northlincs.gov.uk

407 (34) BUSINESS RATE RELIEF – The Service Director Finance submitted a report considering the level of Business Rate relief to be awarded to ratepayers in North Lincolnshire.

The Policy Committee agreed the legal position and administrative practices for dealing with rate relief on 22 January 1996.

The Corporate Services Cabinet Member on 20 February 2005 (minute 128 refers) agreed to adopt a scoring system based on set criteria for the awarding of discretionary rate relief. On 7 February 2005 (minute 233 refers) he agreed to amend the criteria. On 21 December 2006 he also agreed to update the criteria and gave approval to the Service Director Finance to authorise relief where the level of relief remained unchanged.

There was no discretion about granting mandatory relief.

Resolved – That the level of rate relief be awarded to each applicant as set out in the schedule attached to the report.

408 (35) VIREMENTS 2010-11 – The Service Director Finance submitted a report seeking approval for changes to the revenue and capital budgets for 2010-11.

On 24 February 2010 Council approved the revenue and capital budgets for 2010/2011 financial year (minute 1830 refers). The report gave details of virements approved by the Service Director Finance under delegated powers and those that required Cabinet Member approval.

Resolved – (a) That the virements at paragraph 3.1 of the report, approved by the Service Director Finance under delegated powers be noted, and (b) that the permanent virements outlined in paragraph 3.2 of the report be approved.

409 (36) FUTURE JOBS FUND DELIVERY – The Service Director Strategic Regeneration, Housing and Development Unit submitted a report seeking to approve the establishment of one new temporary six-month post and three one year apprenticeships funded through the Future Jobs Fund, one in Strategy Development and three in Children and Young People’s Services.

The Future Jobs Fund (FJF) was launched in May 2009 by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), in partnership with Department for Communities and Local Government to create new jobs for long term unemployed young people and others who lived in unemployment hotspots facing significant disadvantage in the labour market.

North Lincolnshire Council was involved in the consortium bid submitted on behalf of the partners of the Hull & Humber Ports City Region which allocated 30 jobs to North Lincolnshire within both the council and the Voluntary and Community Sector. To date, 20 of these jobs have been created and a further 10 would be created over the next three months

Resolved – That the proposal to create the four new temporary posts funded through the Future Jobs Fund, one based in Strategy Development and three apprentices based in Children and Young People’s Services be approved.

410 (37) LOCAL AUTHORITY DISTRIBUTION OF EXTERNAL FUNDING TO DEVELOP SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS – The Service Director Children and Young People’s Services submitted a report to inform the Corporate Services Cabinet Member about the international development work with schools and partners, and to seek approval for the budget facility to manage and distribute the school’s external grant funds.

The British Council and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) had for a number of years made funding available for Schools and LAs wishing to take a lead in developing curriculum and school leadership links with other countries. International school linking projects offered many opportunities for children and young people in North Lincolnshire to widen their horizons and learn first hand about their peers in other cultures with different lifestyles.

The engagement with international development projects was established in response to the need to enhance understanding of diversity, community cohesion and to raise aspirations by giving children and young people more opportunities to learn about the world. North Lincolnshire schools had a variety of international links, the Dalian project was the strongest and continued to attract the most funding from National Government because of the excellent outcomes it brought for the schools and young people.

Resolved – (a) That the details contained within the report of the international linking project be noted, and (b) that the distribution of external funding via the council budget facility be approved.

411 (38) CREATION OF A POST OF SMOKING IN PREGNANCY DEVELOPMENT WORKER – The Service Director Neighbourhood & Environment submitted a report seeking approval for the creation of a 12-month fixed term contract post within the Health Improvement Team that would contribute to decreasing smoking in pregnancy rates (Former CAA red flag). Full and independent external funding had been obtained for this post.

Smoking in pregnancy rates were around 25 per cent in North Lincolnshire and as high as 40 per cent in the most deprived wards. The Department of Health’s target for smoking in pregnancy was 15 per cent. North Lincolnshire’s high smoking in pregnancy rates were a factor that resulted in a red flag being given in the 2009 Oneplace Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).

The post had received external funding for 12 months from the postholder’s start date. The post would be 0.5 fte and an office location had been identified within a school in the Brumby Ward, complete with IT access and telephone. There would therefore be no net additional cost to the council in creating this post.

This funding presented an opportunity to reduce smoking in pregnancy rates with an immediate effect and with sustainability that would last beyond the 12-month funding period. The project could make a key contribution to obtaining positive outcomes. All project costs would be met by the external funding.

Establishing the post within the Health Improvement Team would allow the project and the postholder to be supervised, supported and developed appropriately. The postholder would also receive support from the North Lincolnshire NHS Specialist Stop Smoking Service and the soon-to-be-formed smoking in pregnancy team. These and other essential contacts and support may not be available to the same degree if the post were to be hosted by another organisation.

Resolved – That the creation of a 12-month fixed term contract post for 18.5 hours per week (as detailed within option1 of the report) be approved.

The following items contain exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

412 (39) PROPERTY TRANSACTION SCHEDULE – The Service Director Asset Management and Culture submitted a report seeking for consideration, and where necessary approval, of a schedule containing the terms of all recently negotiated property transactions.

Resolved – That the schedule appended to the report be approved.

Note: Reports are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and therefore require a suitable reader to view them. A reader can be downloaded free from the Adobe website (full instructions for downloading the reader are provided on the site).

Where there is no report this is because it is exempt, as it contains information which is considered to be of a confidential nature, as detailed in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act.