Corporate Governance Committee (Wirral Council) 16th November 2011 Part 1, Declarations of Interest, Minutes

Corporate Governance Committee Chair (Cllr Steve Foulkes) Cllr Phil Davies Cllr Adrian Jones Cllr Anne McArdle Cllr Ann McLachlan In attendance (right to speak, not to vote or make decisions) Cllr Jeff Green Cllr Tom Harney Officers Ian Coleman, Director of Finance/Deputy Chief Executive Jim Wilkie, Chief Executive Bill Norman, Director of Law, HR & … Continue reading “Corporate Governance Committee (Wirral Council) 16th November 2011 Part 1, Declarations of Interest, Minutes”

Corporate Governance Committee

Chair (Cllr Steve Foulkes)
Cllr Phil Davies
Cllr Adrian Jones
Cllr Anne McArdle
Cllr Ann McLachlan

In attendance (right to speak, not to vote or make decisions)
Cllr Jeff Green
Cllr Tom Harney

Officers
Ian Coleman, Director of Finance/Deputy Chief Executive
Jim Wilkie, Chief Executive
Bill Norman, Director of Law, HR & Asset Management
Others including committee clerk etc

The agenda and reports can be found here.

The meeting started with an apology from Cllr Foulkes who said he was “sorry to be late”. There were no declarations of interest. The committee then discussed the minutes of the Corporate Governance Committee held on the 26th October 2011.

Bill Norman mentioned that Cllr Tom Harney had communicated with him about the minutes which were in draft form. The draft minutes gave the impression that both Cllr Tom Harney and Cllr Jeff Green had been recorded in the minutes as members of the committee. However this would be changed to “in attendance”.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said he wanted “to set our stall out”, “not force to votes” and hoped the invite [to Cllr Tom Harney and Cllr Jeff Green] would be accepted in the spirit it was given. He then went on to talk about the “rules of engagement” and how they would “shape decisions”.

Cllr Adrian Jones said it would be “nice to get consensus”.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said he accepted the suggested changes [to the minutes]. The minutes with changes were agreed and the committee considered item 3 Work Program, Progress and Associated Issues.

Planning Committee Part 1 Cllr Elderton interrupts proceedings, Planning Committee discusses freedom of speech

The Chair of the Planning Committee, Cllr Elderton interrupted Cllr Niblock tonight during the Planning Committee during its consideration of planning application APP/10/01105 (agenda item 4).

This is what Cllr Elderton (and others) said (or at least what could be heard on the recording as there are segments on the recording where there is more than one voice talking at a time) so some words may be lost. There are five speakers in this segment.

Speakers
Cllr David Elderton (Conservative Party), Chair of the Planning Committee
John Brace (this is myself)
Leonora Brace (this is my wife and editor of this blog)
Cllr Chris Blakeley (Conservative Party), Standards Committee member
Legal adviser (Legal adviser to the Planning Committee)

Chair Cllr David Elderton: Sorry, can I just stop you councillor for a minute? Somebody is videoing proceedings in the front row and that is not allowed.

John Brace: I’ve got a letter from Steve Foulkes that says it is.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: Sorry?

John Brace: I’ve got a letter from the Leader of the Council that says it is.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: Who’s told you it is?

John Brace: Cllr Steve Foulkes in response to a question at full Council.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: I’m going to get some legal advice on this.

John Brace: OK.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: We do not normally have these proceedings errm errm.

Cllr Chris Blakeley: Can I?

Chair Cllr David Elderton: photographed because we have problems in terms of personal people’s personal activities do not necessarily want them recorded.

Cllr Chris Blakeley: Chairman, can I help as a member of the Standards Committee? The Standards Committee earlier this year approved the Council be open and transparent in the use of media to be allowed in all meetings.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: Very good, I’m just concerned that it might err influence the way people speak in an open manner. And I’ll take some legal advice on that.

Legal adviser: I’m not sure of the errm of the issue in regards to what.

John Brace: Sorry I can’t hear you, could you use the microphone?

Legal adviser: not sure of the difference in what Cllr Foulkes has told you or the errm take what the Standards Board have said into account. It is highly unusual for the for the undertaking to be errm recorded, and I’m not sure if what the Standards Committee have recommended has actually been passed down to this committee as as a as a decision.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: Certainly not.

Legal adviser: I would think that until that has been until it’s been actually passed down to the various committees, that that would not be accepted as usual practice. I think there is transparency with regards to the media and in an around the success and publicity

Editor Leonora Brace: Turn it off!

Legal adviser: with regards to the decision making process but the actual visual recording something I would expect the Chairman to be aware of to be acceptable. If the Chairman hasn’t been informed by the Leader then I would think that pending clarification and confirmation with the Chairman I would think that it must be acceptable.

Cllr Chris Blakeley: Can I just?

Chair Cllr David Elderton: I’m not having an open public meeting.

Cllr Chris Blakeley: I’m just trying to be helpful. Those minutes were approved by Council, then Council has agreed to allow filming and photography at council meeting. That’s all I’m saying.

Editor Leonora Brace: Turn it off.

Cllr Chris Blakeley: If Council has agreed those minutes then that’s allowed.

Chair Cllr David Elderton: I need some help with it. My first concern is to avoid people being compromised and being intimidated by a cameraman.

