Agenda and minutes

Agreed.

Received a report on a revised policy in respect of ‘Managing Performance at Work’, which has been considered and endorsed by the Employee Joint Consultative Committee.

Agreed, in order that up-to-date and consistent Human Resources policies and procedures are in place across the Council, to the implementation of the ‘Managing Performance at Work’ policy, as attached at Appendix A to the report, with effect from 1 September 2006.

Received a report on the proposal to increase Street Trading charges for 2006/07 in order to meet the Council’s costs in providing this service.

Agreed, in accordance with the recommendations of the Council’s Charging Policy Commission, to the revised Street Trading charges as set out in the report, to be effective from 20 September 2006.

Appendices A - E to this report are circulated to Members under separate cover (Supplementary 2) and are also available on the Internet, in the Members’ Rooms and at public libraries.

Received a report on the annual inspection of the Council’s Fostering Service which was carried out by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in February this year.

Noted the main findings from the inspection and the action to be taken in response to CSCI’s recommendations, as contained in the Fostering Service’s Action Plan.

Agreed, in response to the statutory inspection and to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priorities of ‘Improving Health, Housing and Social Care’ and ’Better Education and Learning For All’, to:

(i)  Note CSCI’s report on the inspection of the Council’s Fostering Service for 2006, attached at Appendix A to the report; and

(ii)  Approve the Fostering Service’s Action Plan, the Statement of Purpose, the Fostering Panel’s Constitution and the schedule of Fostering Payments for 2006/07, attached at Appendices B, C, D and E respectively.

Appendices A - D to this report are circulated to Members under separate cover (Supplementary 2) and are also available on the Internet, in the Members’ Rooms and at public libraries.

Further to Minute 226 (17 January 2006), received a progress report on the implementation of the Adoption Service’s Action Plan, produced in response to the Commission for Social Care Inspection’s (CSCI) inspection carried out in August 2005. 

Noted that CSCI carried out a follow-up visit on 18 July 2006 and the Inspector complemented the Council on successfully implementing its Action Plan in less than a year.  Further noted that 100% of the inspection requirements and 80% of the recommendations have been implemented, with the remaining 20% to be completed by October 2006.

Agreed, to accord with statutory requirements, to:

(i)  Note the progress made in implementing the Adoption Service Inspection Action Plan, as detailed in Appendix A to the report; and

(ii)  Approve the Adoption Service’s updated Statement of Purpose, the Business Plan for 2006/07 and the Annual Report for 2005/06, attached at Appendices B, C and D respectively.

Further to Minute 287 (5 April 2006), received a report presenting the findings of the statutory inspection by the Audit Commission of waste services in the Borough, together with an Action Plan which responds to the three main recommendations from the inspection.  Discussed issues relating to recycling by local businesses and schools, and noted that future options on waste containerisation and collection methods will be explored in accordance with the Borough Waste Management Strategy 2005/2020.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priority of ‘Making Barking and Dagenham Cleaner, Greener and Safer’, to:

(i)  Note the Audit Commission’s Waste Inspection Report attached at Appendix A to the report and, in particular, the three main recommendations contained in paragraph 2.9; and

(ii)  Approve the Waste Inspection Action Plan, attached at Appendix B.

Withdrawn.

Further to Minute 287 (5 April 2006), received a report on proposals to implement improvements to front-line Street Scene and Waste Services, in accordance with the Borough Waste Management Strategy 2005/2020. 

The proposals are centred on the principle of “right person, right place, right time” and the plans for Phase 1 of the project will enable the Council to provide a CPA ‘good’ rated service within months of their implementation.  The longer-term Phase 2 proposals will mean the provision of an ‘excellent’ service to the Borough’s residents and these will be considered in more detail as part of the 2007/08 budget process.  Also discussed the impact of waste packaging and, in particular, plastic carrier bags on the local environment and supported the lobbying of Government and major supermarket retailers for a move to more environmentally sustainable practices.

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

(i)  The two phased approach to the redesign of Street Scene and Waste Services, as set out in the report;

(ii)  The implementation of the Phase 1 arrangements, subject to the appropriate discussions with staff and Trade Unions; and

(iii)  A growth bid being made for the implementation of the Phase 2 proposals as part of the 2007/08 budget process.

Appendices 1 and 2 to this report are circulated to Members under separate cover (Supplementary 2) and are also available on the Internet, in the Members’ Rooms and at public libraries.

Further to Minute 50 (28 June 2005), received a report presenting an Energy Action Area Implementation Plan for Barking Town Centre in the light of the designation by the Mayor of London of Barking Town Centre as one of four ‘Energy Action Areas’ in the capital. 

