Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies received.

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 Alan Quinn declared a non-pecuniary interest in respect of item 8, by virtue of his position as Governor at Mesivta School, and Councillor Charlotte Morris declared a personal interest in respect of items 17 and 26, by virtue of her partner being employed by a company employed by the Prestwich JV.

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, 10 July 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, 7 July 023.

The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by Councillor Jo Lancaster:

What confidence can the parents of Radcliffe have that the long awaited High School will open in September 2024?

Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that the DFE had confirmed a provisional opening date of September 2024. The approval letter from the Secretary of State confirms that the department is planning for the school to open on a permanent basis on Spring Lane, Radcliffe initially on a temporary basis in September 2024 on the same site. This confirmation is subject to the necessary planning permission being obtained for both the temporary and permanent accommodation.

Following the approval letter we have been granted permission to confirm to prospective parents and others that the provisional opening date and site have been agreed with the department. This approval is an important milestone to opening the school and should give confidence to the community that the High School will open. Regular updates will continue to be provided as the project continues through planning. As has previously been discussed, this is a DFE led project; however Bury Council are working with the DFE and Star Multi Academy Trust in a project group to facilitate the school opening on schedule.

A further supplementary question was submitted: Will the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) be available on time?

Councillor O’Brien reported that this project was more in the Council’s control but there were still potential issues around planning and tendering to prepare Spurr House. Although temporary accommodation might be required, challenging timescales were being worked through and these would not be allowed to delay the development of the school.

Minutes from the meeting held on 7 June 2023 are attached.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 June 2023 be approved as a correct record.

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 final financial position for the Council for 2022/23, both revenue and capital and provided an analysis of the variances, both under and overspending. It was noted that the Treasury Management Strategy appended to the report would be presented to Full Council, in accordance with regulation.

Members noted that at quarter 3 the revenue budget overspend was forecast to be £3.958m therefore the financial position has improved by £1.629m during the last quarter of the financial year. The largest individual departmental overspend was on Children and Young People around agency costs for social care and safeguarding, an increase in demand for children’s residential placements including Independent Foster Agency costs and increased costs for home-to school transport.

Members discussed the challenging context nationally and noted that capital developments were progressing and would be delivered but required reprogramming. Councillor Lucy Smith highlighted the challenges in Children’s Services, and advised on a number of initiatives to improve outcomes for young people would secure future savings.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the 2022-23 final overspend on the revenue budget of £2.329m, against a budget of £178.922m. It should be noted that this budget, whilst mainly funded from Council Tax and Business Rates income, also included funding of £19.387m from earmarked reserves and a £1.767m contribution from General Fund Balances;

2.    Noted that a £2m additional contribution was made to the pooled fund in 2022- 23, all contributions now balance to the Section 75 agreement across the term;

3.    Noted the final position on the collection fund was a surplus on Council Tax and a deficit on Business Rates;

4.    Noted that the final position on reserves and balances is £104.241m at the end of 2022/23 (excluding schools balances). The £104.241m is split between £22.701m general reserves and £81.540m earmarked reserves;

5.    Noted the cumulative DSG deficit position of £18.601m and the reduction of £2.872m during the 2022/23 financial year;

6.    Noted the overall school balances are £4.731m which includes schools with deficit balances;

7.    Noted the Housing Revenue Accounts reserve balance of £9.176m at the end of the 2022/23 financial year and the use of £0.666m during the 2022/23 financial year;

8.    Noted expenditure of £48.390m on Capital Programmes during the year;

9.    Further approved a capital budget carry forward of £17.390m; and

10.Noted the final treasury management report and commend this to Full Council.

Reasons for the decision:

To note the final financial position subject to external audit for the Council for 2022/23.

Other options considered and rejected:

N/A.

