The Cabinet is asked to note any apologies for absence received from Members.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors J A Broderick (Leader of the Holland Residents’ Group), L A McWilliams (Portfolio Holder for Health and Education) and G G I Scott (Leader of the Tendring First / Liberal Democrats Group).

To confirm and sign the minutes of the last meeting of the Cabinet held on Friday 23 March 2018.

It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet, held on Friday 23 March 2018, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Personal Interest, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made at this time.

Later in the meeting, under agenda item 10, the Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor I J Henderson, declared a personal interest when the discussion touched on the Mayflower 400 project insofar as he was a member of Harwich Town Council which was a funding contributor to the project.

The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by the Leader of the Council.

Tour de Tendring

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Stock) reminded Cabinet that this year’s Tour de Tendring bike ride would be held on Sunday 13 May 2018.

He also informed Cabinet that the Deputy Chief Executive (Martyn Knappett) would be taking part in the ride to raise money for the Autism Anglia charity. He encouraged everyone to support Martyn.

The Cabinet is asked to note any announcements made by Members of the Cabinet.

There were no announcements on this occasion.

There are none on this occasion.

There were no matters referred to the Cabinet by the Council on this occasion.

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to comments made to it by the Corporate Management Committee in respect of the above.

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the response of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Resources to the comments made by the Corporate Management Committee.

Cabinet was informed that, at the meeting of the Corporate Management Committee held on 26 February 2018, Members had discussed ways in which the financial forecast and budgets would be scrutinised within the proposed new committee structure and it was agreed that there were concerns about the number and length of meetings proposed in the new Municipal Year, bearing in mind that the terms of reference for two Overview and Scrutiny Committees were being merged to form a new Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

It was also noted by the Corporate Management Committee that it would be useful to have Task and Finish Groups on specific topics outside of the ordinary meetings of the Committee with three Members on each Group.  The Committee would decide what the Task and Finish Groups Terms of Reference would be and would consult with Cabinet on this.

Members also agreed that training/workshops run by an external resource for both of the new Overview and Scrutiny Committees would be advantageous.

The Corporate Management Committee decided to comment as follows, name that –

“(a)    Portfolio Holders may be asked to attend meetings of the Resources and Services overview and Scrutiny Committee, as and when required in order for the Committee to ask questions;

(b)     the Committee may need to schedule additional meetings throughout the year to ensure robust and thorough overview and scrutiny.

(c)     the aspirations for the year that the Leader referred to at full Council should feed into the Committee’s work programme.

(d)     the Committee would like the opportunity to consult Cabinet and Officers about the terms of reference for Task and Finish Groups. The Committee would like to ensure that all Members have a consistent understanding of the expectations and terms of reference for Task and Finish Groups.”

The Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder thanked the Corporate Management Committee for its comments and responded to each comment in turn as follows:

(a)       The Portfolio Holder notes this comment.

(b)       The schedule of meetings for the future Resources and Services Committee will be agreed by Full Council, any additional meetings may be scheduled at the request of the Committee Chairman but they should only be requested in exceptional circumstances.

(c)       The Leader’s aspirations for the year, will be included in the 2018/19 performance reporting process.

(d)       Prior to the first meeting of the two new overview and scrutiny Committees, further discussions will take place between the Chairmen and Officers in order to establish terms of reference for Task and Finish groups.

The Leader of the Council paid tribute to the work of the Corporate Management Committee.

It was moved by Councillor G V Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor Stock and –

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the response of the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Resources to the comments made by the Corporate Management Committee.

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to a recommendation made to it by the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee in respect of the above.

RESOLVED that:

(a)     the recommendation made by the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee be supported; and

(b)     the Portfolio Holder ensures that positive links are established between Virgin Care and relevant Officers and other bodies, including the Health and Well-being Board, to support a good working relationship moving forward.

It was reported that, at the meeting of the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee held on 19 March 2018, Virgin Care’s Quadrant Manager for North Essex (Elizabeth Kingsford) had attended and had provided that Committee with information on Virgin Care.

Cabinet was made aware that the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service brought together a range of children’s community services which were provided by Virgin Care, in partnership with Barnardo’s, on behalf of Essex County Council and the NHS.

It delivered broad areas of support as follows:-

1.    Health Visiting;

2.    Parenting Support;

3.    School Nursing;

4.    Family Health;

5.    Support for ages 5-19;

6.    Support for young people with special educational needs and disabilities up to the age of 25.

It also provided children’s community health services in West Essex.

