Agenda and minutes

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in any matter which is to be considered at this meeting.

None declared.

Agreed

Received a report detailing the Best Value review of anti-social behaviour in Barking and Dagenham which had been conducted in order to consider and address the way the Council and its partners dealt corporately with anti social behaviour in the Borough. The report summarised the activities that had taken place as part of this review process, and included an Improvement Plan which would lay the foundations for how the Council and its partners tackle anti social behaviour within the Borough for the future.

Agreed, in order to meet the Council’s statutory obligation under the 1998 Crime & Disorder Act, and subsequent legislation, to reduce crime and disorder within the Borough, to recommend the Assembly to:

1.  Note the Best Value Review;

2.  Agree the four key recommendations of the review:

·  To ensure a co-ordinated response to anti-social behaviour in the borough a Council and partner-wide Anti-Social Behaviour Intervention Group should be established to consider and deliver on the strategic vision of the borough in terms of its ASB work.

·  The Borough needs to develop an integrated approach to ASB with co-located teams and a structure which allows for a holistic approach across the Partnership to addressing the needs of the community, those responsible for asb and the Partnership as a whole.

·  Improve communication of the Council’s and its partners processes for preventing and dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour to all members of the local community and our partners. Implement a comprehensive Media and Communications Strategy for the partnership.

·  In terms of operational delivery a Standing Case Conference should be established to address behaviours of key individuals and families and to deliver early intervention to target the prevention agenda

3.  Agree for officers to work on the detailed Improvement Plan detailed within the report.

Further to minute 88 (Executive 7 November 2006), received a report detailing the proposed Carbon Management Programme for Council Activities which set a 20% carbon reduction target for the Council’s principal civic buildings by March 2010.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council achieve its Community Priority of

“Making Barking and Dagenham Cleaner, Greener and Safer”, to:

1.  A 20% carbon reduction target for the Council;

2.  The establishment of a ring-fenced invest-to-save funding pot for energy efficiency measures;

3.  The governance structure for implementing the Carbon Management Programme and the requirement on various parts of the Council to provide quarterly progress reports; and,

4.  The re-phasing of the capital programme to reflect the anticipated delivery of the projects and the future reduction of revenue budgets to repay the investment.

Received a report proposing a new commissioning approach for corporate grants and setting out the advantages of this in the context of the Council’s wider relationship with the voluntary and community sector.

 The Executive noted that the services provided through this system would be closely monitored and expected to deliver agreed outcomes to a specification set by the Council.  The report also set out the key principles, priorities and themes that would be used when considering the tendering and commissioning process for 2008-2009. 

Agreed, in order to ensure that the new process could be implemented as part of the 2008/9 budget process, to:

1.  The principles of a new method for allocating amounts from the Corporate Grants budget as set out in the report;

2.  The commissioning principles and intentions for 2008 – 2009 as set out in the report; and

3.  That officers should enter into detailed discussion with the Legal Services Commission in order to establish Barking and Dagenham as a pilot location for Integrated Social Welfare Law Services.

Received a report updating the Executive on the Council’s revenue and capital position from the beginning of April to the end of May 2007/08.

The position for revenue expenditure indicated that currently budget pressures existed across all five service departments amounting to £6.1m. Those pressures would need to be addressed as part of the Council’s ongoing budget monitoring process and departments were currently preparing and implementing the necessary action plans. The overall position would continue to be closely monitored to ensure the maximum reduction in those pressures, and the position would be regularly reported to both the Resource Monitoring panels and the Executive, and if necessary alternative funding arrangements would need to be considered.

For the Housing Revenue Account, whilst pressures existed around housing subsidy, income from rents and repairs and maintenance costs, it was currently forecast that the service should perform to target and that the revenue account would make a contribution to its balances in 2007/08.

Regarding the Capital programme, the current projection was that total spend would be in line with the budget by the year end. Directors would continue to review the delivery of individual capital schemes to ensure maximum spend was achieved by the year end.

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

1.  Note the current position of the Council’s revenue and capital budget as at 31^st May 2007;

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

3.  Note that Directors are beginning to identify and implement the necessary action plans to alleviate early budget pressures to ensure that the necessary balanced budget for the Council is achieved by year end.

Agreed to exclude the public and press for the remainder of the meeting by reason of the nature of the business to be discussed which included information exempt from publication by virtue of paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Contains information relating to the financial and business affairs of the Council (paragraph 3)

Received a report concerning the disposal of a small number of non-residential properties no longer required by the Council for inclusion in the Council’s Land Disposal Programme. Members noted that the Government had been pressing local authorities to dispose of their surplus assets for some time and this has been reinforced by Comprehensive Performance Assessment (Use of Resources) and Asset Management Planning.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priorities of “Regenerating the Local Economy”, “Improving Health, Housing and Social Care” “Raising General Pride in the Borough” and to promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of the area, to:

1.  All surplus general fund land and properties are appropriated into the portfolio of non-operational land for decisions on disposal or alternative use;

2.  The new protocol for decision making outlined in Appendix B of the report and consultation with lead and ward Members in relation to potential land disposals;

3.  The Corporate Director of Regeneration presenting a policy paper to a future Executive meeting on supported housing that sets out demand and supply issues for the Borough;

4.  The Corporate Director of Regeneration presenting an update to the Executive as soon as Government proposals are brought forward to give councils new powers to provide affordable housing, namely intermediate, RSL social rented and council social rented housing; and

5.  No decisions being taken on the individual sites covered in the report (Appendix A), for example whether the new protocol applies to these cases, until further discussions take place between officers and Members; at which time proposals will be brought back to Executive.  

Concerns a contractual matter (paragraph 3)

Received a report seeking approval to use a framework agreement contract for the supply of office furniture, for a period of four years, with no option to extend the contract.

Agreed, in order to ensure that the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has a cost effective and value for money contract awarded for the purchase of Office Furniture, to approve the award of a framework agreement for the supply of office furniture, negotiated by London Borough of Havering on behalf of the London Contracts and Supplies Group, to Eurotek Office Furniture Ltd, Office Depot, ROC Office Furniture, Unique Office Solutions and Wagstaff Interiors Group for the period of four years beginning 1 June 2007 until 31 May 2011, with no option to extend the contract (as required under EU regulations for the letting of framework agreements).  Subsequently mini competitions will be carried out in line with current Constitutional requirements.