Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 20^th October 2009 (previously circulated).

The Minutes of the meeting held on 20^th October 2009 were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

There were no items of urgent business.

Councillor Sowden arrived mid-way through the following item.

Report of Phil McGrath from the YMCA – presentation and questions for a duration of 30 minutes.

In a detailed presentation, Phil McGrath, Secretary of Morecambe and Lancaster and District YMCA, told Members that the Lancaster and District YMCA, in partnership with Signposts, had submitted a successful tender for Homelessness Prevention Services, and the service had been running for 6 months.

Members were advised that access to the Doorstep Project had been a major focus for the first 6 months of the Homelessness Prevention contract, and Doorstep bases and access points had been established throughout the District, including substantive bases at Signposts Multi-Agency Resource Centre in Morecambe, and Lancaster and District YMCA’s base in Lancaster.

Access to the service had been increased and the service was being offered at other venues, 5 days a week from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.  It was intended that the service be further expanded as resources were identified and secured.  The service was also available and frequently accessed via the internet through the websites of the Lancaster and District YMCA and Signposts Multi-Agency Resource Centre, and by telephone.  Internet access also included a translation, which enabled the text on the website to be translated into a range of languages, and British Sign Language interpreters had been utilized to work with service users accessing the Project.

The Doorstep Project had worked with Lancaster and District Women’s Aid, where Domestic Abuse had caused potential homelessness, with the Lancaster National Offender Management Service in working with offenders and ex-offenders, and a range of other support services wherever homelessness prevention had become an issue for the service user.

The Project had strong links with services to ensure that alcohol/drugs/substance misusers, those with mental health problems, rough sleepers and the long-term homeless had access to the Doorstep Service and sustainable tenancies.  The Project was working with British Minority Ethnic Communities, including gipsies and travellers, and the Polish community, through interpreters and specialist support for those for whom English was not their first language.

The Doorstep Project’s pre-crisis work and had been successful in preventing service users from becoming homeless through a range of inputs, including liaison with landlords, supporting tenants in knowing their rights as a tenant and ensuring that relevant authorities were involved in cases of legal eviction, that the correct benefits were being claimed and by ensuring that the root causes of tenants’ housing difficulties were tackled through using a range of services, both in-house and externally, which also ensured that recurring homelessness was reduced.

The Accommodation Officer had worked with accommodation providers to ensure access to a wide range of accommodation and, through liaison with Lancaster University Students Union, to access former student only accommodation.  Through local lettings agencies, the impact of the Deposit Guarantee Scheme had been widened.  A central register of accommodation, available to the Private Sector, had been developed with Lancaster City Council. 

During the 6 month period, the Project had assisted 7 people in gaining council houses and secured accommodation for 87 properties with Private Landlords (40 of these being through the Deposit Guarantee Scheme).

Doorstep Project staff  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

Phil McGrath, Nick Marsdin, Sue Crabb, the Head of Health and Strategic Housing Services and the Principal Homelessness Officer left the meeting at this point.

Councillor Langhorn arrived mid-way through the following item.

Oral reports on range of options identified for making savings and efficiencies in areas of service activity from Councillor Stuart Langhorn – Leader, Councillor June Ashworth - Children and Young People, Councillor Abbott Bryning - Education, Skills and Opportunities, Councillor Jane Fletcher – Valuing People, Councillor Roger Mace – Internal and Councillor Malcolm Thomas – Finance.

Supporting Papers:

(1)        Medium Term Strategy:  Finance and Resources – Report of Corporate Directors (Finance and Performance and Regeneration) and Head of Financial Services.

(2)        2010/11 Budget Update – Report of Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) and Head of Financial Services.

(3)        CCTV - Minute from Overview and Scrutiny Committee attached.  A Briefing Note will be circulated to Members. 

