Agenda and minutes

Agreed.

Further to Minute 140 (12 October 2004), received a final draft of the Council’s Licensing Policy and a summary of the responses to the consultation exercise on the earlier draft version.  The Council is required to formally adopt a Licensing Policy by 7 January 2005.

Agreed, in order for the Council to meet its new responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003, to:

1. Note the report and the responses to the consultation exercise;

2. Recommend the Assembly to formally adopt the Licensing Policy as appended to this report; and

3. Note that the approved Licensing Policy will be submitted to the Plain English Campaign for crystal marking.

Further to Minute 180 (9 November 2004), received a report on the proposed procedures under the ‘More Choice in Lettings’ housing allocations policy in respect of decants, management transfers, key workers, special schemes and rent arrears.  Also noted proposals for a fortnightly Council property magazine.

Agreed to:

1. The revised procedures for decants, management transfers, key workers, special schemes and rent arrears, to be effective from 1 April 2005, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report; and

2. The magazine advertising the available properties being named “Barking and Dagenham Home Choice”.

Received a report setting out the requirement for local authorities to confirm to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) whether they intend to passport the full amount of Schools Formula Spending Share (FSS) for 2005/06 to the Schools Block and take up the full allocation of 2005/06 Standards Fund grant by 31 December 2004.  Also received details of proposed changes to the schools funding regime from 2006/07.

Agreed to:

1. The Director of Education, Arts and Libraries informing the DfES that the Council intends to passport the required increase in schools’ FSS funding of £6.36m in full to the Schools Block, and the intended take up of the Standards Fund grant allocations for 2005/06; and

2. Note the changes expected for Education funding for 2006/07 onwards, which will be the subject of further reports.

Received a report setting out the calculation of the Council Tax Base for 2005/06 and the powers available to the Council to reduce discounts for second homes and long-term empty properties and to award locally determined discounts.

Agreed, in order to comply with statute and assist in the calculation of the Authority’s Council Tax for 2005/06, to recommend the Assembly:

1. That, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992, the amount calculated by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as its Tax Base for the year 2005/06 shall be 50,838.9 Band ‘D’ properties;

2. That the discounts for second homes or long term empty properties are not reduced for 2005/06; and

3. That locally determined discounts should not be awarded for 2005/06.

Received a report providing an update on the Council’s revenue and capital budget position for the period 1 April – 31 October 2004.

Agreed to:

1. Note the current position of the Council’s revenue and capital budget;

2. Agree the reprofiling of the Council’s capital programme as identified in Appendix D to the report;

3. Note that the Directors of Education, Arts and Libraries and Corporate Strategy continue to review their budgets to ensure, where possible, a balanced position; and

4. Note the position and projected out-turn for the Housing Revenue Account.

Received a report on the consideration given by the Scrutiny Management Board on 10 November 2004 to the call-in of the Executive’s decision in respect of the inclusion of the Southern Housing Group (SHG) on the Council’s panel of preferred Registered Social Landlord (RSL) partners (Minute 138, 12 October 2004 refers).

Agreed to:

1. Note that the Scrutiny Management Board did not seek to exclude SHG from the Council’s panel of preferred RSL partners;

2. A review of the performance of SHG and all other preferred partners being undertaken in six months; and

3. The inclusion of a Village Ward Councillor on the Board of the future local housing company / housing regeneration company to be agreed between the Council and SHG.

Received and noted the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) report following its audit of the Council’s Food Safety Service, together with the actions to be taken by the Council in response to issues raised by the FSA.

Agreed that the detailed action plan be submitted to the Corporate Monitoring Group for consideration.

Further to Minute 76 (3 August 2004), received a report on the difficulties experienced in attracting suitable candidates for the post of Head of Procurement despite a market supplement of £5,000 being attributable to the post.

Agreed to the market supplement for the post of Head of Procurement being increased up to £15,000 in order to attract a suitably experienced candidate.

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

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