That £65,000 be allocated to the Torbay Isolation Discretionary Scheme to enable the Council to continue making payments under the Scheme, to be funded from the Lockdown Grant.

That the Criteria for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) and Additional Restrictions Grant set out at Appendix 1 to this Record of Decision be approved.

That Cabinet approves a procurement exercise to be undertaken to identify a provider to supply, implement and maintain a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, with the outcome of the procurement exercise and the associated funding request to be presented to Cabinet and Council in due course.

That the Cabinet resolves to request the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Education and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to call for: 

1. An extension of the eligibility for free school meals to every pupil whose parents or guardians are in receipt of Universal Credit,

2. The Government acknowledges the existing and ongoing school holiday food poverty and ensures a sufficient provision of food vouchers for every one of those pupils in every school holiday,

3. An extension of the eligibility for free school meals to pupils from low-income families whose parents or guardians have no recourse to public funds and destitute asylum seekers under s4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

That Cabinet recommends to Council:

i)          that the Council Tax Support Scheme for 2021/2022 be approved;

ii)         that Council notes the scheme includes the standard annual uprating of the personal allowances and premiums.  That these values take into account the statutory inflationary increase in personal allowances used to calculate entitlement to Council Tax Support.  That Council further notes that the Council Tax Support Scheme for 2021/2022 has been aligned with the Governments amended prescribed requirements for pensioners that came into force on 11 February 2020.

iii)        that Personal Allowances and Premiums, used to calculate Council Tax Support, are uprated from 1 April 2021 in line with the prescribed Pensioner scheme and national working-age benefits, which are both set by the Government; and

iv)        that the Chief Finance Officer be given delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Community Services, to make any further adjustments required to the Exceptional Hardship Policy and fund.

That;

(i)            the review of the Torbay Local Plan 2012-30 in Appendix 1 be approved and that the decision be published in accordance with Section 17 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Plan) (England) Regulations 2012; 

(ii)          as per option 1 set out in this report, the scope of the update will be:

To assess whether the local plan’s housing figure should be updated in line with the most recent standard methodology housing figure.   It would require an update to Local Plan Policies SS1, SS12 and SS13.  There may be a consequential impact on other policies dealing with housing supply, particularly Policy SS2 and neighbourhood area policies (SDT1, SDP1 and SDB1);

(iii)         a decision on any further amendments to the plan arising from updates to the housing policies in line with the review; or identified as necessary following legislative changes; or the identified as necessary to ensure the plan is sound, be delegated to the Assistant Director of Planning, Housing and Climate Emergency in consultation with the Local Plan Working Party;

(iv)         the terms of reference of the Local Plan Working Party, to reflect the work necessary beyond the review to update the Local Plan, be amended from:

“To support the Local Planning Authority’s review of the Torbay Local Plan 2012-2030 and any other associated documents as may be deemed appropriate by the Assistant Director of Planning, Housing and Climate Emergency”

To:

“To support the Local Planning Authority’s review and update of the Torbay Local Plan 2012-2030 and any other associated documents as may be deemed appropriate by the Assistant Director of Planning, Housing and Climate Emergency”; and

(v)       that Cabinet receives regular progress updates on the review from the Assistant Director of Planning, Housing and Climate Emergency.

That, the Heritage Strategy, as set out in Appendix 1 and 2 to the submitted report, be adopted subject to the Assistant Director Planning, Housing & Climate Emergency, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Culture, being given delegated authority to approve any necessary minor amendments to the documents.

That The Precept Investment Plan for Adult Social Care be approved.

(i)         that a Children’s Services Strategic Quartet be established with the following membership and terms of reference:

Membership:

·         Chief Executive – Chair;

·         Director of Children’s Services;

·         Cabinet Member for Children’s Services; and

·         Leader of Torbay Council.

Terms of Reference:

1.            To provide key leadership across the Council to improve outcomes for children.

2.            To ensure the whole Council supports children and young people.

3.            To provide strategic oversight in respect of the performance and risks associated with Children’s Services and ensure that appropriate action is taken in a timely manner, to include:

·         the number of allocated children to workforce;

·         recruitment and retention percentages;

·         how we ensure voice of the child informs quality assurance; and

·         complaints and compliments.

4.            To provide a forum for open discussion, support and challenge to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people.

(ii)        that the frequency of meetings be every six weeks, normally the week prior to the Children’s Improvement Board; and

(iii)       that the Children’s Commissioner, Nigel Richardson, to be invited to every other meeting and a representative of the Safeguarding Partnership Board (to be determined by the Executive) be invited to attend meetings of the Quartet once every six months, plus by exception.