Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the Executive meeting held on 7 June 2022 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

The minutes of the Executive meeting held on 14 June 2022 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

The Executive Member for Adult Health and Public Protection and Digital Inclusion and the Director of Public Health submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to seek approval for an application to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Middlesbrough Council to join the Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities to achieve Age Friendly Town Status.

The submitted report included:

·         information on the Age-friendly Communities Framework developed by WHO (see paragraphs 2 to 5 of the submitted report)

·         an overview of some of the current achievements of the Age Friendly Middlesbrough Steering Group (see paragraphs 8 to 12); and

·         information on becoming a member of the WHO Global Network global network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) and the benefits for Middlesbrough (see paragraphs 13 to 17).

ORDERED

1.     That an application be submitted to the WHO GNAFCC for Middlesbrough Council to achieve age friendly status.

2.     That a covering letter from the Mayor be included with the application.

REASON

Cities and communities could join the network with the commitment by the political leadership to engage in the process and they were welcome to remain in the network for as long as they stayed engaged and shared their experience with fellow members.

An eligible member of the WHO GNAFCC was required to be:

·         A directly elected or mandated public governing body possessing within a given territory, as defined by law, a set of competences to deliver public goods and services to citizens. Given the diverse allocation of responsibility for health policy and community planning among countries, membership was inclusive of sub-national organisational levels from the provincial or state level, to villages and townships with limited population numbers.

·         The authority and capacity to convene mechanisms for inter-sectoral collaboration, conduct baseline assessments and to develop, implement and monitor action plans aimed at making the cities and communities under their sphere of influence more age-friendly.

The Executive Member for Finance and Governance and the Director of Finance submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to seek approval to adopt a new Welfare Strategy, which brought together a significant number of existing and future policies under one overall strategic approach.

The intended purpose of the Welfare Strategy was to support Middlesbrough’s most vulnerable residents (which formed part of the strategic plan), who were in need of financial assistance, advice and support. The strategy provided a menu of support mechanisms that were designed to respond to situations such as the recent cost of living crisis, consequences of the pandemic (also linking in to the strategic plan), and any other external factors that impact the financial pressures on residents and businesses. The strategy was designed to provide a single point of contact as a means to access that support.

The proposed Welfare Strategy was included at Appendix 1 of the submitted report.

OPTIONS

No other potential decisions had been recommended as the strategy provided an overarching and consolidated approach to considering residents’ needs in line with the approved supporting policies which informed the strategy.

ORDERED

1.      That the Welfare Strategy be adopted.

2.      That delegated authority be provided to the Director of Finance, as Section 151 Officer, to approve any future revisions to the strategy.

REASON

The Council now had a significant number of welfare related policies and those would continue to evolve over time. The adoption of the Welfare Strategy planned to provide a corporate and coordinated approach which would ensure future policies would complement and strengthen the strategy.

The Welfare Strategy planned to ensure targeted support was provided for the financially vulnerable within the town, through a menu of financial assistance, advice and support.

The item was deferred due to the absence of the Scrutiny Chair.

The Economic Development, Environment and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel had undertaken a review of the Green Strategy. A copy of the full report was attached.

The scrutiny panel had made 10 recommendations upon which a response was sought from the relevant service area. The Executive Member for Environment and the Director of Environment and Community Services submitted a service response to the recommendations of the Economic Development, Environment and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel. A copy of the action plan was attached.

The Chair of the Economic Development, Environment and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel presented the final report to the Executive. The Executive Member for Environment presented the service response.

ORDERED

1.      That the content of the Economic Development, Environment and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel’s final report, on the Green Strategy, be noted.

2.     That the action plan, developed in response to the scrutiny panel’s recommendations, be approved.

REASON

It was a requirement that Executive formally considered the scrutiny panel's report and confirmed the service area's response to the panel's accompanying plan.

The Executive Member for Regeneration and the Director of Regeneration and Culture submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to seek approval to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to secure funding to support the regeneration of the Old Town Hall (OTH).

The Town’s Fund investment planned to enable an element of restoration, but it would only ensure that the building was structurally safe and water tight. The current condition of disrepair was such that without additional funding from the HLF or alternative sources, the Council would be unable to fully redevelop the asset and bring it back in to use for economic and community benefit.

