Councillor Phil Davies informed the Cabinet that he had invited the Head of Community Safety and Transport Services to attend the meeting to provide the Cabinet, as a matter of urgency, with a report on the horrendous accident that had occurred in New Ferry over the week end when there had been a dreadful explosion. He also paid tribute to the fantastic work Council staff had undertaken on a whole host of levels. There had been people working around the clock reassuring residents and helping find alternative accommodation for those people who were unable to return to their homes.

Councillor Davies also informed that there had been a fantastic team effort and he was proud of the contributions made by Council staff. People had been reassured that they were safe and were being looked after.  He sent a message of ‘well done!’ to all concerned.

The Head of Community Safety and Transport Services, Mark Camborne provided the Cabinet with an update on the situation at New Ferry.  He informed that at 9:15pm on Saturday, 25 March 2017 there had been a large explosion at 1 Boundary Road which had left two people seriously injured in hospital, whilst many other people had been treated by the emergency services for their injuries. 

As a result of the explosion, a multi-agency operation had been put in place and an emergency evacuation centre had been opened at the Life Centre where a large number of people had been looked after.  Local businesses had been making donations of food and drinks.

Mr Camborne informed that a police investigation was underway and was concentrating on a possible gas explosion.  Thirty domestic premises were in an unfit state and could not be re-inhabited.  Council officers were out in force and Gas and Electric Companies had staff on site. Mr Camborne suspected that a lot of buildings would be declared unfit for habitation and would have to be pulled down.  When the cordon was reduced some people would be allowed back to their properties.

Mr Camborne reported on the next steps.  New Ferry was now moving out of the emergency phase into the recovery phase.  A Recovery Working Group would be established and would be led by the Assistant Director – Environmental Services, David Ball.

Councillor Janette Williamson informed that she lived in New Ferry and her home was in the initial cordon.  She informed that it had been a very frightening time as the blast had been so severe. The multi-agency response had been brilliant and she could not praise the staff that had provided assistance enough. Councillor Williamson thanked everyone who had helped on behalf of herself and her neighbours.

Councillor Williams referred to the Dance Studio that had been flattened in the explosion and informed that children had been in the building just one hour before it was destroyed in the blast.

Councillor Davies informed that his thoughts were with those who had been injured in the explosion, their families and friends.  He thanked the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 102.

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

Councillor[HS1] [HS2]  Ann McLachlan declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Agenda Item No. 4 – Nomination of Civic Mayor and Deputy Civic Mayor 2017/18 (Minute No. 107 refers.) by virtue of her being nominated for Civic Mayor.

Councillor[HS3] [HS4]  Phil Davies declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Agenda Item No. 6 – Tackling Food Poverty (Minute No. 109 refers.) by virtue of his wife being a Pharmacist.

Councillor Stuart Whittingham declared a personal interest in Agenda item No. 10 – 2017/18 Residential and Nursing Provider Fees (Minute No. 112 refers) by virtue of a family member’s employment.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 27 February 2017 be confirmed as a correct record.

Key Decisions – taken under delegated powers. Period 17 January, 2017 to date.

·  Leader of the Council

Collection Fund 2016/17

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Call-in expired on 24 January, 2017.

·  Leader of the Council

Car Parking Charges Budget Savings Options – Traffic Regulation Orders

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Called-in on 27 February, 2017 and decision of Leader of the Council upheld by the Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 13 March, 2017.

·  Leader of the Council

Request for Financial Assistance – Business Growth Grant Funding

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Call-in expired on 3 March, 2017

RESOLVED:

That the following Key Decisions that had been taken under delegated powers during the period 17 January to date be noted:

·  Leader of the Council: Collection Fund 2016/17

Effective from 24 January 2017 onwards.

·  Leader of the Council: Car Parking Charges Budget Savings Options – Traffic Regulation Orders.

Effective from 13 March 2017 onwards.

·  Leader of the Council: Request for Financial Assistance – Business Growth Grant Funding.

Effective from 3 March onwards. 

At its meeting on 24 January, 2017, the Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee referred the Scrutiny Review on Tourism to the Cabinet. A covering report, Overview and Scrutiny Committee minute and Scrutiny Review are attached.

Councillor Phil Davies invited Councillor Jerry William (the Chair of the Task and Finish Scrutiny Review Panel), who was in attendance at the meeting, to introduce the report that set out the findings and recommendations of the Tourism Scrutiny Review conducted by the Task and Finish Scrutiny Review Panel, following the tourism sector update report presented by Officers to the former Regeneration and Environment Policy and Performance Committee.  The purpose of the review had been to look at how the Council promoted and marketed the Borough’s tourism offer and to identify any gaps in its offer that could be exploited. 

The review specifically linked to the Wirral Plan for 2020 tourism pledge, which highlighted the ambitious target.

