Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Alan Quinn and Lucy Smith.

Members of Cabinet are asked to consider whether they have an interest in any of the matters of the Agenda and, if so, to formally declare that interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

Questions are invited from members of the public about the work of the Cabinet.

Notice of any question must be given to Democratic Services by midday on Monday, 30 May 2022. Approximately 30 minutes will be set aside for Public Question Time, if required.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the public, Philip Smith-Lawrence:

As the Prestwich Regeneration project moves into the public consultation phase, and to enable the public to make more informed comments during this public consultation phase, will the council publish the exact details of the Joint Venture between Bury Council and Muse Developments Ltd, i.e. full and exact details including, but not limited to; financials, joint venture partner responsibilities, process of mediation in the event of any contractual disputes between the joint venture parties, and any financial responsibilities, including any financial penalties, relevant to both parties of the joint venture?

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that the potential Joint Venture Agreement between Bury Council and Muse Developments Ltd is still subject to ongoing negotiations and thus it is not possible to share the details of this agreement, at this time. A more detailed response to your question, in the form of a written reply, will be provided once the agreement has been completed.

However, the Council is not able to provide the financial information requested, as it involves the affairs of a third party (Muse) and therefore has to be kept confidential. Confidentiality has to be preserved in any joint venture arrangement. Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) provides exemption in relation to, “Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).”

A further supplementary question was submitted:

Taken some £20 million plus of public money has already been spent to date on the Prestwich Regeneration project, can the Council advise the public exactly from whom the publicly stated figure of £100 million to complete the Prestwich Regeneration project, is being provided from, and what the exact terms of the funding are?

Councillor O’Brien reported that the source of the funding to complete the Prestwich Regeneration project, is dependent on the outcome of the ongoing joint venture negotiations between Bury Council and Muse Developments Ltd.  Therefore, a more detailed response will be provided once the agreement has been completed.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by a member of the public, Judith Sheppard:

Within the documents relating to the plans for Radcliffe you clearly refer to ‘listening to what is important to residents & using local insights to help achieve outcomes’. Can the leader of the council explain, in detail, the community engagement that has taken place, bearing in mind that there’s a high percentage of residents that are ‘blocked’ from any engagement with Labour groups on social media. Furthermore, there is a group known as Radcliffe Labour Party, seeing that there are no Labour councillors in Radcliffe, why are derogatory & misleading comments being published by an unidentified person representing Radcliffe Labour, comments & information which could be considered harassment or intimidation.

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that pages 6-8 of the Radcliffe People and Communities plan provide an overview of the local engagement  ...  view the full minutes text for item CA.3

Questions are invited from Elected Members about items on the Cabinet agenda. 15 minutes will be set aside for Member Question Time, if required.

Notice of any Member question must be given to the Monitoring Officer by midday Friday, 27 May 2022.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by Councillor Carol Birchmore:

Radcliffe, is a former industrial town and many older residents have seen a significant change in their working life circumstances, having lost a highly skilled industrial jobs after the industries have left. Often, work was not simply somewhere you went nine to five but it also provided a social life through the working men’s social clubs and company outings e.g. at East Lancs Paper Mill. 

Although it is hard to precisely measure social isolation and loneliness evidence shows that many adults aged 50 and over are either socially isolated or lonely which leads to their health being put at risk. Recent studies have found that social isolation:

·         Significantly increased a person’s risk of premature death

·         Was associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia

·         Was associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and 32% increased risk of stroke

·         Lead to higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide

What policies is the Council planning to put in place as part of their Radcliffe Regeneration plans to ensure residents over 50 are listened to and the impact of the changes in a post industrial town like Radcliffe are taken into consideration when looking at regeneration plans?

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that the question reflected what the Radcliffe People and Communities Plan was designed to do, to move beyond the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead take us closer to understanding the issues and therefore finding the right solution. This was therefore the right starting point, having a plan to address neighbourhood-specific issues on a local level.

