2. 230502 - Cabinet Minute FINAL
North Ayrshire Council · 30 May 2023
Back to Cabinet — 30 May 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Cabinet 2 May 2023 At a Meeting of the Cabinet of North Ayrshire Council at 2.30 p.m. involving a combination of participation by remote electronic means and physical attendance within the Council Chambers, Irvine. Present (Physical Participation) Tony Gurney, Marie Burns and Margaret Johnson; and Rev Mark Goodman (Church Representative) and Jacqui MacKenzie (Teaching Representative) (Agenda Item 3). Present (Remote Electronic Participation) Shaun Macaulay. Also Present (Physical Participation) Cameron Inglis, Chloé Robertson and Davina McTiernan. In Attendance (Physical Participation) C. Hatton, Chief Executive; C. Cameron, Director (Health and Social Care Partnership); A. Sutton, Executive Director, A. McClelland, Head of Service (Education) and R. Leith, Head of Service (Connected Communities) (Communities & Education); M. Boyd, Head of Service and S. Paisley, Senior Manager (Transformation) (Finance); F. Walker, Head of Service (People and ICT); D. Hammond, Head of Service (Sustainability, Transport & Corporate Property), L. Kirk, Interim Head of Service (Economic Development and Regeneration) and E. McMullen, Senior Manager (Economic Policy) (Place); and A. Craig, Head of Service, J. Hutcheson, Senior Communications Officer, S. Wilson and C. Stewart, Committee Services Officers (Democratic Services). Apologies Alan Hill and Christina Larsen and Lay Members Andrew Bruce and Elizabeth Turbet. Chair Councillor Gurney in the Chair. 1. Chair’s Remarks Prior to commencing with the business of the meeting, Councillor Gurney advised Cabinet that, notwithstanding the Chair’s presence, he would be standing in for Councillor Burns as Chair for this meeting, as she was recovering from illness. Noted. 2. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest by Members in terms of Standing Order 11 and Section 5 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.
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3. Minutes The Minutes of the Meeting of the Cabinet held on 21 March 2023 were confirmed and the Minutes signed in accordance with Paragraph 7 (1) of Schedule 7 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. 4. Review of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Hourly Rate for Funded Providers Submitted a report by the Executive Director (Communities and Education) seeking approval to increase the rate of payment to funded providers of early learning and childcare (ELC) in North Ayrshire contracted by the Council to deliver funded ELC to eligible 2-5 year-olds. Members asked questions and were provided with further information in relation to: • the rate proposed and how this compared with that of neighbouring authorities and the national average; and • how the Service would engage with providers to encourage participation in the Scottish Government annual survey as well as a local exercise to continue to build on working relationships with partners across North Ayrshire. The Cabinet agreed (a) to increase the hourly rate paid by the Council to funded providers for provision of ELC to all entitled children aged 2-5 years from £5.31 to £5.76 for session 2022-23; (b) that this rate should be paid retrospectively from 1 August 2022, to be in place until 31 March 2024; and (c) to receive a further report on proposed changes to be implemented from 1 April 2024 following a further review of the sustainable rate following the national review of the Real Living Wage in November 2023. 5. Digital North Ayrshire Strategy Submitted a report by the Head of Service (Finance) providing details of the refreshed Digital Strategy. The Digital Strategy was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. Members asked questions and were provided with further information in relation to: • the uptake in registrations since the ‘My Account’ service was introduced and how further users would be encouraged to sign up for it; • the internal Digital Innovation Hub and how it was used across the authority; and • what supports and information were available for members of the public who lack confidence in using Information Technology systems. The Cabinet agreed to approve the refreshed North Ayrshire Digital Strategy set out at Appendix 1 to the report.
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6. Proposals for Community Investment Fund (CIF) Expenditure Submitted a report by the Executive Director (Communities and Education) on applications by Locality Partnerships to allocate CIF funding to proposed projects. Appendices 1-3, respectively, set out applications by Ardrossan Scouts Group for £100,000, Ardrossan Community Sports Hub for the early release of £15,000 from a previously agreed grant and West Kilbride Community Sports Club (WKCSC) and Friends of Kirktonhall Glen (FOKG) for £6,750. The Head of Service (Democratic Services) advised that consideration of the application from Ardrossan Community Sports Hub for the early release of funds from a previously approved grant would require suspension of Standing Orders as the decision to award the grant was taken fewer than six months previously. The Cabinet unanimously agreed, in terms of Standing Order 23.1, to suspend Standing Order 25 to allow consideration of the application for CIF funding from Ardrossan Community Sports Hub. The Cabinet, having reviewed the applications from the North Coast and Cumbraes and Three Towns Locality Partnerships set out in the appendices to the report in line with CIF criteria, agreed to approve (a) the award of CIF funding to (i) Ardrossan Scouts Group in the amount of £100,000 and (ii) the West Kilbride Community Sports Club and Friends of Kirktonhall Glen in the amount of £6,750; and (b) the early release of £15,000 of the £100,000 grant to Ardrossan Community Sports Hub which was approved by Cabinet on 24 January 2023 to facilitate progression of the project. 7. Lochshore Hub Lease Submitted a report by the Executive Director (Place) seeking approval to provide a lease of the Lower Ground Floor of the new Lochshore Hub to Garnock Rugby Club. A plan of the site was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. The Cabinet acknowledged and thanked the team for the level of work that was involved in securing this package of funding, noting that the Lochshore Hub was welcomed and well-used by the community. The Cabinet agreed to approve the lease disposal of the Lower Ground Floor at Lochshore Hub to Garnock Rugby Club for a period of 25 years at an initial rent of £5,500 per annum, exclusive of VAT, as detailed in the report and illustrated in the plan at Appendix 1. 8. Scottish Government Consultation on Building Community Wealth in Scotland Submitted a report by the Executive Director (Place) on the proposed development of Community Wealth Building legislation by the Scottish Government and seeking approval for the proposed submission to the consultation on Building Community
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Wealth in Scotland. The proposed consultation response was set out at Appendix 1 to the report. The Cabinet thanked the team for the extensive work carried out in relation to Community Wealth Building and noted that this was a key component of the Council’s approach. The Cabinet agreed to (a) approve the submission of the proposed consultation response provided at Appendix 1 to the report; and (b) otherwise note (i) the Scottish Government’s intention to develop Community Wealth Building legislation in the current Parliamentary term, (ii) the Council’s participation in the Bill Steering Group and other Scottish Government events to inform the development of the legislation, (iii) the extensive cross-service engagement to inform the proposed consultation response, and (iv) that a separate regional response was being prepared on behalf of the Community Wealth Building Commission. The meeting ended at 3.15 p.m.