Agenda and minutes

Councillor Cat Arnold – non Council business

Councillor Alex Ball – non Council business

Councillor Merlita Bryan – non Council business

Councillor Sue Johnson – non Council business

Councillor Sally Longford – non Council business

Councillor Toby Neal – other Council business

Councillor Wendy Smith – non Council business

Councillor Roger Steel – non Council business

Councillors Carole McCulloch and Malcolm Wood informed Council that they would be arriving after the meeting had started.

Glen O’Connell, Director of Legal and Democratic Services informed Council that he had an interest in agenda item 12, regarding the acting up arrangements for the role of Corporate Director for Resources and reassignment of the role of Deputy Chief Executive.

No questions from citizens were received.

No petitions were received.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 June 2014 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Lord Mayor.

Public Sector Communications Excellence Awards

Nottingham City Council scooped the top accolade at the first ever Public Service Communications Excellence Awards in June. The awards reward innovation and creativity in public sector communications and marketing campaigns.

Nottingham took the top platinum award following entries from around 100 public sector communications campaigns from central and local government, health and emergency services. Nottingham City Council’s campaign supported the work of its Apprenticeship Hub to engage with both employers and young people to help create jobs and tackle youth unemployment.

Big Lottery Fund

It was announced on 17 June that Nottingham has successfully secured £47.1 million from the Big Lottery Fund. This marks the culmination of 18 months’ work from professionals and parents who have come together from across the City. In Nottingham we have called our programme ‘Small Steps Big Changes’. It has developed an inspiring vision for bettering the life experiences of thousands of nought to three-year-olds children in four Nottingham wards – Aspley, the Arboretum, St Ann’s and Bulwell. From the first stages of pregnancy through to the toddler years, ‘Small Steps Big Changes’ will ensure more children are able to flourish.

This will help 1,000 new born babies every year for the next ten years and it will complement our status as an Early Intervention City and will bring significant benefits to some targeted areas of the City with the highest levels of deprivation.

Arts Council Capital Funding

The Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall has received news from Arts Council England that it has succeeded in the first stage of its application for Capital Funding and has been invited to apply for the next stage. This ensures that the venue will receive £117,031 to undertake the detailed work on its transformation programme leading to a stage 2 application for £1.6 million towards a £3.2 million project. The proposed £3.2 million development project would be jointly funded by Nottingham City Council and the Arts Council.

Councillor Ginny Klein asked the following question of the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services:

Could the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services inform Council about recent success in attracting national funding to support families with young children in our city?

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor and can I thank Councillor Klein for her question, it is always satisfying when the Chief Executive answers your question before you have got to it but there you are. I am pleased to be able to report that Nottingham has won £47 million of Big Lottery funding to improve the lives of babies and toddlers over the next 20 years. The partnership programme is called ‘Small Steps, Big Changes’. The bid was led by Nottingham CityCare and involved 18 months of work from a partnership including the Local Authority, NHS Nottingham City, voluntary sector organisations and parents. One hundred and fifty two local authorities were originally invited to submit expressions of interest and only five places have been successful in winning a share of £215 million. The successful five places are Blackpool, Lambeth, Bradford, Southend-on-Sea and Nottingham.

The work will start in 2015 in the four wards of St Ann’s, Arboretum, Aspley and your own ward Councillor Klein, Bulwell, it will expand across the whole city over ten years. The model aims to deliver a step change to improving the life chances of children aged 0-3 in the following areas: positive social and emotional development; improved, effective and age-appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills; improved nutrition through supporting parents to make healthy feeding choices during pregnancy and in the early years.

Small Steps, Big Changes will position parenting at the heart of the programme as a primary public health issue. It will build on the motivation of prospective parents to be the best they can be and prepare and support parents to achieve the better outcomes for their children. This will focus on providing evidence based parenting support programmes and a range of new activities chosen and developed together with parents in each area. The model will also include a number of new jobs – paid family mentors to support parent groups in each area.

Over the ten years, professionals will continue to work together with parents to change and improve support in the early years, using evidence and feedback of what works best. This is an exciting and important opportunity for Nottingham as an Early Intervention City, building on the successes and learning so far. As the government has systematically cut investment into this age group through the cancellation of the Early Intervention Grant, it is good to be able to report that some of that money is coming back to Nottingham, albeit through a different channel.

Councillor Azad Choudhry asked the following question of the Leader:

Could the Leader tell Council the latest news from the Growth Deals announced last week?

