Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

73.

Apologies for Absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor M Berry (no substitute), Councillor D Jarvis (Substitute: Councillor T Cox), Councillor J Moyies (Substitute: Councillor B Beggs), Councillor N Ward (no substitute) and Councillor R Woodley.

74.

Declarations of Interest

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following interests were declared at the meeting:

 

(a)        Councillors P Collins, S George, I Gilbert, C Mulroney and S Wakefield (Cabinet Members) - Interest in the called-in items; attended pursuant to the dispensation agreed at Council on 19 July 2012, under S.33 of the Localism Act 2011.

 

(b)        Councillors P Collins, S George, I Gilbert, C Mulroney and S Wakefield (Cabinet Members) - Interest in the referred items; attended pursuant to the dispensation agreed at Council on 19 July 2012, under S.33 of the Localism Act 2011.

 

(c)        Councillor M Borton - Minute 75 (Questions from Members of the Public) - Lives in Rochester Drive, which is referred to in the response to one of the public questions.

 

(d)        Councillor M Borton - Minute 78 (Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22) - Member of the Board of Directors of South Essex Homes and holder of a concessionary bus pass.

 

(e)        Councillor M Davidson - Minute 78 (Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22) - Member of the Board of Directors of South Essex Homes.

 

(f)         Councillor A Jones - Minute 78 (Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22) - Family members graduated from the ‘Kick Start’ programme referred to in the report and work in passenger transport services.

 

(g)        Councillor A Thompson - Minute 78 (Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22) - Undertakes voluntary work for South Essex Homes.

 

(h)        Councillor S Wakefield (Cabinet Member) - Minute 78 (Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22) - Sub-Contractor for South Essex Homes.

 

(i)          Councillor P Wexham - Minute 78 (Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22) - Member of the Board of Directors of South Essex Homes.

 

(j)          Councillor K Buck - Minute 80 (Levelling Up Fund Round 2) - The Executive Chairman of the Stockvale Group that owns and operates Adventure Island is known to the councillor.

 

(k)        Councillor J Warren - Minute 80 (Levelling Up Fund Round 2) - Works for James Duddridge, MPfor Rochford and Southend East.

 

(l)          Councillor S George (Cabinet Member) - Minute 82 (City Music Festival) - Member of the Town 2 City Partnership.

 

(m)      Councillor A Jones - Minute 82 (City Music Festival) - Family member works for competitor of an organisation providing sponsorship for the proposed music festival.

 

(n)        Councillor C Mulroney (Cabinet Member) - Minute 82 (City Music Festival) - Member of the Town 2 City Partnership.

 

(o)        Councillor J Warren - Minute 82 (City Music Festival) – Has attended meetings of the Town 2 City Partnership working for James Duddridge MP.

 

(p)        Councillor A Jones - Minute 86 (Summary of Work 2021/22 and In-Depth Scrutiny Project 2022/23) - Family member works in the vehicle manufacturing industry.

 

 

 

 

 

75.

Questions from Members of the Public pdf icon PDF 311 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee noted the responses of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Tourism, the Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Parking, the Cabinet Member for Asset Management and Inward Investment and the Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery, Regeneration and Housing, to questions presented by David Webb and Judith McMahon.

 

76.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Monday, 14th March 2022 pdf icon PDF 208 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:

 

That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 March 2022 be confirmed as a correct record and signed.

77.

Minutes of the Special Meeting held on Tuesday, 22nd March 2022 pdf icon PDF 197 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:

 

That the minutes of the special meeting of the Committee held on 22 March 2022 be confirmed as a correct record and signed.

78.

Delivery of Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities: Annual Report and Provisional Resources Outturn 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 746 KB

Called-in to all three Scrutiny Committees by Councillors Cox and Davidson

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered Minute 4 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 14 June 2022, which had been called-in for scrutiny by each of the scrutiny committees, together with a report of the Executive Director (Finance and Resources) presenting the Southend 2050 Outcomes and Priorities Annual Report for 2021/22 and the provisional resources outturn for 2021/22.

 

Resolved:

 

That the following decisions and recommendations of the Cabinet be noted:

 

“1. That the achievements, successes and challenges brought to life within the Annual Report 2021/22 (Section 4 and Appendix 1 to the submitted report), be noted.

 

Recommended:

 

2. That the provisional 2021/22 revenue outturn position for both the General Fund (Section 5) and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) (Section 6), be noted and that the agreement of any final adjustments and the transfer of the actual final General Fund outturn position to the Business Transformation Reserve (Section 5.4 of the report) following the completion and audit of the Statement of Accounts be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director (Finance and Resources).

