The meeting stood in silent tribute for one minute as a mark of respect for Councillor Denise Roberts who had sadly passed away on 8 February 2017.

Members of the Cabinet are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary and/or any other relevant interest, in connection with any of the items on this agenda and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of the interest.

Councillor George Davies declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Agenda Item No. 4 – Core Strategy Local Plan – Report of Further Consultation on Housing Need and Land Supply (Minute No. 96 refers.) by virtue of him being a Director of Plus Dane.

Councillor Bernie Mooney declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Agenda Item No. 4 – Core Strategy Local Plan – Report of Further Consultation on Housing Need and Land Supply (Minute No. 96 refers.) by virtue of her being a Member of the Leasowe Community Homes Management Board.

Councillor Stewart Whittingham declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Agenda Item No. 4 – Core Strategy Local Plan – Report of Further Consultation on Housing Need and Land Supply (Minute No. 96 refers.) by virtue of him being a Board Member of Magenta Living.

All three Councillors informed that they would be leaving the meeting whilst the Agenda Item was under discussion.

The minutes of the last meeting have been printed and published. Any matters called in will be reported at the meeting.

RECOMMENDATION: That the minutes be approved and adopted.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 20 February 2017 be confirmed as a correct record.

Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report which informed that driving economic growth across the Borough was one of the three key priorities within the Wirral Plan: a 2020 Vision.  Work to promote growth and to support communities to meet their potential was being taken forward by a range of partners and actions were set out in the Wirral Growth Plan.  One of the key outcomes of the Plan was to attract significant amounts of investment into the Borough and a number of opportunities had been identified to support this activity.  This included creating appropriate delivery structures which could more easily work with and respond to the private sector. 

In addition work had been taken forward through the Council’s Transformation Programme to progress the actions arising from the Corporate Asset Strategy, including the need to ensure that the Council’s asset portfolio maximised receipts from those assets held for investment purposes and met its statutory obligations. In order to consider this fully the Transformation Board had agreed that an options appraisal for establishing a property company should be progressed.

Members were reminded that in December 2016 the Cabinet had agreed a report ‘Delivering Wirral’s Growth’ which outlined proposals for creating a property company to drive forward investment, economic growth and secure increased income for the Council in order to support services delivery, and officers had been instructed to present an options appraisal to the Cabinet in February 2017.

Bilfinger GVA (BGVA) and Bevan Brittan LLP had been commissioned by the Council to provide advice on the range of options available to the Council to achieve these objectives and to identify a preferred option. The full Strategic Options report was attached as Appendix 1.

In the context of the Council’s objectives the appointed advisors had identified and reviewed four options and they had proposed the setting up of a joint venture company provided the best strategic fit for the Council moving forward. However, this would not preclude the Council from partnering with other organisations, such as a Pension Fund, on specific developments either through or outside of the proposed JV, nor preclude a Pension Fund from expressing an interest in the JV arrangement. The report, therefore, recommended that further work be carried out to develop a Full Business Case for progressing the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 95.

Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report which set out the results of consultation with the public and other stakeholders on the scale of the future need for housing and on the land that would be available to accommodate it. 

Councillor Davies informed that the results of consultation had not identified any significant additional development opportunities to meet the likely identified need for new housing, over and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96.

Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report that informed that the Localism Act 2011 set out the requirements for Councils to determine and publish annual pay policy statements. The requirements of The Localism Act included:

·  The Pay Policy Statement to be approved by the Council, in advance of the Financial Year to which it related.

·  The Pay Policy Statement to be published on the Council website.

The Cabinet noted that the Pay Policy Statement was required to set out the Council’s policies relating to the following:

·  Chief Officer Remuneration, including salary, allowances, and enhancements at termination.

·  Remuneration of its lowest paid employees.

·  The relationship between Chief Officer Remuneration and that of other employees.

Appended to the report was the draft Pay Policy Statement 2017 - 2018.

Councillor Davies reported that he was proud of the fact that the Council was one of the first Councils to introduce the Living Wage.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the introduction of the revised National Living Wage rate of £8.45 per hour, effective from 1 April 2017 be agreed; and

(2)  the Council be recommended to approve of the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for the Financial Year 2017/18.

Councillor Tony Smith introduced a report which invited the Cabinet to determine the Authority’s Admission Arrangements for Community and Voluntary Controlled Primary and Secondary Schools and the Co-ordinated Schemes for 2018 - 2019. This was a statutory requirement.

Appended to the report were:

·  The Scheme for the Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements for Maintained Primary Schools in the Wirral Area for the Academic Year 2018 – 2019; and

·  The Scheme for the Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements for Maintained Secondary Schools in the Wirral Area for the Academic Year 2018 – 2019.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools and the Wirral co-ordinated schemes for 2018-2019 be agreed.

