Agenda and minutes

(1)           A member of the public referred to a local Community Support Group called Kinship Foster Carers Group Rotherham, which provided assistance with arrangements for children who could not be cared for by their parent(s) and who then went to live with a relative or a family friend, which was seeking urgent donations and asked if there were any Elected Members who wanted to contribute some of their Community Leadership Fund to support the valuable work taking place in each ward across the borough?

The Leader thanked the representatives of Kinship Foster Carers Group for their question and advised that each Elected Member was responsible for their own contributions to deserving causes of their Community Leadership Fund, but suggested that if relevant ward information was provided this would be forwarded onto all Members for their information and consideration.

(2)           A member of the public referred to his business enterprise in the Parkgate area of the town and asked if there was any possibility of him taking over the premises, formerly used as a library prior to Rawmarsh Customer Service Centre opening, as he could see the building was falling into disrepair and his wish to bring it back into use.

The Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services confirmed that those premises were currently vacant and that there was a need for some investment to bring it back into use.  He advised the member of the public that if he wished to leave his contact details officers would be in touch, a site visit arranged and any potential sale explored.

Councillor Akhtar declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Minute No. 187 on the basis that he was a representative on the Magna Board and left the meeting prior to this matter being discussed.

-           Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development Services, introduced the minutes of the Rotherham Local Plan Steering Group held on 17th January, 2014.

A number of issues were discussed including the Local Plan Core Strategy, Bassingthorpe Farm, Sites and Policies Document and the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the progress to date and the emerging issues be noted.

(2)  That the minutes of the Local Plan Steering Group held on 17^th January, 2014 be received.

-           Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to report.

Councillor Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services, introduced the report and invited Stephen Ashley, Independent Chair of the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board, to report on the findings and recommendations of the review undertaken into the response to Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham.

The report, published in January, 2014, provided a balanced and accurate picture of how Child Sexual Exploitation was being tackled in Rotherham and acknowledged that in the past Rotherham could and should have done more to protect children. 

The review concluded that the findings were, in the main, positive, but it did highlight areas that needed further work reflecting that this was a dynamic and fast changing area of safeguarding children for all of the organisations involved.  There was clear evidence that Child Sexual Exploitation was a high priority which was reflected in its status at senior strategic meetings and at Cabinet level.  There was a clear strategy to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation with an associated action plan based on national best practice.  There had also been a significant financial commitment to a multi-agency Child Sexual Exploitation team which was staffed with committed and hardworking staff undertaking good work and making a difference.

From the review it was highlighted that there needed to be a dedicated senior manager for the Child Sexual Exploitation Team and would provide focus to this work, that there needed to be thresholds in place and greater clarity for the role and remit of the Child Sexual Exploitation Team and it would be more advantageous to moving this Team to a more suitable location with closer links with the Integrated Youth Support Services.

With regards to the Child Sexual Exploitation sub-Group it was suggested that this would benefit from a review of membership and terms of reference to ensure it remained strategic and that some of the various multi-agency partnership forums needed to be revised.

The review, therefore, made three recommendations:-

-               The role and structure of the Child Sexual Exploitation Team and the Child Sexual Exploitation delivery plan should be reviewed as part of an ongoing process for future strategic development.  In particular, consideration should be given to the structure, location and long term aims and objectives of the Team to ensure clarity of purpose and adequate and appropriate resourcing.

-               The performance management and governance structures around Child Sexual Exploitation management required greater clarity.  A mapping exercise of current structures, together with a more proactive and intrusive performance management regime, should be considered by all agencies and in particular Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board.

-               Future planning should be communicated to both victims and professionals so that there was no doubt about the seriousness with which Child Sexual Exploitation was taken.  Professionals should be provided with the tools to ensure they were able to support victims in an appropriate and timely manner

The findings and recommendations would require further exploration by the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board and partners in relation to any cost,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 173.

-           Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to report.

Councillor Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services, presented a report by Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services, which highlighted the achievements made in the first nine months of the CSE Strategy and Action Plan and the next steps across its three priorities of Prevent, Protect and Pursue.

