Agenda and minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 5 September 2017 as a correct record (to be laid on the table half-an-hour prior to the meeting).

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 5 September 2017 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

To receive from members, declarations of interest in relation to any items included on the agenda for this meeting, in accordance with the Waverley Code of Local Government Conduct.

With regard to Agenda Item 10 regarding the transfer of public conveniences to Town Councils, Cllr Andrew Bolton declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of Godalming Town Council, and Cllrs Jim Edwards and Ged Hall each declared a non-pecuniary interest as members of Haslemere Town Council.

Background Papers

Unless specified under an individual item, there are no background papers (as defined by Section 100D(5) of the Local Government Act 1972) relating to the reports in Part I of these minutes.

The Council currently has two Safeguarding Policies adopted in late 2014; for children and vulnerable adults. In line with safeguarding guidelines set out by Surrey County Council, the statutory authority for safeguarding, it is recommended that the two policies are merged.  The new policy will adhere to Surrey County Council’s adopted and recommended format and therefore will ensure a consistent Safeguarding Policy is adopted by district and boroughs throughout the county.

This report summarises the Council’s safeguarding responsibilities and proposes the new combined Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk.  In addition to merging the two previous policies the new policy updates current procedures to reflect best practice, clarifies the reporting process, and highlights the differing forms of abuse and indicators as well as summarising other related policies and strategies.

The policy was considered by the Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 12 September 2017 and the Committee’s comments are included towards the end of the report.

Recommendation

It is recommended that

1.         the Executive recommends adoption of the Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk to the Council; and

2.         the Constitution be updated to reflect the wider remit of the Safeguarding Policy for children and adults in the Policy Framework section.

59.1    The Council currently has two Safeguarding Policies adopted in late 2014; for children and vulnerable adults. In line with safeguarding guidelines set out by Surrey County Council, the statutory authority for safeguarding, it is recommended that the two policies are merged.  The new policy, attached as Annexe 1, will adhere to Surrey County Council’s adopted and recommended format and therefore will ensure a consistent Safeguarding Policy is adopted by district and boroughs throughout the county.

59.2    This item summarises the Council’s safeguarding responsibilities and proposes the new combined Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk.  In addition to merging the two previous policies the new policy updates current procedures to reflect best practice, clarifies the reporting process, and highlights the differing forms of abuse and indicators as well as summarising other related policies and strategies.

59.3    A life that is free from harm, abuse, and neglect is a basic right of every person. The objective of safeguarding is to prevent and reduce the risk of harm to adults and children from abuse or other types of exploitation and impairment of development, while supporting individuals to maintain control over their lives and enabling them to make informed decisions without coercion.  Although safeguarding is recognised as a key responsibility of local authorities, safeguarding is still everybody’s business, and as neighbours, citizens, and community members we need to be alert to neglect and abuse, and be committed to reporting our concerns.

59.4    The Safeguarding Policy for Children and Adults at Risk sets out how the Council will meet its obligations to safeguard children and adults at risk. It applies to staff, agency workers, volunteers and contractors employed by the Council. It is also applicable to Councillors undertaking official duties on behalf of the Council. The policy complements and supports the agreed multi-agency procedures set down by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Board and Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board.

59.5    The policy is governed by a set of key principles and themes, designed to ensure that people who are at risk experience the process in such a way that it is sensitive to individual circumstances, is person-centred and is outcome-focused. It is vital for successful safeguarding that the procedures in this policy are understood and applied consistently at an individual, managerial, and organisational level.

59.6    The policy follows the safeguarding guidelines promoted and adopted by the statutory body for safeguarding - Surrey County Council.  The policy contributes to adopting a consistent approach to safeguarding by all boroughs and districts.  It also brings together the Council’s two currently separate policies, Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Adults, as the process of referral is very similar.

59.7    The policy identifies a wide range of common types of abuse or neglect that Councillors, staff, agency workers, volunteers and contractors employed by the Council should be aware of. Details of other related policies and strategies are included.

59.8    The essential elements of the policy are awareness of the Council’s responsibilities for safeguarding and how to make a referral should  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

The background papers relating to the following items are as set out in the reports included in the original agenda papers.

The report provides a review of the 2017/18 budget for the General Fund and the Housing Revenue Account against the forecast to 31 March 2018, based on the latest information available.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive:

1.            notes the latest position against the budget in 2017/18;

2.            endorses Waverley’s participation in the Surrey-wide bid to become a business rate pilot, as detailed in paragraphs 11 to 13;

3.            approves a supplementary estimate of up to £50,000 for the external resource required to implement the new information governance regulations, as detailed in paragraphs 14 to 16;

4.            approves a supplementary capital estimate of up to £15,000 for the works at Godalming Museum in the event that sufficient savings do not arise in the 2017/2018 capital programme, as detailed in paragraph 19; and

5.            approves the carry forward of £140,000 from the 2017/2018 HRA community room projects capital budget to 2018/2019, as detailed in paragraph 25.

RESOLVED  that

1.            the latest position against the budget in 2017/18 be noted;

2.            Waverley’s participation in the Surrey-wide bid to become a business rate pilot be endorsed, as detailed in paragraphs 11 to 13;

3.            a supplementary estimate of up to £50,000 be approved for the external resource required to implement the new information governance regulations, as detailed in paragraphs 14 to 16;

4.            a supplementary capital estimate of up to £15,000 be approved for the works at Godalming Museum in the event that sufficient savings do not arise in the 2017/2018 capital programme, as detailed in paragraph 19; and

5.            the carry forward of £140,000 be approved from the 2017/2018 HRA community room projects capital budget to 2018/2019, as detailed in paragraph 25 of the report.

