Decisions

To approve the Council entering into a long-term informal regeneration partnership with government, Homes England and the Combined Authority, focused on inclusive city centre, economic and housing growth.

The Director of City Development submitted a report which presented a proposal for the Council to enter a long-term Leeds Transformational Regeneration (LTR) Partnership with the Government, Homes England (the Government’s national housing and regeneration agency) and West Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to support a 10-year programme of change and investment focused on central Leeds.

With the agreement of the Chair, the submitted report had been circulated to Board Members and published as a late item of business prior to the meeting for the reasons as detailed in Minute No. 104.

In introducing the report, the Executive Member highlighted the fast paced nature of the partnership working which had been undertaken, with it being noted that the report was being submitted following a recent Government announcement at the Spring Budget of 6^th March 2024. The range of regeneration opportunities that this partnership arrangement presented were highlighted and the commitment provided by Government was welcomed. The key elements of the proposals were noted, and it was undertaken that appropriate consultation would be conducted with communities and stakeholders during the development of proposals.

Members welcomed the proposals and acknowledged the effective collaborative working with Government and other partners, alongside the progress made by officers which had enabled the scheme to be developed to its current position.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That it be agreed that the Council enters into the Leeds Transformational Regeneration Partnership on the basis as set out within the submitted report, and that progress on the partnership and its activities be reported to the Board annually;

(b)  That the commitment of revenue funding from Government to support the Council in developing and delivering an LTR work programme, be welcomed;

(c)  That the capital grant commitments made by Government, as set out within the submitted report for City Partner projects, be welcomed, and that it be agreed that a future report be submitted to Executive Board to consider the detailed implications for the Council, including its continued role in supporting the development ambition for Temple Works;

(d)  That the necessary authority be delegated to the Director of City Development to enable the Director, in consultation with the Executive Member for ‘Sustainable Development and Infrastructure’, to take decisions relating to the Council’s contribution to the design and delivery of the LTR implementation plan and delivery programme.

The Director of Strategy and Resources submitted a report which provided an update on the opportunity to apply under the Government’s recently published Devolution Framework for a Level 4 devolution deal for West Yorkshire. The report summarised the offer from Government and sought ratification of the Council’s support for the Combined Authority’s application for Level 4 devolution.

In considering the report, a Member highlighted the need to ensure that as part of the process moving forward, consideration was given to avoiding the potential duplication between the Local Authorities and the Combined Authority. 

Responding to a specific enquiry regarding the potential future use of the Mayoral precept, it was noted that the Mayoral precept had not been used to date. It was also noted that to do so would require a comprehensive consultation process on a specific proposal, which it was highlighted was not a process being undertaken at present.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the recent publication of the Government’s Level 4 Devolution Framework which sets out guidance and the powers and flexibilities on offer through a Level 4 Devolution Deal together with the associated readiness conditions, be noted;

(b)  That the partnership work in West Yorkshire to consider the opportunities presented through further devolution, be noted, together with the activity undertaken to develop the West Yorkshire response, including the refreshed partnership principles;

(c)  That Executive Board formally ratifies the Council’s support for the Combined Authority’s application for Level 4 devolution.

The board is asked to agree the proposals set out in relation to a revised offer of financial support to Special Guardians in Leeds. For previously Looked After children, this includes an offer of post 18 financial support, aligned with the financial support to children looked after for ‘staying put’ arrangements.

The Director of Children and Families submitted a report providing information on the review undertaken into current regional policies for Special Guardianship arrangements, including financial support, which had been led by One Adoption West Yorkshire. It was noted that the purpose of such work was with the aim of encouraging all Local Authorities within the region to provide a more consistent offer of support to Special Guardianship families. The report presented proposals in terms of a revised recommended regional approach towards Special Guardianship Order (SGO) support and also regarding local arrangements specific to the Leeds offer.

By way of introduction to the report, Members received further information on the SGO process and details of the improved offer that was being proposed in West Yorkshire along with the proposed offer specifically for Leeds. The significant benefits of the proposals were highlighted with Members also receiving information on the financial implications arising.

Members welcomed the proposals within the submitted report and noted that children and young people in SGO care benefitted from the increased permanence and stability that special guardianship arrangements provided. 