A number of local independent reviews had now been completed together with the publication of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s final report into Child Sexual Exploitation.  The associated reports outlined a number of recommendations and areas for improvement for local, regional and national services which would help the Child Sexual Exploitation Sub-Group review and refresh the Strategy and action plan for 2014-15 to ensure it was fit for purpose and delivered improved services and outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Child Sexual Exploitation was very emotive and had been the focus of national media attention of which Rotherham had featured from both positive and negative perspectives.  Ofsted had introduced a new framework for inspection of which a strand would be looking at Child Sexual Exploitation.  In addition, HIMC would be undertaking a follow-up inspection of their recent thematic Child Sexual Exploitation review of South Yorkshire Police.

It was noted that the Independent inquiry of historic Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham, commissioned by the Chief Executive, had begun.  However, the findings would not be published until June, 2014.

Further information was provided on the each of the priorities and attention drawn to achievements and next steps under each priority, whilst highlighting that the eradication of Child Sexual Exploitation remained one of the highest priorities for the Council, the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, the Safer Rotherham Partnership and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Cabinet Members noted that a briefing was to be issued to all Members once the Action Plan had been updated.

Attention was also drawn to an organisational language issue which may cause some confusion between the priority of “Prevent” for NHS colleagues and other partners.  It was suggested that discussions take place with the CCG with a view to referring this to the Health and Wellbeing Board to address.

Resolved:-  That the progress be noted and the further development areas endorsed.

-           Director of Finance to report.

Councillor Akhtar, Deputy Leader, introduced a report by the Director of Finance which provided details of progress on the delivery of the Revenue Budget for 2013/14 based on performance for the first 9 months of the financial year.  It was currently forecast that the Council would overspend against its Budget by £2.217M (+1.0%). This represented an improvement in the forecast outturn of -£0.882M since the November monitoring report. The main reasons for the forecast overspend continued to be:-

·                The continuing service demand and cost pressures for safeguarding vulnerable children across the Borough.

·                Income pressures within Environment and Development and ICT Services.

·                Continuing Health Care income pressures within Adult and Children’s Services, with concern that this pressure was increasing further.

·                Additional, one-off property costs relating to the continued rationalisation of the Council’s asset portfolio as part of the efficiency drive to reduce operational costs.

·                Some savings targets were currently pending delivery in full in 2013/14.

The moratorium on all except ‘essential’ spend had been in place since 16^th October, 2013 and was contributing to the reduced forecast overspend. Services were continuing to explore opportunities to maximise the flexible use of grant funding, whilst ensuring grant conditions were complied with. Further, the recent opening of the offer for staff to apply for Voluntary Early Retirement/Voluntary Severance (VER/VS) was also generating savings which would contribute to both reducing the in-year pressure and potentially contribute to closing the 2014/15 Budget Gap. These savings would become more evident in the next monitoring reports as applications were approved and reflected in the revised forecast outturn.

The Cabinet was asked to note that meetings were taking place with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about concerns over access to, and timely payment of, Continuing Health Care income for clients with Continuing Health Care needs. An Action Plan was being developed and updates presented to a series of future meetings between early December and the end of the financial year. As the financial impact of these meetings became clearer, this would be reported through to Cabinet.   

Resolved:-  That the current forecast outturn and significant financial challenge presented for the Council to deliver a balanced revenue budget for 2013/14  and the actions implemented to address the forecast overspend be noted.

-           Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to report.

Further to Minute No. C111 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 6^th November, 2013, Councillor Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Children, Young People and Families Services, which provided an update on the recommendations into the Scrutiny Review of Domestic Abuse.

Of the twenty recommendations, which focused on the improvement of service provision to victims of domestic abuse in Rotherham, all but one were accepted.  The one which was deferred was fully endorsed but, following discussions between Departments, unable to be accepted at the present time as the proposals would require funding upfront from mainstream budgets.

The review had highlighted the value of supporting Domestic Abuse Service provision during the austerity measures.  However, the financial impact of each recommendation would need to be considered and acknowledged.