Editor Leonora Brace: Turn it off!

Recording ends as per instruction from editor to cease recording and the practical reason of running out of tape. 

Planning Applications affecting Bidston & St. James ward (13/10/2011 to 2/11/2011)

There were only two planning applications decided by officers during this period.

The first was for the erection of one non-illuminated fascia sign at Park View Hotel, 426-428 Price Street, Birkenhead, CH41 4JQ. This is for an advertisement consent. However it has been withdrawn by the applicant.

The second is for erection of a rear balcony to a master bedroom at Brailsford, 59 ELEANOR ROAD, BIDSTON, CH43 7QW. This is for full planning application and was approved on 2nd November 2011 with two conditions.

The first condition is that work on it has to be started by 2nd November 2014. The second condition is that details of a 1.7m privacy screen have to be agreed in writing by Wirral Council and the privacy screen has to be erected and maintained.

There is one planning application from Bidston & St. James ward for a first floor fire escape staircase to the rear of 270 Conway Street, Birkenhead, CH41 3JA to be decided by the Planning Committee tonight. The reason for the referral of this to the Planning Committee is that is that a Labour councillor called Cllr Paul Doughty is a partner and architect at SDA Architects and Surveyors who are the agents on this planning application.

Any planning applications that Wirral Council councillors have a close association with get decided by the Planning Committee under existing Wirral Council policies.

Merseyside Pension Fund accounts, Ed Davey letter about Post Offices, Free Mersey Tunnel Fast Tags (disabled)

Every so often I write a post that answers questions people have posed by searching for my blog in search engines.

There have been a couple of searches today for the Merseyside Pension Fund Annual Accounts for 2010/2011.

Merseyside Pension Fund is administered by Wirral Council. There are of course two versions of the accounts for 2010/2011, the unaudited and audited accounts. The audited accounts are below. Please click for a larger version. The rest of the information relating to the accounts can be found on Wirral Council’s website.

Merseyside Pension Fund Accounts 2010/2011

The second question is from visitors curious about Lib Dem Ed Davey MP (Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs)’s letter to local councils about Post Offices. I’ve requested a copy from Ed Davey and will write about this issue when I receive it.

Another is about the Fast Tags for the disabled (for going through the Mersey Tunnels). All the information about the free Fast Tag for the disabled can be found on Mersey Tunnel’s website and the Application Form can be downloaded here.

Disclaimer (in the interests of open journalism): My wife is in receipt of a Fast Tag (on disablity grounds) for Mersey Tunnels. My father is a member of the Merseyside Pension Fund.

Cabinet 3/11/2011 Part 1 Motions (Inflation, Projected Budget & PACSPE call-in)

The agenda and reports are here.

There were three motions at last week’s Cabinet meeting. They are all below.

Agenda Item: Provision for Inflation 2012-2013

Cabinet agrees all the recommendations, Cabinet asks Chief Officers to contain any price inflation costs within their existing budgets, as it notes that the long term Government assumption of inflation costs is set at 2% which is the amount contained within the projected budget, and that this will equate to a savings of £4.2m at a time when the Council is facing serious financial pressures.

Agenda Item: Budget Projections 2012-2015

Cabinet notes, with dismay, that the projected budget gap is likely to rise by 2014/15 to nearly £47m as a result of likely changes in the Local Government Resource Review and the implications of new legislation.

Cabinet recognises that these are projections based on what is known or anticipated at the moment on a pro rata basis between authorities, and could perhaps be even worse than anticipated when the direct impact on Wirral is calculated.

Cabinet expresses its grave concern that potential cuts at this level will be extremely damaging to Wirral’s services and to the people of Wirral at a time when the country’s economy is facing a slide into depression and poorer areas will once more be those which are hit the hardest.

Agenda Item: Parks and Countryside Services Procurement Exercise (PACSPE) – Outcome of Call-In

This Cabinet has considered carefully the resolution submitted to it by the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

It recognises the detailed work that went into the procurement process and the Gateway Reviews that were carried out as part of that process and does not question the thoroughness of those Reviews or the dedication and ability of those carrying out those Reviews;

However, the Cabinet believes that this does not alter the fact that detailed unit costs and specific activity levels, which would have allowed for full comparator costs to be available to check against the tender specifications, were not available and that this would have left the Council open to the same criticism on the PACSPE contract that was levied against the HESPE contract:

  • Cabinet recognises the seriousness of the qualification by the District Auditor of the Council’s Value for Money statement and of the warning to Members that they should be aware of the increased risk of letting a ten year contract if there is only very limited information on the costs and activity levels of the existing service because there is nothing to monitor against when assessing whether or not letting the contract has delivered better value for money.
  • Cabinet further considered the position that the cost of contractual inflation over a period of three years at current CPI levels would erode any savings delivered by outsourcing the contract and in subsequent years could increase costs to the Council.
  • Cabinet was further mindful that this decision was being taken when a highly critical Corporate Governance report had just been published which pointed in general to weaknesses in the Council’s commissioning, managing and where necessary dismissing failing contractors and suppliers.
  • Cabinet, therefore, re-iterates its decision taking on 22 September 2011 and re-affirms the full content of the resolution passed, as stated in Cabinet Minute No. 117, including its confidence in the ability and commitment of the workforce to deliver an excellent service, with proper support and good management, over the next ten years.