Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr Dick Tonge

To receive any declarations of personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

Cllr John Brady, Cabinet member for Finance, Performance and Risk presented a report which provided a summary of progress against Wiltshire Council’s Business Plan.  It provided:

§  Performance indicators for Community Results and Council Performance for the period April to September 2011. 

§  The status of the Council’s main programmes.

§  The Workforce Report from Human Resources

Resolved:

That Cabinet note progress against the Business Plan.

Reason for Decision:

To keep Cabinet informed of progress being made against the Business Plan.

Cllr John Thomson Cabinet member for Adult Care, Communities and Housing presented the report.  The report updated Cabinet on progress made towards the implementation of a procurement solution to deliver the ‘Wiltshire Online’ Project and sought approval to delegate the award of a local call-off contract using the nationally approved Framework of Suppliers.

The aim of the project is to bring superfast broadband to homes and businesses across the County.  Cabinet expressed their strong support for this project.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

a)     notes the progress made towards delivering the ‘Wiltshire Online Project’.

b)     notes the use of the National Framework Contract currently being developed by Broadband Delivery UK and the subsequent local ‘Call Off’ contract leading to the appointment of an approved supplier.

c)     delegates the award of the Call-Off Contract to the Corporate Director Children’s Services, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Communities and Housing, the Cabinet Member Resources, the Solicitor to the Council and the Chief Finance Officer.

d)     authorises the Corporate Director Children’s Services toissue certificates under the Local Government (Contracts) Act 1997 in relation to the Call-Off Contract if required by the supplier.

e)     authorises the Solicitor to the Council to execute under Council Seal all contract documentation in relation to the Wiltshire Online Project.

Reason for Decision

Stimulating investment into the Wiltshire Broadband infrastructure is a corporate priority.  The Council approved vision is for Wiltshire to be a digitally inclusive County, supporting infrastructure projects, access to online services and the ability of citizens and businesses to be confident users and maximise the benefits which being online can bring.

To achieve this vision it is necessary to invest in the major infrastructure delivering broadband services and the actions in the proposal will ensure that formal arrangements with a preferred supplier can be concluded to ensure the delivery of the project to the corporate target of 2015.

Councillor Fleur de Rhé Philipe Cabinet member for Economic Development and Strategic Planning presented the report.  The report sought approval for a revised Local Development Scheme for Wiltshire and to update the timetable for preparation of new development plan policies for Wiltshire.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

a)        approves the Local Development Scheme as set out at Appendix 1 of the report.

b)        authorises the Director for Economy and Enterprise, in consultation with the Cabinet Memberfor Economic Development and Strategic Planning, to make minor amendments to the Local Development Scheme in the interests of clarity and accuracy before submitting it to the Secretary of State.

Reason for Decision

Wiltshire Council is required to prepare a Local Development Scheme in line with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The published Local Development Scheme was prepared in 2009 and requires updating.

Councillor Lionel Grundy Cabinet member for Children’s Services presented the report and outlined the responsibilities of the Young People’s Support Service. The service was inspected by Ofsted and placed in special measures and the report presented details of the Department for Education’s proposal to invite Wiltshire to take part in a trial of ‘Alternative Provision’ for secondary school pupils excluded from, or at risk of, exclusion from school.

It was noted that an update report would be brought back to Cabinet in six month’s time.

Resolved:

a)    that Wiltshire accepts the invitation from the Department for Education to join the Alternative Provision trial and, for a three year period, delegate the responsibility for making educational provision for permanently excluded young people to secondary schools, with devolved funding.

b)   that a request is made to the Secretary of State to close the existing Young People’s Support Service from 31 August 2012.

c)    that Secondary schools are supported in using the devolved funding either individually or in groups to provide high quality alternative provision. The Local Authority provides robust quality assurance of the provision.

Reason for decision

This proposal will support better outcomes for the young people who are permanently excluded.

Councillor John Brady Cabinet member for Finance, Performance and Risk presented the report.  He highlighted two issues one was the good news that the Council has priority status in the winding-up of the Icelandic banks which means that the Council will be repaid first and it is hoped that the Council will recover 98% of its deposit.  The other issue was that Cabinet was requested to ratify a short term investment decision.

Resolved:

a)    to note the contents of the report in line with the Treasury Management Strategy.

b)   to ratify a short term investment decision carried out on 15 June 2011, as detailed in the main report at paragraphs 37 and 38.

Reason for the proposal

The report is a requirement of the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy.

To obtain Cabinet’s ratification of an investment outside the duration limit.

Any other items of business, which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency

There were no urgent items.