Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Cabinet - Tuesday, 28th January, 2025 6.30 pm

Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ. View directions

Contact: Kate Critchel  01305 252234 - Email: kate.critchel@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

102.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 281 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2024.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2025 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chair advised that there was a small change in the agenda order, in that item 9 would be considered before item 7.

103.

Declarations of Interest

To disclose any pecuniary, other registrable or non-registrable interest as set out in the adopted Code of Conduct. In making their disclosure councillors are asked to state the agenda item, the nature of the interest and any action they propose to take as part of their declaration.

 

If required, further advice should be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting.

 

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest to report.

104.

Public Participation pdf icon PDF 105 KB

Representatives of town or parish councils and members of the public who live, work, or represent an organisation within the Dorset Council area are welcome to submit either 1 question or 1 statement for each meeting.  You are welcome to attend the meeting in person or via MS Teams to read out your question and to receive the response.   If you submit a statement for the committee this will be circulated to all members of the committee in advance of the meeting as a supplement to the agenda and appended to the minutes for the formal record but will not be read out at the meeting. The first 8 questions and the first 8 statements received from members of the public or organisations for each meeting will be accepted on a first come first served basis in accordance with the deadline set out below.  Further information read Public Participation - Dorset Council

 

All submissions must be emailed in full to Kate.Critchel@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk  by 8.30am on Thursday 23 January 2025.

 

When submitting your question or statement please note that:

 

         You can submit 1 question or 1 statement.

         a question may include a short pre-amble to set the context.

         It must be a single question and any sub-divided questions will not be permitted.

         Each question will consist of no more than 450 words, and you will be given up to 3 minutes to present your question.

         when submitting a question please indicate who the question is for (e.g., the name of the committee or Portfolio Holder)

         Include your name, address, and contact details.  Only your name will be published but we may need your other details to contact you about your question or statement in advance of the meeting.

         questions and statements received in line with the council’s rules for public participation will be published as a supplement to the agenda.

         all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting.  

 

Minutes:

There were two questions from the public.  A copy of the full questions and the detailed responses are set out in Appendix 1 to these minutes.

105.

Questions from Councillors pdf icon PDF 73 KB

To receive questions submitted by councillors.  

 

Councillors can submit up to two valid questions at each meeting and sub divided questions count towards this total.   Questions and statements received will be published as a supplement to the agenda and all questions, statements and responses will be published in full within the minutes of the meeting. 

 

The submissions must be emailed in full to kate.critchel@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk  8.30am on Thursday 23 January 2025. 

 

Dorset Council Constitution – Procedure Rule 13 

 

Minutes:

There were 3 questions from Councillors Hobbs-Chell and Bawden; these along with the responses are set out in Appendix 2 to these minutes.

 

106.

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 230 KB

To consider the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Minutes:

The draft Cabinet Forward Plan for February was received and noted.

 

107.

Our Future Council Business Case and Transformation Plan pdf icon PDF 551 KB

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Development and Transformation.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)       Cabinet endorsed the overall vision and design of Our Future Council operating model and transformation programme as detailed in the business case at Appendix A of the report to 28 January 2025.

 

(b)       That the proposed costs, savings and implementation plans based on scenario 4 as set out in sections 4 and 5 of the report and in more detail in the business case at Appendix A, sections 4 and 5, be approved.

 

(c)        That Cabinet notes that this business case was based on the proposal to transform the organisation, implement a new operating model, and increase productivity through the greater use of technology. The proposal identified an estimated potential investment of £48.33M over the period 2025-28, which would release cumulative staff savings of £77.4M over the period 2025-30.

 

(d)       That Cabinet notes that the Our Future Council programme would continue to be refined as we moved into the implementation phase, but to fund the business case Cabinet agreed to:

 

(i)    Earmark a further £13M in addition to the £12M already committed to the capital programme for the Enterprise Resource Planning system. This would fund the potential investment in technology and process change – noting that individual funding decisions in excess of the key decision threshold would be subject to individual business cases to be brought before Cabinet for approval.

 

(ii)   That Cabinet approve the estimated redundancy costs of £9.5M over the programme, be initially funded from reserves, noting that the reserves would need to be replenished through budget savings over subsequent years.

