Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Taylor.

Members to declare any interests and party whips in relation to matters to be discussed at the meeting.

Councillor Moore declared an other interest in the matter referred to at 76/23 (Lion Farm – Secondary options Agreement), in that he was a Cabinet Member when the matter was considered by Cabinet.

To determine whether there are any additional items of business to be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no additional items of business.

To consider and comment upon the Corporate Performance Management Framework – Q1 Monitoring.

The Strategic Lead for Service Improvement provided an outline of the Corporate Performance Management Framework – Q1 Monitoring to the Board.

The Corporate Performance Management Framework (PMF) was a key element of the Council’s Improvement Plan and had addressed recommendations of the Governance Value for Money Review by Grant Thornton. Subsequent to approval at Council in April 2022, in June 2023, the Corporate PMF had been revised with a refreshed set of Corporate Performance Indicators.

Comprehensive monitoring tools were in place to ensure accountability and continuous improvement, with key performance indicators being RAG rated to identify issues as they had presented. The Corporate PMF themes were aligned to the objectives of the Corporate Plan:

The Best Start in life for Children and Young People

No significant issues or risks had been identified under this theme, slippage on projects such as the Early Help Strategy had been identified with a review of the existing school admission appeals service arrangements having been commenced in Summer 2023.

Sandwell Children’s Trust was predicted to have an end- of- year overspend of £0.224m, however, it was noted that in real terms, this represented an overspend of £0.996m due to the expectation that the Trust achieve a budget surplus of £0.742m.

People Live and Age Well

Upgrades to Walker Grange residential units were identified as being behind schedule, as were projects relating to the relocation of Community Alarms. The prevalence of childhood obesity at 34% was a concern, however, due to the childhood measurement programme not taking place during the pandemic, this figure could not be compared with the previous year.

The overall satisfaction of service users accessing care and support was high and above target at 71.6%, and performance indicators relating to drug use, alcohol and smoking were above the national average.

Strong Resilient Communities

The replacement of the Council’s diesel vehicle fleet with sustainable fuel vehicles was the only significant issue identified. It was noted that technological limitations for larger vehicles and the lack of infrastructure to support electric vehicles had contributed to the delay.

Reported incidents of domestic abuse in the Borough had increased significantly in the past year and would continue to be monitored by the Council. The Council had recently commissioned a new 5- year contract with Black Country Women’s Aid to provide refuge for those fleeing domestic abuse and violence.

Quality Homes in Thriving Neighbourhoods

The viability of projects financed by the Housing Transformation Fund was the only highlighted concern as the government had withdrawn the funding.

The amount of homelessness cases prevented under the Homelessness Reduction Act had slipped below the target of 65% to 58.7%. It was outlined that this was due to a historical backlog and prevention levels were expected to return to target levels before the end of 2023.

A Strong and Inclusive Economy

No significant issues or risks had been identified under this theme, however, it was highlighted that the employment rate in Sandwell had decreased to 63.9%, which was below regional and national averages.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 170/23

To consider and comment upon the draft Scrutiny Annual Report 2022/ 23.

The Chair of the Board outlined the draft Scrutiny Annual Report for the municipal year 2022/ 23.

It was acknowledged that positive steps had been made within the past year with the role of scrutiny being elevated within the Council’s decision- making process.

The Statutory Scrutiny Officer outlined that the strengthening of relationships between Scrutiny Chairs and Cabinet Members, as well as the effective tracking and monitoring of recommendations via the Scrutiny Board Action Trackers, were demonstratable improvements which had taken place.

In particular, the Chair highlighted the steps taken to address recommendations made by Grant Thornton.

To consider and note progress on the implementation of actions and recommendations.

The Board noted the status of actions and recommendations it had made. Further updates would be reported to future meetings of the Board.

To note and review the Cabinet Forward Plan and the Board’s Work Programme 2023/ 24.

The Board received and noted the Cabinet Forward Plan and the Board’s work programme.

That the public and press be excluded from the rest of the meeting. This is to avoid the possible disclosure of exempt information under Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, relating to the financial and business affairs of any person, including the authority holding that information.

That the public and press be excluded from the rest of the meeting to avoid the possible disclosure of exempt information under Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, relating to the financial and business affairs of any person, including the authority holding that information.

(Councillor Moore left the meeting).

(Vice- Chair in the Chair).

To consider and comment upon the Secondary Option Agreement in relation to Lion Farm Playing Fields.

The Director of Regeneration and Growth provided an outline of the Lion Farm Playing Fields site.

The site was 49.6 acres and wholly owned by Sandwell Council, it represented a significant development potential due to its location.

The Council had been subject to the terms of a legally binding agreement in respect of Lion Farm Playing Fields, with a developer since 2013 to explore the establishment of a retail outlet village.

At the meeting of Cabinet in January 2022 (Minute No. 13/22), it was agreed to trigger the Arbitration Clause of the existing agreement to refer the matter for Expert Determination.

The Expert determination was completed in May 2023, with the details of the Secondary Option Agreement having been determined in accordance with the 2013 agreement.

The Council had an obligation as part of the Secondary Option Agreement to work collaboratively with the developer.

From the comments and questions by members of the Board, the following responses were made and issues highlighted:-

·               The Council had sought expert legal advice on the issue and had a duty to work with the developer in relation to the site.

·               The costs of the expert determination process were to be incurred equally between the Council and the developer.

(Councillor Anandou left the meeting during consideration of this item).