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

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, presented the report which sought approval to commission the necessary care services for two new mental health supported housing schemes. These had been supported by the Mental Health Housing Group, and would offer ‘step-down’ supported accommodation to support people in their mental health recovery. Members voiced their support for this and noted its close links to the Housing Strategy.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the commissioning of Northern Healthcare, as the appointed care provider for the mental health supported living scheme at 137 The Rock, Bury, BL9 0ND, by making a direct award for a 3 year contact;

2.    Approved the procurement via tender a care provider for the provision of mental health support for 127 Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, M26 3WQ, for a 3 year contact and following this process delegates to the Director of Adult Social Services the contract award; and

3.    Noted that this will be funded using Bury’s Adult Social Care Community Care budget.

Reasons for the decision:

The recommendations align to the Housing with Additional Needs Strategy and the vision for mental health supported accommodation to:

·         Improve outcomes for people with mental health needs.

·         Enabling people to live independently.

·         Reduce the need for out of area placements.

·         Enable tenancy sustainment.

·         Support management of long-term health conditions.

·         Create employment for local people.

·         Create value for individuals, communities and statutory services.

Other options considered and rejected:

None.

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 sought approval for a prescribed alteration to change the age range of Manchester Mesivta Secondary School.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the outcome of the consultation; and

2.    Approved the proposal to alter the upper age range at Manchester Mesivta Secondary School from 11-16 year olds to 11 - 18 year olds in order to add 6th form provision with effect from September 2023.

Reasons for the decision:

To date, the independent 6th form provision linked to Manchester Mesivta School has received funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) routed via sub-contracting arrangements with Bury College. However, the ESFA has advised that it intends to withdraw from this form of sub-contracting arrangement. The Governing Body of the school are therefore seeking to add 6th form provision thus bringing it into the maintained sector. The Governing Body assert that this change is administrative only and is expected to have no direct impact upon their provision.

Demand for the post 16 provision has been proven over the last decade, and Mesivta is currently the community’s only route for Charedi boys to achieve A-levels and access higher education. The school has a good track record of its pupils enrolling in university. Without the 6th form, there is no comparable provision accessible to the Orthodox Jewish community.

Other options considered and rejected:

Extensive discussions have taken place with the Governing Body of Manchester Mesivta, with Bury College, the Education & Skills Funding Agency and Department for Education to identify potential options, given the decision of the ESFA to withdraw the current funding mechanism. Options including the transfer of the current 6th form provision to a Trust, or the establishment of a separate 6th Form provision, both stand-alone or in partnership with other Orthodox Jewish schools have been considered and discounted.

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 sought approval to tender for the re-design of the Alternative Provision Offer for children and young people in Bury. The new supplier framework and directory of provision was required for September 2023 so that the Council and schools can refer to high quality provision with choice; this required the tender to go live and be evaluated over the summer 23.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the proposed route to tender for the re-design of the Alternative Provision Offer for children and young people in Bury to be in place for September 2023; and

2.    Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Children and Young People and the Executive Director for Finance in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People to award the contract once procured.

Reasons for the decision:

This will give an opportunity to tighten up the existing specification, deliver better outcomes, refresh the provider base, offer more choice and provide better value for money.

Other options considered and rejected:

Other models in neighbouring authorities and GM have been explored and this learning and input has influenced the development of the proposed model as appropriate.

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

Councillor Lucy Smith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, presented the report which provided an update on three capital projects: Spurr House, Millwood Special School, and Specialist Resourced Provision Units.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    In order to progress the development of the scheme to adapt Spurr House, Cabinet is asked to approve a decision to enter into a Pre-Construction Services Agreement with a contractor selected following a tender process, and which will incur a commitment to the payment of pre-construction costs of up to £184,000. Those costs are to be met from the Children’s Services capital programme;

2.    In order to progress the scheme to extend Millwood Special School, Cabinet is asked to approve a decision to enter into a Pre-Construction Services Agreement with ISG, and which will incur a commitment to the payment of preconstruction costs of up to £195,000. Those costs to be met from the Children’s Services capital programme; and

3.    Cabinet is requested to approve a contract award in respect of Woodbank Primary School, to the lowest tenderer.

Reasons for the decision:

In order to deliver the new secondary school in Radcliffe, the Council is required to confirm that it will commit to meet certain obligations, including providing DfE with vacant possession of the Spring Lane site by 1st March 2024. Failure to provide such commitments will prevent the new school in Radcliffe scheme from progressing and the Council will incur financial penalties. The delivery of the Spurr House scheme, and the interim solution for the PRU are essential in enabling vacant possession of the Spring Lane site to be provided.