Some of the work has already started to roll out and address issues, in particular social isolation and loneliness, harnessing the spirit and strengths of local people across all protected characteristics, including age – and recognising the intersectionality with other characteristics - such as disability, faith, socio-economic status - and communities of interest such as Veterans. As such a blended approach based on input from the public, community groups and public service leaders had been taken including through community hubs, the VCFA and through Radcliffe Health Improvement Fund and Neighbourhood Pitch activity in which local residents voted for the projects which they wanted to see funded. Successful groups included Ainsworth Social Club; Radcliffe Litter Pickers and their Safe Haven Garden; Woodies Men in Sheds; Forever Friends chair based-exercises and monthly music activity; and Women’s Walking football.

We’ve also started to broaden the approach, looking at what the community can offer in a place like Radcliffe; the culture initiative Spirit of a Place Radcliffe has engaged local residents on the history and heritage of Radcliffe, including workshops at Radcliffe Library for people to add their specific connections to place, both to celebrate Radcliffe’s rich heritage but creatively to inform and celebrate the future.

Another aspect is the health and social care integration, and how we translate that from a complex Greater Manchester level to having an impact locally, pulling  ...  view the full minutes text for item CA.4

Minutes from the meeting held on 13 April 2022 are attached.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 April 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the report which sought approval of several property acquisitions required to facilitate the physical development of the scheme to regenerate Bury Market and deliver a new flexible events hall. These properties have been identified as critical to deliver the redevelopment plans for the market and the surrounding area.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the acquisition of property at 51 Market Street in accordance with the terms set out in Part B of this report; and

2.    Delegated the finalised terms of the agreements to the Chief Executive in consultation with Cabinet Member for Finance, S151 Officer and Monitoring Officer.

Reasons for the decision:

To facilitate delivery of the Bury Market and Flexihall project in accordance with the Levelling Up bid submission and subsequent notification of a successful bid.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         An alternative option is to not purchase the property, this option was rejected as the land holding is required in order to continue with the Flexihall development.

·         The Council can seek to use compulsory purchase powers as an acquiring authority the Council is able to use compulsory purchase powers and acquire land without the consent of the landowner. The process however is not swift and could take in the region of 18-24 months to be concluded. The requirements of the levelling up bid stated that all funds would need to be defrayed by quarter 1 2025. This option has been rejected as the Council would not therefore have sufficient time to acquire the properties within the project delivery timeline.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the report which set out the governance arrangements of delivery of major, time limited, projects. It was noted that the paper not only set out how delivery could progress at pace, but also the checks and balances that would ensure accountability.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed the outline amendments to the financial regulations as set out in paragraph 10 of this report:

·         Assistant Director(s) of Regeneration – delegated authority to make decisions involving spending up to £75k

·         Head of Levelling Up Project Delivery – delegated authority to make decisions involving spending up to £75k

·         Regeneration Project Managers – delegated authority to make decisions involving spending up to £50k

2.    Noted the governance arrangements in place for the delivery of major time limited regeneration schemes.

Reasons for the decision:

To ensure and facilitate timely decision making as set out in the summary section of this report.

Other options considered and rejected:

Keep existing governance arrangements in place. This was rejected, this matter has been considered in detail by the Regeneration Board and the service has set out a series of concerns if revisions are not made. The inability for project officers to process payments will lead to delays in the delivery of the project. Delays in decision making will have an overarching impact on the delivery of the projects with the timeframes set by Government.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the report which sought approval for  the acquisition of the property interests within the Mill Gate Estate by the Council as part of the regeneration of Bury town centre.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the acquisition of the Manchester Diocese Board of Finance interests within the Mill Gate estate subject to approval of recommendation 2, the acquisition price being within the range set out in the Part B report and the advice set out in Appendix to the Part B report and subject to the carrying out of a formal red book valuation to provide assurance that the Council is achieving best value;

2.    Delegated to the Executive Director of Place authority to complete due diligence and final negotiations with the Diocese and to agree the final terms of the transaction in line with the professional valuation advice set out in the Part B report and subject to recommendation 3 below;

3.    Delegated final approval to the transaction to the Chief Executive following consultation with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer; and

4.    Instructed the Monitoring Officer to enter into and complete all necessary documents to give effect to the acquisition.

