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.  Members are reminded that the provisions of paragraph 12.3 of Article 1, Part B in relation to Council Tax arrears apply to the “Calculation and Setting of the Council Tax Base for 2011/12” report.

There were no declarations of interest.

Agreed.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits on the Council’s revenue and capital position for 2010/11 as at the end of October 2010.

The projected service overspends, taking account of in-year savings, have decreased from £3.9m to £3.5m since the last report, the main reason being a reduction in the projected overspends in the Customer Services and Children’s Services departments.  The position for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) has improved, with the projected deficit now at £37,000 compared to £302,000 last month and the Capital Programme is profiled to spend on target. 

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

(i)  Note the current projected outturn position for 2010/11 of the Council’s revenue and capital budget as detailed in paragraphs 3 and 5 and Appendices A and C of the report;

(ii)  Note the position for the HRA as detailed in paragraph 4 and Appendix B of the report; and

(iii)  Note the position of the Contingency Fund as detailed in paragraph 3.1.5 of the report.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits on the fees and charges for Council services which are proposed to come into effect from 4 January 2011.

The fees and charges have been reviewed in the context of the VAT increase to 20% from 4 January and the Council’s savings targets for 2011/12, whilst at the same time being sensitive to the current economic climate and the impact of any increase on the local community.  With this in mind, it is not proposed to implement an across-the-board increase.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in setting a robust budget for 2011/12, to:-

(i)  The proposed fees and charges for 2011/12 as set out in Appendix A to the report, to be effective from 4 January 2011; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Finance and Resources and the Cabinet Member for Children and Education, to set those fees and charges which are applied from September 2011 for schools and academic year based activities.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Culture and Sport on proposals to transfer the management of a number of community centres within the Borough to the local Community Associations.

In addition to the potential for the Community Associations to realise significant benefits for their local communities by taking on the management and ownership of the centres via long-term leases, the transfer of responsibility will also deliver financial savings to the Council.  Noted the reasons why the Fanshawe, Gascoigne and Marks Gate Centres are not included in the current plans.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council to achieve the Community Priority “Fair and Respectful” and a balanced budget, to:-

(i)  Authorise the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Finance and Resources and on the advice of the Legal Partner, to agree the terms of and enter into registrable long leases and management agreements with the respective Community Associations for the following Community Centres:

·  Abbey

·  Hatfield

·  Heath Park

·  Ted Ball

·  Teresa Greene

·  Village

·  Wantz

(ii)  Authorise officers to advertise more widely the opportunity to enter into a registrable long lease for the relevant Community Centre in the event that it is not possible to enter into a lease agreement with any of the relevant Associations at (i) above.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Regeneration on the Sustainable Employment Programme, which is a pilot project led by the London Borough of Bexley on behalf of the London Development Agency (LDA) aimed at helping the long-term unemployed, and those who are economically inactive, back into work.

Discussions on how this Borough can benefit from the project have resulted in the securing of up to £595,155 towards the Borough’s job shops dependant on the achievement of outputs.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priority “Prosperous” by providing assistance to Borough residents to access employment, to the entering into of an agreement with the London Borough of Bexley for the sum of £595,155 to support Borough residents into employment via the Sustainable Employment Programme.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits on the calculation of the Council Tax Base for 2011/12 and information on powers available to the Council in respect of awarding discounts.

Agreed, in order to comply with statute and assist in the calculation of the Authority’s Council Tax, that:-

(i)  In accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992, the amount calculated by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham as its Tax Base for the year 2011/12 shall be 52,723.7 Band ‘D’ properties;

(ii)  Discounts for long-term empty properties and second homes remain at 10% for 2011/12;

(iii)  No locally determined discounts based on categories of property or occupier be awarded for 2011/12;

(iv)  No locally determined reductions for prompt payment be awarded for 2011/12; and

(v)  The award of discounts and reductions is reviewed as part of the Council Tax setting process for 2012/13.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits on the renewal of the Council’s current Construction Related Framework Agreements, which are due to expire in August 2011. 

Officers have also been working alongside East London Solutions (ELS), the London Borough of Haringey and other councils across London to develop a model for collaboration in the procurement and management of these Frameworks.  It is proposed that this Council will take the lead in East London and the London Borough of Haringey will do the same for North-east London that will allow sharing of good practice, market intelligence and efficiencies.

Agreed, in order procure value for money services, to:-

(i)  The procurement of the Construction Related Framework Agreements as detailed in the report;

(ii)  This Council collaborating with East London Solutions (ELS) and Capital Ambition in order to secure additional funding for this project; and

(iii)  This Council leading on a collaborative procurement approach with other London boroughs, in order to procure a construction framework agreement that can be used by all.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits on the proposals to procure a Framework Agreement for the repair and maintenance of mechanical equipment in public buildings, schools and leisure buildings.

Agreed, in order to provide a safe and cost effective maintenance and minor works service, to tenders being sought for a Framework Agreement for the repair and maintenance of mechanical equipment in public buildings, schools and leisure buildings over a 20 month term with the possibility to extend for a further 12 months, as detailed in the report.

