Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Clare Cummins.

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.

Councillor Charlotte Morris declared an interest in respect of the Local Transport Strategy report, as she works for National Highways.

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, 13^th March 2023. Approximately 30 minutes will be set aside for Public Question Time, if required.

There were no public questions.

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, 10^th March 2023.

There were no Member questions.

Minutes from the meeting held on 15^th February 2023 are attached.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2023 be approved as a correct record.

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

At Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 24th November, the following recommendation was put forward and agreed:

Recommendation to Cabinet that when they receive a report on Foster Carer financial support, they give consideration to whether any support should be back dated.

Councillor Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the report which provided information about the professional fees and maintenance allowances paid to Bury approved Foster Carers and how this compared to other Greater Manchester authorities, proposed a range of incentives to strengthen our current offer to Foster Carers, and considered the amendment of Council Tax Section 13A Discount Policy, in relation to applying discretionary council tax relief to approved Foster Carers and Supported Lodgings Hosts for Bury commencing in the year 2024/25. An additional allowance would be provided until that time to cover Council Tax costs. 

It also provided information around an evidence-based Fostering model called ‘The Mockingbird model’ originally developed by the Fostering Network, and outlined Bury’s involvement in the development of a ‘Regional Foster Carer Recruitment Campaign and Hub’ via a Greater Manchester Combined Authority alongside seven other Greater Manchester authorities, which will complement Foster Carer recruitment strategies and assist in an increase in approvals of fostering families.

With regards to the Scrutiny recommendation, the Chair advised that financial incentives couldn’t be backdated as there was no available budget but advised that some additional financial support had already been provided through the second round of housing support funding where provision had been made for foster carers.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed to an uplift in Foster Carer professional fees and maintenance allowances to bring us into line with higher paying Greater Manchester local authorities;

2.    Approved the implementation of professional fees being linked to payments for skills to professional fees for Foster Carers on a four-level basis providing career progression to Carers;

3.    Agreed to the implementation of the Mockingbird Model within Bury Fostering Services;

4.    Agreed to applying a 50% Council tax discount from foster carers payable Council tax bills to Bury. This payment for 2023/24 will be given to the carers by way of an allowance increase;

5.    Noted that as part of the budget setting process for 2024/25 Council will be asked to approve an amendment to the discretionary support scheme to formalise a change to the Council tax billing arrangements; and

6.    Agreed to the outlined incentives to strengthen our current offer to Foster Carers, attract more Foster Carers to Bury and retain our current cohort of approved Carers.

Reasons for the decision:

As a good corporate parent to looked after children we need to ensure that wherever possible and safe to do so children looked after can continue to live in Bury as their hometown and stay connected to their family and friend network and their wider community. When children cannot remain in the care of their own families, we need to ensure that we have sufficient foster homes and supported lodging hosts in the Borough to meet their needs. We have a priority to increase the number of newly approved Bury Fostering households by at least 20 in 2023/2024.

Other options considered and rejected:

The alternative option is to not uplift professional fees, maintenance allowances and incentives to Bury approved  ...  view the full minutes text for item CA.146

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

Councillor Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the report which set out additional costs to enable the Council to contribute to the provision of temporary modular accommodation to enable the new school in Radcliffe school to open to its first cohort of pupils in September 2024, prior to the new school building being completed in early 2025. Members voiced their cross-party support for securing the new school despite the setbacks outside of the Council’s control.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the funding of indicative costs as set out in Part B of this report, to meet the Council’s financial obligations, to be met from the Children’s Services schools capital programme; capital receipts/borrowing; and the Greater Manchester City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement;

2.    Delegated approval of the finalised costs to the Executive Director of Finance; and

3.    Further to the decision of Cabinet (CA.172) in respect of the lease of land, agreed the revised plan at Appendix 1, showing the land to be subject to the lease agreement.

Reasons for the decision:

To unlock the delivery of a new secondary school for Radcliffe and utilise a Council owned Brownfield site for development.

