Meeting documents

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Andy Canning, Steve Butler, Margaret Phipps, Mark Tewkesbury and Debbie Ward (Chief Executive).

Councillors are required to comply with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 regarding disclosable pecuniary interests.

§                     Check if there is an item of business on this agenda in which the member or other relevant person has a disclosable pecuniary interest.

§                     Check that the interest has been notified to the Monitoring Officer (in writing) and entered in the Register (if not this must be done on the form available from the clerk within 28 days).

§                     Disclose the interest at the meeting (in accordance with the County Council’s Code of Conduct) and in the absence of a dispensation to speak and/or vote, withdraw from any consideration of the item.

The Register of Interests is available on Dorsetforyou.com and the list of disclosable pecuniary interests is set out on the reverse of the form.

There were no declarations by members of any disclosable pecuniary interests under the Code of Conduct.

With reference to minute 25, a general interest was declared by Cllr Daryl Turner and Cllr Trevor Jones as chairmen of committees in receipt of a Special Responsibility Allowance regarding the Scrutiny Review.  As this was not a disclosable pecuniary interest Cllr Turner and Cllr Jones remained in the meeting and took part in the debate.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2015.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2015 were confirmed and signed. 

However, it was noted that a request was made by Cllr Mike Byatt at the last meeting in relation to the special County Council meeting being arranged for 10 March 2016 to consider options for the future of Local Government in Dorset.

(a)               Public Speaking

(b)               Petitions

Public Speaking

Public questions were asked by Cllr Nowak, Chair of Portland Town Council, to the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People in relation to Youth Services in accordance with Standing Order 21(1). 

A public statement was received from John Grantham in relation to options for the future of Local Government in Dorset in accordance with Standing Order 21(2).

The questions, answers and statement are attached as an annexure to these minutes.

Petitions

There were no petitions received at the meeting in accordance with the County Council’s Petition Scheme.

To deal with correspondence, communications or other business brought forward by the Chairman.

(a)        Deaths of Former Members of the Council

(b)        Chairman’s Announcements

The Chairman reported on the following deaths of former members of the Council.

·                     Frederick James Wretham on 21 December 2015 who served on the County Council from 1981 to 1997 representing a Poole division.

·                     The Reverend Colin Hodge on 24 January 2016 who served on the County Council from 1970 to 1981 and 1983 to 1997 representing the Wareham division.

Members paid tribute to the dedication and commitment of the former members to Dorset and within their divisions.  The County Council then stood in silent tribute.

The Chairman reported the following events since the last meeting:- 

(i)                   Launch of Dorset Arts Development Company – 19 December 2015
The Chairman attended the launch event for the Arts Development Company as the first service from the Council to be set up as a Public Service Mutual (an employee owned company).

(ii)                 Funeral – Wilfrid Weld – 5 January 2016
The Vice-Chairman attended the funeral of Wilfrid Weld of Lulworth who was a past High Sheriff of the County and was well known for his support of many charities and other causes.

(iii)                Launch of Agagia Exhibition – 28 January 2016
The Chairman announced that Lady Elizabeth Butler’s painting of the success of the Dorset Yeomanry at the battle of Agagia in Namibia in 1915 from the Members’ Room had been loaned to the County Museum as part of an exhibition to commemorate the history of the Yeomanry linked to the First World War.

(iv)                Youth Parliament Elections – 3 February 2016
The Chairman announced that the annual Youth Parliament elections took place on 3 February 2016 and the results would be announced on 23 February 2016.

(v)                  Other Events
The Chairman reported that a number of other events had been attended by himself or the Vice-Chairman which included a Poole Harbour Commissioners function, some Christmas receptions and charity events, and four Citizenship ceremonies.

To deal with business raised by the Leader of the Council which is not otherwise be raised under any other item on the agenda.  Questions from members will be invited on the issues raised by the Leader.

The Leader of the Council updated members on discussions at a recent meeting of the Leaders Growth Board on 21 January 2016 and reported on the following points:- 

·                     Proposals for a combined authority of 9 councils would shortly be submitted to Central Government and it was hoped that the response would be favourable.

·                     Work on the devolution of powers for Dorset was being funded by the transformational challenge fund and assisted by external auditors KPMG.  This would be reported back to the Board on 7 March 2016 with ministerial challenge expected in April 2016.

·                     Consultation on a new economic vision in Dorset was currently being undertaken with partners and considered again on 7 March 2016.  It would be important to work closely with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and to have a clear strategy and criteria in place to ensure that the whole County had the best possible opportunity of securing benefits at such time as the growth deal was announced.

