Agenda

To receive the apologies of any Member who is unable to attend the meeting.

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 5 February 2025 and 12 March 2025 and to approve them as a true and correct record of the proceedings and to be signed by the Chair.

To receive declarations of interest from Members in respect of items listed on the agenda.

To receive questions relating to items of business on the agenda from members of the public or press who are present at the meeting.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any part of the agenda.

A 15-minute question and answer session with the Leader of the Council on matters relating to his portfolio.

In accordance with the outcome of the Governance Review in 2016, the following items are submitted for pre-scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting on Monday 14 April 2025. Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board are invited to comment and make recommendations on the proposals contained within the report.

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet agree:

1. That provisional allocations of the Household Support Fund Grant of £4.387m be made as follows:
   1. £2.687m for food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals for school holidays up to and including Easter 2026.
   2. £950k towards the estimated costs of the Council’s Local Council Tax Support Top Up Scheme.
   3. £500k to support applications from households for assistance with energy costs, through the Council’s Energy Crisis Support Scheme.
   4. £90k to provide additional financial support to care leavers.
   5. £60k to local voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations to support vulnerable households over Christmas / New Year through a supplement to the Crisis Support service level agreement.
   6. £100k to provide parcels of household items to be distributed through VCS support.

2. Delegate authority to the Assistant Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, to determine revised and final allocations for the Household Support Grant. This will include provision for other eligible actions within the use of Household Support Fund should it not be possible to achieve full spend of the grant through the approved options.

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:-

1. Approve acceptance of the Council’s indicative allocation of the Economic Inactivity Trailblazer funding to deliver activity targeted at implementing an integrated employment, skills and health system.

2. Approve use of the funding to manage the programme, commission community-based engagement activity, and personalised support (to include flexible support budgets), activate employers to create job opportunities for participants, pay for additional staff salaries (within RiDO, Employment Solutions and for other Pathways to Work roles within the Council) and cover miscellaneous costs.

3. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Regeneration and Environment, in consultation with Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy and the Section 151 Officer to determine detailed use of the grant or make any subsequent amendments to the proposed budget allocations.

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendation:

That Cabinet approve the draft Licensing Act Statement of Licensing Policy attached to this report as Appendix 1 for consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.

To consider the Board’s Work Programme.

To receive updates from the Chairs of the Select Commission on work undertaken and planned for the future.

To review and identify items for pre-decision scrutiny from the Forward Plan of Key Decisions covering the period from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025.

Link to the lastest Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

To consider any issues referred for call-in from recent Cabinet meetings.

To determine any item which the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.