Agenda and minutes

(15 minutes for public questions and 25 minutes for Councillor questions)

The Mayor advised the meeting that the next item on the agenda in Open Council was Public Question Time.  The questions had been received from members of the public and would be taken in the order in which they had been received.  Council was advised that if a questioner was not present, then the question would appear on the screens in the Council Chamber.

The following questions had been submitted:

1.       Question received from Syed Maruf Ali via Facebook:

          “Hi can you raise this at the full council meeting please. Who's responsible is it to maintain the Tudor Pitch in Coppice? The health and wellbeing of our community is never more important to get right. The levels of obesity are rising and we want to do something about it. Some of the residents have been at the heart of our community for a very long time and advocated providing facilities to local communities. The state of the Tudor Football Pitch is outdated and is need of repair. When it rains it causes health and safety hazard. We now need to address the outside areas and working with our Cllr's, Oldham Authority and St Thomas School to provide a 4G pitch. Our deserving community require first class facility in order to make a real difference. Coppice/Werneth has long been overlooked for such a facility and many people have to travel across the Ward in Hollins, Failsworth and other areas to access decent training venues or play matches because the pitch is not suitable. Tudor pitch is at the heart of the Coppice community. Werneth/Coppice has an extremely young age profile (30% aged 0-15), with a shrinking elderly population (down to 9% from 11.4% in 2001) Residents are passionate about providing facilities for all to use. For a long time now, the Coppice community have been overlooked in the provision of outdoor playing spaces, we are probably the only ward in Oldham that does not have an artificial 4G pitch and we need help of our Cllr's, MP's, Local Authority and St Thomas Primary School to change that. As you can appreciate, the funds needed for such a project run into the hundreds of thousands and, at a time when school budgets are becoming ever increasingly tighter, it is never more important to find partnership funding. we need to raise this money to demonstrate the community's support for the project and to make it the success it deserves to be. We therefore require all the stakeholders to arrange a meeting to find fundings and work with local community. As you will have read above, this facility would be the only one of its kind in the community and, as such, its importance cannot be underestimated. Coppice is deserving of high quality sports facilities that are easily accessible by all and therefore needs your support to make it a reality.”

Councillor Moores, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing responded that St. Thomas School was responsible for the maintenance of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

Apologies were received from Councillors Ahmad, A. Alexander, G. Alexander, Ames, Azad, Blyth, Brock, Cosgrove, Dearden, Haque and Kirkham.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 12^th July 2017 be approved as a correct record.

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, elected members declared the following interests:

Councillor McCann declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board, Unity Joint Venture Board and the Unity Partnership Board

Councillor Sykes declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor Jabbar declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor Chauhan declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Harrison declared a personal interest by virtue of her appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Wrigglesworth declared a pecuniary interest at Item 12 by virtue of living adjacent to and renting land from RailTrack.  She left the room during consideration of this item and did not take part in the vote thereon.

There were no items of urgent business.

It was moved by Councillor Stretton and seconded by Councillor Sykes, that under Council Procedure Rule 8.4C that the order of business be changed so that Item 6, Communications, be considered at Item 1.

On being put the vote, the motion was agreed Unanimously.

Council held a minute’s silence in memory of all those affected by the recent tragic events around the world.

The Mayor advised that two petitions had been received for noting by Council.

Economy, Skills and Neighbourhoods

Request for Road Markings, Speed Reduction Measures and Clearer Safer Crossing Point on Acorn Street, Lees, (Saddleworth West and Lees Ward) received on 6 July 2017 with 51 signatures (Ref: 2017-08)

Request for a Place to Remember, Limeside Memorial Garden and Benches (Hollinwood Ward) received on 18 July 2017 with 256 signatures (Ref: 2017-09)

RESOLVED that the petitions received since the last Council meeting be noted.

(time limit 15 minutes).

