Agenda and minutes

There are no apologies.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 19 May 2020, previously circulated.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2020 were presented.

Resolved:

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2020.

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

Cllrs Richard Clewer, Bridget Wayman and Ian Thorn declared interests in agenda item 6 – Covid 19 Update and Financial Position as they were directors of Stone Circle. Cllrs Clewer and Cllr Wayman did not speak or vote on this matter.

The Leader indicated that if there were any technical issues, the meeting would have to be adjourned or rescheduled.

During the coronavirus emergency, this meeting will be held virtually/online here for the public to view. You can access guidance notes on accessing the online meeting here.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public and the public are encouraged to contact the officer named on this agenda by 12.00 noon on Friday 5 June 2020 to indicate in advance if they wish to make statements or questions for submission. The Chairman will require statements in writing, and these will be published and referred to during the meeting.

Please note that all statements and questions received by the deadline will be circulated to councillors and published on the website (in an Agenda Supplement) so councillors are able to read these in advance, and respond to them during the meeting, as appropriate.

The Chairman may invite an officer to read out some of the public statements/questions received and this may be limited depending on how many have been received.

The Chairman advised that due to a large volume of questions received for this meeting that he would indicate who had asked a question. Every question had received a response, and these were published on the Council’s website on Monday 8 June 2020.

Questions of a general nature have been received from:

•                Bill Jarvis – Cyclists and Pedestrian Network in the County – Statement and 3 questions

•                Darren Hopkins – Future Chippenham Project – 1 question

•                Ian James (Bremhill Parish Council) – Future Chippenham Project – Statement and 2 questions

•                Ian James (Bremhill Parish Council) – Future Chippenham Project – Statement and 8 questions

•                Isabel McCord – Future Chippenham Project – Statement and 3 questions

•                Steve Perry – Future Chippenham Project – Statement and 2 questions

•                Kim Stuckey – Future Chippenham Project – Statement and 1 question

•                Chris Caswill – Future Chippenham Project – 2 questions

•                Cllr Murry – Future Chippenham Project – 2 questions

A Late question had been received from Steve Perry – Future Chippenham Project. This question would receive a written response and published alongside the other questions received.

Cllr Allison Bucknell asked for clarification as to questions from Mr Ian James, and as to whether they were raised on behalf of Bremhill Parish Council or himself.

Report by Chief Executive Officers – Alistair Cunningham and Terence Herbert.

The Chairman advised that questions had been received and that responses had been published in the supplementary agenda 1.

If anyone had a supplementary question then these questions would be responded to in writing after the meeting.

Questions had been received from the following for this item:

•                Chris Caswill – Schools Re-opening – Statement and 3 questions

•                Chris Caswill – Public Health – 5 Questions

•                Chris Lange – Covid 19 Recovery Plan and Climate Change Issues - Statement and 1 question

•                Ian James (Bremhill Parish Council) – Social Care – 6 questions

•                Jessica Thimbleby – Covid 19 and Climate Change – statement and 2 questions

•                Mike d’Apice – Covid 19 and Climate Change – statement and questions

•                Cllr Murry – Covid 19 and Proposed recovery plan

The Chairman introduced the report.

Cllr Simon Jacobs – Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement then outlined the report along with Chief Executive Officers Alistair Cunningham and Terence Herbert.

Points made included:   

•                That Wiltshire Council continued its work with partners to ensure the most vulnerable in the community were supported, local businesses received support and funding allocated to the county and critical council services could continue to deliver essential services during what was an unprecedented and rapidly changing incident.

•                Following the report provided to cabinet in May, the paper included the latest public health data and further information on the Council’s response as at the end of May. Alongside this, emerging plans for the recovery were provided with further detail on the Council’s financial position for the year ahead and the provisional capital and revenue outturn.

•                The report provided full details on the modelling, assumptions and current estimated financial impact to the Council of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the anticipated impact for the remainder of the 2020/21 financial year.  It gave detail on the Councils submission to the Government in May that set out the forecast impact on the Councils finances and sets out the conditions and timing for the necessary action to be taken to mitigate against the current forecast financial position.

