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Decision Maker: Licensing Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 13/05/2019 - Licensing Sub Committee
Decision published: 02/08/2019
Effective from: 13/05/2019
Decision:
The Senior Technical
Officer
presented the report and outlined the application to consider a
variation of the premises licence to supply alcohol on the premises from 11:00
to 22:00 on Monday – Thursday, from 11:00 – 23:00 on Friday and Saturday and 12:00
– 22:00 on Sunday. The premises currently had a licence that permits the supply
of alcohol from 17:00 to 22:00 on Monday – Thursday, from 11:00-23:00 on Friday
and Saturday and from 11:00 – 22:00 on Sunday which was granted in 2017.
Member Questions
The Senior Technical
Officer
made the following statements in response to Members’ questions:
i.
There had been no noise complaints
from previous events so officers assumed residents had no concerns.
ii.
Licensed premises were routinely
inspected to ensure they complied with conditions.
iii.
The Museum of Technology had not yet
been inspected, so Officers would check licence conditions had been met when
they visited. Officers would assume conditions were complied with (before
inspection) unless they received evidence to the contrary.
iv.
Premises were inspected based on a
program of risk. The Museum of Technology was seen as low risk.
v.
Noted Member’s reference to noise
issues in Appendix C of the Officer’s report, but re-iterated there had been no
noise complaints for previous events. Retrospective complaints had been
received in response to the current application.
Other Persons
The Committee received a representation in objection to the application
from a local resident.
The representation covered the following issues:
i.
Noise concerns.
a.
The museum was unique as it had a
licence for amplified music although located next to a residential street.
Expressed concern that extending the licence would extend amplified sound
usage.
b.
The current licence holder was
more considerate than the previous one so events were less intrusive.
c.
Expressed concern there appeared
to be no limit on the amount of noise that could be produced on site.
ii.
Communication with the Museum.
a.
There was no number to call in
case of problems with museum events.
b.
People had difficulty contacting
the local authority, so may have been deterred from logging noise concern calls
with the council.
c.
Expressed concern that Temporary
Event Notices (TENs) may allow third parties to have their own events that
would not affect the museum (as the main licence holder) if there were any
repercussions. IE the museum would not be penalised.
Member Questions
In response to Members’ questions the member of the public was unable to
confirm how many neighbours had contacted environmental health services about
museum noise issues.
The Chair asked the resident to ask neighbours to register any noise
concerns with environmental health services or their ward councillors so they
could be logged. The Chair said the application today was to consider the
museum licence extension. General issues should be logged with environmental
health services.
Environmental Health & Licensing Support Officer
The Environmental Health
& Licensing Support Officer made the following points:
i.
No complaints had been received to
date.
ii.
Issues in representations appeared
to be linked to third party operator events.
a.
The party concerned was no longer
operating.
b.
Historic complaints had not been
logged with Environmental Health, so could not be followed up.
iii.
Extra conditions had been
recommended in the report to mitigate issues from future third party events.
iv.
Third parties could not be stopped
from applying for TENs, but these were considered on an individual basis.
v.
The museum had been in contact
with the resident association and their reactions had been positive.
vi.
The local authority was limited in
actions it could take. Future occurance of historic
issues had been mitigated through conditions in the Officer’s report. Any
reported issues could be followed up in future.
The Environmental Health
& Licensing Support Officer read out a statement on behalf of Katy Bailey
(Applicant’s Representative) that had been sent to local residents setting out
plans for the site.
i.
The
application was for a change in hours.
ii.
New
events would be an extension of museum activities, there would be fewer third
party events.
iii.
Noise
from the new music system could be capped, and the projection direction
restricted.
iv.
Staff
would monitor how contractors parked (to address concerns from historic
issues).
v.
The
Museum would continue to liaise with the Riverside Resident Association.
Summing Up
The Senior
Technical Officer made the following points:
i.
The Museum were responsible for
the conduct of third party TENs operators.
ii.
Issues would be monitored for
background information about future events.
iii.
A licence review would occur in response
to officer concerns or a complaint from a member of the public.
iv.
No licence permission was required
for live/recorded music between 08.00 and 23.00. Conditions could only control
music played outside these times.
v.
Reiterated members of the public
should log noise issues with Environmental Health Officers.