By not following the review recommendations, the Authority would find it difficult to:-

·                Evidence that domestic abuse featured in strategic frameworks.

·                Evidence that partner agencies were proactively undertaking a risk focussed approach to domestic abuse in line with emerging best practice.

·                Increase confidence of the public in reporting domestic abuse and accessing support.

·                Evidence its compliance with the Home Office’s national agenda to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls.

·                Withstand scrutiny in a Domestic Homicide Review which was submitted to the Home Office.

Cabinet Members welcomed the response and considered this a much needed service in Rotherham.  The value of supporting the Domestic Abuse Service provision was being considered further.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That the response to the Scrutiny Review and any further responses to Cabinet be submitted via the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Domestic Abuse to the next meeting of the Safer Rotherham Partnership.

-           Chief Executive to report.

Councillor Steele, Chairman of the Review Group, introduced the report which set out the findings and recommendations of the scrutiny review of support for carers in Rotherham, by the Health Select Commission.

The key focus of the review was to ensure carers had access to the right information to enable them to access the support and services they required to assist them in the caring role and to maintain their own quality of life and health and wellbeing.

There were six main aims of the review which were to consider:-

·                If carers generally identified themselves as carers in line with the definition above.

·                The degree to which carers access support or consider they need support to assist them in their caring role.

·                Who carers go to for initial support when they first become a carer.

·                Where carers usually go for ongoing support.

·                Key factors necessary for ensuring carers receive good and timely information.

·                Any areas for improvement in current information provision.

The review conducted was a spotlight review and formulated eleven recommendations, which were set out in detail as part of the report.

Resolved:-  (1)  That all those involved in the Scrutiny Review be thanked for their input.

(2)  That the Scrutiny Review of Carers and its recommendations be noted and a response be submitted within two months as outlined within the Council’s Constitution.

(3)  That the decision of Cabinet on the report, recommendations and proposed action be reported back to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board in due course.

-           Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to report.

Councillor Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director, Children and Young Peoples’ Services, on the NHS England sponsored work programme, Child Protection –Information Sharing (CP-IS).

The programme was dedicated to developing an information sharing solution that would deliver a higher level of protection to children who visited NHS unscheduled care settings such as emergency departments and walk-in clinics.  It would connect local authorities’ Child Protection Social Care IT systems with those used by staff in NHS unscheduled care settings.  The information sharing focussed on three specific categories of child only:-

·                Those with a Child Protection Plan.

·                Those with Looked After Child status.

·                Any pregnant woman whose unborn child had a pre-birth Child Protection Plan.

If approved, a letter of agreement would need to be signed by 11^th February, 2014 stating the intention to implement the solution between April, 2014 and April, 2015.  The Local Safeguarding Children Board Chairman would be contacted by HSIC to gain support for the project as would the Rotherham Foundation Trust.

A national Information Sharing Agreement had been developed which avoided the Authority having to develop Agreements.

Many families of children at risk from abuse and neglect often used different health settings to avoid professionals becoming suspicious and raising concerns with social care.  Further discussions would take place with the Social Care Systems supplier to ensure that the national system met the needs of Rotherham and that ongoing costs were minimal.

Cabinet Members welcomed the need to raise awareness and to be able to share some information to assist the families of children at risk from abuse and neglect.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report be received.

(2)  That Children and Young People Services be authorised to proceed with the key information sharing project by signing the Acceptance Letter.

-          Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to report.

Councillor Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services, regarding the Department for Education’s recent announcement for Schools Capital and Revenue Funding for 2014/15.

The December announcement included:-

·                Allocations for Capital funding in relation to the continuing growth of the school population with additional funding to expand existing maintained schools, free schools or academies and to establish new schools.

·                The policy decision to provide free school meals to all Reception, Y1 and Y2 pupils with Capital being required to upgrade facilities.

·                Sebastian James’ independent progress report the purpose of which was to consider the DfE’s existing Capital expenditure approach (and in particular the Building Schools for the Future Programme) and to make recommendations on future delivery models for Capital investment with a focus on achieving better value for money, higher quality and more rapid deployment.

