The Barnsley Council Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 11 June 2024 covered a range of topics, including the endorsement of the 'Great Childhoods Ambition', updates on the Adult Skills and Community Learning Service, and the designation of Consent Streets for street trading. Key decisions were made on funding allocations, policy approvals, and performance reports.

Children’s Enrichment Proposal

The Cabinet endorsed the concept and purpose of the 'Great Childhoods Ambition' to develop the vision, brand, and strategy in preparation for its launch in April 2025. They approved the use of one-off earmarked reserves of £600,000 to fund the pilot and delegated responsibility for the expenditure to the Executive Director (Children’s Services). Additionally, a further £1.0M from earmarked reserves was approved to fund the enhanced Maths and English GCSE Programme and the 'Every Child A Coder Digital Skills Programme', with the release of this funding subject to further details on such programmes being provided.

Adult Skills and Community Learning Service Quality Governance Report

The Cabinet accepted the Service’s self-assessment report for the full academic year August 2022 to July 2023 and noted the Service’s current development and improvement priorities. The self-assessment report can be found in Appendix 1 - ASCL Self Assessment Report 2022-23.

Street Trading – Outcome of Consultation and Resolution to Designate Consent Streets

The Cabinet noted the outcome of the consultation process for the adoption of Schedule 4 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. They approved the amended Street Trading Policy and the amended fees and charges for street trading permissions. The Cabinet recommended to Full Council to pass a resolution to designate all streets in the Barnsley borough as Consent Streets from 15 September 2024. The amended policy and fees can be found in Appendix B - Draft Street Trading Policy.

Quarter 4 (2023/24) Corporate Performance Report

The Cabinet noted the contents of the Corporate Performance Report in relation to the delivery of the Corporate Plan priorities and outcomes. They agreed that the Performance Report should be shared with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to inform and support their ongoing work programme.

Corporate Finance Performance Quarter 4 2023/24

The Cabinet noted the final position for the General Fund, which showed cumulative cost pressures for the year of £18.118M, an improvement of approximately £2.0M on the position reported at Q3. They approved the release of reserves previously earmarked to deliver a balanced budget in line with the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). The final position on the Housing Revenue Account showed cumulative cost pressures of £0.392M funded from a transfer from reserves. The Cabinet also approved the write-off of historic bad debts totalling £1.023M, noting that all debts remain liable for collection.

Capital Programme Performance Year End 31 March 2024

The Cabinet noted the final financial position on the 2023/24 Capital Programme and approved scheme slippage totalling £21.2M and scheme re-phasing totalling £2.3M. They also noted a total net decrease in scheme costs in 2023/24 of £0.6M and received an updated 2024/25 indicative Capital Programme position.

Annual Report on Treasury Management Activities 2023/24

The Cabinet noted the latest expectations for interest rates and the activities undertaken during the year to support the Council’s borrowing and investment strategies. They also noted the Prudential and Treasury Indicators set out in Appendix 1.

Council Plan 2024-2027

The Cabinet recommended that the Full Council approve the publication of the new Council Plan for 2024-2027. The detailed plan can be found in Appendix B - Council Plan 2024-27.

For more details, the full minutes of the meeting can be accessed here.