Other options considered and rejected:

In order to deliver the new school in Radcliffe, the Council is required to confirm that it will commit to meet certain financial obligations. Failure to provide such a commitment will prevent the scheme from being progressed. The alternative option to not proceed with the school was rejected owing to the demonstrative need for new secondary school provision in Radcliffe and the importance of that provision in supporting the economic growth and sustainability of Radcliffe and its alignment with the wider objectives of the Radcliffe Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF).

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

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the report which set out how the Council will meet its ambitions to develop an integrated transport network that will support a healthy, green, connected and thriving Borough through a Local Transport Strategy that aligned with the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040. Councillor O’Brien extended his thanks to officers and Members for their work on developing this long term, ambitious strategy.

Members discussed the report, noting the objective to change behaviours around travel and underpinning this through the transport system. It was noted this would take significant time to come to implement but demonstrated the value of the GMCA and of devolution.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the draft Local Transport Strategy attached at Appendix 1 as the basis for a 3-month public consultation commencing in late March 2023; and

2.    Delegated approval to the Executive Director of Place in consultation with the Leader to make modifications to the draft Local Transport Strategy before consultation commences.

Reasons for the decision:

To ensure that all stakeholders are given the opportunity to have their say on the draft Local Transport Strategy and the role and function it will play in facilitating the preparation of a pipeline of potential interventions required to support key developments in a sustainable manner, as well as ensuring transport needs are provided for over the next 10 years and beyond.

Other options considered and rejected:

None. It is important that stakeholder engagement continues to seek the views and input from the wider public, key businesses and other key partners to ensure that the final Transport Strategy is fit for purpose.

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

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth & Skills, presented the report which provided an update on progress regarding the High Streets Task Force project and recommended the appointment of Planit-IE to deliver a phased programme of consultation. Members discussed the report, noting that Planit-IE’s involvement allowed the project to be broadened, in scope and in area, and Councillors for the local Wards voiced their support.  

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the appointment of Planit-IE to undertake stakeholder consultation exercises and the production of a plan identifying short and medium-term investment opportunities and a high-level appraisal of long-term opportunities for Whitefield, prior to the visit from the High Streets Task Force; and

2.    Approved the ability for the Council to retain Planit-IE to undertake work to provide more detail to the long-term investment opportunities.

Reasons for the decision:

This will enable the Council to work towards the delivery of the HSTF project and the development of a community shaped and influenced Town Centre Plan.

Other options considered and rejected:

No other options were considered/were applicable.

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

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth & Skills, presented the report which provided an update on progress made with several of the proposals regarding the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan where early external funding opportunities have been identified and secured, and sought approval for the appointment of consultants to undertake feasibility work for the proposed enterprise centre and understand the potential of the area.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the progress made with the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan;

2.    Approved the appointment of Focus Consultants to undertake a feasibility study and consultation process on the proposed enterprise centre for Ramsbottom Market Chambers and Ramsbottom Civic Hall buildings;

3.    Noted the work being undertaken to prepare a tender specification to appoint consultants to undertake feasibilities on two public space proposals;

4.    Noted the requirement for Legal Services and the Highways Department to provide information on options for the continued use of Square Street as pedestrianised outdoor space whilst the permanent arrangement as per the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan is being considered; and

5.    Accepted that the delivery of the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan will be subject to further funding being secured.

Reasons for the decision:

To enable several proposals contained in the Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan to be developed where external funding has been secured.

Other options considered and rejected:

No other options were considered/were applicable.

Report of the Cabinet Members for Housing Services and Strategic Growth and Skills is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth and Skills, presented the report which sought approval to dispose of the Pyramid Park site as part of the Accelerated Land Disposals Programme in order for the BLRF bid to be progressed for housing, complementing adjacent sites and meeting intergenerational housing needs as identified in the Housing Strategy. Members voiced their ambition for zero carbon developments and the inclusion of nesting bricks.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the proposals for the disposal Pyramid Park as set out within this report, to expedite delivery of the priorities within the Housing Strategy and Town Centre Masterplan;

2.    Delegated the finalised terms of the procurement exercise and disposal to the Council's Section 151 Officer, Head of Law & Democratic Services and Executive Director of Place in consultation with the Director of Housing and Cabinet Member for Housing Services; and

3.    Noted that a further report will come to Cabinet should a successful funding award be made. The report will set out the proposed disposal method and planning strategy.

