Officer Decisions

Date of Decision:

4 December 2020

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Judith Badger

Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Non-specific

Brief Description of Decision:

That following review, the arrangements for the use of the Council’s Hardship Fund will continue for the remainder of the financial year 2020/21.

The Council will continue to provide £200 of support to new LCTS claimants, however, a further top up is to be provided in February 2021 to maximise the grant allocation within the current financial year.

Reasons for the Decision:

To providing support to economically vulnerable people and households in the borough from the allocation of the Hardship Fund from central government and maximise the benefit to those new LCTS claimants that have been most financially impacted by the pandemic.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

1.    Continue to provide the £200 support to new LCTS claimants, with no top up at present.

2.    Provide support to the Discretionary Housing Payments fund.

3.    Provide additional support to the work being carried out through the LA Emergency Assistance Grant. 

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

No conflicts of interest

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Briefing Paper – Update and review of the application of the Council’s Hardship Fund – 4 December 2020.

Date of Decision:

1 December 2020

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Tom Bell - Assistant Director - Housing

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Non-specific

Brief Description of Decision:

The award of a contract in respect of mould eradication works. This was tendered and awarded to Quality Eradication Services Today Ltd for a period of 24 months, with the option to extend by a further 2 x 12-month periods at the sole discretion of the Council.

This was tendered and awarded to Quality Eradication Services Today Ltd (QEST) for a period of 24 months, with the option to extend for a further 2 x 12-month periods.

The contract will commence on 4 January 2021

Details of the contract can be found on the Council’s contracts register at the following link:

https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/download/7/tenders-and-contracts

Reasons for the Decision:

The result of a competitive procurement procedure.

The procedure was undertaken as an Open Tender exercise which was conducted in line with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and the Council’s own Financial and Procurement Procedure Rules.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

n/a

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

n/a

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

Reports or parts of reports considered

Tender evaluation report

Date of Decision:

8 December 2020

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Paul Woodcock

Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Non-specific

Brief Description of Decision:

1)    That in line with regulations, the number of attendees at a funeral service remains at a maximum of 30, continuing to observe 2 metre distancing for family bubbles within the chapel.

2)    That service times for cremations be reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes to further increase availability in line with the current back log and predicted increase in the death rate.

3)    That the price for a service be reduced from £943 to £775 to reflect the reduced time in chapel.

4)    That the service streaming fee be included in the £775 price. This will allow management of funeral attendee numbers and enable bereaved families and friends to view the service.

5)    That the changes to service times take effect from 4 January 2021.

6)    That monitoring of the ongoing situation is carried in line with the key areas of consideration as detailed in the officer’s report.

Reasons for the Decision:

To increase the number of available slots for services in anticipation of an increase in demand.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

The option to make Sundays available for services was considered and rejected as the slots for services that had been made available on Sundays earlier in 2020 had not been taken up by funeral directors or families.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

No conflicts of interest

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Decision Briefing Paper - Proposal to reduce service times at East Herringthorpe Crematorium Chapel in order to increase capacity – 8 December 2020

Date of Decision:

7 December 2020

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Paul Woodcock

Strategic Director – Regeneration and Environment

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Nonspecific

Brief Description of Decision:

That the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment exercises their delegated powers and:

1.    Approves the delivery of the current indicative Highway Repair Programme with the inclusion of the indicative Pothole / Challenge fund Programme as detailed at Appendix 2

2.    Approves the publication of the updated indicative Highway Repair Programme to include the additional works shown in Appendix 2

Reasons for the Decision:

The funding will enable the repair of roads and footways included in the Indicative Highway Repair Programmes.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

None

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

No Conflicts of Interest

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

Not Applicable

Reports or parts of reports considered

Report of the Strategic Director – Regeneration and Environment - Additional funding from the Department for Transport Pothole / Challenge Fund

Date of Decision:

26/11/2020

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Judith Badger

Section 151 Officer

Strategic Director Finance & Customer Services

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Appendix 9 of the Constitution (Responsibility for Functions) – Delegation to the Strategic Director of Finance and Customer Services to determine requests for early release and flexible retirement, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member

Brief Description of Decision:

Approval was given to a request for the compulsory redundancy of an employee in Finance and Customer Service’s Directorate

Reasons for the Decision:

The service where the individual was employed had restructured resulting in the loss of a post and the employee had not been successful in being redeployed. 

Details of Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Redeployment options had been explored and no suitable alternative post found.

Where the decision is made under specific delegation from a decision making body, the names of any member of the relevant body who has declared a conflict of interest in relation to the decision and name of the body granting the specific delegation and the date when it did so:

None

Background Papers:

Date of Decision:

31 January 2019

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Jon Stonehouse, Strategic Director, Children & Young People’s Services

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

None

Brief Description of Decision:

That the Strategic Director, Children & Young People’s Services, approves the revised Pathways to Care Policy and an extension for a further 4 years.

Reasons for the Decision:

This policy was initially agreed by Cabinet in 2012. There was an extension to the policy in May 2015. The Policy has been redrafted to ensure that it better meets the requirements of the demand management strategy currently being implemented within CYPS.

Over the additional 4 years forensic analysis will be completed on the impact of the policy.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Not to extend the policy and allow it to lapse. However, this could have a negative impact on the Placement Sufficiency Strategy and the Demand Management Strategy with associated financial risk.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

None

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

None

Reports or parts of reports considered

Extensions and Adaptations to Homes of Foster Carers, Special Guardian and Adopters – (revised policy)

Date of Decision:

24 November 2020

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Simon Moss

Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Nonspecific

Brief Description of Decision:

To seek approval to undertake consultation on a proposal to provide a no waiting at any time restriction around the junction of Piccadilly road and Fitzwilliam Street, Swinton. The proposed no waiting at any time proposals would be implemented upon: -

•         Piccadilly Road from its junction with Fitzwilliam Street for a distance of 15metres in a southerly direction.

•         Fitzwilliam Street from its junction with Piccadilly Road for a distance of 30metres in an easterly direction and 33metres in a westerly direction.

To enable this the Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport exercises is delegated authority to approve in principle the proposals shown on Drawing Number 21590/2 and give authority for:

1.    The usual statutory consultations to be undertaken including consultation with the local Ward Councillors and Cabinet Member.

2.    The Assistant Director of Legal Services to prepare the draft Order and notices.

3.    The proposals to be advertised.

4.    The Order be made if there are no objections received.

Reasons for the Decision:

To enable the processes to take place to to undertake consultation on a proposal to provide a no waiting at any time restriction around the junction of Piccadilly road and Fitzwilliam Street, Swinton.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Not to approve the processes to enable the consultation process. This was not recommended as Fitzwilliam Street, Swinton had been identified as a location where the number of injury collisions warranted further investigation.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

No Conflicts of Interest

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

Not Applicable

Reports or parts of reports considered

The report of the Assistant Director – Planning, Regeneration and Transport - Piccadilly Rd junction with Fitzwilliam Street, Swinton – Proposed no waiting at any time restrictions