·                The main school funding allocations for 2014/15 through the Dedicated Schools Grant and Education Services Grant.

Further information was provided on how the capital allocation for school places was established, capital allocations for school meals, a review of progress on education capital in Rotherham, Dedicated Schools Grant Allocations for 2014/15 of which the provisional total for Rotherham was £217.041 million prior to recoupment in respect of academies and confirmation of final allocations.

Cabinet Members were assured that the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services received regular updates on this very technical funding area.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the details of the announcement and the implications for Rotherham schools, academies and the Council be noted.

(2)  That the delegated authority of the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services in determining the allocation of funding across the 3 funding blocks be noted.

-           Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to report.

Councillor Lakin, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services regarding the statutory consultation that had taken place on the proposed closure of the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Unit at Rawmarsh Thorogate Junior and Infant School.

Statutory consultation by public notice had run from 6^th December, 2013 to 17^th January, 2014.  There had been no objections to the proposed closure.

Although pupils had been relocated to an alternative location prior to formal closure, the Governing Body had been informed that they would remain the accountable body until formal closure was approved by the Cabinet under the requirements of the School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2007.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the closure of the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Unit at Rawmarsh Thorogate Junior and Infant School, be approved with effect from 14^th February, 2014.

(2)  That the Secretary of State for Education be informed accordingly by the School Organisation Section.

-           Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services which sought agreement to an updated approach to the use of Council land and property that would focus on supporting the Council’s priorities, particularly in relation to the generation of economic activity and growth.

The Council currently used 170 operational properties with Riverside House accounting for more than half of the cost of property, at £5 million per year, with the remaining assets collectively costing £4.4 million per year.

In recent years the Asset Management Service had successfully disposed of properties that have become surplus to requirement, generating over £20 million in capital receipts in the last three years. The revenue benefit of these disposals was over £2 million per year, which had helped the Council soften the impact on front line services of the unprecedented cuts the Council had been facing.

The Service continued to dispose of surplus assets, in line with Cabinet approvals, but there were a number of factors that meant the Council should now be re-looking at its need for land and property and how it met the needs of citizens and current and prospective businesses in the Borough.  There was an opportunity to use the estate more proactively to support corporate priorities, particularly in relation to economic growth.

There has already been a successful and beneficial asset management programme, for example with regard to the town centre office accommodation redevelopment, the creation of service centres and the substantial capital receipts programme referred to earlier.

In order to meet the challenges described in this report, the Cabinet was asked to agree an overall approach and key principles for determining future approach to estate management, which put the achievement of corporate priorities at their core.

In the past sites have been identified only when Services declared them as being surplus to operational requirements. Following a review of the surplus building or land it would then be brought back into use or disposed of – to produce capital receipts. However, the full potential for growth would not be achieved by only using sites as they were freed up by Services declaring them surplus, the Council must actively seek to identify and make available assets to support growth.

The new principles would, therefore, involve a more proactive approach to the use of the Council’s Land and Property assets both in terms of how assets were used and how assets could be provided to enable growth.

The implementation of the approach and principles included in this report would, therefore, identify sites to support growth. Any such plans would be subject to a full business case and agreement with the relevant Service Director, Cabinet Member or Cabinet as appropriate and in consultation with the relevant Ward Members.

It was proposed that a single Land and Property Strategy (LPS) be created to include all the Council’s interests in land and property, including property held for both operational and non-operational purposes,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 181.

-           Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services, which sought authorisation to consult on modifications to the Core Strategy to accommodate the changes required by the Planning Inspector. These modifications were necessary to make the document sound and enable the Council to adopt the document following due process.

The Inspector's initial conclusions were received on 6th January, 2014 and the key recommended changes were required by the Inspector to make the Core Strategy sound – without these changes the Council could not adopt the document.  The changes were:-

·                Housing numbers - the housing requirement for the Plan period (2013-2028) should be increased from 14,370 to 17,133. The Inspector accepted the Council’s use of a local housing target set below the previous Regional Strategy figure. But he considered the Council should do more to make up the shortfall from under delivery in previous years.

