Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Roger Mace)

In accordance with Section 100B (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Chairman agreed to consider the report as urgent business as there was a need for a decision prior to the next meeting of Cabinet.

The Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) submitted a report to seek Cabinet’s agreement to a process to endorse the proposed nominated lead partners for delivering the Lancashire Local Area Agreement targets and for further identifying those targets that Lancaster City Council will contribute to.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment, were set out in the report as follows:

The Council has a legal duty to co-operate in determining the LAA targets.  As a consequence the options for the Council are restricted to:

Option 1

In light of the deadline for responding, to delegate the agreement of LAA lead partners for each target to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, or…

Option 2

To identify an alternative process for agreeing the lead partners for the LAA individual targets.

In respect of identifying those LAA targets that the City Council will contribute to, the options are:

Option 1

In light of the deadline for responding, to delegate the identification of LAA targets which the City Council will contribute to, to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council, subject to resources being in place.

Option 2

To identify an alternative process for agreeing the targets that the City Council will contribute to delivering.

It can be seen from the Appendix, submitted to the report, that as yet, not all target measures have been quantified or confirmed.  This means that the risks associated with the above options cannot readily be ascertained, e.g. where a target measure has not been quantified, there is no way of knowing as yet whether the final target will be deliverable, or appropriate, or affordable from the Council’s perspective.  These uncertainties, and any new information arising, will be taken into account under the proposed delegated arrangements.  In particular, the estimated budgetary implications will need assessing, in identifying those targets that the City Council will contribute to.

Furthermore, Officers are currently reviewing the Council’s arrangements for managing key partnerships (and its involvement in them).  The outcome of this will have a positive bearing on how the Council manages and monitors performance of the relevant LAA targets and associated risks in future, from its own perspective.

The Officer preferred Option in both cases, was option one.  This will ensure that the Council will comply with its duty to co-operate in determining the LAA and also meet the designated deadlines for supplying the information requested.

It was moved by Councillor Eileen Blamire and seconded by Councillor David Kerr:-

“That Cabinet authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to agree a list of lead partners for delivering the individual Lancashire Local Area Agreement targets, and further to that, to determine those targets that Lancaster City Council will contribute to delivering, subject to sufficient resources being available within existing budgets.”

Members then voted on the proposition as follows:

Resolved Unanimously:

(1)        That Cabinet authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to agree a list of lead partners for delivering the individual Lancashire Local Area Agreement targets, and further to that, to determine those targets that Lancaster City Council will contribute to delivering, subject to sufficient resources being available within existing budgets.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Finance & Performance)

Reasons for making the decision:

The LAA targets that the Council will contribute to delivering are a crucial part of the Council’s Corporate Plan. This will ensure that the Council will comply with its duty to co-operate in determining the LAA and also meet the designated deadlines for supplying the information requested.

Note - since the conclusion of the meeting action has been taken in accordance with the above decision.  Included at Appendix A to these minutes is the agreed list of lead partners and targets as far as they have been identified at this stage.