Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda. 

No interests were declared, but with regard to agenda item 7 (Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride Development – Programme and Consultation Plan) Cllr Reid, a member of the Planning Committee, announced that she would not be taking part in any subsequent Planning application in relation to the chosen Park & Rides sites, due to her previous involvement in the major scheme bid as the then Executive Member for City Strategy.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following:

Annex 4 to Agenda Item 13 on the grounds that it contains information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under the authority.  This information is classed as exempt under paragraph 4 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

RESOLVED: That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Annex 4 to agenda item 13 (Update on Carry Forward Issues and Key Considerations in the Allocation of Surplus Resources), on the grounds that it contains information relating to consultations and negotiations in connection with a labour relations matter arising between the authority and its employees.  Such information is classed as exempt under paragraph 4 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

To approve and sign the minutes of the Executive (Calling In) meeting held on 8 July 2008 and the Executive meeting held on 15 July 2008.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Executive (Calling In) meeting held on 8 July 2008 and the Executive meeting held on 15 July be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Executive’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5:00 pm on Monday 28 July 2008.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

With the permission of the Chair, Cllr Moore addressed the meeting in relation to agenda item 8 (Subsidised Public Bus Services), as a Ward Member for Skelton, Rawcliffe and Clifton Without.  He noted the lack of provision of any evening service from the City Centre to Rawcliffe and asked that consideration be given to such a service, to enable residents to return home by bus in the evening and thus encourage greater use of public transport.

To receive details of those items that are listed on the Executive Forward Plan for the next two meetings.

Members received and noted details of those items that were currently listed on the Executive Forward Plan for the next two meetings of the Executive.

[See also under Part B Minutes]

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the report be noted.

                        (ii)        That a demonstration be arranged for all Council Members, prior to the next meeting of full Council on 25 September, to show how a web-casting system would operate in practice.

REASON:      To give Council Members a better understanding of the issues involved before they consider the Executive recommendations on this item.

[See also under Part B Minutes]

Members considered a report which examined the feasibility of web-casting meetings of full Council and other Council meetings, as requested in a motion approved by full Council on 10 April 2008. 

The report examined the background to web-based multi-media tools (otherwise known as web-casting) and presented the following options for Members’ consideration:

Option 1 – do not introduce a web-casting facility.

Option 2 – introduce a web-casting facility either by leasing a system on an ‘out-hosted’ basis, or by purchasing a system to run in-house. 

If Option 2 were chosen, Members were invited to consider whether to test the market by means of a tender process (Option 2a) or to seek a negotiated contract (Option 2b).  They were also invited to agree whether or not to proceed on the basis of a one-year pilot period should they decide to lease an ‘out-hosted’ system.

Information on other authorities using web-casting, together with costing comparison figures and an example of data protection information, was annexed to the report (Annexes A, B and C).  Information requested by Members regarding the impact on staff resources of introducing web-casting was included in a further annex added to the agenda after initial publication (Annex D).

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the report be noted.

                        (ii)        That a demonstration be arranged for all Council Members, prior to the next meeting of full Council on 25 September, to show how a web-casting system would operate in practice.¹

REASON:      To give Council Members a better understanding of the issues involved before they consider the Executive recommendations on this item.

This report seeks approval for proposals to progress a major scheme bid to the Department for Transport for three new Park & Ride sites, with associated alterations to the highway infrastructure, bus corridor works and the fully operational bus services to be in place by 2011, following the success of the Council’s application to the Regional Transport Board for Regional Funding Allocation.

RESOLVED: (i)         That Officers be instructed to proceed with this project, bringing reports back to the Executive at key stages.

                        (ii)        That the delivery arrangements and the creation of a Project Board be approved.

                        (iii)       That the consultation process on the basis of a single site at Askham Bar be approved.

                        (iv)       That the consultation process based on the A59 site adjacent to Boroughbridge Road, previously identified as Site 2 and shown as such on the plan at Annex D, be approved.

                        (v)        That the possibility of a subway at the A59/ORR be included in the pre-application consultation.

                        (vi)       That the initial consultation process based on all three sites at Wigginton Road, as identified on the plan at Annex E, plus an additional site on the south-west of the junction, be approved.

                        (vi)       That Officers be asked to ensure that local Ward Members and Parish Councils, together with residents (through the Ward Committee newsletters), are kept up to date with progress and that an early opportunity is given to all parties to have an input into plans for the sites prior to any planning applications being drawn up.

REASON:      To enable progression of the Major Scheme Bid, which will make a significant contribution to sustainable transport in the City, and to ensure proper consultation with interested parties.