·                Phasing of development sites – the Core Strategy should be reworded to remove reference to the phasing of sites (i.e. which development sites should come forward first). This was to bring the Core Strategy in line with the national planning policy framework that did not prioritise this aim.

·                Commitment to Co-operation - the Core Strategy should be modified to include a commitment to ongoing co-operation with relevant bodies and neighbouring authorities and to an early/immediate review of the Core Strategy. This reflected concerns around the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). However, the Inspector favoured continuing with the examination of the Core Strategy and finalising his report as soon as possible so the Council could adopt the plan.

·                Bassingthorpe Farm - Bassingthorpe Farm should be included in the Core Strategy as a Strategic Allocation, allowing it to come forward ahead of other sites in the Sites and Policies document.

·                Affordable Housing - the Inspector endorsed the Council’s 25% target and supported the amendments suggested to the affordable housing policy during the examination, primarily concerning commuted sums. These were made to clarify and strengthen its application while exempting self-build from the requirements.

·                Waverley - the scale of development taking place at Waverley warranted its identification as a Principal Settlement in the Core Strategy settlement hierarchy, rather than as a Local Service Centre.

The Inspector asked the Council to draft the wording of these modifications for his consideration and approval, prior to undertaking consultation. Officers were currently working to prepare these for the Inspector.

The Council was required to consult on the Inspector’s Main Modifications on his behalf. Consultation would take place over a six week period. The timing would be dependent upon the Council receiving the final wording of the Main Modifications from the Inspector and also the preparation of the accompanying Sustainability Appraisal. It was envisaged that consultation would start at the end of February/early March, 2014.

Representations would be invited in relation to the Sustainability Appraisal and the ‘legal compliance’ and ‘soundness’ of the Main Modifications only. It would not be an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 182.

-           Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

The Leader introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services which outlined the current Government consultation on the proposed High Speed Two (HS2) Phase 2 consultation and presented Rotherham’s response to the consultation which was submitted on the 16th January, 2014.

The consultation document explained the Government’s case for Phase 2 and set out the proposed route from the West Midlands to Manchester and Leeds.  A technical report was also published and this included detailed information including route maps and station location plans.  It also provided details of those station locations and route alignments that have been discounted by Government in reaching their preferred scheme.  Alongside the consultation the Government published a sustainability statement.

The Government consultation on HS2 Phase 2 posed questions on the proposed line of route and station locations for the eastern and western arms of the route, and the appraisal of sustainability.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) had prepared a response to the consultation on behalf of the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (SYITA).  This response supported high speed rail and a well-served station stop at Meadowhall and had been endorsed by SYITA on the 9th January 2014.  To support the response a study highlighting the connectivity improvements that would be required to make the proposed HS2 station fully accessible by classic rail, tram, tram-train, private vehicles, taxis and bus.  In addition, a study on how the released capacity on the current classic rail network could be used post-HS2 had been completed and used to inform the response. In addition to the strategic South Yorkshire response to the consultation it had been agreed that South Yorkshire Local Authorities would also submit their own responses to the consultation.

The response submitted on behalf of Rotherham, which for consistency, aligned to the strategic response submitted by the SYITA whilst also highlighting Rotherham’s specific issues i.e. that it was considered essential for Government to consider when progressing to the further more detailed development stages of the scheme, particularly around the eastern leg of HS2, the need for a station in the Sheffield City Region (the location of this should be Meadowhall) and the need to mitigate the impact which may occur in Rotherham.

Following the consultation deadline, a report on the response was likely to be published in October 2014 and a final decision on Phase 2 expected to be made by Government before the end of 2014.  The Hybrid Bill for Phase 2 would not be introduced in Parliament before the next election.

HS2 Ltd. currently anticipated that Phase 1 would begin operation in 2026 with the complete HS2 network fully operational in 2032.

As the decision was significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more Wards or electoral divisions in the area of the relevant local authority it was a key decision.

Cabinet Members valued the importance of a response being submitted and stressed how crucial it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 183.