Councillor Jabbar to MOVE and Councillor Ball to SECOND:

This Council notes that Universal Credit (UC) is a single monthly payment which replaces six working age benefits (known as legacy benefits).These are Housing Benefit (HB), Income Support (IS), Working Tax Credits (WTC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related) and Job Seekers Allowance (Income-related). It supports residents on low incomes who are both in and out of work.

Oldham has been a pathfinder for Universal Credit since 2013. However, the numbers of residents moving onto Universal Credit from 2013 have been restricted to new claimants and straightforward cases. The roll out of the full service of Universal Credit which commenced in Oldham on 26 April 2017 is a new entirely online-based system and claimants must apply for and manage their claim online. It also brings in a wider range of claimants including more complex cases. It affects claimants when they make a claim for the first time or have a change in circumstances that means their existing claim for one of the legacy benefits has to be cancelled.

Oldham is one of the early boroughs subject to the rollout of Universal Credit full service. The delivery of the new service has been an area of particular concern across the country and was subject in the last parliament to an investigation by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

As a result, and while the DWP and Job Centre Plus are the agency responsible for managing the change, the Council is committed to pro-active and continued work with key stakeholders and partners to ensure that as much support is provided to residents as possible to help achieve a smooth transition to the new service.

However, this Council has a number of concerns about Universal Credit

• The wait times between the date of application and date of assessment. There is a built in waiting period of 6 weeks before Universal Credit is awarded and this creates hardship for residents. Any delay in DWP processing times exacerbates this hardship still further.
• The level of deductions applied to monthly payments to clawback advance payments and sanctions can be high leaving residents with little money to cover basic income needs for their families for the weeks ahead.
• The high number of Universal Credit claimants that have been subject to sanctions in Oldham.
• That the provision of housing  costs support for short term temporary accommodation for Oldham’s homeless population is not an appropriate fit for Universal Credit and should be returned to and covered by Housing Benefit at the earliest opportunity.

This Council resolves to:

Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the following to register these issues and request that solutions are explored which would improve the design and delivery of Universal Credit which would mitigate impacts for low- income, working age residents in the borough;

1. The Rt. Hon David Gauke MP Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
2. Debbie Abrahams MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and  ...  view the full agenda text for item 8.

The Mayor informed the meeting that there was one item of outstanding business from the previous meeting:

Motion 1

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Ball SECONDED:

“This Council notes that Universal Credit (UC) is a single monthly payment which replaces six working age benefits (known as legacy benefits).These are Housing Benefit (HB), Income Support (IS), Working Tax Credits (WTC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-related) and Job Seekers Allowance (Income-related). It supports residents on low incomes who are both in and out of work.

Oldham has been a pathfinder for Universal Credit since 2013. However, the numbers of residents moving onto Universal Credit from 2013 have been restricted to new claimants and straightforward cases. The roll out of the full service of Universal Credit which commenced in Oldham on 26 April 2017 is a new entirely online-based system and claimants must apply for and manage their claim online. It also brings in a wider range of claimants including more complex cases. It affects claimants when they make a claim for the first time or have a change in circumstances that means their existing claim for one of the legacy benefits has to be cancelled.

Oldham is one of the early boroughs subject to the rollout of Universal Credit full service. The delivery of the new service has been an area of particular concern across the country and was subject in the last parliament to an investigation by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

As a result, and while the DWP and Job Centre Plus are the agency responsible for managing the change, the Council is committed to pro-active and continued work with key stakeholders and partners to ensure that as much support is provided to residents as possible to help achieve a smooth transition to the new service.