Members considered a report which sought approval for proposals to progress a Major Scheme Bid (MSB) to the Department for Transport (DfT) for three new Park & Ride sites, following the success of the Council’s application to the Regional Transport Board (RTB) for Regional Funding Allocation (RFA).  The report also examined the outline programme and proposals to ensure the successful completion of the Park & Ride sites project.

The Executive had already agreed to the release of £164k from Council reserves to fund the development of the MSB and the preparation of the Outer Ring Road bid to the RTB (Minute 206 of the meeting on 22 April 2008 refers).  It was anticipated that £110k of this would be needed to develop the MSB.  It was proposed to fund the remaining £540k from the City Strategy Capital Programme.  The Council had the option to proceed with the MSB or not; however, without it there would be little prospect of being able to fund any of the new Park & Ride sites.  Details of the proposed arrangements for delivery of the project, which would require a Project Board, Project Team and dedicated Project Manager, were set out in paragraphs 16 to 22 of the report.

The report went on to examine site options and consultation proposals should Members decide to proceed with the MSB.  It was proposed to carry out pre-application consultation on the following potential site locations, details of which were contained in the report and in the plans at Annexes C, D and E:

• Askham Bar - land between Tadcaster Road and the Railway.
• A59 Boroughbridge Road - site adjacent to the A59 (identified as ‘site 2’ in previous consultations).
• Inclusion in the bid of a subway to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Outer Ring Road north of the A59 Roundabout (subject to justification of the additional cost of approx. £700k).
• Wigginton Road – 3 potential alternative sites at the Wigginton Road / A1237 junction.

After consultation and further feasibility work, a report would be brought to Members recommending a preferred site for progression through the planning process.

In respect of Wigginton Road, the Executive Member for City Strategy suggested that, for completeness, the option of a fourth site to the south-west be included in the consultation.

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That Officers be instructed to proceed with this project, bringing reports back to the Executive at key stages.¹

                        (ii)        That the delivery arrangements and the creation of a Project Board be approved. ²

                        (iii)       That the consultation process on the basis of a single site at Askham Bar be approved. ³

                        (iv)       That the consultation process based on the A59 site adjacent to Boroughbridge Road, previously identified as Site 2 and shown as such on the plan at Annex D, be approved. ⁴

                        (v)        That the possibility of a subway at the A59/ORR be included in the pre-application consultation. ⁴

                        (vi)       That the initial consultation process based  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

This report asks Members to note the short term arrangements put in place to maintain services for bus routes 22 and 18 and seeks approval for a package of measures to modify and maintain subsidised bus services until the outcomes of the Subsidised Bus Service Review are known and new arrangements can be implemented.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the short term measures implemented, as described in paragraphs 21 to 23 of the report, be noted.

REASON:      So that Members are aware of the arrangements already in place to maintain these services, as far as possible, until the results of the review are known.

                        (ii)        That Officers be requested to negotiate an extension to the contracts in accordance with the following list until the end of the financial year, and that these services be specifically reviewed as part of the pending report on public transport provision in the City.

(iii) That up to £40,000 be allocated from the Council’s reserves towards the cost of sustaining the services detailed in Resolution (ii) above.

REASON:      To ensure the continuation of those services for which current evidence suggests there is a clear need, pending the outcome of a comprehensive review of subsidised bus services.

Members considered a report which outlined the short term arrangements put in place to maintain services for bus routes 22, 18 and 196 and sought approval for a package of measures to maintain bus services until the outcomes of the Subsidised Bus Service Review were known and new arrangements could be implemented.

Temporary arrangements agreed with First York to maintain Service 18 and a reduced Service 22 were outlined in paragraphs 21 and 22 of the report.  Service 196 had previously been part funded by City of York and East Riding Councils.  As indicated in paragraph 23, City of York had now agreed to fund this service fully until 31 August 2008. 

The report presented two options for addressing current service and cost pressures pending the outcome of the review of subsidised services requested at the last Budget Council meeting.  They were:

Option A – maintain services pending the review (not recommended);

Option B – modify services from September, on the basis of the policy framework outlined in paragraphs 11-13 of the report.  This would involve maintaining Service 22 during the daytime only, maintaining Service 18 and discontinuing Services C1, 21, C3, 195, 196 and 28/29, on the basis that these services had limited patronage and provided poor value for money.

Having considered data supplied by bus service operators and Transport Planning regarding annual and daily patronage figures for the services in question, and having noted the comments of Cllr Moore (Minute 41 refers) and the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the short term measures implemented, as described in paragraphs 21 to 23 of the report, be noted.

REASON:      So that Members are aware of the arrangements already in place to maintain these services, as far as possible, until the results of the review are known.

