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.

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

Councillor Angela Davies declared personal interests in agenda item 3 – ‘Executive Key Decisions Taken Under Delegated Powers’ and the decision on ‘Re-commissioning of Assisted Travel (Transport) Services (minute 86 refers) by virtue of a family member being in receipt of assisted travel, and also in respect of agenda item 6 – ‘Integrated Commissioning – Progress Update’ (minute 89 refers) by virtue of her employment.

Councillor Chris Jones declared a personal interest in agenda item 6 – ‘Integrated Commissioning – Progress Update’ (minute 89 refers) by virtue of her employment.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 2018 be confirmed as a correct record.

Key Decisions – taken under delegated powers. Period 8 December, 2017 (date of publication of last Cabinet agenda) to date.

·  Cabinet Member – Highways and Transport

Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Policy and Strategy

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 20 December, 2017

·  Leader of the Council

Re-Commissioning of Assisted Travel (Transport) Services

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 21 December, 2017

·  Cabinet Member – Housing and Community Safety

Local Development Framework for Wirral – Monitoring Report 2016/17

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 21 December, 2017

·  Leader of the Council

Request for Financial Assistance – Business Growth Grant Funding

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 16 January, 2018

·  Cabinet Member – Finance and Income Generation

Collection Fund 2017/18

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 1 February, 2018

·  Cabinet Member – Highways and Transport

Liverpool City Region Traffic Signal Maintenance Contract

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 2 February, 2018

·  Cabinet Member – Children and Families

Liverpool City Region Joint Procurement of Services to Encourage, Enable and Assist Young People to Participation in Employment, Education and Training

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 6 February, 2018

·  Leader of the Council

Request for Financial Assistance

(Executive Member Decision Form attached)

Effective from 12 February, 2018

RESOLVED: That the following Key Decisions taken under delegated authority during the period 8 December 2017 to date, be noted:

·  Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport

Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Policy and Strategy.

·  Leader of the Council

Re-Commissioning of Assisted Travel (Transport) Services.

·  Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety

Local Development Framework for Wirral – Monitoring Report 2016/17.

·  Leader of the Council

Request for Financial Assistance – Business Growth Grant Funding.

·  Cabinet Member for Finance and Income Generation

Collection Fund 2017/18.

·  Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport

Liverpool City Region Traffic Signal Maintenance Contract.

·  Cabinet Member for Children and Families

Liverpool City Region Joint Procurement of Services to Encourage, Enable and Assist Young People to Participation in Employment, Education and Training.

·  Leader of the Council

Request for Financial Assistance.

Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report which recommended draft dates for Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings (“Council Meetings”) for the municipal year 2018/2019. The report also described the various issues that had been taken into account in compiling it.

Other issues that did not constitute a meeting of the Council and therefore did not require inclusion in the Calendar of Meetings were set out in Appendix 2 of the report. Notification of the other meetings was given now to enable Members to manage their diaries.

Councillor Davies referred to one amendment, which had been suggested by Scrutiny Officers, for the date of the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee to be changed from 6 June to 3 July, 2018.

RESOLVED: That:

(1)  the draft Calendar of Meetings for the 2018/2019 Municipal Year, set out at appendix 1 to the report for approval, subject to the amendment above, and unless amended at the meeting of Council on 19 March, 2018, be confirmed as the calendar of meetings for the Municipal Year 2018/19;

(2)  the other meetings detailed set out in Appendix 2 be noted.

(3)  any proposed amendments to the Calendar of Meetings and Appendix 2 be submitted to the Interim Assistant Director: Law and Governance by no later than 10am on Friday, 9 March 2018.

The Leader of the Council introduced a report, which provided a progress report on the potential residential projects in Wirral Waters (now likely to be accelerated given the Housing Infrastructure Fund announcement on 1 February 2018) and specifically focused on the Wirral Waters One (Legacy) project.

The number of issues on this project had reduced significantly over the past few months (from over 40). There were still issues as set out in the report, resolution of which was considered fundamental to further progress.

The Wirral Waters One project was being considered on an investment basis by the Council and therefore an acceptable rate of return on the investment would be required. It sought Cabinet’s views in principle on progressing with the Wirral Waters One project, subject to the legal, market economy investor principle and commercial matters set out in the report. Without satisfaction of all these matters the Council could not proceed with the report. Negotiations on a number of matters set out in the report were continuing and therefore would be subject to change. 

A further report would be brought back to Cabinet or the Leader of the Council once the outcomes of the various matters were known.

