Agenda and minutes

The Leader of the Council made the following statement:

Members will recall that we signed the Southampton and Portsmouth City Deal with Government in November. As part of the Deal, we are required to formalise local governance arrangements to oversee programme delivery. I wish to make you aware that it is proposed that a ‘non legal entity’ group is established for this purpose, comprising the four local signatories to the Deal: the leaders of Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council, and a private sector representative for the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.

This City Deal Executive will meet as required, but normally quarterly to make in principle strategic decisions in relation to the Southampton and Portsmouth City Deal, and the decisions of the City Deal Executive shall be reported formally and publicly to Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership’

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 13/14 12447)

On consideration of the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services detailing two requests for the variation of hackney carriage fares, and having received representations from the Chairman of the Southampton Hackney Association, Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  Cabinet considered two requests for the variation of the table of fares for the hire of hackney carriages in Southampton.

(ii)  To authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to advertise any proposed variation in the table of fares and that subject to consideration of any objections by Cabinet resulting from the advertisement, the variation shall come into effect on 14 April 2014 or as soon as possible thereafter

Report of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, seeking approval to spend and to provide details of the Environment and Transport capital programme 2014/15, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 13/14 12235)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, and having received representations from a Member of the Council, seeking approval to spend and to provide details of the Environment and Transport capital programme 2014/15, Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  To approve capital variations to the Environment and Transport Capital Programme, totalling £1,176,000 in 2014/15, as detailed in Appendix 4.

(ii)  To approve the addition of £620,000 to the Environment and Transport Capital Programme for the Highways Improvements (Developers) scheme, to be funded from S106 developer contributions, as detailed in Appendix 4.

(iii)  To approve, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, capital expenditure of £6,176,000 in 2014/15, as detailed in Appendix 2, from the total Environment and Transport Capital Programme of £24,517,000.

(iv)  To note the detail of the projects within the Environment and Capital Programme for 2014/15 to be approved by this report, as set out in Appendix 3.

(v)  To note the intervention levels for highways maintenance defects in Appendix 5 and agree that these should be retained.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability detailing the operational arrangements for and seeking the delegation of authority to the Head of Planning Transport and Sustainability to establish and implement the statutory function, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 13/14 12147)

On consideration of the report the Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability detailing the operational arrangements for and seeking the delegation of authority to the Head of Planning Transport and Sustainability to establish and implement the statutory function,, Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  That the details of the requirements and operational arrangements for the SuDS Approving Body set out in this report be noted;

(ii)  That authority be delegated to the Head of Planning, Transport and Sustainability to undertake any actions and make any arrangements necessary for the implementation of the SuDS Approving Body.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability portfolio in respect of proposed changes to the Council's housing allocations policy, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref CAB 13/14 12293)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability, Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  To approve the proposed changes to the allocations policy listed in this report.

(ii)  To delegate authority to the Head of Housing Services, following  consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability, to draw up a scheme to provide ‘transitional protection’ for the small number of applicants affected by the proposal to align the city's eligibility criteria relating to size of property with the housing benefit regulations.

(iii)  To delegate authority to the Head of Housing Services, following consultation with the Head of Development, Economy and Housing Renewal and the Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability, to approve the proposed annual lettings plan.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Resources seeking financial approval for Clock Tower Repairs, attached. 

This report is submitted for consideration as a general exception under paragraph 15 of the Access to Information procedure Rules in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution.

The matter requires a decision to facilitate the repair of the Civic Centre Clock Tower.  The urgency is linked to the need to prevent further damage to the Clock Tower and for these reasons the decision cannot be deferred for inclusion in the next Forward Plan for decision following 28 clear days notice

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 13/14 12361)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member for Resources seeking financial approval for Clock Tower Repairs, Cabinet agreed the following:

Having complied with paragraph 15 of the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules:

(i)  To add a scheme to the Resources Portfolio Capital Programme to complete essential repairs to the Civic Centre Clock Tower.

(ii)  To vire £351,000 from the Accommodation Strategy Action Programme (ASAP) scheme within the Resources Portfolio Capital Programme to the newly created scheme to repair the Civic Centre Clock Tower.

(iii)  To approve in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules capital expenditure of £351,000 in 2014/15 to complete the repairs t the Clock Tower.

(iv)  That the Head of Property, Procurement and Health and Safety is granted Delegated Powers to vary the scope of the work as may be found necessary to ensure that the repairs to the Clock Tower cover all major issues, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resources.

NOTE: This report was submitted for consideration as a general exception under paragraph 15 of the Access to Information procedure Rules in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution.

Confidential Report of Director, People detailing a review of the implications of past practice in assessing contributions for adult social care non residential care and the proposed response, attached.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 13/14 12300)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, and having taken into consideration the recommendations made by Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee held on 13^th March, 2014 Cabinet agreed the recommendations set out in the confidential report.