Agenda and minutes

Agreed.

Received a report setting out the Council’s current Street Trading Charges and proposed new rates for 2005 / 2006.

Agreed, in order to set the Street Trading Charges for the forthcoming year in accordance with the principles of the Charging Policy Commission and to assist with the Council’s Community Priority of ‘Regenerating the Local Economy’, to the increased Charges as detailed in paragraph 3.3 of the report with effect from 1 July 2005.

Noted a report providing feedback on the ‘Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit, organised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and held in Manchester from 31 January to 2 February 2005.

The Council was represented by five delegates, including the Lead Member for Regeneration and Director of Regeneration and Environment.  The Council also had an exhibition at the Summit, which was the largest regeneration conference ever held in the UK.

Received a report seeking ‘in principle’ approval for the Council’s Corporate Equalities and Diversity Plan (CEDP) for the period 2005 / 2008.  The CEDP (attached to the report as Appendix A) brings together all of the Council’s equalities and diversity work within a single framework.

Within the context of this strategic framework, all Departments will be required to formulate departmental Equalities and Diversity Plans (DEDP).  These are required to achieve level three of the Equality Standard for Local Government by 31 March 2006 and level four by 31 March 2008. 

Agreed, in order to ensure compliance with statutory duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and forthcoming legislation such as the new Equality Disability Act (2005), as well as to improve performance on equalities and diversity issues by providing a single master plan based on the Equality Standard and the employment and service delivery needs, as defined by consultation and impact / needs assessment, to:

1. Approve the CEDP in principle and note that it will be circulated to staff, stakeholders and partnership organisations in advance of publication; and

2. Instruct all Departmental Management Teams to identify the necessary resources to deliver the targets in the CEDP and DEDPs in 2005 / 2006 and include it in to the budget planning process for 2006 / 2007 and 2007 / 2008.

Received a report presenting a position paper which draws together existing Council strategies and policies to establish principles for the “Sense of Place” to be created through the regeneration of the Borough.

Agreed, in order to help achieve the Community Priority of ‘Regenerating the Local Economy’, to:

1. The position paper, attached to the report, as a working statement of principles subject to an amendment with regard to Barking Town Centre (paragraph 14, first bullet point, 4th line), add ”high quality public spaces incorporating greenery”;

2. Share the position paper with the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation and other partners as appropriate; and

3. Recommend the position paper for agreement by the Barking and Dagenham Partnership as the Partnership’s statement of principles.

Further to Minute 320 (8 March 2005), received a report setting out how the Council will achieve the Government’s decent homes target and meet tenants’ / leaseholders’ aspirations.  The report brings forward proposals to implement the way forward for Housing Futures and demonstrates that this can be achieved in terms of capital and revenue resourcing by the mixed and localised approach adopted by the Council.

Agreed, in order to deliver the decent homes target, tenants’ / leaseholders’ aspirations and aid delivery of the regeneration of the Borough as well as meet the government’s deadline for a signed off option appraisal by July 2005, to:

1. The proposed strategy for delivering the Decent Homes and the Housing Futures Standard as recommended by the Housing Futures Forum Business Planning Meeting held on 11 May 2005 (attached to the report as Appendix A, which is to be submitted to Government Office for London);

2. Note the results of the Tenants’ Survey which supports the way forward recommended by the Housing Futures Forum;

3. Note the results of the Stock Condition Survey;

4. Note the outcome of the financial appraisal;

5. Officers setting up an interim Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project team to prepare for submission of an expression of interest in October 2005;

6. Delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Health to make any structural and procedural changes to facilitate implementation of the stock option appraisal;

7. The release of £24 million of corporate capital resources to support the future investment of retained housing stock, as set out in paragraph 4(a) of the report, and repay £18m from 2011 / 2012 onwards;

8. Delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Health in consultation with the Director of Finance to carry out a review of the £24m capital resources required to support the future investment of retained housing stock to a potentially lower sum prior to submission of the final model to the Government Office for London;

9. Authorise Officers to utilise 50% of the usable ‘Right to Buy’ capital receipts for housing;

10. Note the implications on the wider council Capital Programme of the funding package for housing futures using £118m of capital resources that could be used for other then housing as detailed in paragraph 5.5.4 of the report;

11. Note that the overall capital investment in housing would be subject to the normal annual review of the Capital Programme as part of the annual budget setting process, based on the approved Housing Futures – Option Appraisal;

12. Delegate authority to the Director of Housing and Health and the Director of Finance to amend the final version of the model prior to final submission; and

13. Undertake a regular review of the final model every three years to coincide with the Housing Revenue Account business plan review.

14. Note that the Director of Finance would be commissioning an independent review of the risks associated with the housing futures plan and the wider capital programme.

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 100B (4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.