However, this Council has a number of concerns about Universal Credit

• The wait times between the date of application and date of assessment. There is a built in waiting period of 6 weeks before Universal Credit is awarded and this creates hardship for residents. Any delay in DWP processing times exacerbates this hardship still further.
• The level of deductions applied to monthly payments to clawback advance payments and sanctions can be high leaving residents with little money to cover basic income needs for their families for the weeks ahead.
• The high number of Universal Credit claimants that have been subject to sanctions in Oldham
• That the provision of housing  costs support for short term temporary accommodation for Oldham’s homeless population is not an appropriate fit for Universal Credit and should be returned to and covered by Housing Benefit at the earliest opportunity

This Council resolves to:

Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the following to register these issues and request that solutions are explored which would improve the design and delivery of Universal Credit which would mitigate impacts for low- income, working age residents in the borough;

1.       The Rt. Hon David Gauke MP Secretary of State for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There is no Youth Council Business to consider.

There were no items submitted by the Youth Council.

The Leader of the Main Opposition, Councillor Sykes, raised the following two questions:

Question 1:

“My first question relates to how this Council supports small businesses in this Borough.  I am sure the Leader is aware that in April of this year the Leader of her party announced that a Labour Government would ‘declare war’ on late payment to small businesses.  Speaking at an event organised by the Federation of Small Businesses, the Labour leader called it ‘a national scandal’ that big companies were withholding more than £26 billion from suppliers, forcing 50,000 of them out of business every year. 

Local Labour MP Debbie Abrahams commented favourably on this.  She has been championing a similar local campaign ‘Be Fair – Pay on Time’.  She reported that over 400 businesses in Oldham East and Saddleworth have said they are struggling to pay staff because of late payments and 66 went bust.

All very commendable – I am sure we all want to see a thriving small business sector in our country and especially in our Borough – and cash flow difficulties caused by late payment kills businesses.

So why is it that Debbie doesn’t seem to have publically taken Oldham Council to task?

For the average length of time this Labour Council takes to pay an invoice was 24 days in 2015/2016, when it was only 15 when the Liberal Democrats ran the Council, I was Leader.

Mr. Corbyn also said that a Labour government would require any company bidding for a public sector contract to pay its own suppliers within 30 days and would look at introducing fines for persistent late payers. 

This Council will have to be careful that the promised legislation doesn’t extend to penalising Councils who follow the same practice – for it is likely that Oldham would have to pay a hefty fine.

For in 2015/16, the number of invoices this Council paid after 30 days was 15,247, when it was only 8.051 under the Liberal Democrats.  And the current system does not even allow us to identify which invoices are delayed because of disputes and which because of inefficiency.

This Administration makes a great play of its deal with Oxygen Finance whereby suppliers can be paid in five days instead of 30 in return to paying an ‘Early Repayment Fee’, but why should businesses pay us money to receive the money that they are owed by us more quickly?

In my day, the Liberal Democrat Administration simply placed more emphasis on paying our suppliers, especially our local suppliers promptly.

So can I ask the Leader tonight what she will now do to ensure that this Council will ‘Be Fair to our small businesses and Pay on Time’?”

Councillor Stretton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that she was behind the movement to pay small businesses on time and would ask for an immediate review on the number of businesses not paid within 30 days and for a report to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

(time limit 20 minutes):-

a) 19^th June 2017

b) 10^th July 2017

c) 24^th July 2017

The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 19^th June 2017, 10^th July 2017 and 24^th July 2017 were submitted.

Members raised the following observations:

Councillor McCann, Cabinet Minutes, 24^th July 2017, Item 9 – Phase Two Approval, Gateways to Oldham New Build Housing – Councillor McCann commented on the Primrose Bank Regeneration, the insistence of a good quality build  and how the regeneration of the estate had continued through different administrations. Oldham stood out by putting politics aside for the good of the town and was a fine entry into Oldham.

Councillor Williams, Cabinet Minutes, 10^th July 2017, Item 9 – Oldham Town Centre Master Plan and Delivery Options – Councillor Williams commented on the statement of intent in the delivery of the plan and the risk taken because it was so important.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 19^th June 2017, 10^th July 2017 and 24^th July 2017 be noted.

