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Cabinet portfolio responsibilities

Last updated: June 2022

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The Leader

  1. To have over-arching responsibility for the performance of the council.
  2. To be the principal spokesperson for the council.
  3. To have overall responsibility for style, priorities and strategic policy and strategic management of the council.
  4. To have lead responsibility for the council’s corporate priority to achieve less poverty.
  5. To be responsible for championing social inclusion and equalities.
  6. To Chair Cabinet.
  7. To be the final arbiter between Cabinet Members.
  8. To have overall responsibility for the finances of the council.
  9. To have overall responsibility for public relations.
  10. To be responsible for corporate, economic and financial policies, plans and programmes, including the revenue estimates and capital estimates.
  11. To be responsible for Strategic Developments – Council initiated developments that will have a significant impact for the city as a whole.
  12. To be responsible for income generation (including Property portfolio).
  13. To be responsible for managing the city council’s international economic relations and regional economic work in the UK.
  14. To be responsible for the city council’s functions as harbour authority, in respect of pilotage, the development, operation, maintenance and control of Portsmouth International Port, including the continental ferry port, the Camber Docks, Flathouse and Albert Johnson Quays and ancillary facilities, and including all land and property held for port operational purposes.
  15. To be responsible for local legislation and other parliamentary proceedings, including Harbour Revision Orders.
  16. To be responsible for overseeing Portico and liaising with Langstone Harbour Board.
  17. Land and property assets of the city council including advising the council on changes to the approved policies on those matters including compulsory purchase orders (except those in the HRA)
  18. To be responsible for overseeing COVID-19 recovery

Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care

To be responsible for:

  1. The council’s corporate priority to achieve good health for all and safe, independent lives for vulnerable people.
  2. Social Services, including commissioning, providing and planning services for older people and in the areas of; physical disability; mental health; learning disability; and ancillary facilities.
  3. The City health plan.
  4. The Community care plan.
  5. Public Health including all matters relating to the city council’s functions in relation to: promoting healthy living, wellbeing and preventing ill health.
  6. Moving forward health and social care integration in Portsmouth and liaising on the Sustainability & Transformation Partnership across Hampshire, working with the city adult safeguarding board to protect vulnerable adults and other organisations.
  7. Leading on the Health & Wellbeing Board.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness

To be responsible for:

  1. The council’s corporate priority to achieve decent affordable, environmentally sustainable homes.
  2. Local authority and social housing.
  3. Council rents for housing and ancillary facilities.
  4. All Private Sector Housing functions – excluding Housing Regulations specifically housing standards (private housing conditions and defects) & HMO Licensing (these report to Safety in the Community Portfolio)
  5. Relations between private landlords and their tenants.
  6. Residential caravan site.
  7. Any other functions conferred on the city council as a housing authority.
  8. Community development, including resident engagement facilities and community centres, except those in the General Fund.
  9. Grants and loans to housing associations and voluntary organisations for housing purposes, and for community purposes.
  10. Liaising with external bodies in relation to housing priorities.
  11. Overall coordination of services to homelessness and rough sleeping.
  12. Landlord’s maintenance, design, and facilities management.
  13. Management of the city council’s HRA administrative buildings.
  14. Play and Youth Services, except those in the General Fund (in conjunction with both; Children, Families & Education; and Culture, Leisure and Economic Development Portfolios).

Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education

General responsibility

  1. Being politically accountable for ensuring the Local Authority fulfils its legal responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
  2. Having a strategic political role as a member of the Council in respect of decisions on Local Authority Children’s Services.

Note:

Only one person can be the statutory Lead Member for Children and Families, but the role and responsibilities are broad. The Lead Member may therefore need to be supported by one or more other selected Members. The remit of the support roles can be as wide as the Local Authority wishes, as long as the Lead Member maintains an effective overview of all services for children and retains overall political accountability.

