PRESENT:- Councillor Waltham in the chair.

Councillors Briggs, Hannigan, Poole, Reed and Rose.

Councillors Ali, Clark, A Davison, J Davison, L Foster, T Foster, Glover, Gosling, Grant, Longcake, Marper, Mumby-Croft, O’Sullivan, Perry, K Vickers, Wells and Wilson also attended the meeting.

Simon Driver, Simon Batt, Rob Beales, Rod Chapman, Sarah Howe, Denise Hyde, Chris Matthews, Becky McIntyre, Karen Pavey, Peter Thorpe, Mike Wedgewood, Jason Whaler, Peter Williams and Mel Holmes also attended the meeting.

Moira Wilson, the Chair of the Local Adults Safeguarding Board also attended the meeting.

Chris Blacksell, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer also attended the meeting.

The meeting was held at the Civic Centre, Scunthorpe.

1185 DECLARATIONS OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS AND PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS – Declaration of personal interests were indicated as follows –

1186 MINUTES – Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 24 November 2015, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chairman.

1187 (35) OUTSTANDING ACTION FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS – The Director of Policy and Resources submitted a report which contained a schedule of outstanding issues on which cabinet had requested reports to future meetings.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

1188 HUMBERSIDE FIRE AUTHORITY – OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY PROGRAMME – The Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Mr Chris Blacksell, attended the meeting and gave a presentation on the Operational Efficiency Programme for the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. In particular he referred to the current consultation on proposals for the future.

Resolved – That Mr Blacksell be thanked for the informative presentation.

1189 (36) JANUARY BUDGET REVIEW 2015/2016 – The Director of Policy and Resources submitted a report informing cabinet of the council’s current financial position for 2015/2016. The report provided an opportunity to review how the council’s Revenue Plans and Capital Programme were progressing and also considered opportunities and potential corrective action where necessary.

The net expenditure position against budget was monitored on a regular basis. The report considered the current directorate position and actions that were being taken to resolve problems and identify saving opportunities. Where services required additional support or where additional savings had been identified cabinet could consider the reallocation of resources between directorates, earmarked reserves and the contingency fund.

Details of the current position by directorate were set out in paragraphs 3.3 to 3.6 of the report with reference to central budgets in paragraph 3.7 and details of the savings monitor in paragraph 3.8.

In relation to capital schemes these could have a long lead-time and implementation usually took place over more than one financial year. The report looked at current progress in achieving the council’s programme of investment and proposed changes for re-phasing, reprioritisation and changes to funding where necessary. Details were contained in paragraphs 3.9 to 3.13.

Finally, the report referred to the Treasury Management situation and indicated that cash balances were 10m at the end of December 2015. Key performance indicators were also set out in appendix 4. These showed that the performance data was broadly in line with expectations, after allowing for the re-phasing and refinancing in the 2015/16 programme.

Attached as appendices to the report were details of the various elements of the current budget with regard to revenue, capital and treasury management.

Resolved – (a) That the revised revenue budget as set out in appendix 1 be approved; (b) that the revised capital programme as detailed in appendices 2 and 3 be approved, and (c) that the latest position on treasury management as detailed in appendix 4 to the report be noted.

1190 (37) PROCUREMENT OF SUSTAINABLE STEEL – PROGRESS REPORT – With reference to minute 1170, the Director of Policy and Resources submitted a progress report in relation to the procurement of sustainable steel.

The council is a signatory to the Charter for Sustainable British Steel. This is an initiative which seeks to promote the use of quality British steel in construction projects. An action plan was approved by cabinet on 24 November 2015 with the purpose of delivering the pledges set out in the Charter in support of a motion on Tata Steel as agreed by council on 10 November 2015.

The report contained an update on progress with delivering the action plan, a copy of which was set out in appendix A of the report. Overall, progress had been positive and the support of the council’s key partners had been a significant factor in that progress. Paragraph 2.4 of the report listed the key outcomes achieved to date and paragraph 2.5 set out further key actions which were also detailed in appendix A.

Overall, there had been a positive response to the work required in relation to the action plan.

Resolved – (a) That the progress update and next step actions be noted, and (b) that a further progress report be submitted to cabinet in June 2016.