The Leader welcomed the report and the proposal for the first new residential development at Wirral Waters. Of the 500 units, 20% would be affordable and this would be the catalyst for other residential projects. The re-use of vacant brownfield sites would help to reduce the pressure on land in Wirral’s green belt.

Councillor George Davies reiterated the comments of Councillor Phil Davies and welcomed the proposed development of 500 new homes.

RESOLVED:  That:

(1)  the principle of participating in the scheme to enable the development of building at Wirral Waters of 500 homes and associated commercial tenancies as an investment vehicle for the Council and to kick-start wider development in the area, be agreed;

(2)  Cabinet notes that, subject to receipt of a viable business case, the Council being able to satisfy its statutory requirements and budgetary approval, the Council would achieve this objective through:

(a)  entering into a lease of 500 residential units for up to 50 years;

(b)  taking an option to acquire 350 residential units at the end of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

Report includes reference to and an update in respect of the recommendation to Cabinet from the Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 28 November 2017 (Minute 34 attached), reference Cabinet Item ‘Integrated Commissioning Hub’, 27 November 2017 (Minutes 62 & 66 refer).

Councillor Christine Jones introduced a report, which provided Cabinet with an update on the progress of the NHS and Social Care Integration programme(s) which were currently underway and in development and responded to the scrutiny request for publication of a due diligence report focussed on potential risks of pooling resources.

It was recommended to Cabinet that this report should be released, but that the sensitive nature of its contents precluded immediate publication in the public interest. Mitigations against those risks needed to be developed as part of the preparation of a section 75 agreement for the pooling of funds. Year one arrangements would include the running of a large part of potential pooled funding in shadow form, in order for those mitigations to be tested. Therefore, Cabinet was recommended to instruct officers to release the report during the summer of 2018, subject to the public interest concerns easing as appropriate mitigations were developed, agreed and put in place.

Wirral Council was working with the Council’s colleagues in the NHS to create a more joined up, stronger and more efficient health and social care service for Wirral residents. The Council’s social care service for older people was already fully integrated with the NHS Community Trust, providing Wirral’s older residents with a better, more seamless service than ever before. 

The Council was also developing a proposal to integrate its mental health and disability service with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, again to provide people with a better, more seamless service which was easier to use and enabled residents who needed support to enjoy a better service.

Another major integration programme involved Wirral Council and Wirral NHS Clinical Commissioning Group pooling its resources to create an integrated commissioner for Wirral, with shared governance, to ensure NHS and care and wellbeing resources went further – enabling the Council to strengthen Wirral’s local NHS and social care services.

The integration programmes were designed to support many of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

Councillor Bernie Mooney 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 2019-2020.

The Authority was required to determine admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools. The New School Admissions (England) Regulations (2003) also required the Authority to have in place a coordinated scheme for admissions to all primary and secondary schools including Academy schools, in 2019-20. The proposed schemes were attached as appendices to the report along with proposed admission numbers for community and controlled schools.

RESOLVED: That the proposed admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools and the Wirral co-ordinated schemes for 2019-2020, be agreed.

Councillor Bernie Mooney introduced a report, the purpose of which was to seek approval for the creation of a regionalised adoption service across Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral with effect from 1 April 2018. The regionalisation of the adoption services in the Liverpool City Region was a mandatory requirement as set out in the Education and Adoption Act 2016. The four authorities had worked together over the last two years to develop AiM (Adoption in Merseyside) which would be hosted by Knowsley Council with Sefton Council taking on the role of Commissioner on behalf of the other four authorities and holding the host to account. This would result in the staff of the other three authorities, including Wirral, being seconded into Knowsley Council.

RESOLVED: That:

(a)  the proposed host model arrangements for Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton and the Wirral Regional Adoption Agency, be agreed;

(b)  it be agreed that employees from Wirral are seconded into Knowsley as the host authority from 1 April 2018;

(c)  the intention for the service to go live on 1 April 2018, be noted;

(d)  authority be delegated to the Director for Children’s Services and Deputy Director: Children’s Care Services to finalise the terms on which Wirral Borough Council will provide and deliver a shared administration of adoption services with the other participating authorities and, in consultation with the Assistant Director: Law & Governance and the Director for Finance and Investments, to complete all financial agreements and legal documentation as may be required to be executed by the Council to implement the transition.

RESOLVED:  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 it involves 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 had been applied and favoured exclusion.

RESOLVED: That the contents of the exempt appendix, Wirral Waters One (Legacy Project), Dock Road, Wallasey, Wirral (agenda item 5 – minute 88 refers), be noted.