Children and Young People

To take the lead responsibility for the Council’s statutory responsibilities, functions and accountabilities in respect of children and young people, to include:

  1. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people including the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board (participant observer).
  2. Promoting outcomes for Looked After Children (LA), protecting the interests of those children and young people and chairing the Corporate Parenting Board.
  3. Being the Lead Member for the Portsmouth Children’s Trust and the development and implementation of the Children’s Trust Plan.
  4. Ensuring that children and young people, parents and carers are able to make a contribution to the development of services.
  5. Ensuring effective governance and monitoring frameworks are in place within the Local Authority and key partnerships.
  6. Championing effective integration in Children’s Services, working in partnership with the Children’s Trust.
  7. Promoting better outcomes for children and young people via grants and loans to appropriate voluntary organisations.
  8. Responsibility for aligning with the Portfolio holders for Health and Social Care, Community Safety and Housing in respect of the delivery of those services and how children and young people are impacted upon by those services.
  9. Children’s Centres.
  10. Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC).
  11. Early Help
  12. Children’s Social Care services for children and families.
  13. Youth Services (in conjunction with Culture, Leisure & Economic Development portfolio).

To take lead responsibility for the Council’s corporate priority to achieve improved education standards and first class learning opportunities.

The Council’s functions in respect of education, includes (but is not limited to):

  1. Allocation of resources and commissioning of services
  2. Attendance on the Schools Forum
  3. School governance
  4. School improvement and intervention (chairing the Education Advisory Board)
  5. Admissions
  6. Pupil Place Planning
  7. School Attendance, Exclusions and Reintegration Education Welfare Service
  8. Special Education Needs and behavioural issues
  9. Education Psychology, Portage, Sensory Impairment and Specialist Teacher Advisor Services
  10. Music Service
  11. Early Years
  12. Early help
  13. Adult education and PCMI.
  14. Elected home education.

Overall:

  1. To be responsible for the overall performance of the Directorate for Children’s Services in respect of these functions.
  2. To be responsible for holding the Director of Children’s Services to account in respect of these functions.

Cabinet Member for Planning Policy & City Development

To take lead responsibility for the council’s corporate priority to achieve good prospects and a better environment.

Responsibility for the built environment including –

  1. Structure and local planning.
  2. Conservation areas and schemes.
  3. Buildings of architectural and historic interest.
  4. Encouraging the development of land outside the city council’s ownership for industrial and commercial uses in accordance with the provisions of the city plan.
  5. Managing the city council’s international economic relations and regional economic work in the UK, but excluding twinning and other forms of friendship or association with other cities and communities.
  6. Formulating and implementing proposals for each of the district shopping centres. (in conjunction with Culture, Leisure and Economic Development)
  7. Building regulations and control.
  8. Coast Protection, Sea Defences and Land Drainage.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Economic Development

To be responsible for:

  1. Museums, art galleries and their collections.
  2. Promotion of cultural and creative industries within the city.
  3. Libraries.
  4. Historical publications of the city council.
  5. Maintenance of city records and archives, (excluding the Modern Records Service).
  6. Relations with cultural organisations.
  7. Indoor and outdoor recreation, including sports.
  8. Community services and facilities, including community centres except those in the HRA.
  9. Allotments, parks and open spaces, including operational management of agricultural/grazing land.
  10. Office of the Lord Mayor.
  11. Events, entertainments and conferences
  12. Communications and Community in consultation with Resources.
  13. Economic development, including tourism
  14. Marketing the city for inward investment and to attract visitors and provide support for further diversification of the economic base.
  15. Developing and protecting employment opportunities in partnership with other authorities both in the Portsmouth Travel to Work Area and elsewhere, and with business, government, voluntary organisations and the University of Portsmouth.
  16. The exercise of any other powers and functions of the city council in relation to economic development.
  17. Strategies to support each of the district shopping centres.
  18. Street trading amenities policy within the highway (excluding licensing provisions).
  19. Camping and non-residential sites.
  20. Grants and loans to voluntary bodies in respect of any of the functions listed above.
  21. Youth Service (general fund) in conjunction with Children, Families & Education

Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation

To be responsible for:

