Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm as a true record the Record of Decision of the meeting held on 25 October 2021.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 October 2021 be agreed.

To invite Members to declare any interest they might have in the matters on the agenda.

There were no Declarations of Interest.

Questions may be asked without notice but to guarantee a full reply at the meeting, a question must be put including the name and address of the questioner by delivery in writing or by electronic mail to Democratic Services at democratic.services@iow.gov.uk, no later than two clear working days before the start of the meeting. Normally, Cabinet is held on Thursday, therefore the deadline for written questions will be Monday 8 November 2021.

A written question was submitted by Mr P Coueslant (PQ 43-21) relating to the council’s site at Pier Street, Sandown. The Leader provided a response.

The Chairman had attended the opening of the Green Meadows extra care facility in Freshwater, with Cllr Jarman and Cllr Love. Up to 75 residents could be accommodated, freeing up other homes for island families.

The Chairman had also attended a Remembrance Service at Carisbrooke Castle to lay a cross, and was pleased to see so many island school children and cadets present.

The Chairman congratulated the Regeneration team on the £5.8 million received from the levelling up fund for East Cowes. Cllr Love also thanked all involved. The final details were still to be defined but it would be a good opportunity to move forward in partnership with businesses. He had attended the ceremony for the Queens Award for Industry along with the Chairman and felt that this had put the island on the map as an employer for future investment.

Option 2: Cabinet approves the Performance and Finance Report – Quarter ended 30 September 2021 and the priority report detail as set out in appendices 1-9, together with the council’s financial position as set out at 10 and 11.

Cllr Brodie stated that he did not believe that adequate resources had been allocated to the scrutiny process within the council, and was keen to ensure that the Cabinet would more resources into it in the next budget. In response, Cllr Bacon explained that in some areas of the QPMR the measures were quite limited but that the new Corporate Plan, if approved by Full Council, would extend the measures which would provide more information for councillors and the public. It was felt that the increased number of items on the Forward Plan for decision would result in increased demand for scrutiny and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee were invited to make any suggestions as to how they felt scrutiny could be improved. Whilst agreeing that support for scrutiny was under resourced, the importance of documents being received in good time was stressed, as this would allow enough time for questions to be asked and answers provided by officers in a timely manner.

The Chairman agreed that the resourcing of scrutiny would be looked into as part of the budget process.

Clarification on some of the measures had been provided to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee in response to queries raised.

It is recommended that Cabinet approves the award of grants to the organisations identified in Appendix 1 to this report to a total value of £21,210.

In the event that a provider is unable to fulfil the funded number of places or has to amend its offer in the light of Covid, it is recommended that the Cabinet Member delegates approval to the Director of Children’s Services to reallocate any underspent Winter HAF grant funding to ensure an Isle of Wight wide offer, within the grant allocation for Winter of £61,150.  Any such reallocations will be determined in consultation with the Cabinet Member.

The first line of Appendix 1 (page 87) should have read ‘winter’ rather then ‘summer’ provision. There was an amount of £21,210 to be allocated to four providers in the Christmas school holidays for approximately 700 children. It was uncertain for how long the funding would continue, but it was being very well spent. The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had supported the recommendation.

Option A. To market a small number of IWC sites for “pop up” business for 2022 as a pilot scheme to inform a more comprehensive business case for the wider council portfolio in 2023.  The details of the pilot sites to be offered to be agreed by the Cabinet member for Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism explained that this was something that had been done successfully in Cornwall. It was for temporary businesses such as cycle hire, fitness classes, food stalls and would hopefully encourage businesses to come forward, particularly those starting up including sole trader wishing to show their entrepreneurial skills. It would also generate revenue for the council and would enrich the tourism and community offer. It was hoped to start marketing a pilot scheme in January 2022 for the coming season.

In response to a point raised by Corporate Scrutiny in supporting the initiative, it was confirmed that consultation would be held with Town and Parish Councils before deciding on the pilot sites.

Option A -  to (i) seek to secure an effective and sustainable long term solution to the future of the dinosaur museum (including the collection and Museum Accreditation) either at the current or any alternative site. (ii) To develop an alternative regeneration proposition of the council owned land at Culver Parade which reflects its environment and supports the Island Biosphere designation. (iii) Pursue an alternative site (either council or third party owned) for the development of a new dinosaur themed visitor attraction, and iv) to undertake full consultation with all relevant local and industry stakeholders in relation to any plans that come forward.

It was agreed that the world class collection should be preserved and presented in the best way possible, and that everything should be done to support the collection and maximise its potential. The council would continue to look for opportunities for an adequate home for the collection. Thanks were expressed to the staff at Dinosaur Isle for their continued work in what had been an uncertain time.

To invite Cabinet Members to provide a brief update on matters concerning their portfolio.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Community Engagement reported that a letter had been received from the Minister for Housing concerning exceptional circumstances for the island. indicating that local and neighbourhood plans are fundamental for the Planning Department and its Committee’s decisions. It would be for the Planning Inspector to examine any local plan provided and consider whether the evidence provided by the IWC and decide whether these factors amount to constraints which would prevent the IW from meeting its housing needs. Evidence would be the key factor and would need to be robust and defendable.

The government had instructed 668 homes to be built on the Island but the council was trying to suppress this to 484 homes.

In response to a query from Cllr Brodie, the Leader agreed to share the letter sent to the DLUHC with councilllors.

The Planning Inspector had upheld a decision of the Planning Committee to refuse permission for an application at Ventnor Road, Apse Heath.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism reported that local input was being sought in shaping the final plans for use of the £5.8 million from the levelling up fund for East Cowes.

The D-Bid had been voted in for the second five-year period. Visit Isle of Wight had a good business plan in place.

A meeting had been held with the Arts Council to discuss cultural regeneration, which was one of the cornerstones of the new Corporate Plan.

The Southampton City of Culture bid was through to the next round.

The Cabinet Member for Highways PFI, Transport and Infrastructure reported that the Floating Bridge was expected to return to service on 13 December after final repairs and testing, crew refresher training and an inspection by the MCA.

The cost of the failures of the Floating Bridge were not to hand, but the council was entering into mediation for the cost and loss of revenue. It was hoped that the current modifications would reduce the level of failure going forward. A report would be brought to Cabinet in January 2022.

In response to a question from Cllr Brodie regarding the lack of notice to Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council regarding Coppins Bridge signal works, the Cabinet member explained that the Contract Management Team resources were stretched, meaning works were sometimes delayed or implemented at short notice, but gave reassurance that consultation would be carried out in future.

The Leader left the meeting at 6pm for a prior appointment and the Deputy Leader took the Chair.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health reported that there were difficulties currently in recruiting to the care sector resulting in a shortage of staff on the island. The council was juggling staff to maintain a safe standard. Teams had gone to extra effort after hours. The Integrated Care systems should be moving forward in the new year.

The Deputy Leader reported that homelessness was rising on the island, due in part to problems in the rental  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

Cabinet Members to identify decisions which need to be amended, added or to be removed from the Forward Plan.

The many items on the Forward Plan were noted, and it was requested that the relevant Cabinet Member be included in the list in future.

To guarantee a reply to a question, a question  must be submitted in writing or by electronic mail to democratic.services@iow.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Tuesday 9 November 2021. A question may be asked at the meeting without prior notice but in these circumstances there is no guarantee that a full reply will be given at the meeting.

A query was raised as to whether the question asked by the Shanklin Hoteliers at the Corporate Scrutiny Committee had been answered. The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism indicated that a response had been prepared and would be sent.