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Cabinet Minutes 10th December 2003

 
 
     PRESENT:
Councillors Jan Wilson (Chair), Gill Furniss, Harry Harpham, Steve Jones, Tim Rippon, Mick Rooney, Angela Smith and Chris Weldon.
 
 
……………….
 
1.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
 
There were no declarations of interest reported at this meeting.
 
 
2.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
 
Minutes
 
          The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 26th November, 2003, were received and approved as a correct record.
 
 
 
Matters Arising
 
Arising from Item 7 of the minutes relating to Regeneration Proposals  -  Scowerdons, Newstead and Weakland Estates, and pursuant to a request of this Cabinet, the representative of the Executive Director, Neighbourhoods, reported details of arrangements which had been made for the ring-fencing of certain properties on estates adjacent to the Scowerdons, Newstead and Weakland Estates, for tenants and residents affected by demolition on such Estates, and under which surplus new properties for rent and decant accommodation which was no longer required would be offered to residents within the ring fenced areas, together with proposals for the monitoring and reporting of such arrangements at Area Housing Meetings and for a review of the ring-fence arrangements after two years.
 
The Cabinet noted the information reported.
 
 
3.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
 
Mr. M. Brighton
 
Mr. M. Brighton asked whether the Cabinet would note that developments pioneered by the Greenhill and Bradway Tenants and Community Association were being exported to other areas without any acknowledgement of the work done by the Association and that some Council Services were deliberately not including details of the successes of the Greenhill and Bradway Tenants and Community Association in the literature which they distributed.
 
He thanked the Council for the location of the Park Rangers at Greenhill Park, which had resulted in an immediate and dramatic downturn in anti-social behaviour in the area and he expressed gratitude in respect of the Council’s policy on graffiti which he recognised had brought improvements but he requested that the Cabinet should note that the Service was under-resourced to meet its targets.
 
He also requested the Cabinet to note his concern that Tenants’ Representatives had been advised that they could not trust and rely upon verbal agreements with Council Housing Officers in respect of Compact negotiations.
 
Councillor Jan Wilson, the Chair of the Cabinet, stated that these issues had been noted and that the Officers concerned would take cognisance of them.
 
 
4.
ITEMS CALLED IN FOR SCRUTINY/REFERRED FROM SCRUTINY
 
The Director of Legal and Administrative Services reported that there had been no items of business called-in for scrutiny arising from the previous meeting of this Cabinet.
 
The Cabinet noted this information.
 
 
5.
BURNGREAVE NEW DEAL FOR COMMUNITIES STAFF TRANSFER
 
The Chief Executive submitted a report containing an update in respect of the Burngreave New Deal for Communities Programme together with proposals as respects the final basis of the transfer of the New Deal Team from the City Council to the Burngreave New Deal for Communities Partnership.  He drew particular attention to issues relating to the pension rights for the New Deal Team once they had transferred to the Partnership, which issue had been considered previously by the Cabinet at its meeting on 19th February, and it was pointed out that the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority had now confirmed that it was not prepared to accept a bond from the Partnership and that access to the Scheme would only be available if the Council entered into a guarantee with the Pensions Authority in favour of the Partnership. 
 
Councillor Steve Jones stated that the Deputy Prime Minister had recently met the Partnership Board and had been impressed with the arrangements which had been put in place for the Partnership.
 
RESOLVED: That (a) authority be given for the transfer of the New Deal Team to the Partnership to proceed in accordance with the arrangements set out in the report and for the Council to continue to act as the Accountable Body for the foreseeable future;
 
(b) a guarantee be given to the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority to enable the Partnership to obtain admitted body status for the Local Authority Pension Scheme on an open basis, as now reported;
 
(c) in line with Government guidance, the Head of Regeneration and Partnership, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Administrative Services and the Director of Finance and Facilities, be granted delegated authority to agree with the Partnership adequate systems for project approval, monitoring expenditure and submitting grant claims to reflect the Council’s continuing long-term role as Accountable Body; such agreement to also clarify the Partnership’s wider role in respect of the Programme including its duties as an employer; and
 
(d) the Head of Regeneration and Partnership, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Facilities, be granted delegated authority to agree with the Partnership an appropriate level of financial contribution to the Council.
 
(NOTE: This item is subject to the Council’s “fast track” process and cannot therefore be called-in for scrutiny.)
 