Responding to a Member’s enquiry, it was undertaken that clear communications would be delivered around the improved SGO offer for carers and also in relation to the overall benefits of SGO care for children and young people.

The Board discussed the rising cost of external residential placements for children and young people. It was emphasised that action needed to be taken nationally to address this issue and that representations to Government needed to continue. However, the approach being taken in Leeds to mitigate the impact of such matters was acknowledged. Responding to Members’ comments and following the Board’s agreement, the Chief Executive, who is a member of the Children’s Social Care National Implementation Board, undertook to write to the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing to express Executive Board’s concerns regarding such matters.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the recommendations, as set out within the submitted report, be approved, the first of which are aligned with the recommended regional approach in relation to SGO support, as follows:-

·  Where children have been Looked After immediately prior to the SGO being made, carers will receive non means tested financial support (minus child related benefits) until the child is aged 18 years of age.

·  Where children have not been Looked After immediately prior to the SGO being made, carers will receive means tested financial support.

·  Where children have not been Looked After immediately prior to the SGO being made and carers are already in receipt of a means tested benefit, they will receive non means tested financial support.

(b)  That the recommendations, as set out within the submitted report, regarding local arrangements specific to the Leeds offer for special guardianship orders, be approved. These being:-

·  Where children have been Looked After immediately prior to the SGO being made and remain with their special guardianship carers post 18, they will continue to get post 18 financial support, aligned with the current rates paid to care leavers as part of the councils ‘staying put’ policy.

·  That revised policies and procedures are put in place along with service training to set out the local authority’s special guardianship support arrangements.

The Director of Adults and Health submitted a report presenting the refreshed Adults and Health Market Position Statement (MPS) for Leeds, and which noted that the current version of the Leeds MPS had been published in 2019 and had required a full refresh in order to reflect the changes in both the health and care system and the adult social care market.

The Executive Member provided a summary of the key elements of the updated MPS for Leeds, noting that it provided an overview of the support and care services people need, the current provision available within a Local Authority area, and which identified potential commissioning opportunities for the care and support provider market. It was also noted that the MPS formed an important element of the Local Authority’s duties in this area, as required through the Care Act 2014.

A Member sought further information and assurance regarding the reference within the MPS that 27 of the 97 registered homes in Leeds had a ‘requires improvement’ CQC rating.  In response, the Board was provided with further information, with it being noted that the CQC currently had a significant inspection backlog as a result of the pandemic. However, assurance was provided on the actions being taken by the Authority, with it being noted that the Council’s commissioning team had operated its quality and monitoring service throughout the pandemic and continued to do so, taking necessary actions as appropriate. It was also highlighted that following the pandemic, the service had returned to visiting homes in order to review them, and in doing so, worked with relevant partner organisations. Further assurance was provided to the Board that when appropriate, the Council would suspend its use of a care home for a period of time, whilst an action plan is established and improvements delivered.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the Leeds Market Position Statement, as presented at Appendix 1 to the submitted report, be noted, together with the intention of the Director of Adults and Health to publish it;

(b)  That it be noted that the Director of Adults and Health is responsible for keeping the Leeds Market Position Statement up to date through undertaking regular reviews and revisions.

Executive Board will be recommended to:

-  Approve the Wellington Street extension construction works, subject to approval of the Green Heat Network Fund application, for commencement in Summer 2024

-  Note the business case which supports these works included in this report

-  Note the more detailed financial model which supports these works included as Confidential Appendix 1

-  Approve the early instruction of works on Castle Street based on the business case outlined in this report

-  Approve the commencement of a procurement exercise to support the South Bank Heat Network project

Further to Minute No. 28, 26^th July 2023, the Director of Communities, Housing and Environment submitted a report presenting a further update on the progress of the Leeds PIPES district heating network and which also provided information on the policy context being developed around Heat Networks nationally. In addition, the report provided an update on the Council’s successful application to the Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) for the next phases of network extension, focussing upon the areas of Wellington Street and South Bank, and sought several approvals from the Board to progress both schemes.

In presenting the report, the Executive Member provided an overview of key points within it, including the recommended next steps for the scheme together with an update on the positive impact which it continued to make. In addition, the Executive Member extended their thanks to all officers involved in progressing the scheme to its current position.