Councillor Jon Collins replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor. Nottingham City Council has worked with partners  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Councillor Brian Parbutt submitted a report on the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2013/14, as set out on pages 17 to 28 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to accept the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2013/14.

The Leader submitted a report on Committee Membership, as set out of pages 29 to 30 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to

(1)  remove Councillor Emma Dewinton from Planning Committee and Corporate Parenting Board;

(2)  appoint Councillor Gul Khan to Planning Committee and Councillor Sally Longford to Corporate Parenting Board.

The Leader submitted a report on decisions taken under the urgency procedures, as set out on pages 31 to 36 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to note the urgent decisions taken, as follows:

(1)  Urgent decisions (exempt from call-in)

(2)  Key decisions (special urgency procedure)

The Deputy Leader submitted a report on the Treasury Management 2013/14 Annual Report, as set out on pages 37 to 46 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the performance information in relation to Treasury Management for 2013/14;

(2)  approve the amendment of the 2014/15 Treasury Management Strategy to add Close Brothers Limited to the approved counterparty list.

Councillor Brian Grocock submitted a report on the Late Night Levy, as set out on pages 47 to 50 of the agenda.

RESOLVED to approve the introduction of a Late Night Levy Scheme in the following terms:-

(1)  the Levy to apply from 1 November 2014;

(2)  to be charged to premises that are authorised to sell alcohol at any time between 00:01 – 06:00;

(3)  there will be an exemption for premises falling within the following categories as defined in Regulation 4 of the late Night Levy (Expenses, Exemptions and Reductions) Regulations 2012:

(a)  Premises with overnight accommodation

(b)  Theatres and cinemas

(c)  Bingo halls

(d)  Community Amateur Sports Clubs

(e)  Community premises

(f)  Premises which are a member of a BID established for relevant purposes

(g)  Premises which only become liable for the LNL by virtue of their being permitted to supply alcohol for consumption on the premises on 1st January in every year

(4)  the funds raised, net of the administration costs incurred by the Licensing Authority, be split 30/70 between the Licensing Authority and the Police respectively;

(5)  the Licensing Authority’s portion of the funding to be used throughout the City to support the prevention of crime and disorder caused by the night time economy during the hours of the levy. This will be achieved through the establishment of two night time Community Protection Officer posts.

Councillor Alan Clark submitted a report on the acting up arrangements for the role of Corporate Director for Resources and the Reassignment of the role of Deputy Chief Executive, which had been circulated around the Chamber.

RESOLVED to

(1)  approve the re-assignment of  the role of Deputy Chief Executive to David Bishop, Corporate Director of Development and Growth;

(2)  approve the arrangements for Glen O’Connell, Director of Legal and Democratic Services to act up to the role of Corporate Director of Resources;

(3)  note that this will be in effect from 15 July 2014 and in relation to recommendation (2) terminate following the commencement of the permanent post holder in post as Corporate Director of Resources and Chief Finance Officer;

(4)  note the designation of Geoff Walker, Acting Director of Strategic Finance as Section 151 Officer with effect from 15 July 2014 until the commencement of the permanent post holder in post as Corporate Director of Resources and Chief Finance Officer.

“On 16^th August 2014, a group of mothers is setting off on a march from Jarrow to London to demand that the NHS remains in public hands and is run for the people – not for profit. On 29^th August 2014, the People’s March for the NHS will be passing through Nottingham.

The marchers hope to highlight the privatisation of the NHS which has seen profitable parts of the NHS transferred into private hands whilst leaving the public purse to carry the cost of expensive and complex operations.

This Council:-

(a) recognises the threat to our NHS from legislation including the Health and   Social Care Act (2012) and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; both of which put profits before people;

(b) values the principle of our NHS to provide free, universal healthcare for all;

(c) supports the People’s March for the NHS along with its aims and intentions.”

Moved by Councillor Alex Norris, seconded by Councillor Steve Battlemuch:

“On 16^th August 2014, a group of mothers is setting off on a march from Jarrow to London to demand that the NHS remains in public hands and is run for the people – not for profit. On 29^th August 2014, the People’s March for the NHS will be passing through Nottingham.

The marchers hope to highlight the privatisation of the NHS which has seen profitable parts of the NHS transferred into private hands whilst leaving the public purse to carry the cost of expensive and complex operations.

This Council:-

(a) recognises the threat to our NHS from legislation including the Health and Social Care Act (2012) and the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; both of which put profits before people;

(b) values the principle of our NHS to provide free, universal healthcare for all;

(c) supports the People’s March for the NHS along with its aims and intentions.”

RESOLVED to carry the motion.