Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Richard Cook to the Cabinet and congratulated him on his new appointment.

He paid tribute to Councillor Jim Porter, the previous incumbent of the post, for his valuable work on the portfolio and reflected on the legacy he had left for Councillor Cook.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th July 2016.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2016 be confirmed and signed as a correct record by the Chair

There were no public questions.

To receive any petitions or deputations provided that no such petition or deputation is in relation to:

·         Matters relating to individual Council Officers, or

·         Matters relating to current or pending legal proceedings

There were no petitions or  deputations.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods seeking approval to research the launch of an on line Gloucester Lottery to help fund discretionary support to local voluntary and community sector (VCS) and also enable good causes to raise funds directly.

RESOLVED

Cabinet is asked to RESOLVE that:

(1)  A local authority run Lottery be introduced, called the Gloucester Lottery.

(2)  The purpose of the lottery be to raise funds for local charities, voluntary organisations and good causes in the city.

(3)  The City Council works with Gatherwell, the external lottery management company (ELM) to run the lottery on behalf of the Council.

(4)  The City Council hosts a launch event to promote the lottery.

(5)  Authority be delegated to the Head of Finance to take all necessary steps to introduce the Gloucester Lottery including the final specification in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods and the Council Solicitor

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods (Councillor Dallimore) seeking approval to research the launch of an online Gloucester Lottery to help fund discretionary support to local voluntary and community sector (CVS) and also enable good causes to raise funds directly.

Councillor Dallimore summarised key areas of the report and thanked the Head of Finance for his comprehensive input.  Councillor Dallimore stressed the importance of the Council considering different opportunities to generate income, particularly during the current economic challenges.  The City would become the third Council in England to launch a local lottery and Councillor Dallimore reported that feedback from the public, media and voluntary and community sector partners had so far been very positive and felt that there would be support for the lottery across the City.

In response to a question from the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources (Councillor David Norman) which sought clarification of the set up costs outlined in financial implications, the Head of Finance confirmed that £4k had been spent in establishing the Gloucester Lottery.

Cabinet welcomed the proposal and felt that the people of Gloucester would generously support the Lottery.

RESOLVED:

1        A local authority run lottery be introduced, called the Gloucester Lottery

2        The purpose of the lottery be to raise funds for local charities, voluntary organisations and good causes in the city

3        The City Council works with Gatherwell, the external lottery management company (ELM) to run the lottery on behalf of the Council

4        The City Council hosts a launch event to promote the lottery

5        Authority be delegated to the Head of Finance to take all necessary steps to introduce the Gloucester Lottery including the final specification in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods and the Council Solicitors.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods requesting Members to consider whether or not to consult on a late night levy in Gloucester.

RESOLVED

(1)  A proposal be made to adopt a late night levy in Gloucester.

(2)  Gloucester City Council proceed with a formal statutory consultation on the proposal to introduce a late night levy as detailed in Appendix 1.

(3)  That the Corporate Director be authorised to take all necessary steps to ensure that consultation is undertaken in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods (Councillor Dallimore) requesting Members to consider whether or not to consult on a late night levy in Gloucester

Councillor Dallimore reminded Members that the introduction of a late night levy was rejected by Licensing and Enforcement Committee three years ago but as the City now enjoyed a more vibrant night time economy the position had been reconsidered.  It was recognised that Gloucestershire Constabulary and the City Council had reduced resources available to deal with the consequent alcohol fuelled crime and disorder issues and services connected to the management of the night time economy.

Councillor Dallimore advised that the report had been well received by Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the 5^th September 2016, with a request for a breakdown of how the late night levy would be spent noting that this would be discussed with the Gloucestershire Constabulary during the consultation process.

Councillor Dallimore reported that there was a shared ambition to work with partners to deliver more initiatives, such as achieving Purple Flag status, and this was being supported by Members.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy (Councillor James) highlighted that the potential establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) could run in parallel but there would be an opportunity to consider discretionary exemptions to the Late Night Levy for those businesses within the BID area.

Cabinet gave its wholehearted support to the proposal to adopt a late night levy in Gloucester.

RESOLVED:

1          A proposal be made to adopt a late night levy in Gloucester

2          Gloucester City Council proceed with a formal statutory consultation on the proposal to introduce a late night levy as detailed in Appendix 1

3          That the Corporate Director be authorised to take all necessary steps to ensure that consultation is undertaken in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources updating Members on the financial monitoring report details including budget variances, year-end forecasts, and progress made against agreed savings targets for the 1st quarter ended 30th June 2016.

RESOLVED

(1)           The savings achieved in year to date total £288k with a further £341k in progress.

(2)           The forecast year end position is currently for a reduction to the Council’s General Fund balance of £257k.

(3)           The deficit position includes a proposed transfer to the Business Rates Reserve of £120k

(4)           The actual and expected levels of income for the Council shown at Appendix 3.

(5)           The details of specific budgetary issues identified by officers and the actions being taken to address those issues

(6)           The current level of Capital expenditure as shown on Appendix 2.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources updating Members on the financial monitoring report details including budget variances, year end forecasts and progress made against agreed savings targets for the 1^st quarter ended 30 June 2016.  

Councillor Norman acknowledged that the forecasting was challenging but that as the financial year moved forward the financial position was expected to improve.  He advised that Members were made aware of the financial position of their portfolios through monthly meetings. 

Councillor Noakes reported that portfolio holders were doing everything possible to achieve savings targets and identify income streams and was delighted to report that the City Museum had enjoyed its best two months in its history with 64,000 visitors to the Robots exhibition.

Councillor James agreed that Members would continue to address financial challenges in their portfolios.

RESOLVED

That the following be noted:

1          The savings achieved in year to date total £288k with a further £341k in progress.

2          The forecast year end position is currently for a reduction to the Council’s General Fund balance of £257k.

3          The deficit position includes a proposed transfer to the Business Rates Reserve of £120k.

4          The actual and expected levels of income for the Council shown at Appendix 3.

5          The details of specific budgetary issues identified by officers and the actions being taken to address those issues.

6          The current level of capital expenditure as shown in Appendix 2.

To consider the report on the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources updating Members on the Council’s use of its powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

RESOLVED

That the contents of the report be noted.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Performance and Resources updating Members on the Council’s use of its powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

Councillor Norman confirmed that the Council has not had to use its RIPA powers and that there had been minor changes to the list of Authorised Officers following a change in senior management.

RESOLVED:

That the contents of the report be noted.