Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Town Hall - Maidenhead

Contact: David Cook  01628 796560

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

To receive any apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Coppinger, Bicknell and Targowska.

2.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 219 KB

To receive any declarations of interest

Minutes:

Councillor Samantha Rayner declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in item iv -Joint Central and Eastern Berkshire Waste and Minerals Plan she left the room for the duration of the discussion and voting on the item.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 82 KB

To consider the Part I minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018.

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Part I minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018 were approved.

 

The Chairman commented that he would be amiss if he did not mention the recent Royal Wedding and the excellent work undertaken  by the Royal Borough, there had been appreciative acknowledgment from the Royal Household for all the work done. 

 

The Chairman thanked all officers who had worked on preparations and during the wedding and gave the example of the Communications Team with the following statistics; there had been 1.2 million impressions on twitter compared to 160,00 the week before, our links on twitter had been clicked over 1.7 million times and the Facebook page followers was up 103 percent compared to the seven previous days.

4.

Appointments

Minutes:

None

5.

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 28 KB

To consider the Forward Plan for the period June 2018 to September 2018.

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the contents of the Forward Plan fo the next four months and noted the changes made to the plan since the last meeting.  In addition it was noted that the following two additional reports be added; Plan Making – Traveller Local Plan and a report on Conservation Area Appraisals.

6.

Cabinet Members' Reports pdf icon PDF 43 KB

6a

Eton End School – Road Safety Petition pdf icon PDF 788 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Surinder Gill to the meeting and informed her that she had five minutes to present and discuss her petition for enhanced road safety measures outside Eton End School, along Eton Road, Datchet.

 

Surinder Gill informed Cabinet that she had started the petition in October 2016 and that it had taken the Council over one year to take it seriously.  Risks had been identified, such as excessive speeds along Eton Road, and these had been passed to the Council.  Surinder Gill went through the risks:

 

·         Risks 1,2,3 and 15 would be reduced by changing the timings of the 20mph speed limit flashing lights in line with school pick up and drop off times.

·         Risks 5 and 12 – new flashing lights close to the school required.

·         Risks 6,13 and 16 would benefit from 30mph markings on the road.

·         Risk 7 requires additional railings along the pavement to prevent children from running onto the road.

·         Risk 8 – it was appreciated that the Council had installed one set of railings but extra railings would reduce the risk.

·         Risk 9, there had been speeds recorded at 91.5 mph therefore speed humps were requested.  They supported the recent recommendation by the Highways and Transport O&S Panel to install a raised panel on the road.

·         Risk 10, uniform training and insurance to be provided by the Council for a school crossing patroller.  She wished to see the Council’s public liability insurance so they could start recruitment.

·         Risk 11, it was felt that a zebra crossing would provide additional safety for children crossing the road, however they would compromise with different coloured road surface as suggested by the scrutiny panel.

·         Risk 14, would like to see the yellow lines along Castle Avenue extended.

·         Risk 17, reduce the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph at Eton Road.

 

Cabinet were informed that the school currently distributed letters regarding safe parking and erected banners to prevent illegal parking.  A drop off zone had been considered but this was too expensive.  If the Council introduced the raised table and other safety measures than parent would use the car park provided by the school.  It was felt that a private school should receive the same safety measures as a state maintained school.

 

The Chairman thanked Surinder Gill for all the hard work put into the petition. And subsequent risk report.

 

The Lead Member for Environmental Services thanked the school for all their efforts around road safety for children getting to and from school.  It had been agreed that the crossing patroller would be covered by the Council’s insurance and he agreed with scrutiny’s recommendation of installing a raised platform.  Introducing a zebra crossing in this location would be contrary to the Department for Transport safety guidelines, but other safety measure had been recommended.  It was planned to start the work during May and June 2018.

 

The report responding to the petition contained a range of proposed traffic safety measures and if accepted by Cabinet the addition  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

6b

Eton and Eton Wick Neighbourhood Plan Decision to Proceed to Referendum pdf icon PDF 349 KB

Minutes:

The Principal Member for Neighbourhood Planning and Ascot & Sunnings introduced the Cabinet report that sought approval for the Eton and Eton Wick Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to referendum.

 

Cabinet were informed that the Eton and Eton Wick  neighbourhood plan had been scrutinised by an independent examiner. The examiner was appointed by the Royal Borough, with the agreement of the Qualifying Body. The examiner’s report recommended that the plan proceeds to referendum, subject to modifications to ensure the plan met the Basic Conditions.  If Cabinet approved the recommendations then the referendum would take place on 12 July 2018 and if approve the plan would come back to Council for adoption.

