The Chair advised that twenty two Executive Member questions had been submitted. Given the size of the agenda, the Chair indicated that he had decided to limit the time for questions on Executive Member reports to thirty minutes. He requested questions and answers on the reports to be precise. Only one question per Member would be allowed in the first instance and if there was time left before the thirty minutes had elapsed, Members that had submitted a second question, would be able to ask their second question. The Chair requested that the Monitoring Officer keep a note of the time.
The Chair invited Members to raise items for general discussion arising from the Information Booklet of Executive Member reports which detailed activities carried out within the respective Executive Member portfolios (Section 1), Executive decisions taken (Section 2) or to be taken where known, prior to and following the meeting (Sections 3 and 4).
a) Middlehaven Snow Centre Step Forward
A Member referred to page 3, paragraph 6 of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy in relation to Middlehaven Snow Centre Step Forward.
The Member commended the Executive Member and officers in respect of their work in relation to the Snow Centre. The Snow Centre was set to be catalytic in respect of the regeneration and transformation of Middlesbrough and the wider Tees Valley. It was anticipated that the Snow Centre development was likely to create 350 jobs and the scheme would trigger further investments in the Middlehaven area, generating further opportunities. The Member commented that the Snow Centre formed part of the Council's Investment Plan and the project was a key part of the Councils Investment Prospectus, providing a bold vision for creating jobs and attracting investment in Middlesbrough.
The Executive Member stated that the Snow Centre was a great boost for the city centre and he commented that it was a private sector initiative assisted and facilitated by the Council.
The Chair announced that the next two questions were in relation to the same subject and they were both in respect of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy. He suggested that the two Members ask their questions and that the Executive Member respond to the two questions at the same time.
b) Centre Square
A Member referred to page 2, paragraph 3, of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy in respect of Centre Square.
The Member commented that the report stated that the Council's commitment to buildings 1 and 2 would prove that there was sufficient demand for high quality office space in Middlesbrough, to enable the development of future phases. The Member queried how Middlesbrough Council, taking over those buildings, could prove that there was any demand for office space and if there was a demand she queried why the Council was moving in. She queried what had happened to the firms that the Planning meeting had been advised of, that were wanting to move into those buildings and create 1500 jobs.
c) Centre Square
A Member referred to page 2, paragraph 3, of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy in respect of Centre Square.
The Member queried how much the rental would cost Middlesbrough Council over the period of time.
The Executive Member advised that it was made clear at the Executive meeting that of the two buildings leased by the Council, that one would be used by the Council and the other would bring in a profit. The Council was negotiating with people who wanted to come to the building and the expected rental was up by 10% and there was already more people interested in the floor space available. The Council was not guaranteeing this but the Council did have ambitions and hope.
d) Snow Centre
A Member referred to page 3, paragraph 6 of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy in relation to Middlehaven Snow Centre Step Forward.
The Member queried with regard to what due diligence had been undertaken in respect of the company Cool Runnings.
The Executive Member advised that normal due diligence had been undertaken for a project of this size. This was a £30m pound investment in Middlesbrough and Cool Runnings were a Middlesbrough company and the Council had helped them facilitate the project.
e) Middlesbrough Rail Station Master Plan
A Member referred to page 4, paragraph 7 of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy in relation to Middlesbrough Rail Station,
The Member commended the Council for its ambitious plans. He queried with regard to what plans the Council had in place to secure the finance to deliver the project.
The Executive Member advised that the south entrance was due to be opened soon. He stated that the Council had worked with Network Rail and the other companies involved. They had also enlisted the assistance of the Local MP to drive the project forward. The Combined Authority had contributed to the project. The Council was seeking further funding and if the Council secured any further investment it would be used to create a third platform. It was hoped that this would be a city centre Railway Station.
Prior to the next question a Member commented that he had submitted a question in relation to the Snow Centre. The Chair apologised and advised that a check would be undertaken to see if the submitted question could be identified. In the meantime the next question for the Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health would be posed.
f) Out of hours inspections of food businesses
A Member referred to page 7, paragraph 32 of the report of the Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health in relation to Out of hour's inspections of food businesses.
The Member queried how many food premises had been closed due to enforcement activity in the last year. The Executive Member advised that she could not give an exact number but she would try and get the figure to the Member. The Council tried not to close premises unless there was a public health issue. The authority had 1200 premises and 600 were inspected each year. 92% of food premises were rated 3 to 5 in terms of food hygiene rating and 82% were in the top national standard.