 

3. That the appropriation of revenue funds to and (from) earmarked reserves, as set out in Section 5.19 to 5.25 (General Fund) and Section 6.6 (HRA) of the report, be approved.

 

4. That the potential revenue impact of the 2021/22 outturn on the 2022/23 General Fund budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy (Section 5.26 – 5.39 of the report), be noted.

 

5. That it be noted that the expenditure on the capital investment programme for 2021/22 totalled £68.969M against a revised budget of £78.632M (Sections 7.4 and 7.7 of the report).

 

6. That the relevant budget carry forwards and accelerated delivery requests totalling a net £11.759M moving into 2022/23 and future years, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved.

 

7. That the virements, reprofiles, additions, deletions and new external funding for schemes, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report, be approved and it be noted that this will result in an amended Capital Investment Programme deliverable by the Council of £145.906M for the period 2022/23 to 2026/27, as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report.

 

8. That it be noted that the requested changes as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report will result in an amended total Capital Investment Programme deliverable by South Essex Homes Limited, Porters Place Southend-on-Sea LLP and Kent County Council of £55.759M, as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report.

 

9. That a review take place and appropriate consideration be given to the affordability and prioritisation of the current approved Capital Investment Programme and the schemes currently listed as subject to viable business cases.

 

10. That the content of the Infrastructure Funding Statement 2021/22 (included in Appendix 4 to the report), be noted and that the Main Fund receipts from reported year 2021/22 and previous reported years be carried forward until the CIL Governance Framework and spending plans are reviewed for the reported year 2022/23.

 

11. That the five-year deadline for spending the CIL Ward Neighbourhood Allocations be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

79.

Waste Procurement pdf icon PDF 483 KB

Called-in by Councillors Cox and Davidson

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered Minute 5 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 14 June 2022, which had been called-in for scrutiny, together with a report of the Executive Director (Neighbourhoods and Environment) setting out the outcome of the early market engagement exercise in accordance with the Council decision of 24 March 2022 and highlighting the key points of feedback.  The report also proposed the approach that should be set so that the formal procurement exercise could commence.

 

In response to questions raised by members of the Committee, the Cabinet Member for Asset Management and Inward Investment undertook to provide details of the tender specification for the new Recycling, Waste and Cleansing Contract to all members of the Committee, at such time as this had been finalised.

 

Resolved:

 

1.          That the matter be referred back to the Cabinet for reconsideration as the Committee was concerned that the proposed approach to the formal procurement exercise for the new Recycling, Waste and Cleansing Contract appeared to be focussed on the adoption of arrangements for alternate weekly recycling and waste collections.

 

2.          That, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 39, the matter be referred to full Council for consideration.

 

Note: This is an Executive function

Cabinet Member: Councillor P Collins

 

80.

Levelling Up Fund Round 2 pdf icon PDF 350 KB

Referred direct by Cabinet

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered Minute 62 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 1 July 2022, which had been referred directly to the Committee for scrutiny, together with a report of the Interim Executive Director (Growth and Housing) setting out the proposed approach to applications to the Government’s Levelling-Up Fund Round 2 and the outcomes that would be achieved from successful bids.

 

In response to questions raised by members of the Committee, the Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery, Regeneration and Housing undertook to consider whether written undertakings received from the prospective operator of the ‘Southend Air’ visitor attraction proposed to be delivered as part of the Culture-Led Regeneration bid, for the showcase of other local attractions and to work with the Council to add value to the city-wide cultural programme, could be provided to members of the Committee without breaching commercial confidentiality. The Cabinet Member also undertook to investigate whether the ‘Southend Air’ attraction would be required to be operated for any minimum period as a condition of the receipt of levelling-up funding and to advise members of the Committee accordingly.

 

Resolved:

 

That the following decisions and recommendations of the Cabinet be noted:

 

“1. That a bid be submitted to the Levelling-Up Fund (LUF) for highways and the associated capital and revenue costs, be noted.

 

2. That a bid be submitted to the Levelling-Up Fund (LUF) for culture-led city centre regeneration and the capital and revenue costs for the Council, be noted.

 

3. That, if these bids are successful, the relevant legal agreements are entered into to draw down the funding.

 

Recommended

 

4. That if bids are successful, they be included in the Capital Investment Programme, subject to a reprioritisation of the existing programme to ensure that there is no additional net cost to the capital investment programme after including the LUF schemes.”

 

Note: This is an Executive function, save that Recommendation 4 is a Council function.

Cabinet Members: Councillor P Collins and Councillor I Gilbert

 

81.

