Agenda and minutes

Apologies had been received from Mr A C Roberts.

There were no declarations of interest.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am, three working days before the meeting (in this case Monday 16 November 2020).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed below.

Two members of the public addressed the Cabinet:

Mr Andrew Lyon asked questions about item 6 - Land Acquisition and whether game changer sites would include taking opportunities to add additional stations, connect stations to sustainable transport options and examine extending heavy and light rail in Worcestershire? He also asked how would the council ensure that the schemes will achieve net zero carbon emissions and that these schemes contributed to a restoration of Worcestershire’s biodiversity.

Mr David Whiting asked a question pertinent to items 4 and 6 about how the documents on which Cabinet relied met the undertaking contained in the Net Zero Carbon plan.

The Chairman thanked the participants for their contribution and explained that the relevant Cabinet Members would respond in due course.

The Minutes of the meeting of 22 October 2020 have been previously circulated

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 October 2020 were agreed as a correct record of the meeting and would be signed by the Chairman.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Infrastructure introduced the report. The background to the scheme originated in a Notice of Motion ‘Wheels to Work and Education’ submitted to Council in July 2020 by the 2017 group. The Cabinet was being asked to support the preparation of a business case for the scheme which would consider the use of bikes, e-bikes and mopeds and also to consider whether the scheme should be run by the Council or a third party provider. The Cabinet Member for Highways believed the scheme was complementary to the Passenger Transport Strategy and felt it would be good for the community and commuters.

The proposers of the original Notice of Motion stated that this was the start of a shift towards more active travel and would particularly help young people and others who could not afford a car, both in rural and more urban areas and the wins would be economic as well as for health and well-being. The scheme would open up life chances for young people and allow them to attend the college of their choice, allow them to travel to a job and overall help with better air quality.

It was clarified that details of the scheme still needed to be considered and would be different to the one being run in Staffordshire, which was referred to in the report.    It was agreed that other Councils around the Country who had similar schemes should be consulted and that Worcestershire should learn from best practice, as long as that process did not lead to a delay in progressing the scheme. At present there was not a set timescale for implementation.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

(a)  approved commissioning the preparation of a business case for a Wheels to Work Scheme to confirm whether investment in a bespoke Wheels to Work Scheme for Worcestershire offers benefit to the County and value for money; and

(b)  noted that the completed business case and associated recommendations will be reported to Cabinet for a decision.

The Leader, who also has responsibility for finance, introduced the Resources Report. He reported the good news that the budget for the delivery of services was broadly balanced although significant costs had been incurred connected to the response and recovery around Covid. It was believed that the Council should not hold back in its response to Covid which meant a present shortfall of £4.5 million but £1.5 million of savings and efficiencies could be set against that figure along with the financial risk reserve and the MRP which had previously been agreed. It was believed that the Government should pay more towards the Covid response and the Council would lobby Government for additional payments.

The Cabinet member with Responsibility for Adult Services noted that the forecast £100,000 overspend in Adult Services was not satisfactory, but there was £27 million additional spend being given by the Government for Adult Services; there would be a challenge when the Government stopped this support. The Government had that day announced further money would be given for SEND but it was likely to be a one-off payment while work was done on revising the formula.

In terms of savings and efficiencies across the Council, around 71% was on course for delivery. The other 29% would be rolled over and the financial risk reserve would be used to mitigate against the pressures. The overspend on the Waste PFI contract would be rolled forward for a further year.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

(a)    endorsed the Cabinet Member’s conclusions concerning revenue budget monitoring up to 30 September 2020;

(b)   noted the financial impact and forecast for COVID-19 expenditure; and

(c)    noted the emerging Medium-Term Financial Plan risks.

The Cabinet considered the report to note progress on a number of schemes and seek authorisation to acquire land for development for the regeneration of place for residents. The Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure introduced the report and noted that there had been very successful gamechanger sites around the County and this report looked toward Gamechanger 2 sites. He clarified that Council had approved an addition to the capital programme to support this at its meeting the previous week.

Although the Council had the power to compulsory purchase land, it was considered better to give authority to officers to seek to acquire land by agreement for the benefit of economic development. Referring to issues raised by members of the public, the Cabinet Member stated that the Council was keen on rail travel and was working on a rail strategy.  It could take up to 10 years before all the development was realised. The report was an enabler to encourage the economy of the County as a whole.

It was clarified that this was a parameter report and a case would need to be made for specific sites. It was important that the people of Worcestershire understood that the County had a land acquisition framework which allowed for the purchase of land for game changer sites such as the Worcestershire Parkway

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

(a)  noted the progress made on the Council’s recent delivery of rail infrastructure and Gamechanger site schemes and considered the acquisition of land adjacent to key rail nodes for the delivery of further “gateway” schemes in Worcestershire (Gamechanger 2 Sites);

(b)  authorised the Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure to commence, continue and conclude the negotiation of contracts for the purchase of interests in Gamechanger 2 Sites, provided that any proposed purchases fit within the Parameters set out in the body of the Cabinet report;

(c)  following approval by Council on 12 November 2020 of the increase to the Capital Programme, delegated authority to conclude the purchase of Gamechanger 2 Sites to the Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure with concurrence from the Assistant Director of Legal and Governance, Chief Finance Officer and the Cabinet Members for Economy and Infrastructure and Transformation and Commissioning, which supersedes the decision made in the Cabinet report dated 22 October 2020; and

(d)  agreed to consider proposals for the development of the Gamechanger 2 Sites in the second half of 2021.