To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Matthews and James.

None.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 27 July 2017.

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 July 2017 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive questions from members of the public.

Deadline for receipt of questions is 5:00pm on Monday 11 September 2017.

Please submit questions to: councillorservices@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Question 1

Mrs V Wegg-Prosser, Breinton

To: Councillor Price, Cabinet Member Infrastructure

Hereford City Centre Transport Package: Costs Reporting

Herefordshire Council is contributing 60% (£24,651M) to the costs of the City Centre Transport Package (CCTP) with the Local Growth Fund via Marches LEP contributing 40% (£16M). The Council's website advertises that the CCTP has "funding secured from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership". The Marches LEP in its Annual Report quotes the total cost as being £33.5M. Could these contradictions please be corrected?

Response

The council’s capital programme correctly identifies the total package cost of £40 million in line with the reporting quoted.  The Marches LEP has confirmed there is an error in its annual report and will place a correction on their website.

Question 2

Mr R Palgrave, How Caple

To: Councillor Price, Cabinet Member Infrastructure

South Wye Transport Package

The 2017-18 Q1 Quarterly Monitoring Return for the Growth Fund Portfolio Scheme (South Wye Transport Package) gave an expected date of 14 Sept 2017 for the Cabinet decision to confirm Compulsory Purchase Orders for the Southern Link Road. As this matter is not on the agenda for Cabinet of 14 September, has there been a delay and if so, what is the revised forecast date?

Response

There has been a small delay to accommodate ongoing negotiations with directly affected landowners with a view to secure land by agreement; the item is currently scheduled for consideration by Cabinet on 12 October.

Supplementary to question 2 

A key part of the South Wye Transport Package is the active travel measures which were consulted on in 2016. Can the cabinet member say when the details of these measures, including costs, will be available?

Response

An exact date cannot be given but it is anticipated this information will be available later this autumn or early winter.

Question 3

Mrs C Palgrave, How Caple

To: Councillor Bramer, Cabinet Member Contracts and Assets

Energy from Waste plant investment and income

At the Dec 2016 Cabinet meeting the Head of Corporate Finance reported that “the borrowing included investment in schemes such as the energy from waste plant which were expected to generate returns for the council in the future.” What income from the EfW plant was recorded in accounts for the financial year 2016/17, what is the forecast income for this financial year and is the income in line with projections?

Response

The accounts for the financial year 2016/17 included accrued loan interest income of £2.3m from the EfW plant loan arrangement. The forecast income for this year is £2.7m, and is to date being received as profiled.

To receive questions from councillors.

Deadline for receipt of questions is 5:00pm on Monday 11 September 2017.

Please submit questions to: councillorservices@herefordshire.gov.uk.

No questions were received from councillors.

To agree the future management, use and operation of children centre buildings.

The cabinet member contracts and assets introduced the item.

Thanks were expressed to officers, members of the scrutiny committee and those who had responded to consultations for their input to the final recommendations.

The report recognised the important role of children’s centres and the need to get best value from the buildings. The recommendations varied between the locations, reflecting the needs and circumstances of each area. The report dealt with the future of the buildings rather than services.

Councillor Gandy spoke as the chairman of the task and finish group which had undertaken a piece of work on early years provision and children’s centres. She supported the recommendations put forward. The work done by scrutiny had been very thorough and identified that while the services provided at the centres were important, take up was not as good as it could have been. The services needed to be marketed better and centred within the community to reach those families that really needed them.

*Councillor Lester arrived at 14:59

The assistant director communities spoke to the report. She noted that the work done by the scrutiny task and finish group had been influential in shaping the final recommendations and also the report presented to cabinet in October 2016 on the review of customer services and libraries. Many of the children’s centre buildings had been established for some time but requirements and circumstances had changed over that period.

The report sought to take opportunities to create additional space for nursery places which would be needed to address the increased entitlement to free childcare. There would be a saving of about £100k per annum due to increased income from letting of spaces and efficiencies in servicing the buildings.

There had been extensive consultation, targeted on those actually using the centres. Very specific questions had been used to focus feedback. There was general support for the proposals. Where concerns had been expressed about 2 particular centres the proposals had been adjusted based on the feedback received. 

In response to comments and queries from group leaders the following points were noted:

·         the proposals sought ways to generate more income from those premises that were being retained;

·         some services had free use of space in the centres as part of their contract with the council, an example of this was the health visitors arrangements;

·         some premises costs would continue where buildings were retained but the council was looking at ways to reduce these;

·         some premises costs were due to historic agreements from when the centres were set up;

·         the change in building arrangements reflected the change in service delivery which had already taken place;

·         where schools were taking over buildings it was expected that services would be available to all, not just to pupils of that school.

Resolved that:

(a)  Greencroft, Broadlands and Ledbury children centre buildings be operated by the schools on site under agreements with each school to deliver 0-5 year services including hosting health and midwife clinics;

(b)  subject to provision being made  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.