The
member of the public said the statement from Museum Directors to residents came
as a result of residents contacting the museum, not the other way round.
Members withdrew
at 11:15 am and returned at 12:20 pm. Whilst retired,
and having made their decision, Members received legal advice on the wording of
the decision.
Decision
The Sub Committee
resolved to grant the Premises Licence Variation,
including conditions listed in Appendix E of the Officer’s report.
Reasons for
reaching the decision were as follows:
·
The
variation meets the four licensing objectives.
Decision Maker: Civic Affairs
Made at meeting: 13/05/2019 - Civic Affairs
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 13/05/2019
Decision:
The Committee received a report from the Democratic Services Manager regarding the scheduling of Council meetings in school holidays 2020 and also whether to cancel one Council meeting in April 2020.
The Committee made the following proposals in response to the report:
i.
Avoiding half term and main school holidays should
be observed.
ii.
Re-consider whether to cancel the April 2020
Council meeting at 9 October committee for a decision.
iii.
Move the Council Budget meeting to 13 February
2020, with consequential changes to S&R Scrutiny and the Executive meetings
to 3 February 2020 and publish the Budget Setting Report on 2 January at 10am.
iv.
Consider the time of day for the Annual Meeting of
the Council in 2020 and report back to 9 October committee for a decision.
Resolved to:
i. Confirm Council will be held on 13 February 2020.
ii. Agree that school holidays and half terms should be avoided when compiling the Municipal Year calendar.
iii. Report back to 9 October committee on timing of the Annual Meeting (2020) and whether to cancel April 2020 Council.
Approval of the Internal Audit work plan and the supporting documents.
Decision Maker: Civic Affairs
Made at meeting: 13/05/2019 - Civic Affairs
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 13/05/2019
Decision:
The Committee received a report from the Head of Shared Internal Audit Service regarding the draft Internal Audit Annual Plan and Strategy for 2019 / 2020.
The Head of Internal Audit stated the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
The profession was moving to more dynamic audit
plans.
ii.
Prioritisation is in line with the Council’s
requirements and the audit team will also base priority on risk scores for each
audit listed in the Plan.
iii.
Systems testing in an audit will vary, with the
team having available a range of tools and methods and choosing to use the most
appropriate for each audit.
Resolved to:
i. Approve the draft Audit Plan and Strategy and;
ii. Approve the supporting Charter and Code of Ethics
Lead officer: Jonathan Tully
To recommend to Council the appointment of the Honorary Councillors following nominations received.
Decision Maker: Civic Affairs
Made at meeting: 13/05/2019 - Civic Affairs
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 13/05/2019
Decision:
Councillor McPherson proposed the nomination of former Councillor Caroline Hart as an Honorary Councillor.
Resolved to:
Recommend to Council the appointment of former Councillor Hart as an Honorary Councillor.
Lead officer: Gary Clift
To consider the proposed Committee allocations by party and the nominations received. Also to consider the nominations for Chairs and Vice Chairs of Scrutiny and Regulatory Committees.
The committee will recommend to Council to agree the number and size of committees, agree to depart from proportionality on Planning Committee, and to note the nominations.
Decision Maker: Civic Affairs
Made at meeting: 13/05/2019 - Civic Affairs
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 13/05/2019
Decision:
The Committee considered a report and update paper (published on 13 May) setting out the proposed Committees and the nominations received. The Committee considered the rules on political balance set out in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in developing the recommendations.
