Public Document Pack
BLACKPOOL COUNCIL
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
To: The Members of Blackpool Council
Lady Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen
You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of Blackpool Council to be held in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall, Blackpool on Wednesday, 12 February 2020 commencing at 6.00 pm for the transaction of the business specified below.
Director of Governance and Partnerships ______
Business
1 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:
(1) the type of interest concerned either a
(a) personal interest (b) prejudicial interest (c) disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)
and
(2) the nature of the interest concerned
If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.
2 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING HELD ON 25 SEPTEMBER 2019 (Pages 1 - 6)
To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 25 September 2019 as a true and correct record.
3 ANNOUNCEMENTS
To receive official announcements from the Mayor.
4 PUBLIC REPRESENTATIONS (Pages 7 - 8)
To receive representations from members of the public in accordance with Procedure Rule 9.
5 EXECUTIVE REPORTS, COMBINED FIRE AUTHORITY REPORT AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT (Pages 9 - 38)
To consider the attached reports to Council from the Leader of the Council, the Deputy Leader of the Council (Place and Tourism) and the Deputy Leader of the Council (Children) and Statutory Lead Member for Children’s Services, the Combined Fire Authority report and the Chairman of the Audit Committee report.
Members are reminded that:
Each Senior Executive Member * has up to three minutes to present their report, after which there will be a period of no longer than 25 minutes per report for questions/comments (a green card will give a one minute warning, red for the end of the debate).
There will be three minutes per question/ comment from any Councillor on anything within the portfolio and no limit to the number of times a Councillor can ask a question.
There will be a period of up to 25 Minutes for a response from the Senior Executive Member * (or relevant Cabinet Member) at the end of the questions/ comments for each report.
* or Combined Fire Authority representative or Chairman of the Audit Committee.
6 COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME 2020 / 2021 (Pages 39 - 52)
To consider the recommendation of the Executive from its meeting on 20 January 2020 relating to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
7 RENT REVIEW (Pages 53 - 62)
To consider the recommendations of the Executive on 20 January 2020 regarding the level of rents and service charges to be charged in connection with Housing Revenue Account dwellings during 2020/2021.
8 PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2020/ 2021 (Pages 63 - 78)
To consider the recommendation of the Chief Officers Employment Committee from its meeting on 20 January 2020 regarding the proposed Pay Policy Statement.
9 POLLING STATION REVIEW (Pages 79 - 122)
To consider the review of polling districts and polling places.
10 MOTIONS AT COUNCIL (Pages 123 - 126)
To consider the following motions which have been submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 12.1 :-
11 MAYOR ELECT 2020 / 2021
To determine who should be invited to offer themselves for election as Mayor at the Annual Meeting of the Council on Monday 11 May 2020 and agree that the meeting commence at 2.00pm, as it has in previous years.
Venue information:
First floor meeting room (lift available), accessible toilets (ground floor), no-smoking building.
Other information:
For queries regarding this agenda please contact Yvonne Burnett, Democratic Governance Senior Adviser, Tel: (01253) 477034, e-mail [email protected]
Copies of agendas and minutes of Council and committee meetings are available on the Council’s website at www.blackpool.gov.uk.
This page is intentionally left blank Agenda Item 2 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING - WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2019
Present:
Councillor Cross (in the Chair)
Councillors
Baker D Coleman Hutton R Scott Benson G Coleman Jackson Smith Blackburn Collett Kirkland Stansfield Brookes Cox Matthews I Taylor Burdess Critchley Mitchell Walsh Cain Farrell O'Hara L Williams Callow Galley Owen T Williams Mrs Callow JP Hobson Roberts Wilshaw Campbell Hugo D Scott Wing Clapham Hunter Mrs Scott
In Attendance: Neil Jack, Chief Executive John Blackledge, Director of Community and Environmental Services Diane Booth, Director of Children's Services Alan Cavill, Director of Communications and Regeneration Antony Lockley, Director of Strategy and Assistant Chief Executive Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health Steve Thompson, Director of Resources Mark Towers, Director of Governance and Partnerships Lorraine Hurst, Head of Democratic Governance Yvonne Burnett, Democratic Governance Senior Adviser Philip Welsh, Head of Tourism and Communications Jenny Bollington, Media Manager
Prior to the start of the meeting, the Mayor welcomed the speakers and other members of the public in attendance.
1 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Councillor Benson stated that, in relation to agenda item 5 - Public Representation Stanley Park Golf course, she had declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest at the Executive meeting on 15 July 2019, had taken no part in the decision and had left the room when the matter had been discussed. The reason was that her employer, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, had been one of the bidders considered for the concession on Stanley Park Golf Course. She stated that if the debate with regard to the petition or the Executive Member reports turned to issues relating to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the bid, then she would declare a similar interest and leave the meeting.
Page 1 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING - WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2019
Councillor Benson went to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in agenda item 6(c), Executive Member Report from the Deputy Leader (Children), as she had direct involvement through her employment with service users who would be housed at the new Argosy Avenue development. She added that, in line with the Procedural Standing Order 10, she would leave the meeting if there was a comment or question raised on the matter.
Councillor Clapham declared a personal interest in agenda item 6(c), Executive Member Report from the Deputy Leader (Children) in relation to the section on summer results for primary, secondary and A Level, as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Blackpool Sixth Form College.
2 MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING HELD ON 26 JUNE 2019
Resolved: That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 26 June 2019, be signed by the Mayor as a correct record.
3 ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements on this occasion.
4 PUBLIC REPRESENTATION - PUBLIC SPEAKER
Ms Caroline Wolf, representing Unison Members, addressed the Council on the effects of changes to Children's Centre provision within Blackpool, following a recent decision of the Executive.
Councillor Benson, Cabinet Member for Schools, Education and Aspiration responded to Ms Wolf.
5 PUBLIC REPRESENTATION - PETITION SCHEME
It was reported that, in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme, the Petitions Officer had received a petition relating to Stanley Park Golf Course that qualified for report to and debate at Council.
The petition organiser, Mrs Christine Parker, addressed Council members with regards to the petition statement and representations from residents.
Following the address by Mrs Parker, Council considered the petition statement.
Motion: Councillor Campbell proposed (and Councillor Cain seconded):
‘That the Council takes no action with regard to the petition statement and endorses the decision of the Executive made in relation to Stanley Park Golf Course on 15 July 2019’.
Members went on to debate the motion and a range of views were expressed.
Page 2 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING - WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2019
Prior to voting, five members of the Council requested that the vote on the motion should be recorded. The voting was as follows:
For the motion: Councillors Benson, Blackburn, Brookes, Burdess, Cain, Campbell, Collett, Critchley, Farrell, Hobson, Hugo, Hunter, Hutton, Jackson, Kirkland, Matthews, Mitchell, O’Hara, Smith, Taylor, L Williams – total 21.
Against the motion: Councillors Baker, Mrs Callow, Callow, Clapham, D Coleman, G Coleman, Cox, Galley, Roberts, D Scott, Mrs Scott, R Scott, Stansfield, Walsh, T Williams, Wilshaw, Wing - total 17.
Abstentions: Councillors Cross, Owen – total 2.
Motion carried: The motion was therefore carried.
Notes 1: Prior to the vote being taken, the Council agreed an extension to the time limit of up to three minutes for the right of reply. 2: The Mayor adjourned the meeting for a short period to allow members of the public to leave the room.
6 EXECUTIVE REPORTS, COMBINED FIRE AUTHORITY REPORTS AND CHAIRMAN OF THE SCRUTINY LEADERSHIP BOARD
The Leader of the Council, the Deputy Leader of the Council (Tourism and Place) and the Deputy Leader (Children’s) presented reports to the Council on work undertaken in their own portfolio area and those portfolios under their responsibility. The reports covered corporate, strategic and policy issues, together with work being undertaken in transforming services and with partners.
Members also received a report from representatives of the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority in relation to the work being undertaken by the authority and the Chairman of the Scrutiny Leadership Board also presented her report.
Questions, comments and debate were invited from all councillors on each of the report areas.
Notes:
(1) Councillor Cox left the meeting following questions raised on the report of the Deputy Leader of the Council (Place and Tourism). Councillor Stansfield left the meeting following the responses given on the report.
(2) In response to a question from Councillor Mrs Callow as to whether the Council provided childcare facilities to Council employees, Councillor Cain, Deputy Leader (Children) explained that a number of care packages were available for employees and offered to provide further details.
Page 3 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING - WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2019
7 MEMBER ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS
Members considered the recommendations to extend the period of six consecutive months as the period of non-attendance at Council related meetings for Councillor Mrs Henderson MBE.
The report highlighted that due to her current illness, Councillor Mrs Henderson MBE had been unable to attend any meeting since the Annual Council meeting held on 22 May 2019.
Motion: Councillor T Williams proposed (and Councillor Blackburn seconded):
‘To approve the extension of the six-month consecutive period for Councillor Mrs Henderson MBE with regard to her non-attendance at Council related meetings, to run up to and including the Annual Council meeting on 11 May 2020’.
Motion carried: The motion was submitted to the Council and carried.
8 ADULT SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
Members considered the proposal to extend the responsibilities of the Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Committee to include the appointment of joint health scrutiny committees.
Members noted that discussions were currently taking place on an informal basis with the four upper tier local authorities (Blackpool Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Lancashire County Council, and Cumbria County Council) to establish a joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee across the South Cumbria and Lancashire Integrated Care System (ICS) region.
The arrangements would allow scrutiny to take place of services provided and commissioned at an ICS level that affect the whole of the Lancashire area, more effectively and without duplication across the individual authorities.
Motion: Councillor Blackburn proposed (and Councillor Owen seconded):
‘To approve that the functions of the Adult Social Care and Health Scrutiny Committee are extended to include the appointment of joint health scrutiny committees’.
Motion carried: The motion was submitted to the Council and carried.
9 MOTIONS AT COUNCIL
Illuminations Switch On
Councillor T Williams advised the Chamber that he wished to propose an alteration to his motion that had been submitted and published on the agenda. Council agreed to the alteration.
Page 4 MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING - WEDNESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2019
Motion: Councillor T Williams then proposed (and Councillor Blackburn seconded):
‘For the last few years there have been issues regarding the free VIP tickets to the Illuminations Switch On and subsequent party in relation to allocation and guest tickets etc. Providing free VIP tickets to this event and other similar occasions to serving councillors is considered totally unnecessary. Elected members are no different from the general public and they are paid an allowance for the duties they perform, so it is questionable as to why they are provided with free tickets for themselves and a partner guest.
The face value of illuminations VIP tickets is £69.50 for an adult and £35 for under 14s, therefore if every councillor accepted one of these tickets for themselves and a guest, the cost would be circa £5,800.
The Council is therefore asked to request the Deputy Leader (Place and Tourism) and the Director of Communication and Regeneration when compiling the guest list, to no longer offer free tickets to serving councillors for the Illuminations Switch On, but that as a recognition of their service, tickets should be allocated to councillors who make an appropriate donation, to be decided by the Deputy Leader (Place and Tourism) to the Mayor’s charity or the Illuminations Fund. The Mayor and a guest in a civic role capacity to be the only consideration for complimentary tickets’.
Members went on to debate the motion.
Motion carried: The motion was submitted to the Council and carried.
Mayor
(The meeting ended at 9.03 pm)
Any queries regarding these minutes, please contact: Lorraine Hurst, Head of Democratic Governance Tel: 01253 477127 E-mail: [email protected]
Page 5 This page is intentionally left blank Agenda Item 4
Council: 12 February 2020
PUBLIC REPRESENTATION - SPEAKER
NAME SUBJECT
1. Hannah Ms Eaglestone wishes to speak on the following issue: Eaglestone “Blackpool young people have been working together on a campaign about bullying, #BlackpoolBeatingBullying. They have developed the first co-produced anti-bullying Charter Mark that is to be rolled out across schools in Blackpool. With one school being the pilot and having successfully been awarded the Charter Mark, our young people have decided that it is time to launch the Charter Mark for all schools in Blackpool. They are fully aware that they are going to need backing from people and would like to raise awareness of their ideas, their Charter Mark and their campaign to really highlight the impact bullying has on young people”.
2. Mike Crowther, Mr Crowther wishes to address the Council to raise awareness of Empowerment the work of Empowerment, a local advocacy charity, working to support some of the most vulnerable people in our town.
Responses to be given by the relevant Cabinet Member
NOTE: The representative will be able to speak for up to a maximum of five minutes.
Page 7 This page is intentionally left blank Agenda Item 5
Executive Member Report to the Council AGENDA ITEM 5(a) 12 February 2020
LEADER OF THE COUNCIL - COUNCILLOR SIMON BLACKBURN
All major strategic, corporate cross-cutting, financial reputational and commercially sensitive issues covers my portfolio and those of:
Councillor Ivan Taylor (Cabinet Member for Projects and Partnerships)
The full details of the portfolio areas can be found on the Council’s website at https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Your-Council/Your-councillors/Executive-members.aspx
Corporate Issues
Financial Monitoring: Balancing the Budget in Unprecedented Times As I alluded to in my last report to Council, local government is being progressively reduced to little more than a deliverer of statutory services of last resort. A staggering 86% of our budget is now spent on services that we are legally obliged to deliver, leaving limited scope for investment in key things that will drive positive change in our town. We are now a very long way from the days of the last Labour government, where Local Authorities were rightly expected - and funded - to shape the place we live in, with the financial capacity to impact positively across every aspect of local life, supporting residents and businesses to make the best of their circumstances. This really was “levelling up”.
In the depressing context we are now in, it is unsurprising that the Council continues to experience unprecedented financial pressure. Despite other services showing an aggregated net underspend of £2.5m for this financial year, the pressure in Children’s Services in particular means that our estimated working balances are now forecast to fall by £7.6m against the budgeted position over the year - an amount higher than the audited working balances at the start of the year. There are also some additional specific service pressures within our Strategic Leisure Assets, Concessionary Fares and Parking Services.
I feel the need to say again that this is not just a local problem. Councils across the country are finding that they have no option, but to cut early intervention and prevention support specifically designed to stop children and families falling into a crisis. In Blackpool, 27% of all our spend is on Children’s Social Care, so naturally overspends in this area have a significant impact on our other services. According to recent LGA research, 71% of the cost drivers of children’s social care fall outside the control of Councils. Surely, in this context, it falls on the government to address urgently this need at a national level.
The forecast £10.1m overspend on Children’s Social Care will be a difficult enough pressure to manage in-year using working balances and reserves, but if the growth in demand is repeated
Page 9 and the trajectory of demand indicates that this would not be unexpected, then it will be impossible to balance our financial position without an injection of additional funding. If this forecast position became the actual outturn, it would contravene the two specific conditions in the Council’s Financial Procedure Rules that excess spending does not exceed 1% (£4.5m) of the authority’s total gross revenue expenditure; or have the effect of reducing the authority’s Working Balances below 50% of their normal target level (£3.0m).
Officers are working tirelessly to improve the position so that a positive level of working balances can be reached. Revised service and financial plans are underway, including the review of technical accounting treatments, non-essential spend and earmarked reserves plus delays to filling non-front line vacancies. The Executive continues to monitor this closely and on 20 January received the latest month 7 financial performance report for 2019/ 2020.
It is galling that the government continues to make headline-grabbing announcements about extra funding when they know full well that it goes nowhere near meeting the real cost increases that are decimating our finances. Indeed, the additional £1bn for adult and children’s social care announced before Christmas is likely to amount to around £4.4m for Blackpool in 2020/ 2021. This represents approximately 30% of the underlying in-year pressure in Blackpool’s Children’s Social Care, even assuming that Adult Services continues to break even and requires no call against this.
The situation facing much of local government could get even worse. Like many others, I am shocked at the LGA’s analysis of the potential implications of the Government’s ironically named ‘Fair Funding Review’. This review could mean that Blackpool Council would lose a further £6.3m of funding for adult social care, as part of another deliberate shift of resource from deprived areas to leafy Conservative shire counties. New Conservative MPs, including Blackpool South, now represent many of the communities that would be hit by this latest assault. I have therefore written to the new Member of Parliament for Blackpool South, Scott Benton MP, explaining the severity of the situation, asking that he work with us in resisting this further attack on the residents he now represents. I await his response with interest.
Council Tax and Business Rates: increased collections By the end of month 7, £34.4m of Council Tax (excluding precepts) had been collected, a collection rate of 60.6%. This compares to £33.2m and 60.7% at the same point in 2018/ 2019, with the extra revenue due to increases in both the Council Tax rate and base. £29.1m of Business Rates were collected over the same period, a 59.2% collection rate, which compares to £29.4m and 58.6% at the same point in 2018/ 2019. The amount to be collected has been impacted by new reliefs from 1 April 2019, which are offset by S31 grants. 629 Business Rate summonses have been issued as we continue to push collection rates.
Benefits Performance The average number of days to process Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction Scheme new claims in December was 12 days whilst the average days for processing changes in circumstances was seven days.
Page 10 Strategic Issues and Working with Partners
Continued Progress at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone Since its creation in April 2016, the Enterprise Zone has attracted 73 new companies and enabled over 1,520 jobs for the local area and enquiry levels in existing commercial stock and available development plots remain high. Two industrial units and car parking are under construction on land at Amy Johnson Way, a total of 1,396 m2 to house a local events and exhibition company. The Council has also granted planning consent for the development of a speculative 4,000m2 B1/B2 unit on a site at Amy Johnson Way. Negotiations are in the final stages with a prospective occupier and subject to final agreement, we expect that a construction contract can be entered into in the spring.
A revised hybrid planning application for Phase One is on target to be submitted in Quarter 1 of 2020. Further growth on the site is limited by further infrastructure, which is being addressed through the new application, which will reflect a revised location for the eastern gateway road and changed aspirations in respect of replacement sports provision, which will satisfy recommendations from Sports England. The application will be subject to Secretary of State consideration and we would anticipate a decision before summer 2020.
Work has started on a new airport boundary fence, which precedes the start of work in the first quarter of 2020 to provide a new airport perimeter track and crash gates and to create new playing pitches and drainage. Work will begin on the grass pitches in May 2020, ready for use by the August/ September 2021 season.
In a separate project, we have recently completed a study to confirm the feasibility of delivering a specialist data centre on the Enterprise Zone. This initiative was prompted by the arrival of Aquacomms’ new generation transatlantic fibre optic telecommunications cable, which provides fast, resilient internet connections with speeds less than 64 milliseconds from Blackpool to New York. With the report now complete, we are now looking at how to best maximize the potential investment opportunities arising from the arrival of the cable.
Fibre Blackpool: A Full Fibre Revolution! I am pleased to report that a £3.1m investment to bring gigabit capable full fibre connectivity to our area means that slow, unreliable internet connections will be consigned to the past! A campaign was launched recently to support and promote Fibre Blackpool, a project run by a co- operative group from the private and public sectors rolling out a local full fibre network to residents and businesses on the Fylde Coast. The fibre network is being extended so that homes and businesses can enjoy a fast, reliable broadband and connectivity service from a range of internet service providers with services and packages to suit all budgets. Positively, over 60 enquirers have registered their interest through the dedicated website www.fibreblackpool.com, with the rollout of services set to take place over the next two years. A government-led voucher scheme is available to residents and businesses to help towards the cost of connection.
Page 11 Investing in Blackpool Airport I would like to dispel some confusion that emerged during the recent election campaign - Blackpool Airport is most definitely not closed. To be sure, over the last 18 months the Council has invested close to £1m in new staff, a new Instrument landing System (ILS), new taxiway lighting and continues to invest in the airport’s operational capabilities. The Council has now commissioned architects to carry out a series of studies and design work for the redevelopment of Blackpool Airport, building on the master-planning work undertaken in 2018. They will undertake a short feasibility study to examine options for the provision of new and replacement hangars, to determine the best locations for new parking aprons and to explore the proposed relocation of the airport’s operational facilities such as the air traffic control tower, fire station and administration facility. The aim is to facilitate future development and secure further investment for the long-term future of the airport.
Our Museum has a name: Showtown! I was delighted to help welcome over three hundred people to Blackpool Tower Circus on 9 January for the launch of Showtown: The Museum of Fun and Entertainment, which will open in the Sands Building in 2021. The event also saw the launch of the new Showtown brand - fun, colourful and versatile, it reflects the new museum perfectly.
Guests enjoyed a fun-packed show hosted by magician Paul Zenon and created by local company Candy House Productions. Six mini performances introduced the six themes of the museum: the seaside, magic and the Golden Mile, circus, dance, the Illuminations and showtime. Trust Chair, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the Operating Board Chair (designate) Spencer Phillips and I led the event, which was also a perfect opportunity to say thank you to the many people and organisations who have supported the museum thus far. I would like to add my congratulations to our marvelous museum team, who also announced their first major foundation grant with the Wolfson Foundation committing £75,000 to the project.
Contracts Exchanged at Blackpool Central I am very pleased to inform Members that the Council has now agreed and exchanged on the contractual terms for the Blackpool Central project. Themed on Eric Von Däniken’s novel ‘Chariots of the Gods’, the scheme will include a Flying Theatre, Adventure Land, a Thrill and Gaming Zone, a Virtual Reality Experience, Multi-Media Exhibition and an Alien Diner. It is currently estimated to be bringing £300m of investment and 1,000 jobs into the town and attracting up to 600,000 additional visitors and £75m of spend a year.
The exchange of contracts marks a major milestone, with the developers now able to concentrate on submitting a hybrid planning application towards the end of this year. This will be followed by the delivery of the enabling phase of the project, a 1,300-space multi-story car park, followed by Phase One, which will consist of the main attractions. Phase One is planned to open to the public during 2024/ 2025, with the subsequent two phases being constructed up to 2029.
Page 12 The basis of the agreement with the Council will see the sale of the land of the former Central Station site, with the land being drawn down by the Developer on long leases on a phased basis. Proposals for the development also include the area of the site currently occupied by Blackpool Magistrates and County Courts. Constructive discussions are taking place with a view to reaching agreement on a practical and deliverable way forward and the phasing of the development has been planned to ensure that this site does not hold up the delivery of the scheme.
