Agenda and minutes

Consider report by Service Director Children and Young People.  (Copy attached.)  

EDUCATION BUSINESS

Present:-         Mr. J. Walsh, Mr. G. Jarvie, Mrs J. Aitchison, Ms A. Ferahi.

1.         CHAIRMAN

Councillor Aitchison chaired the meeting for that part which considered education business.

MEMBERS

Councillors Davidson and Moffat joined the meeting during consideration of the following item.    

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Children and Young People which sought approval to publish the 2014-2015 the Children and Young People’s Services Standards and Quality Report.  The report detailed the achievements of the children and young people during the period 2014-2015 and achievements of staff in enabling and nurturing the children and young people to achieve.  There had been many successes and the Standards and Quality Report was an opportunity to reflect on how the Council were making a difference to learners, participants, service users, families and communities within Scottish Borders and sought to address how well outcome and support to individuals and communities was delivered and how to improve the quality of the work.  The Service Director gave a presentation highlighting the main points contained in the report and the Committee were pleased to note the progress being made.  In response to a question the Service Director advised that a lot of work had been done in planning for the arrival of refugees in the Borders and now that the families had been identified further work would be undertaken to meet their learning and other needs to ensure they had the resources they required. The Service Director and her team were congratulated for a very positive report and the strong leadership which would move the plans forward.  The Chairman thanked the Parent Representatives for the work they had facilitated with Parent Councils and all the Council’s partners who had had an input, including the participation by the young people themselves.  

DECISION

NOTED the contents of the Children and Young People’s Service Standards and Quality Report 2014 -2015.

Minute of Meeting of Executive Committee of 1 December 2015 to be approved and signed by the Chairman.  (Copy attached.)

OTHER BUSINESS

3.         CHAIRMAN

On the resumption of the meeting, Councillor Parker took the Chair for the remaining business.

The Minute of meeting of the Executive Committee of 1 December 2015 had been circulated.

DECISION

APPROVED for signature by the Chairman.

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Chief Financial Officer which sought approval to earmark available budget from 2015/16 into 2016/17 to support the 2016/17-2010/21 Financial Plan and Corporate Transformation Programme.  The report explained that the Council was preparing proposals to present the Financial Plan for 2016/17-2020/21 and an opportunity had arisen within 2015/16 to both assist bridging the Financial Plan funding gap and to support the ongoing Corporate Transformation programme by identifying surplus budget in 2015/16.  Details of the proposal to earmark a total of £1.446m into 2016/17 were contained in the Appendix to the report which would allow appropriate adjustments to be made to the Financial Plan being presented to Council on 11 February 2016. 

DECISION

AGREED the earmarking of budget from 2015/16 into 2016/17 to support the 2016/17 – 2020/21 Financial Plan and Corporate Transformation Programme as detailed in Appendix I to the report.

Consider report by Service Director of Regulatory Services.  (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Regulatory Services which sought approval for the inclusion of the works associated with the completion of the roads within the housing development at Hislop Gardens, Hawick in the Council’s Capital Financial Plans for 2015-16 and 2016-17.  The report explained that the Council had a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and associated regulations to complete the road works to an adoptable standard in a development where construction consent had been issued and the conditions had not been adhered to or the developer had ceased trading.  The report further explained that the Council held a security to the value of £25,000 in the form of a road bond, which was lodged as a requirement of the construction consent issued for the development at Guthrie Drive, Hawick known as Hislop Gardens.  The Company responsible for the development had been dissolved and the Council had to progress the works required to complete the roads to an adoptable standard.  All steps had been taken to minimise the required expenditure and funding would be met by security currently lodged with the Council as part of the original approvals for the development.  The cost split per financial year would be £5,000 in 2015-16 and £20,000 in 2016-17.

DECISION

AGREED to the inclusion of the roads works in the Council’s Capital Financial Plans 2015-16 and 2016-17 with a total budget of £25,000 funded using security currently held by the Council under the relevant regulations.

Consider report by Service Director Commercial Services.  (Copy attached.)

With reference to paragraphs 9 and 10 of the Minute of 12 May 2015, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Commercial Services which sought a decision to join a Shadow Joint Committee for a proposed Edinburgh, Lothians, Borders & Fife Roads Collaboration Programme (ELBF proposal) facilitated by the Improvement Service.  The report explained that the previous recommend had been that Scottish Borders would not join the ELBF proposal at this time, in light of un-qualified and unproven benefits, but would maintain on-going discussions with other local authorities involved, to enable the Council to continue to assess the proposal.  It now appeared that joining the Shadow Joint Committee would be the most appropriate way forward.  In joining a Shadow Joint Committee the Council would retain the right to decide the level to which it participated in any ELBF shared roads service arrangements and retain the right to decline to participate in arrangements that the Council regarded as detrimental to roads services in the Borders.  Being part of the Joint Shadow Committee was important because it allowed the Council to influence and steer the roads agenda, including ensuring it interfaced effectively with the Council’s roads contracting operations undertaken by SBC roads services.   

DECISION

AGREED to:-

(a)        the creation of a Shadow Joint Committee for collaborative roads services across the Edinburgh, Lothians, Borders and Fife local authorities as set out in Appendix 1 to the report;

(b)       the Council joining the Shadow Joint Committee; and

(c)        the appointment of the portfolio holder for Roads as the Council’s representative, the Chairperson for Trading Operations (SBc Contracts) as the substitute.

Before proceeding with the private business, the following motion should be approved:-

“That under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 7A to the aforementioned Act.”

SUMMARY OF PRIVATE BUSINESS

      NEW KELSO HIGH SCHOOL

1.   There had been circulated copies of a report on the New Kelso High School and the Committee agreed the recommendations.

The meeting concluded at 12 noon

Consider report by Service Director Capital Projects.  (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report on the New Kelso High School and the Committee agreed the recommendations.