 
6.
COUNCIL TAX BASE AND BORROWING LIMITS
 
The Director of Finance and Facilities submitted a report drawing attention to the provisions of the Local Government Act 2003 which had removed the requirement for the City Council to approve the calculation of its Council Tax Base each year at a full meeting of the Council, and containing proposals for the calculation of the Council Tax Base to be delegated to the Director of Finance and Facilities, with effect from 2004/2005.  The report also stated that the requirements of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 for the Council to approve the setting of its own Borrowing Limits would cease with effect from 2004/05 and would be replaced by the need to set a number of Prudential Indicators and it was stated that this matter would be addressed in the report on the Budget for 2004/05 which was to be considered by the Council at its special meeting on 5th March, 2004.
 
RESOLVED: That (a) in the circumstances now reported, delegated authority be granted to the Director of Finance and Facilities to approve the calculation of the City Council’s Council Tax Base each year, with effect from the calculation of the Tax Base for the financial year 2004/05 and the City Council’s Constitution be amended accordingly; and
 
(b) the arrangements under which the Council is required to approve the setting of its own Borrowing Limits, under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, which will cease with effect from 2004/05, be noted and authority be given for the City Council’s Constitution to be further amended to reflect the termination of such requirement.
 
(NOTE: This matter is included in the list of issues which are statutorily reserved for consideration by the City Council and cannot therefore be called-in for scrutiny.)
 
         
7.
CO-ORDINATED ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2005/06 ACADEMIC YEAR
 
The Executive Director, Education, submitted a report which referred to the statutory duty placed upon the Local Education Authority under the Education Act 2002, to formulate a co-ordinated Admissions Scheme for each primary and secondary school in their area, and contained details of the City Council’s proposed Admission Arrangements for the academic year 2005/06.  The Executive Director stated that the purpose of fully co-ordinated schemes was to establish a mechanism that would ensure that every parent of a child living in the Local Education Authority’s area who had applied for a school place in the normal admissions round received an offer of one school place on the same day.  He stated that in order to provide every parent with an offer of one place on the same day, the Authority would be working collaboratively with the Governing Bodies of Voluntary Aided Schools and Broomhill Infant Foundation School and that the scheme provided for applicants to identify three preferences which should be ranked by the applicants.  Details of the full Primary School Scheme and the full Secondary School Scheme were circulated with the report.
Councillor Angela Smith, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Education and Training, extended thanks to the officers concerned, for their work on this Scheme.
 
RESOLVED: That the co-ordinated Admission Schemes for Primary and Secondary Schools for 2005/06 be approved and adopted in accordance with the details contained in the report now submitted and the Executive Director, Education, be authorised to take steps to secure their adoption by the other Admission Authorities in Sheffield and to take any necessary further action to implement such Schemes.
 
(NOTE: This matter is included in the list of issues which are statutorily reserved for consideration by the City Council and cannot therefore be called-in for scrutiny.)
 
8.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE STRATEGY  -  MAKING A MARK PHASE 2
 
The Executive Director, Education, submitted a report containing information in respect of the levels of attendance of pupils in Schools in the City arising from the strategy for improving attendance entitled “Making a Mark” which was implemented in January, 2002, together with proposals for the implementation of Phase 2 of the Attendance Strategy for Sheffield.  He stated that statistics showed that the Strategy had played a major role in bringing about a significant rise in school attendance in the City but that to achieve the challenging target set by the Department for Education and Skills, it was now necessary to continue the original strategy whilst targeting a number of schools with the highest unauthorised absence levels.
 
Councillor Angela Smith, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Education and Training, drew attention to the need to ensure that this was maintained as a priority across the range of Council services and partner agencies and to ensure that the underlying causes of unauthorised absence, such as bullying, were also examined and addressed.
 
RESOLVED: That the information contained in the report now submitted be noted, the arrangements for the implementation of Phase 2 of the Attendance Strategy, Marking a Mark, be endorsed, and further regular reports on the progress of attendance in relation to Phase 2 of the Strategy be submitted in due course.
 