Reasons for the decision:

·         To assist in facilitating the wider aspirations of regeneration of Bury town centre by securing further control over the Mill Gate Estate. To facilitate redevelopment opportunities within the masterplan for the estate.

·         To avoid the diocese interest being acquired by an ‘income-investor’ who could potentially look to retain the income in the long term and provide a barrier to redevelopment. This would not be insurmountable but would delay the regeneration timescales and would certainly hold up proposals for redevelopment of the Mill Gate Estate.

·         To provide a further income stream to the Council by way of ground rent income payable under the interests to be acquired.

Other options considered and rejected:

Council to not act and leave the matter to market forces. This option was rejected as if the diocese interests were to be purchased by a third party, they may not be motivated to facilitate redevelopment and could become a barrier to redevelopment of the wider Mill Gate estate.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the report which presented the draft People and Communities Plan for Radcliffe. This set out the quality and detail behind the physical regeneration of the area, taking a people-led approach to addressing social issues. This represented a fundamental change in approach and it was hoped could provide a blueprint for other parts of the borough. In response to Members’ questions it was noted that the performance measures would be developed further to ensure they were more meaningful. As changes were embedded, performance measures would grow in complexity and detail as time moved on.

Thanks were extended to all the people of Radcliffe for their feedback and understanding, along with community groups, officers, partner organisations, third sector bodies and everyone involved.

Decision:

That the Radcliffe People and Communities Plan be approved and that the existing governance established for the Radcliffe SRF is used for the ongoing monitoring of delivery and performance.

Reasons for the decision:

To deliver on the Council’s commitment to co-produce and deliver a plan for Radcliffe that enables the delivery of the SRF and our Let’s Do It! vision at pace. This codesigned plan sets out the means by which to ensure the best possible conditions for the people of Radcliffe to take advantage of the significant opportunities that regeneration and Levelling Up activity affords.

Other options considered and rejected:

The co-design of this plan with local residents, community groups, public service colleagues and businesses has been an iterative process, resulting in the plan that is presented with this report. As set out below, the physical regeneration of Radcliffe without an equal focus on the people and communities of Radcliffe risks the realisation of opportunities for significant shifts in local outcomes.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing is attached.

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, presented the report which set out a suite of documents that defined the Bury Adult Social Care commitment to housing and the significant work programme underway to deliver our ambitious priorities, drive improvement across key outcomes and ensure the people of Bury with additional needs are supported to live as independently as possible, and when required, receive support in the right way, at the right time and in the right place.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the Bury Adult Social Care for those with additional needs Vision, Strategy and Market Position Statement for sharing with stakeholders; and

2.    Approved the ambitious work programme for adults with additional needs housing.

Reasons for the decision:

The Bury Adult Social Care for those with additional needs Vision, Strategy and Market Position Statement sets out the pathway and ambitious work programme that will:

·         Meet our statutory obligations set out in the Adult Social Care White Paper ‘People at the heart of care’, requiring a local and joint health and social care plan and response housing solutions.

·         Developing a framework to attract a proportion of the proposed £300million government funding to integrate housing into local health and care strategies, with a focus on increasing the range of new supported housing.

·         Prepares Adult Social Care for the future CQC inspection regime.

·         Provide local homes for those with additional needs now and in the future.

·         Increase housing choices for our older generation and adults with specialist needs, enabling an increased number of people living independently at home.

·         Encourage enterprise to drive inclusive economic growth through our business community, enterprising innovation, and creative solutions to housing issues.

·         Work collaboratively to design quality, fit for purpose homes for people with additional needs in Bury. Reviewing, designing and shaping homes in coproduction with service users, their carers and family. Working together to ensure inclusivity throughout the housing agenda.

·         Taking a strengths based approach to recognise the assets and strengths of communities and the people within, empowering their independence, choice, and control for positive housing solutions.