Members asked whether a combined authority would include a transport authority role to enable a holistic approach to the development of the transport infrastructure.

The Leader of the Council confirmed that it had been agreed to include transport, including public transport, in a combined authority.  Concerns had been expressed by some partners that would be the subject of later discussions in the event that there was any devolvement of transport back to individual councils. However, he hoped that this would not be necessary as the transport network needed to be viewed on a strategic and integrated level and that the economy, education and training required strong links to transport accessibility. 

A member expressed the view that budgets or single issues should not be looked at in isolation and that the challenge for the Council was to be innovative and strategic in its approach and that the relationship with the LEP would be central in this regard.

The Leader of the Council confirmed that the budget was predicated on economic growth and that the ability to integrate as a combined authority would offer a more joined up approach with regard to issues such as housing, employment, infrastructure (not just roads) and ultrafast broadband.  Some work had already commenced on an enterprise zone referred to in the Chancellor’s budget, however there was much more to do.

A request was made for a short report setting out the original proposal for a combined authority and the progression made towards the current proposal in order to provide clarity for members.  The Leader of the Council confirmed that a synopsis could be provided for the Special County Council meeting on 10 March 2016.  He confirmed that this meeting would provide a sense of direction and ensure that the issues were clearly expressed and understood.

The Chairman of the Council, Leader of the Council, Cabinet Members, or chairmen of appropriate committees to answer questions on any business not covered on this agenda, including any questions on the discharge of the functions of the Fire Authority.  The closing date for the receipt of questions is 10.00am on 10 February 2016.  This item is limited to 45 minutes.

The following questions were asked under Standing Order 20:

·                     Cllr Paul Kimber asked the Cabinet Member for Environment questions in relation to fracking in Dorset

·                     Cllr Kate Wheller asked the Cabinet Member for Environment questions in relation to the Wyke Regis Bypass.

The questions and answers are attached to these minutes as an annexure.

The Chairman of the Cabinet to present and move the adoption of the following reports (attached) and to answer questions, if any, under Standing Order 19:-

The reports of the Cabinet meetings held on 2 December, 16 December 2015 and 13 January 2016 were presented for adoption, together with recommendations from the meeting held on 16 December 2015 for approval.

Resolved

That the report of the Cabinet on 2 December 2015 be adopted.

Recommendation 439 -          Asset Management Capital Priorities

Recommendation 445 -          Cultural Strategy 2016-2021

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2015:-

Medium Term Financial Plan

In relation to minute 435, a request was made for clarification regarding the pace of the Medium term Financial Plan to facilitate commercialisation and income generation with innovation, inclusion and engagement but also follow due process.  Assurance was given that there would be no lack of pace or energy, and the Commercialisation and Income Generation Policy had recently been approved by the Cabinet.

Recommendation 439 - Asset Management Capital Priorities

In relation to recommendation 439, it was suggested that it would be appropriate to consider the capital priorities following the outcome of the discussion regarding the Medium Term Financial Plan.  It was agreed to consider the recommendation as part of minute 15. 

A concern was expressed at this point in relation to the spend on updates to workspaces at County Hall at a time when services were being cut and it was questioned whether this was the right time or financial climate in which to modernise workspaces.

Resolved

That the report of the Cabinet on 16 December 2015 and recommendation 445 be adopted.

Recommendation 445 – Cultural Strategy 2016-2021

445. That the County Council be recommended to give support to and approve the Dorset Cultural Strategy 2016 – 2021.

Reason for Recommendation

446. The proposed cultural strategy promoted collaborative working. This would contribute to the Council’s vision of working together for a strong and successful Dorset and two main areas of focus: enabling economic growth and promoting health, wellbeing and safeguarding.

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2016:-

Youth Services – Strategic Outline Case

In relation to minute 6, a number of members expressed concern regarding the changes agreed by the Cabinet regarding the introduction of targeted provision and the removal of youth workers based in youth centres.  Clarification was sought in respect of the impact on local divisions to contact those who are vulnerable, the rationale for the cut in budget as a driver for change to the service, how youth workers would work and be based. The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People confirmed that the purpose was to apply a common model across the County that was based on zones aligned with school pyramids but not building or location centric and that efficiency was driving the change, not cuts.    She also committed to meeting with any members about their local divisions. 

It was noted that expressions of interest to run all 22 of the Council run youth centres in Dorset had been received including one expression of interest from one party to take on all youth centres, but discussions were required with communities and the preference would be for communities to be responsible for their own centres where possible.

