Agenda and minutes

Agreed.

Received a report seeking approval for Member and / or Officer attendance at known conferences taking place during 2004 / 2005.

Agreed, to approve attendance at conferences as set out in the schedule attached as Appendix A to the report.

A draft copy of the Best Value Review and the Improvement Plan has been circulated separately and are available from the Internet / Intranet, the Member’s Rooms and the public Libraries.

Received a report setting out the conclusions of the Best Value Review of Housing Management functions.

Agreed to implement the actions detailed in the Improvement Plan in order to continue to improve the service over the next 2 years.

Full copies of the draft procedures referred to in this report have been circulated to Executive Members separately and can be found via the Internet / Intranet, the Members Room’s and public libraries.

Received a report introducing the following Human Resources policies and procedures which have been reviewed and updated to bring them in line with recent employment legislation and best practice. 

• Grievance Procedure
• Disciplinary Procedure
• Family Friendly Provisions
• Annual and Special Leave Provisions
• Market Supplements
• Cycle Allowance

Agreed, in order to ensure up-to-date and consistent procedures are operational across the Council and to support the People Matter element of the Council’s Balanced Scorecard, to:

1. The procedures set out above, including the following recommendations contained in the Review of the Bicycle Allowance:

a)  Raise the Bicycle Allowance to £200 per annum (£3.84 per week) with effect from 1 July 2003, for staff who are required to use their bicycle on official business;

b)  Apply to become a Corporate Affiliate of the London Cycling Campaign (LCC). The fee for a non-commercial organisation is £1200 + VAT per annum;

c)  Offer interest free loans of up to £500 repayable over 3 years to staff to cover the cost of their bicycle and any safety equipment, (instead of claiming casual, essential or pool user allowances);

d)  The Bicycle Allowance to be reviewed on an annual basis at the same time as car user allowances; and

2. The precise implementation date(s) to be agreed by the Head of Organisational Development and Employee Relations following the implementation of training programmes.

Further reports will be brought to the Executive as work is completed on other Human Resources policies and procedures.

Received a report suggesting an alteration to current policies in respect of front garden parking, increasing the number of private motor vehicles that can be parked in a front garden to more than one vehicle. 

Agreed, in order to ease on street parking problems in the Borough, to:

1. Amend the existing policies so that tenants and owner occupiers of houses, tenants and leaseholders of certain ground floor flats that have gardens with direct access to the highway, may with prior permission of the Council park more than one private motor vehicle in their front garden. 

This is subject to the garden being of a size able to accommodate more than one vehicle and where there is a carriage crossing in place and it is feasible, to extend or strengthen the footpathor if necessary to provide a second crossing.  In the case of ground floor flats, permission would only be granted following consultation and the agreement of other residents in the block;

2. Amend the restrictive covenant in future Right To Buy sales to allow with the prior permission of the Council the parking of more than one private motor vehicle where the garden is of a size to accommodate this.  The carriage crossing requirement will still apply; and

3. Delegate decisions regarding front garden parking and appeals to the Director of Housing and Health in conjunction with the Director of Regeneration and Environment.

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

* Item considered as a matter of urgency with the consent of the Chair under Section 100 (4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.