Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 15 September 2016 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

The Board considered a report of the Independent Chair, Halton Safeguarding Children Board, on the Halton Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) Annual Report 2015/16.

The LSCB described how organisations and individuals across all sectors were working together to safeguard children and young people. The Annual Report provided a rigorous and transparent assessment of the performance and effectiveness of local services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. The report included lessons from learning and improvement activity within the reporting period including Serious Case Reviews, Practice Learning Reviews and Child Death Reviews and audits. In addition, it listed contributions made to the LSCB by partners and details of its expenditure.

It was noted that since November 2013, the LSCB had become subject to review of their effectiveness with a review by Ofsted in 2014, alongside the inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, looked after children and care leavers.

Details of the content of the report were set out for Members’ information. However, it was reported that the Children and Social Work Bill would abolish LSCBs; the expectation was that key safeguarding partners, such as the Local Authority, the Police and the Clinical Commissioning Group, would establish arrangements to ensure the effectiveness of safeguarding children processes and practice.

Reason(s) for Decision

The Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Annual report was a statutory report and provided an overview and scrutiny of the effectiveness of multi-agency partners’ safeguarding arrangements. Members were requested to note the report.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None as this was a required annual report.

Implementation Date

September 2016.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the report and associated Annual Report, attached at Appendix 1, be noted.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adult Social Services, which provided an update on the Telehealthcare Strategy.

          The Board was advised that the use of remote monitoring enabled people to lead more independent lives and to live at home or in extra care housing schemes, as opposed to residential accommodation. It was reported that Telehealthcare allowed health care to be delivered in a radically different way utilising innovative digital technologies, as detailed in the report.

The Action Plan contained within the Strategy at Appendix 1, was considered to be central and would operate on six different work –streams at minimal cost and also set out significant challenges and solutions.

It was reported that the study over a one-year period would involve 14 individuals across seven conditions and would help to accurately estimate the cost of implementing Telehealthcare. Future developments could see the expansion of the service, working with partner organisations to pilot and cost new technology as it developed.

RESOLVED: That the Telehealthcare Strategy be approved.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, regarding the procurement of a new Local Bus Contract Framework (the Framework).

The Board was advised that the Framework was a mechanism which allowed the Council to identify public transport operators, who were capable of delivering local bus transport contracts, on its behalf. The framework provided a platform to advertise long and short-term contracts over a reduced advertising period. It was noted that to become part of the Framework, providers were required to demonstrate their capabilities to deliver contracts by completing a Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire which contained a series of quality, financial and experienced based questions relating to the contract requirements.

The Board was advised that the supported local bus framework provided in excess of 370,000 passenger journeys across the Borough, with twenty-four local bus contracts currently operating. The current Framework was due to expire in March 2017, which required the procurement of a new Framework to cover the period April 2017 to March 2019.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the Local Bus Framework be acknowledged and the requirement to procure a new framework be supported; and

2)    the Board support the tendering of local supported bus contracts.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which provided a summary of the development of schemes for maintenance and other works to the Silver Jubilee Bridge and other highway structures.

The Board was informed that SCAPE was a public-sector owned built environment specialist with a suite of OJEU compliant frameworks for multiple areas of work. It was reported that the Council had an Access Agreement which had been utilised successfully for the procurement of Bridge and Structures Maintenance works. In June 2016, the Board was advised of the Chief Executive’s authorisation for the entering into of a contract with Balvac, through the SCAPE framework, for the procurement of the Liverpool City Region, Silver Jubilee (SJB) Complex Major Maintenance Project.

It was noted that major maintenance works on the SJB complex had been planned as part of the integration of the new highway layout for the Mersey Gateway Scheme. This would be effective once the Permission To Use (PTU) had been granted for the new Mersey Gateway Infrastructure, currently anticipated for Autumn 2017. The report set out further details of maintenance works to be undertaken, post PTU on the SJB and on the two footbridges at East Lane, Runcorn, which provided access to the Runcorn Shopping Centre.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the use of the SCAPE framework for development of the SJB steel arch superstructure painting scheme to Project Order stage be approved;

2)    the use of the SCAPE framework for development of the SJB deck re-configuration scheme to Project Order stage be approved; and

3)    the use of the SCAPE framework for procurement of works to replace the structural deck systems of the two footbridges on East Lane, Runcorn be approved.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which contained a draft Apprenticeship Policy and an overview of the proposed Apprenticeship Levy and Public Sector Target.

The Board was advised that the attached draft policy aimed to ensure a uniform and consistent approach across the Authority when employing apprentices. In addition it would bring together various disciplines within the Council, such as Policy, Human Resources, Employment, Learning and Skills, ensuring a co-ordinated approach.