Responding to a specific enquiry, the Board was advised of the actions which would be taken to minimise the level of disruption in the city centre arising from the proposed works, with the collaborative approach being taken with Highways around issues such as timeframes and routes being noted.

Following consideration of Appendix 1 to the submitted report designated as being exempt from publication under the provisions of Access to Information Procedure Rule 10.4(3), which was considered in private at the conclusion of the public part of the meeting, it was

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the entering into Grant Funding Agreements with the Green Heat Network Fund for both Wellington Street and South Bank schemes, be approved, with the related resolutions and approvals referenced below being noted;

(b)  That authority to inject £1.15m of commercialisation funding from the Green Heat Network Fund into the Capital Programme to support the development of the Wellington Street and South Bank schemes, be approved, and that authority to spend this same amount be approved, with it being noted that this is 100% grant funding;

(c)  That authority to award, including authority to procure, a contract for technical, commercial, and financial consultancy support to AECOM Ltd, to support the South Bank scheme, be approved, and in doing so,  noting the justification outlined in the submitted report and in Appendix 3 (Procurement Strategy);

(d)  That authority to procure a legal contractor to support the South Bank scheme, in line with the procurement approach as outlined in Appendix 3 to the submitted report, be approved;

(e)  That the contract award decisions for the legal procurement be delegated to the Director for Communities, Housing and Environment;

(f)  That authority to award a contract to Vital Energi Utilities Ltd for the design and build of the Wellington Street extension, be approved;

(g)  That in noting the contents of exempt Appendix 1 to the submitted report, authority to spend of £6,755m from the Capital Programme be approved, which is funded by £2.561m of GHNF grant and £4.194m of borrowing, with it being noted that a decision on how the borrowing is funded will be taken by the S151 Officer;

(h)  That it be noted that an extension to Whitehall Road will be deferred, pending signed agreements being received from prospective customers on Whitehall Road, and further approval from Executive Board;

(i)  That it be noted that a further report will be submitted to Executive Board in due course specifically on the South Bank scheme, when sufficient work has been undertaken on the scheme to present the Board with a robust business case, to enable further investment decisions;

(j)  That authority to inject a maximum of £2,750,000 into the Capital Programme, funded with 100% grant funding from GHNF, be approved; and that authority to spend of this same amount for early construction works on the South Bank scheme in the Clarence Road area of the city, be approved.

Further to Minute No. 114, 9^th February 2022, the Director of Adults and Health and the Director of City Development submitted a joint report regarding the development proposals for the Kirkland’s Autism Project, on Queensway, Yeadon in the Guiseley and Rawdon Ward. The scheme would provide a bespoke registered residential care home consisting of six one storey homes for adults with severe learning disabilities and complex autism. The report sought a number of approvals in order progress the project.

The Executive Member provided the Board with an overview of the proposals detailed within the submitted report and the key positive outcomes which would be delivered as part of such proposals.

Members welcomed the submission of the report and provided support for the proposals within it.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the submitted report, be noted, together with the progress made so far on the Kirkland’s Autism Project;

(b)  That an injection of £9.2m capital expenditure, be authorised and that the approval to spend also be authorised. Capital expenditure of £8.1m will be from departmental borrowing to develop a high quality, six-bed bespoke Registered Residential care home for adults with severe learning disabilities and complex autism who display behaviours which challenge services. The remaining expenditure will be funded by a capital grant from the NHS for £1.09m. The cost of borrowing will be funded by West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board;

(c)  That approval be given for the Director of City Development, under delegated powers, to progress the scheme to construction completion;

(d)  That the project team be authorised to enter into a construction contract with Kier Construction Ltd T/A Kier North and Scotland (Kier) to construct the Kirkland Autism Project;

(e)  That Leeds City Council be authorised to enter into a legal capital grant agreement with NHS England for the receipt of £1.09m to Leeds City Council, which will involve a Land Registry restriction around one highly specialised home to be built on a portion of the site;

(f)  That the necessary authority be delegated to the Director of Adults and Health under the scheme of officer delegation to grant approval for the authorisation to enter the legal capital grant agreement (as referenced above);

(g)  That the resolutions arising from this report, as detailed above, be exempted from the Call In process for the reasons as set out in paragraphs 39 to 43 of the submitted report.

