Agenda for Executive Board on Tuesday, 19th June, 2018, 2.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Ground Floor Committee Room - Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3NG

Contact: Noel McMenamin, Constitutional Services, Tel: 0115 8764304  Email: noel.mcmenamin@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

10.

Apologies for absence

Councillor Graham Chapman – other Council business

Councillor Dave Liversidge – leave

Councillor Dave Trimble - leave

 

Minutes:

Councillor Graham Chapman – other Council business

Councillor Dave Liversidge – leave

Councillor Dave Trimble – leave

Councillor Jane Urquhart – work commitments

 

David Bishop

Candida Brudenell

 

11.

Declarations of interests

Minutes:

None.

12.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 312 KB

Last meeting held on 22 May 2018 (for confirmation)

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2018 were agreed as a true record and they were signed by the Chair.

13.

TREASURY MANAGEMENT 2017/18 ANNUAL REPORT pdf icon PDF 304 KB

Report of Deputy Leader/Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Commercial Services

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Board considered the report of the Deputy Leader/Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Commercial Services, setting out performance for 2017/18 in respect of the Council’s external debt and investments.

 

There were no breaches of Prudential indicators in 2017/18.

 

RESOLVED to note the performance information in relation to Treasury Management for 2017/18.

 

Reasons for decision

 

It is a requirement of the CIPFA Code of Practice that councillors consider an annual report on the treasury management function.

 

The Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for 2017/18 was approved by full Council on 5 March 2017.

 

The Council has borrowed and invested substantial sums of money. The report covers treasury activity and associated monitoring to control the financial risk to which the Council is exposed.

 

Other options considered

 

Management of the Council’s debt and investment portfolio are under continual review.

14.

PRE-AUDIT CORPORATE FINANCIAL OUTTURN 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 960 KB

Report of Deputy Leader/Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Commercial Services

Minutes:

The Board considered the report of the Deputy Leader/Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Commercial Services, setting out the Council’s pre-audit General Fund and Housing Revenue Account revenue outturn and Capital Programme for 2017/18.

 

Theresa Channell, Head of Strategic Finance, explained that increased demand in a number of service areas had led to a net draft overspend of £4.215 million. Ms Channell also highlighted underspends in both the Housing Revenue Account and in the Capital Programme in 2017/18.

 

RESOLVED

 

(1)  To note:

 

(a)  the pre-audit revenue outturn overspend of £4.215 million for 2017/18 as set out in paragraph 2.2 and Appendix A of the report;

 

(b)  the portfolio variances +/- £50,000 as set out in Appendix B of the report;

 

(c)  the discretionary rate relief granted in 2017/18 detailed in paragraph 2.11 of the report;

 

(d)  the capital outturn as detailed in Appendix F and explanations of variances over £0.100 million as detailed in Appendix G of the report;

 

(e)  the additions to the Capital Programme detailed in Table 11 of the report;

 

(f)  the refreshed Capital Programme, including planned and proposed as set out in paragraph 2.18 (Tables 13 to 14) of the report;

 

(2)  To approve:

 

(a)  the movements of resources set out in paragraph 2.5 and Appendix D of the report;

 

(b)  the net movement on earmarked reserves, as set out in paragraph 2.7 and Appendix E of the report;

 

(c)  the HRA outturn for 2017/18 as set out in paragraph 2.8 of the report;

 

(d)  write-offs in excess of £10,000, totalling £1.509 million where all options for recovery have been exhausted, as set out in paragraph 2.10 of the report;

 

(e)  additional costs of £0.879 million in relation to various capital schemes set out in paragraph 2.17 of the report;

 

(3)  to note and endorse the allocations from the corporate contingency as set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report.

 

Reasons for decisions

 

It enables formal monitoring of progress against the 2017/18 budget and the impact of actual and planned management action.

 

The approval of virements of budgets is required by corporate financial procedures. 

 

Other options considered

 

None.

 

 

15.