The Cabinet noted that the review had been conducted over a number of question and answer evidence sessions with Council Officers and external stakeholders. The Panel had evaluated Wirral’s marketing activity and how it worked with the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership for support in marketing Wirral’s offer and a number of recommendations had been made as a result of the review.

Councillor Williams informed that the Panel had analysed the effect of tourism on Wirral, that Wirral had the fastest growing tourism economy in the Liverpool City Region and that there had been concerns that heritage tourism had not been promoted in an inclusive manner but this had now been addressed. He also emphasised that there was a need to develop the Wirral riverside in a similar way to that of Liverpool. There had not always been a cohesive approach.  The Woodside area was now identified as a priority for re-development.

Councillor Williams also informed that the review had identified the importance of volunteers as most heritage activity was delivered by them.  The Review Panel had recognised a need to understand what support e.g. training could be provided to volunteers to help ensure volunteer activity could be maintained and potentially increased.  There was also potential to advise volunteers on promoting events through Wirral Council media and other media platforms.

Councillor Williams referred to the Report’s recommendations and highlighted that:

·  The Council should engage with relevant stakeholders to develop and deliver workshop sessions for the benefit of Wirral’s volunteers.

·  Culture should be integrated with tourism and leisure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 106.

The Cabinet is requested to make nominations for the positions of Civic Mayor and Deputy Civic Mayor for the municipal year 2017/2018, which will be submitted to the Annual Meeting of the Council.

The Cabinet was requested to make nominations for the roles of Civic Mayor and Deputy Civic Mayor for the Municipal Year 2017/2018, which would then be submitted to the Annual Meeting of the Council.

Decision:

That the following nominations be made for the Municipal Year 2017/2018 at the Annual Meeting of the Council scheduled to be held on 15 May 2017.

·  Councillor A McLachlan for the role of Civic Mayor.

·  Councillor Geoffrey Watt for the role of Deputy Civic Mayor.

Councillor Ann McLachlan returned to the meeting.

Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report which informed that across the country, local authorities were taking action to improve energy security, lower energy bills and support community economies by seizing opportunities to get involved with energy supply.  By doing this they were able to provide customers with an alternative to the “Big 6” utility companies.

The Cabinet noted that as fuel poverty continued across the UK, consumers in the most need continued to be faced with a lack of choice from the energy industry.  Local Authorities had been exploring various models to tackle this, from collective switching to energy efficiency measures and a number of them had already entered the energy market, mainly as either a Fully Licensed Operator, a White Label Provider or as a License Lite operator. 

The Council now wanted to take action to reduce the number of people paying too much for gas and electricity.  It was believed the best way to achieve this was to establish a new local energy supply service offer, which could provide competitively priced energy supplies supported by a programme of smart meter installations.

It was reported that research recently published by the Citizens Advice Bureau showed that people who had to use pre-payment meters, paid on average, an extra £226 a year on their energy bills, compared with those paying the cheapest direct debit tariff.

The Council was seeking to help address the issue of fuel poverty, as it was noted that it was an issue that affected a large number of Wirral residents (10.9%), and setting up an energy supply service would help alleviate this by enabling residents to obtain cheaper gas and electricity.

The Cabinet noted that there were three main Energy market considerations, each with differing levels of risk:

·  Fully Licensed Operator (Example: Nottingham City Council)

The Local Authority applied to Ofgem for a license to become a gas and electricity energy supplier.  It had to comply with a number of industry codes.

·  White Label Provider (Example: Liverpool City Council, Cheshire East)

The Local Authority doesn’t hold a supply license itself, but partners with an already established licensed supplier to offer gas and electricity under its own brand (e.g. Wirral Energy).  The Partner will already possess  ...  view the full minutes text for item 108.

At its meeting on 1 February, 2017, the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee referred the Scrutiny Review on Community Pharmacies to the Cabinet. A covering report, Overview and Scrutiny Committee minute and the Scrutiny Review are attached.

Councillor Ann McLachlan introduced a report which informed that the Government had set out initial proposals for community pharmacies in 2016/17 and beyond in an open letter dated 17 December 2015 to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and other stakeholders.  The proposals had included revised contractual and funding arrangements.  A period of formal consultation ended on 24 May 2016, although confidential discussions continued beyond that date.

Following a Notice of Motion to the Council in July 2016, this issue had been referred to the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee for further consideration.  On the advice of NHS England, it had not been practical to commence a detailed scrutiny review immediately, as the Government had not, at that time, made a formal response to the consultation nor provided detailed proposals regarding the future contractual and financial arrangements for community pharmacies. 

Once the Government’s final proposals were made public in October 2016, a Scrutiny Review Panel had met in November to consider the potential impact of the changes to Wirral.  The report documented the findings.  On 1 February 2017, the report was approved by the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee and referred to the Cabinet for further consideration. 