 

(iii) That Cabinet approve the need for investment in internal and external additional capacity to implement the project, to be reviewed on an annual basis, with year one of the capacity to be funded through the approved transformation reserve of £3M and the flexible use of capital receipts.

 

(iv)   That political oversight be provided by the Members transformation steering group.

 

(v)    That the recommendations from the Joint Overview Committee, set out in section 6 of the report, be noted and the Dorset Council Transformation Plan 2025-29, be approved, as attached at Appendix B as the framework for supporting, governing and delivering change across the council.

 

Reason for the decision

 

The proposals outlined in the “Our Future Council Business Case and Transformation Plan” report to Cabinet of 28 January 2025 lay the groundwork for a comprehensive programme of transformation and improvement, enabling Dorset Council to achieve its priorities within a sustainable medium-term financial strategy. The ambition and commitment o improvement and delivery as part of “Our Future Council” initiative aligned with the Council Plan priorities and our new operating model section.

Minutes:

Cllr B Wilson, Cabinet Member for Corporate Development and Transformation introduced a report that set out accelerated efforts to develop a comprehensive business case for transformation. He highlighted that the business case aimed to deliver sustainable improvements in customer services, process management, and digital and technology requirements.  This was to ensure the council operated efficiently and effectively despite the challenging financial forecast detailed in the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP). 

 

In response to questions, the Cabinet Member, Cllr Wilson acknowledged that the pre-front door and an improved customer service model was essential so an additional workstream had been added to give specific attention to this area of work and to any decision made around communities and partnerships. The Corporate Director Transformation, Customer and Cultural Services confirmed that the first workshop had been held to develop the framework and progress how services would be co-produced with communities and the voluntary sector.

 

In respect of 3rd party spend, the Executive Director, Corporate Development welcomed the comments around contract management, procurement and potential work for scrutiny committee.

 

Responding to concerns regarding consultation with UNISON, the Chief Executive advised that there was good engagement with unions, but the process had been rapid.  He further advised that senior management were holding several webinars to ensure that all employees were being fully informed of the process for transformation.

 

There were no additional comments from Cabinet Members.

 

It was proposed by Cllr B Wilson seconded by Cllr S Robinson

 

Decision

 

(a)       Cabinet endorsed the overall vision and design of Our Future Council operating model and transformation programme as detailed in the business case at Appendix A of the report to 28 January 2025.

 

(b)       That the proposed costs, savings and implementation plans based on scenario 4 as set out in sections 4 and 5 of the report and in more detail in the business case at Appendix A, sections 4 and 5, be approved.

 

(c)        That Cabinet notes that this business case was based on the proposal to transform the organisation, implement a new operating model, and increase productivity through the greater use of technology. The proposal identified an estimated potential investment of £48.33M over the period 2025-28, which would release cumulative staff savings of £77.4M over the period 2025-30.

 

(d)       That Cabinet notes that the Our Future Council programme would continue to be refined as we moved into the implementation phase, but to fund the business case Cabinet agreed to:

 

(i)    Earmark a further £13M in addition to the £12M already committed to the capital programme for the Enterprise Resource Planning system. This would fund the potential investment in technology and process change – noting that individual funding decisions in excess of the key decision threshold would be subject to individual business cases to be brought before Cabinet for approval.

 

(ii)   That Cabinet approve the estimated redundancy costs of £9.5M over the programme, be initially funded from reserves, noting that the reserves would need to be replenished through budget savings over subsequent years.

 

(iii) That Cabinet  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107.

108.

December 2024 (Period 9) Financial Management Report 2024/25 pdf icon PDF 889 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance & Capital Strategy.

Decision:

(a)  That the Senior Leadership Team’s forecast of the full year’s outturn for the Council, made at the end of December 2024 including progress of the transformational and efficiency savings incorporated into the budget, be noted.

 

(b)  That the capital programme for 2024/25, be noted.

 

(c)  That the allocation of £7m from reserves to support the repairs and maintenance compliance work of the council’s property portfolio be approved.