Elizabeth Kingsford also provided information to Members on the following:

1. Introduction;

2. Background;

3. The Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service;

4. 10 Year Contract;

5. Working in partnership with Barnardo’s;

6. Transition and change;

7. Integration of various teams;

8. Health visiting;

9. Community Services;

10. Projects;

11. Tailoring needs; and

12. 27 Key aims / Targets.

Following on from the information provided, the Committee was given the opportunity to ask questions which were responded to by Elizabeth Kingsford. Elizabeth Kingsford also informed the Committee that she would be happy to provide Case Studies and information on the progress made by Virgin Care in the future.

The Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee decided to recommend to Cabinet that –

“the Community Safety Partnership and the Public Health Officer make contact with Virgin Care to ensure that the work of Virgin Care locally links through to the relevant projects and activities already being undertaken in the District.”

The Health and Education Portfolio Holder had supported the Committee’s recommendation and had commented as follows –

“The Committee requested at the meeting that Virgin Care submit some case studies to a future meeting of the Committee that show the impact of their work in some specified areas of the District such as Jaywick Sands and Harwich. The case studies should show what has been achieved and where things have not worked so well. I wholeheartedly support this course of action and look forward to seeing what the outcomes from the case studies in due course and understanding if there are any areas where additional support could be provided by the Council.”

It was moved by Councillor Stock, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and –

RESOLVED that -

(a)    the recommendation made by the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee be supported; and

(b)    the Portfolio Holder ensures that positive links are established between Virgin Care and relevant Officers and other bodies, including the Health and Well-being Board, to support a good working relationship moving forward.

There are none on this occasion.

There were no such items on this occasion.

To seek approval to the priorities, projects and performance indicators to be monitored as the performance management framework for the Council for 2018/19.

RESOLVED that the actions and targets included in the Performance Reports 2018/19 and the Priorities and Projects 2018/19, as attached at Appendix A to item A.3 of the Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder, be approved and that monitoring against these indicators be undertaken on a quarterly basis by the Cabinet and by the two Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

There was submitted a report by the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate Resources (A.1), which sought Cabinet’s approval to the priorities, projects and performance indicators to be monitored as the performance management framework for the Council for 2018/19.

Cabinet was aware that at the meeting of the full Council held on 5 July 2016 a new Corporate Plan for the period 2016 to 2020 had been agreed. Since then it has been the practice each municipal year to develop a suite of Priorities and Projects that set out in more detail the most important priorities and specific key projects for that year. The Priorities and Projects were supplemented by the departmental and service performance targets which identified the detailed actions and targets for the delivery of the Council’s priorities, against which robust performance monitoring could take place throughout the year.

It was reported that for 2018/19 the Priorities and Projects had been determined through discussions with the Leader, Deputy Leader and members of the Cabinet. At the full Council meeting held on 23 January 2018 the Leader had announced the Priorities and Projects for 2018/19. Since then some refinement of those Priorities and Projects had taken place and they had also been informed by the recommendations and report following the recent LGA Peer Challenge.

Consideration had been given to the required outcomes from each of the items included in the Priorities and Projects 2018/19 and those wewre set out in the body of the report.

Cabinet was aware that from May 2018 there would be two Overview and Scrutiny Committees. The Community Leadership Committee would retain a focus on external partnerships and the Council’s influencing role in the community. The Resources and Services Committee would focus on the work of the Council and the resourcing and delivery of its services. Up to now all performance monitoring had been subject to scrutiny by the former Corporate Management Committee. Whilst it was proposed that the majority of the performance framework would continue to be reported to the Resources and Services Committee for scrutiny; the targets that related to the Council’s partnership and influencing work would be compiled into a separate report for consideration by the Community Leadership Committee.

To that end the two Performance Reports 2018/19 including the Priorities and Projects 2018/19 were attached as Appendix A to the Portfolio Holder’s report. They set out the suite of targets and indicators for the year. The “Current Position” column would be completed during the year and the progress monitored both by Cabinet and by the two Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as appropriate.

The Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor I J Henderson, declared a personal interest when the discussion touched on the Mayflower 400 project insofar as he was a member of Harwich Town Council which was a funding contributor to the project.

Councillor I J Henderson also requested that he be informed in writing whether the waste, recycling and street sweeping contract had been signed and, if so, when it had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 182.

To seek approval to extend the Council’s SME Growth Fund to 31 March 2020 in order to continue to support businesses growth across the District.

To receive an update on the delivery of the Fund to date, details suggested amendments to this and agree to fund the extension by a £250,000 allocation from the existing SME Growth Fund budget.