•                That excellent work continued to be carried out by the senior finance team on the issues raised over the last few months.

•                That staff efforts during this period has been extemporary, a whole organisational response, with 24/7 working.

•                The continued support of Wiltshire’s Care homes during this difficult time

•                That a Local Outbreak management Plan was being drafted, a significant piece of work.

•                The Ongoing support of Wiltshire schools.

•                Safer public spaces – supporting the reopening of our high streets, working with Wiltshire’s town councils.

•                Working with small businesses, administering the 5m small businesses fund.

•                That the Wellbeing Hub continued to support our vulnerable residents whilst returning back to the new normal.

•                The setting up of a Shadow Recovery Group, a Wiltshire Council director led group to set up for the recovery process.

•                That Wiltshire Council continued to work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

Report by Chief Executive Officer – Place – Alistair Cunningham.

Cllr Sturgis - Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning, Development Management and Investment presented the report.

Points made included:

•                That the council had a programme of sites that were surplus to operational requirements and disposal or reuse for alternate purposes generates capital to support Councils overall Capital Programme.

•                The report set out the forecast receipts from disposals for the next three financial years.

•                The report further sought approval to declare specific sites surplus and capable of review to determine the best financial return for the council; the 2 assets to be declared surplus.

•                The report sought authority to approve the terms of sale for Martingate Centre, Corsham.

Cabinet members were asked if they wished to make any comments.

Cllr Allison Bucknell requested that the two properties referred to in the report were also referred to in Appendix 2 for clarity.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group and other Cllrs were given the opportunity to discuss the report.

The Chairman asked the Members if they were likely to have any questions on the content of Supplementary agenda 1 and the Martingate Centre.  It was therefore agreed that these questions and the decision on the agenda item would be made in part II of the meeting.

There were no urgent items.

This is to give further notice in accordance with paragraph 5 (4) and 5 (5) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 of the intention to take the following item in private.

To consider passing the following resolution:

To agree that in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the meeting for the business specified in Item Number 10 because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

Reason for taking item in private:

Paragraph 1 - information relating to any individual

Disposal ProgrammeResolved:

To agree that in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the meeting for the business specified in Item Numbers 18 and 19 because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 and 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

Resolved:

•                Note the position in respect of disposals for financial years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22.

•                Confirm that freehold interest of the 2 assets can be sold by the Council.

•                Confirm the terms of sale for Martingate Centre, Corsham.

•                Authorise the Director for Housing and Commercial to dispose of the freehold interest in the assets or in his absence the Chief Executive

o   Officer Place.

Reason for Proposal(s)

To note the current position in respect of capital receipts and confirm the freehold interest in the assets can be sold to either generate capital receipts in support of the Council’s capital programme or reuse to generate income for the Council.

Report by the Leader of the Council to follow.

(Note – The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee has been made aware of this item.)

The Chairman presented report seeking Cabinet’s approval to take steps to make changes to the senior management structure of the council at tier 1 to support the COVID-19 recovery plan and deliver ongoing financial savings, following discussion with the current Chief Executive Officers.

Resolved:

•                Approve the proposed changes to the structure of the council at the top tier (Chief Executive Officers), and as outlined paragraphs 4 – 15.

•                Recommend that Council approves the proposed changes to the designation of the statutory roles as outlined in paragraphs 11 & 12, if this proposed new structure is approved.

If approved, the Leader of the Council proposes that cabinet note that:

•                Initial consultation on proposals to implement a new structure will start immediately.

•                Once a new structure is confirmed following consultation, that steps to seek approval of the appointment of a Chief Executive by the Officer Appointments Committee will take place, and if appropriate steps to approval the redundancy of a Chief Executive Officer by the Senior Officers Employment Sub-Committee will also take place.

Reason for Decision:

To take steps to make changesto the senior management structure of the council at tier 1 to support the COVID-19 recovery plan and deliver ongoing financial savings, following discussion with the current Chief Executive Officers.