This matter affected all Wards within the Borough. It was not a key decision.

Councillor McLachlan invited Councillor Phil Gilchrist, a Member of the Scrutiny review Panel, who was in attendance at the meeting, to speak on the report.

Councillor Gilchrist reported that Pharmacies were often the first port of call for medication when people were unwell and that they were rooted and embedded within local communities.  It was expected that the Pharmacy Funding Settlement would result in national spending of £2.687 billion (a 4% reduction) in 2016/17 and £2.592 billion (a further 3.4% reduction in 2017/18).  The funding changes would result in a simplification of the fees structure, including consolidation of fees into a single activity fee and phasing out of establishment fees.  At the same time, the Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) was being introduced to support access where pharmacies were sparsely spread and patients depended on them the most. However, key among the criteria for eligibility to the new access scheme was that a pharmacy must be more than one mile from the next nearest pharmacy. Initial indications were that, at a national level, 1356 pharmacies would receive funding from the PhAS on the basis of these criteria. However, only four of these were in Wirral.  Social deprivation was not given any weight under this scheme.

Councillor Janette Williamson informed that the impact to local communities was yet to be established and the judicial reviews relating to the changes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109.

Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report that provided the Cabinet with background information on the national drive towards the regionalisation of adoption services across England.  It set out the progress of the proposal to develop a Regional Adoption Agency across the four Merseyside local authority areas of Wirral, Sefton, Liverpool and Knowsley in line with the Government’s expectations.

It was the expectation that there would be an RAA in Merseyside and across England by 2020.  The report proposed a model for the Merseyside RAA and set out the benefits this would bring to children, adopters and to the local authorities involved.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the continued development of the proposed model for the Knowsley, Wirral, Sefton and Liverpool Regional Adoption Agency (RAA) including the recommendation that local authority staff members be seconded into the RAA be approved;

(2)  the intention for the new model to move into shadow arrangements during the second quarter of 2017, with the new model becoming operative in January 2018 be noted;

(3)  the proposal to use the name AIM (Adoption in Merseyside) as the brand name for the RAA going forward be approved; and

(4)  a further report be presented, containing a detailed business case including financial, human resources and the results of formal consultation with staff and unions, governance and customer implications for final approval, before the Regional Adoption Agency is implemented.

Councillor Phil Davies informed that Paddy Cleary Wirral UNISON’s Branch Secretary had asked if he could address the Cabinet on this item of business and he had given him permission.

Mr Cleary thanked the Cabinet for allowing him to speak on behalf of the members of Wirral UNISON.  He made clear that it was because of the Government’s austerity measures that public services were under constant attack.  The reduction in grant funding meant that UNISON would become solely reliant on the income it could generate and the subscriptions paid.  However, Mr Cleary was concerned because he perceived that the Council had not communicated or consulted with UNISON on the reports the Cabinet were considering at the meeting.

Mr Cleary informed that prior to receiving this Cabinet agenda UNISON had a workable relationship with the Council’s leadership through challenging times and some resolutions had been agreed and difficult decisions had been made.  UNISON had been promised that it would be consulted on alternative delivery models and future provision of services. Mr Cleary was disappointed that this now did not seem to be the case with items on the agenda for this meeting.  He was disappointed that a political party that the union was affiliated to had not provided UNISON with the same opportunities it had provided to consultants and other outside agencies whose ultimate agenda was not in the best interests of UNISON members and did not put Wirral residents first.  Mr Cleary informed that he found it insulting that consultants could address the Labour Group and share information whilst UNISON was prevented from doing so.  He also found it insulting that managers, staff and Trade Unions were not involved in scrutiny groups.

Mr Cleary reported that UNISON was not opposed to the concept of integration but it was concerned about the terms and conditions that its members were actual transferring across to the Trust on. He informed that time and again, the union had battled to defend the terms and conditions of its members. His view was that the labour council should honour these terms that had been negotiated and fought for.

Mr Cleary also informed that UNISON was pleased that its members were transferring  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111.

Councillor Chris Jones introduced a report that informed of the outcome of a consultation with care providers on the 2017-18 fee rates for services provided for adults by the Council.

The Cabinet noted that the Council was required to maintain and support a local market to deliver care and support.  The work undertaken by officers had taken into account legal requirements and core standards of care and had provided a clear evidence base for the proposed fee increase. 

The Council had a duty to commission a range of high quality, appropriate services, offering people choices.  There was a duty to ensure the market was responsive and sustainable; looking after the care market as a whole and ensuring continuity of care. 

The proposed fee rates took account of the recent volatility in a dynamic domiciliary care market and the recent and growing challenges identifying sufficient capacity in sectors such as residential EMI.  The Cabinet noted that a further potential difficulty was that third party top up arrangements were now an established feature of the market place. 