·         Enabling more people to remain in borough, in the community of their choice, closer to family and friends, driving efficiencies and reduced cost whilst enabling better quality outcomes for individuals.

·         Aligns to the ‘Let’s Do It’ strategy, service user engagement and the Adult Social Care White Paper ‘People at the Heart of Care: Adult Social Care Reform’ which puts the spotlight on making every decision about care, a decision about housing.

Other options considered and rejected:

The alternative is to ignore the outcomes of the significant work and engagement with our stakeholders over the past fifteen months, which is not feasible as demand would remain unmet and the Local Authority would be unable to achieve its statutory obligations.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing is attached.

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, presented the report which proposed activating the first ‘plus one’ extension of the substance misuse contract, commissioned through Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH). In response to Members’ questions it was noted that discussions regarding options for the future of the contract beyond this extension would be taking place soon, with involvement from other Councils.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed to activate the first plus one year; and

2.    Agreed to utilise the supplementary funding in line with the developed plan.

Reasons for the decision:

This option would allow us to continue to build on already existing, positive relationships that have been built over the last 3 years, not just between Achieve and Bury Council but between Achieve and numerous other external partners. Extending the contract will also enable current projects, including those set up using the Universal Funding grant, to continue seamlessly.

In addition, continuation of the contract will ensure there is no interference of current and future funding streams, including the SSMTR and Inpatient Detox grants, as well as ensuring no disruption to those service users currently in treatment. Achieve are very client and community focused, which aligns well with our ‘Let’s do it’ strategy and neighbourhood approach. We believe the current contract represents good value for money, compared to other organisations and localities.

Other options considered and rejected:

Based on the funding plans identified in the report, the future investment would ensure:

·         Continuation of Universal Funding projects and workforce – focusing on criminal justice, reducing DRDs and harm reduction (Naloxone work);

·         Expansion and development of workforce in both adult and young people’s treatment services;

·         Investment in community groups to aid recovery;

·         Further development of dual diagnosis pathway;

·         Extending intermediate care to other neighbourhoods;

·         An increased Inpatient Detox offer: plan to remain in GM consortia and block book bed nights at both CBU and Smithfield;

·         Workforce development with both our adult and young people’s treatment services;

·         Work with partners such as housing and employment to strengthen pathways;

·         Further develop identification processes and means in which to engage high risk groups, such as homeless and LGBT.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is attached.

Councillor Tamoor Tariq presented the report on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the report regarding a change of approach for recruitment to the Educational Psychology Service, seeking approval to build on the successful partnership developed with Salford Council and extend this arrangement more formally to enable Salford to recruit additional staff to meet the needs of both Councils. In response to Members’ questions regarding shared services, it was noted that there were lots of opportunities, particularly in Children’s Services, for shared services and these would always be explored to see if better outcomes could be achieved.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the Council entering into a formal partnership arrangement with Salford City Council to recruit, employ and train Educational Psychologists to work across both local authority areas; and

2.    Approved the additional costs of establishing the formal partnership on the basis of shared costs across the two Councils, with those costs being met from the permanent Education Psychology service budget (EY58000), plus additional capacity from the partnership charged initially to Project Safety Valve (EG10021) and in future covered from the core Education Psychology budget through reduction of Agency spend.

Reasons for the decision:

To enable the Council to put in place appropriate arrangements to recruit suitably qualified educational psychologists in order to fulfil its duties in respect of statutory assessments for Education, health and care plans for those children with Special educational Needs.

Other options considered and rejected:

Bury could provide this service directly however these posts have been difficult to recruit to and has led to a reliance on the use of agency staff. This option has been rejected by officers.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is attached.

Councillor Tamoor Tariq presented the report on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People which sought approval to consult on making changes to the admissions policy for maintained secondary schools. Members noted the proposal was to remove catchment areas and the associated oversubscription criterion giving pupils residing in a designated catchment area priority for admission to Community secondary schools in the borough. The changes, if adopted, would come into effect for applications for secondary school places for the academic year 2024/25 and would apply to all Community secondary schools in the borough.