In noting the Leader of the Council’s proposed changes to the Executive, Councillor Robertson requested that for ease of reference in Section 2 Part 3 of the Constitution (Executive Councillor Portfolios) should list appointments that sit with the relevant portfolio holder, for example on the board of C.I.P
Resolved to:
(i)Agree the number and size of committees, depart from proportionality on the Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee and to note the nominations listed below-
Environment and Community Scrutiny Committee 8 (5 Labour + 3 Lib Dem) |
Smart, Barnett, Hadley, Collis, Davies Summerbell, Martinelli, Payne Alternates – O’Reilly, Page-Croft |
Planning and Transport Scrutiny Committee 9 (5
Labour + 3 Lib Dem + 1Independent) |
Smart, Sheil, Hadley, Green, Baigent Bick, McGerty, Chadwick Hipkin Alternates – McQueen, Bird, Lord |
Housing Scrutiny Committee 8 (5 Labour + 3 Lib Dem) |
Todd-Jones, Bird, Thittala, Collis, Sheil Cantrill, Lord, Porrer Alternates – Barnett, O’Reilly, McGerty |
Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee 5 (3 Labour + 2
Lib Dem) |
Davey, Baigent, Green Bick, Dalzell Alternates – Davies, Lab TBC, Cantrill |
Civic Affairs Committee 6 (4 Labour + 2 Lib Dem) |
McPherson, Sargeant, Davey, Thornburrow Dalzell, Chadwick Alternate – Lab TBC, Martinelli
|
Employment (Senior Officer) Committee 6 (4 Labour +2
Lib Dem) |
Sargeant, Thornburrow, Herbert, Sheil Bick, Nethsingha |
Licensing Committee 11 (7 Labour+ 4 Lib Dem) |
Bird, Thittala, McQueen, Massey, Moore, McPherson, Sargeant Pippas, Gehring, Porrer,
Summerbell Alternates – Johnson, Page-Croft |
Planning Committee 8 (5 Labour+ 3
Lib Dem) |
Smart, McQueen, Green, Baigent, Sargeant Tunnacliffe, Lord, Page-Croft Alternates – Thornburrow, Nethsingha |
Cambridge City Joint Area Committee (with County Council) 6 (4 Labour +
2 Lib Dem ) |
Sargeant, Smart, Massey, Robertson Payne, Martinelli Alternates – Bird, Lord |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority - 1 seat |
Herbert Alternate - Sargeant |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Overview and
Scrutiny Committee 1 Labour + 1 Lib Dem |
Price, Gehring Alternates – Lab TBC, Summerbell |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Audit and Governance Committee 1 Labour + one
alternate |
Lab TBC Alternate – Lab TBC |
Greater Cambridge Partnership Joint Assembly 3 (2 Labour + 1
Lib Dem) |
Davey, Massey, Bick |
Joint Development Control Committee - Cambridge Fringes 6 (4 Labour+ 2 Lib
Dem) |
Thornburrow, Baigent, Sargeant, Smart Tunnacliffe, Page-Croft Alternates- Price, Lab TBC, Porrer |
(ii) Agree the nominations for Chairs and
Vice Chairs as below:
|
Chair |
Vice Chair |
Environment and
Community Services |
Smart |
Barnett |
Planning and
Transport |
Smart |
Sheil |
Housing |
Todd-Jones |
Bird (nb. Tenant/Leaseholder is Chair of Part 1 of the meeting) |
Strategy &
Resources |
Davey |
Baigent |
Civic Affairs |
McPherson |
Sargeant |
Licensing |
Bird |
Thittala |
Planning |
Smart |
McQueen |
JDCC |
Thornburrow as Lead Cllr |
(iii)
Agree the changes to the Constitution as set out below (in capitals and
struck through):
SECTION 6:
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEES
The Council shall have the following Overview
and Scrutiny Committees. Their role and functions are set out in Article 6 of
Part 2 of this Constitution and their procedure is governed by the Overview and
Scrutiny Procedure Rules in Part 4 of this Constitution.
Environment and Community (Scrutiny) Committee
Terms of Reference |
Overview and scrutiny of the functions for
which the Executive Councillors for (i) Communities
(ii) CLIMATE CHANGE, Environment As required by Section 19 of the Police and
Justice Act 2006 to be the crime and disorder committee with the power to
review or scrutinise decisions made by the Council or by the Crime and
Disorder Reduction Partnership. |
Planning and Transport (Scrutiny) Committee
Terms of Reference |
Overview and scrutiny of the functions for
which the Executive Councillor for (i) Planning Policy
and OPEN SPACES |
Lead officer: Gary Clift
Following commitment at Strategy and Resources Committee in 2018 to report back on progress, this report provides an update on the planned development proposals.
Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for External Partnerships
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
Matter for
Decision
The Executive Councillor
approved a proposal to delegate authority to the Strategic Director (in
consultation with the Executive Councillor) following
the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee in March 2018 to finalise negotiations on a commercial deal for redevelopment
of Park Street Car Park, in line with an approved strategic brief.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Strategy and External
Partnerships
i.
Noted the progress made in relation to the project and
confirmed delegated authority to the Strategic Director to finalise the due
diligence and lease documents/conditional contracts required to ensure delivery
of the project within the agreed parameters and timescales.
ii.