Houndshill Shopping Centre Acquisition and Extension After several months of negotiation, due diligence and extensive advice from leading national retail experts, the Council acquired the Houndshill Shopping Centre in November for £47.6m, less than half of the price paid by the previous owner in 2015. The purchase secures the future of the centre, enabling the Council to invest in it and catalyse the regeneration of the town, whilst generating a significant financial return. With the importance of a strong management team being paramount, the Council has quickly put interim management arrangements in place, with CBRE undertaking the asset management and Eddisons continuing to undertake the property management. On the whole retailers suggested that sales were good pre-Christmas, whilst in December Starbucks relocated to larger premises on Victoria Street formerly occupied by Prezzo.
Part of our vision for the future of the town centre includes proposals to build an extension to Houndshill. Plans for this extension were submitted for a Future High Street Fund (FHSF) fast- track scheme in November 2019. FHSF is a competitive £675 million capital and revenue grant fund, which aims to provide infrastructure investment to help renew and reshape town centres and high streets, supporting enhancements to visitor experience with a view to driving growth and ensuring its future sustainability. It covers investment in physical infrastructure, land assembly, improvements to transport access and flow and adaptation of the high street to changing technology.
The extension would be a three-level mixed use development and includes a nine screen Imax- Style Cinema, two new restaurants and a new Wilko Store to replace the Talbot Road site closing on 31 March. The scheme is expected to cost £19.5m and is subject to the approval of our initial £5m FHSF bid. A decision is expected in the next couple of months, allowing work to commence with the aim of completing the project by the end of 2021. Several contractors have already expressed an interest to bid for the construction work and CBRE are drafting tender documents with a view to these being issued early this year.
Diversifying the Houndshill experience will add to the sustainability of the shopping centre by significantly increasing footfall, boosting the town centre evening offer and subsequent wider economy, while extending the amount of time people spend there. It is an important precursor to further potential investment in our town centre via the FHSF.
As required by government, a shadow Board has been created to assist in shaping and approving the content of a further FHSF bid, including supporting public consultation activity.
Page 13 This will be based around some interventions proposed in the original Expression of Interest, including building on our successful Quality Corridors programme and acquiring key properties to introduce new building uses amongst others. The Board has an independent expert Chair - Peter Cole, former Chief Investment Officer of Hammerson Plc who worked with us on the bid and has over 30 years’ experience in retail and regeneration and comprises public, private and community members. The Board sat for the first time in December and will oversee the final FHSF submission.
Toward a Blackpool Town Deal Blackpool was recently named as one of the 100 towns set to benefit from up to £25m of capital funding under the Towns Fund. The objective of the Fund is to strike a number of Town Deals designed to drive economic regeneration and deliver long term economic and productivity growth. To benefit from the Towns Fund we need to create a Town Deal Board, drawing on a broad membership, which includes both local MPs. The Board will be responsible for the creation of a Town Investment Plan by Summer 2020, which should be based on evidence and consist of a clear programme of interventions identifying local priorities and opportunities for investment.
In our case, the work of the Pride of Place (PoP) Board and the establishment of the original October 2018 Town Prospectus had been instrumental in putting Blackpool in a very strong position for securing a Town Deal. To move forward within the guidelines, the PoP Board has agreed to incorporate the Town Board as a sub-group, which will act in an advisory capacity. An engagement day covering the FHSF, High Street Heritage Action Zone bid and the Towns Fund will take place on 27 February at the Winter Gardens, linking in to their planned open day.
Policy Issues
The Shocking Extent of Benefits Cuts in Blackpool: Hitting the Poorest Hardest As Members are aware I frequently talk about the scale of the systematic removal of financial resource from the Council and I make no apology for this. However, the cuts the Council has experienced are only one part of the cruel story of the Conservative austerity. The Council recently welcomed Professor Christina Beatty from Sheffield Hallam University to talk about the impact being felt directly by residents in terms of benefit reductions. The figures are truly staggering. Across the country, £25 billion less per year is now paid to benefits claimants compared with 2010, with most of these claimants in (low paid) work. In Blackpool, we are now £1,220 per year worse off for every single working age adult in the town, the biggest loss in the country and almost twice the average for England. Worse still, the loss felt by some of the most vulnerable claimants will be far higher than this figure. In total, and compared with 2010, £104 million less is going into the pockets of local people every single year. This, put alongside the £153m million per year less that the Council has to spend on local services, will have had a dramatic impact on our local economy over the last decade. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that the last ten years will have comprised an economic shock without precedent in Blackpool. Many other deprived towns have suffered
Page 14 similarly and it is little wonder our local economies are struggling. In this context, the government’s recent announcements about increasing funding for the North look like little more than spare change.
Transforming Services
Learning Disability and Autism Short Breaks Service I am pleased to inform Members that NHS England has approved capital funding of £1.6m to support the development of a new six-bed short break and respite facility for adults with a learning disability and/ or autism and complex needs, building on the strength of the services delivered at Coopers Way. Supporting families and carers in their caring role can reduce the likelihood of a crisis, which would require costly intervention by social care services and/ or the NHS and possibly result in a hospital admission or a high cost residential placement. The new service will operate alongside the Coopers Way facility, which is the only one in Blackpool capable of meeting the needs of the local complex Learning Disability population.
The proposed service will offer additional planned respite care through regular and planned breaks for families and carers, helping to maintain stability, structure and routine in the home environment. It will also offer crisis support in the event of an unexpected breakdown in caring arrangements, help prevent a placement in an inappropriate and costly out-of-area secure/ long stay hospital or other setting away from the local community and offer step-down support to help avoid delays in transfers of care from acute hospital settings.
The proposed development will be located on the site of the former Colton House, 2-4 Ambleside Road, which is surplus to the Council’s requirements, has good transport links and is within reach of local shops and amenities. The site is valued at £150,000 and it is proposed that the Council contributes the land to facilitate the development.
Better Support for those with Autism The availability of dedicated services for people with a primary diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is recognised as both a national and local gap. The historical approach in Blackpool’s adult social care services has been to offer people with a dual diagnosis (for example a learning disability (LD) or mental health problems) a service from the relevant dedicated team, or from a generic team. This could be described as a “best fit” approach, rather than a “right fit” approach.
In 2019 we used a small amount of extra funding available in the Adult Social Care Grant to develop a small dedicated service which could specialise in working with people whose primary difficulties arose in relation to their ASD. We successfully recruited a Qualified Social Worker and two community support workers. As part of their development they would link with the NHS staff also working in this area, effectively providing a post diagnostic offer for people with this diagnosis and, where appropriate and necessary, their family/ carers. The approach has
Page 15 proved popular with service users, their carers and families and also with other adult social care teams who would have in the past picked up this work.
The service is now fully utilised, supporting over 20 people in the community and there is scope to enhance the reach of this improved offer so that more individuals, families and carers can benefit. We are therefore pursuing the creation of a specialist multi-disciplinary team through the mental health group of the Integrated Care Partnership across the Fylde Coast.
Page 16 Executive Member Report to the Council AGENDA ITEM 5(b) 12 February 2020
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE COUNCIL (PLACE AND TOURISM) – COUNCILLOR GILLIAN CAMPBELL
The ‘Places’ area covers my portfolio and those of:
Councillor Neal Brookes (Housing and Welfare Reform) Councillor Fred Jackson (Environment, Transport and Climate Change) Councillor Mark Smith (Business, Enterprise and Job Creation) and Councillor Maria Kirkland (Community Cohesion and Leisure)
The full details of the portfolio areas can be found on the Council’s website at https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Your-Council/Your-councillors/Executive-members.aspx
Corporate Issues
Launch of MeetBlackpool.com I am pleased to tell you that our preparations for the new conference centre are continuing with the launch of a new website, MeetBlackpool.com, which illustrates how £500m of investment in our town has delivered a reinvigorated business tourism offer with unique opportunities for event organisers and delegates on a regional, national and international scale.
Launched by VisitBlackpool, the website will be a powerful tool in helping to re-engage with event organisers and revitalise the resort’s conference market, helping to reinstate Blackpool’s reputation as a modern, vibrant and unique conference destination. Of particular interest to the trade is the showcasing of several “next generation” hotels, mainly at four and five-star standard; a wide selection of exceptional venues, delegate experiences and world-class attractions; and greatly-improved connectivity with direct rail services to major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
Page 17 Awarded Contracts Contracts awarded since the last meeting are as follows:
CONTRACT PROVIDER TERM CONTRACT NO. OF NO. OF BIDDERS (Locations) (including VALUE INITIAL BIDS WITH FY extensions) POSTCODE EZ feasibility Cassidy and Ad-hoc 6 £12,650 20 0 study / architect Ashton months (12 for relocation of (Preston) months with fire station / 3 extensions engineering available) facilities and Airport control tower Lift RJ Lift 24 months (1 £320,000 3 0 Maintenance Services +1) (Stoke on Trent) Minor North 12 months £300,000 8 2 Adaptations Liverpool Construction (Merseyside) ICT WEEE Tier 1 Assets Call off No charge to 0 (Direct 0 Management Contract but may award) (Manchester) produce an income if the equipment is re-marketed/ refurbished Opportunity National 12 months £155,000 6 3 Area - Literacy Literacy Trust Campaign (London) Lot 1 - Marketing Lot 2 - Family Support Opportunity National 12 months £100,000 4 0 Area - SEND Association capacity for Special Building Educational Needs (Tamworth)
Page 18 CONTRACT PROVIDER TERM CONTRACT NO. OF NO. OF BIDDERS (Locations) (including VALUE INITIAL BIDS WITH FY extensions) POSTCODE Opportunity York 12 months £20,000 2 0 Area – Teach Consulting Blackpool – (Leeds) Programme Evaluation Feasibility Study Cowi UK Ltd Ad-hoc 5 £18,000 0 (Direct 0 for data (Staffs) months Award) Contractor for Lot 1 – 24 months £20.0m 14 0 re-surfacing Bethell (24 months) schemes (Lot 1) Group and Civils Work (Manchester) (Lot 2) Multipave Ltd (Leyland) Tarmac Trading (West Midlands) Lot 2 – AE Yates (Bolton) Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd (Preston) George Cox & Sons Ltd (Bolton) NIMBLE Nimble One off £180,725.64 0 0 Software Group acquisition (Manchester)
Strategic Issues
A Mixed 2019 Season, but the Resort Pass Bucks the Trend 2019 has been a mixed year for visitor numbers with some very positive periods, according to our key tourism indicators for April to October. A general lack of consumer confidence during 2019 has been cited for what appears to have been a similar story for attractions and destinations across the UK. The detailed STEAM report analysis for 2019, which provides headline visitor numbers and the value of the tourism economy, will be available later this summer.
Page 19 Locally, exceptional weather at Easter and the August Bank Holiday clearly contributed to a positive period, whilst a substantial events programme boosted the October half term. At other times, the indicators show a more variable picture, with parts of the season being adversely affected by inconsistent weather and one of the wettest summers on record, according to the Met Office. Severe weather also affected the summer events programme, with one day of the Blackpool Air Show weekend cancelled and the other day going ahead with a slimmed-down programme.
Car parking patronage on Council car parks over the main tourism season was comparatively flat during the 2019 season compared to the previous year, despite record figures in April and August. Meanwhile, inbound rail travel showed considerable growth compared to the previous year, reflecting a stabilization of some of the timetable issues that the resort suffered during the summer of 2018. This is despite the cancellation of Northern services, particularly on Sundays, over a number of weekends in the main summer season in 2019. Such inconsistency in the services provided to the resort continues to be a concern and is undoubtedly deterring people from visiting.
One area that significantly outperformed the trend was VisitBlackpool’s Resort Pass scheme. More than 19,000 passes were sold across the 2019 season and we experienced record monthly sales in April, June, July and October. Other key events included the sold out SLIMEFEST over the October half term, attended by 12,000 people and watched by record numbers of viewers on Nickelodeon channels during November and Lightpool, which attracted over 50,000 visitors and generated substantial media coverage in The Times, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, BBC and Granada. The replica Earth installation was a particular success, attracting 17,000 people to the Tower Ballroom.
Christmas Town Centre Campaign As in previous years, we implemented a discounted parking scheme to encourage Christmas shoppers into the town. The town centre benefited from a discounted parking scheme during December, where residents and out-of-town visitors were able to park for just £1 for any three- hour period on Central, East Topping Street and West Street car parks in the town centre. The scheme was delivered in partnership with the Town Centre BID and started with free parking across most town centre carparks on Saturday 30 November to celebrate both National Small Business Saturday and the Christmas Lights Switch-On in St John’s Square.
Our analysis of ticket sales shows that 35,000 people took advantage of the £1 offer – an extra 5,000 compared to the same period in 2018.
Looking Forward to the 2020 Season – the New Destination Guide I am always proud to see the wealth of wonderful events and attractions across the resort showcased in our Destination Guide and I am pleased to report that the 100-page 2020 edition has now been released. Produced by VisitBlackpool, the free guide highlights a vast range of new shows, hotels and entertainment for the coming year including:
Page 20 The opening of Blackpool’s first five-star hotel, the Sands Venue Resort Hotel and Spa on the Golden Mile, as well as the new 150-bedroom Premier Inn opposite North Pier The Tower Coaster, one of several virtual reality experiences in the new Fifth Floor family entertainment area within The Blackpool Tower An exciting line-up of top-class shows, concerts and festivals including We Will Rock You, The Sound of Music, Grease The Musical, Footloose, Hot Ice Euphoria, the British Country Music Festival and concerts by international stars including Sir Cliff Richard A spectacular free events programme including the two-day Blackpool Air Show (8 and 9 August), Ride The Lights (1 September), the Illuminations Switch-On Concert (4 September), which will be the centrepiece of a revamped switch-on weekend to be announced in the next couple of months, World Fireworks Championship Blackpool (11, 18 and 25 September and 2 October), Blackpool Illuminations (4 September 4 to 8 November) and Light pool Festival (16 to 31 October)
Alongside the usual bundle of information on a wide selection of hotels and accommodation, nighttime attractions and tips on how visitors can get the best of all that Blackpool has to offer, it also includes an eight-page guide to eating out and a special focus on the 100th anniversary of the Blackpool Dance Festival at the Winter Gardens.
I would recommend that all members make time to have a look through the guide. Some of the photography is simply stunning and it really does act as a reminder of everything that makes our town such a wonderful place to live and visit.
Huge Stars at this Year’s Blackpool Pride A line-up of international talent has been announced for this year’s Pride Blackpool weekend. The festival, a joint venture between VisitBlackpool and Pride Blackpool, will open on the night of Friday 5 June on the Tower Festival Headland with performances by two of the UK’s most enduring music acts Right Said Fred and Marc Almond. Then, on the Saturday night, 6 June, Jake Shears, lead singer of the award-winning Scissor Sisters, will take to the stage for his Blackpool debut. It is set to be one of the summer’s biggest events, so get your tickets now!
Stanley Park Golf Club The Council is continuing to work with Holmes Investment Properties (HIP) plc on its proposed lease and plans for the future, with final details and due diligence taking place over the next few weeks adding to the work that has already been done in respect of this.
Following a meeting between the Golf Club representatives and plc just before Christmas, the club were advised that it was HIP’s aim to take over the club by the end of March 2020 and a meeting took place with the staff of the golf club regarding their TUPE transfer arrangements on 27 January. HIP also made a commitment that the 18-hole course would be maintained for the 2020 playing season and that their intention was to submit a planning application relating to their proposals for the seven holes area east of East Park Drive. They have also now issued an open letter regarding their intentions.
Page 21 Transforming Services
Transformation of Anchorsholme Park Almost Complete! I am delighted to report that Anchorsholme Park is getting ready to re-open, with a soft opening at the beginning of April 2020 to be followed by the formal opening in May 2020. The investment by United Utilities to restore and improve the park follows the installation of an underground water storage tank that can hold the equivalent of five Olympic-size swimming pools of storm water and the building of a new storm water pumping station to replace the existing station on the promenade.
Local ward members, the parks friends group and parks officers, have been working closely with United Utilities in relation to the facilities within the park, which includes a new £250,000 playground, multi sports areas, café, events area, CCTV, lighting, new bowling pavilion and parks maintenance facility.
Launch of the New Lancashire and Blackpool Flood Risk Management Strategy As a country, we are experiencing the impact of climate change and increasing number of flood events and occurrences, and as a Flood Risk Authority, Blackpool has an increasing responsibility to deliver statutory duties in respect of Flood Risk Management. To address these issues, we have contributed to the new Lancashire and Blackpool Flood Risk Strategy, which is on course to be launched in May 2020.
Members will recall the November 2017 flood, which affected 300 properties along our coast. The statutory Section 19 Report related to the event has resulted in the commitment of £110,000 of funding from United Utilities and the Environment Agency. This will be used by the Council and United Utilities to carry out a study exploring ways to increase resilience to flooding in Anchorsholme and Norbreck wards and Bispham and Greenlands wards.
The Environment Agency and United Utilities are also looking to form Community Flood Forums in these areas, which would inform, involve and empower local people to be a part of the flood resilience agenda. Community engagement events are being arranged to seek residents interested in getting involved and I would wholeheartedly encourage local people to come forward.
Progress on Yeadon Way Along with Councillor Fred Jackson, I recently visited the works being carried out on Yeadon way, meeting the contractor Eric Wright Civil Engineering for an update on the works, which involve a 2km stretch between Hawes Side Lane Bridge and the Ashworth Road Roundabout. This work is vital to keep traffic moving in the town, with the carriageway carrying on average 12,000 vehicles a day and bringing in tens of thousands of tourists into Blackpool during the season who would otherwise need an alternative route through residential areas. Such heavy traffic levels combined with an ageing infrastructure built on an old railway embankment has seen the carriageway weakened in recent years.
Page 22 Work being undertaken includes an improved road surface, new drainage, 90 new streetlights and replacement of concrete walls with steel barriers. The works are now 11 weeks into the 28 week programme and I am pleased to report they are currently running on time and to budget.
Transport Hub: Camera Enforcement Through regular dialogue with bus and taxi operators at Blackpool Highway Forum, it was apparent that infringements are regular in and around the transport hub, Market Street, Church Street and Corporation Street, with inconsiderate parking affecting bus scheduling and access for those with a legitimate reason to be in these streets. The introduction of camera enforcement in relation to the existing restriction received Cabinet Member approval in 2019, this allows the proposal to progress to consultation, which is taking place in the affected area.
The cameras will help enforce the existing restriction, making the streets safer for all users, in particular pedestrians and bus users. It will also increase the efficiency of taxi operators and the speed and reliability of the bus operators.
Working with Partners
Local Residents Plan for the Future of Claremont and Revoe I am pleased to report that the Council was successful in bidding to Homes England’s Community Housing Fund for £285,000 of funding to help plan for area improvements in Claremont and Revoe. The funding is being used to work with The Magic Club and Revoelution in planning improvements to local streets, working up plans for housing refurbishment and, where possible, for new homes in those areas. Getting the input and ideas of local residents is crucial to the ultimate success of the plans, which will be delivered by the Council and local partners.
Foxhall Village Update As members will now be aware, the developer of Foxhall Village, Hollinwood Homes, has gone into administration as a consequence of the collapse of the Marcus Worthington Group. This unfortunately means that work on the Foxhall Village site came to a halt in September. The Council had assembled and remediated the two phases of the site and entered into a Development Agreement with Hollinwood Homes in 2013, after which they were responsible for building out the development and selling the homes in phases over 10 years. 200 of the planned 410 homes have been completed to date and homes were selling well prior to the collapse of the wider company group.
The Council has worked as swiftly as it can with the administrator of Hollinwood Homes and expects to have legal control of all parts of the site within the next few weeks; it is fair to say that it is a very complicated situation. Great Places Housing Association will continue to own 40 plots where foundations are already in the ground for affordable homes for rent. We are now working with them on plans for the build out of all 74 new homes planned for Phase 3 and the completion of five partly built homes, but it is likely that it will take a further three/ four
Page 23 months before a new contractor can get up and running on site. The Council will also now work to find an alternative route to developing the Phase 4 land next to Blackpool Football Club, with our focus being to continue the transformation of the site achieved to date.
Active Blackpool Funding I am delighted to report that the Leisure Services Active Blackpool team has attracted revenue funding in excess of £350,000 for health promoting activities and programmes in Blackpool. £75,000 of funding from Sport England will allow them to test a new approach to engage inactive people with long-term health conditions to become active by developing a new partnership approach with Adult Social Care. The project will be targeted at those who are referred onto the reablement programme delivered by Adult Social Care and aims to provide education, improve awareness of physical activity opportunities within the community and get people with long-term health conditions more physically active. The project with have three strands: a six-week programme delivered by the reablement team, training for non-clinical employees about Physical Activity and long-term health conditions, and promoting awareness of the Active Blackpool (GP referral) programme within Blackpool.
Meanwhile, £288,000 is being provided over three years to Active Blackpool and Blackpool Coastal Housing for a “Get Out Get Active” (GOGA) programme, to be launched in April 2020. The programme will focus on the most inactive people in five targeted communities, using community centres and other local assets familiar to people as a base. The initial venues are Ibbison Court (Bloomfield ward), Spencer Court (Claremont), Argosy Court (Park), Dunsop Court (Victoria), Aysgarth (Stanley) and Kincraig (Ingthorpe), with a further venue to be confirmed in Mereside.
The hope is that sustainable activities will be developed using a mix of volunteers and the gradual introduction of charges for sessions.
Community Safety I would like to inform Members that all of our Community Safety work will now be undertaken by the Public Protection team under Tim Coglan as Head of Service, in the Community and Environmental Services Directorate that is led by John Blackledge. The operational team was already fulfilling the majority of Community Safety functions and have now added to these the lead role on Counter Terrorism/ Prevent, Scrutiny and Domestic Homicide Reviews.
Page 24 Executive Member Report to the Council AGENDA ITEM 5(c) 12 February 2020
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE COUNCIL (CHILDREN) AND STATUTORY LEAD MEMBER FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES – COUNCILLOR LYNN WILLIAMS
The ‘People’ area covers my portfolio and those of:
Councillor Kathryn Benson (Schools, Education and Aspiration)
The full details of the portfolio areas can be found on the Council’s website at https://www.blackpool.gov.uk/Your-Council/Your-councillors/Executive-members.aspx
Corporate and Strategic Issues
OFSTED / Commissioner Update On the 16 and 17 December 2019, OFSTED visited Children’s Social Care to undertake their second Monitoring Visit after the inspection. They focused their scrutiny on the Assessment and Support and Strengthening and Supporting Families services in social care, reviewing the case work of these teams, sitting alongside staff and examining ways of working. The inspectors also reviewed the area of focus for their first monitoring visit. The letter outlining the outcome of this visit was published by OFSTED on the 21 January. The inspectors note that the improvements that they saw in August, which were outlined in the Council report in September, had been sustained and that the Council is “moving in the right direction” in relation to the systematic change which is underway.