Development of additional capacity at Millwood Special School and new resourced Provision at Woodbank Primary School as set out in the Project Safety Valve agreement between the Council and the Department for Education, is a key element of the specialist place sufficiency strategy. Taken together, the Agreement and strategy set out the business case for the development of new provision to meet increasing demand within Bury for specialist provision and reduce the reliance on placements in Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools (INMSS). The projects at Millwood Special School and Woodbank Primary School are priorities within this strategy.

Other options considered and rejected:

In respect of the relocation of the Pupil Referral Unit, whilst it is possible to reprocure the scheme for adaptation of Spurr House, it will build in further delay to delivery of the project with no certainty that costs will be reduced. The option to re-procure will remain and can be pursued in the event that the PCSA does not deliver the desired outcomes.

In respect of Millwood, whilst it is possible to re-procure the scheme, it will build further delay to delivery of the project with no certainty that costs will be reduced. The option to re-procure will remain, to be pursued in the event that the PCSA does not deliver the desired outcomes.

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 provided an update on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) deficit position and the next steps required to reduce the deficit through General Fund contributions. In response to questions, Members confirmed their confidence in the delivery, despite financial pressures, and discussed the issues from the national system and need for reforms to ease pressure in SEND services. 

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the work and modelling that has been completed for the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) management plan submission to the Department for Education (DfE) that describes the unprecedented demand on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services despite intense activity through the SEND strategy and the specific Project Safety Valve (PSV) interventions and workstreams;

2.    Noted the urgent action required before the submission of the plan on 18 July; and

3.    Noted the intention to a reduction of the deficit position through use of the General Fund over a 3-year period: £2m in 2025/26, £2m in 2026/27, £2m 2027/28. This will be facilitated by the identification of additional savings during the MTFS process for each of the respective years. The financial mechanism supporting this will be subject to DfE confirmation.

Reasons for the decision:

There is a risk that the current Project Safety Valve Agreement with DfE would be withdrawn, which would mean that the Council would not receive the remaining £6m within the agreement to contribute towards the historic deficit. The deficit at the end of the 2022/23 financial year was £18.6m.

Other options considered and rejected:

We have considered further discussions with DfE. However, the position of the DfE has been made plain in recent discussions and they are clear in their expectations, having required the same type of commitment from other local authorities within Project Safety Valve.

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 details of the Council’s corporate priorities for 2023/24, aligned to the planning framework set out in the “3Rs” commitment of Response, Recovery and Renewal. It detailed some of the key deliverables by quarter and the key performance indicators that are monitored throughout the year. Members noted this had been considered at Overview and Scrutiny Committee and, in response to questions, it was noted that financial monitoring would be included in quarterly monitoring reports and that savings were a collective responsibility for Cabinet Members and for Executive Officers.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed the priority activities that are set to be delivered in 2023/24 against the 3R planning framework;

2.    Noted the contribution of this activity to the LET’S Do It! Strategy and the target outcomes within; and

3.    Noted the key performance indicators which will be tracked monthly to inform the quarterly reports to Cabinet and Scrutiny.

Reasons for the decision:

This report sets out a clear line of sight between the in-year activities of the Council and the vision for the borough agreed in LET’S Do It!. It provides clarity over the priorities for the Council which will enable effective decision making in terms of resource planning and work allocation. This will allow for clear performance management throughout the organisation, by directorate and at an individual level.

Other options considered and rejected:

No alternative option considered.

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 regarding the proposed redundancy of the post of Strategic Lead (Human Resources) as part of the restructure of the wider HR Service.

Decision:

Cabinet commended approval the costs associated with the proposed redundancy of the post of Strategic Lead (Human Resources) to Council for approval.

Reasons for the decision:

As well as delivery of the required savings, the proposed HR structure brings the services operating model in-line with the organisation’s agreed design principles in relation to management layers and spans of control. It also reduces the number of Chief Officer level roles within the structure from two to one.