1191 (38) REGULATION OF INVESTIGATORY POWERS ACTS 2000 (RIPA) – A report was submitted by the Director of Policy and Resources informing cabinet of the latest developments relating to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) Act 2000 and seeking approval of the RIPA Policy.

RIPA created a regulatory framework to govern the way public authorities handle and conduct covert investigation. This included covert surveillance directed at a person(s), the use of a “covert human intelligence source” which involved the establishing of a relationship for the covert purpose of obtaining information and access to communications data such as telephone subscriber details and itemised phone logs.

The council’s main use of RIPA relating to directed surveillance activities and between the period 1 April 2014 to 1 December 2015, a number of RIPA applications had been authorised as detailed in paragraph 2.5 of the report.

In accordance with the legislation and the RIPA policy, all applications were authorised internally and also by the Magistrates. Surveillance had been successful and had resulted in fixed penalty notices being issued and surveillance results being used as evidence in criminal prosecutions.

The council’s RIPA policy was attached at appendix 1 to the report and no changes had been made to this since it was last set in 2014. The Statutory Code of Practice issued pursuant to RIPA provided that elected members must set the RIPA policy and that updates must be provided on the Council’s use of RIPA. It was necessary to renew the policy each year. Cabinet was asked therefore to approve the policy.

Resolved – (a) That the RIPA policy be approved and adopted, and (b) that the contents of the report in relation to the use of RIPA be noted.

1192 (39) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT OF THE IMAGINATION LIBRARY – FEBRUARY 2013 TO NOVEMBER 2015 – The Director of People submitted a report which provided an update on the Development and Impact of the Imagination Library Programme between February 2013 and November 2015.

Literacy influences individual capability in all spheres of life and the higher the rate levels of literacy in the community the higher the levels of employment, better health outcomes, lower levels of crime and the higher the levels of social engagement and overall wellbeing of residents. North Lincolnshire had a strong legacy of promoting the importance of early literacy and communication to raise aspirations and life chances of children and young people and their families.

In recognition of the importance of early language acquisition and the role of reading to young children in emotional attachment, the council had introduced an Imagination Library pilot in the Isle community in February 2013. The uptake and engagement was hugely successful and the vast majority of families with children under the age of 5 engaged with the pilot. As a result of the feedback from parents and the community the council decided to make a commitment to universal rollout across North Lincolnshire. By January 2014, 80% of the eligible population had been registered. A total of 10,645 children had benefitted by receiving their monthly free books, 2,832 of these children had now “graduated”. Currently 84% of eligible children were registered and a third of parents registering for the Imagination Library requested Children Centre Registration, increasing the reach for early help of potentially more vulnerable children and families.

The report contained further details about the successful project within North Lincolnshire and attached as appendix A to the report were more comprehensive statistical details about the scheme.

Resolved – That the impact of the council’s investment in this project be recognised and cabinet notes the contribution that the Imagination Library has made to the increased levels of learning and development for all of the youngest children in North Lincolnshire.

1193 (40) LOCAL SAFEGUARDING ADULTS BOARD (LSAB) ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015 – The Director of People submitted a report presenting the Local Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2014/2015. The Chair of the Board, Moira Wilson, introduced the report and gave a brief summary of its contents and outcomes.

The Local Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) had a statutory requirement to publish an annual report which offered assurance that local safeguarding arrangements and partners act to help and protect adults in its area. The report is submitted to the Chief Executive, Leader of the Council, the Local Police and Crime Commissioner, Healthwatch and the Chairman of the Local Health and Wellbeing Board. The guidance supporting the Care Act 2014 states that the LSAB must publish an annual report detailing what it had done during the year to achieve his main objectives and its strategic plan, and what each member had done to influence strategy as well as detailing the findings of any Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SAR).

The annual report outlined the progress made and compliance in respect of the LSAB statutory functions details of which were set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report. It also included progress in relation to the LSAB priorities which were set out in paragraph 2.4 together with the headline achievements within the report which were detailed in paragraph 2.5.

The report showed that the LGA Services to Adults Peer Challenge had confirmed that – “the Board is led by an experienced Independent Chair, that the policies are applicable across all of the agencies, there is a strong membership and that key partners make financial contributions and the LSAB takes account of changes and transformation in member organisations.

