Minutes for Cabinet Member - Corporate Services meeting, Jul 22 2009, 10.00AM official page

An apology for absence was received from Councillor McGuire.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

No declarations of interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 24 June 2009.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 24 June 2009 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Legal Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Legal Director advising of the proposal to decommission the Register Office Marriage Rooms at Crosby Town Hall and Southport Town Hall and to licence the rooms as Approved Premises for Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships under the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005; and indicating that a decision on this matter was required to allow the process of decommissioning to be undertaken.

RESOLVED: 

That the report advising of the proposal to decommission the Register Office Marriage Rooms at Crosby Town Hall and Southport Town Hall and to licence the rooms as Approved Premises for Civil Marriages and Civil Partnerships under the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005 be noted.

Report of the Personnel Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Personnel Director regarding the activities of the Learning and Development Unit during 2007/08.

RESOLVED:   That

(1)      the report regarding the activities of the Learning and Development Unit be noted; and

(2)      the Personnel Director and the staff of the Corporate Learning and Development Unit be thanked for their excellent work.

Report of the Personnel Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Personnel Director seeking approval for the fees and charges and associated penalties for all external clients of the Corporate Learning and Development Unit.

RESOLVED:  

That the fees and charges detailed within the report, including associate penalties for charging all external clients of the Corporate Learning and Development Unit to be reviewed on an annual basis, be approved.

Report of the Finance and Information Services Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Finance and Information Services Director seeking approval to award contracts to providers of taxi services across the borough in connection with the services provided by the Specialist Transport Unit

RESOLVED:

That the award of contracts to 11 providers of taxi hire services in connection with the services provided by the Specialist Transport Unit and as detailed within the report be approved.

Report of the Finance and Information Services Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Finance and Information Services Director seeking approval to write-off 35 non-domestic rates and 61 Council Tax debts, which had proved irrecoverable.

RESOLVED:

That the write-off of 35 non-domestic rates amounting to £161,821.06 and 61 Council Tax debts amounting to £185,746.44 be approved.

Report of the Leisure Director

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Leisure Director advising of the issues surrounding the continuation of a library service in Central Southport and the impact of long term closure of the Arts Centre and Art Gallery on community groups who used these facilities.

RESOLVED:

That the report regarding the issues surrounding the continuation of a library service in Central Southport and the impact of long term closure of the Arts Centre and Art Gallery on community groups who use these facilities be noted.

To consider passing the following resolution:

That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph …. of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.  The Public Interest Test has been applied and favours exclusion of the information from the Press and Public.

RESOLVED:  

That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they may involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.  The Public Interest Test had been applied and favoured exclusion of the information from the press and public.

Report of the Leisure Director

(Paragraph 3)

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Leisure Director advising of the potential impact of the temporary closure of Southport Arts Centre, Atkinson Art Gallery and Southport Library on the current staff structure.

This was a key decision and was included in the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

RESOLVED:

That the report advising on the potential impact of the temporary closure of Southport Arts Centre, Atkinson Art Gallery and Southport Library on the current staff structure be noted.

Report of the Finance and Information Services Director

(Paragraph 3)

The Cabinet Member considered the report of the Finance and Information Services Director on whether or not to grant a reduction or remission of Non Domestic Rates on the grounds of hardship, under the provisions of Section 49 of the Local Government and Finance Act 1988.

RESOLVED:

That the application for relief on the grounds of hardship be rejected for the reasons detailed within the report.

Report of the Planning and Economic Regeneration Director

(Paragraph 3)

The Cabinet Member considered the report Planning and Economic Regeneration Director informing of 58 applications received for grants and indicating that a decision on this matter was required to enable decisions to be made on grant awards in the financial year 2009/10.

The report identified that the remaining budget available amounted to £86,058 and that the sum of the applications received amounted to £409,933.

RESOLVED: That

(1)      the applications for financial assistance from the Grants to Voluntary Organisations  budget as detailed in table A and B attached to the report be approved;   

(2)      the applications  as detailed in Table A and B are approved only for 2009/10;

(3)      the sum of £8,815 be retained for emergency funding; and    

(4)      that progress on funding for organisations detailed within Table A and B of the report be provided in six months.

The Cabinet Member received a presentation from Viv Swale, Finance and Information Services Department regarding insurance in Sefton Council.

RESOLVED:

That Ms Swale be thanked for her informative presentation.