Cabinet forward plan

The forward plan of key decisions is a programme of work, detailing the key decisions that the cabinet expects to take (as far as it is known) over the coming four months. An up-to-date copy of the forward plan will be published 28 days before each cabinet meeting takes place. This is a requirement of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012- Regulation 9, in order to ensure greater accountability and transparency in local government decision making.

Key decisions are taken collectively by the following cabinet members:

• Councillor Chris Emmas-Williams (Leader of the Council) – Policy portfolio
• Councillor Emma Monkman (Deputy Leader of the Council) – Regeneration and Community Safety portfolio
• Councillor Matt Allwood – Housing and Public Health portfolio
• Councillor John McCabe – Environment portfolio
• Councillor Lyndsay Cox – Deputy for Community Safety
• Councillor Elaine Sherman – Deputy for Housing and Public Health
• Councillor Amina Burslem – Deputy for Environment

Whilst the majority of the cabinet's business at the meetings listed in the forward plan will be open to the public and media organisations to attend, there will inevitably be some business to be considered that contains, for example, confidential, commercially sensitive or personal information.

This is a formal notice under the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, that the parts of the executive/cabinet meeting listed in the forward plan (please scroll down to the end of this page to view the list of items) as confidential will be held in private, because the agenda and reports for the meeting will contain exempt information under Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.

*Reasons for holding a meeting in private – description of exempt information:

• Paragraph 1 – Information relating to any individual.
• Paragraph 2 – Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.
• Paragraph 3 – Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
• Paragraph 4 – Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.
• Paragraph 5 – Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.
• Paragraph 6 – Information which reveals that the authority proposes:
  (a) To give under any enactment a notice under or by virtue of which requirements are imposed on a person; or
  (b) To make an order or direction under any enactment.
• Paragraph 7 – Information relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, or investigation or prosecution of a crime.

Copies of the reports and supporting documents for each of the key decisions listed above, subject to any prohibition or restriction on their disclosure in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972, will be available at least five working days before the anticipated date of decision on this website or from the following address:

Amber Valley Borough Council
Town Hall
Ripley
Derbyshire
DE5 3BT

If you would like to submit documents to the cabinet members for consideration in respect of any items on the forward plan, please contact Alison Steeples on 01773 841636 or email alison.steeples@ambervalley.gov.uk You can also use these contact details to view any documents that have been received in this way.

The two legal definitions of a key decision are as follows:

• A decision which is likely to result in the council incurring expenditure which is, or to make savings which are, significant having regard to the council's budget for the service or function to which the decision relates. The full council has to agree a threshold based on this guidance. Amber Valley Borough Council has set a threshold of £50,000 (expenditure or savings) or 5% of the budget for the service or function, whichever is the greater.
• A decision which is likely to be significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more wards in the borough.

How to trigger the scrutiny process

1. If a member wishes to trigger the scrutiny process (on their own volition or at the request of a member of the public) for any business in the forward plan, they must submit a "call in" notice to the Public Scrutiny Office by 5pm on the second working day following publication of the minutes for the cabinet meeting where the item was considered.

2. The "call in" procedure does not apply:

(a) to urgent decisions (a decision is urgent if any delay likely to be caused by the "call in" process would seriously prejudice the council's or the public's interests); or

(b) to any decision where there is a risk of financial loss, legal liability or a threat to public safety and action needs to be taken before the next appropriate scrutiny committee.

If an item on the forward plan is urgent, it will be marked with an asterisk.

Cabinet forward plan schedule

Contact the team directly on 01773 841636 or email alison.steeples@ambervalley.gov.uk