Agenda and minutes

Agreed.

Received a reference from the Scrutiny Management Board (SMB) on its consideration of the Call-In received with respect to the Executive's decision of 25 December 2003 clarifying the issues associated with Members’ Telephones (Minute 206 refers).

After weighing up the information presented, the SMB concluded: that:

(i)  All Members should be treated equally in relation to the provision and related costs of telephones for Council business use, and as such all costs should be borne by Members from their Members’ allowances;

(ii)  There should be no exception to this rule, either now or in the future, and accordingly a) those with mobile telephones provided by the Council should be required to discontinue their use and hand them back, and b) the one remaining Centrex line connection should be disconnected;

(iii)  Should any Member position require a mobile telephone or other similar means of contact or communication, the Member holding that position should personally purchase the necessary equipment and pay for all costs, again making use of their basic or, where appropriate, special responsibility allowance.

The Chief Executive advised that the conclusions of the SMB were subject the Council’s Constitution, and on that basis we

Agreed to revise the original decision concerning telephones for Members accordingly, that is by reconfirming the original decision number 1 in relation to the telephone handsets provided with the computer equipment, but deleting 2 and 3 and replacing them with i), ii) and iii) above. 

The original decision number 4 is unaffected as this relates to IT support for Members and not telephones.

Received a report providing an update on progress to date in respect of the replacement of the Revenues’ systems approved by the Executive at its Meeting on 29 July 2003 (Minute 70 refers) and set out the funding position, which has been clarified following a successful bid to the Department of Works and Pensions for financial support towards the cost of the project.

The report also identified difficulties encountered to date in securing a project manager, with the appropriate skills set, through the usual recruitment channels and the potential impact of this on capital spending for the project.

Agreed, in order to ensure that the Revenues' project is managed to a successful conclusion and that exposure to risk throughout the project lifecycle is minimised:

1. To a waiver of the Council’s Constitution (Contract Rules section 4.1(d)); and

2. That the Director of Finance be authorised to:

a)  Approach companies capable of introducing or providing a person with the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience, and

b)  Engage such a person on contract to the Council.

Received a report proposing to designate Eastbrookend Country Park as the Borough’s second Local Nature Reserve, in line with the Borough’s Local Public Service Agreement with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.  This follows the designation of The Chase as a Local Nature Reserve in 2001.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priorities of ‘Making Barking and Dagenham Cleaner, Greener and Safer’ and ‘Raising General Pride in the Borough’, to:

1. Approve the declaration of Eastbrookend Country Park, as marked on the plan attached to the report, as a Local Nature Reserve; and

2. Authorise officers to issue the necessary Notices and enter into the necessary legal arrangements to enable the Declaration to take place.

John Fisher from Local Futures will give a presentation

Deferred.

Ashley Aimes from MORI will give a presentation

Deferred.

Received a report responding to the Scrutiny Management Board (SMB) following its consideration of the Call-In received with respect to the Executive's decision of 7 October 2003 to set up a panel of preferred Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to partner the Council to deliver new affordable homes, excellent housing services and regeneration initiatives (Minute 141 refers).

Agreed, in order to strengthen the Council’s ability to deliver high quality new affordable homes and bring about regeneration programmes for the community, as well as drive up performance standards ensuring greater accountability, to:

1. Admit London and Quadrant Housing Trust (subject to the condition set out in paragraph 5.1) and Presentation Housing Association to the preferred RSL partner panel;

2. Continue to monitor the performance of Southern Housing Group, with a further report to be presented to the Executive in March 2004;

3. Adopt the selection criteria for RSL partners as set out in paragraph 5.3 of the report for future assessments;

4. Request the RSL forum which is being established within the Barking and Dagenham Partnership, to monitor on a quarterly basis the performance of the Council’s RSL partners; and

5. Receive annual reports reviewing the RSL partner panel and consider any proposals to add or exclude any RSLs.

Noted the report of the above Scrutiny Panel, which will now be submitted to the Assembly on 7 April 2003.

A full copy of the Regenerating the Local Economy - Cross Cutting Best Value Review is available from the Members’ Rooms, on the Internet and at public libraries.

Received the final report of the cross-cutting Best Value Review of Regeneration, which presents the findings of the review and recommendations for the future.

Agreed, in order to achieve significant improvements in the effectiveness of the Council’s regeneration role:

1. The improvements and actions detailed in the Improvement Plan;

2. That those actions requiring Neighbourhood Renewal Funding become the priority schemes for the council when submitting applications; and

3. To receive further reports on the implementation of the improvement actions in line with the Report.

Appendix 12 is attached in the Private and Confidential part of this agenda.

Received a report seeking authority to dispose of the freehold interests of the property assets identified in the report and to remove two properties from the disposal programme.

Agreed, in order to dispose of surplus property as part of a programmed disposal approach to identifying and re-using surplus and under utilised land and property to fund the Capital Programme and assist the Council in achieving its Community Priorities of "Regenerating the Local Economy", "Improving, Health, Housing and Social Care" and "Raising General Pride in the Borough", to:

1. The disposal of the freehold interests in the land and vacant sites shown in Appendix 1 (and shown on site plans Appendix 2 to 11)

The terms of the sales will be undertaken by the Director of Leisure and Environmental Services (as prescribed by the Scheme of Delegation, Section P and Land Acquisitions and Disposals Rules in the Constitution and Legislation); and

2. The removal of the Sterry Road and the Rogers Road Depots from the Land Disposal Programme for the reasons set out in paragraphs 2.6 and 2.7 of the report.

Received a report providing details of a new Government funding source for Local Authority housing regeneration projects.  The report set out proposals for 2 bids to be submitted, in line with the criteria for project bids under this programme, as set out in the report, for outline estate renewal schemes.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve the decent homes target and meet broader regeneration objectives, to support bids under this new funding source for housing regeneration schemes at London Road / North Street and Cadiz Court.

Deferred.

Agreed to exclude the public and press for the remainder of the meeting, as the business was confidential.