Agenda item

To consider the joint report of the Deputy Chief Executive, the Director of Children’s Services and the Director of City Development seeking approval to the delegations necessary to adopt a programme approach to the delivery of school places under the basic need programme.

Further to Minute No. 53, 17^th July 2013, the Deputy Chief Executive, the Director of Children’s Services and the Director of City Development submitted a joint report which sought approval to the proposed delegations necessary to adopt a programme approach to the delivery of school places under the basic need programme.

Members emphasised the importance of cross-departmental working on such matters and highlighted the significant scale of the programme across the city.

Responding to an enquiry regarding Member engagement in the proposed delegated decision making process, officers assured the Board that any decisions taken regarding the approval of design and cost reports as part of the Basic Need scheme would first be subject to consultation with the relevant Executive Members. Furthermore, should there be any situation whereby an unforeseen release of funds was required, then prior to any decisions being made, this would be the subject of a separate consultation exercise with Executive Members. Finally, it was noted that any officer delegated decisions in respect of Basic Need schemes would be accompanied by a standard design and cost report and would be subject to the Council’s agreed delegated decision making procedures.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the adoption of an enhanced programme approach to the management of thebasic need schemes, be approved;

(b)  That additional authority to spend expenditure on the basic need programme of £28,250,000 which increases the overall approval on the schemes in the programme to £97,585,000 be approved, and that approval also be given to the fact that this additional authority to spend will include an allocation of up to £10,000,000 for the establishment of a basic need risk capital fund;

(c)  That the approval of design and cost reports for the schemes identified in Table 3 in Appendix A to the submitted report be delegated to the Director of Children’s Services, and that these approvals shall be subject to the agreement of the Director of City Development and the Deputy Chief Executive in consultation with the appropriate Executive Members and that these reports will be open to scrutiny by Members as explained within the submitted report;

(d)  That the management and use of the basic need risk capital fund be delegated to the Director of Children’s Services and that these decisions shall be subject to the agreement of the Director of City Development and the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the appropriate Executive Members and that decisions on with these matters will be open to scrutiny by Members as explained within the submitted report;

(e)  That the proposed governance and transparency arrangements in relation to the officer decisions for design and cost reports, together with the variations on projects, as set out within the submitted report, be approved;

(f)  That regular reports, at least every six months, be submitted to Executive Board on the progress made in delivering outcomes and on the overall programme approvals and budget;

(g)  That it be noted that the Head of Service, Strategic Development and Investment has client responsibility for the programme and that the Chief Officer, Public Private Partnerships & Procurement Unit is responsible for the delivery of projects in the programme.