 

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities said that she supported the excellent plan and wished to thank the group who produced the plan with support from the Principal Member for Neighbourhood Planning and Ascot & Sunnings and officers.

 

The Lead Member for Environmental Services asked for clarification on the Basic Conditions and was informed that the Localism Act required Basic Conditions for all Neighbourhood Plans which were:

 

·         Having regard to national policies.

·         That the plan contributes to sustainable development.

·         That the plan conforms with policies of the development plan for the authority.

·         That the plan is compatible with EU obligations.

 

The Lead Member for Environmental Services said that he could see why Datchet required support in understanding how a plan met the Basic Conditions.  Cabinet were informed that each neighbourhood plan received £20,000 to appoint consultants and they also received support from officers.

 

Resolved unanimously: That Cabinet notes the report and:

 

      I.        Confirms that the plan meets the Basic Conditions tests and does not require a SA/SEA; and

    II.        Accepts the proposed changes to the Neighbourhood Plan set out in Appendix B, and

   III.        Gives delegated authority to the Head of Planning to issue a decision statement; and

  IV.        agrees to put the modified Neighbourhood Plan to referendum.  The date of the referendum to be set in accordance with the legal requirements; and

    V.        Delegates authority to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Principal Member for Neighbourhood Planning, to make minor, non material, amendments to the Neighbourhood Plan prior to the referendum being announced; and

  VI.        Provides advance funding up to £20,000, if required, for the referendum; this will then be claimed back from Government.

6c

Windsor Middle School Expansion pdf icon PDF 283 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Member for Children’s Services introduced the Cabinet report regarding the proposed expansion of St Peter’s Church of England Middle School.

 

Cabinet were informed that there was pressure for places in the Windsor middle schools from September 2019, and the borough consulted on a proposal to expand St Peter’s CE Middle School by 30 places per year group, starting with Year 5 in September 2019.  That consultation had two-thirds of respondents in favour of the proposed expansion.  The estimated costs was £2.7 million with the funds already been identified as part of the boroughs school expansion programme.

 

The Lead Member for Children’s Services informed that the report had been considered by the Children’s Services O&S Panel who had requested an explanation for why the school had only received a value for money score of one out of ten, requested that the Memorandum of Understanding include that the expansion was to cover basic need and for the clause about the published admission numbers to also cover wider admission arrangement changes.

 

Cabinet were informed that even though the school received a low value for money score it was the only Windsor middle school that was viable for expansion.  Residents in Old Windsor supported the proposed expansion however they had raised concerns about increased traffic therefore it was proposed to increase the budget to allow for the purchase of land for a drop of zone and other measures to reduce traffic congestion.

 

The Lead Member for Children’s Services also informed that in November 2017 Cabinet approved that all parties for school expansion sign a memorandum of understanding setting out the terms for  proposed expansion to have clarity on each parties expectations and responsibilities.

 

The Principal Member for Ascot Regeneration mentioned that 66 percent of consultation respondents were in favour of the planned expansion and this would have been higher if the planned drop off zone had been known during the consultation period.

 

The Leader said that there was no point in expanding a school if you did not give consideration to home to school transport, it was the right thing to do for Old Windsor residents to have the drop off zone.

 

Councillor Beer informed Cabinet that he was speaking on this item on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition who was not able to attend due to illness. Cllr Beer informed that this was a popular school with a good reputation.  The proposed drop off zone was a good idea especially in a rural location. 

 

Resolved unanimously: that Cabinet notes the report and:

 

      I.        Approves a budget estimate of £2.7m and authorises the Director of Children’s Services with the Lead Member for Children’s Services to undertake procurement and enter into contracts for the delivery of the expansion of St Peter’s CE Middle School.

    II.        Approves the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding: St Peter’s CE Middle School by the Director of Children’s Services.

6d

Joint Central and Eastern Berkshire Waste and Minerals Plan –Regulation 18 Consultation on the Draft Plan pdf icon PDF 91 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(Cllr S Rayner declared a pecuniary interest in this item as her husband was a trustee  in the family trust whose agents had made representation to the plan.  Cllr S Rayner left the meeting and did not take part in the discussion or vote on the item.)

 

The Deputy Lead Member for Planning Performance introduced the Cabinet report regarding the next stages of the Joint Central and Eastern Berkshire Waste and Minerals Plan on behalf of the Lead Member for Planning and Health including sustainability.

 

The Deputy Lead Member for Planning Performance thanked the Planning Department for their hard work preparing the Borough Local Plan and this supplementary plan.  The joint waste and minerals plan was being prepared by Hampshire County Council for the four participating local planning authorities; the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Bracknell Forest Council, Reading Borough Council and Wokingham Borough Council.  There had been a slight delay in the plans preparation due to the recent local elections for some of the other authorities. 