In response to Members’ questions it was noted that the detail of the consultation was still being developed, as it was crucial this was done right. With regards to Academy admissions, it was noted that the Council had good relationships with the Academies in the borough and an amicable position would be reached with them before consultation. It was also noted that the upcoming White Paper on schools might throw up some challenges.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Gave approval to consult on proposed changes to admission arrangements for maintained secondary schools; and

2.    Noted that further recommendations will be made to Cabinet following the consultation process.

Reasons for the decision:

·         Catchment areas in Bury have not been reviewed for many years and as a number of secondary schools have closed over time, their previous catchment areas have been amalgamated with other school’s existing catchment areas.

·         As new housing developments have been constructed and continue to be developed, this has resulted in some catchment areas being very large and each school may not have the capacity to accommodate the growing number of children residing within its designated catchment area. In some cases, children reside in a catchment area of a school which is further away and less accessible than their nearest geographically located school.

·         The majority of secondary schools in Bury have converted to Academies, or are in discussions about conversion, and as such are, or will be, free to determine their own admission arrangements. Furthermore, Bury Council is committed to delivering a new secondary school in Radcliffe, working in collaboration with Star Academy Trust and the Department for Education (DfE). The school is to be located in Radcliffe and is expected to admit its first cohort of pupils in September 2024. This will also impact on the current designated catchment areas.

·         Analysis of transfer applications for 2021 indicates that a large proportion of families are disregarding their catchment area school when stating their preferences.

·         Discussions have taken place with neighbouring LA’s as to their admission arrangements. Removing catchment areas would align with our neighbouring LA’s admissions policies whilst complying with the School Admissions Code.

Other options considered and rejected:

To retain existing admission arrangements for maintained secondary schools would not be viable due to the reasons stated above.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Housing Services is attached.

Councillor Clare Cummins, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Skills, presented the report which sought approval for the demolition of The Elms in Whitefield, a long-term void property owned by the Council which was beyond repair at a reasonable cost. It was noted that local residents and Ward Councillors would be engaged in due course regarding potential options for the site.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the demolition of this property, subject to obtaining the necessary statutory consents;

2.    Delegated the finalised terms of the agreement to the Director of Housing in consultation with the Chief Executive and the Cabinet Member for Housing Services; and

3.    Noted that provision has been made for the demolition of this property and associated costs in the 2022/23 HRA Capital Programme.

Reasons for the decision:

·         This property is beyond repair at reasonable cost and an options appraisal has demonstrated that demolition is the best option.

·         To reduce revenue costs to the Council for holding, maintaining, and securing a long-term derelict property.

·         Risk of further deterioration/dangerous structure, a potential hazard to the public.

·         Reinstatement/refurbishment costs are unviable.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         Do nothing: This is a derelict property and underutilised asset causing blight to neighbouring properties and the community. It is at risk of antisocial behaviour including fly tipping and arson. Further deterioration of condition would result in additional costs to remedy.

·         Restoration/refurbishment: The cost of rebuilding and refurbishing this property is unviable.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Affairs and HR is attached.

Councillor Tahir Rafiq, Cabinet Member for Corporate Affairs and HR, presented the report which provided a summary of key delivery and performance that occurred during quarter four 2021-22 aligned to the 3R priorities and provided a spotlight on Bury’s State of the Borough report for 2021. In response to a Member’s question it was noted that missed delivery was seeing continued improvement and 98% of waste was collected each day.

Decision:

1.    To note the performance and delivery against the 3R priorities and the 2021/22 Corporate Plan delivery objectives;

2.    To note the spotlight on our State of the Borough report for 2021;

3.    To note the ongoing developments to strengthen and improve this reporting process and functionality.

Reasons for the decision:

This continues our commitment to “strengthening the basics” by embedding the corporate business planning process across all the work of the Council and CCG. This will allow for more effective performance management at organisation, departmental and officer level.

Other options considered and rejected:

No alternative option considered.

The Chief Executive to provide a verbal update.

