Agenda, decisions and minutes

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 27 JULY 2023

RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL ON 27 JULY 2023

RESOLVED that Cabinet notes the outcomes of the recent Ofsted focused visit on the experience and progress of young people leaving care in Barnsley, together with the next steps; and that the report be submitted for consideration at the meeting of Full Council, on 27th July 2023.

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the responses, conclusions, and recommendations set out in the report, following the Task and Finish Group’s report on Customer Experience in Barnsley.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Reviews, challenges and scrutinises the contents of the Corporate Performance Report in relation to the delivery of the Corporate Plan priorities and outcomes; and

2.    Agrees that the Performance Report is shared with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to inform and support their ongoing work programme.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the final position for the General Fund which shows cumulative cost pressures for the year of £10.5M (after adjusting for statutory balances, scheme slippage & known expenditure commitments in 22/23 – detailed in Appendix 1), an improvement of approximately £2.0M on the position reported at Q3; and

2.    Approves the release of £10.5M of reserves previously earmarked to mitigate these cost pressures and deliver a balanced budget in line with the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS); and

3.    Notes the final position on the Housing Revenue Account, which shows cumulative cost pressures of £0.665M funded from a transfer from reserves; and

4.    Approves the write-off of historic bad debts totalling £1.1M as detailed in Section 4 of the report; and

5.    Notes that an updated MTFS and mitigating efficiency plans will be submitted to Cabinet in due course in lieu of the significant ongoing financial challenges faced by the Council.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the final financial position on the 2022/23 Capital Programme; and

2.    Approves scheme slippage totalling £37.3M (paragraph 2.6 and Appendix B refer); and

3.    Approves scheme re-phasing totalling £3.8M (paragraph 2.7 and Appendix B refer); and

4.    Notes the total net increase in scheme costs in 2022/23 of £1.1M (paragraph 2.8 and Appendix B refer); and

5.    Receives an updated 2023/24 indicative Capital Programme position (as part of the Quarterly Finance Monitoring update).

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Notes the latest expectations for interest rates (as outlined at paragraph 2.6); and

2.    Notes the activities undertaken during the year to support the Council’s borrowing and investment strategies; and

3.    Notes the Prudential and Treasury Indicators set out in Appendix 1.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Agrees the revised arrangements for notice periods for all new employees as:

·         Grades 1 – 6 four weeks’ notice period.

·         Grades 7 – 11 eight weeks’ notice period.

·         Grades 12 and above – twelve weeks’ notice period.

2.    Agrees to existing employees in grades 7 - 11 being asked to accept the revised notice period of eight weeks on a voluntary basis.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Accepts the offer of £0.898m; and

2.    Approves the delivery of the agreed programme of works.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:-

1.    Approves the £500,000 EPC C Kickstart programme to be delivered via the PRIP contract during 2023/24; and

2.    Notes the programme of planned condition and energy performance surveys to be undertaken across stock on an accelerated basis up to March 2024. These surveys were to be used by Berneslai Homes to produce a robust asset data strategy which would inform the wider Retrofit Programme from 2024-2030 and produce an overlying wider asset management strategy.

RESOLVED that Cabinet agrees to the adoption and dissemination of the guidance.

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the responses to each recommendation.

It is likely that the public and press will be excluded from this meeting during consideration of the items so marked because of the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by the specific paragraphs of Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended, subject to the public interest test.

RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the Barnsley Placement and Sufficiency Strategy as the basis for enabling the Local Authority’s continued compliance with its statutory duty for meeting the accommodation needs of children requiring care and young people leaving care.