                        (ii)        That Officers be requested to negotiate an extension to the contracts in accordance with the following list until the end of the financial year, and that these services be specifically reviewed as part of the pending report on public transport provision in the City.¹

This report presents the final report of the Tang Hall Area Asset Management Plan Ad-hoc Scrutiny Review and asks Members to approve the recommendations previously agreed by Scrutiny Management Committee.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the final report and its annexes be noted.

                        (ii)        That the recommendations arising from the review, as summarised in paragraph 7 of the cover report, be approved, with the inclusion of the comments recorded below:

                        (iii)       That the findings and recommendations from this review be taken into account when considering the proposed Tang Hall Area Asset Management Plan (Minute 46 refers).

REASON:      In order to introduce appropriate changes to working practices and / or Council policy and procedures, in response to the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee.

Members considered a report which presented the conclusions of the Tang Hall Area Asset Management Plan Ad-Hoc Scrutiny Review and sought approval for the recommendations arising from the review.

The recommendations, as subsequently approved by the Scrutiny Management Committee (SMC) at their meeting in July 2007, were summarised in paragraph 7 of the report.  Full details were contained in the final report from the review, attached as Annex A.  The SMC had agreed to delay the presentation of the final report to the Executive to enable it to be considered at the same time as the Tang Hall Area Asset Management Plan, which was the next item on the Executive agenda (Minute 47 refers).

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the contents of the final report and its annexes be noted.

                        (ii)        That the recommendations arising from the review, as summarised in paragraph 7 of the cover report, be approved, with the inclusion of the comments recorded below:¹

                        (iii)       That the findings and recommendations from this review be taken into account when considering the proposed Tang Hall Area Asset Management Plan (Minute 46 refers).

REASON:      In order to introduce appropriate changes to working practices and / or Council policy and procedures, in response to the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee.

This report asks Members to approve the Area Asset Management Plan for Tang Hall which combines the strategic direction and priorities set by the Corporate Asset Management Plan and the priorities and requirements identified in individual council service plans and by the community at a local, location specific, level. The report states options for improvement and change proposals, funding and sets out an action plan and timescales for delivery.

RESOLVED: That the Area Asset Management Plan (AAMP) for Tang Hall be approved.

REASON:      The AAMP combines the direction, priorities and requests of the Corporate and Service Asset Management Plans, which are driven by the Corporate Strategy, with the property-related needs of the Local Tang Hall community.

Members considered a report which sought approval for the Area Asset Management Plan (AAMP) for the Tang Hall area.

The AAMP, attached as Annex A to the report, sought to combine the strategic direction and priorities set by the Council’s Corporate Asset Management Plan with the priorities and requirements to delivery local services and meet community need.  It set out options for improvement and change to local Council-owned buildings and land in the Tang Hall area, and for obtaining funding to enable these changes to happen.  It also incorporated an action plan and timescales for delivery.

In recommending approval of the AAMP, the Chair emphasised that the AAMP process was not intended to advantage one area of the City, nor offer a limitless ‘shopping list’ for the residents of the area in question.

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: That the Area Asset Management Plan (AAMP) for Tang Hall be approved.¹

REASON:      The AAMP combines the direction, priorities and requests of the Corporate and Service Asset Management Plans, which are driven by the Corporate Strategy, with the property-related needs of the Local Tang Hall community.

This report presents options for the future of the former Family Centre at Sixth Avenue, Heworth, and asks Members to decide whether to dispose of the property or retain it for an identified service need.

RESOLVED: That Option 2 be approved and that the former Heworth Family Centre be retained for further use, on an interim basis, by Young Peope’s Services.

REASON:      To satisfy a continuing service need for a property in this location.

Members considered a report which presented options for the future of the former Family Centre at Sixth Avenue, Heworth, following transfer of the service to The Avenues Children’s Centre.  Further information on the property was circulated to Members at the meeting.  [This has been made available on-line as an additional annex to the report on this item]..

The property was currently earmarked for sale to support the 2008/09-2010/11 capital programme, as approved at Budget Council on 21 February 2008.  However, the Tang Hall Area Asset Management Plan had identified a potential service need for which this property would be ideal.  The following options were therefore presented:

Option 1 – dispose of the property by sale on the open market and use the capital receipt to contribute to the approved capital programme.  This would achieve the projected capital and would not impact on other budgets.

Option 2 – appropriate the property to Resources, retain for continued service use by Young People’s Services on a three-year interim arrangement, dispose of the former ‘Rathbone’ Centre at Nursery Drive, Acomb, to achieve a capital receipt and make up the shortfall from prudential borrowing.  This would meet an identified service need but would require financial resources from the Resources Capital Repair Programme to put the building in repair.

