Agenda and minutes

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 9 December 2013 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Helen Binmore.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter.  The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Audit, Pensions and Standards Committee. 

There were no declarations of interest.

1.         That the Council continues to award a council tax discount as though the Council Tax Benefit regulations were still in place, meaning that no one currently in receipt of council tax support will be worse off, be approved. 

2.         That the Council adopts what has been known as the government’s “default scheme” for its working age claimants that runs as though the regulations for council tax benefit were still in place, be approved.

That the Cabinet recommends to Council for the financial year 2014/15:

(i)                 The estimated numbers of properties for each Valuation Band as set out in this report, be approved.

(ii)               That an estimated Collection rate of 97.5%, be approved.

(iii)             That the Council Tax Base of 69,875 Band “D” equivalent properties, be approved.

1.         That budget virements of £0.751m for the General Fund, be approved.

2.         That the write off of £0.093m of bad debt, be approved.

1.                  That approval be given to the use of section 106 funds for economic development purposes as set out in the report, specifically sections 4 & 6 and Appendix 1, for the period April 2014 to March 2017, subject to satisfactory annual review, to a maximum value of £2.3 million and noting that £1 million of the £2.3 million proposed expenditure has yet to be received by the Council and would not be committed until received.

2.                  That Cabinet receive quarterly monitoring reports and an annual review of progress.

3.                  That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Housing and Regeneration to approve any employment and enterprise programme variations and decisions under £50,000 over the funding term (April 2014 to March 2017). 

4.                  That the Leader of the Council, as lead Economic Development Member, award any subsequent contract(s) that may be let as a result of this decision where the value exceeds £100,000 but less than £500,000, be approved.

That the decision to award the contract for the provision of the Primary Care Support Services and Group Work Programme across the Tri-borough be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Community Care, to ensure a timely approach to procurement within appropriate timeframes, be approved.

1.         That approval be given to retrospectively extend the existing “Step Up to Social Work” contract with the University of Hertfordshire from 1 September 2013, at a cost of around £190,000 pa (a maximum of £380,000 for each 2 year term).

2.         That approval be given to renew the contract with Hertfordshire University at two-yearly intervals for a period of up to 4 years until August 2017, subject to satisfactory outcomes, provider performance, and continued Government funding.

3.         That approval be given to delegate the award of any student bursaries related to the “Step Up to Social Work” programme to the Tri-borough Executive Director for Children’s Services, applying to future cohorts until the end of the current contract in 2017.

That one-year extensions of the contracts listed in paragraph 3.2 of the report in accordance with option 3 outlined in paragraph 5.3, be approved.

Councillor Michael Cartwright queried why the Beaumont Avenue residents had not been consulted on the proposals as this was a significant issue of concern for them.

In response, it was noted that the proposed options were the best engineering choices available.  The depot currently has substantial traffic going in and out of it.  The existing road width was too narrow for a large vehicle to pass another vehicle from the opposite direction.  The works will allow large articulated lorries 6 – 9 times a day and on few occasions very long lorries access to the LUL deport site during the Earls Court development.

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to enter into a section 278 agreement with Capital and Counties (CapCo), and construct the highway workson Beaumont Avenue and Aisgill Avenue at an estimated cost of £130,000 (including fees), to be funded by CapCo.

1.           That approval be given, subject to Section 20 leaseholder consultation, for the full scope of works for Emlyn Gardens, Becklow Gardens and Sulivan Court as described in section 5 and Appendix 1 of the report at a cost of £1.637 Million to be funded from the Decent Neighbourhood Fund.

2.           That the works will be delivered by MITIE under the new Repairs and Maintenance contract, be noted.

3            That the sales under the Asset Based Limited Voids Disposals policy in Emlyn Gardens, Becklow Gardens and Sulivan Court will be ring fenced to fund these works, be noted.

1.         That approval be given to appoint consultants from Transport and Technical Services’ Term Contractors (either Opus or Project Centre) to review the most appropriate option for parking control on each of the 91 HRA sites and delivery of the proposed scope as listed in Appendix 1, at an estimated cost of £176,000 which will be funded from HRA general reserves.

2.         That a procurement exercise is currently being undertaken to procure an interim parking management contract, the cost of which is to be funded from within current budgets, be noted.

3.         That the decision to award the interim parking management contract  be  delegated to the Cabinet Member for Housing in conjunction with the Executive Director of Housing and Regeneration (HRD) and the  Executive Director Transport and Technical Services (TTS).

The Forward Plan was noted.

The Cabinet is invited to resolve, under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, that the public and press be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following items of business, on the grounds that they contain the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in paragraph 3of Schedule 12A of the said Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the remaining items of business on the grounds that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of a person (including the authority) as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

[The following is a public summary of the exempt information under S.100C (2) of the Local Government Act 1972.  Exempt minutes exist as a separate document.]

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 9 December 2013 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

That the report be noted.