 

The Head of Planning informed Cabinet that as a unitary authority we were required to have an updated Waste and Minerals Plan for the national planning framework.  As the authority were currently working on the Borough Local Plan it had been decided to use Hampshire County Council to prepare this supplementary document.

 

It was noted that Slough Borough Council were looking at alternative site for the Lakeside facility which had to be moved due to the implementation of the 3rd runway at Heathrow airport.

 

Cllr Beer raised concern about the proposed site at Ham Island, Old Windsor, which had appeared un expectantly  on the proposed list of sites.  It was proposed to use the site for work on Heathrow’s third runway with barges taking sand and gravel across the river.  Local residents were concerned about the increased noise levels and adverse effect on the rural area.  The Head of Planning informed that this site would be for local use and not for the proposed third Heathrow runway. The Principal Member for Ascot Regeneration mentioned that Heathrow had identified Ham Island as a possible site during their consultation, he recommended that residents voice any concerns during the plan’s consultation.

 

Resolved unanimously:  that Cabinet notes the report and:

 

      I.        That the Draft Plan for the Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals and Waste Plan (Appendix 1) be approved for the purposes of consultation under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning ) Regulation 2012.

    II.        That community involvement on the Draft Plan for the Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals and Waste Plan and associated supporting documents be authorised.

   III.        That the Head of Planning, be authorised to make any minor amendments necessary to the Issues and Options for the Central and Eastern Berkshire Joint Minerals and Waste Plan in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, prior to community involvement.

6e

SEND Area Inspection Update pdf icon PDF 691 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Member for Children’s Services introduced the Cabinet report that provided an update on progress of the SEND Action Plan.

 

Cabinet were informed that Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission carried out a local area inspection in July 2017 and while they identified areas of strength they decided that the local area should address areas of weakness by means of an Action Plan. 

 

There were 107 actions on the plan with only 6 were currently causing concern while 17 were complete and 49 were fully on track.  The Lead Member for Children’s Services thanked officers for all their good work on the progress made especially getting all the education, health and care (EHC) plans in place.

 

The Lead Member informed Cabinet that on 19th April 2018 an Inclusion Summit was held with 174 people in attendance.  The summit provided feedback on the Inclusion Charter, appended to the report, and had Carrie Grant attending as a keynote speaker. 

 

Both the Lead Member for Culture and Communities and the Principal Member for Ascot Regeneration both mentioned that the report highlighted a lot of good work that had been undertaken for vulnerable member of our society.

 

The Chairman mentioned that he was the Chair of Governors of two schools that had the highest proportion of pupils with special education needs.  He felt that having a diverse community was a strength rather than trying to exclude certain pupils to other areas.

 

Resolved unanimously: that  Cabinet:

 

      I.        Notes the report and endorses the work undertaken to meet the statutory deadline of converting all statements of educational needs to EHC plan by the due date.

    II.        Notes progress on the delivery of 107 actions in the action plan and request an update in October 2018.

6f

Commissioning of Sexual Health Services from March 2019 pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health introduced the Cabinet report that sought permission to re-tender mandatory sexual health services on behalf of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to start from 1 April 2019.

 

Cabinet were informed that the Royal Borough currently commissions a sexual health service through Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.  The current service contract expires on 31 March 2019 with no option to extend. Approval was sought to go out to tender for a new contract in partnership with Bracknell Forest Borough Council and Slough Borough Council.

 

Royal Borough residents had around 6,700 attendance episodes at sexual health services in a year and in 2017-2018, there were 4,659 attendances at the three clinics run by the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.  Residents have chosen to use an on-line services or accessed services outside of East Berkshire which explained the difference between the two figures. 

 

The services provided covered areas such as a Royal Borough community-based outreach nurse, online HIV and sexually transmitted infection tests and access to services at the centre in Slough (at least 29.5 hours per week) and non-specialist service in Bracknell (at least 14 hours a week) on an open access basis, in addition to the clinic offered at St Marks Hospital.

 

The Lead Member for Finance mentioned that he was delighted to be part of a council that took these issues seriously; if you think education in such areas were expensive then have a go at ignorance.

 

Resolved unanimously: that Cabinet notes the report and:

 

      I.        Gives approval to the Managing Director, with the Lead Member Adult Social Care and Public Health, to commence procurement of a new sexual health services contract in partnership with Bracknell Forest Borough Council and Slough Borough Council.

    II.        Approves a temporary extension to the current contract, of up to three months, to accommodate any extended negotiations.