The following Cabinet Members were present to report, in detail, on options identified within their portfolios for making savings and efficiencies in areas of service activity, and to answer questions from the Panel:

Councillor June Ashworth – Cabinet Member for Children and Young People

Councillor Roger Mace – Cabinet Member for Internal Services

Councillor Malcolm Thomas – Cabinet Member for Finance

Councillor Abbott Bryning – Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Opportunities

The following papers were provided in support:

(1)        Medium Term Strategy:  Finance and Performance – Report of Corporate Directors (Finance and Performance and Regeneration) and Head of Financial Services.

(2)        2010/11 Budget Update – Report of Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) and Head of Financial Services.

(3)        CCTV – Minute from Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Resolved:

That Cabinet Members be thanked for their reports.

The Chairman and Councillors Johnson and Whitelegg left the meeting towards the end of the Cabinet Portfolio Holder reports.

The Vice-Chairman, Councillor Heath, took the Chair.

Cabinet Portfolio Holders, Councillors Ashworth, Bryning, Mace and Thomas left the meeting at this point.

The Leader, as Cabinet Member with responsibility for Performance Management, has been invited to present the reports (item to follow).

The Panel received the report of the Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) to receive the Leader’s highlight report in respect of the second quarter of Performance Review Team meetings for 2009/10 recently undertaken by individual Cabinet Members.

The report provided a strategic summary of how the Council was performing in delivering its Corporate Plan targets using the information from the Quarter 2 Performance Review Team meetings with individual Cabinet Members, and monitored progress against the action sheets drawn up for the previous round of meetings.

The Leader advised that, with regard to the actions outstanding from Quarter 1, recruitment to posts in Human Resources had taken place to progress the capacity to deliver an effective service in delivering major restructurings, but that no progress had been made in reviewing the Council’s occupational health provision in terms of addressing long-term sickness absence.  A review had been requested of the existing provision of occupational health, and Human Resources policies relating to sickness absence to make them more effective. 

Recommendations were being awaited from KMPG before an action plan was developed in regard to the Equality Framework for Local Government.  Other councils had been approached, in order to learn from best practice, and help had been received from Team Lancashire and North Western Local Authorities’ Employers’ Organisation (NWEO).  Other actions were outstanding, including the Dance Strategy and an options paper to reduce staff to address the income drop in search fees.  The costs for the Legal library would be taken forward as part of the Budget process. 

With regard to the public realm design proposals for Morecambe urban centre and the promenade, wider proposals for Morecambe centre would emerge through the Area Action Plan.  A briefing had been requested from officers for the Leader and portfolio holder.  Initial discussions with land owners of Luneside West regarding the development site survey for the wider Luneside area were taking place and a briefing had been requested from officers for the Leader and portfolio holder.

The Corporate Financial Monitoring Report set out expenditure and income for 2009/10 and an indicative picture of the Council’s current financial performance for the period ending 30^th September 2009, including a summary of the variances reported through Services’ quarterly Performance Review Team meetings and identified omissions, updates or required.

The 2009/10 Treasury Management Progress Report to 30 September 2009 advised that the authority had started to see the full impact of interest rate reductions on investment returns, but that performance against budget was good due to interest from the last remaining fixed term investments.  The information currently available regarding Icelandic investments indicated that the Council would get back the majority of principal invested.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

Report of Head of Democratic Services

The Panel received the report of the Head of Democratic Services, which updated Members regarding the Work Programme.

It was reported that two items would be presented to the Panel at its meeting on the 26^th January 2010, namely:

1.         Presentation of the Budget and Policy Framework Proposals for 2010/11 by the Leader of the Council.

2.         Presentation of Lancashire County Council’s budget proposals by the County Council’s Director for Resources, in accordance with Minute No. 23 2009/10.

It was reported that the update report of the Corporate Director (Finance & Performance) on the evaluation of the Council’s major partnerships would be presented to the Panel’s meeting on 23^rd February 2010.

As none of the Chairs of the Lancaster District Local Strategic Partnership (LDLSP) had been available to attend the Panel’s meeting on the 24^th November, arrangements would be made for future attendance.

In addition, Members noted the training that had been arranged, and that presentation of the extended work programme had been deferred until 2010.

Resolved:

That the work programme details and training provision be approved.