Reason for the decision

 

The Council provided a mix of statutory and discretionary services to communities across Dorset and was legally required to set a balanced budget every year, and so must deliver services within the resources made available through the revenue and capital budgets for 2024/25. 

The report summarised the Council’s forecast financial performance for the 2024/25 year as at the end of December 2024.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet received a report that set out the council’s forecast financial performance for the full 2024/25 financial year. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Strategy, Cllr S Clifford advised that the council’s finances continued to be under extreme pressure within the revenue budget which, in the absence of mitigation, would require to be funded from reserves.

There was further pressure on the council’s reserves from the cumulative deficit on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which could in the future exceed available reserves if a long-term solution was not identified before the statutory override ended in March 2026.

Cllr Clifford read out a statement in relation to 10.47 of the report that described the health, safety and building compliance work which had been undertaken to ensure that council buildings met the required standards.  This work had been undertaken at speed to recognise the health and safety requirements. But at the request of the Leader of the Council, the Monitoring Officer had commissioned Southwest Audit Partnership (SWAP) to investigate some of the procurement funding processes. As an independent body of the council, SWAP would present the outcome of their investigations to a future meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee and to the council’s external auditors.

In response to questions from Cllr A Parry regarding the national transfer scheme for unaccompanied children, the Executive Director for People (Children) advised that most of the pressure came from when asylum seeking children turned 18. The funding for these care leavers was significantly reduced, yet the council still had a responsibility to support them through this transition.  Representations had been made to central government regarding this funding gap and Cabinet Members would continue to raise their concerns with local MP’s.

It was proposed by Cllr S Clifford seconded by Cllr R Biggs

Decision

(a)  That the Senior Leadership Team’s forecast of the full year’s outturn for the Council, made at the end of December 2024 including progress of the transformational and efficiency savings incorporated into the budget, be noted.

 

(b)  That the capital programme for 2024/25, be noted.

 

(c)  That the allocation of £7m from reserves to support the repairs and maintenance compliance work of the council’s property portfolio be approved.

Reason for the decision

 

The Council provided a mix of statutory and discretionary services to communities across Dorset and was legally required to set a balanced budget every year, and so must deliver services within the resources made available through the revenue and capital budgets for 2024/25. 

The report summarised the Council’s forecast financial performance for the 2024/25 year as at the end of December 2024.

 

109.

Budget strategy and medium-term financial plan (MTFP) pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Finance & Capital Strategy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Strategy presented the report setting out the proposals for Dorset Council’s 2025/26 revenue and Capital budgets including a summary of the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

 

The report also included the Capital Strategy and the Treasury Management Strategy for approval.

 

In setting the budget the Council was facing rising costs in service delivery of £85m, which had been met through identifying £44.6m of savings, efficiencies, grants and income and £40.5m of increased funding, mostly through changes in council tax. In summing up his presentation the Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Strategy indicated that the council continued to experience significant financial pressures and cabinet members would continue to lobby for fair funding for Dorset.

 

Non-Cabinet members asked several questions around parking charges and the Cabinet Member for Place Services confirmed that a further car parking review would be taking place within the next 12 months. Responding to questions regarding council housing stock, the Cabinet Member for Health and Housing advised that Cllr O’Leary had received an open invitation to attend the Housing Working Group, and a detailed report on “New models of housing delivery” would be presented to Cabinet and Full Council in the Spring.

 

In respect of a question relating to core assumptions, the Executive Director, Corporate Development highlighted some of the key assumptions and best estimates made against current information, as set out in 11. 2 of the report and he confirmed that a contingency fund of £13m was set aside to take account of these variables. In respect of the general grant fund, members were informed that this was the first time there was a budget line for the “Cost of Living” aimed to support the voluntary sector’s preventative work and a report on progress would come forward to a scrutiny committee in the near future.

 

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Capital Strategy proposed the recommendation as set out in the report, with the additional addendum of appendix 8(b) to replace the original appendix. This was seconded by Cllr N Ireland

 

Recommendation to Full Council

 

(a)           That the revenue budget summarised in Appendix 1, be agreed.