6g

Financial Update pdf icon PDF 694 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Member for Finance introduced the Council’s final financial outturn statement for 2017-18. It confirmed a projected overspend in services of , £662,000 however the Council remained in a strong financial position with combined general fund reserves of £7,033,000.

 

Cabinet were informed that the reasons for the overspend and remedial action had been well documented throughout the year, but the level of reserves were above that recommended by Council and the Royal Borough were in an enviable financial position.  This was testament to the hard work done by Lead Members and officers throughout the year.

 

The report also contained specific recommendations for £130,000 from the Capital Fund in 2018-19 to fund joint safety inspection work within the Royal Borough with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, £55,000 for the pay and reward scheme to be funded from the Capital fund in 2018-19, a £375,000 capital budget for the Oaks Leisure centre project and a £345,000 capital budget for the Braywick Leisure centre project.

 

The Lead Member for Culture and Communities informed that with regards to the Leisure centre project remnants of a Saxon site had been found so archaeological work was being undertaken; local schools were also taking part.

 

Resolved unanimously: that Cabinet:

 

      I.        Notes the Council’s projected outturn position for 2017-18 and mitigating actions to address service pressures.

    II.        The Executive Director, and Lead Member for Environmental Services(including Parking and Flooding), requests that Cabinet approves additional one off revenue of £130,000 from the Capital Fund in 2018-19 to fund joint safety inspection work within the Royal Borough with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Further details in paragraph 4.29.

   III.        Approves an additional budget of £55,000 for the Pay and reward scheme to be funded from the Capital fund in 2018-19. Further details in paragraph 4.30.

  IV.        Approves a £375,000 capital budget for the Oaks Leisure centre project. Further details in paragraph 4.37.

    V.        Approves a £345,000 capital budget for the Braywick Leisure centre project. Further details in paragraph 4.38.

6h

Highways and Transport Investment Programme 2018-19 pdf icon PDF 113 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Member for Environmental Services introduced the Cabinet report, on behalf of the Lead Member for Highways, Transport and Windsor, regarding the approval for the schemes which made up the highways works programme for 2018-2019 and an endorsement of the indicative reserve highways programme for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Cabinet noted that the works programme listed in appetencies A and B were not in priority order.

 

The Chairman mentioned that he was pleased to see potholes already marked up for repair.

 

Councillor E Wilson informed Cabinet that he came before them a year ago requesting investment in Clewer and Dedworth and he was delighted to see that there were sixteen schemes on the list as well as a further seven on the reserve list.  This was a clear message to the residents of this community. The Chairman mentioned that he had been shocked at the condition of some of the roads in these wards and was pleased to see action being taken. 

 

The Principal Member for Housing asked what happens to the schemes on the reserve list and was informed by the Chairman that we could trust the Conservatives to deliver better quality roads.  He was delighted to see schemes being progressed to the benefit of residents.

 

The Lead Member for Maidenhead Regeneration referred Cabinet to paragraph 4.2 which showed that the Royal Borough awarded the highest level possible for value for money highway improvements that  also secured £2.12m of funding.  Residents were getting better roads without increased taxation.

 

Resolved unanimously: that Cabinet:

 

      I.        Endorses the works programme set out in Appendix A.

    II.        Delegate authority to the Managing Director, in consultation with the Deputy Leader of the Council, and Lead Member for Highways, Transport and Windsor, to agree minor amendments to the approved schemes (within approved budgets) and implement reserve or substitute schemes should this become necessary.

   III.        Endorses the indicative programmes for 2019-20 and 2020-21 set out in Appendix B.

6i

School Catering Contract pdf icon PDF 114 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Member for Children’s services introduced the Cabinet report regarding the procurement of a new borough contract for the provision of schools meals.

 

Cabinet were informed that the existing school meals contract ran out in July 2018, and cannot legally be extended. A tendering exercise had been carried out, to let a new contract ready for September 2018. The approval for the new supplier needed to be made by early June, but the tender analysis exercise would not be completed in time for the May cabinet meeting.  Cabinet were requested to delegate authority for the award of contract.  It was noted that this contract was especially important for our smaller schools.  

 

Resolved unanimously: that Cabinet notes the report and:

 

      I.        Delegates authority to approve the tenders for the school meals catering contract to the Managing Director and Lead Member for Children Services.

 

 

7.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 - EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

To consider passing the following resolution:-

 

“That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting whilst discussion takes place on item 8 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1-7 of part I of Schedule 12A of the Act"

Minutes:

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local

Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting whilst discussion takes place on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1-7 of part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the Part II minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018 were approved.

8.

Minutes

To consider the Part II minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 26 April 2018.