The inspectors confirmed that we know ourselves well and that they were presented with an honest appraisal of progress. As I am sure members will have noted from the published letter, the OFSTED visit found that there is still much improvement to be made in the practice in the areas they reviewed. The pace of change and, most crucially the impact on children and families, is not where we want it to be across all areas of the service. However, we have to acknowledge that the scale of change required is substantial and is only possible with the right staff, skills and leadership in place. OFSTED recognised the strength of the Workforce Development Strategy for Blackpool and the strategies that are in place to recruit, retain and develop our social workers are closely monitored through the Getting to Good Board.
Following a huge amount of work over the last year, we now have a strong model of practice that has been coproduced with young people, families and professionals. This was presented to Research in Practice (RiP) who feedback that it was the best model of its type that they had seen. The model is brought to life through strengths based and restorative practice training, this is being delivered across the workforce now and through the coming weeks in conjunction with our partners in practice in Leeds and Stockport. Since the last report to Council the service has been working with Essex, Leeds, Stockport and the DfE appointed advisor to move forward
Page 25 with key developments including the development of a strong, restorative and family-based Edge of Care Service and a new model of Family Group Conferencing so that families who need help to function well as parents have strong support. These developments will ensure that our statutory services can focus on those families where there is a need to prevent further significant harm.
Changes to the recording system for our social work teams are due to go live in the next month. This will support the implementation of the new ways of working and some of the key changes will reduce the burden of recording for our social workers and managers, particularly when they are working with families with large sibling groups.
The Independent Commissioner for Children’s Services, Helen Lincoln, visited in January and held challenge sessions with the Corporate Leadership Team, Service Managers from across Children’s Services, the Leader and the previous Lead Member. I am pleased that after applying significant rigor to examining our change journey, they continue to consider the progress being made by the Council to be positive, and their recommendations are supporting the improvement plans.
Performance in Children’s Social Care Whilst demand at the front door of social care remains high when compared with other, similar local authorities, we have seen a reduction over the past six months in the number of concerns about children that are being presented to social care and those that progress on to become formal referrals. This is a positive trend and speaks to improvement in partnership working that is ensuring that agencies working with families are starting to think differently about their role in supporting families.
The number of children in care has continued to rise and is now 627, the Getting to Good Board closely monitors this and this rise includes a planned increase where, after purposeful and focused support the significant harm to children as a result of long-term parental neglect has not been reduced. The numbers of children entering care in 2019/ 2020 is relatively low; the trend in the year to date indicates that the number entering care in the past year is 20% lower than the average annual figure for the past five years. The reason that the number of children in care continues to rise is that the number of children leaving care is low. Through 2019, there has been a decrease in the numbers of children leaving care through special guardianship orders and, to a lesser extent, adoption and other routes of exit, such as the discharge of care orders for children in our care placed at home with parents on care orders. Dedicated resource has been redirected into social care teams to attempt to address this as appropriate and it is anticipated that this will have an impact on the overall numbers of children in the care system as the improvement journey progresses.
Page 26 Transforming Services
Visit from Palix Foundation and the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative In October the Blackpool Centre for Early Child Development welcomed Nancy Mannix, the Chair and Patron of the Palix Foundation and Michelle Gagnon, President of the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) to the town along with a range of guests including the Office of the New Zealand Prime Minister, Oxford University, Synergos Institute and the Royal Foundation, among others, to find out more about the Blackpool ‘Place Based’ approach to early child development. Blackpool Better Start has been a partner of the AFWI for five years since a team from Blackpool, including Cllr Ivan Taylor and Merle Davies, were invited to attend one of their annual conventions to gain a better understanding of how the Blackpool Better Start Strategy and vision could translate into practice.
The Palix Foundation focuses on alignment between science, policy and practice in the area of brain development and its implications on mental health treatment and applies this research to policies and practices that support positive lifelong health outcomes.
Palix has established a partnership with Oxford University who will be running a pilot in Blackpool to embed Brain story in homes through our new Nursery support pilot. A formal partnership between Blackpool and Oxford University is also being formalised. A pilot is now underway with six schools to deliver a trauma informed approach, which will be then be rolled out across all schools in Blackpool.
Troubled Families Funding I am pleased to report that funding has been confirmed to extend the Troubled Families work in Blackpool by a further year. The work in Blackpool has strong partnership support and is key to ensuring that families are supported in the right way at the right time to overcome challenges.
Working with Partners
Children and Families Partnership In the last report to members, it was reported that we were developing a partnership to oversee a whole town approach to addressing the core issues that face our children and families and create the foundations for a Child and Family Friendly Blackpool. The inaugural meeting with the new partnership has been held and it has been welcomed as a means to unify the aims and objectives of a number of key transformative partnerships across the town into a single vision, supported by some radical and innovative plans. The partnership provides an opportunity to share the best of the work that is making a difference for families, as well as a place to explore how influential agencies can work differently and collaboratively. This new partnership will lead on the delivery of the “Blackpool Families Rock” approach across the town.
Page 27 Education and Schools I am pleased to share with you that the publication of revised Primary School Performance data just before Christmas confirmed the exceptional performance of Blackpool’s primary schools in 2019. The data published by the Department for Education shows 2% more children achieving expected levels of performance in Reading, Writing and Maths than in England overall (67% in Blackpool, compared to 65% for England overall or 64% in Lancashire).
Progress in Blackpool’s primary schools is much better than average in Reading and performance in Maths is especially strong. Independent analysis undertaken by an educational data charity, Fischer Family Trust, shows that the progress achieved in Blackpool’s primary schools in 2019 is amongst the top fifth of local authority areas nationally.
2019 is not a one-off. Analysis of the performance of Blackpool’s primary schools over the past three years shows that the progress made by children attending those schools (taking into account the background of those children) is amongst the top 10% of local authority areas in England.
Publication of the finalised national secondary school performance statistics for the 2019 GCSE’s has been delayed following the discovery that data was incorrectly including inputted into the system, including re-marks in key GCSEs such as English and Maths. These errors could have a material impact on some reported school data. The revised information will now be published in February and will form part of my next report to Council.
Congratulations to all at Highfurlong! I am sure that members will wish to join me in congratulating the Headteacher, staff, parents and pupils of Highfurlong School where there have been two fantastic achievements since the last Council meeting. On 14 October 2019, students at Highfurlong School held the official opening of their enterprise shop, the Gift Box. The new facility is the culmination of a significant effort by the pupils to raise funding and bring their dream to reality. Over recent years, the school has followed an “Enterprise Education” approach, which:
Assists young people to become more enterprising in their approach to life and in particular work Provides a focus on the development of entrepreneurship and supports the learning of the individual student Encompasses core skills, employability skills, career education, work based/ related learning, “skills for life” and aspects of personal and social development, and enables development of transferable skills in order to prepare for adulthood
The Gift Shop, which has the strap-line “We think outside the box”, has been partly funded by a contribution from HeadStart’s Schools Innovation Fund. Pupils had to present their ideas to a Panel in order to secure the funding and members were impressed by the commitment of the students, the detailed planning that they had put in place and the successful track record that they could demonstrate from previous enterprise efforts. The young people could clearly
Page 28 articulate how involvement in the enterprise programme helps to improve the resilience of pupils right across the school. Part of the profits from the enterprise scheme are re-invested in the business, for example to purchase items of printing equipment, while the remainder is paid out as wages to the young people who spend their time on enterprise activities. The new shop, which will be run by the students, is now a permanent fixture at the Blackpool Old Road school site and is open on Thursday mornings from 10.00 to 11.30 a.m.
Following on from this and unsurprisingly to anyone who has had the privilege to visit the school, Highfurlong was awarded the title of “Happiest School” in the recent National Happiness Awards. The School won because the judges were so impressed by the dedication of the whole school in ensuring the wellbeing of every child who is part of their family.
Our congratulations are also due to Keith Berry, Head teacher of Park Community Academy who won the Pearson Education Award for Lifelong Achievement in Education. Keith is an outstanding Head teacher who has devoted his life to achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs. Keith’s vision for the provision of SEND across Blackpool has driven Park Academy’s four Outstanding OFSTED judgements. He is ‘unwavering in his ambition for pupils, their families and staff and provides exceptionally effective leadership’ (Ofsted May 18).
Keith has been instrumental in many developments across Blackpool and Lancashire, including the highly successful School Direct training programme in both mainstream and SEND and is a well-respected leader of education across the North West.
Page 29 This page is intentionally left blank
Executive Member Report to the Council AGENDA ITEM 5(d) 12 February 2020
COUNCIL APPOINTED COMBINED FIRE AUTHORITY REPRESENTATIVE - REPORT TO THE COUNCIL – COUNCILLORS JACKSON, BLACKBURN AND T WILLIAMS
This report updates the Council on the work of the Combined Fire Authority. The Fire Authority is made up of 25 Councillors (19 representatives from Lancashire County Council three from Blackburn and Darwen Council and three from Blackpool Council).
Since the last report to Council, the Combined Fire Authority has meet on one occasion, 16 December 2019. The Combined Fire Authority has produced a summary of those meetings and the appointed representatives will update the Council on any issues.
REPORT OF THE LANCASHIRE COMBINED FIRE AUTHORITY (CFA) 16 DECEMBER 2019
1. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS)
At the meeting the Authority noted that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was due to publish the following day a summary report of their findings from tranche three inspections of fire and rescue services across England. This would enable the Service to draw comparisons against its own performance, which had been the achievement of an outstanding rating along with good in all other areas with no areas requiring improvement. It was expected that a complete ‘State of Fire and Rescue’ report summarising the national picture would be provided in the New Year by Sir Tom Winsor.
After Authority meeting took place the results were published. The inspections assessed how effectively and efficiently fire and rescue services prevent, protect the public against and respond to fires. They also looked at how well services look after their people.
LFRS remains one of only two services in the country to receive an outstanding rating along with all other areas rated as good, and no areas requiring improvement in any of the 11 categories assessed.
The Service has remained focussed on continuous improvement since the inspection in 2018 and progress is being made in areas including improving protection services, identifying high potential staff and aspiring leaders and prioritising its risk-based inspection programme.
2. ANNUAL STATEMENT OF ASSURANCE
The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England (2018) sets out the Government’s high- level expectations, priorities and objectives for Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRA’s) in England. Included within the framework is the requirement on all FRA’s to provide assurance on financial, governance and operational matters.
The Statement of Assurance was considered and approved by Members. It provided the required accountability and transparency to our communities and the Government that LFRS
Page 31
continued to deliver efficient, effective value for money services.
This statement sat alongside the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP), Statement of Accounts, the Annual Governance Statement, the Annual Service Plan and Annual Progress Report. It detailed what measures were in place to assure that the Combined Fire Authority’s performance was efficient, economic, and effective and provided further evidence that LFRS continued to deliver under the expectations detailed within both the National Framework and its own IRMP.
3. FIRE PROTECTION REPORTS
A report detailing prosecutions in respect of fire safety management failures and arson related incidents within the period 1 September 2019 to 30 November 2019 was provided.
There were two successfully completed prosecutions and six pending prosecutions under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Fire protection and business support information was provided and Members noted that there were eight arson convictions during the period.
4. COMMUNITY FIRE SAFETY REPORTS
This report included information for the 2 Unitary and 12 District Authorities relating to Fire Safety Initiatives and Fires and Incidents of particular interest.
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer introduced:
Caroline Hooson and Louise Rainford, Youth Engagement Co-ordinators who gave a presentation on the Prince’s Trust programme. The programme enabled those aged 16-25 to develop confidence, motivation and skills through a 12-week course. The course content included relevant key issues such as education on knife crime, safeguarding and health and wellbeing (i.e.: the delivery of the wasted lives young driver education programme). Details of: funding, structure and the areas from which the Service delivered the programme were presented. It was noted that people who were referred onto the programme included those who were educationally disengaged, homeless or had offending behaviour, substance misuse or mental health needs.
LFRS had been a delivery partner since 2001 and during that time had delivered fire safety education directly to 6,000 people. Outcomes were measured in terms of both hard outcomes (people who successfully achieved further qualifications) and softer outcomes (people who were better able to deal with the future challenges they faced). A number of case study examples of positive multi-agency working were presented.
The Authority congratulated all Prince’s Trust staff for their hard work and dedication. Members who had not yet attended a Prince’s Trust presentation were urged to do so; particularly as the presentations given by the young people on the programme at the end of the 12 weeks told of their inspirational and heartfelt experiences.
Page 32
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer then introduced:
Lee Cook and Lee Garnett, Incident Intelligence Officers who gave a presentation on the benefits of the use of the drone at incidents. It was noted that LFRS had six Incident Intelligence Officers providing 24-hour cover to support any significant fire investigation and all were trained (and appropriately licensed) to pilot the drone which was of a high specification (this included the ability for authorised remote access to live footage).
In addition to major incidents, the drone was mobilised to leaking pipelines, collapsed structures, explosions and rescues from various types of incident including assisting the Police with wide-area searches for missing persons. It was also noted that should the drone be used out of the county, a second drone was used with resilience arrangements provided through collaboration with Lancashire Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
Members were advised that the drone would be on route to an incident at the same time as the fire engine and that over 2000 flights (for both drones) had been completed since September 2016 of which 350 incidents had been attended this year. Footage from various incidents was shown to demonstrate the benefit of access to the footage from the incident ground. The drone supported incidents by:
o Clearly showing the extent of the fire spread; o Aiding the positioning of fire breaks; o Highlighting the use of compartmentation; o The use of thermal imagery; o Assisting in planning wide-area searches; o Vital in investigation and evidence collation; o Providing information to other agencies; and o Improving firefighter safety.
The Authority congratulated the team for the work undertaken to support the safety of the people in Lancashire.
Page 33 This page is intentionally left blank Chairman of the Audit Committee’s Report to Council AGENDA ITEM 5(e) 12 February 2020
CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE’S REPORT TO COUNCIL - COUNCILLOR PAUL GALLEY
Overview
I am pleased to provide this report to the Council on the work of the Audit Committee, over the last Municipal Year.
The Committee has continued to provide an increasing level of challenge to Senior Officers and external partners of the Council. This report summarises the work that has been undertaken by the Committee over the course of the 2019/ 2020 Municipal Year to date. It also demonstrates how the Committee has developed through training as it aims to become more effective and focussed on audit, assurance and reporting, as well as highlighting some key aspects of the Committee’s future development.
With the addition of new Committee Members following the Local Election in May 2019, training and support has been provided to ensure that the Committee has maintained its high quality of Member questioning and levels of engagement. This will of course continue into the new Municipal Year as we continue to develop and improve whilst aiming to raise the public profile of the Committee yet further. The Committee also welcomed Councillor Jane Hugo as its new Vice Chair, who has brought a fresh perspective and much-valued level of enthusiasm to the position.
At the last meeting of the committee, the committee’s Independent person Yvonne Russell announced that she would be stepping down due to a change in her work commitments, which meant that she could not devote the time to the role. The committee thanked Yvonne for her contribution over the last two and a half years and wished her well for the future. The process will begin shortly to appoint her replacement.
Work Undertaken
Strategic Risk Register The Committee has continued to focus upon the Strategic Risk Register and has received regular attendance from risk owners in order to provide challenge on the work undertaken to mitigate risk.
Page 35 To date the following strategic risks have been considered:
Impact of Brexit Unsustainable Local Economy and Increased Deprivation Failure to keep people safe
The Committee welcomed the Council’s recently appointed external auditors Deloitte and developed a productive working relationship with them via their attendance at each Committee meeting. The Annual Year End Accounts for 2018/ 2019 were considered and approved in November 2019 following a number of unanticipated delays and clarification of details by the external auditors. Members provided a robust overview of the process, challenging the delay and questioning the findings before being satisfied that the final accounts could be formally approved by the Committee. In addition the Committee will be forming a task and finish group to challenge the increased fee expected by Deloitte prior to this being approved for payment.
Annual Governance Statement The Committee received the Annual Governance Statement 2018/ 2019 at its meeting in June 2019, which provided adequate assurance that public money was safeguarded, properly accounted for and used economically, efficiently and effectively, whilst also providing a reflective review of the past 12 months. A mid-year review of the Annual Governance Statement for the 2019/ 2020 calendar cycle was considered at the 23 January 2020 committee meeting. At this meeting progress against the actions to date were considered and answers sought from relevant officers where further clarifications were required.
Risk Services Members of the Committee have reviewed reporting on Risk Services on a quarterly basis and have requested Chief Officer attendance, as appropriate, to provide assurance of adequate progress. The Committee has provided specific challenge on a number of matters including anti-fraud arrangements and Council-wide business continuity planning as well as maintaining an overview of insurance claims made against the Council. With regards to overseeing specific internal audit reports, the Committee has continued to request attendance of operational level officers in order to respond to internal audit follow-ups on a number of areas, including the Adolescent Hub, Adult Safeguarding Enquiries and Community Engagement. The information provided by attending officers has allowed for more comprehensive questioning during meetings and a resulting increase in confidence amongst Committee Members.
Throughout the year, the Committee also considered the Council’s Covert Surveillance Policy, the Fraud Prevention Charter and has been involved in determining the method by which the external assessment of Public Sector Internal Audit Standards should be undertaken at the Council. Members provided strong challenge to address any issues identified and sought explanations from relevant officers of the measures in place to mitigate current and future risks.
Page 36 External Auditors The Committee has received the following reports from the Council’s external auditors Deloitte:
External Auditor’s Report to those charged with Governance Statement of Accounts 2018/ 2019 Annual Audit Letter 2018/ 2019 External Auditor Plan 2018/ 2019
The attendance of representatives from Deloitte at each meeting of the Audit Committee has provided Members with a valuable opportunity to seek assurance from the external auditors on the governance of the Council, as well as a wealth of knowledge and an overview of issues impacting a number of Local Authorities nationally.
Further Work Undertaken
Annual Audit Opinion 2018/ 2019 - provided Members with details of individual and collective audit reviews undertaken in the year ended 31 March 2019. The report also provided the Head of Audit and Risk’s Annual Opinion on the Council’s control environment. Audit Committee Self-Evaluation – the self-evaluation is undertaken annually and the Committee considers the feedback in order to develop the Audit Training Programme and improve the quality of challenge made. The Committee approved the Quality Assurance and Improvement Plan for the internal audit service for 2019/ 2020. Internal Audit Plan 2019/ 2020 - the Committee received and approved the plan. Internal Audit Charter 2019/2020 – the Committee received and approved the charter. Strategic Risk Register 2019/ 2020 – the Committee received and approved the register.
Training and Development
Due to the addition of a number of new Members to the Committee, high quality training and development has been even more of a focus over the course of the year than usual. Informative training sessions have been held regularly, where full participation from Committee Members has been encouraged and welcomed. The sessions covered areas highlighted within the CIPFA Guidance for Audit Committee Members as well as any additional areas which Members identified as requiring an improvement in their skills or knowledge. As requested by the Committee, the following training sessions have been held over the past year:
Role of the Audit Committee Statement of Accounts Role of External Audit Understanding the Risk Services Quarterly Report Annual Governance Statement
Page 37
In addition, planned training for the remainder of the 2019/ 2020 calendar cycle will include ‘The Strategic Risk Register’ and ‘Tackling Fraud’.
Future Work Programme
The Committee will continue to receive and review key information including the Annual Governance Statement and the Risk Services Quarterly Reports and when appropriate, invite Chief Officers and operational officers to attend to provide explanations where inadequate assurance has been provided or where key controls have not been implemented. The Strategic Risk Register will be reviewed and the information within it improved as necessary. Chief Officers will continue to be required to update the Committee with regards to the controls that are being implemented in order to manage the Council’s risks especially when audit follow-up action is requested.
The Committee is planning future work looking at the Council’s role within the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, as well as additional follow-up audit activity to revisit.
Members, I am pleased to present this report to Council and will be happy to answer any questions.
Page 38 Agenda Item 6
/Report to: COUNCIL Relevant Officer: Steve Thompson, Director of Resources Relevant Cabinet Member: Councillor Neal Brookes, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform
Date of Meeting: 12 February 2020
COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME 2020 / 2021
1.0 Purpose of the report:
1.1 To consider the recommendation of the Executive from its meeting on 20 January 2020 relating to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
2.0 Recommendation(s):
2.1 To agree the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2020 / 2021, as submitted with the Executive report on 20 January 2019.
2.2 To agree that the reduction applied to working age claimants remains the same as the 2019/ 2020 Scheme agreed by Council on 30 January 2019 and that the main elements and method of calculating awards will be the same.
2.3 To agree that the Council continue to operate a Discretionary Discount Policy to be awarded in cases of exceptional hardship, as submitted with the Executive report on 20 January 2020.
3.0 Reasons for recommendation(s):
3.1 To ensure a Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme is approved by 11 March 2020 and in place by 1 April 2020 avoiding the financial risks associated with the Government imposed default scheme.
3.2a Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or No approved by the Council?
3.2b Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved Yes budget?
3.3 Other alternative options to be considered:
None, a Council Tax Reduction scheme must be approved by the Council every year.
Page 39 4.0 Council Priority:
4.1 The relevant Council Priority is “Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience”.
5.0 Background Information
5.1 The Welfare Reform Act 2012 abolished Council Tax Benefits (CTB); billing authorities were required to adopt a local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) to take effect from 1 April 2013. The Government grant for Council Tax Reduction Scheme was less than 90% of the Government forecast funding levels had Council Tax Benefits continued. This was expected to leave a shortfall in funding of £3.22m based on estimates of demand and assumptions regarding the basis of calculation for the central Government grant. The ongoing level of Government support meant the Council adopted a self-funding Scheme under which all working age claimants had to pay at least 27.11% of their Council Tax in 2013/ 2014.
5.2 This has remained the case in subsequent years with the exception of the 2017/ 2018 Scheme when it was agreed that additional support was provided to vulnerable groups and they had to pay 13.56%. These vulnerable groups are defined as:
where someone in the household receives Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments where the applicant is a lone parent and who is responsible and resides with a child under 5 years old where the applicant or their partner receives Carer’s Allowance where the applicant or their partner is in receipt of a war pension, war widows pension, war disablement pension or equivalent.