Reasons for the decision:

·         To support Bury’s Brownfield Release funding bid by approving the site for housing development, providing funders with confidence the site has the necessary approval for disposal.

·         To facilitate the Councils ‘brownfield first’ approach to housing delivery and reduce liability for holding long-term disused sites.

·         To facilitate delivery of the Housing Strategy 2021 and wider Town Centre Masterplan which details the need for high quality aspirational homes.

·         To attract and retain young adults and young professionals to Bury.

·         To unlock a key opportunity site for the town centre.

·         To promote innovation and ensure that the Council meets the obligations of the best value requirements of s123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

·         To create wider social, environmental and financial benefits including additional council tax revenue.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         Do nothing: Bury has high levels of need for housing in general and both young and older people specifically require town centre housing provision. This is a brownfield site deemed suitable for housing in an area of high demand, to do nothing would not be an option.

·         Remediate the site for office/educational. There is currently low demand for stand-alone office development post-Covid and there are sites with stronger characteristics for this type of use in and around the town centre. In addition, there is no capital funds available to remediate the land for this use.

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

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health, and Wellbeing, presented the report which detailed the fee engagement process including timelines and proposed recommendations for the fee proposal to contracted providers of adult social care services for the period 2023/24. Members noted this had been developed in partnership with providers and that it marked the end of the phased approach to implementing the Real Living Wage.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed the fee uplifts as set out in the report.

Reasons for the decision:

The Council is required to carry out a provider fee engagement process and has done so for year 23/24. The uplifts are within budget and look to drive the provider market to meet needs now and going forward, while ensuring provider sustainability in light of current pressures. The recommended fee rates also support providers to pay their staff the Real Living Wage and move towards the Fair Cost of Care.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         Fee uplifts are one of the levers available to the Local Authority to help direct the market to meet the needs of Bury residents both now and in the future. There is increasing demand for more complex provision including dementia and nursing services and to support people to live well at home; hence the further increases in these areas. Failure to do so could have resulted in a lack of capacity and sufficiency of care for people with those needs.

·         A reduced budget for fee uplifts would have resulted in the ongoing sustainability of the Adult Social Care market being severely impacted and Bury’s position as a Real Living Wage paying authority compromised.

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

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health, and Wellbeing, presented the report which set out the Market Sustainability Plan that had been developed alongside Care at Home Providers and Older People Care Homes and looked for approval to submit to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Decision:

Cabinet reviewed the content of the Market Sustainability Plan and approved it for submission to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Reasons for the decision:

The Council was required to conduct a Fair Cost of Care Exercise which it has completed. It is now required to submit a final Market Sustainability Plan.

Other options considered and rejected:

Alternatives were not considered as we are required to submit the Market Sustainability Plan.

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

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health, and Wellbeing, presented the report which reviewed the objectives of Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) usage, adaptations, and refreshed the Housing Assistance policy.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed to continue delivery of minor and major adaptations for households with additional need and agree to widen use of DFG for residents with additional needs. This includes delivering:

·         Innovation Grants/ Excess Cold Grants- preventing accidents and hospital admissions

·         Repairs to adaptations- enabling people to stay in their home longer and prevent or delay the need for more costly formal care or residential placement.

·         Minor Adaptations- Fund equipment store to provide larger minor adaptations costing less that £1,000 such as external metal handrails, grab rails and stair rails and other adaptations

·         Technology Enabled Care (TEC)- allowing people to use technology to enable people to live independently at home, potentially preventing the need for adaption to properties.

·         Housing support for older people- Handy Person to assist with minor adaptations and household DIY tasks.

·         Incentivisation ‘Moving Assistance’- help move tenants into a more suitable property or moving tenant out of an adapted property who no longer needs it to alternative home.

2.    Agreed to, in close collaboration with the Business Growth and Infrastructure department and One Commissioning Organisation, remodel and refresh:

·         Bury Procurement Framework

·         Minor Aids and Adaptations model

·         Pathways and processes for people with additional needs to access adaptations to improve their quality of life.

