BURNLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL REPORT TO THE FULL COUNCIL Internal link to previous report PORTFOLIO: LEADER EXECUTIVE MEMBER: COUNCILLOR JULIE COOPER DATE OF REPORT: 12 th July 2012 Progress on Strategic Objectives PE1 Strong visible leadership for the Council and the Borough Action Progress PE1a- Work with partners to The Council continues to be at the heart of ensure the delivery of the successful partnership arrangements. An Borough’s Community Strategy. overview of the joint work currently being undertaken by the Children’s Trust, the Community Safety Partnership, and our economic development partnerships with the private sector, will be reported by my fellow Executive members. PE1b- Ensure the Council plays I have engaged with colleague Leaders from a major role in Pennine Pennine Lancashire and, indeed, across Lancashire Leaders and Chief Lancashire. I am working with colleagues to Executives group (PLLACE) and maximise our influence within the partnership Lancashire Leaders East Group. structures at County and regional level, particularly in terms of economic development. Talks are being held with Pendle Council in particular, in order to develop a joint approach to lobbying Government on future funding. Council will recall that we were successful in securing so called transition funding for 2011/12 and 2012/13. This protected this Council and a small number of others against unsustainable cuts in our “spending power,” limiting the reduction of our funding to 8.8% in each year. We now face the challenge of securing this type of support again. Transition grant represents approaching 30% of our core funding. The new system of local government finance based on “localising” business rates must have a fair starting point for Burnley – the baseline must include all the core funding that the Council currently receives, including the transition grant. As well as working with other Councils, I have had discussions with Gordon Birtwistle, MP, and he has agreed to lobby hard on our behalf and facilitate meetings with appropriate Ministers. I hope that I can count on support from other Group Leaders. This is the single most important issue facing us in the medium term. We must do everything we can to make our case over the summer. PE2 Developing opportunities and sustaining ambition of local residents Action Progress PE2a - Improve educational Current forecasts from all of the Burnley High attainment in the Borough by Schools suggest that the progress that has been working closely with the made on exam results (A-C’s incl. Maths and Education Trust and its partners English) will be maintained. PE2b –Work with other partners DfE have now formally approved the to further develop Burnley as a establishment of a new University Technical Centre of Education Excellence College, which will have specialisms in manufacturing and construction. The development is now on site and will be ready to open in September 2013. It is expected that the first intake will be around 150 students ramping up to 800 over three years. This will complement the UCLan campus and Burnley College, both of which have a sharp focus on skills for advanced manufacturing and further enhance Burnley’s growing reputation as a centre of excellence for manufacturing skills. PE4 Improved health standards Action Progress PE4a - Work with partners on the Further to the recent all-Member Health briefing Shadow Clinical Commissioning and discussions at Community Services Scrutiny Groups and Health and Well- Committee, the Council has responded to the being Board to ensure the recent consultations from the shadow East Borough can best benefit from Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group the new arrangements (ELCCG) and the shadow Lancashire Health and Well-being Board. In particular, the Council has requested that elected representatives are appointed to the ELCCG to ensure the group has democratic accountability. I am also pleased to report that I will be representing East Lancashire District Councils at the shadow Lancashire Health and Well-being Board. I have also been appointed as the Chair of the East Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Partnership. PE4 b - Develop a Council wide Work on the development of this plan will plan to ensure a co-ordinated commence in September to ensure its response to the transfer of public completion prior to the end of March 2013. health to local government .