3.       The observations on the Cabinet minutes be noted.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor Fielding to MOVE and Councillor Kirkham to SECOND:

Council notes:

·       The announcement on 20/07/17 by Conservative Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP that the electrification of the Sheffield-Kettering, Oxenholme-Windermere and Cardiff-Swansea railway lines will not take place.

·       The Transport Secretary’s comments as part of this announcement that electrification of the Manchester-Leeds railway line may be too difficult.

Council further notes:

·       The announcement on 24/07/2017 of the approval of the £30 billion Crossrail 2 scheme in London.

·       Northern Powerhouse rail, an investment programme which included the now cancelled electrifications and the electrification of the Manchester-Leeds line, was pledged on page 24 of the Conservative Party manifesto for the 2017 General Election.

·       Crossrail was not featured at all in the Conservative Party manifesto.

Council supports the electrification of the east-west transpennine railway between Manchester and Leeds. Council recognises the benefits that the electrification of this line, which passes through the Borough of Oldham, would deliver for local people.

Council resolves to:

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling setting out our support for the full electrification of this line.

·       Call on our three MPs to lobby the government to deliver the planned electrification as promised.

Motion 2

Councillor Ali to MOVE and Councillor Mushtaq to SECOND:

This Council notes;

1.     The rise from 128 households in 2015/16, to 245 in 2016/17 and to 182 to August 2017 receiving a formal decision on homelessness from Oldham Council

2.     The rise in the number of households placed in temporary accommodation, including in Bed and Breakfast

3.     The reducing number of social housing lettings year by year

We recognise that the causes of homelessness can be complex and that one response is the new Homelessness Reduction Act which places new duties on Local Authorities to prevent homelessness, however additional steps and funding are needed to tackle the growing problem of homelessness in Oldham.

This Council believes that this latest increase in homelessness is directly linked to the government’s austerity policy: the squeeze on the incomes of the working poor and welfare reform have combined to increase mortgage repossessions and evictions due to rent arrears while reducing benefit support for housing costs, particularly for younger people. The roll out of the Universal Credit Full Digital Service increases rent arrears and homelessness as Universal Credit is paid up to 10 weeks in arrears and landlords can start the eviction process once tenants are eight weeks in arrears.

This Council calls on government to take an integrated approach to homelessness and to rethink welfare policies which exclude younger people from housing support, make housing unaffordable for large families and lead to evictions due to built in  delays in payments.

This Council resolves to

1.     Work with partners in Oldham to implement the new Housing Reducation duties as effectively as possible

2.      continue to do all it can to mitigate the impact of government policy e.g by supporting Oldham Nightstop and Oldham Reconnect to help young people

3.     Investigate  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Motion 1

The Chief Executive had been notified that Councillor Kirkham was unable to attend the meeting to second the Motion and notice had been given that Councillor Goodwin would second the motion in her absence which was AGREED.

Councillor Fielding MOVED and Councillor Goodwin SECONDED the following motion:

“Council notes:

·       The announcement on 20/07/17 by Conservative Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP that the electrification of the Sheffield-Kettering, Oxenholme-Windermere and Cardiff-Swansea railway lines will not take place.

·       The Transport Secretary’s comments as part of this announcement that electrification of the Manchester-Leeds railway line may be too difficult.

Council further notes:

·       The announcement on 24/07/17 of the approval of the £30 billion Crossrail 2 scheme in London.

·       Northern Powerhouse rail, an investment programme, which included the now cancelled electrifications and the electrification of the Manchester-Leeds line, was pledged on page 24 of the Conservative Party manifesto for the 2017 General Election.

·       Crossrail was not featured at all in the Conservative Party manifesto.

Council supports the electrification of the east-west transpennine railway between Manchester and Leeds.  Council recognises the benefits that the electrification of this line, which passes through the Borough of Oldham, would deliver for local people.

Council resolves to:

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling setting out our support for the full electrification of this line.

·       Call on our three MPs to lobby the government to deliver the planned electrification as promised.”