Reasons for the decision:

·         Bury Councils Strategy- Housing for those with Additional Needs, defines what the approach needs to be for residents in Bury. Housing must focus on providing local homes for those with additional needs in Bury, both now and in the future. Increasing housing choices for our older generation and adults with specialist needs, enabling an increased number of people to live independently at home. A refreshed approach to DFG spends must align to this, promoting wider options for people with additional needs and improving quality of life of residents.

·         Refined and focused DFG investment will provide long term savings to the public purse. Stronger control and utilization of the DFG will mean more people receive what they need to support their independence and defer further institutional or home-based care provision.

Other options considered and rejected:

The alternative is to continue with the traditional delivery of the DFG and disregard the freedoms for the Local Authority to fund wider projects, so more people can receive the adaptations that they need. To keep with the same model for DFGs, it would not take advantage of the flexibilities afforded to councils to support more residents in the borough.

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

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health, and Wellbeing, presented the report which sought to extend the contract with Great Places to 31 March 2024 with the potential for a second year subject to continued satisfactory performance. It was noted this could save the Council over £35,000 over two years.  

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed to extend contractual arrangements from the 1st April 2023 to 31^st March 2024 aligned to the proposed service delivery model. An additional year extension will be agreed subject to continued satisfactory performance of the provider;

2.    Agreed to reduce the contract value from £366,378 to £348,585 per annum saving the Council of £35,586 over two years (£17,793 per annum in year 1 and year 2 of the extension period); and

3.    Delegated authority to the Executive Director Strategic Commissioning for any future extensions relevant to this contract (Within the specified Contract provision).

Reasons for the decision:

The Community Commissioning Division is confident that Great Places will continue to deliver on this contract by working in partnership with stakeholders and supporting young people to achieve improved outcomes in all areas of their lives.

Other options considered and rejected:

The alternative is to retender this provision. However, the department is satisfied with the providers performance and service delivery and the existing contractual arrangement allows for a 2-year extension.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change and Operations is attached.

Councillor Alan Quinn, Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change and Operations, presented the report which set out proposed priorities for Highway Investment Strategy tranche 3 (HIS3) and the Highway Maintenance element of the City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) funds, and set out the priorities of the Integrated Transport Block funding.

Members discussed the report, noting the £6.1m allotted to GM for highway repairs in the recent Budget announcements was welcomed but wasn’t enough to meet demand. Prevention of potholes was preferable and more cost effective but unachievable with chronic underfunding as existing problems took priority. Members also discussed improving communications of when resurfacing works would be taking place and also manage expectations for how long the process would take.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the resurfacing schemes in Appendices 1 & 2 and delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate Change and Operations to approve any changes in the ranking of resurfacing schemes required by any fluctuations in construction prices and network deterioration that are recommended by officers;

2.    Approved the proposed works on structures detailed in the report;

3.    Approved the programme of works associated with the Integrated Transport Block funding in Appendix 4; and

4.    Delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate change and Operations to approve the programme of preventative maintenance works.

Reasons for the decision:

The Council as the Highway Authority in Bury has a statutory duty to maintain those parts of the public highway, including structures deemed to be publicly maintainable. The provision of DfT funding alone is not sufficient to stop some highways reaching functional failure when more expensive localised repairs are required to keep the highway safe for the public. This could also increase the Council’s exposure to potential compensation claims.

Other options considered and rejected:

To not invest an additional £10 million as HIS3, this was considered and rejected.

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 set out the progress made in 2022/23 to deliver against the priorities set out in the Council and NHS GM (Bury) Corporate Plan and set out a proposed approach for developing the 2023/24 Corporate Plan. The proposed approach would ensure there is clarity in terms of corporate and service-led priorities, the milestones that need to be achieved by quarter and the indicators by which progress will be measured.