A range of provider engagement options were made available during the consultation period; including 1:1 or group sessions, dedicated e-mail correspondence and open book accounting offer. 

Benchmarking exercises had been undertaken across the Northwest finance group.  Consideration had been given to the benchmarking data gathered to inform fee proposal rates, a copy of which was attached in Appendix 2 of the report.

A full list of provider feedback and explanation of the consideration the department had been given to these and was attached as Appendix 1. 

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the rates and fees recommended within the report be agreed;

(2)  the increased cost of £2.9m (note the DASS precept raise of £3.7m) be agreed;

(3)  uplift fees to providers be approved from 1 April 2017;

(4)  the forward work plan to work in collaboration with the Liverpool City Region (LCR) and the Supported Living Sector be approved to pilot test and phase in a sustainable new model of care;

(5)  the forward work plan to work with partner organisations and the independent sector be approved to develop a new model of step up and step down bed base provision. 

Councillor Phil Davies informed that Paddy Cleary Wirral UNISON’s Branch Secretary had asked if he could address the Cabinet on this item of business and he had given him permission.

Mr Cleary informed the Cabinet that the report set the Council on the path to re-provision of the associated services.  Before any challenge or alternative could be muted the ship had set sail, with a business case expected for June, which was frightening in its speed. Mr Cleary considered that it would be a mistake to not fully scrutinise, evaluate and challenge any recommendations, with input from trade unions, staff, local managers and residents in the various strands and site locations. He informed that this was a worrying time, yet again, for UNISON members and service users alike.

Mr Cleary believed that the information shared from Bates Wells Braithwaite (BWB) had been poor but, even so, they had been allowed to address the Labour Group with their preferred option. He informed that since the first time he had met with BWB, he had consistently requested that data be shared in order to scrutinise figures and allow the trade unions to give a view on any proposals, whether in their infancy or not. The leadership had been clear that UNISON would be involved and have access to the data requested.

Mr Cleary informed that UNISON was presented with a 64 page document just before it was put into the public domain and that was the first time trade union officials had seen the data and figures that had been used. There had been no sign of the shared intelligence report into libraries that had fed into this, again despite various requests and the belief that this would be ready at the end of 2016. He stated that this had been ‘sold’ as a standalone piece of work until BWB had come onto the scene and people could draw their own conclusions by the fact that it was not in the public domain.

Mr Cleary reported that currently, approximately £175,000 had been spent on Phase 1 and the shared intelligence report and a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

Councillor Phil Davies informed that Paddy Cleary Wirral UNISON’s Branch Secretary had asked if he could address the Cabinet on this item of business and he had given him permission.

Mr Cleary informed that the report was asking for approval for a £1.2m investment over and above the £860,000 already committed that would look to save £3m in two years’ time.  Therefore, in effect, a net saving of £940,000 unless there were add-ons or other further costs.

Mr Cleary also informed that what was not in the report was the 50% reduction in staff from 199 FTE to 100 FTE. It was unclear what the staff reduction would be in the Council’s One Stop Shops provision and access points found in our libraries. In the light of this he believed that the 2020 pledge of looking after the most vulnerable in our society was brought into question.

Mr Cleary informed that as branch secretary, he was accountable to the members who had elected him. Therefore, he could not allow these proposals to go forward without challenging the reduction in staffing numbers, the potential reduction in one stop shop provision and the likely reduction in access points in Wirral libraries. The staffing reduction would affect the livelihood of staff, would have a detrimental impact on their families and could see an increase in usage of the services they currently provided.  This was because the majority of the staff lived in Wirral.  They would see their income reduced and they may then need to rely on benefits. This also meant less money going into the local economy. Mr Cleary told the Cabinet that as Elected Members they were accountable to these Wirral residents.  He drew attention to the ethical element of a labour administration putting over 100 people out of work.

Mr Cleary informed that it was clear that no operational manages had been involved in this initiative to transform customer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114.

Councillor Ann McLachlan introduced a report which provided a progress update on the ongoing delivery of the Wirral Plan and 20 Pledges.  It focused on key activities and successes in Quarter 3 (October to December 2016) and the progress which had been made.

Councillor McLachlan informed that although most performance indicators were making good progress, the number of road traffic collisions resulting in death or serious injury being reported at this time was slightly higher than anticipated.  However, it was likely that the year-end figure would have reduced bringing it in line with the hopes of the Road Safety Partnership.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted

The following items contain exempt information.

RECOMMENDATION:  That, under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act. The Public Interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

RESOLVED:

That, under section 100 (A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act in that it contains commercially sensitive information. The Public Interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

[* paragraph 3 - Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)]

Appendices to agenda item 9.

Exempt by virtue of paragraph 3 as they contain commercially sensitive information.

RESOLVED:

That the content of the exempt appendix (reference report Agenda Item No. 9 – Minute No. 111) be noted.