Noted that the legal documents would be conditional upon a
successful planning application
Reason for the Decision
As
set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee
received a report from the Strategic Director.
The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:
i.
Welcomed the redevelopment of Park Street Car Park
but would have preferred housing to have been included on the site. Also
welcomed the network infrastructure for electric vehicle charging points.
ii.
Pleased to see electric vehicle charging points.
iii.
Questioned if the Committee would be assisting in
the selection of the architects for the project.
iv.
Asked if there would be toilets in the hotel
element of the project that members of the public could use and whether the
tenants of the building would pay their workers the living wage.
The Strategic Director said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
The Head of Environmental Services was in the
process of undertaking a review into the toilets at Quayside, but the proposal
to ensure sufficient provision replacing the current Park Street provision
forms part of that review.
ii.
The architects for the project have won awards for
hotels and have been involved in the project for all the preliminary work. The
Developer has confirmed that they will continue to use them.
iii.
It would be a matter for the hotel operator to
determine what facilities (if any) would be made available to members of the
public. The Council would work with the developer to encourage the tenant of
the sublease to sign up to the living wage.
The Chief Executive confirmed that the concerns expressed regarding the
loss of toilet facilities at Park Street and the quality of facilities at
Quayside would be fed into the toilet facilities review.
The Committee resolved by 4 votes to 0 to endorse the recommendations.
The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest
Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any
Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Lead officer: Fiona Bryant
To note progress over the past year and to continue working with the partnerships to meet our obligations and to benefit our residents.
Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for External Partnerships
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
Matter for
Decision
The report provided an
update on the work of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Business Board
(former Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership),
Greater Cambridge Partnership and other growth-related partnerships and is
provided as a part of the Council’s commitment given in its “Principles of
Partnership Working”, to set out annual reports summarising the work of the key
partnerships it is involved with.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Strategy and External
Partnerships
i.
To continue to work with the Greater
Cambridge Partnership and other growth-related partnerships and to work with
the new model of delivery for the Local Enterprise Partnership (Business Board)
under the Combined Authority, so that together the Council and its partners can
address the strategic issues affecting Cambridge, to the overall benefit of
citizens.
Reason for the Decision
As
set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
This item was not requested for pre-scrutiny and the committee made no
comments in response to the report from the Corporate Strategy Officer.
The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendation.
The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.
Conflicts of Interest
Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any
Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Lead officer: Andrew Limb
To enable the Committee to scrutinise the Council's representative on the Combined Authority.
Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for External Partnerships
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
Matter for
Decision
The report provided
an update on the activities of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined
Authority (CPCA) since the 11 February meeting of Strategy & Resources
Scrutiny Committee.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Strategy and External
Partnerships
i.
Noted the update on
issues considered at the meetings of the Combined Authority held on 27 February
2019.
Reason for the Decision
As
set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee
received a report from the Chief Executive.
Councillor Herbert made the following comments:
i.
Expressed some scepticism about the proposed dualling of the A10.
ii.
There were proposals for a new Combined Authority
Housing Company, but it was not clear what this new company could do.
iii.
Expressed disappointment with the lack of progress
in delivering 2000 affordable houses.
iv.
He was on the interview panel for the new Chief
Executive for the Combined Authority.
v.
Expressed concerns regarding the increase in the
Mayor’s personal staff from 4-7.
vi.
He did not agree with certain roles at the Combined
Authority being subsidiary to other Directors (for example the Head of
Finance).
vii.
He thought that there should be a nationally
recognised local government expert as one of the members of the Local
Government Review Board and that the review should engage with communities and
councils in the Combined Authority area.
Councillor Sargeant commented that:
i.
He was the Chair of the
task and finish group for the Cambridge Autonomous Metro project and he had
hoped to have early access to the business case but was frustrated that he only
had 3 working days to review the papers and had raised this issue with the
Mayor.
ii.
He commented that the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee had a lack of access to information generally
and could attend other committees and not be able to have access to papers that
they were discussing.
iii.
The Interim Chief
Executive had agreed to meet with him and the Chair of the Overview and
Scrutiny Committee to discuss access to confidential papers.
The Committee noted the report.
Conflicts of Interest
Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any
Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Lead officer: Sarah Steed
No decision to be taken.
