Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

To approve the minutes from the previous meeting.

To receive and note any declarations of interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

(The other registrable interests of Councillors of Somerset Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes: City, Town & Parish Twin Hatters - Somerset Councillors 2023 )

The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

We are now live webcasting most of our committee meetings and you are welcome to view and listen to the discussion. The link to each webcast will be available on the meeting webpage, please see details under ‘click here to join online meeting’.

To note the year end position of the legacy Councils’ General Fund and Housing Revenue Account Capital Programmes.

Councillor Bill Revans proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Liz Leyshon.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:

·       Acknowledge the year end position of the legacy Councils’ General Fund Capital Programmes and approved the carry forward requests of £99.5m and revised Capital Programme attached at Appendix 7.

·       Acknowledge the year end position of the legacy Councils’ HRA Capital Programmes and approved the carry forward requests of £90.4m and revised Capital Programme attached at Appendix 7a.

This report sets out a proposed appointment of a co-opted member to the Scrutiny Committee for Children and Families (see Paper A) and a Chief Executive Non-Key Decision relating to Member Dispensation (Paper B).

Councillor Bill Revans proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor David Fothergill.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:-

·       Paper A - Approve the appointment of Joanne Simons as a co-opted member on the Scrutiny Committee - Children and Families.

·       Paper B - Note the non-key decision report taken by the Chief Executive on 6 September 2023.

To agree emergency cover arrangements for two vacant Service Director roles.

Councillor Dean Ruddle proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Sue Osborne.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:-

·       Confirm the emergency temporary appointment of Niki Shaw Strategic Manager Quality, Performance, Policy and Assurance, to provide emergency cover to the proposed post of Service Director Adults Strategy, Transformation and Performance, with effect from 1 August 2023 for a temporary period until 31 March 2024 or on a permanent appointment being made, whichever was sooner.

·       Confirm the emergency temporary appointment of Paul Coles Strategic Manager Adults Services, to provide cover for the post of Service Director Adults Commissioning, for a temporary period until 31 March 2024, or on a permanent appointment being made, whichever was sooner.

To approve the Statement of Licensing Policy.

Councillor Simon Carswell proposed the recommendation which was seconded by Councillor Marcus Kravis.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to approve the Statement of Licensing Policy.

To note the report.

To note the report.

To note the report.

To note the report.

Councillor Tessa Munt proposed the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Leigh Redman.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:-

·       Continue to focus on corporate parenting responsibility as the new structures and arrangements were established, especially around housing, education, apprenticeships and social value in the procurement systems.

·       Support and promote a whole council approach to create practical and specific offers to Care Leavers through the Local Offer and the Care Leaver Covenant.

·       Extend its thanks to the Somerset Care Council’s young people for all the hard work that they have undertaken.

·       Extend its thanks to the retiring Independent Chair of Corporate Parenting Board, Jill Johnson for her commitment and tenacity during her tenure from 2016- 2022.

To note the report.

To consider the recommendations in the report.

Councillor Theo Butt Philip proposed the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Faye Purbrick.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:-

·       Approve the costs of the redundancies, as set out in Appendix One (Pest Control).

·       Approve the costs of the redundancy, as set out in Appendix Two (Highways and Transport).

·       Delegate authority to the relevant Service Director to agree the final date of dismissal and the final redundancy package, noting that the payment would not exceed contractual redundancy pay or the payment required under statute to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

·       Agree the case for exempt information for the Redundancy Appendices 1-5 to be treated in confidence, as the case for the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing that information.

·       Agree to exclude the press and public from the meeting where there was any discussion at the meeting regarding Appendices 1-5 (to be treated as exempt information).

To consider the recommendations in the confidential report.

Councillor Bill Revans proposed the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Theo Butt Philip.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to approve the recommendations within the confidential report.