-           Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

Further to Minute Nos. 103 and 148 of the meetings of the Cabinet held on 16^th October and 18^th December, 2013, Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Development Services, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services which provided an update on the demolition of the former Council Offices on Doncaster Gate.

The Council was approached by a third party who visited site and attended two meetings with the Council. This third party employed an architect and surveyors to advise them on the possibility of making the site work whilst maintaining some of the original buildings. Unfortunately, this third party informed the Council on Friday, 31^st January, 2014, that they had decided not to make a bid for the site.

A number of meetings with the Civic Society had also been held in order to both keep them informed and to identify any opportunities to retain any part of the existing structure.

To date, the Council had not received any proposals to retain any significant part of the building.  It was proposed that a number of key stones be recovered from the Doncaster Gate façade of the original hospital building and retained to create a memorial to the building, when the site was redeveloped.

The site had remained on the market and open to potential offers. All those whom had expressed an interest during the previous marketing period have been given advance warning that the cleared site would be offered back to the market early spring 2014.  This had generated considerable interest in the site with developers re-registering their interest and requesting Tender Packs when they became available. It was thought that this, along with a full marketing campaign, should generate sufficient interest to result in a redevelopment that would add to the regeneration of this edge of Town Centre site.

The substantial asbestos and soft strip works were now close to complete and demolition was due to commence within two weeks and be completed in April 2014.

Cabinet Members expressed some disappointment that no-one had come forward to develop the site and retain the façade.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the lack of re-development proposals that retained a significant part of the existing buildings be noted.

(2)  That demolition continues in line with the Cabinet’s decision dated 16^th October, 2013.

-           Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

Further to Minute No. 42 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Waste and Emergency Planning, Councillor R. Russell, Cabinet Member for Waste and Emergency Planning, presented a report by the Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services which reviewed the current provision of the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in Rotherham and proposing the reduction of opening days to achieve the budgetary savings required for the 2014/2015 financial year.

The management of Rotherham’s Household Waste Recycling Centres was arranged through a joint Barnsley Doncaster and Rotherham contract with FCC Environment Limited which set out their duties in relation to the Council’s networks of Household Waste Recycling Centres including the opening days and hours of each Centre.  In order to change any contractual obligation, a variation to contract would need to be agreed with the service provider.

In previous financial years the required budgetary savings had been achieved by cutting back on the daily opening times.  It was now considered that normal opening times stood at a minimal level and further narrowing of the daily opening times would leave insufficient hours in the day for it to be worthwhile opening a Centre.  Closing the Centres on a day each week would best address the key issue of achieving the required budgetary savings, but still avoiding the need to permanently close a Centre and minimising the impact on the majority of Rotherham’s service users.

Reducing the number of operational days would generate some customer dissatisfaction, however, this may be minimised by the careful selection of which Centre closed on which day.  Ensuring that the travel time to the nearest open Centre was kept to a minimum and no specific population area was unfairly affected was felt to be the solution.

Cabinet Members sought assurance that the day of the week that a Centre was closed would remain consistent.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the closure of each Household Waste Recycling Centres one day per week on a rota basis (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday) be approved.

(2)  That arrangements be in place for a period of six months (April-September) to determine if budget savings can be achieved.

(3)  That the Cabinet Member for Waste and Emergency Planning determines the rota for closures at the four sites at his Delegated Powers Meeting.

The following item is likely to be considered in the absence of the press and public as being exempt under Paragraph 3  of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended March 2006) (information relating to the financial or business affairs).

Resolved:-  That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3  of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended March 2006) (information relating to the financial or business affairs).

-           Director of Finance to report.

The Leader introduced a report by the Chief Executive with regard to the urgent decision taken by the Chief Executive regarding the Magna Trust, in accordance with his delegated powers.

Further information was provided on the reason and circumstances for the request.

Cabinet Members noted the decision taken to ensure that this well used facility remained open.

Resolved:-  That the decision taken by the Chief Executive on 22nd January 2014, in accordance with his delegated powers be noted.