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.

Councillor L Smith declared a personal interest in respect of the Agenda Item 8 ‘Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Outline Business Case’.

There were no other declarations of interest.

Agreed.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources providing an update on the Council’s revenue and capital position for 2007/08 as at the end of January 2008.

The position for the revenue expenditure at the end of January 2008 had improved significantly from the December position.  Directors have action plans in place which will be closely monitored to achieve a balanced budget by year end.

For the Housing Revenue Account, pressures exist around housing subsidy, income from rents and repairs and maintenance costs and it was currently forecast that there would be a small overspend which will need to come from its balances for the financial year.

Regarding the Capital programme, Directors will continue to review the delivery of individual capital schemes to achieve maximum spend by the year end.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve all of its Community Priorities, to:

(i)  Note the current position of the Council’s revenue and capital budget as at 31January 2008 as detailed in the report;

(i)  Note the position and projected out-turn for the Housing Revenue Account as detailed in the report;  and

(ii)  Note the action plans being undertaken to alleviate the budget pressures to ensure a balanced budget for the Council is achieved by the end of the financial year.

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).

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Regeneration on proposals to procure a new four-year contract for asbestos analysis and surveying in Non-Domestic Properties from 2008 to 2012.

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

(i)  The Corporate Director of Regeneration, in consultation with the Divisional Director of Corporate Finance, be given delegated authority to award the Term Contract for Asbestos Analysis and Surveying in Non-Domestic Properties 2008-2012 following the agreed procurement process;  and

(ii)  Nominate Councillor L Smith, Councillor G Bramley and Councillor H Collins to be part of the tender packaging and evaluation procedures panel.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Children’s Services setting out the Outline Business Case (OBC) to be submitted to Partnerships for Schools (PfS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to support the Council’s bid for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) investment resources from Government. 

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priority “Better Education and Learning for all”, to:

(i)  Endorse the OBC principles and process and to engage further with the BSF programme;

(ii)  Seek to fund Private Finance Initiative (PFI) revenue contributions from the Dedicated Schools Grant and obtain the views of the Schools’ Forum;

(iii)  The Divisional Director of Corporate Finance to ascertain the optimal solutions to support lifecycle costs for consideration in the relevant budget process, to ensure that non-PFI schools are maintained in a good serviceable condition;

(iv)  Note the current funding gap on the Barking Riverside Secondary School of £19m and, if no alternative sources are found, it will be met from the Dedicated Schools Grant;

(v)  Consider, as part of the 2009/10 capital programme review, earmarking £2m from the long-term capital programme for potential costs of off-site works, pending further advice from the Council’s BSF technical consultants; 

(vi)  Authorise the Divisional Director of Corporate Finance to approve the approach in seeking provision of an equity investment in the region of £1.310m in the Local Educational Partnership (LEP) and Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for each of the three new PFI schemes planned;

(vii)  Note the profile of BSF project costs, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report and that this is fully considered as part of the 2009/10 capital programme review and Medium Term Financial Strategy;

(viii)  The Corporate Director of Resources, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, agreeing the BSF contract with the private sector;

(ix)  Secondary Head Teachers, Head Teacher of Trinity Special School and Governing Bodies participating in the selection and procurement process;  and

(x)  The Council operating and adjudicating the Schools’ competition process.

(# The Chair agreed that this item could be considered as a matter of urgency under the provisions of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 so as not to unnecessarily delay the delivery of the project).