Councillor Sykes spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Ali spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Hewitt spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Roberts MOVED and Councillor Ali SECONDED that the motion be put to the vote. 

Councillor Fielding exercised his right of reply.

A vote was then taken on the MOTION.

On being put the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling setting out the Council’s support for the full electrification of this line.

2.       The three MP’s be called on to lobby the government to deliver the planned electrification as promised.

Motion 2

Councillor Ali MOVED and Councillor Mushtaq SECONDED the following motion:

“This Council notes:

1.     The rise from 128 households in 2015/16, to 245 in 2016/17 and to 192 to August 2017 receiving a formal decision on homelessness from Oldham Council

2.     The rise in the number of households placed in temporary accommodation, including in Bed and Breakfast

3.     The reducing number of social housing lettings year by year

We recognise that the causes of homelessness can be complex and that one response is the new Homelessness Reduction Act which places new duties on Local Authorities to prevent homelessness, however additional steps and funding are needed to tackle the growing problem of homelessness in Oldham.

This Council believes that this latest increase in homelessness is directly linked to the government’s austerity policy: the squeeze on the incomes of the working poor and welfare reform have combined to increase mortgage repossessions and evictions  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor Harkness to MOVE and Councillor Gloster to SECOND:

Council notes that:

• Heart disease remains one of the biggest killers of adults in this borough and that it debilitates many more.
• The Oldham Locality Plan for Health & Social Care Transformation reports that “Our adult population is less physically active, smokes more, and carries more excess weight than the England average and we have higher than average alcohol-related admissions to hospital. These unhealthy behaviours mean we have significantly higher numbers of people with recorded diabetes, and deaths from smoking-related diseases, cardiovascular disease and cancer are significantly higher than the England average.”
• There has recently been a review of congenital heart disease treatment services in this region.

Council is concerned that, under the current proposals resulting from this review:

·       Some patients will be obliged to access services, and surgery outside the North West, at specialist centres in Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield.

·       In the event of an emergency attendance at a local hospital, patients will be “stabilised and managed by doctors until fit for transfer to a specialist centre”.

·       The capacity of the Manchester Royal Infirmary to carry out specialist procedures has over past months been reduced as key medical staff have left the hospital as they had no guarantee their services would be required following the review.

·       The proposed merger of the South and Central Trafford NHS Trusts has created further uncertainty of employment for specialist staff in our region as the two hospitals providing heart services - Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe - will be brought under one trust.

Council believes that:

• It is unreasonable to expect patients with such conditions, and their carers and families, to make significant journeys to centres outside of Greater Manchester for the more specialist procedures or surgery.
• It is unacceptable that in a National Health Service patients in the North West are subject to a ‘postcode lottery’ as to where they are sent for treatment and cannot access their own specialist centre in their own region.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to make representations on this matter to:

• The Secretary of State for Health

• The Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the Manchester Heart Centre
• The Greater Manchester Mayor

Requesting they maintain specialist provision in our region.

And also to the three local Members of Parliament seeking their support for the Council’s position.

Motion 2

Councillor Williamson to MOVE and Councillor Murphy to SECOND:

This Council notes:

·       The national scandal of homelessness, with official figures showing over 4,000 people sleeping rough on any one night, in England last year and over 250,000 people in some form of homelessness.

·       That figures for sleeping rough have increased by nearly 50% in the last two years.

·       That Greater Manchester has a particular homelessness problem, with Manchester having the fourth highest rates of rough sleeping in the country.

·       The charities, Crisis, Centrepoint, Homeless Link, Shelter and St Mungo’s have launched the End Rough Sleeping Campaign to  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.

Motion 1

Councillor Harkness MOVED and Councillor Gloster SECONDED the following motion:

“Council notes that:

·       Heart disease remains one of the biggest killers of adults in this borough and that it debilitates many more.