  1. The council’s corporate priority to improve public transport and other environmentally sustainable transport, including provision for electric vehicles.
  2. Traffic and transportation issues, including:
  • Transportation policies and programmes.
  • Transport engineering, tendered bus/ferry services.
  • Public transport co-ordination and publicity.
  • Subsidies to local passenger transport services and concessionary fares schemes.
  • Construction and maintenance of highways and bridges, traffic management and road safety, street lighting, signposting, other street furniture, road naming and house numbering, including management of the Colas PFI contract.
  • Traffic engineering including road safety, accident investigation, safety audit and urban traffic control.
  • On and off-street vehicle parking.
  • Such other activities as may contribute to the actual and effective movement of people and goods to, from or within the city of Portsmouth
  • Such other functions as may contribute to managing, maintaining and improving the transport infrastructure of the city.
  1. Trees on or adjacent to the highway.
  2. Seafront illuminations.
  3. Transport Works Act orders.
  4. Addressing Air Pollution with the Environment & Climate Change Cabinet Member.
  5. Representing Portsmouth City Council on Solent Transport and Transport for the South East.

Cabinet Member for Safety in the Community

To be responsible for:

  1. Emergency planning.
  2. Crime prevention and reduction, including:
  • Preparing and recommending a strategy for crime prevention in Portsmouth; monitoring its implementation and making recommendations from time to time to amend it.
  • To promote, consider and approve schemes for crime prevention in Portsmouth; including publicity projects and campaigns, and the making of grants or loans for the purpose of promoting crime prevention in Portsmouth.
  • Closed circuit television (CCTV) systems.
  • Anti-Social Behaviour Unit and related initiatives.
  • Community Wardens.
  1. Youth Justice (in conjunction with Children, Families & Education)
  2. Liaising with and be responsible for relations with external bodies carrying out duties related to the Council’s functions including the following:
  • Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
  • Hampshire Magistrates’ Courts Committees
  1. Sports Ground Safety (excluding licensing provisions).
  2. Public Protection matters including the enforcement of legislation in relation to:
  • Trading Standards and associated matters
  • Health & Safety at work in the private sector.
  • Food Safety and Food standards.
  • Statutory Nuisances – including smoke (and smoke control), noise, light
  • Infectious Disease Control – including mandatory registrations in respect to beauty treatments and tattooing
  • Port Health and related border controls in respect to imported goods
  • Pest control including non-mandatory service delivery
  • Environmental permitting
  • Animal welfare in respect to mandatory licensing and registration
  • Such other functions as may contribute towards the assessment and fulfilment of present and future needs in the field of public protection.
  1. Grants and loans to voluntary bodies in respect of any of the functions listed above.
  2. Dangerous land, buildings and other structures (responsible for securing of dangerous land and buildings in order to prevent public access).
  3. Private Sector Housing functions – specifically Housing Regulations – housing standards (private housing conditions and defects) & HMO Licensing (all other Private Sector Housing functions report to Housing and Preventing Homelessness Portfolio)
  4. Stray dogs.

Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment

  1. To have overarching responsibility for the production, acceptance and implementation of plans to address the climate emergency and for the green recovery across all departments of the City Council.
  2. Taking the lead in developing and implementing the Council’s work on climate change and achieving Carbon neutrality by 2030, including being the Lead Councillor working with the Climate Action Board.
  3. Waste management, refuse collection and disposal (including waste minimization, the recycling of waste, the functions of the city council as a Waste Collection Authority and Waste Disposal Authority).
  4. Street and beach cleansing.
  5. Public conveniences.
  6. Litter.
  7. Dog fouling.
  8. Maritime pollution and its consequences.
  9. Energy Services.
  10. Delivery of mandatory review and assessment of air quality and all associated monitoring of pollutants.
  11. Liaising and being responsible for relations with external bodies carrying out duties related to the Council’s functions including Langstone Harbour Board.
  12. Pollution.

