Venue: Sparkenhoe Committee Room, County Hall, Glenfield
Contact: Mr. S. J. Weston (Tel: 0116 305 6226) Email: sam.weston@leics.gov.uk
No. | Item |
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In Attendance:
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Minutes: The minutes
of the meeting held on 9 November 2011 were taken as read, confirmed and
signed. |
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Question Time. Minutes: The Chief
Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 35. |
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Questions asked by members. Minutes: The Chief
Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order
7(3) and 7(5). |
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Urgent Items. Minutes: There were no
urgent items for consideration. |
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Declarations of interest. Minutes: The
Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect
of items on the agenda for the meeting. Mr. D. R. Parsons The following
members each declared a personal, non-prejudicial interest in respect of the Leicestershire
Broadband Plan (minute 236 refers) as members of district/borough councils which
were involved in ongoing discussions on the proposals: Mr. G. A. Boulter
CC Mrs. R. Camamile
CC Mr. J. G. Coxon
CC Mr. S. J. Galton
CC Mr. T. Gillard
CC Dr. S. Hill
CC Ms. M. E. Newton
CC Mrs. R. Page
CC Mrs. P. Posnett
CC Mr. R. J. Shepherd
CC Mr. J. B. Rhodes CC declared a personal, prejudicial interest in respect of the Leicestershire Broadband Plan as he had attended the meeting of the Cabinet when this item was discussed. |
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Declarations of the Party Whip. Minutes: There were no
declarations of the party whip. |
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Presentation of Petitions under Standing Order 36. Minutes: The Chief
Executive reported that no petitions had been received under Standing Order 36. |
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Medium Term Financial Strategy 2012/13 to 2015/16. The Leader and the Deputy Leader have been invited for
this item. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Panel considered a report of the Director of
Corporate Resources setting out the context and background to the preparation
of the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for the period 2012/13 to
2015/16. A copy of the report, which
was circulated to all members of the County Council via the Members’
Information Service, is filed with these minutes. The Commission also considered supplementary
reports setting out the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny bodies on the MTFS
relating to their respective service areas. A copy of the supplementary report
marked ‘BB’ is filed with these minutes. The Chairman welcomed to the meeting the Leader of
the Council, Mr D. R. Parsons MTFS Context and
Overall Position The Director of Corporate Resources advised the
Commission of the following significant risks:- i)
The County Council
was facing significant financial pressures and it was likely those pressures
would continue in the medium term. Savings of the order of £74 million were
required over the period of the MTFS: whilst there was a degree of confidence
in the ability of the Council to deliver most of the savings in the first and
second years, there was less certainty about years 3 and 4, as proposals for
delivering such savings were at an early stage of development. ii)
The
proposal by the Government to pass responsibility for the administration of
Council Tax Benefit ( iii)
The
localisation of business rates and the recently announced split thereof between
County and District Councils also impacted on the County Council. Given these risks it was necessary and prudent to
maintain the level of balances now outlined in the report to ensure that the
Director could discharge his responsibility and provide the necessary assurance
to the Council about the robustness of the proposed budget. The Leader of the Council advised that a
significant proportion of the savings requirement, £49 million, was being
delivered through efficiencies and he paid tribute to the officers for
achieving this. The Administration was committed to freezing Council Tax for
the next four years. The Leader reported back on a constructive meeting
he had had with the Business Council. The issues they had raised with him
included trade waste, tourism and procurement changes. They had expressed
strong support for the Council’s broadband strategy. With regard to Academies, the Leader reported on a
meeting with Leicestershire’s MPs and their support for a meeting with the
Secretary of State for Education, to discuss the implications for the County
Council of the Government’s proposals for funding academies, which it was
estimated would cost the Council around £10 million. The Leader concluded by saying that the challenges
facing the public sector now and for the foreseeable future would mean the
County Council having to manage and even suppress demand for services. It would
also require greater co-operation and joint working within the public sector to
deliver the savings required. The Deputy Leader echoed the comments of the Leader and strongly supported the views expressed by the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the need to hold an adequate level of balances. He highlighted ... view the full minutes text for item 235. |
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Broadband Leicestershire Programme. A copy of the report submitted to the Cabinet at its
meeting on 17 January is attached for the comments of members. The Cabinet Lead Member for Broadband, Mr. J. B.
Rhodes CC, has been invited for this item. Minutes: The
Commission considered a report of the Chief Executive which had been originally
submitted to the Cabinet at its meeting on The Cabinet
Lead Member for Broadband, There was
concern expressed that telecommunications companies would profit from the
Council’s investment. It was explained that public investment was needed in order
to attract the necessary private sector investment. Improving broadband speeds
would have a significant impact, particularly in terms of service delivery and unlocking
economic potential. RESOLVED: That the
report be noted and that future developments with the
Plan be reported to the Commission as appropriate. |
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Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) Implementation Plan. Additional documents: Minutes: The Commission considered a report of the Director of
Environment and Transport concerning progress made with the development of the
second LTP3 Implementation Plan for 2012/13. A copy of the report, marked ‘D’,
is filed with these minutes. Arising from the discussion, the following points were
noted: ·
Providing value for money was central to the
LTP3. It would be implemented on an area-based approach and the initial
priorities were to support the economies of Coalville and Loughborough. Other
areas would then follow; ·
Expectation management was crucial to the
success of the LTP3. The County had roughly half the funding it had for LTP2,
so efficient ways of working would be a key focus of the scheme; ·
Consultation with residents and businesses would
assist in identifying priority issues, however this would be balanced against
evidence gathered from the County’s integrated transport and land-use model; ·
The Implementation Plan appeared to give little
priority to school traffic and school travel plans. The Director agreed to make
additions to the document to give this area the necessary profile. RESOLVED: (a)
That
the report be noted; (b)
That
the matter be the subject of a half yearly progress report with the next report
to be submitted at the Commission’s meeting on 5 September. |
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Energy Reduction for Street Lighting Project - Update. Additional documents: Minutes: The
Commission considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport
concerning progress made to date with the energy Reduction for Street Lighting
Project. A copy of the report, marked ‘E’, is filed with these minutes. Arising
from the discussion, the following points were noted: ·
Feedback
on the scheme had been positive. There had been no recorded increase in crime
as a result of switching off lights or dimming and in some areas there had been
a significant drop in crime. The scheme had so far resulted in revenue savings in
the order of £800,000 for the Council; ·
It
was important that greater flexibility be built into the scheme to enable the
concerns of residents about street lighting in their area to be taken account
of. It was felt that parish/town councils may have a role to play in collating
and feeding this intelligence back to the County Council. Similarly, when a
scheme was announced in a new area via a press release, residents could be
invited to submit comments to their local parish/town council. The Director
agreed to investigate the viability of this arrangement; ·
Schemes
were reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that they were safe and appropriate
for the area though it was felt that there was a risk that pedestrians might
not be given priority as part of risk assessments; ·
New
technology was being trialled for electronic dimming which, if successful,
would enable the Council to be even more efficient in its use of electricity. RESOLVED: (a)
That
the success of the scheme to date be welcomed and that it be given the full
support of the Commission; (b)
That
the comments now made, as outlined above, be fed into the review of the Street
Lighting Project. |
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Date of next meeting. It is proposed
to cancel the Commission’s meeting on 29 February as there are no items of business.
The Commission’s next meeting will therefore be held on Wednesday 28 March at Minutes: RESOLVED: (a)
That
the meeting originally scheduled for 29 February be cancelled due to lack of business; (b)
That
the next meeting of the Committee would be held on 28 March at |