[Reason: to review the budget and make any variations as necessary]

The purpose of this report is to present the Indoor Leisure Facilities Strategy 2017 – 2027 to the Executive. The strategy sets out Waverley’s vision for future leisure facilities in the borough and the strategic objectives that form the basis of the action plan that is proposed for implementation. The delivery of these objectives will help develop a more modern, efficient and sustainable range of community based sport and leisure facilities that Waverley requires.

The strategy will inform the Council’s approach to placeshaping whether this relates to indoor leisure facilities provided by the Council, schools, private sector providers or facilities managed by community groups, such as community halls. It focuses on ensuring that the network of leisure facilities in the borough will be of sufficient quality, quantity and accessibility to support the delivery.

The strategy sets out a clear direction to all partners with regard to facility provision in the borough and underpins the requirement of developer contributions in order to secure new or improved leisure facilities infrastructure in the borough. By adopting a clear strategy the Council will be able to maximise the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the Section 106 (s106) developer contributions. The strategy also underpins the capital programme for the leisure services and the Executive is invited to endorse the proposed strategy for adoption.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive:

1.         adopts the Indoor Leisure Strategy 2017-2027 in order to provide a clear direction in the provision of indoor sport facilities in the Borough; and

2.         asks officers to bring forward an options appraisal for future investment in the Council’s Leisure Centres that reflects the needs identified in the Indoor Leisure Facilities Strategy.

RESOLVED  that

1.         the Indoor Leisure Strategy 2017-2027 be adopted in order to provide a clear direction in the provision of indoor sport facilities in the Borough; and

2.         officers be asked to bring forward an options appraisal for future investment in the Council’s Leisure Centres that reflects the needs identified in the Indoor Leisure Facilities Strategy.

[Reason: to approve the strategy that sets out the vision for future indoor leisure facilities in the borough]

The report provides an analysis of the Council’s performance in the first quarter of 2017/18 in service areas of Finance, Strategic HR, Complaints, Community Services, Planning, Environmental Health and Housing. Annexe 1 to the report details performance against key indicators, with year on year trend analysis.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive:

1.            considers the performance figures for Quarter 1 and any observations or recommendations; and

2.            endorses inclusion of the additional Community Wellbeing performance indicators set out at paragraph 9 of the report.

RESOLVED that, having considered the performance figures for Quarter 1 and the observations/recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committees, the inclusion of the additional Community Wellbeing performance indicators set out at paragraph 9 of the report, be endorsed.

[Reason: to analyse the Council’s performance in the first quarter of 2017/2018 and consider any proposed changes to the performance indicators].

Following the recent cycle of Overview and Scrutiny Committees, there are a number of issues that the Committees wish to draw to the Executive’s attention or make recommendations to the Executive.  These are summarised in the report attached.  The Chairman of the Informal Co-ordinating Board, Cllr John Williamson, has been invited to attend the meeting to present the report.

Cllr John Williamson, Chairman of the Informal Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Board, attended the meeting to introduce the report from the last round of Overview and Scrutiny Committees, and set out the recommendations that were put forward to the Executive.

The Executive thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Committees for their proposals and supported all of the recommendations put forward.

RESOLVED that

1.         officers be asked to undertake business planning for discretionary services in order to maximise income-generation opportunities;

2.         Karen Simmonds be invited to deliver her presentation on district councils’ contribution to public health to all members of the Council at 6.30pm, prior to the start of a Council meeting, possibly on Tuesday 17 October 2017;

3.         officers be instructed to monitor carefully the tonnages of residual waste collected by Waverley, to identify any increase that may be a consequence of restrictions imposed at the CRCs;

4.         officers be instructed to develop a more robust method for recording incidents of fly-tipping, which includes fly-tipping on private land and parks, and records more accurately the tonnage of fly-tipped material collected and delivered to SCC;

5.         the Tenants’ Panel be thanked for their work in supporting Waverley tenants in Sheltered Housing Schemes during the consultation and reassure Waverley tenants that the Careline service is not affected by housing related support funding, and will continue; and

6.         the Leader be asked to write to all Surrey MPS, the Prime Minister and the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to express grave concerns about the impact of cuts in Housing Related Support, especially to services for older people, and to press the Government to bring forward the long-awaited Green Paper on the future funding of supported housing; and that the Tenants’ Panel report should be attached to the Leader’s letter.

[Reason: to consider the recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committees]

The report aims to inform Members as to the negotiated position in this case and to seek authorisation to enable Officers to conclude legal agreements for the grant of leases together with rights of use, to Godalming and Haslemere Town Councils.

Recommendation

It is recommended that Waverley enters into 20 year leases with Godalming and Haslemere Town Councils on the Heads of Terms set out in the (Exempt) Annexes to the report, with final agreement of other terms and conditions to be delegated to the Strategic Director of Finance and Resources, in consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Finance and Customer and Corporate Services.

[This item contains exempt information by virtue of which the public is likely to be excluded during the item to which the report relates, as specified in Paragraph 3 of the revised Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, namely:-

            Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)]

RESOLVED  that Waverley enters into 20 year leases with Godalming and Haslemere Town Councils, on the Heads of Terms set out in the (Exempt) Annexes to the report, with final agreement of terms and conditions to be delegated to the Strategic Director of Finance and Resources, in consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Finance and Customer and Corporate Services.

[Reason: to seek authorisation to conclude the negotiations and legal agreements for the grant of leases to Godalming and Haslemere Town Councils]