5.3 For the 2018/ 2019 Scheme the 13.56% reduction was extended to the following low income group:
applicants or partners receiving Income Support, or Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance, or Income-Related Employment Support Allowance.
5.4 For the 2019/ 2020 Scheme, the 13.56% reduction was extended to the following groups:
Ensure that applicants who are protected under the current Scheme continue to be protected to the same level of support when they move to Universal Credit Extension of the group of customers who pay 13.56% to claimants or partners who are: in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance Contribution Based
Page 40 in receipt of Main Phase Employment and Support Allowance and are in the Work Related Activity Group in receipt of Maximum Universal Credit and is neither employed, self- employed or in receipt of any other income which is taken into account when calculating their Universal Credit award (such as an Occupational Pension or other unearned income) in receipt of Universal Credit which includes either the limited capability for work and/or work related activity
5.5 The Blackpool Scheme incorporates the National Pensioner Scheme decided by Government. This ensures that support continues at the same level as existed under Council Tax Benefit. In Blackpool, pensioners currently account for 34.3% of the caseload.
5.6 For working-age claims there is a means-tested assessment, predominantly based upon the former Council Tax Benefit rules, to establish entitlement. A percentage reduction of 27.11% (13.56% for the groups shown in 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4) is then applied to the award at the end of the assessment.
5.7 The value of the percentage reduction is reviewed annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose taking account of ongoing changes in legislation, caseload and financial requirements. It is proposed that for 2020/21 the value of the percentage reduction for other working age customers, who do not fall into the vulnerable or low income categories shown at 5.2, 5.3 or 5.4, should remain at 27.11%.
5.8 Does the information submitted include any exempt information? No
5.9 List of Appendices
Appendix 6(a) – Executive Decision Notice EX1/2020- Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2020/2021.
6.0 Legal considerations:
6.1 A resolution by the full Council to adopt a Council Tax Reduction Scheme is required by 11 March 2020. The Scheme will take effect from 1 April 2020. The Council Tax and Business Rates Discretionary Discount Policy has been reviewed and was included in the Executive agenda (Appendix 2(a)) on Monday 20 January 2020.
7.0 Human Resources considerations:
7.1 Existing staffing resources within the Benefits service are used to administer the Council Tax Reduction Scheme; however, it is apparent that there has been a considerable increase in face-to-face and telephone contact, particularly when
Page 41 Council Tax bills are issued. The administrative and legal processes required to collect and recover substantial numbers of small amounts place an additional burden on available resources.
8.0 Equalities considerations:
8.1 The Equality Analysis that has previously been carried out for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme has been revisited and updated. This aims to mitigate the impact on protected groups and includes the continued availability of a discretionary hardship fund, which has been made available through the adoption of a Discretionary Discount Policy. As part of their consideration of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2020/2021, Members should read the updated Equality Analysis, in the Executive agenda (Appendix 2(b)) on 20 January 2020.
9.0 Financial considerations:
9.1 For 2020/ 2021, it is proposed that the percentage reduction made at the end of the assessment for working age claimants shall be 27.11% with the exception of those claimants who fall into the vulnerable or low income categories shown at 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4, who will be subject to a 13.56% reduction.
9.2 A review of the Scheme must be carried out annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose taking account of ongoing changes in legislation, caseload and financial requirements. The Council will be required to approve the Scheme each year.
9.3 The Welfare Reform Act 2012 provides for a major overhaul of the benefits system. The Council Tax Reduction Scheme was implemented ahead of the commencement of Universal Credit. The new scheme of Council Tax Reduction will run alongside Housing Benefit during the transition to Universal Credit. Housing Benefit administration will then gradually diminish. Wider changes to existing benefits during the next few years will mean customers on benefits will have less money available to pay their Council Tax liability. Whilst there is still an ambition to achieve full collection, this is likely to take longer.
9.4 Providing additional support to the low income groups listed in section 5.11 will increase the cost of the Scheme by £90,000 per year. In order to meet this cost there will be a review of bad debt provision and a review of the Council Tax base for 2019/ 2020. Removing low income households from the requirement to pay 27.11% would allow existing resources to be used for collection from the remaining Council Tax payers.
9.5 The 2020/2021 Scheme remains unchanged from the 2019/20 Scheme, therefore no additional cost is forecast.
Page 42 10.0 Risk management considerations:
10.1 As part of the overall project management leading to the 2013/ 2014 Scheme, a risk workshop identified a number of risks. Actions required to mitigate those risks have been identified and implemented where possible.
11.0 Ethical considerations:
11.1 None.
12.0 Internal/ External Consultation undertaken:
12.1 As the main elements and method of calculating awards will remain the same for 2020/ 2021, no consultation exercise is required.
13.0 Background papers:
13.1 None.
Page 43 This page is intentionally left blank Appendix 6(a) Notice of: EXECUTIVE
Decision Number: EX1/2020 Relevant Officer: Steve Thompson, Director of Resources Relevant Cabinet Member: Councillor Neal Brookes, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform Date of Meeting: 20 January 2020
COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME 2020/21
1.0 Purpose of the report:
1.1 To provide an update on the impact of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme since its introduction in 2013/14 and to seek approval for the proposals for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2020/21.
2.0 Recommendations:
2.1 To note the impact of the Scheme to date as set out in paragraphs 5.7 and 5.8 of the Executive report.
2.2 To recommend Council to agree the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 2c, to the Executive report.
2.3 To recommend to Council that the reduction applied to working age claimants remains the same as the 2019/20 Scheme agreed by Council on 30 January 2019 and that the main elements and method of calculating awards will be the same.
2.4 To recommend that the Council agrees to continue to operate a Discretionary Discount Policy to be awarded in cases of exceptional hardship as set out at Appendix 2a, to the Executive report.
2.5 To note at this point in time the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may still issue changes to the known position for the National Pensioner Scheme. Required changes would be incorporated into the final Scheme presented for adoption at Council on 12 February 2020.
3.0 Reasons for recommendation(s):
3.1 To ensure a Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme is approved by 11 March 2020 and in place by 1 April 2020 avoiding the financial risks associated with the Government imposed default Scheme.
Page 45 Appendix 6(a) 3.2a Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or No approved by the Council?
3.2b Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved Yes budget?
3.3 Other alternative options to be considered:
None, a Council Tax Reduction Scheme must be approved by the Council each year.
4.0 Council Priority:
4.1 The relevant Council Priority is: “Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience”.
5.0 Background Information
5.1 The Welfare Reform Act 2012 abolished Council Tax Benefit (CTB); billing authorities were required to adopt a local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) to take effect from 1 April 2013.
5.2 The Government grant for Council Tax Reduction Scheme was less than 90% of the Government forecast funding levels had Council Tax Benefit continued. This was expected to leave a shortfall in funding of £3.22m based on estimates of demand and assumptions regarding the basis of calculation for the central Government grant. The ongoing level of Government support meant the Council adopted a self-funding Scheme under which all working-age claimants had to pay at least 27.11% of their Council Tax in 2013/14. This has remained the case in subsequent years until the 2017/18 Scheme when it was agreed that additional support was provided to vulnerable groups and they had to pay 13.56%. These vulnerable groups are defined as:
where someone in the household receives Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments where the applicant is a lone parent and who is responsible and resides with a child under 5 years old where the applicant or their partner receives Carer’s Allowance where the applicant or their partner is in receipt of a war pension, war widows pension, war disablement pension or equivalent.
5.3 For the 2018/19 Scheme the 13.56% reduction was extended to the following low income groups: applicants or partners receiving Income Support, or Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance, or Income-Related Employment Support Allowance.
Page 46 Appendix 6(a) 5.4 For the 2019/20 Scheme, the 13.56% reduction was extended to the following groups:
Ensure that applicants who are protected under the current Scheme continue to be protected to the same level of support when they move to Universal Credit Extension of the group of customers who pay 13.56% to claimants or partners who are: in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance Contribution Based in receipt of Main Phase Employment and Support Allowance and are in the Work Related Activity Group in receipt of Maximum Universal Credit and is neither employed, self- employed or in receipt of any other income which is taken into account when calculating their Universal Credit award (such as an Occupational Pension or other unearned income) in receipt of Universal Credit which includes either the limited capability for work and/or work related activity
5.5 The initial 2013/14 funding was separately identifiable, but since then the monies have formed part of the overall total Revenue Support Grant (RSG). Analysis of the RSG would suggest that the initial £17.58m allocated for the Scheme would equate to approximately £5.1m in 2019/20 and 2020/21 due to the continued year-on-year reductions. This means that in order for the scheme to be self-funding now, the bottom-slice would need to be 113.6% for 2019/20 and 112.6% for 2020/21 (based on current Council Tax figures).
5.6 The Council Tax Reduction Scheme caseload has decreased since the introduction of the Scheme in 2013/14 as shown below:
Working Age Elderly Total
2013/14 14,504 8,815 23,319 2014/15 13,781 8,407 22,188
2015/16 13,619 7,986 21,605
2016/17 13,385 7,589 20,974
2017/18 13,050 7,267 20,317
2018/19 12,930 6,901 19,831
2019/20 (Oct 12,982 6,768 19,750
2019)
The change in caseload demographics is attributed to a number of factors. The Government’s increase in State Pension Age has meant that it is longer before a customer will be classed as “elderly” and there is traditionally a lower take-up of benefits by this age group and they are viewed as a group with a higher level of assets.
Page 47 Appendix 6(a) 5.7 The Council Tax Reduction Scheme has had a very significant impact on in-year Council Tax collection rates. In the last year of Council Tax Benefit, 2012/13, in-year collection rate was 95.5%. Since the Council Tax Reduction Scheme was introduced and 10,000 low income working-age households became liable to pay Council Tax, in- year collection has dropped each year. In 2018/19 collection was 92% with a 69.77% collection rate for Council Tax Reduction Scheme cases.
5.8 Collection is at a similar level so far in 2019/20, but a drop in ultimate collection and an increase in arrears is still anticipated. This increase in arrears has meant the Council’s share of the bad debt provision for Council Tax Arrears (including CTRS) has increased annually since the introduction of the Scheme and was £6.1m at 31 March 2019.
5.9 Court action can be taken against defaulting Council Tax payers. However, the numbers are limited at any hearing by restrictions placed by the court. Following the issue of a liability order at court an attachment of benefits can be requested. The amount that can be attached from benefits is restricted by legislation, currently £3.70 for most benefits except Universal Credit. This means that it is not usually possible to collect the Council Tax amount payable within the year it becomes due, which impacts on in-year collection rates. The attachment is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions and they can delay the process significantly.
5.10 The Blackpool Scheme incorporates the National Pensioner Scheme decided by Government. This ensures that support continues at the same level as existed under Council Tax Benefit. In Blackpool, pensioners currently account for 34.3% of the caseload.
5.11 For working-age claims there is a means-tested assessment, predominantly based upon the former Council Tax Benefit rules, to establish entitlement. A percentage reduction of 27.11% (13.56% for the groups shown in 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4) is then applied to the award at the end of the assessment.
5.12 The value of the percentage reduction is reviewed annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose taking account of ongoing changes in legislation, caseload and financial requirements. It is proposed that for 2020/21 the value of the percentage reduction for other working age customers, who do not fall into the vulnerable or low income categories shown at 5.2, 5.3 or 5.4, should remain at 27.11%.
5.13 Does the information submitted include any exempt information? No
5.14 List of Appendices:
Appendix 2a: Discretionary Discount Policy Appendix 2b: Equality Analysis Appendix 2c: Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2020/21
Page 48 Appendix 6(a) 6.0 Legal considerations:
6.1 A resolution by the full Council to adopt a Council Tax Reduction Scheme is required by 11 March 2020. The Scheme will take effect from 1 April 2020.
6.2 The Council Tax and Business Rates Discretionary Discount Policy has been reviewed and is attached at Appendix 2a, to the Executive report.
7.0 Human Resources considerations:
7.1 Existing staffing resources within the Benefits Service are used to administer the Council Tax Reduction Scheme; however, it is apparent that there has been a considerable increase in face-to-face and telephone contacts, particularly when Council Tax bills are issued. The administrative and legal processes required to collect and recover substantial numbers of small amounts place an additional burden on available resources.
8.0 Equalities considerations:
8.1 The Equality Analysis that has previously been carried out for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme has been revisited and updated. This aims to mitigate the impact on protected groups and includes the continued availability of a discretionary hardship fund which has been made available through the adoption of a Discretionary Discount Policy. As part of their consideration of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2020/21 an updated Equality Analysis is attached at Appendix 2b, to the Executive report for Members to review.
9.0 Financial considerations:
9.1 For 2020/21 it is proposed that the percentage reduction made at the end of the assessment for working age claimants shall be 27.11% with the exception of those claimants who fall into the vulnerable or low income categories shown at 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4, who will be subject to a 13.56% reduction.
9.2 A review of the Scheme must be carried out annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose taking account of ongoing changes in legislation, caseload and financial requirements. The Council will be required to approve the Scheme each year.
9.3 The Welfare Reform Act 2012 provided for a major overhaul of the benefits system. The Council Tax Reduction Scheme was implemented ahead of the commencement of Universal Credit. The new Scheme of Council Tax Reduction continues to run alongside Housing Benefit during the transition to Universal Credit. Housing Benefit administration will then gradually diminish. Wider changes to existing benefits over the last few years have meant customers on benefits have less money available to pay their Council Tax liability. Whilst there is still an ambition to achieve full collection, this is likely to take longer. Page 49 Appendix 6(a) 9.4 The 2020/21 Scheme remains unchanged from the 2019/20 Scheme, therefore no additional cost is forecast.
10.0 Risk management considerations:
10.1 As part of the overall project management leading to the 2013/14 Scheme, a risk workshop identified a number of risks. Actions required to mitigate those risks have been identified and implemented where possible.
11.0 Ethical considerations:
11.1 None.
12.0 Internal/ External Consultation undertaken:
12.1 As the main elements and method of calculating awards will remain the same for 2020/21, no consultation exercise is required.
13.0 Background papers:
13.1 None.
14.0 Key decision information:
14.1 Is this a key decision? Yes
14.2 If so, Forward Plan reference number: 33/2019
14.3 If a key decision, is the decision required in less than five days? No
14.4 If yes, please describe the reason for urgency:
15.0 Call-in information:
15.1 Are there any grounds for urgency, which would cause this decision to be exempt from the call-in process? No
15.2 If yes, please give reason:
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
16.0 Scrutiny Committee Chairman (where appropriate):
Date informed: 10 January 2020 Date approved:
Page 50 Appendix 6(a)
17.0 Declarations of interest (if applicable):
17.1 None.
18.0 Executive decision:
18.1 The Executive resolved as follows:
1. To note the impact of the Scheme to date as set out in paragraphs 5.7 and 5.8 of the Executive report.
2. To recommend Council to agree the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 2c, to the Executive report.
3. To recommend to Council that the reduction applied to working age claimants remains the same as the 2019/20 Scheme agreed by Council on 30 January 2019 and that the main elements and method of calculating awards will be the same.
4. To recommend that the Council agrees to continue to operate a Discretionary Discount Policy to be awarded in cases of exceptional hardship as set out at Appendix 2a, to the Executive report.
5. To note at this point in time the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may still issue changes to the known position for the National Pensioner Scheme. Required changes would be incorporated into the final Scheme presented for adoption at Council on 12 February 2020.
18.2 Date of Decision:
20 January 2020
19.0 Reason(s) for decision:
To ensure a Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme is approved by 11 March 2020 and in place by 1 April 2020 avoiding the financial risks associated with the Government imposed default Scheme.
19.1 Date Decision published:
21 January 2020
20.0 Executive Members in attendance:
20.1 Councillor Blackburn, in the Chair Page 51 Appendix 6(a) Councillors Benson, Brookes, Cain, Campbell, Jackson, Kirkland, Smith, Taylor and L Williams.
21.0 Call-in:
21.1
22.0 Notes:
22.1 The following Non Executive Members were in attendance: Councillors Burdess, Critchley and Farrell.
Page 52 Agenda Item 7
/Report to: COUNCIL Relevant Officer: Antony Lockley, Director of Strategy and Assistant Chief Executive and Steve Thompson, Director of Resources Relevant Cabinet Member: Councillor Neal Brookes, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform Date of Meeting: 12 February 2020
PROPOSED RENT REVIEW 2020/ 2021
1.0 Purpose of the report:
1.1 To consider the recommendations of the Executive on 20 January 2020 regarding the level of rents and service charges to be charged in connection with Housing Revenue Account dwellings during 2020/2021.
2.0 Recommendation(s):
2.1 To approve the recommendations of the Executive from its meeting held on 20 January 2020, namely:
2.1.1 To agree that rents for all Housing Revenue account properties are increased by 2.7% in 2020/ 2021, following rent reductions over the last four years.
2.1.2 To agree that the level of Housing Revenue Account balances remain protected at £1 million, as previously agreed.
2.1.3 To agree that Housing Revenue Account service charges (as detailed in Appendix B to the report to the Executive) and that other General Fund service charges (as detailed in Appendix C to the report to the Executive) are charged as outlined.
3.0 Reasons for recommendation(s):
3.1 To ensure that rent levels are appropriate and the Housing Revenue Account is financially secure as the Council delivers the Council Homes Investment Plan over the next five years.
Retaining the previously agreed minimum reserves level of £1 million ensures that prudent balances are maintained in the Housing Revenue Account.
3.2a Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or No approved by the Council?
Page 53 3.2b Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved Not applicable - budget? the report once approved will become part of the Council’s new approved budget 3.3 Other alternative options to be considered:
Rents could be set at a lower level, but have already been reduced by a total of 4% over the last four years. Not to raise rents now would further reduce the capacity for investment in Council homes.
4.0 Council Priority:
4.1 The relevant Council Priority is “Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience”.
5.0 Background Information
5.1 The Executive at its meeting on 20 January 2020, considered a report regarding the draft Housing Revenue Account budget for 2020/ 2021 and the level of rents in relation to Council housing dwellings and service charges to be applied during the next financial year. The report to the Executive detailed the 2020/ 2021 Draft Budget and the proposed changes in rent and service charges.
5.2 New charges for Housing Revenue Account Services and related Non-Housing Revenue Account properties were also considered and detailed within the report to the Executive.
5.3 All Members of the Council should have received copies of the papers considered by the Executive at its meeting on 20 January 2020, in connection with the Proposed Rent Review available via this link
5.4 Does the information submitted include any exempt information? No
5.5 List of Appendices:
Appendix 7(a) – Executive Decision Notice–EX2/2020 - Proposed Rent Review 2020/2021- 20 January 2020.
6.0 Legal considerations:
6.1 None.
Page 54 7.0 Human Resources considerations:
7.1 None.
8.0 Equalities considerations:
8.1 An Equalities Impact Analysis has been completed.
9.0 Financial considerations:
9.1 These were set out in the report considered by the Executive on 20 January 2020.
10.0 Risk management considerations:
10.1 None.
11.0 Ethical considerations:
11.1 None.
12.0 Internal/ External Consultation undertaken:
12.1 The rent report is shared with the Board of Directors of Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited, which includes Council, tenant/leasehold and independent non-executive directors.
13.0 Background papers:
13.1 None.
Page 55 This page is intentionally left blank Appendix 7(a)
Notice of: EXECUTIVE
Decision Number: EX2/2020 Relevant Officers: Antony Lockley, Director of Strategy and Assistant Chief Executive, and Steve Thompson, Director of Resources Relevant Cabinet Member Councillor Neal Brookes, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform Date of Meeting 20 January 2020
PROPOSED RENT REVIEW 2020/21
1.0 Purpose of the report:
1.1 To consider the level of rents and service charges to be charged in connection with Housing Revenue Account dwellings during 2020/21.
2.0 Recommendation(s):
To recommend to the Council that:
2.1 Rents for all Housing Revenue account properties are increased by 2.7% in 2020/21, following rent reductions over the last four years.
2.2 The minimum level of Housing Revenue Account balances remain protected at £1 million, as previously agreed.
2.3 That Housing Revenue Account service charges (as detailed in Appendix B) and that other General Fund service charges (as detailed in Appendix C) are charged as outlined.
3.0 Reasons for recommendation(s):
3.1 To ensure that rent levels are appropriate and the Housing Revenue Account is financially secure as the Council delivers the Council Homes Investment Plan over the next 5 years.
Retaining the previously agreed minimum reserves level of £1 million ensures that prudent balances are maintained in the Housing Revenue Account.
Page 57 Appendix 7(a)
3.2a Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or No approved by the Council
3.2b Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved Not applicable – budget? the report once approved will become part of the Council’s new approved budget 3.3 Other alternative options to be considered:
Rents could be set at a lower level, but have already been reduced by a total of 4% over the last four years. Not to raise rents now would further reduce the capacity for investment in Council homes.
4.0 Council Priority:
4.1 The relevant Council Priority is: “Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience”.
5.0 Background Information
5.1 As part of the preparation of the draft 2020/21 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget, Members must consider the levels of rents and service charges to be set in connection with Council Housing dwellings during the next financial year.
5.2 The report, circulated to members under separate cover, details the 2020/21 Draft Budget and the proposed changes in rent and service charges.
5.3 New charges for Housing Revenue Account services and related non-Housing Revenue Account properties are also proposed.
5.4 Does the information submitted include any exempt information? No
5.5 List of Appendices:
Report on the Proposed Rent Review 2020/21 Appendix A: HRA Draft Budget 2020/21 Appendix B: HRA charges Appendix C: General Fund housing charges
(All circulated to members under separate cover).
Page 58 Appendix 7(a)
6.0 Legal considerations:
6.1 The rent increase is in line with the rent increase allowed by Government for 2020/21 and subsequent years, as it has been set at the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 1%.
7.0 Human Resources considerations:
7.1 None.
8.0 Equalities considerations:
8.1 None.
9.0 Financial considerations:
9.1 These are set out in the main report.
10.0 Risk management considerations:
10.1 See section 3 above.
11.0 Ethical considerations:
11.1 None.
12.0 Internal/ External Consultation undertaken:
12.1 The rent report is shared with the board of Blackpool Coastal Housing, which includes tenant and leasehold representatives and independent members.