To agree to receive a future report with options for the use of remaining funds within the initial SME Growth Fund budget for other economic growth activities.

RESOLVED that –

(a)     the Council’s SME Growth Fund Scheme be extended to March 2020 and that the scheme objectives set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report be agreed, with a focus on job creation and growth outcomes;

(b)     the extension be funded from £250,000 of the allocation from the budget allocation already in place;

(c)     the scheme is opened up to all business sectors (with the exception of retail);

(d)     the scheme funding levels are split into two streams, namely Minor (£3,000  - £15,000 and Major (£15,001 - £150,000) grant programmes;

(e)     the intervention rate of up to 50% will be applied to all applications;

(f)       the Corporate Director (Planning and Regeneration) in consultation with the Head of Finance, Revenues & Benefits, be authorised to agree Minor applications (awards of £3,000 - £15,000) which will be published as Officer Decisions;

(g)     the current approval of Major applications (£15,000 - £150,000) via the Grants Panel is maintained and that membership of the Grants Panel is unchanged as set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report;

(h)     the Corporate Director of Planning and Regeneration, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Investment and Growth, be authorised to update the scheme’s Project Appraisal Manual and associated materials in order to reflect the changes detailed in the Portfolio Holder’s report; and

(i)       a future report be brought forward with options for the use of the remaining funds within the initial SME Growth Fund budget to support other economic growth activities.

There was submitted a detailed report and appendices by the Portfolio Holder for Inward Investment and Growth (A.4), which:-

1)     sought Cabinet’s approval to extend the Council’s SME Growth Fund to 31 March 2020 in order to continue to support businesses growth across the District;

2)     gave an update to Cabinet on the delivery of the Fund to date, detailed suggested amendments to the Fund and sought Cabinet’s agreement to fund the extension by a £250,000 allocation from the existing SME Growth Fund budget; and

3)     sought Cabinet’s agreement for a future report to be submitted to Cabinet with options for the use of remaining funds within the initial SME Growth Fund budget for other economic growth activities.

It was reported that the SME Growth Fund was one of the key ways in which the Council provided direct support for businesses through grant support to facilitate growth. Support was aimed at small businesses across the District, recognising the vital role that they played in underpinning the stability and growth of the local economy though the provision of services and creation of employment. The SME Growth Fund responded directly to the corporate goals identified within the Council’s Corporate Plan 2016-2020 and to the objectives of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy (EDS). Provision of the Fund also accorded with the Council’s community leadership role.

Specifically the scheme responded to the following Corporate Goals:

Employment and Enjoyment

• To support business growth
• To enable better job prospects

Our Priorities and Projects 2017/2018, Corporate Director (Planning and Regeneration Services)

• Attracting and sustaining employment and business
• Connecting our residents to business opportunities.

The scheme also responded to the following objectives of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy:

• Objective 1: Supporting Tendring’s growth locations by intervening in areas where the potential for economic growth is highest and where there is a strong case for intervention particularly (but not exclusively) in Harwich, Clacton and West Tendring;

• Objective 2: Targeting growth sectors, which are best placed to support growth and job creation within the District’s economy; and

• Objective 4: Supporting modernisation, diversification and growth within the business base, improving innovation and inward investment and creating dynamism in the economy that will make Tendring more competitive and resilient to national and international ‘shock’.

Cabinet was reminded that, to date, five businesses had been supported with awards totalling £138,250. This had created 19.5 FTE new jobs, safeguarded 3.5 FTE and leveraged £262,694 from the private sector (including £93,000 bank finance) and this was felt to be a very positive return.

Members were advised that the above had been achieved from eleven full applications, demonstrating that the scheme delivered very positive outcomes. There had been over 100 initial enquiries about the Fund and this demonstrated a positive return from the promotion of the Fund. However the conversion from enquiries into awards made was low and one of the key reasons for this was that the enquiries were from businesses not operating in one of the targeted key sectors.

Having reviewed the operation of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 183.

There are none on this occasion.

There were no such items on this occasion.

The Cabinet is asked to consider the following resolution:

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Agenda Item 14 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A, as amended, of the Act.”

It was moved by Councillor Stock, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:-

RESOLVED that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Agenda Item 14 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A, as amended, of the Act.

To confirm and sign the exempt minute of the meeting of the Cabinet held on Friday 23 March 2018.

The exempt minute of the last meeting of the Cabinet, held on Friday 23 March 2018, were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.