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 from the Corporate Director of Resources providing an update on the Council’s revenue and capital position for the period April to February of the 2008/09 financial year.

The position for revenue expenditure indicates that current budget pressures amount to £2.8million. The largest pressure continues to remain within the Children’s Services department (£3.4million) and Regeneration Services (318k) which are offset by projected under spends in Resources (400k), Adults and Community Services (70k) and Customer Services (£489k).

The current forecast is that at year end the revenue budget will have a net overspend of approximately (£780k). 

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve all of its Community Priorities and as a matter of good financial practice, to:

  (i)  note the current position of the Council’s revenue and capital budget as at 28 February 2009;

  (ii)  note that where pressures and targets exist, Directors continue to identify and implement the necessary action plans to alleviate these budget pressures;

  (iii)  note the position and projected out-turn for the Housing Revenue account; and

  (iv)  the budget approval of the capital scheme.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Children’s Services concerning proposals to establish an additional resource provision (ARP) at John Perry School for pupils with statements of Special Educational and Complex Needs, from the start of the Autumn Term 2009.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priority of ‘Better Education and Learning For All’ and ‘Promoting Equal Opportunities and Celebrating Diversity’ to the establishment of an additional resource provision at John Perry Primary School for children with statements of Special Educational Needs who have a diagnosis of autism.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources regarding proposals to introduce charges for the advice given to applicants prior to the submission of a planning application.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priority of ‘Developing Rights and Responsibilities with the Local Community’ to the approval of the principle of pre-application charging, following consultation with users of the service on the basis of the following charges exclusive of VAT effective from 1 June 2009.

Pre-application Planning Advice

(i)  Category A –Major Scale Development - £1,500 – Follow up meetings £750.

100 + residential units

Non residential applications with a floorspace of over 5,000m2

Changes of use over 5,000m2

Development of a site over 0.5 hectare or over;

(ii)  Category B – Large Scale Development - £750 – Follow up  meetings £375

10-99 residential units

Non residential applications with a floorspace 1,000m2 - 4,999m2

Changes of use 1,000m2 – 4999m2

Development of sites up to 0.49 hectare;

  Developments requiring an environmental impact assessment or traffic impact assessment

(iii)  Category C – Medium Scale Development - £400 – Follow up meetings £200.

2-9 residential units

  Non residential applications or changes of use with a floorspace of 100m2-999m2; and

(iv)  Category D – Small Scale Development - £150

Advertisement unrelated to the premises on which they are

displayed

New Telecoms installation

Flat conversions

Single new houses

Change of use within shopping parades and other retail areas

There will be no charge for pre application planning advice on householder applications, or other minor developments such as small changes of use (excluding those in Category A above) shop fronts, small commercial floorspace extensions or enforcement cases.

These charges will not apply to applications submitted by the Local Authority.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources concerning proposals in line with the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to extend the Abbey and Barking Town Centre, Abbey Road Riverside, Chadwell Heath Anti-aircraft Gun Site and Dagenham Village conservation areas to create a more cohesive and rational designation that more adequately protects the special historic and architectural interest.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council achieve its Community Priorities of ‘Better Education and Learning for All’, ‘Raising General Pride in the Borough’ and ‘Regenerating the Local Economy’ to formally adopt the Abbey and Barking Town Centre, Abbey Road Riverside, Chadwell Heath Anti-aircraft Gun Site and Dagenham Village Conservation Area Appraisals.

As a result of the Heritage Bill intending to introduce a duty for English Heritage to create and maintain a Historic Environment Record for Greater London, received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources detailing buildings within the borough which are of local historical or architectural interest and important in defining the character of the borough’s built environment.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priorities of “Raising General Pride in the Borough” and “Regenerating the Local Economy” to:

  (i)  approve the Local List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest in the Borough; and

  (ii)  publicise the local list on the Council’s website.

The appendix to this report has been circulated separately as Supplementary 1

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources on the Site Specific Allocations and Joint Waste Development Plan Documents (DPD)  which form part of the Council’s Local Development Framework, and will assist in the delivery of relevant elements of the Borough’s Community Strategy.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve all its Community Priorities and the commencement of the examination in public process, to:

  (i)  approve the pre-submission Site Specific Allocations Development Plan Document and pre-submission Joint Waste Development Plan Document for a six week consultation in line with the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement and for submission to the Secretary of State;

  (ii)  authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration, to make minor changes to the pre-submission Site Specific Allocations Development Plan Document and pre-submission Joint Waste Development Plan Document to address the feedback received during their consultation prior to their submission to the Secretary of State;

  (iii)  authorise the Chief Executive to suggest minor changes to the submission Site Specific Allocations Development Plan Document and submission Joint Waste Development Plan Document during their respective examinations in consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration; and

  (iv)  Prior to Assembly, authorise the Chief Executive in consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration, to make the minor amendments to the finalised Joint Waste Development Plan Document that arise from the parallel approval processes in any of the three partner boroughs.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources outlining the Council’s Property Asset Management Plan (PAM), which is a strategic and delivery document covering the period 2009-2016 with proposals to improve the Council’s property service.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve its Community Priorities of ‘Raising General Pride in the Borough’ and ‘Regenerating the Local Economy’ to approve the strategies within the PAM Plan in principle, which includes specifically:

  (i)  The amalgamation of all current council maintenance monies into one centralised fund i.e. the proposed Central Maintenance Fund (CMF) under the management of the Asset Management and Capital Delivery Division, Resources Department; and

  (ii)  The submission of a funding bid as part of the 2010/11 budget process to address the significant property maintenance backlog.

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).

Following on from Minute 156 2007/08 agreeing to setting up of the Barking and Dagenham Local Housing Company, received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources providing an update on progress in the establishment of the Company.

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

  (i)  That the Heads of Terms be accepted as the basis for concluding final contract negotiations with First Base Limited;

  (ii)  That the Chief Executive of the Council, Legal Partner –Procurement, Contracts and Property and Divisional Director of Corporate Finance  are collectively given delegated powers to negotiate and settle final contract documents as anticipated by the Heads of Terms; and

  (iii)  To note that a further report will be brought to Executive once contractual documentation has been finalised (including detail of any substantive variation from the transactions contemplated by the Heads of terms) which is anticipated to be in June/ July 2009.  This further report will set out details of:

a.  Contractual terms

b.  funding terms provided by HCA and senior and other debt funders

c.  LHC business plan and financial model

d.  Other relevant information

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Customer Services concerning procurement proposals to deliver Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as part of the One Barking and Dagenham programme.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve all of its Community Priorities to the procurement of support through a ‘mixed economy’ approach using our in-house ICT team, partners and external contractors, as outlined in the report.  The mixed economy route provides an appropriate level of capacity to deliver, return on investment and management of risk.

(* The Chair agreed that these items could be considered as a matter of urgency under the provisions of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.)