 

(b)           That the increase in general Council Tax of 2.9953% and 1.9969% in the Social Care Precept, providing a Band D Council Tax figure for Dorset Council of £2,101.05; an overall increase of 4.9921%, be agreed

 

(c)           That the Council Tax base of 160,793 Band D equivalents (186,917 households in total) agreed by the S151 Officer earlier in this budget setting process, be noted.

 

(d)           That the continuation of the unchanged scheme of Local Council Tax Support, and the revised income tables following the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uplift of benefits by 1.7%, be noted.

 

(e)           That the Capital Strategy set out in Appendix 3 and the changes to the programme contained within the appendix, be approved.

 

(f)             That the Treasury Management Strategy set out in Appendix 4 be agreed.

 

(g)           That the assumptions used to develop the Budget Strategy and Medium-Term  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109.

110.

Planning Obligation Monitoring Fees pdf icon PDF 268 KB

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)    That Dorset Council applies a monitoring fee to support the cost of monitoring and reporting on planning obligations. The fee would be based on the values and methodology outlined in the report and applied to all planning applications submitted from the 1April 2025 which require a planning obligation.

 

(b)    That following implementation, authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place Services and anyone nominated by him in the scheme of nomination, to update the fee as necessary in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning.

 

Reason for the decision

To enable the implementation of charges to support the staffing resource in the monitoring and compliance of approved s106 Planning legal agreements.    

 

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report that recommended the introduction of s106 planning obligations monitoring fees for Dorset from 1 April 2025.  The approach followed a review of best practice and the collection of agreement data with staff costs relevant to Dorset.  The recommended method would apply a monitoring fee per planning obligation, and this would be reviewed to ensure the administration cost associated with the management of developer contributions was covered by the fee.

 

It was proposed by Cllr S Bartlett and seconded by Cllr S Clifford.

 

Decision

 

(a)    That Dorset Council applies a monitoring fee to support the cost of monitoring and reporting on planning obligations. The fee would be based on the values and methodology outlined in the report and applied to all planning applications submitted from the 1April 2025 which require a planning obligation.

 

(b)    That following implementation, authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place Services and anyone nominated by him in the scheme of nomination, to update the fee as necessary in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Emergency Planning.

 

Reason for the decision

To enable the implementation of charges to support the staffing resource in the monitoring and compliance of approved s106 Planning legal agreements.    

111.

Local Authority Housing Fund 3 pdf icon PDF 271 KB

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Health and Housing.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)  That £1,744,421 be granted to a Housing Association (HA) after a competition process, who would act as the delivery vehicle and purchase the 10 properties using these funds and their own funds. Completion of the purchase of the properties to be finalised 31st March 2026.

 

(b)  That a lettings plan is put in place with the successful HA so Dorset Council can ensure the properties are allocated in accordance with the funding requirements.

 

Reason for the decision

 

Dorset Council now owned 30 properties that were purchased with the funding granted from the Government as part of LAHF1, 26 of the properties were purchased to house Ukraine refugees and 4 of the properties were purchased to house Afghan refugees in accordance with conditions attached to the grant payment. All of these properties at some future date and on becoming vacant could be used as temporary accommodation to house those who were homeless or potentially homeless. The project was very successful however had taken a lot of resource from the Council’s Housing and Assets teams to carry out the work. Additionally, the Council was only able to grant non secure tenancies as the Council was not currently a stock holding authority. A requirement of the LAHF3 funding was that the Afghan refugees were offered secure tenancies.

To meet the short deadline, offer secure tenancies to the families from Afghanistan the properties should be provided, owned and managed by a registered provider.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report of the Cabinet Member for Health and Housing informing members that Dorset Council had been awarded £1,744,421 capital grant and £12,100 of revenue grant to acquire 10 properties by 31 March 2026 for the Afghan refugees as settled housing. Plus, three of those properties to be used for temporary accommodation for those who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. The proposal was to pass on the funding to a third party, i.e. housing association (HA) to meet the delivery target date.  This would also mean that the HA would be able to use its own resources along side the grant to purchase the 10 properties.

