Agenda and minutes

1.         This meeting is to be webcast. Members are reminded of the need to activate their microphones before speaking.

2.         The Assistant Director of Governance and Performance Management will read the following announcement:

“I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the internet (or filmed) and will be capable of repeated viewing (or another use by such third parties).

If you are seated in the lower public seating area it is likely that the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in the possibility that your image will become part of the broadcast.

This may infringe your human and data protection rights and if you wish to avoid this you should move to the upper public gallery.”

The Assistant Director of Governance and Performance Management reminded everyone present that the meeting would be broadcast live to the Internet, and that the Council had adopted a protocol for the webcasting of its meetings.

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 28 May 2015 (attached).

            RESOLVED:

            That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 28 May 2015 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(Chief Executive) To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct.

(a)        Apologies for Absence

(Chief Executive) To be announced at the meeting.

The Chairman highlighted the Summer Activities 2015 Programme, and commended all members to share it with their residents.

The Chairman reminded all Members that they were welcome to take part in the Chairman’s Charity Golf Day, to be held at Chigwell Golf Club on Tuesday 21 July 2015.

The Chairman sought the leave of Council to bring forward the item concerning Emergency & Urgent Expenditure for the Waste & Recycling Contract into the public session.

            RESOLVED:

            That the item of business concerning the Emergency & Urgent Expenditure           for the Waste & Recycling Contract be considered as the next item of   business and before the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.

(Environment Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached restricted report.

Mover:            Councillor W Breare-Hall, Environment Portfolio Holder.

(a)        The Environment Portfolio Holder, Councillor W Breare-Hall, made the following statement to the Council, concerning the recent problems with the refuse collection service:

“Chairman, I’m grateful to you for giving me this opportunity to update Members and residents on the latest position of our waste, recycling and street cleansing service.

Following my statement to Cabinet on the 11^th of this month, a meeting was held with the Managing Director of Biffa Municipal and other senior Biffa managers. It left them in no doubt of the need for urgent action to improve the unacceptable level of service experienced by a substantial number of our residents. The action plan Biffa prepared has now been in operation for a week, and I’m pleased to report tonight that there are encouraging signs it is having the desired effect.

If I may, Chairman, I will briefly highlight some of the key aspects of the action Biffa have taken over the past week.

The workloads of five crews who collect our black bins and five recycling crews have been reduced, and two additional crews have been created for each of those collections. This has generated additional capacity to help cope with any unforeseen problems.

Similarly, the seven food and garden crews have had some of their workload removed and three additional crews have been created. It’s important to note that the ‘original’ crews have been kept together and that all the additional crews have at least one permanent member of staff with them, to provide the local knowledge they need.

Adjustments to the existing routes, together with the creation of new routes, have increased the efficiency of the service, with paper maps being used as backups to the PDAs. New missed collection reports are being issued back to the crew that missed them, taking advantage of their reduced workload, which creates an incentive for them to avoid missed collections in the first place, and helps ensure the crews are learning their routes effectively.

Six additional vehicles were required to fulfil Biffa’s plan but eight were arranged, to ensure they were able to deal with any problems that arose.

All of this means we’re moving toward a position where the right resources are in the right place at the right time. Improved communication, both within Biffa and between Biffa and the Council, is a positive by-product of this, as is the ability Biffa now have to implement a coherent strategic approach to delivering the service efficiently and effectively.

Naturally, the only real test of the success of these measures is to be found on the pavements, driveways and front gardens of our District. I’m pleased to report that the number of missed collections reported to the Council has fallen significantly and, as of today, stands at 75.  I’m also pleased to report that this improvement is borne out by a reduction in the number of phone calls being received by the Customer Contact Centre, which now averages  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

Exclusion

To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Confidential Items Commencement

Paragraph 9 of the Council Procedure Rules contained in the Constitution require:

(1)        All business of the Council requiring to be transacted in the presence of the press and public to be completed by 10.00 p.m. at the latest.

(2)        At the time appointed under (1) above, the Chairman shall permit the completion of debate on any item still under consideration, and at his or her discretion, any other remaining business whereupon the Council shall proceed to exclude the public and press.

(3)        Any public business remaining to be dealt with shall be deferred until after the completion of the private part of the meeting, including items submitted for report rather than decision.

Background Papers

Paragraph 8 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution define background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information (as defined in Rule 10) and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

Inspection of background papers may be arranged by contacting the officer responsible for the item.

            RESOLVED:

            That, in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act    1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the item of      business set out below as it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt            information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12(A) of the            Act indicated and the exemption was considered to outweigh the potential       public interest in disclosing the information:

(Asset Management & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached restricted report and appendices.

Mover:            Councillor A Grigg, Portfolio Holder for Asset Management &                         Economic Development.

The Portfolio Holder for Asset Management & Economic Development, Councillor A Grigg, presented a report requesting a capital supplementary estimate for 2015/16 in the sum of £30,636,280 to be approved.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the requested expenditure would enable the Council to buy out the interest of Polofind Limited in the Epping Forest Shopping Park site, which would leave the Council as the sole developers. Following on from this, the bulk of the requested expenditure would enable the Council to construct the Shopping Park itself, and then market the units to potential tenants prior to its opening.

The Council’s Development Consultant from Colliers International presented the latest Development Appraisal for the project to the Council, and answered a number of questions from Members regarding the development. The Council was also given details of the Project Development Team that had been assembled, and Members were reminded that there would be regular project monitoring reports presented to each Cabinet meeting until the development was completed.

Report as first moved ADOPTED.

            RESOLVED:

            That a capital supplementary estimate for 2015/16 in the sum of £30,636,280        be approved, to enable the Council to:

            (a)        buy out the interest of Polofind Limited in the development of Epping           Forest Shopping Park;

            (b)        construct the Shopping Park; and

            (c)        let the units within the Shopping Park prior to its opening.