It was reported that apprenticeships could often inject freshness and new ideas into the organisation, which helps to reduce potential skills shortages in growth areas and can contribute to the Council’s wider employment and regeneration priorities. The report outlined specific links to national, regional and local drivers and it was noted that the Government was committed to achieving three million apprenticeship starts by Summer 2020. To achieve this, an Apprenticeship Levy would be introduced from April 2017, with employers in the public and private sectors with wage bills over £3m, required to contribute 0.5% of that pay bill into a levy.

It was reported that calculations based on the Government target would equate to about 55 apprentices for Halton annually, although the Apprenticeship target was to be viewed as aspirational rather than as a statutory target. Further, any revenue cost associated with the employment of apprentices had to be borne by the Council, as it was noted that only training costs could be recouped from Government.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the Apprenticeships Policy, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, and its implications, be supported;

2)    the implications of the Apprenticeships Levy and Public Sector Target be noted;

3)    a designated fund be established to support the creation of twenty apprentices per year;

4)    the schools element of the levy be recovered via the Schools Forum; and

5)    £200,000 be included in the Medium Term Financial Forecast to create an Apprenticeship Fund.

          The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, on progress against key objectives/milestones and performance targets for the first quarter 2016/17.

          The Board was advised that the Directorate Performance Overview Report provided a strategic summary of key issues arising from performance in the relevant quarter for each Directorate, being aligned to Council priorities or functional areas. The Board noted that such information was key to the Council’s performance management arrangements, with the Board having a key role in monitoring performance and strengthening accountability. Performance management would continue to be important in the demonstration of value for money and outward accountability.

          RESOLVED: That the report and progress and performance information be noted.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, regarding policy changes in respect of Taxi Licensing Conditions.

The Board was advised that the policy changes recommended by the Regulatory Committee were the culmination of a consultation exercise via the Taxi Consultative Group. The Regulatory Committee at its meeting on 5 October 2016, had recommended the adoption of the policy changes which related to both hackney carriage and private hire conditions. It was noted that a number of the proposed policy changes were set out in Appendix B, attached to the Regulatory Committee report.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the policy changes amending existing conditions relating to hackney carriage and private hire licensing as recommended by the Regulatory Committee at its meeting on 5 October 2016, be adopted as Council Policy;

2)    the adoption shall take effect on 24 October 2016; and

3)    to reflect the decision of the Council at its meeting held on 14 September 2016 (which related to the adoption and re-adoption of part II Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976), all existing policies of the Council relating to public and private hire (as amended by the changes made in resolution 1), shall be adopted and re-adopted on 24 October 2016.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which sought to adopt the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Statement of Co-operation (SoC) on Town Planning matters.

The Board was advised that the Localism Act 2011 placed a legal duty on Local Planning Authorities to engage constructively, actively and on an on-going basis to maximise the effectiveness of Local Plan preparation and strategic cross-boundary land use planning matters.

The SoC, attached at Appendix 1, provided evidence that this statutory co-operation had been undertaken. It was reported that the SoC had been drafted by all six LCR authorities plus West Lancashire District Council and approved by the Combined Authority’s Housing and Spatial Planning Board. It was noted that the SoC was required to progress the LCR Single Spatial Framework and was required for each district in preparation of their respective Local Plans. To ensure it remained relevant, the SoC would be updated annually.

RESOLVED: That the Liverpool City Region Statement of Co-operation, attached to the report at Appendix 1, be adopted.

PART II

In this case the Board has a discretion to exclude the press and public and, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, it is RECOMMENDED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, having been satisfied that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

The Board considered:

(1)      whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of the Board during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be considered, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(2)      whether the disclosure of information was in the public interest, whether any relevant exemptions were applicable and whether, when applying the public interest test and exemptions, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed that in disclosing the information.

          RESOLVED: That as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business in accordance with Sub-Section 4 of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 because it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business, exempt information would be disclosed, being information defined in Section 100 (1) and paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adult Social Services, regarding the current capacity issues facing the Domiciliary Care market within the Borough.

The Board was advised that domiciliary care was commissioned for older people in the Borough that required a range of support and assistance. It was reported that in April 2016, Halton agreed an uplift to the contract and the hourly rate of 4.2%, as set out in Appendix 1. The proposed increase in hourly rate, as detailed in the report, was for six of the nine providers, so as to support and stabilise the domiciliary care market. It was noted that as all existing contracts were scheduled to expire in July 2017, a new procurement exercise would be undertaken prior to this deadline.

Reason(s) For Decision

The Executive Board was required to approve the uplift in the rate paid to providers to ensure the Authority met its statutory duties under the Care Act.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None identified.

Implementation Date

31 October 2016.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the contents of the report are noted;

2)    Members approve the increase in the hourly rate for six of the nine providers to £12.50 per hour until July 2017. The remaining three providers already exceed this hourly rate; and

3)    approval be given for the £200,000 required, to be met from the Council’s contingency funding.

MINUTES ISSUED: 24 October 2016

CALL-IN: 31 October 2016

Any matter decided by the Executive Board may be called in no later than 5.00pm on 31 October 2016