(The Council’s Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rules state that a decision may be declared as being exempt from the Call In process by the decision taker if it is considered that the matter is urgent and any delay would seriously prejudice the Council’s, or the public’s interests. In line with this, the resolutions contained within this minute were exempted from the Call In process, as per resolution (g) above, and for the reasons as set out within sections 39 - 43 of the submitted report)

The Director of Communities, Housing and Environment submitted a report on proposals regarding the potential development of business case(s) for the establishment of further selective licensing scheme(s) in the city with respect to the five priority Wards of Armley, Beeston and Holbeck, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, Gipton and Harehills, and Hunslet and Riverside.

By way of introduction, the Executive Member highlighted that this report followed the Board’s prior approval in June 2019 of two selective licensing schemes in Beeston and Harehills which commenced in January 2020. It was noted that those schemes were scheduled to expire in January 2025 in line with the maximum duration of five years allowed for such schemes. The report evaluated the impact of those current schemes and proposed appropriate next steps around the consideration of potentially establishing further selective licensing scheme(s) in the city with respect to the five priority wards listed.

Members received further detail on the positive impact that had been experienced through the current selective licensing schemes in Beeston and Harehills.

A Member made a specific enquiry regarding the level of metrics available from the current selective licensing schemes and requested that the relevant data relating to this matter be submitted to Scrutiny for consideration as part of the next steps process prior to being further considered by Executive Board. In response, further details were provided to the Board regarding the positive outcomes that had been achieved by the current schemes to date, and it was undertaken that the Member request for Scrutiny involvement would be taken on board as part of the next steps for this process.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the development of potential business case(s) under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 for further selective licensing scheme(s) in respect of the five priority Wards of: Armley; Beeston and Holbeck; Burmantofts and Richmond Hill; Gipton and Harehills; and Hunslet and Riverside, be approved;

(b)  That the Board consider the matter again at a future date once the final business case(s) have been fully developed and agreed, in order to consider whether to designate any further selective licensing area(s) under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 or to request the Secretary of State to consider an application to do so if it meets the threshold for their approval;

(c)  That it be noted that the Director of Communities, Housing and Environment is responsible for the implementation of the resolutions detailed above.

The Director of Communities, Housing and Environment submitted a report presenting the Leeds Air Quality Strategy report for 2024. The report provided an update on the range of work that continued to be undertaken in Leeds to improve air quality through mitigation projects, raise awareness of the issue through communication and engagement, and illustrate how the Council continued to develop greater understanding around the sources of air pollution through improved monitoring and engagement with academics and research groups. The report noted that such actions were in line with the Council’s Air Quality Strategy and followed the related White Paper Motion, as agreed by Full Council at its meeting in September 2023.

In presenting the report, the Executive Member highlighted that relevant data illustrates that air quality continues to improve in Leeds, and in doing so thanked Council officers together with residents of Leeds for their continued efforts in this area.

Members welcomed the submitted report, and the fact that air quality continued to improve in Leeds.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the current air quality data and the historical trends which show improvement and healthier air in the city, be noted;

(b)  That the work which has been undertaken to ensure delivery on the 2021-2030 Air Quality Strategy, be noted;

(c)  That the Council’s position, pursuant to the new World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines, be approved;

(d)  That the continuing multi-stakeholder collaborative approach across the city and region for action to address the direct impact of air pollution on health, such as the work of the Air Pollution Health Group, be supported;

(e)  That it be noted that the Chief Officer, Climate, Energy & Green Spaces, and the Director of Public Health will be responsible for any actions arising and the subsequent implementation of those actions.

The Chief Officer Financial Services submitted a report which presented the Council’s financial position as at the end of the first 10 months of the 2023/24 financial year. Specifically, the report reviewed the current position against the 2023/24 Budget and also provided an update regarding the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the Council Tax and Business Rates Collection Fund.

In presenting the report the Executive Member provided an overview of the key points which included the current forecasting of a General Fund overspend of £36.3m as at month 10 of the financial year. The Board noted that the Council’s reserves together with the one-off refund of transport levy reserves received from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority would need to be used to help achieve a balanced position for 2023/24. It was also reiterated that directorates continued to be required to present action plans to mitigate against pressures within their respective service areas.