Decision Maker: Leader of the Council
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
James Palmer attended the Scrutiny Committee and responded to questions put by
members of the Committee.
1.
Members asked whether the Mayor had a cost in
mind for how much it would be to improve buses in the Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough area or whether members would have to wait to see the business
case on buses.
Mayor Palmer confirmed that he had no figure in mind, he did
have information on the cost of bus services and how much the bus companies
were making and he was working on this issue. There was a review of buses that
went to the Combined Authority Board in January 2019. The work on franchising
would take a couple of years and he was in discussions with bus companies about
service improvements and the systems that they had in place. The bus companies
were willing to work with him.
2.
Members noted there was
a new Managing Director at Stagecoach and asked whether there was a new view on
franchising? Members also noted that Mayor Palmer had not mentioned enhanced
partnerships.
Mayor Palmer commented that he was in favour of any option
which improved bus services. There were high levels of subsidies in the south
of the county and there were buses that did not feed people into work as buses
did not start running early enough in the morning. The Combined Authority would
do the best they could with the powers that they had.
3.
Members referred to the Greater Cambridge
Partnership (GCP) who were holding a ‘Big
Conversation’ on Better Journeys. Members asked whether Mayor Palmer had
participated in the consultation and what his view was.
Mayor Palmer confirmed that he hadn’t participated because
he wasn’t asked. He had a good working relationship with the GCP and they were
working together regarding the Cambridge Autonomous Metro project (CAM).
4.
Members referred to discussions regarding how
buses services were organised, either by a fixed timetable or a demand led timetable.
Commented that at a meeting at the County, Councillors had indicated that their
preferred option would be for a fixed timetable. Further commented that if
rural communities had more regular bus services then people would be more
likely to use them. Asked what bus service provision had been put in place for
vulnerable people.
Mayor Palmer commented that if work had been undertaken by
the County Council then he would expect it to be fed into the bus provision
review process. Stagecoach wanted to make sure that their service was available
for all. He said that whatever could be done to assist vulnerable people should
be done. He gave an example of using a particular colour for bus seats which
assisted individuals with Alzheimers. He commented that nowhere in Cambridgeshire
was isolated but some had poor transport links and noted that there was work to
be done. There were transport issues
within the city which were significant but there were also transport issues
outside of the city which were equally significant.
5.
Members asked the Mayor if he had a view on the
Milton Road scheme.
The Mayor commented that he had no view and was happy the
GCP knew best.
6.
Members questioned why students did not get
discounted bus fares and also referred to a comment made by the previous
Managing Director at Stagecoach that they had enough bums on seats during peak
periods and that they did not need any more.
Mayor Palmer commented that he had already made
representations to Stagecoach about student bus fares and that the new Managing
Director of Stagecoach was not the same as the previous Managing Director. He
noted that people could not afford to live in Cambridge and therefore had to
live outside of Cambridge, this meant they bought cars to travel into Cambridge
which contributed to air pollution and congestion.
7.
Members welcomed the CAM paper which was
published last week; this was due to be discussed at the Combined Authority
Board meeting on 27 March 2019. Asked where in the report it explained the
funding of the scheme.
Mayor Palmer commented that to deliver infrastructure on the
scale of the CAM was a significant piece of work. The strategic outline
business case set out whether the project could be pursued. If the Board gave
approval to the project then they would get a full business case and
methodology produced. The Treasury had said that they wanted to see the outline
business case and Mayor Palmer would be working with the Treasury over the next
12 months. He would also need to make sure that he had powers to bring
development forward. He was working with
landowners in the south of the County in 3 districts. He commented that he
could not deliver the scheme on his own and required the assistance of partner
local authorities. He believed funding could be raised to deliver the scheme
and developers would be able to make a profit.
8.
Members asked whether there was a point in the
future when a decision would be made that the CAM project would or would not be
able to go ahead.
Mayor Palmer commented that he had a firm belief that the
scheme could be delivered; there was the finance to deliver the scheme and the
ability to be able to make a profit. If the numbers did not add up in the full
business case, then that would be the point when the scheme would not be
pursued. The Independent Economic Review said that if nothing was done to
improve transport in the area the economy would go bankrupt. The economy in
Cambridge would drive the economy nationally in the next 20 years.
9.