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.

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 key health and safety activity over the 2022/23 financial year alongside a summary of reported health and safety incidents, and proposed a set of Health and Safety Priorities for the 2023/24 financial year. He also advised that, as part of the annual reporting process, the Council’s Health and Safety Policy had also been reviewed in-line with HSE Best Practice and was recommended for approval. Both the Annual Report and the Policy had been considered by the Health and Safety Joint Consultative Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

In response to Members’ questions, Councillor Rafiq confirmed his confidence that learning from incidents was being disseminated effectively, and that an external review of Health and Safety practices had been carried out, the results of which would serve to strengthen this learning. Members thanked officers for the reports and agreed that a health and safety culture was being developed to ensure officers remained empowered to report incidents and near misses.

Decision:

Cabinet approved the 2022/23 Annual Health and Safety Report and revised Health and Safety Policy.

Reasons for the decision:

As an employer the Council has statutory responsibilities to carry out our undertaking (all activities) so far as is practicable in a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, contractors and partners. In addition, as an Authority we have a duty under s 18 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to make adequate provision for health and safety regulations in our area.

Other options considered and rejected:

None.

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 sought approval to use the YPO water supply framework for the period 1 October 2023 to 24 October 2024, and further to enter into YPO’s new water supply contract for the period 2024 to 2028, once a new framework has been established.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the use of the YPO utility Framework Agreement to administer the purchase and supply of the Council’s corporate water supply contract for the period 1 October 2023 to 24 October 2024. The total estimated contract value will be circa £1m over a one-year period. (The annual and total contract value may change due to consumption patterns);

2.    Approved the use of YPO’s appointed framework supplier, Wave Utilities, for the supply of water throughout the framework duration;

3.    Approved the use of the YPO utility Framework Agreement to administer the purchase and supply of the Council’s corporate water supply contract for the period 25 October 2024 to 24 October 2028 (at an annual cost of circa £1m per annum). The total estimated contract value will be circa £4m over a four-year period. (The annual and total contract value may change due to consumption patterns);

4.    Approved the use of YPO’s appointed framework supplier, (this will be confirmed on the completion of a compliant procurement exercise), for the supply of water through the framework duration; and

5.    Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Operations and Executive Director of Finance, in consultation with the portfolio lead for Corporate Affairs and HR, to award the contracts and facilitate the execution, implementation, and operation of the contracts.

Reasons for the decision:

The proposed arrangements ensure that the Council has a compliant water supply contract in place and has tested the market for best value.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         Procure our own energy by direct tender

·         Procure through a Private Sector based provider;

·         Procure through the STAR hub.

These options were rejected for the reasons as set out in the report.

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 sought approval for a procurement exercise to appoint a supplier to install, operate, and maintain a network of EVCI aimed at supporting residents who do not have access to off-street parking.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the approach to procure a supplier to install, operate and maintain EVCI on Council land. The Council will use the available funding streams to match towards private investment from the supplier to significantly increase publicly available EVCI;

2.    Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Operations and Executive Director of Finance in consultation with the portfolio lead for Environment, Climate Change and Operations to award the subsequent contract once procured; and

3.    Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Place and the Cabinet Members for Strategic Growth and Environment, Climate Change, and Operations alongside the Executive Director of Finance to negotiate and agree terms for leases to site the charging points once a contract has been procured.

Reasons for the decision:

·         The Council has a target of being carbon neutral by 2038. To achieve this goal, we need to significantly reduce carbon emissions. A significant amount of carbon emissions come from petrol and diesel cars. One way to reduce these emissions is for people to transition to electric vehicles, which have zero emissions at the tailpipe and a reduced carbon impact overall.

·         There is roughly £2m of funding being made available to the Council to install EVCI for people who do not have access to off-street parking. We cannot use our existing EVCI concession contract to spend this funding as the existing contract is a concessionary arrangement, meaning Be.EV will only install in areas that are profitable and therefore we need a solution for areas that are not profitable i.e., on-street.