Dorset Waste Partnership Joint Committee – 14 December 2015

In relation to minute 9, a request was made for details regarding the membership of the Dorset Waste Partnership Scrutiny Committee, to which it was confirmed that the appointment had not yet been made and that details would be available in due course.

Resolved

That the report of the Cabinet on 13 January 2016 be adopted.

To consider reports by the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Corporate Development.  The reports were also considered by the Cabinet on 11 February 2016 and recommendations will be circulated.

The County Council considered reports by the Leader of the Council, considered by the Cabinet on 11 February 2016.  The recommendations from the Cabinet were also circulated in advance of the meeting.

(Note: Members had been granted dispensations in order to take part and vote in relation to the budget and council tax setting items on the agenda following the elections held in 2013.)

The Chairman highlighted that the Council was required to take a recorded vote following discussion of the budget.   

The Leader of the Council presented the budget for 2016/17 to 2018/19 (a copy of the Leader's speech is set out in an annexure to these minutes).  He proposed the recommendations put forward by the Cabinet, with a particular focus on the challenges faced by the Council in relation to the very late Government financial settlement, which required additional savings to provide a balanced budget, even after transitional relief had been included in the settlement.  The proposals were seconded by the Deputy Leader.

Cllr Janet Dover, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, then addressed the meeting and expressed concern regarding continued cuts to budgets and services, the amount of reserves and balances, the level of borrowing, and the influence of Government on Council funding for ‘life and death’ services for children and adults. Particular concern was raised in respect of future planned savings regarding rural bus subsidies which could leave people isolated and impact on travel to medical appointments, education and employment.  A further concern was expressed in relation to cuts to youth services and felt that there was a case to ring-fence and support funding for youth provision.  In addition Cllr Dover was given confirmation by the Leader of the Council that the proposed formation of a Budget Strategy Task and Finish Group would produce public notes as far as possible and be politically proportionate.  She summarised by indicating that the Liberal Democrat Group would support a council tax increase of 3.99% to ensure people received services at an acceptable level, but that this did not mean that the Group agreed with the budget strategy. 

Cllr Paul Kimber, Leader of Labour and Cooperative Group, welcomed the use of mutualisation of the arts service and advocated the model for other services including the possibility of youth services. Concern was expressed about the changes being implemented to youth provision, especially in relation to Portland.  He encouraged the Council to provide clear leadership to communities regarding future savings and any changes, including local coordination with and representation by MPs and MEPs.  Concern was also expressed in relation to the Council being let down by Government.  In summary, he thanked the Council’s workforce for working hard when morale was low, and committed to the Labour Group taking part in the Budget Strategy Task and Finish Group.

Members took the opportunity to ask questions regarding the budget setting process and particular items within the budget, and Cabinet members responded to each of the individual points raised.  Issues discussed included the ability of the Council to react to Government spending reviews, lobbying of MPs and MEPs, impact of budget pressures on residents, future provision of Youth Services, rural bus services and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

The Council considered the Cabinet report of 11 February 2016 in relation to Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators.  The Cabinet recommendation was circulated in advance of the meeting.

In accordance with Standing Order 44, the votes for and against Recommendation 24b were recorded as follows:- 

For (39)

Pauline Batstone, Michael Bevan, Richard Biggs, Mike Byatt, Andrew Cattaway, Ronald Coatsworth, Robin Cook, Toni Coombs, Hilary Cox, Deborah Croney, Lesley Dedman, Janet Dover, Fred Drane, Beryl Ezzard, Peter Finney, Spencer Flower, Ian Gardner, Robert Gould, Peter Hall, David Harris, Jill Haynes, Colin Jamieson, Susan Jefferies, Mervyn Jeffery, David Jones, Trevor Jones, Ros Kayes, Paul Kimber, Rebecca Knox, Mike Lovell, David Mannings, Peter Richardson, Ian Smith, William Trite, Daryl Turner, David Walsh, Peter Wharf, Kate Wheller and John Wilson

Against (0)

(The following members abstained from voting on the recommendations: Barrie Cooper and Clare Sutton)

Resolved

That the recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted.

Recommendation 24b – Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Prudential Indicators for 2016-17

That the County Council be recommended to approve:

1.         The Prudential Indicators and Limits for 2016/17 to 2018/19.

2.         The Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement.

3.         The Treasury Management Strategy.

4.         The Investment Strategy.

5.         Delegation to the Chief Financial Officer to determine the most appropriate

means of funding the Capital Programme.

Reasons for Recommendations

1.         The Prudential Code provided a framework under which the Council’s capital finance decisions were carried out. It required the Council to demonstrate that its capital expenditure plans were affordable, external borrowing was within prudent and sustainable levels and treasury management decisions were taken in accordance with professional good practice. Adherence to the Prudential Code was mandatory as set out in the Local Government Act 2003.