PSPO Dog Friendly Beach pdf icon PDF 113 KB

Referred direct by Cabinet

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered Minute 65 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 1 July 2022, which had been referred directly to the Committee for scrutiny, together with a report of the Executive Director (Adults and Communities) that provided an update on proposals for a dog friendly beach in Southend.

 

Resolved:

 

That the following decisions of the Cabinet be noted:

 

“1. That a dog friendly beach is not introduced at Shoebury East Beach.

 

2. That the Dog Friendly Beach consultation feedback be noted and the situation regarding an appropriate location be reviewed.”

 

Note: This is an Executive Function

Cabinet Member: Councillor C Mulroney

 

82.

City Music Festival pdf icon PDF 527 KB

Referred direct by Cabinet

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered Minute 67 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 1 July 2022, which had been referred directly to the Committee for scrutiny, together with a report of the Executive Director (Adults and Communities) that sought approval for, and for the Council to partially underwrite, a major music festival to be held in Southend as part of its city year celebrations. The Committee also had before it a confidential financial forecast for the event.

 

In response to questions raised by members of the Committee, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture and Tourism undertook to provide details of the highway management and public transport arrangements for the proposed music festival to all members of the Committee, at such time as these had been finalised with the organisers of the festival.

 

Resolved:

 

That the following decisions of the Cabinet be noted:

 

“1. That a proposed major festival with world class artists be supported to lever in significant benefits to the Southend community.

 

2. That it be noted that commercial sponsorship has already been secured for the festival.

 

3. That the Council underwrites the cost base of the festival by £125,000 and if required will be funded by the Council’s event budget.

 

4. That the Director of Culture and Tourism, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment, Culture & Tourism, be authorised to agree the final arrangements and continue negotiations with partners on further sponsorship.”

 

Note: This is an Executive Function

Cabinet Member: Councillor C Mulroney

 

83.

Exclusion of the Public

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved:

 

That, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the item of business set out below (City Music Festival - Confidential Matters), on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

84.

City Music Festival - Confidential Matters

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered confidential matters in relation to Minute 82 above. The Committee moved into Part 2 business in order that the confidential matters concerning the proposed City Music Festival could be discussed. The Committee moved back into Part 1 for the decision on these matters and the remaining items of business.

85.

Joint In-Depth Scrutiny Project 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 222 KB

Report of Interim Executive Director (Strategy, Change and Governance) attached.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the draft final report arising from the joint in-depth scrutiny project for 2020/21 that had been undertaken on behalf of the Place Scrutiny Committee, the People Scrutiny Committee and the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee.

 

In considering the recommendations of the project that concerned the enhancement or development of digital systems, the Interim Executive Director (Strategy, Change and Governance) confirmed the corporate commitment of the Council to ensure that its services were fully inclusive and that alternative means of contacting the authority would continue to be offered where digital systems might exclude residents and service users.

 

On behalf of the Project Team that led the in-depth scrutiny project, the Chair of the Committee expressed thanks to all councillors and officers that contributed to the project.

 

Resolved:

 

1.          That the report and recommendations arising from the joint in-depth scrutiny project, detailed at Section 12 of the report, be agreed.

 

2.          That the Chair of the Project Team for the joint In Depth Scrutiny Project (Councillor J Moyies) present the report and recommendations of the scrutiny project to a future meeting of the Cabinet.

 

Note: This is a Scrutiny function

86.

Summary of Work 2021/22 & In-Depth Scrutiny Project 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 380 KB

Report of Interim Executive Director (Strategy, Change and Governance) attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Interim Executive Director (Strategy, Change and Governance) providing information on the work carried out by the scrutiny committees during the previous municipal year and seeking agreement to a possible joint approach to in-depth scrutiny activity for 2022/23.

 

Whilst members considered that there could be benefit to the undertaking of the suggested joint scrutiny project around the current cost of living ‘crisis', exploring how the Council provided supportive and streamlined services for local residents, the Committee indicated that it wished to undertake its own in-depth scrutiny project for 2022/23, to ensure that Southend was adequately prepared for the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

 

Resolved:

 

1.          That the summary of the scrutiny work undertaken by the Committee during the 2022/23 municipal year, be noted

 

2.          That the completion of the joint in-depth scrutiny project undertaken on behalf of the People Scrutiny Committee, the Place Scrutiny Committee and the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Committee for 2021/22, around the theme of ‘Enabling Councillors to be Effective’, be noted.

 

3.          That an in-depth scrutiny project be undertaken on behalf of the Committee during the 2022/23 municipal year, on the theme of ‘Preparing Southend-on-Sea for the Electric Vehicle Revolution.’

 

4.          That no other topics be selected by the Committee for additional in-depth review during 2022/23.

 

Note: This is a Scrutiny function.

 

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