 

The Housing Enabling and Delivery Team Leader addressed several detailed questions from Cllr J Somper, confirming that the funding for 7 settled housing units and 3 temporary housing units aligned with the government’s funding formula.  The Cabinet Member for Health and Housing also suggested that an all-member briefing could be arranged to provide further clarity on these questions, whilst reminding members that the current recommendation was simply to seek approval to transfer the funding to a third party.

 

It was proposed by Cllr G Taylor and seconded by Cllr S Robinson

 

Decision

 

(a)  That £1,744,421 be granted to a Housing Association (HA) after a competition process, who would act as the delivery vehicle and purchase the 10 properties using these funds and their own funds. Completion of the purchase of the properties to be finalised 31st March 2026.

 

(b)  That a lettings plan is put in place with the successful HA so Dorset Council can ensure the properties are allocated in accordance with the funding requirements.

 

Reason for the decision

 

Dorset Council now owned 30 properties that were purchased with the funding granted from the Government as part of LAHF1, 26 of the properties were purchased to house Ukraine refugees and 4 of the properties were purchased to house Afghan refugees in accordance with conditions attached to the grant payment. All of these properties at some future date and on becoming vacant could be used as temporary accommodation to house those who were homeless or potentially homeless. The project was very successful however had taken a lot of resource from the Council’s Housing and Assets teams to carry out the work. Additionally, the Council was only able to grant non secure tenancies as the Council was not currently a stock holding authority. A requirement of the LAHF3 funding was that the Afghan refugees were offered secure tenancies.

To meet the short deadline, offer secure tenancies to the families from Afghanistan the properties should be provided, owned and managed by a registered provider.

112.

Dorset Shared Prosperity Fund Extension pdf icon PDF 321 KB

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)    That the Dorset Shared Property Fund Investment Plan Addendum, as attached in Appendix 1 of the report to Cabinet of 28 January 2025, be endorsed.

 

(b)    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property, Assets and Economic Growth, to implement the Investment Plan Addendum.

 

Reason for the decision

 

To support delivery of the Council Plan priorities of

·       Grow our economy

·       Communities for all

·       Respond to the climate and nature crisis

 

And to facilitate use of the funding allocated by government to benefit Dorset residents, communities and businesses.

Minutes:

In proposing the recommendation, the Cabinet Member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth, Cllr R Biggs set out the report on the Shared Prosperity Fund funding for 2025-26 at a reduced rate - £1.4m to bridge the transition year while the government developed a longer-term proposal.

 

Members were advised that no new investment plan was required, and the fund administration process had been simplified.

 

The recommendation was seconded by Cllr R Hope.

 

Decision

 

(a)    That the Dorset Shared Property Fund Investment Plan Addendum, as attached in Appendix 1 of the report to Cabinet of 28 January 2025, be endorsed.

 

(b)    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property, Assets and Economic Growth, to implement the Investment Plan Addendum.

 

Reason for the decision

 

To support delivery of the Council Plan priorities of

·       Grow our economy

·       Communities for all

·       Respond to the climate and nature crisis

 

And to facilitate use of the funding allocated by government to benefit Dorset residents, communities and businesses.

113.

Care Dorset Holdings Ltd Annual Performance Report pdf icon PDF 265 KB

To receive a report of the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care.

Decision:

That the contents of the Care Dorset report be received and noted.

Reason for the decision

Care Dorset was a major delivery partner to Dorset Council for adult social care and support. Much remained to be done to drive improvements to Care Dorset’s operation and to grow the organisation, both in volume and revenue. The report set out the work completed over the last 12 months to achieve Care Dorset and Dorset Council’s shared ambitions.

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care presented the report that provided a review of the second year of Care Dorset’s operation, covering 1 October 2023 to 20 September 2024.

It was proposed by Cllr S Robinson seconded by Cllr N Ireland

Decision

That the contents of the Care Dorset report be received and noted.

Reason for the decision

Care Dorset was a major delivery partner to Dorset Council for adult social care and support. Much remained to be done to drive improvements to Care Dorset’s operation and to grow the organisation, both in volume and revenue. The report set out the work completed over the last 12 months to achieve Care Dorset and Dorset Council’s shared ambitions.

 

114.

Dorset Centre of Excellence Annual Performance Report pdf icon PDF 337 KB

To receive a report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills.