The Chair advised that the missing question on the Snow Centre had been found and he invited the Member to pose his question.
g) Snow Centre
A Member referred to page 3, paragraph 6 of the report of the Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for City Centre Strategy in relation to Middlehaven Snow Centre Step Forward.
The Member stated that the Council had helped to facilitate the Snow Centre with a grant of £94.5k joined up with £235k from the Combined Authority. He queried whether the capital build financing had been found yet The Executive Member advised that the firm had already engaged expensive architects and they were due to start on the Snow Centre this year. The company were a private enterprise and the Executive Member was not privy to that information.
The Member queried whether he could ask a supplementary question. The Chair advised that due to the large volume of questions and the number of agenda items he had decided not to allow supplementary questions as per the authority granted to the Chair of the Council, at paragraph 1 of the Constitution.
h) Assessment and Care Planning
A Member referred to page 3 of the report of the Executive Member for Children's Services in relation to Assessment and Care Planning.
The Member queried with regard to what was the minimum, the maximum and the average caseload of a Social Worker.
The Executive Member advised that nationally it was anticipated that the caseload would be 20 cases per Social Worker. Because there was a high proportion of newly qualified Social Workers they were not allowed to have more than 15 cases, it meant that other, more experienced, Social Workers could have up to 25 cases.
i) Successful Funding: Musinc
A Member referred to page 1, of the report of the Executive Member for Culture and Communities and advised that she was really pleased to see the reference in the report regarding funding for the Musinc project.
The Member stated that music could play a critical role in the intellectual and academic development of children and the earlier children were introduced to this project, the better. The Member queried whether the project was sustainable and whether it suggested the revitalisation of the very valuable and highly thought of Tees Valley Music Service.
The Executive Member advised that the Council had been given significant funding to support this project. Music was sometimes seen as an elitist pursuit and he hoped the project would reach out to disadvantaged children.
The Executive Member advised that he recognised the benefits and advantages of encouraging young people to become involved in music.
j) International Women's Day
A Member referred to page 4, paragraph 6, of the report of the Executive Member for Culture and Communities and stated that he hoped the event was a success however he was unable to attend but it had his full support.
The Member then made a number of statements that referred to individual officers and the Chair advised that the Constitution did not allow this.
k) Place based approach to resettlement and asylum - Home Office and Local Authority pilot
A Member referred to page 5, paragraph 9, of the report of the Executive Member for Culture and Communities and stated that she was pleased to note that in 2017, the Home Office sought to develop a more joined-up conversation on asylum and refugee matters with local authorities. It had been decided that the Home Office would consult with a small number of local authorities to promote a greater partnership with local authorities and enable the Home Office to better understand how their systems and processes interact with local services and the Home Office.
Middlesbrough had been approached to be part of a development pilot scheme to look at data sharing, complementary systems of providing accommodation and living standards. The Member stated that, hopefully, Middlesbrough's participation in the scheme would have an impact nationally. The pilot study would result in recommendations that would be implemented across the country to help develop social regeneration across the towns. It would demonstrate how Middlesbrough had built greater understanding and influence, nationally, with regard to this issue.
The Executive Member commended the excellent work that the Member did, along with others in the community, in supporting those seeking asylum or who were refugees.
The Executive Member stated that as Chair of the North East Migration Partnership (NEMP), part of his role was to co-ordinate activities across the North East, with local authorities and with third sector organisations to manage the process of resettling people seeking asylum and refugees. Representations had been made to the Home Office to advise that local authorities in particular Middlesbrough had a lot to offer and he was pleased that the Home Office was going a little way to support the work that local authorities were doing. The Executive Member stated that our town welcomed refugees and asylum seekers. He stated that there were some local authorities who were not prepared to play their part in support refugees and asylum seekers.
l) Local History Month
A Member referred to page 4, paragraph 8, of the report of the Executive Member for Culture and Communities in relation to Local History Month.
The Member referred to the collection of walks, talks, tours and exhibitions and she queried with regard how attendance at the tours would be advertised and she encouraged everyone to attend.
The Executive Member advised that the tours, talks and exhibitions had proved to be very popular and some events had been over-subscribed. He urged Members to promote the events to the residents of the town as the town had a fascinating history.
m) Building Team Capacity: Recruitment
A Member referred to page 3, paragraph 4, of the report of the Executive Member for Culture and Communities in relation to Building Team Capacity: Recruitment. The Member referred to the two new Senior posts that had been created in Culture and Communities. He stated that the department already had three Senior Management posts in the department (Business Development Manager, Cultural Services Manager and a Marketing and Communications Manager), and he queried with regard to how new Senior posts could be created if the Council were short of money.