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: That Option 2 be approved and that the former Heworth Family Centre be retained for further use, on an interim basis, by Young Peope’s Services.¹

REASON:      To satisfy a continuing service need for a property in this location.

This report seeks approval for the appropriation and transfer of property held in the Housing Revenue Account or the General Fund Revenue Account to the General Fund Revenue Account or Housing General Fund, as appropriate.

RESOLVED: That the sites and property detailed in Annex A to the report be appropriated in the financial year 2007/08, at the valuations and to the statutory powers shown in that annex, other than the Peaseholme Hostel site, which is recommended for appropriation in the year that the Hostel is vacated by Housing Services

REASON:      To maximise the capital resources in the areas that will benefit all the Council’s Corporate Priorities.

Members considered a report which sought approval for the appropriation and transfer of property held in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) or the General Fund Revenue Account to the General Fund Revenue Account (GRFA) or the Housing General Fund (HGF), as required.

Under the Housing Acts, only property with a specific social housing use should be held in the HRA or HGF.  Details of the proposed appropriations were attached as Annex A to the report, with plans at Annex B. They included:

• Part of the Haymarket Car Park – move from HRA to GFRA
• 17/21 Piccadilly – move from HRA to GFRA
• site of Peaseholme Hostel – move from HRA to GFRA
• site of 4 Fishergate – move from GFRA to HGF
• Arc Light Centre, Union Terrace Car Park – move from GFRA to HGF

At the meeting, Officers asked that their recommendation be amended, to  allow for the Peaseholme Hostel site to be appropriated after the Hostel had been vacated, as this would be financially advantageous to the Council.

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: That the sites and property detailed in Annex A to the report be appropriated in the financial year 2008/09, at the valuations and to the statutory powers shown in that annex, other than the Peaseholme Hostel site, which is recommended for appropriation in the year that the Hostel is vacated by Housing Services.¹

REASON:      To maximise the capital resources in the areas that will benefit all the Council’s Corporate Priorities.

This report provides an update on carry forward issues that were deferred by the Executive at its meeting on 30th June 2008 and provides Members with information on the levels of the Council’s reserves over the next three years including the underspend from 2007/08 in order to consider if any of these reserves should be used for specific purposes in 2008/09.

Note:  The above report was published with this agenda on Monday, 21 July 2008.

[See also under Part B Minutes]

RESOLVED: (i)         That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to approve the payment of £22k compensation to the Guildhall Orchestra, subject to the receipt of relevant supporting documentation from the Orchestra - that is, a breakdown of the concert income and costs data shown on the first sheet of the supplementary information circulated at the meeting, together with an explanation of the cost increases shown.

                        (ii)        That the payment of £2k compensation to other users of the Barbican, as highlighted in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

REASON:      To ensure the fair payment of compensation for losses incurred as a result of the closure of the Barbican.

                        (iii)       That £18.8k be released from the 2008/09 contingency to fund the four schemes proposed to commence through the IT Development Plan and that the ongoing costs of £47.9k per annum be funded through the IT Development Plan from 2009/10 onwards, subject to a business case for the QPR/PMS system and home care monitoring system coming back to the Executive to detail the cost savings which will be generated from the investment.

REASON:      In accordance with the recommendation of the Corporate IT Strategy Group following consideration of the updated business cases for these schemes.

[See also under Part B Minutes]

Members considered a report which provided an update on the carry-forward issues deferred by the Executive on 30 June 2008, together with information on the level of the Council’s reserves over the next three years.  A decision was sought as to whether any of these reserves should be used for specific purposes in 2008/09.

The Executive had requested further information on the following carry-forward proposals:

• Unexpected social care costs of £275k - further work was on-going in this area and a report would be brought back in September.
• Compensation payment requests to the Guildhall Orchestra and two other users of the Barbican – further information was set out in Annex 1 to the report.
• £38k set aside in contingency for 2008/09 to include further schemes in the IT Development Plan that were on a reserve list – summaries of the updated business cases for these bids were presented in Annex 2.

A forecast position on the level of the Council’s reserves for the current financial year through to 2010/11 was attached at Annex 3 to the report.  This indicated a decline in the ‘headroom’ figure above the minimum level of reserves in each successive year, falling from £9,845k in the current year to £1,937k by the end of 2010/11.  The report advised that it would not be prudent to organise a separate allocation process to spend a one-off amount of reserves at this early stage in the year.  However, the Executive’s approval was sought in principle to create a separate fund for ‘invest to save’ schemes that would contribute to meeting the Council’s efficiency target. This would enable high levels of reserves to be used early in the period, on the basis that they were repaid from efficiencies made as levels of reserves began to fall.

