Agenda and minutes

            The Minutes from the meeting held on 3^rd September 2019 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

            Arising from the previous meeting a Member requested clarification on the impact of the General Election on 12 December on the progress of the proposed new Ward Boundaries. It was agreed that further information would be provided to the Board.

The Board was advised that no public questions had been received.

The Board was presented with the Minutes relating to the Corporate Services Portfolio which had been considered by the Executive Board since the last meeting of this Board.

            EXB32 – Members discussed the future disposal of Council land. It was agreed that the Executive Board be recommended that were possible, when the Council disposes of land for housing purposes, those houses should be freehold and not leasehold properties.

            RESOLVED: That

1.    the minutes and comments made be noted; and

2.    the Executive Board be recommended that were possible, when the Council disposes of land for housing purposes, those houses should be freehold and not leasehold properties.

The Board considered the minutes of the Member Development Group meeting held on 21^st March 2019.

RESOLVED: That the minutes be noted.

The Board was provided with a report from the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which presented details of health and safety management within the Authority from 1 April 2019 to 31^st August 2019.

Officers commented that the report highlighted the national and local health and safety information, and together with performance and incident trends, these formed the basis for the recommended actions for 2019/20. In order to be proactive in health and safety management the report also indicated the number of completed risk assessments and training delivered to staff.

            The report highlighted:

·         that the Health and Safety Executive had increased Fees for Intervention from £129 to £154 per hour;

·         the Health and Safety Executive had released the workplace fatal injury statistics for 2018/19 which highlighted that 147 employees were killed in their workplace and approximately a quarter were over 60 years of age;

·         reportable and significant accidents for Halton were currently at a  total of 15 across both directorates plus 5 near misses. This compared to 44 last year with 5 near misses;

·         schools had 11 physical and 1 social media incidents;

·         lone working monitoring system – registered users had decreased from the same period last year but actual percentage use had risen slightly;

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which provided an update on the delivery of the Discretionary Support Scheme, Discretionary Housing Payments and Universal Credit.

            The Discretionary Support Scheme (DSS) was now in its seventh year of operation. Over this period the Scheme had been developed and amended where necessary by the Board. Details of funding and expenditure, including an analysis of applications by type and awards granted during 2018/19, was outlined in the report.  It was noted that the DSS made 574 awards during 2018/19 totalling £137,238.  

            In 2018/19 total grant funding of £536,534 was received for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP). Actual expenditure totalled £535,414 representing 1,544 DHP awards and giving an under spend of £1,120. This compared with 2017/18 where 1,403 awards were made with total expenditure of £412,767.

            The Board was advised that the increase in the number of awards and total expenditure in 2018/19 compared to the previous year was the result of increasing numbers of Halton residents becoming eligible for Universal Credit.

            Arising from the discussion, the Board discussed the signposting of the DSS and if any of those awarded were claimants impacted by Universal Credit. It was noted that consideration would be given for future reports to contain information on the number of DSS award to those people impacted by Universal Credit.

            RESOLVED: That the latest position regarding the Discretionary Support Scheme, Discretionary Housing Payments and Universal Credit be noted.

The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Enterprise, Community and Resources, which presented the Performance Monitoring Report for Quarter 2 of 2019/20.

The reports related to the following functional areas which reported to the  Board and detailed progress against service objectives and milestones and performance targets, and provided information relating to key developments and emerging issues that had arisen during the period:

·         Finance;

·         Human Resources and Organisational Development;

·         ICT and Administrative Support;

·         Legal and Democracy;

·         Policy and Performance;

·         Property Services; and

·         Catering, Stadium and Registration Services.

Members discussed the following:

·         the financial settlement – it was unlikely that this would be known before Christmas;

·         the take up of free school meals and the steps taken to improve this. Members also welcomed an initiative held in the summer holidays to provide children with a free lunch.

RESOLVED: That the Quarter 2 Performance Monitoring reports be received and noted.

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 Section 100A (4) 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 that in disclosing the information, members of the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business in accordance with Section 100A (4) 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 requested further information on:

·         the contract recently agreed between the Council and the Widnes Vikings;

·         a recent High Court.

            RESOLVED: That the requests for further information be noted and once information was available it would be shared with Members.