Discussed specific aspects of the Implementation Plan including the concept of supplying heat generated at Barking Power Station to the Town Centre and concurred with the view that a more feasible option would be for the energy to be used at the Barking Riverside development.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priorities of ‘Making Barking and Dagenham Cleaner, Greener and Safer’, ‘Improving Health, Housing and Social Care’, and ‘Regenerating the Local Economy’, to:

(i)  Approve the Energy Action Area Implementation Plan for Barking Town Centre attached at Appendices 1 and 2 to the report, including the carbon reduction target and objectives for the regeneration of the area;

(ii)  The undertaking of a feasibility study into the business case for an energy services company (ESCo) to deliver sustainable energy infrastructure in the Town Centre.

Received a report on the Council’s revenue and capital position for the first quarter of the 2006/07 financial year.

Agreed, as a matter of good financial practice, to:

(i)  Note the current position of the Council’s revenue and capital budgets;

(ii)  Note the position and projected out-turn for the Housing Revenue Account; and

(iii)  Note that Chief Officers are preparing the necessary action plans where budget pressures exist and these will be regularly reported to the Executive to ensure that the necessary balanced budget for the Council is achieved by the year end.

Received a report on the requirement for Local Authorities to establish a policy, in the form of a Statement of Principles, to enable consistent decisions to be made about gambling matters which will fall under Local Authority control when the Gambling Act 2005 comes into full effect in September 2007.

Noted the Council’s draft Statement of Principles, which has been produced in line with the guidance issued by the Gambling Commission and which will be the subject of a three-month public consultation exercise.  Discussed issues relating to the highly-prescriptive nature of the Commission’s guidance which proposes very little scope for local decision-making.

Agreed, in order to meet statutory requirements and assist the Council to achieve its Community Priority of ‘Developing Rights and Responsibilities with the Local Community’, to:

(i)  The ‘Gambling Act 2005 - Draft Statement of Principles’ document attached to the report being used for the purposes of the public consultation exercise; and

(ii)  The Council making strong representations to the Gambling Commission and Government that the views of Local Authorities and their residents should be a key aspect of the decision-making process on local gambling-related applications.

Further to Minute 117 (13 September 2005), received a report seeking the allocation of additional capital funding towards the Bartletts House and Oldmead House refurbishment project.  Noted that the additional funding is required to make up for a lower than projected level of receipts from Right-to-Buy sales in the second half of 2004/05.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priority of ‘Improving Health, Housing and Social Care’, to:

(i)  Note the progress of the project to date;

(ii)  The transfer of £1.2m from the Housing Futures 2008/09 capital budget to give a revised budget of £5.45m for this project, and the reprofiling as £700,000 on 2006/07 and £4.75m in 2007/08;

(iii)  Note that a further report will be presented to the Executive to seek approval for the appointment of the constructor in September 2006; and

(iv)  The proposals for resident liaison and consultation to enable residents to decide on the priority of non-essential improvements.

Received a report presenting options for the future of Dagenham Swimming Pool and the potential avenues of funding for the project, the cost for which is estimated at £14 - £16 million.

Agreed, in the light of the options appraisal and to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priorities of ‘Improving Health, Housing and Social Care’, ‘Raising General Pride in the Borough’, ‘Making Barking and Dagenham Cleaner, Greener and Safer’ and ‘Promoting Equal Opportunities and Celebrating Diversity’, to:

(i)  Beacontree Heath being the preferred site for the replacement of Dagenham Swimming Pool; and

(ii)  A Business Case being progressed to explore all funding options including Public Private Partnership (PPP), Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Prudential Borrowing.

This report is embargoed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection until after 15 August 2006 (in accordance with the Council’s Constitution, Part B, Article 15, paragraph 10.1).  Copies of this report and associated papers will be circulated to all Members and made available on the Internet, in Members’ Rooms and in public libraries after this date.

Copies will be available to Executive Members only prior to 15 August.

Received the Commission for Social Care Inspection’s (CSCI) report on its inspection of the Borough’s Mental Health Services, together with the Action Plan produced by the Service in response to CSCI’s findings and recommendations.

Noted that Members of the Executive had received a detailed presentation from representatives of the CSCI Inspection Team and Council officers earlier in the day on the inspection report and the steps being taken in response.

Agreed, in accordance with statutory requirements and to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priority of ‘Improving Health, Housing and Social Care’, to:

(i)  Note the CSCI Mental Health Services Inspection Report attached at Appendix 1 to the report; and

(ii)  Approve the Mental Health Service Action Plan at Appendix 2.