Agenda and minutes

The Mayor will celebrate the Horticultural Apprentices awards recently presented by Reasheath Horticultural College to a number of Halton Borough Council employees.

          The Mayor welcomed to the Council meeting, five apprentices and congratulated them on their individual achievements and success in gaining relevant qualifications in their respective disciplines, which included Horticulture and Sustainable Resource Management.

          The minutes of the meeting held on 6 June 2014, having been circulated, were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

          The Mayor made the following announcements:-

1)    The Deputy Mayor and Consort had attended the opening ceremony of the Wat Phra Singh UK Buddhist Temple and Meditation Centre in Runcorn. They had been presented with a commemorative flag, a silver coloured bowl and a presentation plate embossed with a flower design;

2)    The Mayor had attended a function at Runcorn Rotary Club and had been presented with a pendant;

3)    The Mayor had been presented with a signed football from Liverpool FC, which he would auction for the Mayor’s Charity;

4)    The Mayor and Mayoress had attended the opening of the new Vodaphone shop in Runcorn and had been presented with three telephones which would be donated to the Mayor’s Charity;

5)    The Mayor invited everyone to join him at his Charity Dinner on 1 August 2014.

          The Leader made the following announcements:-

·       Construction of access roads was underway for the Mersey Gateway Bridge;

·       He advised that there would be regular newsletters for all Members which would keep them up to date on construction progress together  with a ‘Merseylink Briefing’;

·       Halton had been allocated £10m through the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal;

·       The Borough would welcome the ‘Tour of Britain’ cycle race in September 2014, crossing the Silver Jubilee Bridge;

·     Preparations had started on the 2014-17 budget process. Members were reminded that a Briefing was planned on 4 August 2014 in Halton Stadium starting at 4.30pm.

          The Council considered the minutes of the Executive Board meetings from 12 June 2014 and 26 June 2014.

          RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

          The Council considered the minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting of 7 May 2014.

          RESOLVED: That the minutes be received.

          It was noted that no questions had been submitted under Standing Order No. 8.

Executive Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise, on the Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-17.

RECOMMENDED: That Council

1)    note the content of the report;

2)    endorse the Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-17; and

3)     support the roll-out of the new Children and Young People’s Plan and work, in order to meet its priorities over the next three years.

          Executive Board had considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise, which provided an overview of the Halton Children

and Young People’s Plan 2014-17.

          RESOLVED: That Council

1)    note the report;

2)    endorse the Children and Young People’s Plan 2014-17; and

3)    support the roll out of the new Children and Young People’s Plan and work in order to meet its priorities over the next three years.

Executive Board considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance on the Revised Treasury Management Investment Strategy 2014/15.

RECOMMENDED: That Council adopt the revised Treasury Management Investment Strategy and Counterparty List, as shown in the appendices.

          Executive Board considered a report of the Operational Director, Finance, on the proposed revisions to the Council’s Treasury Management Investment Strategy for 2014/15.

          RESOLVED: That the Council adopt the revised Treasury Management Investment Strategy and Counterparty List, as shown in the appendices.

To consider the attached report.

RECOMMENDED: That the 2013/14 Annual Reports, submitted from the Policy and Performance Boards, be received.

          The Council considered the report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator, outlining the Annual Reports for each of the Policy and Performance Boards (PPBs) for 2013/14, which had been submitted and which outlined their work, made recommendations for future work programmes and amended working methods if appropriate.

          It was reported that the Annual Reports had been submitted to the appropriate PPBs for consideration and had all been agreed.

          RESOLVED:That the 2013/14 Annual Reports, submitted from the Policy and Performance Boards, be received.

(N.B. Councillor Peter Lloyd Jones declared a Disclosable Other Interest in the following items of business as he was a Governor of Bridgewater NHS Trust, a Governor of Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust, a Governor of Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy and a Governor of St Berteline’s CE Primary School.)

          The Council considered the reports of the following Boards in the period since the meeting of Council on 6 June 2014:-

·       Children, Young People and Families;

·       Employment, Learning, Skills and Community;

·       Health;

·       Safer;

·       Environment and Urban Renewal;

·       Corporate; and

·       Business Efficiency.

In considering the minutes, the following comments and observations were made:

·         Councillor Dennett, as Chair of the Children Young People and Families PPB, thanked Members of the Board for their work during the past year and welcomed Councillor Logan as the new Vice Chair. He also thanked Councillor Horabin for her many years as Vice Chair and for her past support;

·         Councillor Ellen Cargill, as Chair of the Health PPB, thanked all Members of the Board for their service and advised that a new health scrutiny review on Cancer Services would be starting in September 2014;

·         Councillor Thompson thanked the Mayor, Councillor Shaun Osborne for his past service as Chair of the Safer PPB;

·         Councillor C Loftus thanked the Chair and Vice Chair of the Environment and Urban Renewal PPB for the action taken on the traffic problems at Halton Station Road, Runcorn.

          The Council considered the reports on the work of the following Committees in the period since the meeting of Council on 6 June 2014:-

·       Development Control;

·       Standards;

·       Regulatory; and

·       Appeals Panel.