Responding to a specific enquiry, the Board received further detail and assurance on the actions that continued to be taken to monitor and mitigate against the financial pressures arising from the services delivered by the Children and Families directorate, which were via the established directorate action plan and associated governance arrangements. The ongoing key sources of financial pressures, including the rising cost of external residential placements, were also highlighted.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That it be noted that at Month 10 of the financial year (January 2024), the Authority’s General Fund revenue budget is forecasting an overspend of £36.3m for 2023/24 (6.3% of the approved net revenue budget) within a challenging national context, with it also being noted that a range of actions are being undertaken to address this position;

(b)  That it be noted that at Month 10 of the financial year (January 2024), the Authority’s Housing Revenue Account is forecasting a balanced position;

(c)  That it be noted that known inflationary increases, including demand and demographic pressures in Social Care, known impacts of the rising cost of living, including the NJC pay settlement of £1,925 and the JNC pay settlement of 3.5%, have been incorporated into this reported financial position, as submitted. That it also be noted that these pressures will continue to be reviewed during the year and reported to future Executive Board meetings as more information becomes available, and that proposals would need to be identified to absorb any additional pressures;

(d)  That it be noted that where an overspend is projected, directorates, including the Housing Revenue Account, are required to present action plans to mitigate their reported pressures and those of the Council’s wider financial challenge where possible, in line with the Revenue Principles agreed by Executive Board in February 2023 through the annual Revenue Budget report.

The Chief Officer, Climate, Energy and Green Spaces:

a) Approved the receipt of funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and subsequent injection of £127,500 capital grant funding into the Clean Air Zone Early Measures Capital Scheme 32980/ECP.

b) Authorised the expenditure of the £127,500 ORCS external grant funding to cover the work streams itemised above.

c) Authorised expenditure of up to £51,500 from the Clean Air Zone Early Measures budget to cover capital costs. There is an existing ring-fenced budget for public charge point delivery within this scheme.

d) Noted the additional investment of £94,163.09 that will be provided by the charge point operator. This funding will be the operator’s contribution to the overall costs of the scheme and will not be received by the authority. This provides a total expenditure of £273,163.09 for the scheme, of which £51,500 is from the capital budget secured by Climate, Energy & Green Spaces from external funding.


e) Approved the direct award of this work directly to Blink Charging UK Ltd in line with the reasoning in 3.3 and 3.4 through the approved KCS framework contract.

Approval required from the Director of Strategy & Resources to incur expenditure of £10,665k on the 2024/25 IDS Digital Scheme which includes the specialist resources (internal and external) to commission and implement these services.

The Director Strategy and Resources has given approval to incur capital expenditure of £10,665k as follows:

·  Scheme 33407/000/000. £5,415k essential corporate ICT infrastructure upgrades (ESP) for 2024/25.

·  Scheme 33374/000/000. £5,250k consisting of essential work required to the Council’s key business applications to ensure they are up to date and compliant and to fund Digital Efficiencies. This includes investments to ensure compliancy for GDPR and PSN.  This significant investment in the Cyber agenda will help ensure that the ongoing threat to our information and systems is minimised. Expenditure will allow the council to retire and replace end of life and non-compliant critical corporate reporting capabilities. It will also allow the council to have a planned programme of application consolidation, refresh and retirement which will afford the potential for financial savings in hardware, software, support and maintenance costs and will keep the estate compliant.

This expenditure includes the engagement of specialist internal and external resources and the associated project management to implement this scheme.

The Director Communities Housing and Environment gave approval to inject £737k into capital programme (scheme no 33269/000) and incur expenditure to cover the proposed works.

The Director Communities Housing and Environment also gave approval under delegation for the implementation of mercury abatement filtration at Lawnswood Crematorium including ancillary development works across the council’s managed crematoria as detailed within the DCR report.

The Director of Strategy & Resources is requested to approve the competitive tender procurement activity to appoint a contractor to supply individual and multi portion frozen meals. The contract duration is proposed to be lor 4 years (3 +1). The estimated value of the contract is Ê800k (Ê200k per annum).

The Director of Strategy & Resources has approved the commencement of a procurement exercise to secure a contract for the supply of individual and multi portion frozen meals.  The contract is due to commence on 1^st July 2024 for a period of 3 years with 1 x 12-month option to extend. The total estimated annual value is £210k with a total value including extension would be £840k.