Members asked whether there were any contingency
plans regarding the bus review to address the transport gap between now and
2031.
Mayor Palmer said if the CAM was built between
2023 – 2029, this would give confidence to the business sector and
encourage further investment. Other transport projects included Cambridge South
Station, the dualling of the A10, work to the A47 and
work on the A428 which was starting in 2021. There were projects in the
pipeline for the short, medium and long term.
10. Members
commented that businesses at the Science Park had said that they struggled to
recruit staff; if employers were unable to recruit staff, investors may get
cold feet. In order to deliver the CAM, short term transport solutions may need
to be put in place.
Mayor Palmer commented that Cambridge had more jobs than
people and quite a few members of the workforce came from neighbouring counties
and further afield. Investors that had
approached him saw Cambridge as an area that would have significant growth; the
investors were pension fund investors who were looking for a 30-40 year
investment.
11. Members
asked whether Central Government could be encouraged to invest more in the CAM.
Mayor Palmer commented that the reality was that Central
Government had a population of over 64 million and there were investment issues
across the country so we were in a competitive market. The Combined Authority
had been successful in getting a lot of funding for Cambridge. If Central
Government wanted to put in more than 10% funding that would be great but they
would look at the project as a business investment. He commented that he did
not want the CAM scheme borrowing against future ticket sales. 15 million
journeys were expected per year so ticket prices should be set at reasonable
levels.
12. Members
asked Mayor Palmer if he thought there was too much disagreement within the
Combined Authority Board and what he was doing to address tensions.
He acknowledged disagreements at Board level between Leaders
but said that he thought there was more that the Leaders agreed on than they
disagreed about. There was a combined desire to spread the wealth, see better
public transport and greener and more environmentally friendly ways to deliver
housing and affordable housing. He hoped colleagues on the Combined Authority
Board thought what was trying to deliver would be beneficial to all.
13. Members
asked what the benefits of the CAM would be to Cambridge city residents who
lived between metro stations and the city centre.
Mayor Palmer commented that Cambridge was a relatively small
city and that it would be easy to get around if you removed congestion. The
cost of underground metro stations was over £250 million each. He wanted to
protect the nature of the city itself.
If a congestion charge was brought in which reduced congestion this
could enable a more reliable bus service for people of Cambridge (in advance of
the CAM) and it would be easier and safer to cycle if there were less cars on
the road.
14. Members
asked if it would be easier if we had unitary councils.
Mayor Palmer commented that Andy Wood was Chair of the
independent Commission looking at local government reform for Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough.
15. Members
commented that whilst Cambridge residents wanted to see the end to congestion
they did not want Cambridge to lose its uniqueness.
Mayor Palmer commented that he lived 15 miles away from
Cambridge and he spent time socially in Cambridge so he cared very much about
the nature of Cambridge itself. The strategic planning of the area was to
prevent urban sprawl. He wanted to preserve the fabric of the city and the
countryside. Infrastructure needed to be put in place first before development.
He stood for election on a manifesto to do his best and protect the Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough area. The impact that Cambridge had on surrounding areas could
not be overlooked; living 15 miles outside of Cambridge meant people still had
to pay significant amounts for housing.
16. Members
referred to the Independent Review Body who were looking into Local Government
reform for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area and asked whether the Body
would be consulting with Cambridge City Council and other District Councils in
the area.
Mayor Palmer said he expected Andy Wood would want to talk
to people. A report was expected by the end of the summer. He had only spoken
with the Chairman of the Independent Review Body once which showed how
independent the body was.
Lead officer: Sarah Steed
To approve the 3C Legal Services Business Plan 2019/20.
Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Transformation
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
Matter for
Decision
The Shared Services Agreement requires
business plans to be approved every year for the Legal, ICT and Audit shared
services. The Business Plans ensure the services adhere to the original
objectives and contribute towards each partner council’s strategic objectives.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
i.
Approved the Business Plans for each of the Shared Services
attached as Appendices to the Officers report
ii.
Authorised the Shared Services Management Board to approve
final amendments to the Business Plans in line with comments received from all
three partner councils.
iii.
Agreed
to bring a progress report to the next meeting of the Strategy and Resources
Scrutiny Committee regarding proposals for the joint scrutiny of shared
services
Reason for the Decision
As
set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee
received a report from the Strategic Director.