·         The Council does not have the resources in place to install, operate or maintain a network of EVCI. Therefore, we recommend appointing a supplier through a competitive procurement process to install, maintain, and operate EVCI. The Council can then combine this funding with investment from the supplier to increase the number of EVCI installed in Bury.

Other options considered and rejected:

The Council could own and operate the EVCI keeping 100% of the income generated to support the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure. This would still require a procurement process to appoint a supplier to install the infrastructure and carry out the operation and maintenance. This approach would not encourage private investment and shifts the burden of risk onto the Council.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, presented the report which set out the general principles and direction of travel set out in the Draft Phase 1 Development Plan, Interim Partnership Business Plan, and the RIBA Stage 2 Masterplan and supports further development of these proposals. These documents were not final and will evolve alongside design and business case development activity and further engagement work. In response to questions, Members noted that this was a complicated project and would require decant and alternative provision of businesses, but confirmed their confidence in the timescale noting that the final stage of design development (RIBA Stage 4) was anticipated for October 2024.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the progress made on the Prestwich regeneration project described in the report;

2.    Noted the implications of the developing plans for the Prestwich Village Regeneration project;

3.    Approved the general principles set out in the following documents and supports further development of these proposals:

·         Draft Phase 1 Development Plan

·         Interim Partnership Business Plan

·         RIBA Stage 2 Masterplan

4.    Approved the commencement of RIBA Stage 3 design which will require a commitment to fund the associated design team fees.

Reasons for the decision:

Cabinet’s support is pursuant to Clauses 9 and 10 of the (JV) Members Agreement). Release of capital funding is required to allow the RIBA Stage 3 design to commence and to enable the planning application to be submitted in Autumn in line with the current programme.

Other options considered and rejected:

Cabinet to withhold approval of the documents identified in section 2 of the report. This would immediately pause the Prestwich regeneration project and may result in re-payment of the of previously approved development costs defrayed by Muse Places Ltd and underwritten by Bury Council.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, presented the report regarding engagement with local stakeholders to communicate the emerging development vision prior to further design development activity. This will be based on a Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) approach which provides a greater level of structure and flexibility to govern the development process for Mill Gate as a whole when compared with a phased (‘plot by plot’) approach.

Members discussed the long timeframe for the project, noting this would enable extended consultation to ensure residents and businesses were committed to the development. The Mill Gate was a successful development and the Council were looking to make improvements to ensure that success would continue in the future, rather than there being problems to fix.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Provided approval for the JV to undertake engagement activity over the summer period to introduce the evolving masterplan design and key development principles; and

2.    Provided approval for the JV to procure and develop a Strategic Regeneration Framework for the medium/ long term re-development of the Mill Gate Estate.

Reasons for the decision:

It is important for the JV to engage with the Public and other stakeholders in order to validate the emerging strategic vision for the Mill Gate Estate prior to further design activity. Development of a Strategic Regeneration Framework for Mill Gate enables large scale development to progress in accordance with the emerging vision of the Mill Gate Joint Venture vehicle and the strategic objectives set out during the acquisition of the asset. The SRF provides the most flexible and cost-effective method of project development.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         To progress with the development on the basis of individual phases, obtaining outline planning permission and then undertaking detailed planning – this has been rejected owing to the risk of constraints to the overall delivery strategy, higher costs and a risk of extinguishing the underlying planning permission and the associated loss in up front expenditure.

·         Not progress the Mill Gate redevelopment proposals towards a first phase of development and leave the Mill Gate centre undeveloped - this has been discounted as this would not be in line with the strategic goals of both the joint venture partnership or wider Council aspirations.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, presented the report regarding the works packages that, in accordance with the Radcliffe Hub project programme, now need to be instructed via the Main Works Contract.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Accepted the tender report recommendation that Vinci Construction undertake this main works package at the contract sum set out in Part B of this report, subject to the agreement of the contract amendments and clarifications; and

2.    Delegated finalisation of contract amendments and clarifications to the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Executive Director of Place.

Reasons for the decision:

Approval of the main contract is required in order for the Radcliffe Hub and Market Chambers project to progress to a construction phase. Key considerations within this document have informed both the scope and methodology for carrying out construction works alongside the phasing of the construction programme.