The decision sought is to:

i.  Approve the injection of £561,000 of development funds from the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) into Leeds City Council’s (LCC) Capital Programme. The injection of these funds will enable further work to progress on the detailed design and Full Business Case tasks;

ii.  Give approval to spend the additional development funding of £561,000;

iii.  Agree to a Deed of Variation being signed and sealed by LCC to amend the existing funding agreement with WYCA to cover the additional development funding (taking the total approval to £1,956,000).

The Chief Officer, Highways and Transportation:

a)  approved the injection of an additional £2.3m from the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) into Leeds City Council’s (LCC) Capital Programme, following approval of the OBC by WYCA on 16/11/2023; increasing the total budget allocation to £4.98m;

b)  gave approval to spend the additional development funding of £561,000 to enable further work to progress on the detailed design and FBC tasks;

c)  gave approval to enter into a Deed of Variation (DoV), to amend the existing funding agreement with WYCA, to cover the additional development funding (£561,000).

The Chief Digital and Information Officer approved the award of a contract for the facilities management for Council’s data centre environments in two lots where Lot 1 for the regular Planned Preventative Maintenance visits will be awarded solely to Sudlows Limited and Lot 2 will be awarded to Sudlows Limited, Keysource Limited and Stultz Modular Limited to use as a framework to bring more competition for goods and services. The contract has an estimated value of £100,000 per year for a period of 3 years with an option to extend for a further 12 months, commencing 1^st May 2024.

To seek approval to direct award through Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation a contract directly to Access UK Ltd for LCC to move to the vendor supplier hosting (SaaS) and the ongoing support & maintenance of Mosaic for the period 1^st April 2024 – 31^st March 2028.

The Director  of Strategy and Resources approved a direct award through Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) a contract to Access UK Ltd for the implementation of supplier hosting (SaaS) and  support and maintenance, for the period 1^st April 2024 – 31^st March 2028

The cost of making a direct award of the contract for this period is £911,632 to 31^st March 2028.

The decision to award the contract is being taken on technical grounds as Mosaic is fully embedded into the Council’s systems and can only continue to be supported and maintained by Access UK Ltd.

The decision is based following a feasibility assessment, to move the Mosaic from on premise to cloud hosted in line with the Government and corporate ‘Cloud First’ principle.

The Director of Adults and Health : 

Approved an increase in the fee rates as detailed in the table in paragraph 15 ii below for the externally commissioned home care services under the new Interim Homecare contract including the hospital retainer rate, and the new rate for the Community Health and Wellbeing contract the financial year 2024/2025 in paragraph 15 ix. 

Approved the fee increase and agreed the new cost structure stated in paragraphs 16 ix and 16 x of this report for the independent sector older people’s care homes overarching agreement for the financial year 2024/2025.  

Approved an increase in the hourly rates for Extra Care and the Direct Payments rate for Personal Assistants, in accordance with the home care rate increases to be applied to the Primary and Framework providers as stated paragraphs 18 and 19 in the report.  

Approved an increase in the hourly rates for Community Based Short Breaks Providers to be managed within the overall budget for this service as stated in paragraph 15 xiii of the report.  

Approved the inflationary allocation to manage all uplift requests for 2024/2025 for all independent sector Learning Disability and all other working age adult independent sector providers.  

Approved the process of uplift offers with providers of services for working age adults, during the course of 2024/25, based on the use of the adapted Care Cost Calculator and on rigorous value for money audits of the Service Cost Analysis Form (SCAF) submitted by the providers.  

Agreed that all increases in fees shall be applied from, the 8th April 2024.  

Noted the relevant Head of Commissioning will implement this decision immediately following the expiry of the call in period by issuing letters to the care providers to inform them of this decision and updating the Client Information System to allow payments to be made at the new rate or commencing the discussions with providers where relevant. 

The Director of Adults and Health recommended: The funding transfer from the ICB to the Council, following a 10% reduction. The amount transferring will be £1,375,210. It is proposed that funding will be transferred from 1st July 2024. To invoke a three-month extension period to the existing Council contract for Oakwood Hall for the period 1st April 2024 to 30th June 2024 at a cost of £124,735. To approve the direct award of a new contract for a period of 12 months plus up to 6 months in any combination to Community Links (Northern) Ltd (‘Community Links’) for all five services utilising the NHS Provider Selection Regime, to commence on 1st July 2024, at a value of £1,874,150 per annum. To note the work which is underway with the provider and key stakeholders (including Social Work and Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) colleagues) to develop an agreed approach to absorbing the proposed 10% ICB funding reduction which minimises the impact to frontline service delivery.