The report showed that the LSAB had made good progress against the priorities for 2014/2015 with examples detailed in paragraph 2.7. The actions and priority areas within the current LSAB business plan had recently been reviewed by board members. It had been highlighted that the priorities identified within paragraph 2.4 of the report continued to be relevant and as such remained through the period 2015/2018. The annual report had been agreed by the LSAB and would be published on the council’s website.

Resolved – That the LSAB Annual Report for 2014/2015 be received.

1194 (41) PEOPLE SCRUTINY PANEL REPORT – REVIEW OF CARE HOMES – ACTION PLAN – The Director of People submitted a report with an attached action plan in relation to the recommendations made by the People Scrutiny Panel in its report on the Review of Care Homes be published in July 2015.

The People Scrutiny Panel had agreed as part of their ongoing work programme to undertake a scrutiny review of Nursing and Residential Care Homes for older people in North Lincolnshire, with particular focus on the governance arrangements. The focus of the review was on the general health and wellbeing of residents, activities provided in the homes, what services were provided or brought into the homes, and if providers offered opportunities for their residents to visit places and be part of the wider community. Cabinet had considered the resulting report in July 2015 and the action plan attached covered the recommendations made.

Resolved – That cabinet notes the actions to be taken as part of the action plan in response to the People Scrutiny Panel report.

1195 (42) CLEAN FOR THE QUEEN – The Director of Places submitted a report informing cabinet of the “Clean for the Queen” initiative and how the council might contribute to the scheme.

The council had an opportunity to support the National “Clean for the Queen” campaign. This initiative formed part of the celebrations to mark the Queen’s 90th Birthday on 21 April 2016. The event was likely to result in the biggest ever clean up of the country, with the aim of inspiring a million people to take action and enjoy a few hours together litter picking to make the places where we live more enjoyable and beautiful.

All the litter charities within the country had come together in support of this campaign and in addition a growing number of companies, land managers and associations and councils were now signing up in support of the event. Clean for the Queen litter blitzes were scheduled to take place throughout the UK in January, February and March and these events were in support of the main big clean up event. This was scheduled to take place on 6 March 2016. Organisers were asking councils to join the event to engage with communities and volunteer organisations within the area helping them to participate and supporting them with their collection and disposal needs.

The report contained further details information about this initiative and indicated that the council had also recently announced that it would be making available a sum of 25,000 from the 2016/2017 Community Grant Fund to support community groups in celebrating the Queen’s 90th Birthday. Community Groups could apply for a grant to support a “Clean for the Queen” event in their area.

Resolved – That Cabinet supports the active participation of the council in the National “Clean for the Queen” initiative.

1196 (43) LOCAL FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE – A report was submitted by the Director of Places updating cabinet on the progress made to date in developing a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) for North Lincolnshire. Cabinet was formally asked to approve a draft of the LFRMS to allow consultation in accordance with the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DeFRA) requirements.

As a lead local authority, the council had received specific funding to carry out duties under the Flood Water Management Act 2010. This included the preparation of a LFRMS. DeFRA had underlined the importance of publishing the LFRMS by 31 March 2016 at the latest.

The strategy set out what the council intended to do working with other organisations, businesses and communities to manage the risk of flooding in North Lincolnshire over the next 15 years. The document would include the flood risk arising out of numerous potential types and origins of flooding, but mainly focused on the risk of flooding from local sources i.e. surface water, ground water and ordinary water courses. The strategy would set out those organisations identified as interested parties and further detailed individual and collective roles and responsibilities. Decision making processes would be outlined together with highlighting governance and accountability as well as consultation and engagement. The strategy would set out the applicable policy context and potential funding mechanisms available to address flood risks.

The first draft of the North Lincolnshire LFRMS was attached as appendix 1 to the report with a supporting Strategic Environmental Assessment as appendix 2 and a Habitats Regulations Assessment Screening Report, to be published with the LFRMS. If cabinet approved the draft, officers would publish the document on the council’s website for a period of one month as part of the wider consultation requirements. If significant comments were received that required adjustment to the draft strategy then a final report would be submitted to cabinet for approval incorporating any appropriate adjustments. If no significant comments were received then the draft document would become the adopted LFRMS for North Lincolnshire.

The report contained further detailed information about the development of the draft strategy.

