Agenda and minutes

Mary Murphy, Principal of Riverside College, will make a presentation to Members.

          Council received a presentation from Mary Murphy, Principal of Riverside College, on the work at Cronton Sixth Form College and the Kingsway Centre, Widnes, and their recent educational achievements.

          She then answered Members’ questions before being thanked for her informative presentation.

          The minutes of the meeting of Council held on 11 December 2013, having been printed and circulated, were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

          RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting be confirmed and adopted.

          The Mayor made the following announcements:-

·       Runcorn East Railway Station had been given a ‘Best Kept Station in Halton’ award, at the Cheshire Best Kept Station Awards ceremony in January. The Mayor thanked Kerry Ramsbottom for her work in supporting the nomination;

·       Government Minister for the Civil Society, Nick Hurd, had attended an event at the Canal Boat Adventures Project; he visited some of the young people that had graduated through the National and International Citizen Service;

·       The Mayor had attended the Holocaust Memorial Day Service in Liverpool Town Hall, along with a number of civic representatives and church leaders from around Merseyside. Chanita Rodney, who had travelled to England alone as a child on the last Kindertransport out of Germany, addressed attendees at the service.

          The Leader made the following announcements:-

·       Arrangements were in place to erect a plaque at Cronton Sixth Form College, celebrating the life and work of the late John Collins RL, Honorary Freeman of the Borough;

·       The Merseylink contractor employed to remove trees from sites along the route of the Mersey Gateway Bridge in the Beechwood area of Runcorn, had been asked to replace those removed in error. Councillor Chris Loftus thanked the Leader for the swift action which had been taken, when residents had complained about their removal.

          The Council considered the minutes of the Executive Board meetings from 12 December 2013, 9 January 2014 and 23 January 2014.

          RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

The Council considered the minutes of the Mersey Gateway Executive Board meeting on 23 January 2014.

          RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

The Council considered the minutes of the Health and Wellbeing  Board meeting 15 January 2014.

          RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

          It was noted that no questions had been submitted under Standing Order No. 8.

Executive Board considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, on the Treasury Management 2013/14 Mid Year Review.

RECOMMENDED: That Council approve the revised Prudential Indicators and Counterparty List, as set out in Appendices 1 and 2 respectively.

          Executive Board had considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, which provided an update about activities undertaken at the mid-year point of the 2013/14 Treasury Management Policy.

          RESOLVED: That Council approve the revised Prudential Indicators and Countrparty List, as set out in Appendix 1 and 2 respectively.

Executive Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Policy and Resources, on an amendment to the Council’s Constitution relating to the transfer of the Trading Standards Service from Warrington Borough Council.

RECOMMENDED: That Council approve the amendments to the Council’s Constitution, as set out in Appendix 1 attached to the report.

          Executive Board had considered a report of the Strategic Director, Policy and Resources, which sought approval to amend the scheme of delegation in the Council’s Constitution to facilitate the transfer of the Trading Standards Service from Warrington Borough Council.

          RESOLVED: That Council approve the amendments to the Council’s Constitution as set out in Appendix 1.

Council are asked to consider and approve the appointment of a Co-optee to the Health Policy and Performance Board.

Following the resignation in October 2013 of the previous Co-optee, details of a replacement nominee have been submitted by Healthwatch Halton as follows:

Mr Tom Baker, 36, Dorset Gardens, Charlton Close, Runcorn.

RECOMMENDED: That Council approve the appointment of Mr Tom Baker as the Healthwatch Halton nominee for the position of Co-optee on the

Health Policy and Performance Board with immediate effect for the remainder of the 2013/14 Municipal Year.

          Council considered the appointment of a Co-optee to the Health Policy and Performance Board.

          RESOLVED: That Mr Tom Baker be appointed as the Healthwatch Halton Co-optee on the Health Policy and Performance Board with immediate effect for the remainder of the 2013/14 Municipal Year.

(N.B. Councillor Dennett declared a Disclosable Other Interest in item CYP36, on the Children, Young People and Families Policy and Performance Board, as he was Chair of the Managing Committee of the Bridge School (PRU))

          The Council considered the reports of the following Boards in the period since the meeting of Council on 11 December 2013:-

·       Children, Young People and Families;

·       Employment, Learning, Skills and Community;

·       Health;

·       Safer;

·       Environment and Urban Renewal; and

·       Corporate.

In considering the minutes, Councillor Gilligan made the following observations on the Corporate Policy and Performance Board minutes as follows:

·       CS31 Business Rates Pooling – training on the details of this item would be included in the Local Government Finance training course for Members in March 2014;

·       CS32 Member Development Group minutes – a Mentoring Workshop would be held on 13 March 2014;

·       CS33 – Local Area Forums – the amount of ‘match funding’ which had been obtained during 2012/13 was noted as excellent. Also, the Business Efficiency Board would include Area Forum funding as part of its audit work programme for 2014/15;

·       CS35 Markets Update - a further report on arrears had been requested.

He also congratulated all those involved in the award of the title ‘Best Small Outdoor Market’ for Widnes Outdoor Market.

Councillor Wainwright, Chair of the National Association of British Market Authorities, received the award and wished to extend his congratulations to the Markets staff and all those associated with the Widnes Outdoor Market.

The Council considered the reports on the work of following Committees in the period since the meeting of Council on 11 December 2013:-

·       Development Control; and

·       Appeals Panel.

          In this case Council 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.

Please note that if this resolution is passed, members of the press and public will be asked to leave the room during consideration of the following business.

            Council considered:

(1)      whether Members of the press and public should be excluded from the meeting of Council 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 outweighs 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.

(N.B. The following Councillors declared a Disclosable Other Interest in the following item of business as they were Directors of Halton Borough Transport Limited and left the room during consideration of the item: Councillors MacManus, Morley, Wainwright, Wallace, Wharton and Woolfall.)

          Council considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, on Halton Borough Transport Limited.

          RESOLVED: That the recommendation, as set out in the report, be approved.