The Development of the Regional Adoption Agency pdf icon PDF 268 KB

Report of Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years

Minutes:

The Board considered a report of the Portfolio Holder for Early Intervention and Early Years on the development of an East Midlands Regional Adoption Agency, highlighting the background to the development and next steps. It was explained that there is a national requirement to enter into regional adoption agencies by 2020.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  agree in principle that a Regional Adoption Agency for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire councils be established to operate a shared adoption service;

 

(2)  agree that a detailed business case regarding this proposed model between the four local authorities be prepared by the strategic leads from each local authority, and that a further report be submitted to The Executive Board to agree the Business Case;

 

(3)  endorse the hosting offer made by Nottinghamshire County Council as the most appropriate option to progress this development;

 

(4)  agree that further work be undertaken to finalise the position regarding the workforce that move into the Regional Adoption Agency.

 

Reasons for decisions

 

All individual local authority adoption agencies are to be combined into regional adoption agencies (RAAs) by 2020, with a view to improving outcomes for children, adopters and adoptive families.

 

The principles of regional adoption agencies are:

·  To provide all children with an adoptive family that meets their needs.

·  To ensure that those affected by adoption receive the information, support and advice that they need to understand their adoption journey.

·  To ensure that families are well prepared, enabled and supported to care for the children with plans for adoption.

 

The aims are to ensure:

·  Early identification of children for whom adoption is the right option

·  Timely placement of children including sibling groups and older children

·  Sustainable placements with timely and appropriate support as needed

·  A sufficient range and number of adopters to meet children’s needs

·  A range of different adoptions placement types e.g. foster to adopt

·  A well performing and improving service, evidenced in the adoption scorecard, productivity and timeliness.

 

The East Midlands Regional Adoption Agency (EMRAA) has made good progress in developing adoption functions which draw on excellent and innovative practice and  in aligning ways of working in respect of adopter recruitment, matching and adoption support across the EMRAA footprint.

 

 

One of the key principles of the proposed model is that it will be delivered at no additional cost to the authorities involved.

 

Other options considered

 

There is a legal requirement to form the Regional Adoption Agency. A range of models were considered with the one proposed appearing to offer the best potential to meet local need.

 

 

 

16.

Adoption of the City's new Housing Strategy pdf icon PDF 236 KB

Report of Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Board considered a report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning on a new housing strategy. The strategy set out the vision for housing over the next 3 years and identifying housing priorities for the city via 5 key themes, addressing the quality and supply of both new and existing housing stock, homelessness and specialist housing, housing-related health improvements and communities and neighbourhoods.

 

RESOLVED to adopt the new Housing Strategy.

 

Reasons for decision

 

Housing is a key issue which impacts on a range of citizen outcomes. It is important that the Council provides a vision for housing in the city, identifies the priorities for the next few years and gives a lead for the many partners with whom it works.

 

Other options considered

 

To not adopt a housing strategy: rejected as the document provides a clear direction for housing in the city and provides an opportunity for progress to be tracked.

 

 

 

 

 

17.

Urgent Item - Appointments to Outside Bodies pdf icon PDF 121 KB

Report of Portfolio Holder for finance, Resources and Commercial Services

 

The Chair of the Board has agreed that this item, although not on the agenda, can be considered as a matter of urgency in accordance with Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, because Appointments to outside bodies are required following recent changes to executive remits across the Council. As a result, Executive Board is required to consider the changes before the meeting in July 2018.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair of the Board agreed that this item, although not on the agenda, could be considered as a matter of urgency in accordance with Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, because appointments to outside bodies are required following recent changes to executive remits across the Council, requiring consideration of changes before the meeting in July 2018.

 

The Chair introduced a report on behalf of the Deputy Leader/Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources and Commercial Services, requesting a number of changes both to the list of outside bodies and to councillor representation on outside bodies.

 

RESOLVED to agree the nominations to outside bodies as set out in the Register outlined in Appendix A to the report.

 

Reasons for the decision

 

To ensure appointments to outside bodies are updated to reflect changes, that the bodies to which the Council makes appointments remain relevant to its business and to ensure that procedures are in place to maintain the register proactively and accurately.

 

Other options considered

 

Maintaining current arrangements for making appointments to outside bodies and adding/deleting bodies on the Register was rejected, as a more regular overview will be beneficial to the ongoing relevance and efficient management of of appointments and best use of councillors’ time.