2.         The report recommended the indicators to be applied by the Council for the financial years 2016/17 to 2018/19. The successful implementation of the code would assist in the objective of developing ‘public services fit for the future’.

As agreed earlier in the meeting at minute 10, the Cabinet recommendation in relation to asset management capital priorities was considered following the consideration of the Medium Term Financial Plan.  In accordance with Standing Order 44, the votes for and against Recommendation 439 was recorded as follows:- 

For (26)

Pauline Batstone, Michael Bevan, Richard Biggs, Andrew Cattaway, Ronald Coatsworth, Robin Cook, Toni Coombs, Hilary Cox, Deborah Croney, Lesley Dedman, Peter Finney, Spencer Flower, Ian Gardner, Robert Gould, Peter Hall, Jill Haynes, Colin Jamieson, David Jones, Rebecca Knox, Mike Lovell, Peter Richardson, William Trite, Daryl Turner, David Walsh, Peter Wharf and John Wilson

Against (11)

Mike Byatt, Barrie Cooper, Janet Dover, Fred Drane, Beryl Ezzard, Mervyn Jeffery, Ros Kayes, Paul Kimber, David Mannings, Ian Smith and Kate Wheller

(The following members abstained from voting on the recommendations: David Harris, Susan Jefferies, Trevor Jones and Clare Sutton)

Resolved

That the recommendation of the Cabinet be adopted.

Recommendation 439 – Asset Management Capital Priorities

439.1 That the County Council be recommended to approve the bids to be included in the Capital Programme 2016/17 to 2018/19, subject to any changes arising from the financial settlement on 17 December 2015; and,

439.2 To note the revisions to the Council’s calculation method for MRP and the impact this has had on our budget strategy.

Reason for Recommendations

440. The available resources after taking account of committed projects were insufficient to meet all the new bids in their entirety. It was therefore necessary for the Cabinet to confirm priorities for inclusion in the capital programme.

The chairmen of overview committees to present and move the adoption of the following reports (attached) and to answer questions, if any, under Standing Order 19:-

The reports of the following meetings were presented:-

Resolved

That the report be adopted.

Resolved

That the report be adopted.

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting of the Adult and Community Services Overview Committee held on 18 January 2016:-

Future of the School Library Service

The Chairman of the Adult and Community Services Overview Committee advised that the recommendation on the school library service had been deferred for further consideration.

The Care Act – Progress with Implementation

A member asked whether the cost of implementation of the Care Act was known and whether some of this would be funded from the Council’s own services.

The Director for Adult and Community Services advised that additional funding of £1.8m had been received from Central Government via the Better Care Fund and that a further £1.4m had been included in the projection to cover responsibilities under Part II of the Care Act.

Resolved

That the report be adopted.

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee held on 24 November 2015:-

Review of Council Tax Single Person’s Discount

The Chairman of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee highlighted the substantial financial gains that had been made as a result of a review of ineligible claimants of the single person’s council tax discount.  Whilst this was undoubtedly good news, it had unfortunately taken a period of 5 years to achieve.

In response to a question, members were informed that some charging had been applied retrospectively up to 3 years in some cases.

Support Services Transformation – Results of Consultation

It was confirmed that officers were currently working on some revised SMART targets and a report would be prepared for consideration by Cabinet in March 2016.

Resolved

That the report be adopted.

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee held on 15 December 2015:-

Property Rationalisation

A member drew attention to this as an area for potential investment and commercialisation that could create opportunities for income generation.

In relation to minute 265.7 and 265.8, the importance of the involvement of local members was highlighted in order to ensure that their local knowledge was fully utilised when considering the disposal of assets in their wards. It was therefore suggested that minute 265.8 be amended to include the word "local" as follows:-

"That local members should be involved at the earliest stages of property identification for disposal."

The local members were particularly disappointed that they had not been consulted on changes to the parking arrangements on the County Hall campus.

Resolved

That the report be adopted, as amended.

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee held on 21 January 2016:-

Corporate Performance Monitoring Report

In relation to minute 10.4, the Vice-Chairman highlighted that the introduction of the Outcomes Based Accountability (OBA) and the development of a Skills Strategy had yet to be achieved.

It was highlighted that lessons had been learned during the setting up of Tricuro and the importance of waiting for the right person for a particular job role had been recently agreed at a Cabinet meeting.

Resolved

That the report be adopted.