Cabinet Member for Communities and Central Services

  1. Financial, HR, Information Technology and other resources of the City Council including advising the City Council on changes to its approved policies on those matters.
  2. Internal audit and relations with external audit.
  3. Management of the support services of the City Council.
  4. Revenue and Benefits (including the City Council’s functions relating to funds) and rating (including business rates).
  5. Modern Records.
  6. Grants to voluntary organisations (except those in Culture, Leisure & Economic Development).
  7. Twinning and other forms of friendship or association with other cities and communities.
  8. Legal services, Coroner’s Service & Registrars.
  9. Portsmouth Lottery.
  10. Procurement.
  11. Strategy.
  12. Community Funerals
  13. Memorials and cemeteries and Portchester Crematorium.
  14. Members support, training and induction.
  15. Communications and community consultation in conjunction with Culture, Leisure & Economic Development.

Shareholder Committee

The purpose of the Shareholder Committee is to approve and oversee the Council’s strategic objectives across Portsmouth City Council’s companies and to support the development of these companies in line with the Council’s regulations and ambitions the constitutional instruments of each relevant company. The Shareholder Committee will provide strategic oversight of the Council’s companies and provide assurance to the Cabinet that these companies are compliant with the Council’s constitution, rules and procedures including achieving best value and, are fit for purpose.

The Shareholder Committee will not have operational control over the Council’s companies. The day-to-day operation of each company is the responsibility of the Directors of each company. The Shareholder Committee will provide overarching oversight including business case sign off in line with the relevant company constitutional governance. Operational liaison with the Council’s companies will be between the client service of the Council and the managing Director of each company.

Composition

  • The Shareholders Sub-Committee will comprise the Leader of the Council and 3 other Cabinet Members.
  • The Head of Paid Service, the Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) and the Monitoring Officer and representatives of the group companies shall be invited to all meetings on a non-voting basis.
  • Other Cabinet members and non-Cabinet members, together with one member from each opposition group, may be invited to attend meetings on a non-voting basis.
  • The Leader of the Council shall be Chairman.

Quorum

  • The Shareholders Sub-Committee quorum will be 3 Cabinet Members.

Reserves

  • Members of the Shareholders Sub-Committee may appoint reserve members from within the Cabinet

Competency

  • All members of the Shareholders Sub-Committee and Cabinet members attending as reserves must:
  • have undertaken mandatory training in the relevant law and procedures which relate to the Sub-Committee’s work; and
  • undertake further mandatory training, on an ad hoc basis, when there are changes to procedure or relevant legislation that are deemed significant by the relevant Director

Function of Shareholders Sub-Committee

The Shareholders Sub-Committee has the right to access the following information from Council companies to undertake the work of the Sub-Committee:

  • The statutory accounts of the company;
  • Business plans including risk registers;
  • Reports on major projects;
  • Any reports on engagement and commercial activity; and
  • Any additional information it considers necessary to undertake the work of the Sub-Committee.

To hold the Council’s companies to account, providing strategic oversight of the arrangements with the companies including delivery by the companies of the Council’s policy aims

To be consulted on the following by the Council’s companies:

  • the strategy, business plan, financial and corporate performance of the company;
  • Company policies;
  • matters reserved for shareholder approval as and when appropriate; and
  • emerging issues and opportunities which may impact the company, to discuss solutions proposed by the company.

To provide assurance that:

  • strategic commissioning arrangements for the Council’s companies are fit for purpose or provide recommendations to ensure that they are;
  • the overarching performance arrangements for each of the Council’s companies are fit for purpose or provide recommendations to ensure that they are;
  • where applicable, that the arrangements for Council’s companies comply with the Public Contract Regulations 2015; and
  • all Council’s companies are complying with the relevant statutory and regulatory framework for their respective areas of operation
  • To prepare and maintain a strategic risk register in relation to the Council’s companies.
  • To exercise any shareholder consents.
  • To approve as shareholder the business plans of each of the Council’s companies including providing strategic advice on the robustness and suitability of each of the business plans.
  • To take any decisions necessary in relation to the overall commissioning arrangements with the Council’s companies.
  • To approve, on advice of the Section 151 Officer, any proposals to make a significant capital or revenue investment in any of the Council’s companies.
  • To review and analyse the annual statement of accounts of each of the Council’s companies.
  • To determine the distribution of any surplus or the issue of any dividends from any of the Council’s companies.
  • To prepare and present a strategic report to the Cabinet at least once a year on the overall governance, financial and performance arrangements for the Council’s companies.