A review of accommodation provision for young people currently supported by the Council, primarily by the Children and Families Directorate but not exclusively has resulted in the potential for changes to accommodation support for cohorts of individuals, including former UASC, to move from existing accommodation to a new accommodation stream located in Kirkstall.

Currently cohorts of children with no or low levels of support need are accommodated in supported accommodation due to the lack of appropriate accommodation elsewhere in the city. A review has highlighted on the potential to utilise unlet student accommodation to provide accommodation, subject to the necessary analysis of need and careful matching of individuals, subject to any change of use application that may be required.

a)  The Director of Children and Families approved the use of vacant student accommodation for the provision of semi-independent accommodation for care leavers. 

b)  The Director of Communities, Housing and Environment approved the use of vacant student accommodation for the provision of temporary accommodation for families presenting as homeless.

c)  The Director of City Development approved the entering into an initial lease arrangement as to support the delivery of a) and b)

d)  The Directors note that a planning application will be submitted by the Council jointly with the developer/owner of the accommodation to allow for a change of use so that maximum use of the accommodation can be implemented and that subject to the outcome of that planning application process that a further decision will be taken by the Director of City Development to agree any subsequent lease matters.

A major junction improvement scheme has been developed working initially with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) through the Corridor Improvement Programme (CIP) and more recently with the Department for Transport (DfT) through the Major Roads Network/Large Local Majors programme, when the junction proposals were expanded to also include essential safety critical joint repair works on Stanningley Bypass.

Inject DFT Major Roads Network (MRN) funding up to a maximum of £43.446m into the Capital Programme in addition to the WYCA local contribution injected to date of £8.48m taking the full scheme funding available to £51.926m. DfT MRN decision to fund 100% is pending.

Approve expenditure of £8.48m subject to full DFT and WYCA approvals, which will enable LCC to develop and complete the FBC, Stage 1 ECI contract, purchase the Workhouse Charity Land circa £1.4m together with providing Safety Critical Emergency works on Stanningley Bypass.

The Chief Officer Highways and Transportation has:

a)  Noted the current position with MRN Programme Entry approval.

b)  Gave approval to enter into funding agreements with both DfT and WYCA.

c)  Noted that the split of funding from the DfT MRN programme could rise to 100% of total costs from the 85% (minimum) agreed at Programme Entry. At the time of writing, DfT guidance is awaited on the anticipated funding uplift.

d)  Approved the attached design (Appendix B) and note that further minor amendments may be incorporated during the Stage 1 Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase.

e)  Subject to approval of the FBC, give approval to award the Stage 2 construction contract and give approval to spend up to £51.926m to construct the scheme and undertake all related activities.

f)  Upon award of the DfT funding following FBC approval, inject DfT Major Roads Network (MRN) funding up to a maximum of £51.926m into the Capital Programme. In addition to the WYCA local contribution injected to date, inject any remaining WYCA contribution up to a total value of £8.48m, with a maximum combined DfT/WYCA figure of £51.926m..

g)  Approved expenditure of up to £8.48m, which will enable LCC to develop and complete the FBC, Stage 1 ECI contract, purchase the Workhouse Charity Land together with completion of any Safety Critical Emergency works on Stanningley Bypass undertaken before award of the Phase 2 contract;

h) The required TROs will be secured using the powers contained within the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the Highways Act 1980 and pedestrian and cycle facilities are constructed under the powers contained under the provisions of Section 65(1) of the Highways Act 1980 for segregated or shared joint use by pedal cyclists and pedestrians.

To approve the use of Affordable Housing Commuted Sums Grant Funding to support a Registered Provider partner in the delivery of 28 new affordable homes.

The Chief Officer Asset Management and Regeneraiton has approved and granted authority to

a)  the spend of affordable housing commuted sums funding up to £700,000 to support 54North Home’s proposal to deliver 28 new affordable homes for social rent and shared ownership at Wesley Road, Armley and

b)  for the Council to enter into a grant agreement and nominations agreement with 54North Homes on the terms set out in the attached report.

