Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence submitted on this occasion.

There were no reported declarations of interest or dispensations at this point during the meeting.  (NB. Councillor Munsif Dad BEM JP made a declaration prior to the discussion reported at Minute 202 below).

To approve the Minutes of the last meeting of Cabinet held on 20^th October 2021.

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 20^th October 2021 were submitted for approval as a correct record.

Resolved                                    -    That the Minutes be received and approved as a correct record.

To receive verbal reports from each of the Portfolio Holders, as appropriate.

Councillor Paul Cox, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, reported on a record breaking year for the Green Flag Awards.  Nine of Hyndburn’s parks and open spaces now boasted the Green Flag Award, which recognised the quality work undertaken.  In addition, at the recent 25^th Annual Green Flag Awards ceremony, held on-line, Hyndburn had been successful in winning 2 categories:

• Gordon Mason was victorious as one of four finalists for Employee of the Year award.  He had been a crucial part of Hyndburn Council’s Parks Team for almost 50 years.

• Ann Warrington was one of 15 finalists for the Volunteer of the Year award.  Ann had taken on the creation and development of the Friends of Rhyddings Park, Oswaldtwistle.

The Cabinet’s thanks was recorded to the above individuals and to all of the other employees and volunteers whose hard work had helped to make the Council’s parks, cemeteries and open spaces so exceptional.  The Leader noted that these achievements were a credit to all involved.

Resolved                               (1)     The Cabinet notes the Borough’s successes in relation to the Green Flag Awards

(2)     That the Democratic Services Manager be requested to draft a letter on behalf of the Leader of the Council, Cabinet and Leader of the Opposition to thank the above-mentioned award winners for their hard work.

Report attached.

Councillor Paul Cox, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, provided a report asking the Cabinet to consider further support for the indoor Market Hall traders by extending the current period of rent concessions, due to the unprecedented pressures brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic and reduction in footfall across local high streets.

Councillor P Cox provided an introduction to the report as follows.  The Council acknowledged the difficulties faced by traders within the indoor Market Hall and understood the best way to help them throughout this period.  Previously, a 22.5% rent concession had been agreed at the Cabinet meeting in July 2021, on top of a 30% rent concession agreed at its meeting in November 2019,  However, footfall remained low on the ground floor and stalls were struggling.  There were some positive signs, as there was now a waiting list for the first floor balcony outlets and high occupancy levels of the outdoor stalls.  Nowhere else in the North West currently offered the level of support provided by Hyndburn Borough Council, which recognised the importance of this amenity to the Town Centre’s redevelopment.

Councillor Michael Miller, Joint Deputy Leader of the Opposition, asked whether it might be more prudent to extend the concessions for, say, six months only and then review the measures.  The impacts of COVID were not expected to be permanent and ultimately the Market Hall needed to be self-sustaining financially.  There was a suggestion that a 3 year business plan should be developed, but that repeatedly extending concessions was not the right approach.  He queried whether this had led to increased take up of stalls.

Councillor P Cox responded that the measures were intended to show a commitment to supporting existing traders, to acknowledge that they were included in the Council’s future plans and to provide them with a degree of financial certainty.  Use of the outdoor market pavilions had increased and the first floor balcony was doing well.  Rental values were thought to be realistic given the circumstances.  Concessions had brought new traders in and there remained a potential for small businesses on the balcony to grow and move downstairs.

The Leader remarked that the Market Hall was a commercial venture, but that it was also central to the emerging Town Centre Investment Plan.  Overall recovery might take several years, but there were quick gains to be made by improving footfall in the Market Hall.  A recent survey had showed a disappointing level of patronage by local residents.  However, if the Market Hall adapted to provide a goods which could not be purchased easily on-line, it could ‘wash its face’.  The stall rental values were set based on demand, taking into account an oversupply of retail units in Accrington and the rent currently set for shops in the area.  Accordingly, the concessions were thought to be appropriate at this time.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

Previous reports to Cabinet had highlighted the downturn  ...  view the full minutes text for item 199.

Report of Councillor Jenny Molineux, Chair of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, attached.  The subject matter and recommendations fall within the remit of the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Wellbeing and are presented for consideration.

Members considered a report of Councillor Jenny Molineux, Chair of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The subject matter and recommendations fell within the remit of the Councillor Loraine Cox, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Wellbeing.

