, and local community groups, to support the "Cultural Events" on Saturday 9th July starting at 11am at the Cenotaph along the Linthorpe Road route into town’.
On a vote being taken the motion was APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY
NOTICE OF URGENT MOTIONS
There were no urgent motions to report.
NOTED
UPDATE ON URGENT DECISIONS
In accordance with the Constitution, Council received and considered a report on urgent key decisions taken under the Urgency rules during the period April 2011 to July 2011 as follows.
Subject / Date Decision Taken /Decision Taken By
Special Urgent Decisions
Grants to Voluntary Sector Budget 2011/12 / 11 May 2011 / Deputy MayorUrgent Decisions
National Affordable Homes Programme 2011-2015 / 27 April 2011 / Executive Member for Regeneration and Economic Development
NOTED
ALLOCATION OF COMMITTEE PLACES 2011-2012
Further to the appointments made at the annual meeting of Council, Members were asked to submit nominations in order to fill vacancies on the following committees:
Corporate Parenting Board
Older Persons Partnership
Works Council
Moved, seconded and ORDERED that appointments to the committees indicated be approved, subject to formal approval by the Deputy Mayor to the executive committee appointments as asterisked:
Corporate Parenting Board – Councillor P Purvis*
Older Personal Partnership – Councillor J Walker*
Works Council – Councillor P Purvis.
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