Councillor Ann McLachlan introduced a report that recommended draft dates for Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings (“Council meetings”) for the Municipal Year 2017/2018. The report also described various issues that had been taken into account in compiling it.  Appended to the report as Appendix 1 was the Draft Calendar of Meetings for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

Other meetings that did not constitute a meeting of the Council and, therefore, did not require inclusion in the Calendar of Meetings were set out at Appendix 2 to the report. Councillor McLachlan informed that notification of these other meetings was provided now to enable Members to manage their diaries.

The Wirral Plan: A 2020 Vision set out a shared partnership vision to improve outcomes for Wirral residents. Delivery of the priorities and outcomes described in the Plan was dependent on the efficient operation of the democratic process to scrutinise and make the decisions required and the requirement for the scheduling of Council meetings which took these decisions.

The decision required was not a key decision.

RESOLVED: That:

(1)  the relevant draft Calendar of Meetings for the 2017/18 Municipal Year set out at Appendix 1 for approval, and unless amended at the meeting of Council on 20 March, 2017, be confirmed as the Calendar of Meetings for the Municipal Year 2017/18;

(2)   the other meetings detailed set out at Appendix 2 be noted and Members diarise those meetings as appropriate; and

(3)   any proposed amendments to the Calendar of Meetings and Appendix 2 be submitted to the Assistant Director: Law and Governance by 10am on Friday, 10 March 2017.

Councillor Stuart Whittingham introduced a report that informed that on 3 February 2017, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority awarded £1,160,000 of Integrated Transport Block funding to the Council, to support the delivery of the Liverpool City Region Transport Plan for Growth during 2017/18.  The report sought the Cabinet’s approval to accept the £1,160,000 and allocate it to priorities and projects as outlined in the report.

Wirral’s Transport Plan for Growth supported the Wirral Plan 20/20 pledge to provide Transport and Technology Infrastructure fit for the future by ensuring that Wirral had safe, affordable, well maintained and efficient transport networks for residents to access community services, leisure facilities and commute to work.

Appended to the report was the 2017/18 ITB _ Transport Plan for Growth Capital Programme - Proposed Projects.

This was a Key Decision and affected all Wards within the Borough.

RESOLVED: That:

(1)  £1,160,000 of Integrated Transport Block funding allocated to the Council by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority be accepted;

(2)   the proposed programme for this funding as set out in Appendix 1 be approved; and

(3)   authority be delegated to the Strategic Commissioner - Environment, in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Transport, Technology and Infrastructure, to make necessary adjustments to the priorities within the programme should the need arise due to financial or other factors.

Councillor S Whittingham introduced a report that informed that the meeting of the Combined Authority on 3February 2017 had approved allocations for highway maintenance to constituent Councils. As such the allocation for the Highways Maintenance Block for this Council was £3.213 million for 2017/18.

This report presented both the proposed breakdown of that highway maintenance allocation between Bridges, Lighting and Roads/Footway elements of the network and also the proposed detailed Highway Structural Maintenance Programme 2017/18 and 2018/19, for approval and 2019/20 for noting.

The Cabinet was informed that the replacement of life-expired street lighting columns was the subject of a full condition survey to be carried out in 2017, as part of the feasibility study for further upgrading of lighting with LED lamps, and would be the subject of a separate application for funding from the Capital Programme for 2017/18 and beyond.

The Cabinet noted that the Council’s Capital Programme and Financing 2016/19 report approved at the Council meeting on 3 March 2016 provided a further £0.5million allocation for 2017/18 for highway maintenance improvements, funded from Council Resources, for unclassified/residential roads.

Councillor Whittingham informed that at the Regeneration and Environment Policy and Performance Committee held on 3 December 2014 it was resolved that long term maintenance strategies should form the basis for development of future structural maintenance programmes for highway infrastructure.  To fulfil this recommendation a three year programme had been developed.

Appended to the report were:

·  Appendix 1 – The Highway Structural Maintenance Programme 2017/18 to 2019/20; and

·  Appendix 2 – The Potential Carriageway Schemes to be considered for inclusion in a Works Programme 2019/20.

The Cabinet noted that the maintenance of highways was a statutory duty for the Council under the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) and that the report was linked to the Transport and Technology Infrastructure Pledge of the Wirral 2020 Plan, and was key to delivery of the Connecting Wirral Transport Strategy.

This was a key decision and all wards were affected.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the acceptance of the Highways Maintenance Funding £3,213,000 for 2017/18, confirmed by the Combined Authority at its meeting of 3 February 2017 be approved;

(2)  the proposed allocation of the Highways Maintenance Funding 2017/18 to 2019/20 between Street Lighting, Bridges and Roads/Footways be approved;

(3)   the detailed Highway Structural Maintenance Programme for 2017/18 to 2018/19 outlined in Appendix 1 to the report be approved;

(4)   the proposed schemes for 2019/20 outlined in Appendix  ...  view the full minutes text for item 101.