Councillor Molineux provided a brief introduction to the report as follows:

The Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee had received a report and presentation from Lancashire County Council Public Health at its meeting on 8^th July 2021.  The report had highlighted concerns that Real Time Surveillance data of suspected suicide rates in Hyndburn had increased.

Each and every suicide was a tragedy, which caused devastating and permanent impacts on families, friends and broader communities.  It was estimated that annually 800,000 people across the world died by suicide, with 5,316 people sadly taking their life in England in 2019.  It was of the utmost importance that the Council did all it could to reduce this number as far as possible, so that fewer people died by suicide.  But, it was also of the utmost importance that when, tragically, somebody did end their life by suicide their family, friends and broader community who had been bereaved received whatever support they needed in place to manage their loss.

Lancashire County Council Public Health were working in partnership with the Integrated Care System to reduce the number of suicides in Lancashire, and had presented their Action Plan for the first wave of intervention to the Scrutiny Committee, with a focus on prevention.

The Committee had resolved to establish a Scrutiny Panel to carry out a light touch review, specifically focussed on:

• What did Hyndburn Borough Council already do to support suicide prevention; and
• What more could Hyndburn Borough Council do as part of its core business to support suicide prevention.

Councillor Loraine Cox reiterated that each suicide was a tragedy, not only to the individual but also to their family, friends and the broader community.  The Council should do all that was possible to reduce the number of attempts and deaths and to support other persons affected.  She encouraged Members to support the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations.

Approval of the report was not deemed a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

The report set out the detailed reasons for the recommendation and included information on the following:

• Background and context;
• Suicides in Lancashire – National data reporting;
• Hyndburn Borough Council – current interventions:

o    Employee Wellbeing;

o    Staff training;

o    Hyndburn Hub;

o    Policy;

o    Marketing and Communications;

o    Leisure;

o    High risk locations;

o    Other matters; and

• Hyndburn Borough Council – potential further interventions.

A detailed Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Action Plan was also appended to the report.

Alternative Options considered and Reasons for Rejection

The Council could choose not to sign up to the Mental Health Challenge, Appoint a Member Champion or adopt a Mental Health and Suicide Action Plan.  This was rejected as real time surveillance showed Hyndburn was a growing area of concern for suicides.

Resolved                                 -      That Cabinet resolves:

(1)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 200.

Report attached.

Councillor Joyce Plummer, Portfolio Holder for Resources, provided a report on the Financial Position as at October 2021 and the financial forecast outturn position for the Accounting Year 2021/22.

Councillor Plummer highlighted the following issues in connection with the report:-

The Council’s overall financial position continued to improve as the year progressed and it  was now able to forecast that an underspend of around £191,000 was likely to occur by the year end.

The Council had secured additional funding to help it with the key work it was doing on COVID 19 and this had allowed a more robust forecast of the overall position to be made.  The authority should now be able to cope over the second half of the year with its extra COVID activities without it having a negative impact on overall finances, if rates of infection and demand on services largely stayed as currently imagined.

However, the threat from COVID remained and if infection levels increased over the winter it might be necessary for the Council to increase its activity in combatting the spread of the pandemic.  This would lead to additional spending beyond the forecasts made in this report and the predicted underspend would dwindle or disappear in those circumstances.

The Council would continue to closely monitor the changing impact of COVID across Hyndburn and map its impact on spending, so that any early signs of costs increasing could be identified.

Elsewhere on the core budget of the Council, the authority continued to see pressures on income levels in Corporate Property and at the Market Hall as the Council contended with a changed commercial and retail letting environment, but the adverse variances occurring here were offset by savings in other areas of the Council and the position remained positive overall.

Councillor Michael Miller thanked the Finance Team for their hard work and prudent financial management.  He enquired about the £190k additional staffing costs in Regeneration and Property Services and asked whether the expenditure was for core staff or COVID support staff.  Mark Hoyle, Head of Regeneration and Housing, responded that these costs were largely in respect of core staff, due to using agency staff to fill key senior posts.  However, the overspend should come to an end next year.

Approval of the report was not a key decision.

Reason for Decision

The spend for the first 7 months of the financial year to the end of October 2021 was £7,558,000 compared to a Budget of £8,396,000 giving a positive variance of £838,000 over the first 7 months of the year.

The current forecast spend to the end of the financial year in March 2022 was £11,036,000 compared to a Budget of £11,227,000.  This forecast produced a positive variance of £191,000 by the end of the financial year.