·       The Oldham Locality Plan for Health & Social Care Transformation reports that “Our adult population is less physically active, smokes more, and carries more excess weight than the England average and we have higher than average alcohol-related admissions to hospital. These unhealthy behaviours mean we have significantly higher numbers of people with recorded diabetes, and deaths from smoking-related diseases, cardiovascular disease and cancer are significantly higher than the England average.”

·         There has recently been a review of congenital heart disease treatment services in this region.

Council is concerned that, under the current proposals resulting from this review:

·       Some patients will be obliged to access services, and surgery outside the North West, at specialist centres in Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield.

·       In the event of an emergency attendance at a local hospital, patients will be “stabilised and managed by doctors until fit for transfer to a specialist centre”.

·       The capacity of the Manchester Royal Infirmary to carry out specialist procedures has over past months been reduced as key medical staff have left the hospital as they had no guarantee their services would be required following the review.

·       The proposed merger of the South and Central Trafford NHS Trusts has created further uncertainty of employment for specialist staff in our region as the two hospitals providing heart services - Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe - will be brought under one trust.

Council believes that:

·       It is unreasonable to expect patients with such conditions, and their carers and families, to make significant journeys to centres outside of Greater Manchester for the more specialist procedures or surgery.

·       It is unacceptable that in a National Health Service patients in the North West are subject to a ‘postcode lottery’ as to where they are sent for treatment and cannot access their own specialist centre in their own region.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to make representations on this matter to:

·       The Secretary of State for Health

·       The Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the Manchester Heart Centre

·       The Greater Manchester Mayor

Requesting they maintain specialist provision in our region.

And also to the three local Members of Parliament seeking their support for the Council’s position.

AMENDMENT

Councillor Moores MOVED and Councillor Harrison SECONDED the following AMENDMENT:

“After ‘Council notes that’, delete bullets 1 and 2 and replace with:

·       Adult Congenital Heart Disease [ACHD] patients, their families and carers living in Oldham have raised genuine concerns regarding the proposed changes to ACHD treatment in Greater Manchester.

·       That the new national standards are intended ensure that patients receive a high quality, safe and timely service.

After ‘Council is concerned that’, delete ‘under the current proposals resulting from this review’, delete bullets 3 - 4 and insert a bullet point:

·       There is uncertainty regarding the location of future services that will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

(time limit 8 minutes):-

The minutes of the Joint Authorities were submitted as follows:

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal                12^th June 2017

Authority

Transport for Greater Manchester                    14^th July 2017

National Peak Park Authority                            26^th May 2017

Greater Manchester Combined                        30^th June 2017 (AGM)

Authority (GMCA)                                            30^th June 2017

                                                                      28^th July 2017

Joint GMCA/AGMA Executive                                    28^th April 2017

                                                                      28^th July 2017

Association of Greater Manchester                  30^th June 2017 (AGM)

Authorities (AGMA)                                         30^th June 2017

Members raised the following questions:

Councillor Bates, GMCA, 30^th June 2017, Manchester Arena Attack – Councillor Bates asked about the review and why there was no report of the Chief Fire Officer retiring.

Councillor Stretton responded that this was a matter for the Chief Fire Officer to which when he would retire after 30 years’ service.

Councillor McCann, GMCA, 30^th June 2017, National Productivity Investment Fund – Councillor McCann asked for confirmation that the incorrect funding allocations and that Oldham would still be in line for the funding.

Councillor Stretton responded that she would seek clarification and respond to Councillor McCann in writing.

Councillor Murphy, GMCA, 28^th July 2017, Greater Manchester Strategy Refresh – Councillor Murphy asked if there would be consultation on the amended Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF).

Councillor Stretton responded that the Council would consultation in the Local Plan which the Authority must have.  Consultation would take place locally on the GMSF as before.  Oldham had done more consultation that any other district in Greater Manchester.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The minutes of the Joint Authority meetings as detailed in the report be noted.