Resolved – (a) That cabinet formally approves the draft LFRMS so that officers can put in hand the required consultation arrangements as soon as practicable, and (b) that the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods received notification following the consultation period in the event that any changes to the draft LFRMS are required.

1197 (44) ROAD SAFETY IN NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE – The Director of Places submitted a report updating cabinet on progress made towards reducing incidents of people killed and injured as a result of accidents occurring on the local highway network across North Lincolnshire and updating cabinet on how accident statistics for 2015 compared to a range of comparative data and targets.

The council was required to seek ways by which to reduce incidents of people killed and injured as a result of accidents occurring on the local highway network. To achieve this it worked in partnership with other interested agencies including emergency service providers. The Department for Transport (DoT) introduced annual casualty reduction targets for all local authorities to benchmark performance between areas. These targets sought to achieve year on year reductions up to 2020 compared to baseline data recorded between 2004 and 2008. A performance indicator measuring the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) in road traffic accidents formed part of the Public Health Outcomes framework.

Preventative action to help reduce road traffic related accidents included such measures as vehicle and road safety design and improvements through to raising awareness through advertising campaigns etc. The biggest impact however was achieved by improving driver responsibility and behaviour and to help support the council in this under the improvement areas the council participates in the Safer Roads Humber Partnership. That partnership monitors performance against 20 road safety targets annually. Unlike the majority of other performance targets the council manages, the monitoring period for the casualty reduction target was based on a calendar year rather than a financial year. As such the council was now in a position to update cabinet on the provisional figures for 2015.

Appendix A to the report provided a table outlining the performance against the 20 indicators. The key points within the appendix were detailed in paragraph 2.4 of the report which also indicated that at this stage the performance figures quoted were provisional and as such might vary very slightly in any outstanding incident investigations.

The report contained further information about this matter.

Resolved – That cabinet notes the provisional road safety performance figures and welcomes the significant achievements made in 2015 against the range of performance targets and in particular the KSI targets.

1198 (45) WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGN – The Director of Places presented a report setting out potential further actions that the council could take in support of the White Ribbon Campaign that aimed to rid society of all forms of violence and abuse against women, together with the council’s application for town award status for North Lincolnshire.

The White Ribbon Campaign aimed to end all forms of violence and abuse against women and promote respectful relationships. It was led by men who were willing to take a stand against violence towards women and girls and act as positive role models to other men in the community. They encouraged men to pledge never to commit violence against women, never to excuse violence against women and never to remain silent about violence against women.

However, domestic abuse was not confined to violence by men towards women. Men were also victims of domestic abuse and as such local domestic abuse services supported both male and female victims.

Supporting the White Ribbon Campaign was consistent with the council’s aim of making our communities safer and stronger, by ensuring that men were not remaining silent about violence against women. It is also provided an opportunity to focus on preventative measures towards reducing the incidents of domestic abuse. The recently procured integrated Domestic Abuse Support Services included a specified requirement for the appointed service provider to work with those who harm, thereby allowing perpetrators access to preventative programmes. Supporting the campaign would also assist the council in relation to reducing domestic abuse, but in isolation would not eradicate it. There were also various work streams that the council was progressing that all worked together to deal with domestic abuse.

The White Ribbon Town Awards was for local authorities wishing to demonstrate their commitment to the aims of the White Ribbon Campaign, addressing and altering social norms that lead to violent behaviour against women, involving men in prevention activities, increasing awareness on the issue and providing services aimed at reducing the incidents of domestic abuse. Most importantly, a White Ribbon Council should strive to mobilise the entire local community under the goal of ending violence against women. They were required to meet specific criteria in order to hold the nationally recognised title of “White Ribbon Town”. A White Ribbon Campaign Group had been established to oversee local work towards obtaining the town award for North Lincolnshire with representation from the local authority but also partner agencies, including Ongo, professional companies, Humberside Police etc, who acted as White Ribbon ambassadors providing invaluable input into the application. An action plan had been submitted for approval by the White Ribbon Campaign and to secure their support to achieve all aspects of that plan.

The report contained further detailed information in relation to this key issue and cabinet was asked to demonstrate its commitment to the campaign.

Resolved – (a) That the council demonstrate its ongoing commitment to the White Ribbon Campaign and in this context supports the various initiatives set out in the report to take this matter forward, and (b) that six monthly progress reports be submitted to cabinet in relation to this matter.