The decision is to undertake a call-off from the councils’ Re-Roofing and Associated Works framework, set up in April 2021, in order to carry out a price only competitive exercise to select and subsequently appoint two contractors to undertake such works, in 2024/25.

The estimated value of the works to be delivered externally is £3m (£1.5m for each contractor).

The Re-Roofing framework contains four contractors. These contractors are used for works that are not able to be delivered in house.  All four contractors will be invited to tender in competition on a price only basis with the two lowest priced tenderers being appointed contracts for 2024-25. The planned spend will be split evenly between the two successful contractors.

The Director of Communities, Housing and Environment has:

a)  Authorised expenditure of £3.0m from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

Approved the call-off from the Re-roofing and Associated Works framework 2024/25 (year four) based on a price only mini competition to appoint two contractors to carry out works to an approximate value of £3m (£1.5m per contractor).

The Director of Adults and Health is asked to note that Leeds City Council is to hold £1.38M on behalf of local authorities across the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2023/24, and make dispersal payments in line with the conditions of the agreed terms of the Government’s International Recruitment Fund for the Adult Social Care Sector before 31 March 2024.

The Director of Adults and Health has noted that

Leeds City Council is to hold £1.38M on behalf of local authorities across the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2023/24, and make dispersal payments in line with the conditions of the agreed terms of the Government’s International Recruitment Fund for the Adult Social Care Sector before 31 March 2024.

This decision is exempt from call in due to the urgency around processing all funding payments before the DHSC deadline of 31 March 2024. There are two stages to the payment process, and both need to be completed before this date, allowing the council to meet it’s hosting obligations under the agreement with the DHSC. The first stage is a payment from Leeds City Council to each participating local authority in the region. The second stage is a payment by each participating local authority to individual Adult Social Care providers in their area.

Due to unforeseen market conditions the contractor delivering statutory responsive repairs and voids services in the west of the city requires an inflationary uplift to their rates to ensure that continued delivery is viable.

Due to unforeseen market conditions the contractor delivering statutory responsive repairs and voids services in the west of the city requires an inflationary uplift to their rates to ensure that continued delivery is viable.

The Director of Communities, Housing & Environment:

a) Approved an increase of 12.5% in the Schedule of Rates for the Responsive Repairs, Voids and Cyclical Maintenance contract between Leeds City Council and Mears Group

b) Approved the application of this increase in rates from 1st January 2023

c) Approved the adjustment to the inflation terms within the contract to allow for annual adjustments in line with BCIS, the next inflationary adjustment to be applied from 1^st January 2024.

Determination of the formula to be used to allocate the Early Years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant, including the hourly funding rates to be paid to all Funded Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) childcare provider.

The Director of Children and Families approved the breakdown of the Funded Early Education Entitlement for eligible children aged 9 – 23 months (from September 2024):

£10.67 base rate paid to all providers (new for 2024/25)

£ 0.32 centrally retained services (new for 2024/25)

£ 0.10 deprivation supplement (new for 2024/25)

£ 0.09 SENDIF (new for 2024/25)

£11.18 funding allocated to the local authority from the DfE

The Director of Children & Families approved the breakdown of the Funded Early Education Entitlement for eligible children aged 2 years old (from April 2024):

£ 7.78 base rate paid to all providers (up £1.91 from April 2023)

£ 0.24 centrally retained services (new for 2024/25)

£ 0.10 deprivation supplement (new for 2024/25)

£ 0.09 SENDIF (new for 2024/25)

£ 8.21 funding allocated to the local authority from the DfE

The Director of Children & Families approved the breakdown of the Funded Early Education Entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds (from April 2024): 

  £ 5.20 base rate paid to all providers (up £0.28 from April 2023) 

  £ 0.22 centrally retained services (increase of 2p from 2023/24)

  £ 0.19 deprivation supplement (no change from 2023/24)

  £ 0.09 SENDIF (increase of 4p from 2023/24)

+£ 0 08 uplift from LA to providers

  £ 5.62 funding allocated to the local authority from the DfE

a)  The Director of Children and Families approved the increase of the SENDIF supplement from a maximum of £1,800 per year to £2,088 for a child attending 15 hours and from £3,600 to £4,176 for a child attending 30 hours.