Agenda and minutes

To receive notification of apologies and substitutions

(1)       Apologies were received from Mr Carter CBE, Leader and Chairman and Mr Mike Austerberry, Interim Corporate Director, Growth, Environment and Transport.

(2)       Mr Simmonds, Vice Chairman, took the Chair in the absence of Mr Carter, CBE.  As a result Ms Susan Carey, Deputy Cabinet Member for Finance was in attendance to speak to Item 6 – Revenue and Budget Monitoring Report.

(3)       Mr Austerberry was substituted by Mr John Burr, Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste.

No declarations were received.

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 24 March 2014, were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

None.

To receive a report of the Chairman of the Select Committee on Commissioning, Mr Mike Angell, containing the final report of the Select Committee for consideration and comment before it is considered by full council on 15^th May 2014.

– report of MrAngell,Chairmanof theSelect Committeeon Commissioning)

(1)     Mr Angell,Chairman oftheSelectCommitteeon Commissioning andCommittee MembersMr Birkby,MrCowan and MrVye, werein attendancetospeak totheitem. MrAngell introducedthe report and inparticularreferredto the following:

i.        That thereportfocused onissuesofprocurement,contractmanagement, decommissioningandrecommissioningand the provision ofsocial value.

ii.       Thatthe reportmaderecommendationsrelatingto thereductionofbarriers to goodcommissioning.Therewere five keyrecommendations:

•       Twooutwardlooking: ensuringthatbetterengagementwith the commissioning marketplace wasenabled;andthatthemarketplace wasdeveloped and supported

•       Twoinward looking:That the needfor culturalchangewithin KCC shouldbe identifiedand implemented; andthatthecurrent commissioningprocessshouldbe simplifiedand standardised.

•     Finally, thereport considered therole ofmembersin asuccessful commissioningauthority.

(2)     Mr Birkbyspoke totheitem; heacknowledged thatKentCountyCouncilwas already commissioning servicesvery wellin someareas butthatthe standardwas not currently consistentacross thecouncil.     Hebelieved thatelected member involvementwould providethe overarchingmonitoringand reviewthat wasrequired to create that consistency.

(3)     Mr CowanaddressedCabinet.  He thankedtheChairman for thefairand accessible way inwhich hehad  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

To receive a report of the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance and the Corporate Director of Finance and Procurement providing the budget monitoring position for January 2013-14 for both the revenue and capital budgets.

(1)     Cabinet receiveda reportproviding thebudgetmonitoringposition forJanuary2013-14 forboth revenueand capitalbudgets,includingan updateon keyactivitydata.

(2)     Ms Careyintroduced thereport for Cabinetandreferredin particularto thefollowing informationcontainedwithin it:

Revenue

i.     Thatan underspendof£14millionwas expected,reducedto£9.7millionafter the rephasingofprojectsand otheractions.

ii.       Emergencycosts relatedto thefloods werecurrently reportedat approx £2.3m.  Reserves hadbeen usedtomeetthesecosts andthisevidencedthe prudenceoftheadministration’sapproachto reservelevels.  £8.6mhad now beenallocatedtoKCC fromtheGovernment,£5.4millionofwhich wouldsit withinthe revenue budgetand wouldbe allocatedto repairprogrammes.

iii.     Aclaim wasbeing pursuedto theBellwynschemewhich sought afurther£1.2 of funding.

iv.      That  £4million  of  the  2014-15  budget  was  derived  from  the  predicted underspendand soit wascrucial thattheCouncil metthattarget inorder to fulfilits commitmentsfornext year.

v.    ChildrenServices continuedtoexperience pressuresrelatedto ‘agency’ costs andAsylum costs.  Inrelation tothelatterKCC continuedto invoice the Government forcostsrelated tothoseasylum seekingyoung peoplewho had exhausted allrights ofappealbut hadyet tobe deported,butas yetno payment had been agreed.

vi.      Anunderspendwas predictedforthe E&TDirectorateowing to a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

To receive a report of the Leader containing the Kent and Medway Growth Deal, submitted as part of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership Strategic Economic Plan to Government on March 31^st 2014 and setting out the anticipated next steps.

(1)     Cabinet receiveda reportdetailingthe content of the StrategicEconomicPlan recentlysubmittedby the South East LocalEconomicPartnershipto Government and containingthe Kent and MedwayGrowth Deal.Thereportalso set out the anticipatednext steps forthe planand fundingarrangements.

(2)     Mr Dance,CabinetMemberforEconomicDevelopmentintroducedthe report and in particularmade the followingpoints:

i.        Thatthe growthplan forthe South East LEP would£1.1billion and that after followingthe federatedmodelcurrentlyin placefor theSELEP, the KMEP elementsoughtto secure£501.5million forprojectdelivery oversixyears.

ii.       Thatprojectswould need to be prioritisedfor 2015-16and inthe summer Governmentwould announceplans for fundingfuture projectsas set out in the strategicdocument.

iii.      Thatthedocument waswell producedand timelyand that RossGillbe thanked

(3)     Ross Gill,EconomicStrategyand Policy Manager,spoke tothe itemson addedthe followinginformation tothe comments oftheCabinet Member:

i.        Thata largeproportionofthe£501millionmentionedby the CabinetMember wouldbe allocatedto transport investmentand Governmenthad now requested that the projectsput forwardbe prioritised and ranked.

ii.       Thatalthoughthefund currentlytook the form of a ‘singlepot’ therewere alreadycertain ringfenceditems,skills capitalinvestmen  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.