13.0 Background papers:
13.1 None.
14.0 Key decision information:
14.1 Is this a key decision? Yes
14.2 If so, Forward Plan reference number:
14.3 If a key decision, is the decision required in less than five days? No
14.4 If yes, please describe the reason for urgency:
Page 59 Appendix 7(a)
15.0 Call-in information:
15.1 Are there any grounds for urgency, which would cause this decision to be exempt from the call-in process? No
15.2 If yes, please give reason:
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
16.0 Scrutiny Committee Chairman (where appropriate):
Date informed: 10 January 2020 Date approved:
17.0 Declarations of interest (if applicable):
17.1 Councillor L Williams declared a personal interest, the nature of the interest being that she was a Council appointed Non-Executive Director of Blackpool Coastal Housing.
18.0 Executive decision:
18.1 The Executive resolved as follows:
To recommend to the Council:
1. That rents for all Housing Revenue account properties are increased by 2.7% in 2020/21, following rent reductions over the last four years.
2. The minimum level of Housing Revenue Account balances remain protected at £1 million, as previously agreed.
3. That Housing Revenue Account service charges (as detailed in Appendix B) and that other General Fund service charges (as detailed in Appendix C) are charged as outlined.
Page 60 Appendix 7(a)
18.2 Date of Decision:
20 January 2020
19.0 Reason(s) for decision:
To ensure that rent levels are appropriate and the Housing Revenue Account is financially secure as the Council delivers the Council Homes Investment Plan over the next 5 years.
Retaining the previously agreed minimum reserves level of £1 million ensures that prudent balances are maintained in the Housing Revenue Account.
19.1 Date Decision published:
21 January 2020
20.0 Executive Members in attendance:
20.1 Councillor Blackburn, in the Chair
Councillors Benson, Brookes, Cain, Campbell, Jackson, Kirkland, Smith, Taylor and L Williams
21.0 Call-in:
21.1
22.0 Notes:
22.1 The following Non Executive Members were in attendance: Councillors Burdess, Critchley and Farrell
Page 61 This page is intentionally left blank Agenda Item 8
Report to: COUNCIL Relevant Officer: Linda Dutton, Head of Human Resources and Workforce Development Relevant Cabinet Member: Councillor Blackburn, Leader of the Council Date of Meeting: 12 February 2020
PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2020/ 2021
1.0 Purpose of the report:
1.1 To consider the recommendation of the Chief Officers Employment Committee from its meeting on 20 January 2020 regarding the proposed Pay Policy Statement. Following Council approval, the Pay Policy Statement has to be published by 31 March 2020.
2.0 Recommendation(s):
2.1 To approve the proposed Pay Policy Statement, as submitted to the Chief Officers Employment Committee and attached at Appendices 8 (a) and (b).
3.0 Reasons for recommendation(s):
3.1 The Council has a duty to agree a pay policy statement before 31 March each year.
3.2a Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or No approved by the Council?
3.2b Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved Yes budget?
3.3 Other alternative options to be considered:
The Council has a duty to agree a pay policy statement and the proposed one is consistent with the guidance from the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
4.0 Council Priority:
4.1 The relevant Council priorities are “The economy: Maximising growth and opportunity across Blackpool” and “Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience”.
Page 63 5.0 Background Information
5.1 The Council is required to produce a pay policy statement, which must be in place for the year 2020/ 2021 and have received full Council approval before the start of that financial year.
5.2 The statement must set out the Council’s policy on:
i. Chief Officer Remuneration (at recruitment, salary, bonus, performance related pay, charges, fees, allowances, benefits in kind, enhancement to pension at termination).
ii. Remuneration of its lowest paid employees (elements as above), the definition used for this group and the reason for adopting that definition.
iii. The relationship between chief officer remuneration and that of other staff. This however is a minimum requirement and Councils can do more if they so wish.
5.3 The guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has added that they expect the policy statement to cover:
i. The opportunity for full Council to vote on senior remuneration packages with a value over £100,000 prior to an offer of appointment being made.
ii. Policies should explain the planned relationship between Chief Officer remuneration and that of other staff and the ratio between the highest paid and median salary that the authority aims to achieve and maintain.
iii. The value of the system of earn back pay with an element of their basic pay at risk each year to be earned back through meeting pre-agreed objectives.
iv. Any decision that the Authority takes in relation to the award of severance to an individual Chief Officer.
v. An explicit statement on whether or not they permit an individual to be in receipt of a pension in addition to receiving a salary.
vi. Policies to deal with those who may have returned to the authority under a contract of service of any type having already received a severance or redundancy payment.
Page 64 5.4 In addition to this guidance, it should be noted that the recommended practice for Local Authorities on data transparency states that the Council should disclose publicly:
i. Employees salaries (that earn £50,000 and above). This includes disclosing their names, details of their remuneration, a list of responsibilities, for example, the services and functions they are responsible for, budget held and number of staff.
ii. An organisation chart.
iii. The pay multiple, which is the ratio between the highest paid salary and the median average salary of the whole authority’s workforce.
5.5 The Government has proposed to establish a £95,000 cap on the total value of exit payments made to an individual in relation to their exit from public sector employment. Confirmation as to how this will be applied/ implemented is still awaited and has therefore not been included in this Pay Policy.
5.6 The Equality Act 2010 Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 (the Regulations) implemented the mandatory gender pay gap reporting requirement for public sector employers with 250 or more employees. The duty to report commenced in April 2018 and the information is therefore contained within this Pay Policy statement.
5.7 The Chief Officers Employment Committee noted that based on a snap shot as at 31 March 2019 a mean pay gap of -0.94% and a median pay gap of -6.69% had been identified, which confirmed that as had been the case in previous years on average female employees of Blackpool Council were paid more than their male counterpart. Nationally, on average male employees were paid 8.9% more. The quartile pay band data presented in the report confirmed that this was very similar in each quartile, reflecting a workforce where males and females were employed in the same proportion throughout all levels of the workforce. Whilst it was acknowledged that those figures were relatively favourable, the Council remained committed to the principle of gender pay equality and would continue to monitor performance and promote initiatives such as family friendly policies, learning and development, leadership and recruitment and retention.
Does the information submitted include any exempt information? No
List of Appendices:
Appendix 8(a) - Proposed Pay Policy Statement. Appendix 8(b) – Gender Pay Gap Report
Page 65 6.0 Legal considerations:
6.1 All legal duties concerned with this matter have been included in the Statement.
7.0 Human Resources considerations:
7.1 The Council’s Pay Policy statement would cover Chief Officer Remuneration in various forms and also its relationship with that of other staff.
8.0 Equalities considerations:
8.1 The Council’s pay review process introduced two robust job evaluation schemes, which are designed to ensure fairness and equity in pay. These schemes and the desire to ensure fairness and transparency around pay form the basis of the Council’s Pay Policy Statement. The Council complies with the recommended practice for Local Authorities on data transparency already.
9.0 Financial considerations:
9.1 No changes to the Council’s financial arrangements have been made as a result of the introduction of this statement.
10.0 Risk management considerations:
10.1 The most significant risks around pay relate to the increased costs of employment and balancing the need to pay an appropriate salary that will mean that the roles the Council needs to fill to discharge its duties as a Local Authority can be filled by skilled, appropriately qualified staff. To mitigate against the first risk the Council ensures that its budgets are managed effectively and to deal with the second risk, there is a policy to deal with market supplements if they can be objectively justified.
11.0 Ethical considerations:
11.1 The Council’s values of accountability are important in this report in that the Council is stating its pay rationale.
12.0 Internal/ External Consultation undertaken:
12.1 Consultation has previously taken place with Trade Union Representatives on the policies referred to in the pay policy statement. Any new areas, which could be added to the statement, will be discussed with the Trade Union representatives.
Page 66 13.0 Background papers:
13.1 None.
Page 67 This page is intentionally left blank Appendix 8(a)
Blackpool Council - Pay Policy Statement
Summary Statement Blackpool Council is committed to paying all its employees appropriately and fairly using recognised job evaluation schemes that have been tested to ensure that they are free of gender and any other bias. The pay scales for employees at all levels are in the public domain and the Council complies with requirements to publish data on senior salaries and its entire pay scale in the interests of transparency.
In determining the pay and remuneration of all its employees, the Council will comply with all relevant employment legislation. This includes legislation such as the Equality Act 2010; Part Time Employment (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000; and where relevant, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Earnings) Regulations.
As far as possible, all Council policies that relate to employment benefits are universally applied unless there is a specific contractual or business reason why they should be limited to a certain group of employees.
Basic Pay All employees including Chief Officers basic pay is based on job evaluation processes that use the NJC scheme for posts graded at G and below and the Hay scheme for posts graded H1 and above.
Both of these schemes have been tested to ensure that they are free from gender and any other bias and the use of these schemes has been agreed with the relevant recognised trade unions.
Job evaluation panels made up of trade union and management representatives sit on a regular basis to evaluate posts, which in turn produces a score and a grade. At the cross over of the two schemes, there is a protocol for assessing whether the post should be dealt with under the Hay or the NJC scheme. Periodically, the Council uses the services of experts in the two schemes to assist with the evaluation of posts, provide training for staff and monitor the appropriateness of the senior pay line relative to the market.
The Council adopts the national pay bargaining arrangements in respect of the establishment and revision of the national pay spine, for example, through any agreed annual pay increases negotiated with joint trade unions.
Real Living Wage As an accredited employer to the Living Wage Foundation and in order to support the lowest paid workers in the Council, the Real Living Wage supplement would be applied for Council employees should their hourly rate fall below the hourly rate set by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. (The rate will be £9.30 from 1 April 2020).
The normal job evaluation processes will continue to determine the grade of posts in the Council. This will not include employees in maintained schools, where pay is a matter for the relevant Governing Body.
Page 69 Appendix 8(a)
Market Forces Supplements Market forces supplements are only paid to employees including Chief Officers in exceptional circumstances and in accordance with the strict controls in the Council’s Market Forces Policy. Any such payments are reviewed annually to ensure they remain valid.
Incremental Progression Progression through the grade for permanent and temporary employees is only possible upon completion of satisfactory service and in line with the NJC Terms and Conditions as described in the Green Book. Chief Officers are required to demonstrate that they have achieved or exceeded their objectives in order to progress through the grade and a scheme is in place to monitor that.
New Appointments Appointment to new posts are usually made at the bottom of the grade except in exceptional circumstances where the most suitable candidate can evidence that such an offer would not reasonably be acceptable to them and the Council is satisfied that market conditions require the appointment to take placed at a higher point than the minimum. This is currently the case for the hard to fill qualified Social Work roles in Children’s Services.
The Chief Officer Employment Committee deals with all Chief Officer appointments, using the normal recruitment procedures. Full Council must ratify posts with a remuneration package of more than £100,000.
Overtime and Additional Hours Payments and Premium Payments In the absence of any agreement to the contrary, the following applies:
Contractual overtime and additional hours are paid in accordance with the NJC Terms and Conditions as described in the Green Book.
Non-contractual, voluntary overtime and additional hours payments are paid in accordance with the Council’s Pay Review Booklet.
To meet specific operational requirements it may be necessary for an individual to temporarily take on additional duties to their identified role. The Council’s arrangements for authorising any additional remuneration, e.g. honoraria, ex-gratia, ‘acting up’, relating to temporary additional duties are set out in the Council’s Pay Review Booklet
Chief Officers are not paid overtime, additional hours payments or premium payments.
All other pay related allowances are the subject of either nationally or locally negotiated rates, having being determined from time to time in accordance with collective bargaining machinery or through contractual changes.
Honoraria Payments Subject to certain conditions, employees, with the exception of the Chief Executive and Chief Officers, who are temporarily required to undertake some or all of the duties of a
Page 70 Appendix 8(a) higher graded post, are eligible to be paid an honorarium. Details of the scheme can be found in the Council’s Honoraria Procedure.
Bonus Payments and Earn Back Schemes No employees, including Chief Officers in the Council are in receipt of bonus payments or subject to earn back schemes where employees give up some salary to earn it back upon completion of agreed targets.
Relationship between the Highest and the Lowest Paid The Council is committed to paying employees based on the recognised job evaluation schemes detailed above. The application of these schemes creates the salary differentials. Pay rates for each grade are published on the Council’s website.
Relationship between the Highest Paid Employee and the Median Salary The relationship between the highest paid employee and the median salary will be calculated on an annual basis and published on the Council’s website alongside the information provided regarding senior managers salaries.
As part of its overall and ongoing monitoring of alignment with external pay markets, both within and outside the sector, the Council will use available benchmark information as appropriate. In addition, upon the annual review of this statement, the Council will monitor any changes in the relevant ‘pay multiples’ and benchmark against other comparable local authorities.
Charges, Fees and Allowances The Travelling, Subsistence and Related Expenses Policy apply to all employees including Chief Officers.
The reimbursement of professional fees for certain occupational groups is covered by the Personnel Code and applies to all relevant employees regardless of grade.
All other allowances paid to employees regardless of grade are detailed in the Council’s Pay Review Booklet.
Chief Officers do not receive additional allowance payments.
Gender Pay Gap Information In accordance with regulations introduced in 2017, the Council will publish gender pay gap information alongside all other pay policy related data on its website and update this on an annual basis.
Pension Where employees are contractually enrolled to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), the Council is required to make a contribution to the scheme representing a percentage of the pensionable remuneration due under the contract of employment of that employee. The rate of contribution is set by Actuaries advising the Lancashire Pension Fund
Page 71 Appendix 8(a) and reviewed on a triennial basis in order to ensure the scheme is appropriately funded. The employer contribution rates are set by statute and are available from the Payroll Team.
Flexible Retirement The Council’s LGPS Employee Discretions Policy provides the ability for an employee to have their pension benefits released subject to the current policy and relevant approvals.
Electoral Fees The Chief Executive is the Council’s appointed Returning Officer and is personally (not corporately) liable for the management of elections and referendums. The fee payable to the Returning Officer for UK Parliamentary, Police and Crime Commissioner and any other election or referendum organised nationally and paid for from Central Government. The fee payable to the Returning Officer for a local election, (which is held every four years) is the same as the fee set nationally for an equivalent election/ referendum, which is run on the local authority boundary.
For a local by-election the Returning Officer’s fee is 10% of the fee for a full local election, with a higher applied should there be four or more elections taking place at the same time, as set out in the fees agreed by the Council. Other fees paid to employees appointed by the Returning Officer for a local election are paid by the Returning Officer, against fees set by the Council.
Redundancy Payments, Severance Payments and Retirement All employees including Chief Officers are entitled to redundancy payments and pension release in accordance with the Council’s Redundancy and Retirement Procedure. Where the proposed severance package is more than £100,000, the decision will be ratified by full Council.
Termination Payments In exceptional circumstances, the Council may make a termination payment to an individual under a settlement agreement. Such agreements protect the Council where there is a risk of high financial impact and/ or damage to the Council’s business or reputation. Payments are authorised by the Chief Executive or his delegated Officers. In the event a settlement agreement involving the Chief Executive or a Chief Officer, where the payment exceeds £100,000, the decision would be made by the Council based on a recommendation from the Chief Officers Employment Committee.
Re-employment/ Re-engagement of Former Employees The Council has an obligation to ensure that it is managing public monies responsibly. It will not re-engage (into the same or a very similar role) ex-employees who have left their prime employment with the Council on the grounds of voluntary or compulsory redundancy, efficiency release or employer consent retirement (where there is a cost to the Council) for a period of 12 months with effect from the date of leaving. This does not cover those employees who access their pension via the Council’s Flexible Retirement Scheme.
Page 72 Appendix 8(a)
In addition any proposal to re-engage an ex-employee, who was Graded H3 or above (or equivalent salary) will require the agreement of the Chief Executive following consultation with relevant Chief Officers.
Scope This Pay Policy Statement applies to all Council employees. Employees whose terms and conditions of employment have been retained following a TUPE transfer (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) and are subject to the TUPE Regulations may be excluded from this policy.
Review The Pay Policy Statement will be kept under review and developments considered in the light of external best practice and legislation. The Council will ensure the Pay Policy Statement is updated on an annual basis in line with the requirement of the Localism Act 2011. The annual Pay Policy Statement will be submitted to Chief Officers Employment Committee and then full Council by 31 March of each year.
Page 73 This page is intentionally left blank Appendix 8(b)
Gender Pay Gap Report – 2019
1.0 Introduction From April 2017, all organisations that employee over 250 employees are required to report annually their gender pay gap. The gender pay gap is defined as the differences in the average earnings of men and women over a standard period of time, regardless of their role seniority.
The data we are required to report is:
Mean gender pay gap The difference between the mean hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees
Median gender pay The difference between the median hourly rate of pay of male gap full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees
Mean Bonus Gap The difference between the mean bonus pay paid to male relevant employees and that paid to female relevant employees
Median Bonus Gap The difference between the median bonus pay paid to male relevant employees and that paid to female relevant employees
Quartile pay bands The proportions of male and female full-pay relevant employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands
The overall gender pay gap is defined as the difference between the median (actual midpoint) or mean (average) basic annual earnings of men and women expressed as a percentage of the median or mean basic annual earnings of men. A positive pay gap indicates that men are paid on average a greater hourly rate; a negative pay gap indicates that women are on average a greater hourly rate.
2.0 Context Blackpool Council is a unitary authority, which provides around 150 services to 142,000 Blackpool residents.
All Blackpool Council employees are remunerated according to set pay scales; posts are regularly reviewed and agreed by employee representatives through a formal job evaluation system. Our workforce is currently 2803 employees, in the scope of the Gender pay gap of whom two thirds are female (65.9 %).
Page 75 Appendix 8(b)
Blackpool Council is committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging equality and diversity in our workforce. This approach is endorsed in our Council Plan, which includes an assurance of equality and fairness in respect of gender.
Our equality objectives aim to get more people to tell us they experience fair treatment by Council services; to make our workforce representative of our communities, with more people from diverse backgrounds involved in decision-making at every level; that equality and diversity is embedded in staff culture; and that we celebrate growing diversity and increase respect and understanding for all.
3.0 Data Blackpool’s Gender Pay Gap as at 31 March 2019 is as follows:
1 Mean Pay Gap -0.94 %
2 Median Pay Gap -6.69 %
3 Mean bonus gender pay gap Blackpool 4 Median bonus gender pay gap Council does not operate 5 Proportion of males /females receiving a bonus payment any bonus scheme and therefore has no bonus gender pay gap.
6 Proportion of males and females in each quartile pay band
Page 76 Appendix 8(b)
4.0 Findings You will see that if you compare the Mean Gender Pay Gap data of –0.94 % and the Median Gender Pay Gap -6.69 % to the national picture, if fairs very favorably as the median pay gap among all companies that have reported is 8.9% (Source : Office of National statistics)
Although these figures are favourable for the Council, we are not complacent and will continue to monitor our performance, along with initiatives that we have in place which have contributed to these results such as:
Family friendly
Actively supporting parents returning to work from maternity leave, shared parental leave or adoption leave by offering job share, career break or part time opportunities. Flexible working (Flexitime) in many locations. Voluntary Reduced Hours. Signposting Childcare Information. Compassionate/Special Leave arrangements.
Learning and Development
Annual and interim appraisals for all staff to allow the opportunity to discuss key work objectives and learning and development needs. Mandatory Equalities E-learning for all. 360-degree feedback process for managers.
Page 77 Appendix 8(b)
Development of coaching and mentoring programmes.
Leadership
Introduction of a Leadership Charter and Survey. Introduction of Development programmes for aspiring managers. Post of Strategic Equality and Diversity Manager who is a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
Recruitment and retention
An established on line jobs portal, where all jobs are advertised. Establishment and maintenance of a job evaluation system using nationally recognised NJC and Hays schemes. Salary Scales clearly showing incremental progression and related criteria. Established Foundation living wage. Monitoring of recruitment data as part of workforce equality monitoring.
5.0 Agreement
I confirm that Blackpool Council is committed to the principle of gender pay equality and has prepared its 2019 gender pay gap results in line with mandatory requirements.
Signed:
Ne il Jack Chief Executive Publication Date:
Page 78 Agenda Item 9
Report to: COUNCIL Relevant Officer: Neil Jack (Returning Officer) Date of meeting: 12 February 2020
REVIEW OF POLLING DISTRICTS AND POLLING PLACES
1.0 Purpose of the report:
1.1 To consider the review of polling districts and polling places.
2.0 Recommendation(s):
2.1 To endorse the polling districts and polling places as set out in the appendices to this report.
2.2 To note that alternative options to replace temporary (mobile) polling stations are currently being pursued and to agree that delegated authority is given to the Chief Executive to determine these following appropriate consultation.
3.0 Reasons for recommendation(s):
3.1 In compliance with Section 17 of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (review of polling districts and places in Great Britain), the statutory responsibility for reviewing Parliamentary Polling Districts and Places in England and Wales rests with each relevant local authority for so much of any constituency as is situated in its area. The Authority must have undertaken and completed a review of all Parliamentary Polling Districts and Places in its area within 16 months, commencing 1 October 2018 (i.e. by 31 January 2020). To be effective for the Revised Register of Electors to be published on 1 December 2019.
3.2 Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or approved by No the Council?
3.3 Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved budget? Yes
4.0 Other alternative options to be considered:
4.1 No alternative options were suggested or considered as part of this review process. Two successful elections had taken place in May 2019 and subsequently did not highlight any concerns that needed to be addressed as part of this review.
Page 79 4.2 The snap Parliamentary election held on 12 December 2019 did highlight issues associated with the use of temporary (mobile) stations in terms of risk in relying on generated power. These are currently being reviewed to ascertain whether a permanent solution is possible. It is worth noting that the Council is empowered under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 to allocate polling places to any polling district therefore all polling districts and polling places are under constant review.
5.0 Council priority:
5.1 The relevant Council priority is “Communities: Creating stronger communities and increasing resilience”
6.0 Background information
6.1 The Authority must have undertaken and completed a review of all Parliamentary Polling Districts and Places in its area within 16 months, commencing 1 October 2018 (i.e. by 31 January 2020). A review was completed as per the Returning Officer’s decision at the following link: http://democracy.blackpool.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=1540
6.2 Following this review a further review will need to take place within the period of 16 months commencing on 1 October every fifth year thereafter. It is worth noting that the Council is not prevented from carrying out a review of all or some of the polling districts and places in its area at other times and as such all polling places remain under constant review.