In order to fulfil the objectives of strategic priority (TOC 04) it was imperative that Middlesbrough Council submitted an EOI to the HLF to secure funding to fully develop the asset. Without permission to bid for funding, or in the instance of an unsuccessful bid, the OTH would be made structurally sound using the current allocation of Town’s Fund money but the building would not be brought back in to an operational use. The longer the building remained without a commercial use, the more it was at risk of future deterioration.

OPTIONS

1.                Do nothing - the OTH’s condition would have continued to deteriorate and placed the buildings future at risk, which would have been detrimental to the wider development ambitions of the Boho/Middlehaven area.

2.                To progress immediately with the structural and remedial works identified as part of the Towns Fund allocation - That would have safeguarded the building and ensured it was structurally safe. The building could then have been marketed to potential tenants, however, the works would not have been sufficient to bring the building back in to an operational use and there would have been the requirement for a significant capital investment from any potential tenant.

ORDERED

1.                That an Expression of Interest to the Heritage Lottery Fund be submitted, to support the restoration and redevelopment of the Old Town Hall.

REASON

The needs of the OTH and the desire to bring the building back into use outstrip the funding available from the Towns Fund.

Uniquely, the Towns Fund sum provided the Council with the availability of a significant match funding contribution, as required by the HLF. Should the opportunity to utilise that match funding now be missed, then further development work required to bring the OTH back into use (in line with the strategic priority TOC 04) would need to be sought from the capital pot.

Should the EOI be unsuccessful, the Council would progress at once with works to ensure the building was structurally sound, utilising the available Towns Fund budget.

The Executive Member for Regeneration, the Executive Member for Finance and Governance, the Director of Regeneration and Culture and the Director of Finance submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to seek approval for the disposal of sites in South Middlesbrough, which were allocated in the Housing Local Plan (2014), in accordance with the Council’s Asset Disposal Process, and to advise of the next steps to take those sites to market.

The implications of the recommendations of Part B of the report had been considered by the appropriate officers of the Council and were set out in the main body of the submitted report.

OPTIONS

The recommendations of Part B of the report sought approval for the disposal of sites in South Middlesbrough, which were allocated in the Housing Local Plan (2014). There were significant implications of any potential decisions that would result in the Council not disposing of those sites for housing development. The overall integrity of the Local Plan depended upon the land supply identified within it being made available, and the Council would be open to significant challenge from the housebuilding industry if it were seen to constrain land supply.

The Council’s approach to housing site disposals was based on maximising capital receipts by ‘de-risking’ sites by undertaking site investigation works, producing design guidance or masterplans, gaining outline planning approval and competitively marketing sites. The Council could elect not to ‘de-risk’ the sites prior to marketing, but it would result in a reduced capital receipt.

The proposed disposals identified represented the most advantageous route for that site, based on the information currently available.

ORDERED

1.      That the information contained in Part A of the report be noted.

2.      That the decision be taken once all the financial or exempt information contained in Part B of the report had been considered.

REASON

The development of the identified sites would bring surplus, vacant and underutilised Council held assets into far more beneficial use in the future - creating new communities and high quality places.

The three Council owned sites were critical to the supply of land for housing development and were in turn, critical, for supporting economic growth in the town and the delivery of Council services.

The disposal of the subject parcels of land was recommended in order to meet the Council’s requirements to generate capital receipts, increase annually recurring revenue streams.

With interest in Middlesbrough’s sites strong, and a buoyant property market nationally, it was timely to bring those three sites forward for development, to ensure that the maximum capital receipt was achieved and that the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan was delivered.

Middlesbrough’s housing offer needed to keep pace with the demands of the market. The release and development of those sites planned to allow that to be achieved; stemming outward migration and making Middlesbrough a desirable place to live, with a quantity of residential properties that would address the requirements of a changing, growing and evolving population.

Furthermore, those  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22/19

To consider passing a Resolution Pursuant to Section 100A(4) Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972 excluding the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items on the grounds that if present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information falling within paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The resolution to exclude the press and the public was agreed.

The Executive Member for Regeneration, the Executive Member for Finance and Governance, the Director of Regeneration and Culture and the Director of Finance submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration.

ORDERED

That the recommendations of the report be approved.

REASONS

The decision was supported by the following reason:

For reasons outlined in the report.

The Executive Member for Regeneration and the Director of Regeneration and Culture submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration.

ORDERED

That the recommendations of the report be approved.

REASONS

The decision was supported by the following reason:

For reasons outlined in the report.