The Head of Shared Internal Audit Service said the following in response
to Members’ questions:
i.
The Principal Auditor position was one that the
Council was unable to recruit into immediately, and the role was endorsed by
the independent Public Sector Internal Audit Standards assessment. Only one of
the vacant Senior Auditor positions had been appointed during the previous
recruitment exercise. If the Council was unable to appoint to the role in the
next recruitment round then he would look at the recruitment process with HR
and continue to explore other alternatives.
ii.
He was currently seeking to build awareness of the
Shared Internal Audit Team across the 2 councils. The Strategic Management Team
did guide areas of work, and he was also looking for real time engagement from
all levels of the services as this would help to develop an agile risk based
plan.
The Strategic Director said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
i. When the Shared Services Partnership
agreements were put in place there were some issues which required further
agreement and which were being worked on, she had also been working on more
general exit strategies across the shared services.
ii.
ii. None of the Council’s had a comprehensive asset
register before the shared services commenced but 3C ICT now had a
comprehensive asset register.
iii.
iii. The Head of 3C ICT was an important strategic
role, they had interviewed 3 candidates who had the right abilities but only 1
candidate could demonstrate leadership. It was felt that the interim
arrangements to have a Head of 3C ICT for 2 days a week was more advantageous
than having no-one in post at all.
The Chief Executive said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
i. She had attended the most recent South
Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) Scrutiny Committee with the Chief
Executive of Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC). Due to the loss of Senior
Officers who had knowledge of the shared services there were gaps in the
understanding of the history and the benefits of shared services.
ii.
ii. Commented that the Strategic Director has been
doing a lot of work with SCDC and HDC regarding the shared services.
iii.
iii. Confirmed that she was happy to commit to
looking at shared scrutiny arrangements with SCDC and HDC however commented
that all three councils operated different governance arrangements so this work
might not be ready for the next Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee
meeting.
Councillor Bick proposed and Councillor Dalzell
seconded an additional recommendation iii to bring a progress report to the
next meeting of the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee regarding
proposals for the joint scrutiny of shared services.
The amendment was carried by 5 votes to 0.
The Committee unanimously approved the amended
recommendations.
The Executive Councillor approved the
recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest
Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any
Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Lead officer: Fiona Bryant
To approve the Internal Audit business plan 2019/20.
Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Transformation
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
Matter for
Decision
The Shared Services Agreement requires
business plans to be approved every year for the Legal, ICT and Audit shared
services. The Business Plans ensure the services adhere to the original
objectives and contribute towards each partner council’s strategic objectives.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
i.
Approved the Business Plans for each of the Shared Services
attached as Appendices to the Officers report
ii.
Authorised the Shared Services Management Board to approve
final amendments to the Business Plans in line with comments received from all
three partner councils.
iii.
Agreed
to bring a progress report to the next meeting of the Strategy and Resources
Scrutiny Committee regarding proposals for the joint scrutiny of shared
services
Reason for the Decision
As
set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee
received a report from the Strategic Director.
The Head of Shared Internal Audit Service said the following in response
to Members’ questions:
i.
The Principal Auditor position was one that the
Council was unable to recruit into immediately, and the role was endorsed by
the independent Public Sector Internal Audit Standards assessment. Only one of
the vacant Senior Auditor positions had been appointed during the previous
recruitment exercise. If the Council was unable to appoint to the role in the
next recruitment round then he would look at the recruitment process with HR
and continue to explore other alternatives.
ii.
He was currently seeking to build awareness of the
Shared Internal Audit Team across the 2 councils. The Strategic Management Team
did guide areas of work, and he was also looking for real time engagement from
all levels of the services as this would help to develop an agile risk based
plan.
The Strategic Director said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
i. When the Shared Services Partnership
agreements were put in place there were some issues which required further
agreement and which were being worked on, she had also been working on more
general exit strategies across the shared services.
ii.
ii. None of the Council’s had a comprehensive asset
register before the shared services commenced but 3C ICT now had a
comprehensive asset register.
iii.
iii. The Head of 3C ICT was an important strategic
role, they had interviewed 3 candidates who had the right abilities but only 1
candidate could demonstrate leadership. It was felt that the interim
arrangements to have a Head of 3C ICT for 2 days a week was more advantageous
than having no-one in post at all.