6.3 A Polling District is a geographical area created by a sub-division of a UK Parliamentary constituency for the purposes of a UK Parliamentary election. The Council is responsible for dividing its area into polling districts and for keeping these under review.
6.4 A Polling Place is a geographical area in which polling stations will be selected. A polling place within a polling district must be designated so that polling stations are in close proximity to all electors in the polling district. It is possible to designate an entire polling district as the polling place and it is also possible to designate it more tightly (such as a particular building). The Council must designate a polling place for every polling district unless the size or other circumstances of the poling district are such that the location of the polling stations does not materially affect the convenience of the electorate. The designated polling place must be within the area of the polling district unless special circumstances make it desirable to designate an area wholly or partly outside of the polling district.
Page 80 6.5 A Polling Station is the room or area in which the voting takes place. This must be located within the polling place that has been designated for the particular polling district. In some cases, there is more than one polling station within a polling place, dependent upon how many people vote there. Unlike Polling Districts and Polling Places, polling stations are chosen by the relevant Returning Officer for the election.
6.6 In addition to the above, Local Authorities must comply with the following access requirements:
(a) seek to ensure that all electors in a constituency in the local authority area have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances; and (b) seek to ensure that so far as is reasonable and practicable every polling place for which it is responsible is accessible to electors who are disabled.
In addition, the polling place must be an area in the district, unless special circumstances make it desirable to designate an area wholly or partly outside the district (for example, if no accessible polling place can be identified in the district).
6.7 The Council must give notice of holding a review, which requires publication in the Council’s Office, in at least one conspicuous place within the Council’s area, and on the Council’s website. Notices were displayed in eight public libraries, the Council’s Customer First Centre and on the Council’s website during the consultation stage.
6.8 The published notice must include key information such as the timetable of the review, where documents can be inspected and how to make representations.
6.9 The Council is required to consult with the (Acting) Returning Officer for every parliamentary constituency that is wholly or partly within its area. The Acting Returning Officer from Wyre Borough Council was consulted during the consultation stage. No formal representations were submitted.
6.10 In respect to any representations from the (Acting) Returning Officer received, the Council would be required to publish the submitted representations within thirty calendar days of their receipt. No formal representations were submitted during the consultation stage.
6.11 In reviewing polling districts and polling places, the Council is required to actively seek representations from such persons as it thinks have particular expertise in relation to access to premises or facilities for persons who have different forms of disability. Such persons must be given the opportunity to make representations and to comment on the representations made by the Returning Officer. Details of the review were distributed to all the disability partnership network across Blackpool. No formal representations were submitted during the consultation stage.
Page 81 6.12 Does the information submitted include any exempt information? No
7.0 List of Appendices:
7.1 Appendix 9(a) - Proposed Polling District and Polling Places 2019 Appendix 9 (b) - Street index
8.0 Legal considerations:
8.1 Section 17 of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (review of polling districts and places in Great Britain) applies when conducting a review.
9.0 Human resources considerations:
9.1 None.
10.0 Equalities considerations:
10.1 None.
11.0 Financial considerations:
11.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from the review although indirect costs such as the cost of hiring the polling stations may arise.
12.0 Risk management considerations:
12.1 Polling Station Inspectors conduct on the job assessments of the polling places as part of their duties. A risk assessment will be carried out on any proposed solutions to replace the temporary polling places.
13.0 Ethical considerations:
13.1 None.
14.0 Internal/external consultation undertaken:
14.1 Consultation on the proposed list of polling places as set out in the appendix has been undertaken with ward councillors, Members of Parliament and persons who have particular expertise in relation to access to premises and facilities for persons who have different forms of disability. Consultation will take place on a similar basis when reviewing the temporary (mobile) stations, as per the recommendation in this report.
15.0 Background papers:
15.1 None.
Page 82
Appendix 9(a)
Blackpool Council
Page 83 Page Proposed Polling Districts and Polling Places 2019
Polling Disabled Street List Proposal Ward Constituency Polling Place District Access? Yes No change A1 Mobile Unit, Huntingdon Road/Buckden Close
Yes No change A2 Blackpool All Saints Church, 36 Valeway Avenue, FY5 3RN Anchorsholme Anchorsholme North and Yes No change A3 Cleveleys Sevenoaks Community Centre, Hobart Place, FY5 3DQ Yes No change A4 Cleveleys Baptist Church, St George's Avenue, FY5 3JN Yes No change B1 Mobile Unit, Snowshill Crescent/Radway Close
Norbreck Primary Academy (Main Entrance), Norbreck Road, FY5 Yes No change B2 Blackpool 1PD Norbreck Norbreck North and Norbreck Primary Academy (Main Entrance), Norbreck Road, FY5 Yes No change
Page 84 Page B2 Cleveleys 1PD Norbreck Primary Academy (Main Entrance), Norbreck Road, FY5 Yes No change B2 1PD Yes No change C1 Blackpool Sea Cadets, 596 Devonshire Road, FY2 0JL
Yes No change C1 Blackpool Blackpool Sea Cadets, 596 Devonshire Road, FY2 0JL Bispham Bispham North and Yes No change C1 Cleveleys Blackpool Sea Cadets, 596 Devonshire Road, FY2 0JL Bispham United Reformed Church Hall, Warbreck Drive / Yes No change C2 Cavendish Road, FY2 9JR Yes No change D1 St Stephen's Church Hall, St Stephen's Avenue, FY2 9RB
Yes No change D2 Holy Family RC Primary School, Seacrest Avenue, FY1 2SD
Blackpool Yes Warbreck No change D2 Warbreck North and Holy Family RC Primary School, Seacrest Avenue, FY1 2SD Cleveleys Yes No change D3 St Stephen's Church Hall, St Stephen's Avenue, FY2 9RB Yes No change D3 St Stephen's Church Hall, St Stephen's Avenue, FY2 9RB
Polling Disabled Street List Proposal Ward Constituency Polling Place District Access? Yes No change E1 Spencer Court Community Centre, Spencer Court, FY1 3TR
Yes No change E2 Westminster Primary Academy, Westminster Road, FY1 2QE Claremont Blackpool Yes No change E2 Claremont North and Westminster Primary Academy, Westminster Road, FY1 2QE Cleveleys Claremont First Step Community Centre, Methodist Church Yes No change E3 Buildings, Dickson Road, FY1 2AP Claremont First Step Community Centre, Methodist Church Yes No change E3 Buildings, Dickson Road, FY1 2AP Yes No change F1 The Salvation Army, Raikes Parade, FY1 4EL
Yes No change F1 The Salvation Army, Raikes Parade, FY1 4EL Blackpool Talbot Talbot South Yes No change F2 Christ Church with All Saints Church, 42 Reads Avenue, FY1 4DE Yes No change F3 Forest Gate Baptist Church, Forest Gate, FY3 9AW
Page 85 Page Yes No change G1 Kincraig Primary Children's Centre, Kincraig Road, FY2 0HN
Yes No change G2 Blackpool Bispham Community Centre, Bispham Road, FY2 0HH Ingthorpe Ingthorpe North and Yes No change G3 Cleveleys St Bernadette's Church Hall, 26 All Hallows Road, FY2 0AS Yes No change G3 St Bernadette's Church Hall, 26 All Hallows Road, FY2 0AS Yes No change H1 Springfield Methodist Church Hall, Bispham Road, FY2 0LB
Yes No change H1 Blackpool Springfield Methodist Church Hall, Bispham Road, FY2 0LB Greenlands Greenlands North and Yes No change H1 Cleveleys Springfield Methodist Church Hall, Bispham Road, FY2 0LB Yes No change H2 Unity Academy, Warbreck Hill Road, FY2 0TS Yes No change J1 Blackpool Lee House, Plymouth Road, FY3 7HW
Park North and @thegrange, (Formerly City Learning Centre), Bathurst Avenue/ Yes Park No change J2 Cleveleys Dinmore Avenue, FY3 7RW
Polling Disabled Street List Proposal Ward Constituency Polling Place District Access? @thegrange, (Formerly City Learning Centre), Bathurst Avenue/ Yes No change J2 Dinmore Avenue, FY3 7RW Yes No change J3 Horsebridge Community Centre, 170 Horsebridge Road, FY3 7EB Yes No change K1 St Mark`s Church, Westcliffe Drive, FY3 7HG
Blackpool Yes Layton No change K1 Layton North and St Mark`s Church, Westcliffe Drive, FY3 7HG Cleveleys Yes No change K2 Sports Pavilion, Kingscote Park, Kingscote Drive, FY3 7EN Yes No change L1 St Thomas` Parish Centre, 135 Caunce Street, FY1 3NJ
Yes No change L1 St Thomas` Parish Centre, 135 Caunce Street, FY1 3NJ Brunswick Blackpool Brunswick South St Kentigern's Parish Committee Room, 25A Newton Drive, FY3 Yes No change L2 8BT Yes No change
Page 86 Page L3 St Thomas` Parish Centre, 135 Caunce Street, FY1 3NJ Bloomfield East Community Association, 38 St Helier`s Road, FY1 Yes No change M1 6JE
Ibbison Court Community Centre, Ibbison Court/Central Drive, Yes No change M2 FY1 4AU Bloomfield
Ibbison Court Community Centre, Ibbison Court/Central Drive, Yes No change M2 Blackpool Bloomfield FY1 4AU South Yes No change M3 St Peter's Church Hall, Lytham Road, FY1 6DJ Yes No change N1 Thames Primary Academy, Severn Road, FY4 1EE
Yes No change N1 Thames Primary Academy, Severn Road, FY4 1EE Blackpool Waterloo Waterloo South Yes No change N2 Holy Trinity Memorial Hall, Dean Street, FY4 1BP Yes No change N3 The Solaris Centre, New South Promenade, FY4 1RW Yes No change O1 Roseacre Primary Academy, Stonycroft Avenue, FY4 2PF Blackpool Squires Gate South Yes Squires Gate No change O1 Roseacre Primary Academy, Stonycroft Avenue, FY4 2PF
Polling Disabled Street List Proposal Ward Constituency Polling Place District Access? Yes No change O1 Roseacre Primary Academy, Stonycroft Avenue, FY4 2PF Sharples Hall, Next To Princess Alexandra Home For The Blind, Yes No change O2 Bosworth Place, FY4 1SH Yes No change P1 St John Vianney Parish Centre, 26 Glastonbury Avenue, FY1 6RD
Yes No change P1 St John Vianney Parish Centre, 26 Glastonbury Avenue, FY1 6RD Tyldesley Blackpool Blackpool and The Fylde College, University Centre, Park Road, Yes No change P2 Tyldesley South FY1 4ES Revoe Primary Academy (First Step Centre), Grasmere Road, FY1 Yes No change P3 5HP Revoe Primary Academy (First Step Centre), Grasmere Road, FY1 Yes No change P3 5HP Yes No change Q1 Independent Methodist Schoolroom, Palmer Avenue, FY1 5JW
Yes No change Q2 Waterloo Primary Academy, Waterloo Road, FY4 3AG Blackpool Victoria
Page 87 Page Victoria South Yes No change Q2 Waterloo Primary Academy, Waterloo Road, FY4 3AG Yes No change Q2 Waterloo Primary Academy, Waterloo Road, FY4 3AG Yes No change R1 Marton Institute, Oxford Square, FY4 4DR
Yes No change R2 St Christopher's Church Hall, Hawes Side Lane, FY4 5AH Blackpool Hawes Side Hawes Side South Yes No change R2 St Christopher's Church Hall, Hawes Side Lane, FY4 5AH Yes No change R3 Baines Endowed Children's Centre, Penrose Avenue, FY4 4DJ Lindale Methodist Church, Dorritt Road (off Highfield Road), FY4 Yes No change S1 3PE Blackpool Lindale Methodist Church, Dorritt Road (off Highfield Road), FY4 Yes Highfield No change S1 Highfield South 3PE Yes No change S2 The Old Library Community Centre, Highfield Road, FY4 2JF Yes No change T1 Marton Blackpool Marton United Reformed Church, Preston Old Road, FY3 9UR
Polling Disabled Street List Proposal Ward Constituency Polling Place District Access? South Yes No change T1 Marton United Reformed Church, Preston Old Road, FY3 9UR Marton Yes No change T2 St Paul's Church, Honister Avenue/Whitegate Drive, FY3 9PF Yes No change T2 St Paul's Church, Honister Avenue/Whitegate Drive, FY3 9PF Tarnside Community Centre, Tarnside (off Langdale Road), FY4 Yes No change U1 4RD Tarnside Community Centre, Tarnside (off Langdale Road), FY4 Yes No change U1 Blackpool 4RD Clifton Clifton South Yes No change U2 Baines Endowed Children's Centre, Penrose Avenue, FY4 4DJ Yes No change U2 Baines Endowed Children's Centre, Penrose Avenue, FY4 4DJ Yes No change V1 Marton Methodist Schoolroom, 34 Midgeland Road, FY4 5HL
Our Lady of The Assumption Parish Centre, 125 Common Edge Yes No change
Page 88 Page V2 Blackpool Road, FY4 5DF Stanley Stanley South Yes No change V3 St Nicholas C of E Primary School, School Road, FY4 5DS Aysgarth Community Centre, Aysgarth Court (off Whernside, Yes No change V4 Highfield Road), FY4 5LX
Appendix 9(b)
Anchorsholme ward
Polling District Street Index A2 Willows Avenue A2 Wray Grove A1 Alconbury Crescent A3 Bovington Avenue A1 Anchorsholme A3 Bridgewater Lane West Avenue A1 Blandford Avenue A3 Brisbane Place A1 Buckden Close A3 Broadhurst Road A1 Chatteris Place A3 Canberra Close A1 Cherrywood A3 Dalby Close Avenue A3 Denville Avenue A1 College Avenue A3 Eastpines Drive A1 Fleetwood Road A3 Epsom Road A1 Huntingdon Road A3 Fir Tree Place A1 Ipswich Place A3 Glenarden Avenue A1 Kingsway A3 Grassington Place A1 Parkland Close A3 Green Oak Place A1 Queensbury Road A3 Hobart Place A2 Anchorsholme A3 Idlewood Place Lane East A3 Kelverdale Road A2 Beryl Avenue A3 Kinnerton Place A2 Bleasdale Avenue A3 Lockhurst Avenue A2 Brentwood Avenue A3 Melbourne Avenue A2 Brookdale Avenue A3 Oldbury Place A2 Eastpines Drive A3 Perth Close A2 Greenfield Road A3 Quarry Bank A2 Hermon Avenue A3 Rockville Avenue A2 Kirton Place A3 Seabrook Drive A2 Knowle Avenue A3 Sevenoaks Drive Anchorsholme A3 Springbrook A2 Luton Road Avenue A2 Merlyn Road A3 The Spinney A2 Murchison Grove A3 Warren Drive A2 Neville Avenue A3 Wood Green Drive A2 North Drive A4 Allen Close A2 Penswick Avenue A4 Anchorsholme A2 Redeswood Lane East Avenue A4 Ashmore Grove A2 Rookwood Avenue A4 Bedale Place A2 Seabrook Drive A4 Beryl Avenue A2 Stoneway Road A4 Conway Avenue A2 Valeway Avenue A4 Cresswood Avenue A2 Vermont Grove A4 Fleetwood Road A2 Warren Drive A4 Gresham Road A2 Warren Grove
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 89 Appendix 9(b)
A4 Keith Grove A4 Kelso Avenue A4 Kew Grove A4 Lakewood Avenue
A4 Lauderdale Avenue A4 Leith Avenue A4 Lockerbie Avenue A4 Luton Road A4 Lyddesdale Avenue A4 Magdalen Road A4 Maitland Avenue A4 North Drive A4 Rochford Avenue A4 Rookwood Avenue A4 South Parade
A4 Sovereign Court A4 St Andrew`s Avenue A4 St David`s Avenue A4 St George`s Avenue A4 St Teresa`s Avenue A4 The Close A4 The Croft A4 Welwyn Place A4 Willowdene
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 90 Appendix 9(b)
Bispham ward C1 Red Bank Road C1 Rivington Avenue Polling District Street Index C1 Salop Avenue C1 Salwick Avenue C1 Arundel Avenue C1 Sandhurst Avenue C1 Bamber Avenue C1 Sunny Bank Avenue C1 Bayswater C1 Tensing Avenue C1 Beaufort Avenue C1 Waller Avenue C1 Bethel Avenue C1 Warbreck Drive C1 Boston Avenue C1 York Road C1 Bromsgrove Avenue C2 Cavendish Road C1 Bryning Avenue C2 Coulston Avenue C1 Carlton Grove C2 Countess Crescent C1 Cavendish Road C2 Cranleigh Avenue C1 Caxton Avenue C2 Devonshire Road C1 Cedric Place C2 Duchess Drive C1 Chatsworth Avenue C2 Holmfield Road C1 Cliff Place C2 Lowther Avenue C1 Crawford Avenue C2 Norfolk Avenue C1 Davenport Avenue C2 Northgate C1 Daventry Avenue C2 Pembroke Avenue C1 Devonshire Road C2 Queens Promenade C1 Edenvale Avenue C2 Warbreck Drive C1 England Avenue C2 Wolverton Avenue C1 Erith Grove C1 Everest Drive C1 Falkirk Avenue End C1 Gregory Avenue C1 Haddon Road C1 Hanover Crescent C1 Hesketh Avenue C1 Hillary Avenue C1 Lanark Avenue C1 Landseer Avenue C1 Leyburn Avenue
C1 Madison Avenue C1 Melville Road C1 Millom Avenue C1 Montpelier Avenue C1 Norbreck Road C1 Norcliffe Road C1 Northgate
C1 Oldfield Avenue C1 Pennystone Road C1 Queens Promenade
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 91 Appendix 9(b)
Bloomfield ward M2 Kent Road M2 Livingstone Road Polling District Street Index M2 Louise Street M2 Middle Street M1 Baron Road M2 Montrose Avenue M1 Bloomfield Road M2 Orme Street M1 Central Drive M2 Palatine Road M1 Garrett Gardens M2 Park Road M1 Henry Street M2 Pennine Close M1 Johnston Street M2 Perry Place M1 Maudland Road M2 Pier Street M1 Mudie Place M2 Princess Street M1 Robinson Road M2 Promenade M1 Saville Road M2 Ribble Road M1 Seymour Road M2 Rigby Road M1 Sir Stanley Matthews Way M2 Rydal Avenue East M2 Salthouse Avenue M1 St Helier`s Road M2 Shannon Street M1 Stansfield Street M2 Singleton Street M1 Waterloo Road M2 Sir Stanley Matthews Way M1 Westbourne Avenue West M2 Anderson Street M2 Stan Mortensen Avenue M2 Ashton Road M2 Sutton Place M2 Back Shannon Street M2 Taylor Terrace M2 Bairstow Street M2 Tyldesley Road M2 Belmont Avenue M2 Woolman Road M2 Bethesda Road M2 York Street M2 Bickerstaffe Street M2 Yorkshire Street M2 Blundell Street M3 Adrian Street M2 Caroline Street M3 Alexandra Road M2 Central Drive M3 Amberbanks Grove M2 Chadwick Street M3 Austin Grove M2 Chapel Street M3 Back Clarendon Road M2 Clinton Avenue M3 Back Hilton Avenue M2 Coop Street M3 Back Woodfield Road M2 Cragg Street M3 Bagot Street M2 Dale Street M3 Ball Street M2 Erdington Road M3 Barham Street M2 Foxhall Road M3 Barton Avenue M2 Foxhall Square M3 Bloomfield Road M2 Freckleton Street M3 Bolton Street M2 Grasmere Road M3 Castlegate M2 Harrison Street M3 Clare Street M2 Ibbison Court M3 Clarendon Road M2 Jameson Street M3 Commercial Street
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 92 Appendix 9(b)
M3 Crystal Road M3 Duke Street M3 Elland Place M3 Gadsby Street
M3 Haig Road M3 Hilton Avenue M3 Hopton Road M3 Hyde Road M3 John Street M3 Kirby Road M3 Lonsdale Road M3 Lowrey Terrace M3 Lytham Road M3 Miller Street M3 Moon Avenue M3 Nelson Road
M3 Promenade M3 Rigby Road M3 Royle Street M3 Ruskin Avenue M3 Shaw Road M3 St Bede`s Avenue M3 St Chad`s Road
M3 Trafalgar Road M3 Tyldesley Road M3 Ward Street M3 Waterloo Road M3 Wellington Road M3 West View Avenue M3 Wolsley Road
M3 Woodfield Avenue M3 Woodfield Road
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 93 Appendix 9(b)