It was noted that there will be transparent links between activity analysis and financial outturn reporting to ensure continued visibility of the savings programme and associated risks and, in response to Members’ questions, it was noted that consideration and monitoring of the reserves strategy could also be included, reflecting the work completed as part of budget considerations.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted progress against the 2022/23 Corporate Plan ahead of the end of year report; and

2.    Approved the approach to the development of the 2023/24 Corporate Plan.

Reasons for the decision:

These recommendations are based on feedback from Cabinet and from the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on the development of our approach to Corporate Planning. Quarterly Reports have been presented to both meetings during 2022/23 and the sub-group of Overview & Scrutiny have also provided recommendations on how the Plan and its performance management need to evolve to ensure more meaningful engagement, check and challenge.

Other options considered and rejected:

An alternative option would be continuation with current format however this would not provide the clarity requested by members and senior officers in terms of the priorities within the organisation, the link to the delivery of savings and improved monitoring against targets.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Communities is attached.

Councillor Richard Gold, Cabinet Member for Finance and Communities, presented the report which set out the revised Service Level Agreement with Bury Voluntary and Community Faith Alliance (Bury VCFA). Members discussed the importance of the VCFA and the breadth of work and support they provide and noted that it was important to retain the Council’s contribution.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed the revised Service Level Agreement with Bury Voluntary and Community Faith Alliance is agreed and funded for 2023/24, with intent signalled on continuation in 2024/25 subject to confirmation of funding availability across the Council alongside health and care partners.

Reasons for the decision:

·         The funding of infrastructure provision in the Borough provides a clear commitment to the importance of the voluntary and community sector.

·         By refreshing the Service Level Agreement the report seeks to strengthen the recognition of the sector as a key partner in improving outcomes for local people and the role infrastructure support plays in ensuring this is robust, recognised and representative.

·         The agreement allows for a clear focus of activity to develop Bury’s VCFSE ecosystem in a tailored manner to best meet local needs, in turn delivering on LET’S Do It! and GM VCFSE Accord commitments.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         To not fund or make a reduction in funding – this would significantly risk the loss of infrastructure support in the Borough, destabilising the wider VCFSE sector and jeopardise the positive progress made in recent years. Whilst recognising the financial pressures that the Council itself is under, investment in the infrastructure support to the VCFSE sector supports steps to increase the resilience of the sector itself, including supporting groups to attract inward investment into the Borough and diversify income generation streams.

·         To not update the specification – the last two years have continued so see socio-economic pressures across Bury as the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis have impacted local lives. This has also been a time though of new opportunity, of successful Levelling Up bids and emerging People and Communities Plans. As such to not update the specification would have risked there not been the appropriate local focus on ensuring a sustainable VCFSE ecosystem, best positioned and supported to enhance and enable local outcomes at place.

Report of the Cabinet Members for Finance and Communities and Corporate Affairs and HR is attached.

Councillor Tahir Rafiq, Cabinet Member for Corporate Affairs and HR, presented the report which sought approval for redundancy costs associated with the restructure of the Council’s Finance Department.

Decision:

Cabinet commended approval the costs associated with the proposed redundancy of the post of Service Development Manager, Revenues and Benefits, to Council.

Reasons for the decision:

The initial consultation report agreed by Cabinet noted a maximum redundancy impact from the proposals of 9 FTE. Following consultation and the recruitment and selection process for the new structure this eventual redundancy risk has been reduced to 4 FTE. One individual has already left the Council by means of redundancy and two others are currently being supported through the redeployment process. This report deals with the fourth of these individuals for whom redundancy costs (including the capital costs associated with the early release of pension benefits) total more than £100k.

Other options considered and rejected:

This individual’s redundancy is not a matter of choice, but rather is the outcome of the application of the Council’s agreed restructure process and compliant with the provisions of Employment Law.

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 Cabinet Member for Children and Young People is attached.

Councillor Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the Part B report which set out the full financial details.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the funding of indicative costs as set out in Part B of this report, to meet the Council’s financial obligations, to be met from the Children’s Services schools capital programme; capital receipts/borrowing; and the Greater Manchester City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement;

2.    Delegated approval of the finalised costs to the Executive Director of Finance; and

3.    Further to the decision of Cabinet (CA.172) in respect of the lease of land, agreed the revised plan at Appendix 1, showing the land to be subject to the lease agreement.

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.