The Chief Executive said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
i. She had attended the most recent South
Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) Scrutiny Committee with the Chief
Executive of Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC). Due to the loss of Senior
Officers who had knowledge of the shared services there were gaps in the
understanding of the history and the benefits of shared services.
ii.
ii. Commented that the Strategic Director has been
doing a lot of work with SCDC and HDC regarding the shared services.
iii.
iii. Confirmed that she was happy to commit to
looking at shared scrutiny arrangements with SCDC and HDC however commented
that all three councils operated different governance arrangements so this work
might not be ready for the next Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee
meeting.
Councillor Bick proposed and Councillor Dalzell
seconded an additional recommendation iii to bring a progress report to the
next meeting of the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee regarding
proposals for the joint scrutiny of shared services.
The amendment was carried by 5 votes to 0.
The Committee unanimously approved the amended
recommendations.
The Executive Councillor approved the
recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest
Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any
Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Lead officer: Fiona Bryant
To approve the 3C ICT business plan for 2019/20.
Decision Maker: Executive Councillor for Transformation
Decision published: 01/08/2019
Effective from: 01/08/2019
Decision:
Matter for
Decision
The Shared Services Agreement requires
business plans to be approved every year for the Legal, ICT and Audit shared
services. The Business Plans ensure the services adhere to the original
objectives and contribute towards each partner council’s strategic objectives.
Decision
of Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
i.
Approved the Business Plans for each of the Shared Services
attached as Appendices to the Officers report
ii.
Authorised the Shared Services Management Board to approve
final amendments to the Business Plans in line with comments received from all
three partner councils.
iii.
Agreed
to bring a progress report to the next meeting of the Strategy and Resources
Scrutiny Committee regarding proposals for the joint scrutiny of shared
services
Reason for the Decision
As
set out in the Officer’s report.
Any Alternative
Options Considered and Rejected
Not applicable.
Scrutiny
Considerations
The Committee
received a report from the Strategic Director.
The Head of Shared Internal Audit Service said the following in response
to Members’ questions:
i.
The Principal Auditor position was one that the
Council was unable to recruit into immediately, and the role was endorsed by
the independent Public Sector Internal Audit Standards assessment. Only one of
the vacant Senior Auditor positions had been appointed during the previous
recruitment exercise. If the Council was unable to appoint to the role in the
next recruitment round then he would look at the recruitment process with HR
and continue to explore other alternatives.
ii.
He was currently seeking to build awareness of the
Shared Internal Audit Team across the 2 councils. The Strategic Management Team
did guide areas of work, and he was also looking for real time engagement from
all levels of the services as this would help to develop an agile risk based
plan.
The Strategic Director said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
i. When the Shared Services Partnership
agreements were put in place there were some issues which required further
agreement and which were being worked on, she had also been working on more
general exit strategies across the shared services.
ii.
ii. None of the Council’s had a comprehensive asset
register before the shared services commenced but 3C ICT now had a
comprehensive asset register.
iii.
iii. The Head of 3C ICT was an important strategic
role, they had interviewed 3 candidates who had the right abilities but only 1
candidate could demonstrate leadership. It was felt that the interim
arrangements to have a Head of 3C ICT for 2 days a week was more advantageous
than having no-one in post at all.
The Chief Executive said the following in response to Members’
questions:
i.
i. She had attended the most recent South
Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) Scrutiny Committee with the Chief
Executive of Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC). Due to the loss of Senior
Officers who had knowledge of the shared services there were gaps in the
understanding of the history and the benefits of shared services.
ii.
ii. Commented that the Strategic Director has been
doing a lot of work with SCDC and HDC regarding the shared services.
iii.
iii. Confirmed that she was happy to commit to
looking at shared scrutiny arrangements with SCDC and HDC however commented
that all three councils operated different governance arrangements so this work
might not be ready for the next Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee
meeting.
Councillor Bick proposed and Councillor Dalzell
seconded an additional recommendation iii to bring a progress report to the
next meeting of the Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee regarding
proposals for the joint scrutiny of shared services.
The amendment was carried by 5 votes to 0.
The Committee unanimously approved the amended
recommendations.
The Executive Councillor approved the
recommendations.
Conflicts of Interest
Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any
Dispensations Granted)
No conflicts of interest
were declared by the Executive Councillor.
Lead officer: Fiona Bryant