Brunswick ward L1 Whiteside Street L2 Apple Tree Gardens Polling District Street Index L2 Bailey Court L2 Beech Avenue L1 Addison Crescent L2 Birchway Avenue L1 Ascot Road L2 Bryan Road L1 Boothley Road L2 Caunce Street L1 Buchanan Street L2 Collingwood Avenue L1 Butler Street L2 Coveway Avenue L1 Cambridge Road L2 Elm Avenue L1 Caunce Street L2 Felgate Brow L1 Charles Street L2 Fordway Avenue L1 Church Street L2 Forest Gate L1 Coleridge Road L2 Glenwood Street L1 Collingwood Avenue L2 Hazel Grove L1 Danesbury Place L2 Heathway Avenue L1 Devonshire Road L2 Hillside Close L1 Durham Road L2 Hollywood Avenue L1 Dutton Road L2 Ingleway Avenue L1 Edelston Road L2 Kingscote Drive L1 Elizabeth Street L2 Layton Road L1 Fairhurst Street L2 Maple Avenue L1 Fenton Road L2 Mere Road L1 Fisher Street L2 Milton Avenue L1 George Street L2 Moorfield Avenue L1 Gorton Street L2 Myrtle Avenue L1 Granville Road L2 Newton Drive L1 Handley Road L2 North Park Drive L1 Layton Road L2 Olive Grove L1 Lily Street L2 Poplar Avenue L1 London Road L2 Ridgwood Avenue L1 Manchester Road L2 Ridley Street L1 Milbourne Street L2 St Clement`s Avenue L1 Moorfield Avenue L2 St Joseph`s Close L1 Newton Drive L2 Stratton Close L1 North Square L2 The Cloisters L1 Oxford Road L2 Waterfoot Avenue L1 Peter Street L2 Whitegate Drive L1 Platt Street L2 Whitley Avenue L1 Selbourne Road L3 Bratby Close L1 South Square L3 Chester Road L1 Talbot Road L3 Collett Crescent L1 The Saw Mills L3 Cresswell Street L1 Victory Road L3 Devonshire Road L1 Wayman Road
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 94 Appendix 9(b)
L3 Heald Street L3 Healey Street L3 Laycock Gate L3 Singleton Walk
L3 Stirling Road L3 Warwick Road
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 95 Appendix 9(b)
Claremont ward E2 Clifford Road E2 Cromwell Road Polling District Street Index E2 Derby Road E2 Dickson Road E1 Althorp Close E2 East Boothroyden E1 Beresford Street E2 Eaves Street E1 Boothley Road E2 Egerton Road E1 Catterall Close E2 Enfield Road E1 Cecil Street E2 Fairfield Road E1 Coleridge Road E2 Fielding Road E1 Coopers Way E2 Grantham Road E1 Cypress Grove E2 Hampstead Mews E1 Devonshire Road E2 Handsworth Road E1 Douglas Avenue E2 Hawthorn Road E1 Empire Grove E2 Imperial Street E1 Foxdale Avenue E2 Leavesley Road E1 Grafton Street E2 Lichfield Road E1 Greenhill Place E2 Moorhouse Street E1 Hardman Street E2 Newman Road E1 Healey Street E2 Promenade E1 Henthorne Street E2 Rice Grove E1 Kytson Close E2 Sherbourne Road E1 Laburnum Street E2 St Pauls Road E1 Mansfield Road E2 Stanhope Road E1 Mather Street E2 Sutherland Road E1 Percy Street E2 Sutherland View E1 Ramsey Avenue E2 Westminster Road E1 Rossall Road E2 Wilton Parade E1 Spencer Court E2 Woburn Road E1 St Anthonys Place E3 Abingdon Street E1 Stirling Place E3 Ashburton Road E1 Stirling Road E3 Avenham Grove E1 Swarbrick Close E3 Back High Street E1 Talbot Road E3 Back Lord Street E1 Victory Road E3 Back Warbreck Road E2 Ashburton Road E3 Banks Street E2 Avon Place E3 Braithwaite Street E2 Back Eaves Street E3 Bute Avenue E2 Bedford Road E3 Clyde Street E2 Boothroyden E3 Cocker Square E2 Carshalton Road E3 Cocker Street E2 Cheltenham Road E3 Cross Street E2 Chesterfield Road E3 Dickson Road E2 Claremont Road E3 Eaves Street E2 Clevedon Road
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 96 Appendix 9(b)
E3 Egerton Road E3 Exchange Street E3 Filey Place E3 Francis Street
E3 General Street E3 High Street E3 Howard Street E3 Lang Street E3 Lansdowne Place E3 Lewtas Street E3 Lord Street E3 Lynn Grove E3 Mount Street E3 Pleasant Street E3 Promenade E3 Queen Square
E3 Queen Street E3 Richmond Road E3 Springfield Road E3 Talbot Road E3 Talbot Square E3 The Strand E3 Walker Street
E3 Wall Street E3 Yates Street
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 97 Appendix 9(b)
Clifton ward U1 Ribchester Avenue U1 Rossett Avenue Polling District Street Index U1 Rusland Avenue U1 Seathwaite Avenue U1 Acorn Mews U1 St Monica`s Way U1 Ambleside Road U1 Tarnside U1 Annan Crescent U1 Troutbeck Crescent U1 Astling Green U1 Winster Place U1 Birkside Way U2 Ailsa Avenue U1 Borrowdale Road U2 Barclay Avenue U1 Bowfell Close U2 Carson Road U1 Bowness Avenue U2 Cherry Tree Gardens U1 Branstree Road U2 Cherry Tree Road U1 Cartmell Road U2 Cherry Tree Road North U1 Castlerigg Place U2 Clifton Road U1 Catforth Avenue U2 Clitheroe Place U1 Chapel Road U2 Coral Place U1 Cherry Tree Road North U2 Cowley Road U1 Clifton Avenue U2 Elaine Avenue U1 Clifton Road U2 Eskdale Close U1 Congleton Close U2 Falkland Avenue U1 Crummock Place U2 Fayles Grove U1 Dalegarth Close U2 Gordale Close U1 Deepdale Road U2 Highbank Avenue U1 Devona Avenue U2 Joyce Avenue U1 Dove Tree Court U2 June Avenue U1 Ellisland U2 Kinross Crescent U1 Ennerdale Road U2 Levine Avenue U1 Grizedale Road U2 Mooretree Drive U1 Hawkshead Terrace U2 Newhouse Road U1 Kentmere Drive U2 Penrose Avenue U1 Kumara Crescent U2 Pleasington Close U1 Langdale Gardens U2 Preston New Road U1 Langdale Road U2 Ribblesdale Close U1 Lee Road U2 Rosedale Avenue U1 Lindbeck Road U2 Rosemede Avenue U1 Loughrigg Terrace U2 Ryldon Place U1 Mardale Avenue U2 Saxby Grove U1 Mickleden Road U2 Senior Avenue U1 Newby Place U2 Sunningdale Avenue U1 Nithside U2 Vicarage Lane U1 Oakleaf Way U2 Wasdale Road U1 Preston New Road U2 Whalley Lane U1 Radworth Crescent U2 Winton Avenue U1 Ribby Place End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 98 Appendix 9(b)
Greenlands ward H1 Parsley Close H1 Quebec Avenue Polling District Street Index H1 Runcorn Avenue H1 Sage Close H1 Alston Road H1 Salcombe Avenue H1 Ardmore Road H1 Salmesbury Avenue H1 Bibbys Road H1 Seattle Avenue H1 Bispham Road H1 Sidney Avenue H1 Broderick Avenue H1 St Michael`s Road H1 Brough Avenue H1 Stopford Avenue H1 Canada Crescent H1 Tarragon Drive H1 Chive Close H1 Thyme Close H1 Collins Avenue H1 Toronto Avenue H1 Coriander Close H1 Tyrone Avenue H1 Corrib Road H1 Valentia Road H1 Devonshire Road H1 Washington Avenue H1 Edmonton Place H2 Appleby Road H1 Elmridge Crescent H2 Armadale Road H1 Essex Place H2 Bexley Avenue H1 Fennel Close H2 Bispham Road H1 Fitzroy Road H2 Blackfen Place H1 Galway Avenue H2 Bluebell Close H1 Greenbanks H2 Bracken Way H1 Gresley Place H2 Bromley Close H1 Hayfield Avenue H2 Chelsea Avenue H1 Headfort Close H2 Chestnut Close H1 Hetherington Place H2 Cotswold Road H1 Holyoake Avenue H2 Courtfield Avenue H1 Hughes Grove H2 Danson Gardens H1 Inver Road H2 Devonshire Road H1 Jersey Avenue H2 Goodwood Avenue H1 Kylemore Avenue H2 Hilstone Lane H1 Langdon Way H2 Holcombe Road H1 Lime Grove H2 Hurstwood Drive H1 Limerick Road H2 Leys Road H1 Linden Place H2 Meadow Close H1 Lorne Road H2 Mexford Avenue H1 Low Moor Road H2 Pearl Avenue H1 Ludlow Grove H2 Penhill Close H1 Maurice Grove H2 Rathmore Gardens H1 Maxwell Grove H2 Regency Gardens H1 Meadow Crescent H2 Summerwood Close H1 Moor Park Avenue H2 Teesdale Avenue H1 Morston Avenue H2 Tower View H1 Normandie Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 99 Appendix 9(b)
H2 Warbreck Hill Road H2 Warley Road H2 Waterside
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 100 Appendix 9(b)
Hawes Side ward R2 Hawes Side Lane R2 Hemingway Polling District Street Index R2 Holbeck Avenue R2 Howe Avenue R1 Acton Road R2 Hurstmere Avenue R1 Angers Hill Road R2 Loftos Avenue R1 Arnott Road R2 Logan Court R1 Belgrave Road R2 Longway R1 Branston Road R2 Lowesway R1 Brook Street R2 Macauley Avenue R1 Colwyn Avenue R2 Malham Avenue R1 Crossland Road R2 Marsden Road R1 Daggers Hall Lane R2 Marton Drive R1 Dalewood Avenue R2 Meanwood Avenue R1 Fairway Road R2 Millington Avenue R1 Hawes Side Lane R2 Moss Bank Place R1 Ilford Road R2 Oak Avenue R1 Meadway R2 Pavey Close R1 Morley Road R2 Pickmere Avenue R1 Oxford Square R2 Powell Avenue R1 Penrose Avenue R2 Quayle Avenue R1 Rectory Road R2 Renwick Avenue R1 Rosary Avenue R2 Roundhay R1 Ryburn Avenue R2 Scott Close R1 Sedbergh Avenue R2 Sowerby Avenue R1 St Edmund`s Road R2 Spen Place R1 Terance Road R2 Stretton Avenue R1 Troughton Crescent R2 Swindon Avenue R1 Vicarage Lane R2 Thursfield Avenue R1 Wanstead Crescent R2 Towneley Avenue R1 Waterloo Road R2 Vicarage Lane R1 Whittam Avenue R2 Watson Road R2 Bean Avenue R2 West Side R2 Bostonway R3 Angers Hill Road R2 Braith Close R3 Barclay Avenue R2 Bridge House Road R3 Elaine Avenue R2 Burns Place R3 George Avenue R2 Burnside Avenue R3 James Avenue R2 Daggers Hall Lane R3 John Hill Street R2 Dewhurst Avenue R3 Johnson Road R2 East Side R3 Newhouse Road R2 Ellesmere Road R3 Ord Avenue R2 Halton Gardens R3 Oscar Street R2 Harcourt Road R3 Penrose Avenue R2 Hathaway
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 101 Appendix 9(b)
R3 Phillip Street R3 Preston New Road R3 Ryson Avenue R3 Sedbergh Avenue
R3 Skipton Close
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 102 Appendix 9(b)
Highfield ward S1 Westby Avenue S1 Wyndham Gardens Polling Distrct Street Index S2 Abbey Close S2 Abbey Road S1 Acre Gate S2 Belvere Avenue S1 Alpine Avenue S2 Burgate S1 Ayrton Avenue S2 Cartmell Fold S1 Balham Avenue S2 Cheddar Avenue S1 Burnage Gardens S2 Dalton Avenue S1 Chiltern Avenue S2 Farnell Place S1 Clayton Crescent S2 Garton Avenue S1 Darley Avenue S2 Gildabrook Road S1 Deeside S2 Highfield Road S1 Dorritt Road S2 Highgate S1 Emerson Avenue S2 Kimberley Avenue S1 Endsleigh Gardens S2 Knightsbridge Avenue S1 Faringdon Avenue S2 Lawn Tennis Court S1 Ferndale Avenue S2 Oak Grove S1 Hawes Side Lane S2 Primrose Avenue S1 Helens Close S2 Ravenwood Avenue S1 Highfield Road S2 Sandgate S1 Ivy Avenue S2 Sawley Avenue S1 Keasden Avenue S2 Scotswood Avenue S1 Kingsmede S2 Selby Avenue S1 Lennox Gate S2 Squires Gate Lane S1 Lindale Gardens S2 St Annes Road S1 Linfield Terrace S2 St Martin`s Road S1 Livet Avenue S2 Sunnyhurst Avenue S1 Longridge Avenue S2 Sunnyhurst Park S1 Lostock Gardens S2 Tewkesbury Avenue S1 Loxham Gardens S2 Thursby Avenue S1 Marcroft Avenue S2 Waltham Avenue S1 Margate Avenue S2 Wellogate Gardens S1 Matthews Court S1 Molyneux Drive S1 Nesswood Avenue End S1 Pedders Lane S1 Regal Avenue S1 Speyside S1 Squires Gate Lane S1 St Annes Road S1 Stadium Avenue S1 Taybank Avenue S1 Teenadore Avenue
S1 Weeton Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 103 Appendix 9(b)
Ingthorpe ward G2 Bispham Road G2 Blackpool Road Polling District Street Index G2 Bristol Avenue G2 Buxton Avenue G1 Airdrie Place G2 Carcroft Avenue G1 Ashfield Road G2 Denstone Avenue G1 Beattock Place G2 Devonshire Road G1 Bergerac Crescent G2 Fernleigh Close G1 Betjeman Close G2 Galway Avenue G1 Bordeaux Crescent G2 Ingthorpe Avenue G1 Braemar Walk G2 Inver Road G1 Briarfield G2 Kildare Road G1 Briarwood Drive G2 Lentworth Avenue G1 Burgundy Crescent G2 Moor Park Avenue G1 Champagne Avenue G2 Munster Avenue G1 Chardonnay G2 Red Bank Road Crescent G2 Rockingham Road G1 Chaucer Place G2 Winnipeg Place G1 Clover Court G2 Wyresdale Avenue G1 Dumfries Close G3 Ainsdale Avenue G1 Elk View Court G3 All Hallows Close G1 Galloway Crescent G3 All Hallows Road G1 Glendale Close G3 All Saints Road G1 Highcroft Avenue G3 Ashfield Road G1 Honeysuckle Place G3 Beechwood Grove G1 Irvine Close G3 Birkdale Avenue G1 Kairnryan Close G3 Briarwood Drive G1 Keats Close G3 Bristol Avenue G1 Kilmory Place G3 Carnforth Avenue G1 Kincraig Place G3 Cherrydale G1 Kincraig Road G3 Codale Avenue G1 Lowland Way G3 Cranbrook Avenue G1 Milton Place G3 Cranbrook Grove G1 Mulberry Mews G3 Crofton Avenue G1 Oban Place G3 Cromer Road G1 Portree Road G3 Denholme Grove G1 Primrose Bank G3 Devonshire Road G1 Robins Lane G3 Epping Close G1 Ryscar Way G3 Fairfax Avenue G1 Shelley Close G3 Frinton Grove G1 Strathyre Close G3 Glenfield Avenue G1 Stronsay Place G3 Hastings Avenue G1 Tennyson Drive G3 Highcroft Avenue G2 Ashfield Road G3 Ingleton Avenue G2 Bangor Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 104 Appendix 9(b)
G3 Inglewood Grove G3 Ingthorpe Avenue G3 Longford Avenue G3 Lothian Place
G3 Norwich Place G3 Oakmoor Avenue G3 Pinewood Avenue G3 Portway G3 Red Bank Road G3 Rossington Avenue G3 Silverdale G3 Stainforth Avenue G3 Upwood Close G3 Village Way G3 Waterdale G3 Welland Close
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 105 Appendix 9(b)
Layton ward K1 Mansfield Road K1 Mather Street Polling District Street Index K1 Melrose Avenue K1 Meyler Avenue K1 Alder Grove K1 North Avenue K1 Annesley Avenue K1 Norwood Avenue K1 Beetham Place K1 Onslow Road K1 Benson Road K1 Oregon Avenue K1 Bispham Road K1 Peel Avenue K1 Brendon Walk K1 Pelham Avenue K1 Bridge Close K1 Plymouth Road K1 Brierley Avenue K1 Poulton Road K1 Brooklyn Avenue K1 Ramsey Avenue K1 Broughton Avenue K1 Rathlyn Avenue K1 Caledonian Avenue K1 Sherwood Avenue K1 Camden Road K1 St Marks Place K1 Cameron Avenue K1 Sussex Road K1 Campbell Avenue K1 Talbot Road K1 Cannock Avenue K1 Tennyson Road K1 Caunce Street K1 Wembley Avenue K1 Chelford Avenue K1 Westcliffe Drive K1 Collingwood Avenue K1 Whittaker Avenue K1 Collingwood Place K1 Wilford Street K1 Croydon Road K1 William Street K1 Cumbrian Avenue K2 Albion Avenue K1 Delaware Road K2 Alwood Avenue K1 Drummond Avenue K2 Bardsway Avenue K1 Eastwood Avenue K2 Beckway Avenue K1 Foxdale Avenue K2 Bingley Avenue K1 Garrick Grove K2 Blairway Avenue K1 Gisburn Grove K2 Brockway Avenue K1 Granby Avenue K2 Caton Grove K1 Grange Road K2 Crestway K1 Grenfell Avenue K2 Deneway Avenue K1 Highbury Avenue K2 Fordway Avenue K1 Hoo Hill Lane K2 Grange Road K1 Humber Avenue K2 Ingleway Avenue K1 Huntley Avenue K2 Kingscote Drive K1 Jackson Street K2 Kingscote Drive North K1 Kingscote Drive North K2 Lakeway K1 Larbreck Avenue K2 Milton Avenue K1 Layton Road K2 Nethway Avenue K1 Leaford Avenue K2 Newton Drive K1 Lyncroft Crescent K2 North Park Drive K1 Lynwood Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 106 Appendix 9(b)
K2 Onslow Road K2 Parkway K2 Riversway K2 Scorton Avenue
K2 Shenstone Road K2 St Bernard Avenue K2 St Louis Avenue K2 St Walburgas Road K2 Torsway Avenue
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 107 Appendix 9(b)
Marton ward T1 Rosefinch Way T1 Skelwith Road Polling District Street Index T1 Southbourne Road T1 St Leonard`s Road T1 Abbotsford Road T1 Stock Road T1 Ackroyd Place T1 Suffolk Road T1 Allenbury Place T1 Swallow Close T1 Barmouth Avenue T1 Swift Close T1 Bassenthwaite Road T1 The Square T1 Birch Tree Gardens T1 Torquay Avenue T1 Bletchley Close T1 Wheatlands Crescent T1 Broad Oak Lane - Staining T1 Windmill Rise T1 Clifton Crescent T1 Woodside Drive T1 Cornwall Place T1 Worcester Road T1 Dalkeith Avenue T1 Wordsworth Avenue T1 Doncaster Road T2 Abbotsford Road T1 Dovedale Avenue T2 Airedale Avenue T1 East Park Drive T2 Aldwych Avenue T1 Elterwater Place T2 Beechfield Avenue T1 Fredora Avenue T2 Briercliffe Avenue T1 Garden Close T2 Cadby Avenue T1 Kelmarsh Close T2 Canterbury Avenue T1 Kingsley Road T2 Carsluith Avenue T1 Kipling Drive T2 Colchester Road T1 Knutsford Road T2 Crosby Grove T1 Lancaster Road T2 Dryburgh Avenue T1 Lark Close T2 Dunmail Avenue T1 Lawnswood Crescent T2 East Mead T1 Lawson Road T2 East Park Drive T1 Lodge Court - Staining T2 Godwin Avenue T1 Lulworth Avenue T2 Goldsboro` Avenue T1 Marples Drive T2 Halifax Street T1 Meadowbrook T2 Haslemere Avenue T1 Mereland Road T2 Hereford Avenue T1 Moorland Court T2 Higham Grove T1 Mythop Road T2 Honister Avenue T1 Norfolk Road T2 Knaresboro` Avenue T1 Paddock Drive T2 Latham Avenue T1 Patterdale Avenue T2 Lawson Road T1 Pittsdale Avenue T2 Lightbown Avenue T1 Prescot Place T2 Lindsay Avenue T1 Preston New Road T2 Lomond Avenue T1 Preston Old Road T2 Newlands Avenue T1 Quernmore Avenue T2 North Park Drive T1 Rosefinch Court
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 108 Appendix 9(b)
T2 Patterdale Avenue T2 Pittsdale Avenue T2 Preston New Road T2 Preston Old Road
T2 Royal Avenue T2 Royal Bank Road T2 South Park Drive T2 St Leonard`s Road T2 Stanley Park Close T2 West Park Drive T2 Weymouth Road T2 Whitegate Drive T2 Worcester Road T2 Wren Grove
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 109 Appendix 9(b)
Norbreck ward B2 Ilkley Grove B2 Jem Gate Polling District Street Index B2 Kelvin Road B2 Kirkstone Drive B1 Ashfield Road B2 Lockerbie Avenue B1 Bucknell Place B2 Lodge Close B1 Byfield Avenue B2 Lyddesdale Avenue B1 Deerhurst Road B2 Maida Vale B1 Emerald Close B2 Maplewood Drive B1 Evesham Close B2 Melton Place B1 Gaydon Way B2 Micklegate B1 Halford Place B2 Mossom Lane B1 Loxley Place B2 Norbreck Road B1 Loxley Place East B2 Norkeed Road B1 Marble Avenue B2 North Drive B1 Opal Close B2 Oakland Avenue B1 Oxhill Place B2 Queens Promenade B1 Poolhill Close B2 Rookwood Avenue B1 Radway Close B2 Russell Avenue B1 Snowshill Crescent B2 Shelley Grove B1 Wheatfield Close B2 Sheringham Avenue B1 Whiteholme Road B2 Shirley Crescent B1 Winchcombe Road B2 Shore Road B1 Wroxton Close B2 Solway Close B2 Alpic Drive B2 Valeway Avenue B2 Ashwell Place B2 Warren Drive B2 Boston Avenue B2 Waterhead Crescent B2 Brentwood Avenue B2 Westbury Close B2 Buckley Crescent B2 Wilson Square B2 Carr Road B2 Wilvere Drive B2 Clovelly Avenue B2 Wimbledon Avenue B2 Crawford Avenue B2 Wingate Avenue B2 Delphene Avenue B2 Wingate Place B2 Derwent Place B2 Winsford Crescent B2 Devonshire Road B2 Woodridge Avenue B2 Digham Avenue B2 Duncan Avenue B2 Elmbank Avenue End B2 Everest Drive B2 Falkirk Avenue B2 Fleetwood Road B2 Glenmere Crescent B2 Glossop Close B2 Gretna Crescent B2 Guildford Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 110 Appendix 9(b)
Park ward J2 Forshaw Avenue J2 Forshaw Close Polling District Street Index J2 Fulwood Avenue J2 Furness Avenue J1 Baines Avenue J2 Gateside Drive J1 Blackpool Old Road J2 Haslow Place J1 Burnsall Avenue J2 Heron Way J1 Carleton Avenue J2 Hockley Place J1 Elkfield Drive J2 Linnet Close J1 Furlong Crescent J2 Mallard Court J1 Garstang Road West J2 Montague Close J1 Greenbriar Close J2 Newton Drive J1 Harewood Avenue J2 Normoss Avenue J1 Kendal Avenue J2 Normoss Road J1 Leyfield Close J2 North Park Drive J1 Mellwood Avenue J2 Oxenhurst Road J1 Mowbray Drive J2 Park Side Drive J1 Parbold Close J2 Park View J1 Pendle Close J2 Plovers Way J1 Plymouth Road J2 Poulton Road J1 Poulton Old Road J2 Rodwell Walk J1 Poulton Road J2 Rudyard Place J1 Westfield Avenue J2 Sandpiper Close J1 Willow Grove J2 Shore Fields J2 Adstone Avenue J2 Sidford Court J2 Argosy Avenue J2 St Michaels Close J2 Bathurst Avenue J2 St Walburgas Road J2 Bertrand Avenue J2 Stonechat Close J2 Bideford Avenue J2 Tarnbrook Drive J2 Bowland Crescent J2 Teal Court J2 Burwood Drive J2 Turnstone J2 Calvert Place J2 Walney Place J2 Charnwood Avenue J2 Wensleydale Avenue J2 Chepstow Road J2 Whinney Heys Road J2 Chipping Grove J2 Whinpark Avenue J2 Convent Crescent J3 Bishopsgate J2 Cottesmore Place J3 Blossom Court J2 Dauntesey Avenue J3 Browsholme Close J2 Dawlish Avenue J3 Chatburn Close J2 Dingle Avenue J3 Chipping Grove J2 Dinmore Avenue J3 Cockerham Walk J2 Dinmore Place J3 Croasdale Walk J2 Draycot Avenue J3 Dinmore Avenue J2 Elgin Place J3 Easington Crescent J2 Elston Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 111 Appendix 9(b)