Other options considered and rejected:

Delay instructing the Main Works Contract: This would delay the overall Radcliffe Hub completion. This would increase the period that leisure services would be housed in temporary accommodation within Radcliffe, attracting additional costs. It would also delay occupation of commercial units within the Market Chambers and trading within these refurbished spaces; further disrupting businesses and reducing commercial income to the Council. Furthermore, the delay incurred would erode confidence in the town that the project is being delivered as a key strategic priority for the Council. Any delay to the overall project critical path increases the risk that LUF monies will not be defrayed in line with agreements made between Bury Council and the DLUHC.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, presented the report which sought approval of new GMCA governance arrangements to enable a more coordinated and integrated approach to transport governance. It was noted that this approach would amplify Bury’s views and ensure that Councils had more direct control over the development and improvement of transport in Greater Manchester.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Agreed to the establishment of a new joint transport committee (the Bee Network Committee) of the GMCA, the Mayor and the ten Greater Manchester constituent councils;

2.    Approved the appointment of members to the Bee Network Committee as set out in Appendix 1;

3.    Approved the Terms of Reference of the Bee Network Committee as set out in Appendix 2;

4.    Delegated the functions of GMCA as set out in the Terms of Reference to the Bee Network Committee and note the delegation of Mayoral functions as set out in the Terms of Reference, attached at Appendix 2; and

5.    Approved the Rules of Procedure for the Bee Network Committee as set out in Appendix 3.

Reasons for the decision:

To enable a more coordinated and integrated approach to transport governance.

Other options considered and rejected:

N/A.

To consider the minutes of meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held on 26 May 2023 and 9 June 2023.

Members discussed the minutes of the GMCA meetings, in particular the commitment to sustainable drainage and the improvements this would have in reducing flooding pressures. Members paid tribute to Councillor Quinn, who had been instrumental in promoting this issue at a GM level through his passion, commitment and expertise.

It was agreed:

That the minutes of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting held on 26 May 2023 and 9 June 2023 be noted.

Any other business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair agrees may be considered as a matter of urgency.

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 Health and Wellbeing is attached.

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

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved the commissioning of Northern Healthcare, as the appointed care provider for the mental health supported living scheme at 137 The Rock, Bury, BL9 0ND, by making a direct award for a 3 year contact;

2.    Approved the procurement via tender a care provider for the provision of mental health support for 127 Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, M26 3WQ, for a 3 year contact and following this process delegates to the Director of Adult Social Services the contract award; and

3.    Noted that this will be funded using Bury’s Adult Social Care Community Care budget.

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 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 the full financial details.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    In order to progress the development of the scheme to adapt Spurr House, Cabinet is asked to approve a decision to enter into a Pre-Construction Services Agreement with a contractor selected following a tender process, and which will incur a commitment to the payment of pre-construction costs of up to £184,000. Those costs are to be met from the Children’s Services capital programme;

2.    In order to progress the scheme to extend Millwood Special School, Cabinet is asked to approve a decision to enter into a Pre-Construction Services Agreement with ISG, and which will incur a commitment to the payment of preconstruction costs of up to £195,000. Those costs to be met from the Children’s Services capital programme; and

3.    Cabinet is requested to approve a contract award in respect of Woodbank Primary School, to the lowest tenderer.

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 Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

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

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Noted the progress made on the Prestwich regeneration project described in the report;

2.    Noted the implications of the developing plans for the Prestwich Village Regeneration project;

3.    Approved the general principles set out in the following documents and supports further development of these proposals:

·         Draft Phase 1 Development Plan

·         Interim Partnership Business Plan

·         RIBA Stage 2 Masterplan

4.    Approved the commencement of RIBA Stage 3 design which will require a commitment to fund the associated design team fees.

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 Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

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

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Accepted the tender report recommendation that Vinci Construction undertake this main works package at the contract sum set out in Part B of this report, subject to the agreement of the contract amendments and clarifications; and

2.    Delegated finalisation of contract amendments and clarifications to the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Executive Director of Place.

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.