Geoff Little, Chief Executive of Bury Council, provided an update on the progress of the Children’s Services Improvement Programme and the three key challenges identified.

Leadership and Management

Progress was being made to strengthen and stabilise leadership and management. Linda Evans had been appointed as Interim Director of Children’s Social Work Practice, and there was a strong field of candidates for the permanent position. It was also noted that the role of Principal Social Worker was out to advert. This post would enable the continuous improvement of practice and a learning culture across the service.

Workforce

The Chief Executive advised we faced significant challenges in this area, firstly in recruitment and retention, given the competitiveness of the market and the need to increase the number of case workers to reduce their caseloads. In addition, Bury had a high proportion of agency staff which, combined with high turnover, risked the stability of the service. A workforce strategy for Children’s Services had now been signed off, underpinned by benchmarking analysis of pay rates for social workers which showed we offered competitive rates. Attracting and retaining staff was about more than pay, however, and feedback from staff demonstrated a strong and healthy culture which would be promoted in order to address those wider considerations and attract social workers. In addition, free car parking had been agreed for social workers along with payment of professional fees, and recruitment on a continuous basis was in place. Work was also ongoing to persuade agency workers to take permanent positions in Bury. Finally, it was noted that a proposed restructure in Children’s Services would be coming to Cabinet at its next meeting.

Quality and Practice

Ongoing quality assurance of practice had been strengthened, focusing on the core components of social work practice and signs of improvement were being seen. The relocation of the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub and Complex Safeguarding team back into Bury Police station had been completed, ensuring a fully co-located team across the Council, Health Service and GMP. Finally, the review of the Bury Integrated Safeguarding Partnership was being finalised, with an executive group combining senior leadership across GMP, Health Service and the Council now in place, as well as ongoing independent scrutiny, and cross-service events for frontline staff to improve practice as partnership.

Finally, the Chief Executive reported on feedback from external scrutiny, noting that quality and practice observed was generally good, staff were highly engaged and motivated, and overall there was a committed workforce. It was also noted that leadership was stronger and more visible. Over-reliance on agency staff was still a problem, and further work was needed to strengthen partnership working.

It was noted that the next monitoring visit was expected later in June, and communication events were being held across the department to feedback on the improvement plan and engage staff in its delivery. Thanks were extended to staff for their positive response and resilient morale and commendable work so far.

In response to Members’ questions it was noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item CA.16

To consider the minutes of meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held on 25 March 2022.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting held on 25 March 2022 be noted.

To consider passing the appropriate resolution under Section 100 (A)(4), Schedule 12(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the reason that the following business involves the disclosure of exempt information as detailed against the item.

Decision:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting under Section 100 (A)(4), Schedule 12(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, for the reason that the following business involves the disclosure of exempt information as detailed against the item.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the Part B report which set out the full financial details.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the acquisition of property at 51 Market Street in accordance with the terms set out in this report; and

2.    Delegated the finalised terms of the agreements to the Chief Executive in consultation with Cabinet Member for Finance, S151 Officer and Monitoring Officer.

Reasons for the decision:

As set out for the Part A report.

Other options considered and rejected:

As set out for the Part A report.

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the Part B report which set out the full financial details. 

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the acquisition of the Manchester Diocese Board of Finance interests within the Mill Gate estate subject to approval of recommendation 2, the acquisition price being within the range set out in the report and the advice set out in Appendix to the report and subject to the carrying out of a formal red book valuation to provide assurance that the Council is achieving best value;

2.    Delegated to the Executive Director of Place authority to complete due diligence and final negotiations with the Diocese and to agree the final terms of the transaction in line with the professional valuation advice set out in the report and subject to recommendation 3 below;

3.    Delegated final approval to the transaction to the Chief Executive following consultation with the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, the Monitoring Officer and the Section 151 Officer; and

4.    Instructed the Monitoring Officer to enter into and complete all necessary documents to give effect to the acquisition.

Reasons for the decision:

As set out for the Part A report..

Other options considered and rejected:

As set out for the Part A report.