2.       The questions and responses provided be noted.

(time limit 7 minutes)

The minutes of the Partnership meetings were submitted as follows:

Oldham Leadership Board                               3^rd May 2017

                                                                      13^th July 2017

MioCare                                                          8^th May 2017

RESOLVED thatthe minutes of the Partnership meetings as detailed in the report be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Legal Services which informed members of actions that had been taken following previous Council meetings and provided feedback on other issues raised at the meeting.

Councillor Murphy spoke on the report.

RESOLVED that the Update on Actions from Council report be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Finance which provided details of the Treasury Management Review 2016/17 and demonstrated full compliance with the requirements of both the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management (the Code) and the CIPFE Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities (the Prudential Code). 

During 2016/17 the minimum reporting requirements were that Council receive the following reports:

·       An annual treasury strategy in advance of the year which was approved on 24 February 2016;

·       A mid-year (minimum) treasury update report which was approved on 14 December 2016; and

·       An annual review following the end of the year describing the activity compared to the strategy which was this report.

The regulatory environment placed responsibility on members for the review and scrutiny of treasury management policy and activities.  The presentation of the report demonstrated full compliance with the requirements as it provided the details of the outturn position for treasury activities and highlighted compliance with Council policies.  The report was considered and approved at the Cabinet meeting held on 21^st August 2017 who commended the report to Full Council and was noted at the Audit Committee held on 7^th September 2017.

The report summarised:

·       The Council’s capital expenditure and financing during the year;

·       Impact of this activity on the Council’s underlying indebtedness (the Council Financing Requirement;

·       Overall treasury positon which identified how the Council had borrowed in relation to this indebtedness, and the impact on investment balances;

·       Summary of interest rate movements in the year;

·       Detailed debt activity;

·       Detailed investment activity; and

·       Reported the required prudential and treasury indicators.

An amendment was requested to the Treasury Management Statement 2017/18 with regard to unspecified investment and this was detailed at Appendix 4.

Options/Alternatives

In order that the Council complied with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Code of Practice, the Council had no option other than to consider and approve the contents of the report.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The actual 2016/17 prudential treasury indicators in the report be approved.

2.       The Annual Treasury Management Report for 2016/17 be approved.

3.       The amendment to the Treasury Management Strategy 2017/18 with regard to the unspecified investments as presented at Appendix 4 of the report be approved.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Finance which provided details of the 2016/17 audited Statement of Accounts and the External Audit (Grant Thornton UK LLP) Audit Findings Report.  The audited Statement of Accounts was approved by the Audit Committee on 17^th July 2017, considered at Cabinet at the meeting held on 21st August 2017, whereby the accounts were noted and commended to Full Council.

The report highlighted:

·       The excellent Audit Findings report with an unqualified opinion and not material misstatements.

·       All audit judgements had a green rating and a very positive Value for Money (VfM) opinion.

·       The overall outturn position for 2016.17, a surplus of £0.130m before the transfer to earmarked reserves to support the 2017/18 budget.  This was a slight decrease in the forecast underspend presented in the last financial monitoring report approved by Cabinet on 20^th March 2017.  Following the transfer to the 2017/18 Budget Reserve, the net General Fund movement was a decrease of £3.803m, when the revenue budget to the outturn was compared.

·       The capital outturn position with an expenditure of £42.873m compared to a forecast position of £47.093m.

·       The speed of the preparation of the accounts.

·       The performance of the Finance Team in closing the Council’s accounts and its focus on the continued improvement of its processes. 

The Council had received objections to the accounts from two local electors.  The External Auditor had given an opinion on the accounts.  However, a formal review of the objections must take place and as a consequence, the audit could not be closed until the findings of the review had been reported.

In moving the report, Councillor Jabbar expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Finance Department led by the Director of Finance and also the Chief Executive and Executive Management Team for their contribution.

RESOLVED that the Council’s Statement of Accounts for 2016/17, the Audit Findings Report and the comments provided in the report be noted.