 
9
BETTER BUSES IN SHEFFIELD
 
The Executive Director, Development, Environment and Leisure, submitted a report containing details of the findings of two consultants who had been undertaking work to develop the better buses initiative for North Sheffield, since its approval by this Cabinet at its meeting on 26th March, 2003.  He stated that the 3key elements of the initiative sought to make a step change in the quality of the public transport network, with more and better quality bus services providing better access to destinations and a better quality waiting and interchanging environment.  He added that the initiative also explored innovative ways of project funding and delivery, with the costs shared between the project partners comprising the City Council, the Passenger Transport Executive and the First Group.
Councillor Gill Furniss drew attention to the employment and Leisure opportunities arising from this partnership
 
RESOLVED: That approval be given to the process for implementing the Better Buses initiative as set out in the report now submitted and arrangements be made for further discussions with the partners and Central Government in respect of the development of the initiative along the lines now indicated.
 
 
10.
DECRIMINALISED PARKING ENFORCEMENT
 
The Executive Director, Development, Environment and Leisure, submitted a report containing details of the findings of Stage 2 of the Decriminalised Parking Enforcement Study which had been undertaken by external consultants Buchanans.  The Study had indicated that the City Council already had an efficient, well-run Car Parking Section dealing with significant numbers of Excess Charge Notices resulting from the combined on and off street activities and that the introduction of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement could easily be undertaken by expanding the existing operations.  He stated that the proposals were supported by the Police who would prefer that all four authorities implemented Decriminalised Parking Enforcement on a broadly similar timescale.
 
RESOLVED: That (a) in the circumstances now reported approval be given for the implementation of Decriminalised Parking Enforcement in Sheffield;
 
(b) delegated authority be granted to the Executive Director, Development, Environment and Leisure, to take all necessary action to implement Decriminalised Parking Enforcement at the earliest possible time, including:-
 
 
 
(i)
the retention of Buchanans to act as consultants during the lead up to Decriminalised Parking Enforcement implementation and post implementation (i.e. Stage 3);
 
 
 
 
(ii)
Appointments to the structure as set out in the report, at the appropriate time;
 
 
 
 
(iii)
the procurement of all necessary IT systems, hardware etc;
 
 
 
 
(iv)
in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Development, Environment and Leisure, the submission of a Special Parking Area Application to the Secretary of State; and
 
 
 
 
(v)
the appointment of certified bailiffs;
 
 
 
 
(c) approval be given to the Cancellation and Exemption policies set out in the report for inclusion in the Special Parking Area Application;
 
(d) confirmation be given for the use of the £60 Penalty Charge Notices discounted to £30 for early payment; and
 
(e) subject to the approval of the City Council, delegated powers be granted to the Director of Legal and Administrative Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Development, Environment and Leisure, to appoint an Elected Member to serve on the National Parking Adjudication Service Joint Committee to deal with appeals arising from such arrangements.
 
(NOTE: The Development, Environment and Leisure Scrutiny Board is deemed to be the relevant Scrutiny Board for this item of business.)
 
 
11.
HILLSBOROUGH TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT REVIEW
 
The Executive Director, Development, Environment and Leisure, submitted a report on the outcome of further investigations which had been undertaken concerning traffic management in and around Hillsborough together with recommendations in respect of a series of actions and measures arising from the review.  He stated that on balance, the proposals were considered to offer an improvement to the overall environment and were generally welcomed by users and the local public.
 
RESOLVED: That the information contained in the report now submitted regarding the Hillsborough Traffic Management Review be noted and arising therefrom (a) approval be given to a series of measures as follows:-
 
 
 
(i)
the alteration of the existing bus/tram gate restrictions, to be operative from 7.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. on all days;
 
 
 
 
(ii)
the re-siting of the “from City” bus/tram gate on Langsett Road to a position immediately north of the junction with Ripley Street as set out on the plan now circulated;
 
(iii)
the introduction of further safety measures in the vicinity of the Forbes Road junction;
 
 
 
 
(iv)
the installation of automatic camera bus gate deterrence measures and potential enforcement equipment;
 
 
 
 
(v)
the provision of detailed improvements to the bus/tram gate signage, both at the point of restrictions and to advance signage, to incorporate the changed hours of restriction;
 
 
 
 
(vi)
the investigation of measures to calm traffic on the Ben Lane approach to the Ben Lane/Far Lane/Dykes Lane junction; and
 
 
 
 
          (vii)
the imposition of a yellow box junction marking on Loxley Road at its junction with Dykes Lane; and
 
           (b)  no change be made to the junction of Wadsley Lane with Far Lane.