J3 Garstang Road West J3 Glencoe Avenue J3 Grindleton Close J3 Hammerton Place
J3 Horsebridge Road J3 Ledbury Road J3 Marchwood Road J3 Marlhill Road J3 Otterburn Close J3 Overdale Grove J3 Paythorne Close J3 Pilling Court J3 Pilling Crescent J3 Rathmell Close J3 Shipley Close J3 Silsden Close
J3 Slaidburn Walk J3 St Catherine Close J3 St Mary Close J3 St Thomas Close J3 Steeton Road J3 Stuart Place J3 Tynedale Place
J3 Tynedale Road J3 Yew Tree Road
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 112 Appendix 9(b)
Squires Gate ward O1 Roseway O1 Sandhills Avenue Polling District Street Index O1 Sandon Place O1 Scarsdale Avenue O1 Abbey Road O1 Squires Gate Lane O1 Abbeyville O1 St George`s Road O1 Albany Avenue O1 St James` Road O1 Alderley Avenue O1 St Martin`s Road O1 Allandale O1 Stony Hill Avenue O1 Ash Street O1 Stonycroft Avenue O1 Babbacombe Avenue O1 Stonycroft Place O1 Berwick Road O1 Summerville O1 Boome Street O1 Swanage Avenue O1 Boscombe Road O1 Ventnor Road O1 Bournemouth Road O1 Wetherby Avenue O1 Brixham Place O1 Whitwell Avenue O1 Byland Close O1 Windle Close O1 Cairn Grove O1 Wycombe Avenue O1 Colville Avenue O2 Abercorn Place O1 Downham Place O2 Bentinck Avenue O1 Dunes Avenue O2 Bosworth Place O1 Eastbourne Road O2 Clifton Drive O1 Everton Road O2 Crichton Place O1 Green Avenue O2 Freemantle Avenue O1 Harrington Avenue O2 Greystoke Place O1 Harrowside O2 Harrow Place O1 Highfield Road O2 Harrowside O1 Hillcrest Road O2 Marple Close O1 Horncliffe Road O2 New South Promenade O1 Keston Grove O2 Raleigh Avenue O1 Kidbrooke Avenue O2 Rutherford Place O1 Kingston Avenue O2 Sandridge Place O1 Langfield Avenue O2 Squires Gate Lane O1 Laurier Avenue O2 Walpole Avenue O1 Lodore Road O1 Lytham Road O1 Mayfield Avenue End O1 Orchard Avenue O1 Prestbury Avenue O1 Priory Gate O1 Redwood Close O1 Roseacre O1 Rosebank Avenue O1 Roselyn Avenue O1 Rosemary Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 113 Appendix 9(b)
Stanley ward V2 Drakelowe Avenue V2 Dumbarton Close Polling District Street Index V2 Edgeway Road V2 Elswick Place V1 Askrigg Close V2 Faringdon Avenue V1 Bamburgh Close V2 Glenapp Avenue V1 Brookfield Avenue V2 Hampshire Place V1 Chapel Road V2 Hazeltree Avenue V1 Corbridge Close V2 Henson Avenue V1 Cropper Road V2 Highfield Road North V2 Hollytree Avenue V1 Dickies Lane V2 Inskip Place V1 Dockypool Lane V2 Jubilee Lane North V1 Dumbarton Close V2 Kildonan Avenue V1 Dunbar Close V2 Laundry Road V1 Dunvegan Close North V1 Eastbank Avenue V2 Limechase Close V1 Florence Street V2 Lindale Gardens V1 Harold Avenue V2 Lowstead Place V1 Jasmine Close V2 Midgeland Road V1 Jubilee Lane North V2 Moss House Road V1 Kincardine Avenue V2 Myerscough V1 Lauriston Close Avenue V1 Lochinch Close V2 Nateby Avenue V1 Magnolia Way V2 New Hall Avenue V1 Midgeland Road North V1 Moss House Road V2 Newlyn Avenue V1 Orchid Way V2 Plumpton Avenue V1 Roxburgh Road V2 Redwood Avenue V1 Southbank Avenue V2 Redwood V1 Stockydale Road Boulevard V1 Taymouth Road V2 Redwood Place V1 Walkers Hill V2 Regal Avenue V1 Wesley Mews V2 Rosewood Avenue V1 Westbank Avenue V2 Roxburgh Road V1 Whalley Lane V2 Squires Gate Lane V2 Bennetts Lane V2 Stanmore Avenue V2 Broadfield Avenue V2 Stockydale Road V2 Brodie Close V2 Taymouth Road V2 Candlewood V2 Thornhill Close Avenue V2 Walnut Avenue V2 Collyhurst Avenue V2 Willowbank V2 Common Edge Avenue Road V3 Belverdale Gardens V2 Dockypool Lane V3 Bramley Close
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 114 Appendix 9(b)
V3 Burbank Close V4 Highfield Gardens V3 Chestnut Avenue V4 Highfield Road V3 Common Edge V4 Holgate Road V4 Houseman Place V3 Dickies Lane South V4 Islay Close V3 Division Lane V4 Johnsville Avenue V3 Dugdale Court V4 Kintyre Close V3 Ecclesgate Road V4 Lismore Avenue V3 Fisher`s Lane V4 Lowfield Road V3 Glebe Close V4 Marshdale Road V3 Jepson Way V4 Midgeland Road V3 Jubilee Lane V4 Mill Dyke Close V3 Kitty Lane V4 Millfield Road V3 Laundry Road V4 Mooreview Court V3 Marton Fold V4 Moorgate V3 Midgeland Road V4 Moss Way V3 New Hall Avenue V4 Nairn Close V3 Oakwood Close V4 Pedders Lane V3 Sandy Lane V4 Ravenglass Close V3 School Road V4 Rona Avenue V3 Squires Gate Lane V4 Rough Heys Lane V3 St Nicholas Road V4 Sedgefield Close V3 Sycamore Avenue V4 Southworth V3 The Nurseries Avenue V3 Willow Brooke V4 Strathdale Court V4 Sunfield Close V3 Worthington Road V4 Vicarage Lane V4 Annaside Close V4 Walkers Hill V4 Avondale Crescent V4 Webster Avenue V4 Aysgarth Court V4 Wharfedale V4 Blossom Avenue V4 Windmill Place V4 Bowgreave Close V4 Burgess Avenue V4 Carisbrooke End Avenue V4 Carterville Close V4 Claytongate V4 Common Edge Road V4 Crompton Avenue V4 Glencross Place V4 Green Way V4 Gregson Close V4 Hawes Side Lane V4 Helmsdale Road
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 115 Appendix 9(b)
Talbot ward F2 Clifton Street F2 Coronation Street Polling District Street Index F2 Corporation Street F2 Deansgate F1 Adelaide Street F2 East Topping Street F1 Albert Road F2 Edward Street F1 Buchanan Street F2 Fleet Street F1 Caunce Street F2 Havelock Street F1 Charles Street F2 Hornby Road F1 Charnley Road F2 Hull Road F1 Church Street F2 King Street F1 Cookson Street F2 Leopold Grove F1 George Street F2 Livingstone Road F1 Grosvenor Street F2 Market Street F1 Hornby Road F2 Palatine Road F1 King Street F2 Park Road F1 Leamington Road F2 Promenade F1 Leeds Road F2 Reads Avenue F1 Leicester Road F2 Regent Road F1 Lincoln Road F2 South King Street F1 Liverpool Road F2 Stanley Road F1 Longton Road F2 Talbot Road F1 Milbourne Street F2 Talbot Square F1 Palatine Road F2 Topping Street F1 Park Road F2 Tower Street F1 Peter Street F2 Vance Road F1 Raikes Parade F2 West Street F1 Reads Avenue F2 Westwell Grove F1 Regent Road F3 Belle Vue Place F1 South King Street F3 Breck Road F1 Talbot Road F3 Gainsborough Road F1 Whitegate Drive F3 Glen Street F2 Abingdon Street F3 Gloucester Avenue F2 Adelaide Street F3 Gorse Road F2 Adelaide Street West F3 Harley Road F2 Albert Road F3 Kensington Road F2 Alfred Street F3 Lever Street F2 Back Palatine Road F3 Lyceum Avenue F2 Birley Street F3 Manor Road F2 Bonny Street F3 Marlborough Road F2 Cedar Square F3 Mere Road F2 Central Drive F3 Newcastle Avenue F2 Charnley Road F3 Palatine Road F2 Cheapside F3 Portland Road F2 Church Street
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 116 Appendix 9(b)
F3 Ripon Road F3 St Albans Road F3 Tyne Avenue F3 West Park Drive
F3 Westwood Avenue F3 Whitegate Drive F3 Woodland Grove
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 117 Appendix 9(b)
Tyldesley ward P2 Cunliffe Road P2 Gloucester Avenue Polling District Street Index P2 Montreal Avenue P2 Palatine Road P1 Baldwin Grove P2 Park Road P1 Beechfield Avenue P2 Ripon Road P1 Bloomfield Road P2 Salisbury Road P1 Boardman Avenue P2 Snowdon Close P1 Cunliffe Road P2 Somerset Avenue P1 Elmslie Gardens P2 St Ives Avenue P1 Ferguson Road P2 St Vincent Avenue P1 Fir Grove P2 Westmorland Avenue P1 Glastonbury Avenue P2 Whitegate Drive P1 Greenwood Avenue P3 Ashton Road P1 Hartford Avenue P3 Auburn Grove P1 Kempton Avenue P3 Back Cunliffe Road P1 Kenwyn Avenue P3 Back Keswick Road P1 Kirkham Avenue P3 Back Westmorland Avenue P1 Kirkstall Avenue P3 Bela Grove P1 Knowsley Avenue P3 Bloomfield Road P1 Laurel Avenue P3 Condor Grove P1 Marton View P3 Cunliffe Road P1 Mayfair Road P3 Dinckley Grove P1 Old Meadows Lane P3 Fern Grove P1 Oxford Square P3 Grasmere Road P1 Park Road P3 Jeffrey Square P1 Pine Avenue P3 Keswick Road P1 Stoke Avenue P3 Kingsland Grove P1 Stratford Gardens P3 Knox Grove P1 Stratford Place P3 Levens Grove P1 The Elms P3 Lune Grove P1 Thorne Grove P3 Park Road P1 Vernon Avenue P3 Sharow Grove P1 Waterloo Road P3 Thirsk Grove P1 West Park Drive P3 Thornber Grove P1 Whitegate Drive P3 Westmorland Avenue P1 Wilkinson Avenue P3 Wyre Grove P1 Woodland Grove P2 Balmer Grove P2 Bankfield Grove End P2 Bennett Avenue P2 Blenheim Avenue P2 Brecon Close P2 Condor Grove P2 Cumberland Avenue
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 118 Appendix 9(b)
Victoria ward Q2 Falmouth Road Q2 Fernhurst Avenue Polling District Street Index Q2 Finsbury Avenue Q2 Fir Grove Q1 Ansdell Road Q2 Frederick Street Q1 Bela Grove Q2 Gladstone Street Q1 Bloomfield Road Q2 Greenwood Avenue Q1 Central Drive Q2 Hall Avenue Q1 Chadfield Road Q2 Harcourt Road Q1 Condor Grove Q2 Harlech Avenue Q1 Grasmere Road Q2 Harris Avenue Q1 Levens Grove Q2 Hawes Side Lane Q1 Lilac Avenue Q2 Hebden Avenue Q1 Lune Grove Q2 Hemingway Q1 Mayor Avenue Q2 Hodder Avenue Q1 Palmer Avenue Q2 Houghton Avenue Q1 Queen Victoria Road Q2 Hudson Road Q1 Revoe Street Q2 Lightwood Avenue Q1 Rose Avenue Q2 Lunedale Avenue Q1 Westmorland Avenue Q2 Lyndhurst Avenue Q1 Wyre Grove Q2 Lynton Avenue Q2 Aintree Road Q2 Malvern Avenue Q2 Ansdell Road Q2 Marina Avenue Q2 Arkholme Avenue Q2 Marsden Road Q2 Arnside Avenue Q2 Marton Drive Q2 Aylesbury Avenue Q2 Mirfield Grove Q2 Back Cunliffe Road Q2 Newbury Avenue Q2 Beardshaw Avenue Q2 Nuttall Road Q2 Bloomfield Road Q2 Orkney Road Q2 Boardman Avenue Q2 Parkinson Way Q2 Brun Grove Q2 Romney Avenue Q2 Central Drive Q2 Rugby Street Q2 Chislehurst Avenue Q2 Scudamore Crescent Q2 Cunliffe Road Q2 Shetland Road Q2 Devon Street Q2 Silverwood Avenue Q2 Dorset Street Q2 St Annes Road Q2 Dover Road Q2 Starbeck Avenue Q2 Dunelt Road Q2 Stoke Avenue Q2 Dunsop Close Q2 Taunton Street Q2 Durley Road Q2 Threlfall Mews Q2 Eaton Avenue Q2 Threlfall Road Q2 Eccleston Road Q2 Tranmere Road Q2 Edwell Avenue Q2 Truro Street Q2 Ellesmere Road Q2 Walverden Avenue Q2 Exeter Street
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 119 Appendix 9(b)
Q2 Waterloo Road Q2 Westfield Road Q2 Weston Place Q2 Winchester Avenue
Q2 Wood Park Gardens Q2 Wood Park Road
End
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 120 Appendix 9(b)
Warbreck ward D2 Warley Road D2 Waverley Avenue Polling District Street Index D2 Westminster Road D2 Willshaw Road D1 Ashley Close D2 Wynnwood Avenue D1 Carlin Gate D3 Antrim Road D1 Cornwall Avenue D3 Argyll Road D1 Devonshire Road D3 Athlone Avenue D1 Holmfield Road D3 Calder Road D1 Queens Promenade D3 Cleator Avenue D1 Shaftesbury Avenue D3 Cornwall Avenue D1 St Stephens Avenue D3 Devonshire Road D1 The Knowle D3 Empress Drive D1 Warbreck Drive D3 Gosforth Road D1 Wolverton Avenue D3 Holmfield Road D2 Banbury Avenue D3 King Edward Avenue D2 Cambray Road D3 King George Avenue D2 Devonshire Road D3 Knowle Avenue D2 Dickson Road D3 Northumberland D2 Dorchester Road Avenue D2 Dudley Avenue D3 Pierston Avenue D2 Finchley Road D3 Queens Promenade D2 Geldof Drive D3 Shaftesbury Avenue D2 Gynn Avenue D3 Warbreck Drive D2 Gynn Square D3 Warbreck Hill Road D2 Hodgson Road D2 Holly Road D2 Holmfield Road End D2 King George Avenue
D2 Leckhampton Road D2 Lichfield Road D2 Links Road D2 Milford Avenue D2 Northfield Avenue D2 Ormond Avenue D2 Promenade
D2 Queens Promenade D2 Raymond Avenue D2 Redcar Road D2 Repton Avenue D2 Riversleigh Avenue D2 Sandicroft Road D2 Seacrest Avenue
D2 Seafield Road D2 Warbreck Hill Road
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 121 Appendix 9(b)
Waterloo ward N1 Ventnor Road N1 Watson Road Polling District Street Index N1 Windermere Road N1 Woodstock Gardens N1 Arlington Avenue N1 Worsley Avenue N1 Arnold Avenue N1 Yeadon Way N1 Bamton Avenue N2 Back Montague N1 Beverley Grove Street N1 Broadway N2 Balmoral Road N1 Burlington Road N2 Bath Street N1 Coniston Road N2 Bond Street N1 Eastbourne Road N2 Bright Street N1 Fenber Avenue N2 Brighton Avenue N1 Fifth Avenue N2 Byron Street N1 First Avenue N2 Clifton Drive N1 Fourth Avenue N2 Dean Street N1 Grundy Mews N2 Garden Terrace N1 Hampton Road N2 Gordon Street N1 Horncliffe Road N2 Hill Street N1 Jesmond Avenue N2 Lawrence Street N1 Kenilworth Gardens N2 Lytham Road N1 Kingsway N2 Montague Street N1 Lytham Road N2 Moore Street N1 Mersey Road N2 Osborne Road N1 Princeway N2 Promenade N1 Queensway N2 Rawcliffe Street N1 Rangeway Avenue N2 Simpson Street N1 Rosebery Avenue N2 Station Road N1 Sackville Avenue N2 Station Terrace N1 Seabourne Avenue N2 Waterloo Road N1 Second Avenue N2 Windsor Avenue N1 Seventh Avenue N2 Withnell Road N1 Severn Road N3 Bond Street N1 Sixth Avenue N3 Burlington Road N1 St Annes Road West N1 St James` Road N3 Carlyle Avenue N1 St Luke`s Road N3 Clifton Drive N1 St Martin`s Road N3 Harrowside West N1 Stamford Avenue N3 Napier Avenue N1 Thames Road N3 New South N1 The Crescent Promenade N1 Third Avenue N3 Tudor Place N1 Thirlmere Road N3 Wimbourne Place N1 Trent Road End N1 Ullswater Road
Polling District/Polling Place Review 2019 Page 122 Agenda Item 10
Notice of Motions
To consider the following motions, which have been submitted in accordance with Procedure Rule 12.1: a) Beat the Bullying Campaign. Councillor T Williams to propose
That this Council
Recognises that bullying in its many and diverse forms is never acceptable especially when young children are the victims
Requests that the Chief Executive write to every school head teacher in the borough regardless of whether they are an Academy, maintained or diocesan school encouraging the schools to pledge to support the ‘Beat the Bullying Campaign’ led by the Headstart Resilience Revolution and get involved in achieving the charter mark for that campaign. The charter mark being the first of its kind developed by young people in the country. The letter to also encourage schools to access anti bullying training, which is available. The Council has been using the free anti bullying programme which has been initiated by MADD (Making A Direct Difference) About Bullying and this is sponsored by individual businesses and local residents together with a generous donation from Fleetwood Town Football Club. There are also other programmes available such as Stop Speak Support etc. b) Sprinkler Systems. Councillor T Williams to propose
There are on average 37,000 house fires per year in the United Kingdom. Last year, including 72 fatalities from Grenfell, 334 lives were lost in residential fires. In general, fewer people are dying from fire related incidents, but figures do fluctuate. In all these 37,000 fires only 25% were fitted with smoke alarms, that’s just 9,000.
The highest cause of fire deaths is smoke inhalation usually started by cooking and electrical appliances left unattended.
In all these fires almost, every life could have been saved if the premises had been fitted with sprinklers systems but so far only a limited type of buildings are forced by legislation to require sprinklers to be deployed.
That is upwards of 300 deaths that could have been avoided. Sprinkler systems are relatively cheap to install at the construction stage and target only the heat source of a specific fire, ensuring that the fire does not spread through the building. The water also removes larger smoke particles greatly reducing asphyxiation from smoke and fumes, it also cools the smoke making it less harmful.
Page 123 Sprinkler Systems:
Reduce death and injury from fire Reduce the risks to fire fighters Protect property and heritage Reduce the effects of arson Reduce the impact of fire on the environment Reduce fire costs and the disruption to the community and business Permit design freedoms and encourage innovative, inclusive and sustainable architecture Protect mental health and wellbeing Promote and support business continuity
Sprinklers reduce injuries by at least 80 per cent, reduce property damage by 90 per cent and substantially reduce damage to the environment from fire.
Fire sprinklers are widely recognised as the single most effective method for fighting the spread of fires in their early stages.
The installation of fire sprinklers could virtually eliminate fire deaths. Blackpool Council is instigating a major housing development project and as a council the future safety of all Blackpool residents must be ensured.
By passing this motion, the Council will at the forefront of fire safety in the home and the Council’s actions of lobbying the Minister could lead the way for other authorities to follow suit and help save many lives.
This Council therefore calls on the Chief Executive to write to the Minister of Housing, Communities and Local Government to consider making it mandatory in building regulations that house builders install Fire Authority approved sprinkler systems on all new residential buildings. These sprinkler systems to be at an adequate level for each particular design of house as agreed with the National Fire Authority. c) Adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. Councillor Blackburn to propose.
This Council expresses alarm at the rise in antisemitism in recent years across the UK. This includes incidents when criticism of Israel has been expressed using antisemitic tropes. Criticism of Israel can be legitimate, but not if it employs the tropes and imagery of antisemitism.
The Council therefore welcomes the UK Government’s announcement on 11 December 2016 that it will sign up to the internationally recognised International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines on antisemitism, which define antisemitism thus:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or
Page 124 non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The guidelines highlight manifestations of antisemitism as including:
“• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
• Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non- Jews.
• Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
• Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
• Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
• Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour.
• Applying double standards by requiring of it a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
• Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
• Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
• Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”
This Council welcomes the cross-party support within the Council for combating antisemitism in all its manifestations.
This Council hereby adopts the above definition of antisemitism as set out by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and pledges to combat this pernicious form of racism.
Page 125 This page is intentionally left blank