Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Nick Higham 

Items
No. Item

59.

Apologies for absence:

Members are requested to advise the Democratic Services Officer of any  apologies for this meeting.

Minutes:

There were none.

60.

Minutes: pdf icon PDF 184 KB

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2022 are attached.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Executive Leader.

 

61.

Exclusion of the Public: pdf icon PDF 22 KB

The Cabinet is asked to consider whether by resolution to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the items of business marked with an ‘E’ reference because of the possibility of the disclosure of exempt information.

Minutes:

Resolved: That the public is excluded from the meeting when the Cabinet discusses the following item for the reason set out below:-

 

Agenda

item No.

Title of report

Minute

No.     

Description of exempt information by reference to the paragraph number in schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972

 

E1

Appointment of Contractor for Shevington Extra Care Housing Development

64

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

 

E2

Redevelopment of the Civic Centre as a New Innovation Business Hub

65

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

 

E3

Quality Social Housing

66

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

 

 

62.

Housing Advisory Panel (HAP) Minutes pdf icon PDF 117 KB

The minutes from the meeting of the Housing Advisory Panel on 24 November 2022 are attached.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Housing Advisory Panel (HAP) held on 24 November 2022 were circulated prior to the meeting.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Welfare, Councillor Susan Gambles, requested that the minutes be approved.

 

Resolved: The Cabinet approves the minutes of the Housing Advisory Panel (HAP) held on 24 November 2022.

 

63.

Outcome of Statutory Notice Consultation in Connection with the Proposed Closure of Our Lady’s Immaculate Catholic Primary School (OLI) pdf icon PDF 372 KB

Report of Assistant Director - Education is attached.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a report of the Assistant Director - Education, Cath Pealing, presented by the Assistant Director, the Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, Councillor Jenny Bullen, and the Service Lead – Standards and Learning, Emlyn Wright, which outlined that, following consideration of a report to Cabinet at its meeting on 29 September 2022 (minute 33 refers), Cabinet approved the issuing of a statutory notice and proposal on the closure of Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School (OLI).

 

At its meeting on 29 September 2022, part of the Cabinet’s resolution was that officers write to the Archdiocese of Liverpool to request that they confirm their position in relation to the options of the school becoming an Academy (minute 33 refers).

 

The Service Lead advised the Cabinet that confirmation had now been received in relation to the position of the Archdiocese, with the Archdiocese having confirmed that neither of their Trusts felt it appropriate to take the school into their trust due to viability issues, with the Archdiocese confirming their agreement in relation to this. A copy of this correspondence was circulated to the Cabinet at the meeting.

 

Cabinet had now been provided with the details of the responses to the statutory notice and were requested to make a decision on the proposal to close OLI and offer children places at other local primary schools with effect from 31 August 2023.

 

During its discussions, the Cabinet raised the following salient points:-

 

·           how the placement of pupils into other local schools would affect numbers on roll and class sizes at these schools;

·           support that was in place for staff, should the school be closed;

·           the standards in place for the schools that pupils would be transferred to; and

·           reassurances that new build developments in the area had been taken into consideration in relation to the recommendation and placement of children in other local schools.

 

The Service Lead informed the Cabinet that many parents had already secured places for their children in other local schools, and that in some cases this would take these schools over their numbers on roll.

 

The Assistant Director advised the Cabinet that brief meetings had already been held with the school’s staff, but until a formal decision was taken by the Cabinet, a formal consultation could not start. It was recommended that the school remain open until 31 August 2023 and staff would be fully supported with a number of possible options including, but not limited to, retirement, redeployment and redundancy. All school staff had access to the Council’s Employee Assistance Programme.

 

The Service Lead advised the Committee that in relation to standards in other schools in the local area, all schools were graded as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools, with two schools having been very recently inspected and maintained their ‘good’ judgments in the relatively new and more rigorous Ofsted inspection framework.

 

The Service Lead informed Members that all new build developments in the area had been taken into consideration in relation to the recommendation and placement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

64.

Appointment of Contractor for Shevington Extra Care Housing Development

Report of Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets is attached.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets, presented by the Director, which sought approval for the appointment of the contractor for the new build extra care housing development at the former primary school site at Miles Lane, Shevington.

 

The Director referred to the main points within the report.

 

The Cabinet welcomed the proposal and also commented on the extent to which the identified contractor had committed to the delivery of additional social value under the contract.

 

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered.

 

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was attached.

 

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

 

(1)authorises the development of the scheme as detailed within the report;

(2)authorises following the conclusion of a procurement exercise, the appointment of the successful contractor and for the contract sum set out within the body of the report;

(3)authorises budget approval of total scheme cost as detailed within the report and recommends that the HRA Capital Programme be updated accordingly;

(4)authorises the Assistant Director – Legal to prepare and complete any legal documentation necessary to give effect to the above; and

(5) requests that a future update be provided in relation to the development.

 

 

65.

Redevelopment of the Civic Centre as a New Innovation Business Hub

Report of Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets is attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets, presented by the Director, which sought authority to agree terms and capital expenditure for the refurbishment and development of the vacant Civic Centre as a new Innovation Business Hub. 

 

The Director referred to the main points within the report.

 

The Assistant Director – Legal (Monitoring Officer) commented on the proposed delegations outlined within the report, with these comments being noted by Cabinet.

 

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered.

 

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was not required in this instance. A Relevance Check was attached.

 

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

 

(1) agrees in principle to the redevelopment of the Civic Centre site, as set out in the report, subject to detailed terms of any appointments and contract awards being agreed by the Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets in accordance with 3 below;

(2) notes and endorses indicative Council funding requirements described within the report to bring the site redevelopment forward;

(3) delegates authority to the Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets to take all necessary steps and decisions, in consultation with the Executive Leader of the Council, to:

(a) facilitate delivery and management of the proposed redevelopment, including, the negotiations with and the   appointment of, the developer partner/consultant pursuant to the PAGABO multi-supplier framework, together with the appointment of any construction partner or any other third-party appointments as required; and

(b) for the development/sites ultimate onward disposal;

(4) delegates authority to the Director – Housing, Property and Corporate Assets to take any decision in connection with offers of external grant funding and the terms and conditions thereof; and

(5) authorises the Assistant Director – Legal to prepare and execute any agreements necessary to facilitate the above on behalf of the Council.

66.

Quality Social Housing

Report of Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets is attached.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director - Housing, Property and Corporate Assets, presented by the Director and the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Welfare, which outlined Wigan Council’s approach to assessing damp and mould in Council owned properties to enable a response to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).

 

The Portfolio Holder and Director referred to the main points within the report.

 

The report set out details of the alternative options to be considered.

 

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) was not required in this instance. A Relevance Check was attached.

 

Resolved: The Cabinet:-

 

(1)   agrees to the action plan continuing with the task force group and note the work underway;

(2)   agrees to the formal response being provided to the Regulator of Social Housing, in line with that set out within the report; and 

(3)   considers the above decision requires urgent implementation and is therefore exempt from call in.

 

 

 

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