Further information relating to the finances of the Guildhall Orchestra was circulated at the meeting.  [This has been made available on-line as an additional annex to the report on this item].

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to approve the payment of £22k compensation to the Guildhall Orchestra, subject to the receipt of relevant supporting documentation from the Orchestra - that is, a breakdown of the concert income and costs data shown on the first sheet of the supplementary information circulated at the meeting, together with an explanation of the cost increases shown.¹

                        (ii)        That the payment of £2k compensation to other users of the Barbican, as highlighted in Annex 1 to the report, be approved. ²

REASON:      To ensure the fair payment of compensation for losses incurred as a result of the closure of the Barbican.

                        (iii)       That £18.8k be released from the 2008/09 contingency to fund the four schemes proposed to commence through the IT Development Plan and that the ongoing costs of £47.9k per annum be funded through the IT Development Plan from 2009/10 onwards, subject to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

This report asks Members to consider the benefits ofweb-casting Council meetings and the cost effectiveness of such an exercise.

RECOMMENDED:That Officers be asked to produce a report into the piloting of a scheme which would utilise the Council Chamber for web-casting, using an ‘out-hosted’ system, this report to identify the revenue and resource implications of such a scheme.

REASON:                  On the basis that an out-hosted system would not require ICT to support the system and to ensure that the advantages, disadvantages, costs and resource implications of web-casting are fully understood before committing the Council to its introduction.

[See also under Part AMinutes]

Members considered a report which examined the feasibility of web-casting meetings of full Council and other Council meetings, as requested in a motion approved by full Council on 10 April 2008. 

The report examined the background to web-based multi-media tools (otherwise known as web-casting) and presented the following options for Members’ consideration:

Option 1 – do not introduce a web-casting facility.

Option 2 – introduce a web-casting facility either by leasing a system on an ‘out-hosted’ basis, or by purchasing a system to run in-house. 

If Option 2 were chosen, Members were invited to consider whether to test the market by means of a tender process (Option 2a) or to seek a negotiated contract (Option 2b).  They were also invited to agree whether or not to proceed on the basis of a one-year pilot period should they decide to lease an ‘out-hosted’ system.

Information on other authorities using web-casting, together with costing comparison figures and an example of data protection information, was annexed to the report (Annexes A, B and C).  Information requested by Members regarding the impact on staff resources of introducing web-casting was included in a further annex added to the agenda after publication (Annex D).

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RECOMMENDED:That Officers be asked to produce a report into the piloting of a scheme which would utilise the Council Chamber for web-casting, using an ‘out-hosted’ system, this report to identify the revenue and resource implications of such a scheme. ¹

REASON:                  On the basis that an out-hosted system would not require ICT to support the system and to ensure that the advantages, disadvantages, costs and resource implications of web-casting are fully understood before committing the Council to its introduction.

[See also under Part A Minutes]

RECOMMENDED:(i) That an ‘invest to save’ fund of £1m be established from the General Reserve.

REASON:                  To build capacity in the Council to deliver the increased efficiency target.

[See also under Part A Minutes]

Members considered a report which provided an update on the carry-forward issues deferred by the Executive on 30 June 2008, together with information on the level of the Council’s reserves over the next three years.  A decision was sought as to whether any of these reserves should be used for specific purposes in 2008/09.

The Executive had requested further information on the following carry-forward proposals:

• Unexpected social care costs of £275k - further work was on-going in this area and a report would be brought back in September.
• Compensation payment requests to the Guildhall Orchestra and two other users of the Barbican – further information was set out in Annex 1 to the report.
• £38k set aside in contingency for 2008/09 to include further schemes in the IT Development Plan that were on a reserve list – summaries of the updated business cases for these bids were presented in Annex 2.

A forecast position on the level of the Council’s reserves for the current financial year through to 2010/11 was attached at Annex 3 to the report.  This indicated a decline in the ‘headroom’ figure above the minimum level of reserves in each successive year, falling from £9,845k in the current year to £1,937k by the end of 2010/11.  The report advised that it would not be prudent to organise a separate allocation process to spend a one-off amount of reserves at this early stage in the year.  However, the Executive’s approval was sought in principle to create a separate fund for ‘invest to save’ schemes that would contribute to meeting the Council’s efficiency target. This would enable high levels of reserves to be used early in the period, on the basis that they were repaid from efficiencies made as levels of reserves began to fall.

Having noted the advice of the Shadow Executive on this item, it was

RECOMMENDED:(i) That an ‘invest to save’ fund of £1m be established from the General Reserve. ¹

REASON:                  To build capacity in the Council to deliver the increased efficiency target.