The Council had received additional financial support from Lancashire County Council (LCC) to meet the cost of continuing COVID 19 pressures over the second half of the year.  This would allow the Council to meet its  ...  view the full minutes text for item 201.

Report attached.

Members considered an update report of Councillor Miles Parkinson OBE, Leader of the Council, on the Hyndburn Leisure Transformation project.

The Leader outlined the key features of the report as follows

Following a previous report to Full Council on 19th November 2020 and to Cabinet on 10th February 2021 and 14th July 2021, a report had been completed, providing Cabinet with Sport England’s Strategic Outcomes Planning Guidance (SOPR) document.

This strategic document, developed by Sport England was required to be signed off by them, if Capital Investment was being sought by the Authority towards its future capital investment projects.  External consultants had inputted into this document, with supporting information, evidence, and data from various sources including Sports England’s Project Management and Design and Cost Consultants for Major Capital Investment.

The purpose of the SOPR was to provide the Council with service and facility interventions for delivering and facilitating community leisure and wellbeing in the Borough that met the needs of the local population.  It was based on a well evidenced and researched review of provision now and into the future and included clear recommendations providing a delivery framework and action plans.

The intention was to develop high quality sport and leisure provision within the Borough.  Poor health was an issue for many residents.  The Borough’s existing indoor and outdoor sports facilities were aging and needed investment.  The Council was committed to supporting this and would take a strategic approach.  There was a need to understand where best to target resources.  A Local Vision had been developed in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, which aimed to:

• boost accessibility;
• promote an active environment; and
• be sustainable.

Progress against Phase 1 of the project had provided the Council with the rationale for improving health and wellbeing based on strong evidence.  Some clear recommendations had emerged and a delivery framework and action pan had been produced.  Key projects included:

• Refurbishment of Hyndburn Leisure Centre;
• Replacement of Mercer Hall and possible relocation of facilities to Wilsons Playing Fields; and
• Replacement of the pavilion at Wilsons Playing Fields.

The Mercer Hall facilities could not be replaced like for like at the same location due to the constrained site and Wilson’s Playing Fields potentially offered the most suitable alternative location, which would include a new build.

The timescales for subsequent Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) work stages were outlined.

Regarding leisure provision generally, work was already on-going in relation to the decarbonisation project at Hyndburn Sports Centre.  In addition, grant funding had been obtained by both Hyndburn Leisure and Clayton Amateur Boxing Club for Clayton Civic Hall.  In total over £265k would be invested at Clayton Civic Hall over the next six months.  The Council had been invited to submit a combined Expression of Interest (EOI) to Sport England’s Strategic Facilities Fund for £2 million, comprising £1.5M for a new facility to replace Mercer Hall Leisure Centre and £0.5M for the Hyndburn Leisure Centre refurbishment.  Hyndburn Leisure had also entered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 202.

Recommended          That, in accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the public be excluded from the meeting during the following items, when it is likely, in view of the nature of the proceedings that there will otherwise be disclosure of exempt information within the Paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Act specified at the items.

Details of any representations received by the Executive about why the following report should be considered in public – none received.

Statement in response to any representations – not required.

Resolved                                    -    That, in accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the public be excluded from the meeting during the following item, when it was likely, in view of the nature of the proceedings that there would otherwise be disclosure of exempt information within the Paragraph at Schedule 12A of the Act specified at the item.

In accordance with Regulation 5(6)(a) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, approval is being sought from Councillor Jenny Molineux, Chair of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to the following decision being made by Cabinet on 8^th December 2021, in private, on the grounds that the decision is urgent and cannot reasonably be deferred.

Exempt information by virtue of Paragraph 3 - Relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

Report attached

In accordance with Regulation 5(6)(a) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, approval was given by Councillor Jenny Molineux, Chair of the Communities and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to the following decision being made by Cabinet on 8^th December 2021, in private, on the grounds that the decision was urgent and could not reasonably be deferred.  The relevant notice had been published on 30^th November 2021.

Exempt information under the Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A, Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

Councillor Loraine Cox, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Wellbeing, provided a report seeking the Cabinet’s approval to the disposal of 0.49 acres of land at Back Lane, Baxenden.

Approval of the report was not a key decision.

Reasons for Decision

The reasons for the decision were set out in the exempt report.

Alternative Options Considered and Reasons for Rejection

The alternative options considered and reasons for rejection were set out in the exempt report.

Resolved                                    -    That the recommendations as set out in the exempt report be approved.