Decision:

That the Dorset Centre of Excellence Performance report be received and noted.

 

Reason for the decision

To ensure Cabinet are fully informed of the current DCOE performance.

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills presented the performance report for the Dorset Centre of Excellence.

 

It was proposed by Cllr C Sutton seconded by Cllr J Andrews

 

Decision

 

That the Dorset Centre of Excellence Performance report be received and noted.

 

Reason for the decision

To ensure Cabinet are fully informed of the current DCOE performance.

 

115.

Development of Blandford Waste Management Centre pdf icon PDF 334 KB

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Place Services.

 

Appendix 1 Project Progress Report Update associated with this report is not for publication: By virtue of paragraph(s) 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972)

 

Decision:

(a)    That the award of a contract to construct and develop a new waste management centre at Blandford, using Dorset Highways Works Term Service Contract within the approved capital funding, be approved.

 

(b)    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Place Services and the Section 151 Officer to agree the contract terms.

 

Reason for the decision

To deliver works to secure critical infrastructure in Blandford for the development of a strategic waste transfer facility in central Dorset which will provide the capacity to maximise the benefits of operational efficiency and resilience to provide business continuity. 

 

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Place Services provided an update on the project for the new Blandford Waste Management Centre and sought authority to award the contract to build the essential infrastructure for waste services.

 

Cabinet members welcomed the recommendation and unanimously supported it. It was proposed by Cllr J Andrews seconded by Cllr R Biggs.

 

Decision

 

(a)    That the award of a contract to construct and develop a new waste management centre at Blandford, using Dorset Highways Works Term Service Contract within the approved capital funding, be approved.

 

(b)    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Place Services and the Section 151 Officer to agree the contract terms.

 

Reason for the decision

To deliver works to secure critical infrastructure in Blandford for the development of a strategic waste transfer facility in central Dorset which will provide the capacity to maximise the benefits of operational efficiency and resilience to provide business continuity. 

 

 

116.

Urgent items

To consider any items of business which the Chairman has had prior notification and considers to be urgent pursuant to section 100B (4) b) of the Local Government Act 1972. The reason for the urgency shall be recorded in the minutes.

 

Minutes:

There were no urgent items considered at the meeting.

117.

Exempt Business

To consider passing the following recommendation:  

 

Recommendation  

 

That in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the meeting for the business specified in the item(s) below because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph(s) 3 and 4 of Part 1 of schedule 12A to the Act and the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.  

 

The public and the press will be asked to leave the meeting whilst the item of business is considered. (Any live streaming will end at this juncture).  

Reason for taking the item in private

Paragraph 3 - Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).  

 

Paragraph 4 - Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.  

Minutes:

It was proposed by Cllr J Andrews and seconded by Cllr C Sutton

 

Decision

 

That the press and the public be excluded for the following item(s) in view of the likely disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of paragraphs 3 and 4 of schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Reason for taking the item in private

Paragraph 3 - Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).  

 

Paragraph 4 - Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.  

 

The live streaming was concluded at this juncture.

118.

Care Dorset: Acquisition of an Operating Care Home

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care.

 

The exempt report will be published to councillors in advance of the meeting.

Decision:

That the recommendations, as amended at the meeting and as set out in the exempt report of 28 January 2025, be approved.

 

Reason for the decision

As detailed in the exempt report.

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care set out the exempt report and proposed an amendment to the report’s recommendation (1). This was seconded by Cllr B Wilson. Members discussed the detail of the exempt report and agreed to the variation of the recommendation

 

Decision (unanimous)

 

That the recommendations, as amended at the meeting and as set out in the exempt report of 28 January 2025, be approved.

 

Reason for the decision

As detailed in the exempt report.

119.

Development of Blandford Waste Management Centre

Exempt Appendix 1 associated with the report “Development of Blandford Waste Management Centre”

Minutes:

The exempt appendix attached associated to the report “Development of Blandford Waste Management Centre” was not discussed.  Therefore, the report was discussed in open business as set out in 115 of these minutes.

Appendix 1 - Public Q&A's pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Appendix 2 - Councillor Q&A's pdf icon PDF 128 KB