Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 25 February 2021 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

MINUTE NO: EXB72 – BUDGET 2021-22 – the Leader, Councillor Polhill, made the following statement, in relation to Pay (referred in Appendix D of the Budget report), and invited the Executive Board to consider and agree the following:

A FULLY FUNDED, PROPER PAY RISE FOR COUNCIL AND SCHOOL WORKERS

Local government has endured central Government funding cuts of more than 50% since 2010.  Between 2010 and 2020, councils lost 60p out of every £1 they have received from central Government.

Over the last year, councils have led the way in efforts against the Covid-19 Pandemic, providing a huge range of services and support for our communities.  Local government has shown more than ever how indispensable it is but the Pandemic has led to a massive increase in expenditure and loss of income, and the Government has failed to provide the full amount of promised support.

Local government workers have kept our communities safe through the Pandemic, often putting themselves at considerable risk as they work to protect public health, provide quality housing, ensure our children continue to be educated, and look after older and vulnerable people.

Since 2010, the local government workforce has endured years of pay restraint with the majority of pay points losing at least 23% of their value since 2009/10.  At the same time, workers have experience ever increasing workloads and persistent job insecurity.

Across the UK, 900,000 jobs have been lost in local government since June 2010 – a reduction of more than 30%.  Local government has arguably been hit by more severe job losses than any other part of the public sector.  The funding gap caused by Covid-19 will make local government employment even more precarious.  There has been a disproportionate impact on women, with women making up more than three quarters of the local government workforce.

Recent research shows that if the Government were to fully fund the unions’ 2021 pay claim, around half of the money would be recouped thanks to increased tax revenue, reduced expenditure on benefits, and increased consumer spending in the local economy.

This Council believes:

Our workers are public service super heroes.  They keep our communities clean and safe, look after those in need and keep our towns and cities running.

Without the professionalism and dedication of our staff, the Council services our residents rely on would not be deliverable.

Local government workers deserve a proper real terms pay increase.

The Government needs to take responsibility and fully fund this increase; it should not put the burden on local authorities whose funding has been cut to the bone and who have not been offered adequate support through the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Executive Board resolves on behalf of the Council to:

1)    write to the Chancellor and Secretary of State to call for a pay increase for local government workers to be funded with new money from central Government;

2)    call  ...  view the full minutes text for item 83.

The Board received a request for a waiver in compliance with Procurement Standing Order 1.14.4 (v) of Part 3, for the granting of a Direct Award for the delivery of a substance Misuse Service from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021.

In September 2015 the Executive Board granted authority to the Director of Public Health to carry out all necessary steps in relation to the open tendering and commissioning of Specialist Community Substance Misuse Services.  The contract was awarded to Change, Grow, Live (CGL) for a fixed period of 5 years and was due to end on 31 March 2021, with no contractual arrangement for extension.

Members were informed that a full procurement exercise was due to take place during 2020 so that a new contract would be in place, however due to the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic this had not been possible.  The report outlined the basis for the 6-month waiver request.

Reason(s) for Decision

A decision is required as the outcome will result in the Local Authority incurring expenditure which is significant; and is significant in terms of its effects on communities.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

At this stage, alternative options have not been considered.

Implementation Date

1 April 2021.

RESOLVED:  That the Executive Board

1)    note the report; and

2)    approves a waiver in compliance with Procurement Standing Order 1.14.4 (v) of Part 3, for the granting of a Direct Award for the delivery of a substance Misuse Service from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, People, on the Voluntary Sector Grant Awards for 2021/22.

 The Board was advised that the Council had awarded grants to local voluntary and charitable organisations for a number of years.  Applications were assessed against key criteria, such as impact on outcomes for local people, demonstrable wider social impact such as volunteering, training and development opportunities and the impact on reducing the need for statutory services.  It was reported that applications were assessed and recommendations agreed by a Panel, which consisted of the Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Officers from the People Directorate. 

The report set out the recommendations for an annual allocation for the financial year 2020/21, with the available budget of £226,640, for Members’ consideration.

Reason(s) for Decision

A decision is required as the outcome will result in the Local Authority incurring expenditure.  The expenditure will provide valuable services to Halton residents, which may otherwise not be financially sustainable.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

No alternative options are available to provide these funded services.

Implementation Date

1 April 2021.

RESOLVED: That the Board approve the grant allocations as outlined in the report.

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – Enterprise, Community and Resources, on the review of the Council wide fees and charges for 2021/22 for services provided by both of the Council’s Directorates.

The Board was advised that, as part of the budget preparations for 2021/22, a review of fees and charges had been carried out.  The aim in setting fees and charges was to ensure that the Council fully recovered the cost incurred in providing the service, although this was dependent on a number of factors outside of the agreed charge.  These were detailed in the report and noted as including demand, which could change year on year and be affected by weather, economy and demographics; competition, where there may be a strong competitive market; and a statutory element, where some charges were outside the control of the Council and there was no discretion to what could be charged.

 Attached at Appendix A was the proposed schedule of statutory fees for 2021/22 and the chargeable rates for The Brindley Theatre and the Registrar’s Service were attached at Appendix B and C respectively, for 2022/23.

RESOLVED: That the proposed fees and charges for 2021/22 as set out in Appendix A attached to the report and for 2022/23 as set out in Appendices B and C attached to the report, be approved.

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(s) 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 items 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.

Councillor Ron Hignett declared a Discloseable Other Interest in the following item as his daughter works as a care worker in Halton.

The Board considered a report from the Strategic Director – People, informing of the proposed annual uplift for domiciliary care, direct payments, supported living and care home providers within Halton, for 2021/22.

The report presented the proposed uplifts for each area, against last year’s amount and showed comparisons within the Liverpool City Region authorities.

RESOLVED: That the Executive Board

1)    note the contents of the report; and

2)    gives approval for the Council to actively enter into discussions with Care Providers, with a view to offer the recommended uplift for 2021/22.

MINUTES ISSUED:   23 March 2021

CALL-IN:   30 March 2021 at 5.00 pm

Any matter decided by the Executive Board may be called in no later than 5.00pm on 30 March 2021.