Decisions

The Cabinet Member:

1.    Approved the implementation of a CCTV shared service with Fenland District Council as set out in this report and in accordance with the Tranche 1 Budget Consultation.

2.    Delegated approval to the Service Director for Communities and Safety to agree the final operational model of delivery with Fenland District Council counterparts.

The Cabinet Member authorised the Corporate Director for People and Communities to make residential placements in care homes until 1 December 2028 (10-year contract) subject to:

           i.        Such placements being within the budget for the services;

          ii.        The placement meets the conditions set out in the choice directives;

        iii.        The placement is made in consultation with the Head of Strategic Finance;

        iv.        Individual  placements  are  made  in  accordance  with  the  Council’s  Financial Regulations;

          v.        The placement does not exceed the OJEU threshold per annum; and

        vi.        All individual placement agreements is completed/signed.

The purpose of this report was to seek approval from Cabinet of the Company’s Business Plan and the efficacy of its proposed trading arrangements from 2 February 2019 and to make changes to the Council’s own constitutional arrangements to ensure effective oversight and contract management of the Company and other Council external organisations.

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to note:

1.    The Revenue Budgetary Control position for 2018/19 at October 2018 includes a £4.015m overspend position on the revenue budget.

2.    The key variance analysis and explanations as contained in Appendix A to the report.

3.    The estimated reserves position for 2018/19 outlined in Appendix B to the report.

4.    In year budget risks as highlighted in Appendix C to the report.

5.    The Asset Investment and Treasury Budget Report as contained in Appendix D to the report.

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to:

1.    Adopt the Business Plan of Peterborough Limited.

2.    Approve the Governance structure and arrangements described in section 4 of the report for the purposes of formal oversight of the Council’s companies and organisations

3.    Recommend to Full Council the changes to the Executive Delegations and agree the Terms of Reference and functions of a Shareholder Cabinet Committee, and amendments to the Audit Committee’s Terms of Reference and the Executive Procedure Rules set out in Appendix B to the report.

4.    Approve the amendment of Peterborough Limited’s Articles of Association to adopt the list of reserved matters as set out in Appendix D to the report.

5.  Delegate to the Leader, after consultation with the Chief Executive, the appointment of the Council’s officer nominees to represent the Council on the Peterborough Limited Board.

6.  Delegate to the Leader, after consultation with the Chief Executive, any future changes to the appointment of nominees to represent the Council on the Peterborough Limited Board.

7.  Agree to indemnify the Council’s nominees to the Peterborough Limited Board under the Local Authorities (Indemnities for Members and Officers) Order 2004.

8.  Approve the terms of the suite of documents including a loan agreement, services agreement, support services agreement, property documentation, pension and employment documentation to be extended or agreed to with or in connection with Peterborough Limited by the Council and delegates authority to the Director of Law and Governance in consultation with the Director of Resources and relevant Service Director to make decisions and enter into legal agreements necessary to give effect to these arrangements.

9.  Note the budget implications of these changes as detailed in  section 9.1 of the report, and that they are reflected in the Council Medium Term Financial Strategy for agreement in the February 2019 Cabinet meeting.

This report was before Cabinet to consider under its delegated function No 3.2.7. ‘to be responsible for the council’s overall budget and determine action required to ensure that the overall budget remains within the total cash limit’.

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to:

1.    Propose the calculation of the Council Tax Base for 2019/20 set at a level of 57,555.25 Band D equivalent properties based on the existing council tax support scheme of 30%;

2.    Note the estimated position on the Collection Fund in respect of Council Tax as at 31 March 2019 being:

£0.243m surplus

3.    Note the estimated position on the Collection Fund in respect of Business Rates as at 31 March 2019 being:

£0.524m surplus

Delegate to the Acting Corporate Director Resources authority for approving the final estimated position on the collection fund balance as at 31^st March 2019 for both council tax and business rates.

The purpose of this report was to commence consultation for a localised council tax support scheme for the financial year 2019/20. There was a statutory requirement for the council to set a localised council tax support scheme by 11 March 2019 and forms part of the formal budget process under the Budget and Policy framework.

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to approve consultation on Peterborough’s Council Tax Support Scheme 1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020 that contained the following local components:

a)    Amendment of the existing scheme for all eligible working age claimants as follows:

-          The existing 30% reduction that is applied at the end of the benefit calculation is replaced with a 30% liability reduction applied at the start of the calculation

-          Alternative options for increasing the above 30% reduction, including: (1) increasing by 1% a year for 3 years; (2) increasing to 35%; (3) increasing to 40%

-          Introducing a minimum award level of either £1 or £2 per week

-          A restriction to support being provided at up to band C/D equivalent only (higher bands will be limited to the band C/D level with their parish)

-          An increase to the non-dependent deduction levels

-          An assumed minimum earnings level for self-employed claimants

-          Removal of second adult rebate

-          Removal of extended payments

-          Removing the current disregard of Child Benefit and treating it as income

-          Reducing the capital limit from £16,000 to £6,000

-          Treating Universal Credit claim notifications as claims for Council Tax Support.

b)    To amend appropriate rates in line with annual upratings.

The Cabinet Member:

1.    Approved a grant of £6.385m to Medesham Homes LLP, funded from Right to Buy Receipts,  and S106 receipts to enable the provision of 42 affordable homes in Peterborough

2.    Delegated authority to the Head of Sustainable Growth Strategy to replace some of the Right to Buy Receipts with S106 Affordable Housing Commuted sums

3.    Delegated to the Director of Law and Governance the authority to finalise and put in place any agreements and legal documentation necessary to give effect to these proposals, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Growth and Regeneration and the Acting Corporate Director, Resources.

The Cabinet Member authorised:

1.    The Council enter into a Delegation Agreement (DA) with Cambridgeshire County Council for the provision of an Integrated Front Door Service for Children across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire for a period of 5 years from 1 January 2019 with an option to extend for up to a further 5 years, with Cambridgeshire County Council as the lead authority;

2.    That a shared Integrated Front Door Service for Children is provided by Cambridgeshire for both Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council;

3.    That Cambridgeshire County Council accepts the delegation of functions from Peterborough City Council as agreed and listed in the DA; and

4.    That the Director of Governance amends the constitution to reflect the delegated functions to Cambridgeshire County Council.

The Cabinet Member approved the Food and Feed Law Enforcement Plan 2018-21.

The Cabinet Member, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Deputy Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority:

1.  Approved the purchase of up to 50 homes from the open market inside and nearby Peterborough to a total value of £10m, funded from the Invest to Save Budget, to provide temporary accommodation and homes for affordable rent to meet demand from homeless households in the Peterborough administrative area.

2.    Delegated to the Director of Law and Governance the authority to finalise and put in place any agreements and legal documentation needed to give effect to these proposals, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Growth and Regeneration and the Acting Corporate Director, Resources.

3.    Delegated to the Director of Growth and Regeneration the authority to spend up to a total acquisition cost of £500k per property (in respect of this programme only) including stamp duty, professional fees and disbursements, subject to the requirements and processes set out in the business case attached as an appendix to this report.

Appendix 1 is NOT FOR PUBLICATION in accordance with paragraph (s) 3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972 in that it contains commercially sensitive information relating to the business affairs of the Council. The public interest test has been applied to the information contained within the exempt annex and it is considered that the need to retain the information as exempt outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.