The Executive Member stated that reference had already been made to the Town Hall which was a fantastic venue. It provided a cultural offer which extended beyond the boundaries of Middlesbrough. It was important that the offer matched the investment that the Council had put in. It was important that a Programme Manager was in place to put forward a programme that went beyond the traditional offer and used the extended space to host a whole range of activities.
The Executive Member stated that he had already made reference to the importance of the history and on raising the profile of the town and the impact it had on tourism.
He stated that both the Museums Head of Transformation and the Town Hall Head of Programmes posts were very important and he was pleased that the Council had them.
n) Pybus Building
A Member referred to page 1, paragraph 2, of the report of the Executive Member for Economic Development and Infrastructure with regard to the Pybus Building.
The Member advised that the Pybus Building was a beautiful historic building located on Roman Road. The building was currently being used by Tesco Express, and they had removed part of the balustrade of the original building. The removal of the balustrade was noticed by the local labour councillors in Linthorpe and Park Ward, and highlighted with the local MP. As a result Tesco were contacted to see what was happening.
Tesco had removed the balustrade from the building, which was located in a Conservation Area, without the appropriate planning permission. Swift action was taken by the Council to arrange a meeting with Tesco, which the Member had attended on behalf of the local MP, Andy McDonald accompanied by Council officers. The Member wished to thank everyone, including local Councillors and officers of the Council, for their swift action in responding to the issue. Members of the Pybus family had contacted the MP's office to thank everyone for their actions.
The work had now ceased and Tesco intended to submit the necessary forms to the Planning Department to remedy the issue. The Member had advised that the balustrade need to be reinstated in its original condition.
The Executive Member thanked the Member for his comments, which he would pass on to the officers concerned. He advised that he and officers from the Council were continuing to meet with Tesco, and had made their position clear; in that the heritage elements of the Pybus Building should be put back to their original state.
o) Bereavement Services: Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough
A Member referred to page 4, paragraph11, of the report of the Executive Member for Environment and Commercialisation in respect of Bereavement Services: Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough.
The Member stated that she was pleased to see that Middlesbrough Councils Bereavement Service had received their badges and certificates for their Dementia Awareness Training. Encouraging Middlesbrough Council staff to support people in this way was to be applauded and encouraged. The Member stated that the Social Care and Adult Services Scrutiny were looking at issues around loneliness and isolation and this was another area that the awareness of Council staff could be important. The Member stated that it was pleasing to see that Middlesbrough Council staff went the extra mile to ensure that services were delivered with compassion and care.
The Executive Member thanked the Member for her comments which were duly noted.
p) Budget Setting
A Member referred to page 3, paragraph17, of the report of the Executive Member for Finance and Governance in relation to Budget Setting.
The Member commented that the Executive Member had in paragraph of her report referred to the fact that opposition councillors from other local authorities had been prepared to submit alternative budget proposals, following a proper process, ahead of the council meeting. The Member queried whether the Executive Member could provide any examples of local authorities where this had occurred.
The Executive Member stated that Wrexham had submitted an 8 page document which included reference to risks etc. submitted from the Labour opposition. The Wirral Conservative opposition had submitted an alternative budget in advance. Darlington and Stockton Councils had both submitted alternative budget proposals which had gone through the proper process of going through their S151 Officers.
The Executive Member stated that it was important that the proper process was followed when submitting an alternative budget. The budget proposals needed to be checked to ascertain if it was viable; if it was legal, if the proposals were part of the Revenue budget rather than the Capital budget in order that the appropriate impact assessment could be carried out and in order for Members of the Council who were tasked with setting a balanced budget could see the proposals prior to them being agreed. The Executive Member stated that she hoped that if an alternative budget was to be submitted for the next financial year, that the proper process would be followed.
q) Council Tax leaflet
A Member referred to page 3, paragraph 21, of the report of the Executive Member for Finance and Governance in relation to Council Tax Leaflet.
The Member stated that the leaflet that was issued with Council Tax Bills was excellent and she wanted to commend the team that had put it together. It was visually interesting, it showed what the Council was doing to provide services to residents of Middlesbrough and how money was being spent. It also showed how Middlesbrough was investing and developing in the town.
The Executive Member advised that she would pass the comments on to the officers concerned. A large proportion of the Revenue Budget was used for looking after children and the elderly. Council Tax receipt covered 23% of the budget. The Executive Member highlighted that it showed that the Investment Programme was not directly funded by the Council Tax it was funded by the Capital Programme and the Council were good at bringing in grants for this.