Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2013 be approved as a correct record.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Tom Davey.

None.

Details are appended of the questions asked of, and the answers given by the Chairman. Verbal responses were given to supplementary questions at the meeting.

Cabinet received the report, which noted the outcome of the evaluation stage of the DRS Project and set out the full business case for accepting Capita Symonds’ final tender as the preferred bid, with reference to the Full Business Case, Equalities Impact Assessment, List of Principal Legislation and Evaluation Scores.

The Director for Place and the Commercial Director introduced the report. A number of points were raised by Cabinet Members.

• Councillor Thompstone asked for reassurance that Capita would deliver services in line with the Council’s policies. Officers responded that there had been a full Equalities Impact Assessment which took into account the interests of both staff and customers, and that services would continue to be delivered with a mix of face to face services in addition to other access such as phone and online.
• Councillor Cohen noted various concerns raised by his constituents including the process for road closures, the timing of annual highways maintenance, gritting requests and road safety initiatives, and asked how and where these services would be covered under the new arrangements.
• Officers responded that road closures were covered in the output specification, that there was ability to ensure that highways maintenance was carried out at a time of year when it is most needed and that Street Scene would be managing gritting. It was noted that the Council would need to review its position on road safety initiatives and would then be able to direct the provider.
• Councillor Hart sought clarification on the reference under 3.1 on page 4 of the report on ‘working with other service providers including Barnet Homes, the police and health authority’. Officers clarified that the health authority is the NHS and agreed to change this reference.
• Councillor Hart asked for clarification on an apparent discrepancy between the reference on page 14 under paragraph 6.28 to Capita investing £250,000 in a Barnet Observatory, and the reference in Appendix A (page 6) to a ‘total investment’ in Barnet Observatory of £1.04m over 10 years. She also asked whether there were any KPIs to measure progress in this area. Officers clarified that the former figure related specifically to DRS contract, and that the latter figure to total investments across more than one contract.
• Councillor Rajput asked about how the agreement would benefit adult and social services and help mitigate pressure on services in the context of increasing demand. Officers highlighted the initiatives working in partnership with Barnet Homes and the NHS, and noted that the business plans allowed for regular review to take account of demographic changes.
• Councillor Rajput asked for reassurance that appropriate safeguards were in place to manage risks. Officers noted that a new commercial team in the Commissioning Group will be dedicated to managing risks. Governance arrangements in place, including the Partnership Board, the Strategic Partnership Board and Contract Monitoring Overview and Scrutiny Committee oversight were also noted. 
• Councillor Tambourides asked how KPIs would be monitored over time to ensure the provider’s performance is assessed. Officers noted that there are several  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

For the reasons set out in the Cabinet Member’s report,

RESOLVED

1. That Cabinet agree the proposed revisions to the Council’s Housing Allocations Scheme as set out in Appendix 2 and Appendix 3, including:

·         Replacement of two reasonable offers of accommodation with  one reasonable offer of accommodation

·         The introduction of a Placements Policy which clarifies the issues that the Council will consider when making offers of suitable accommodation in respect of  both Part VI (Allocation of Social Housing) and Part VII homelessness applications that households are able to afford 

·         Other minor changes as summarised in Appendix 1

2.    That Cabinet authorise a consultation on the proposed amendments as summarised in Appendix 4.

Cabinet noted that the points raised by the Education Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Panel in relation to the appointment process for Governors would also be put to the Constitution, Ethics and Probity Committee and the General Functions Committee. It was noted that other recommendations in the report had been incorporated in the main report ‘An Education Strategy for Barnet 2013-14-15/16’ (item no 8).

For the reasons above, it was

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

For the reasons set out in the Cabinet Member’s report,

RESOLVED

1. That Cabinet approve the partnership ‘Education Strategy for Barnet 2013/14- 2015/16’.

2. That Cabinet note that progress in delivering the strategy will be monitored by Barnet’s Children’s Trust Board through the delivery of the Barnet Children and Young People Plan.

3. That Cabinet endorse the proposal to amend the local authority governor appointment process put forward by the Education Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Panel and refer it to the General Functions Committee for consideration and approval.

4. That Cabinet approve the Barnet Academy Accord template which provides a framework to define the relationship between the Council and an Academy Trust.

5. That Cabinet authorise the Director for People to negotiate variations to the Academy Accord template for each Academy Trust as necessary.

For the reasons set out in the Cabinet Member’s report, Cabinet

RESOLVED

To approve the Chipping Barnet Town Centre Strategy (Appendix A).

For the reasons set out in the Cabinet Member’s report, Cabinet

RESOLVED

To approve the Edgware Town Centre Framework (Appendix A) for formal adoption.

RESOLVED - That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in

Category 3 of Paragraph 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended).

RESOLVED – That the exempt information be noted.

There were no such items.