Received and noted a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues and Benefits on the value and type of debts written off from the Income and Collection, Rents and Benefits Service areas as uncollectable for the first two quarters (April to September 2010) of the 2010/11 financial year. 

Further to Minute 69 of the last meeting, received and noted a report from the Chief Executive on the action that he had taken under the urgency procedures contained within paragraph 17 of Article 1, Part B of the Council’s Constitution in entering into the BSF Contract with RM Education plc for the supply of ICT equipment and resources to the two sample schools (Dagenham Park Church of England School and Sydney Russell Comprehensive School).

Further to Minute 139 (16 March 2010), received a report from the Cabinet Member for Children and Education on proposals to formalise a number of interim arrangements that had been agreed with primary school Head Teachers and Governing Bodies to meet the demand for places in the Borough.

The proposals relate to the following arrangements which would be effective from 1 September 2011:

·  Ripple Primary School - To expand from three to five forms of entry by bringing the Westbury Centre back into use as a school building, together with 26 full-time equivalent (FTE) nursery places.

·  Thames View Junior School - To expand from three to four forms entry, by providing an extension of four classrooms and expanding the existing staff room.

·  St Peter’s Primary School - To expand from one and a half to two forms of entry, through a number of internal and building alterations to add three additional class spaces.

·  Cambell Junior School - To expand from three to four forms of entry.  This to be achieved through internal refurbishment and bringing into use redundant areas of the building.

It is also proposed to create an additional three forms of entry and 39 FTE nursery places at the St George’s Halbutt Street site and noted that the permanent management arrangements for this site are currently being explored.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priority “Inspired and Successful” and in fulfilling its duty to provide every child in the Borough with a school place, to:-

(i)  The formal expansion of the Ripple and St. Peter’s Primary Schools and Thames View and Cambell Junior Schools with effect from 1 September 2011 as detailed in the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member, to agree the permanent expansion arrangements in relation to the primary school extension at the St George’s Halbutt Street site, following appropriate discussions with relevant Head Teachers and Governing Bodies.

Further to Minute 162 (24 March 2009), received a report from the Cabinet Member for Children and Education on the formalisation of the proposal for the Diocese of Chelmsford to establish a new voluntary aided Church of England primary school at Barking Riverside, which is expected to be named “The George Carey Church of England Primary School”.

It is planned for the School to open on 1 September 2011 with three reception classes, one mixed infant class and two mixed junior classes.  When fully operational, the School will cater for pupils between the ages of 3 to 11 and provide places for 630 boys and girls, 39 full-time equivalent (FTE) places for nursery pupils and a children’s centre, together with 12 places for pupils with Special Educational Needs.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priority “Inspired and Successful” and in fulfilling its duty to provide every child in the Borough with a school place, to the proposal for the Diocese of Chelmsford to establish a new voluntary aided primary school at Barking Riverside, to be open with effect from 1 September 2011, as detailed in the report.

The appendices to this report are contained in the private and confidential section of this agenda.

Received a report from the Cabinet Member for Children and Education on the selection of a preferred bidder for the operational management of a Secondary School at Barking Riverside.

The intention is to provide a mainstream Secondary School from 1 September 2012 to provide places for 1,500 boys and girls for Years 7 to 11, 300 sixth form places together with specialist facilities providing places for 160 pupils with Special Educational Needs aged 3 to 19, although it was noted that funding and other issues may delay the delivery of the project by approximately one year.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving its Community Priority “Inspired and Successful” and in fulfilling its duty to provide every child in the Borough with a school place, to:-

(i)  Appoint the Barking and Dagenham Co-Operative Learning Partnership as preferred bidder for the operational management of the new Barking Riverside Secondary School with the following conditions, as provided for in the Department for Education (DfE) Guidance ‘Establishing a New Maintained Mainstream School’ Part C [Paragraph 94]:

a)  The lease of the site on which a new school is to be constructed;

b)  The entering into of an agreement for any necessary building project supported by the DfE in connection with grant funding from the former Building Schools for the Future programme; and

c)  These conditions being met by September 2013.

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).

Contain commercially confidential information (paragraph 3)

Further to Minute 49 (2 November 2010), received a report from the Cabinet Members for Regeneration and Housing on the proposed range of discretionary measures in relation to leasehold properties, in addition to the statutory compensation arrangements, which will be available to support the progression of the Borough-wide Estate Renewal Programme.

Agreed, in order to assist the Council in achieving the Corporate Priorities “Safe”, “Clean”, “Fair and Respectful”, “Healthy” and “Prosperous”, to:-

(i)  The range of discretionary measures as detailed in the report, in addition to the statutory compensation arrangements, in relation to the buyback of leasehold properties affected by the Estate Renewal Programme; and

(ii)  Authorise the Corporate Director of Finance and Resources, in consultation with Legal Partners, to approve the detailed terms of any discretionary measures that may be applied.