The following matters were raised under the minutes of the meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee held on 16 November 2015:-

Briefings for Information/Noting – NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group – Clinical Services Review (CSR) Update

In relation to minute 87.4, a member highlighted the need for the widest possible member engagement and awareness in respect of the CSR, including the County and District Councils.

The Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee advised that a Joint Health Scrutiny Committee meeting had been convened in April 2016 to consider the CSR and that any member would be welcome to attend this meeting.

Resolved

That the report be adopted.

The chairmen of the relevant committees to present and move the adoption of the following recommendation (attached) and to answer questions, if any, on the proceedings in respect of the recommendation below:-

Standards and Governance Committee: 25 January 2016

Staffing Committee: 1 February 2016

The recommendations of the Standards and Governance Committee and Staffing Committee were duly moved and seconded.

The Council received a detailed summary of the scrutiny review from Cllr Andrew Cattaway, as the Chairman of the Task and Finish Group commissioned by the Standards and Governance Committee which considered the future arrangements for overview, scrutiny, audit and governance which had a widespread appetite for change.  It was noted that the review had resulted in a recommendation for the future which was aligned with the corporate aims and the external focus of the Council on the outcomes for residents. On being proposed, the recommendations were seconded by Cllr Peter Wharf.

Members recognised that there were still a range of practical arrangements that needed to be finalised and that a review would be undertaken in 18 months.

It was noted that the proposed new committees would comprise of 10 members and that independent members would no longer serve on the Audit and Governance Committee (in relation to former Standards Committee business). It was also recognised that although the Chairman of the Council would no longer chair the Committee responsible for standards, he would continue to act as the conscience of the council in dealing with member complaints in conjunction with the Monitoring Officer.

The Group was thanked for its efforts, and the Group Manager – Governance and Assurance and the Principal Democratic Services Officer were commended for their hard work and support. 

Resolved

That the recommendations of the Standards and Governance Committee be approved for implementation from April 2016:

1.         That the current arrangements are changed and Committeeresponsibilities for the ‘Audit’ and ‘Scrutiny’ functions are separated.

2.         That the future committee structure should be based on the Corporate Plan with Overview and Scrutiny Committees for Economic Growth, People and Communities and Safeguarding, with each of them having responsibility for monitoring a number of specified objectives within it.

3.         In addition to existing provisions in the Constitution that the Overview and Scrutiny Committees have the ability to refer matters to the Audit and Governance Committee if there are considered to be any grounds to invoke any of the formal scrutiny processes (e.g. Call in, Call to Account or Councillor Call for Action).

4.         That there should be a formal Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee, comprising the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairmen and the Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee.

5.         That the Audit function (of the current Audit and Scrutiny Committee) and the Standards and Governance Committees be amalgamated to form a single Audit and Governance Committee (including those responsibilities previously allocated to the Ad-hoc Accounts Committee), to reduce duplication, following the recommendation from the PwC Review.

6.         That the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee should be from the second and third largest political parties respectively.

7.         That the new Audit and Governance Committee should have responsibility for Call In, Call to Account and the Councillor Call for Action procedure.

8.         That any elected member conduct issues be referred to the Chairman of the Council and the Monitoring Officer, with any unresolved  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

Resolved

That the revised terms of reference and constitution for the Health and Wellbeing board be approved.

Reason for Decision

To clarify the relationship between the Dorset Health and Wellbeing Board and Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee.  The inclusion of a commitment to sign off the Local Transformation Plan for Children and Young People’s Mental Health strategies strengthens the Health and Wellbeing Board’s role and reflects NHS England guidance.

Resolved

That the Pay Policy Statement for the 2016/17 financial year be approved.

Reason for Decision

The Staffing Committee oversee matters relating to staff terms and conditions.

To confirm the appointment of Independent Persons:-

·                     Elizabeth Whatley

·                     Nicholas Maton

·                     Barry Preedy

The Council considered the appointment of Independent Persons.

Resolved

That the following Independent Persons be appointed:

·                     Elizabeth Whatley

·                     Nicholas Maton

·                     Barry Preedy

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the Dorset Fire Authority held on 4 December 2015, and to answer any questions on the proceedings of the Fire Authority.

The report of the meeting of the Dorset Fire Authority held on 4 December 2015 was received.  It was noted that the Fire Authority would become the new Combined Authority with Wiltshire and Swindon Fire Authority in April 2016 and there would be one more meeting before the changeover. All members were thanked for their support by Rebecca Knox as the Chairman of the Authority.

Resolved

That the report of the Dorset Fire Authority be received.

To agree any changes to the chairmanship or membership of committees, including any changes notified by Group Leaders.

No changes to appointments to committees were received.