Agenda item

To receive reports from the Leader, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and members of the Cabinet on matters falling within their area of responsibility:

(a)         Report of the Leader;

(b)         Report of the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

(c)         Report of Environment Portfolio Holder;

(d)     Report of Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder;

(e)         Report of Housing Portfolio Holder;

(f)          Report of Legal and Estates Portfolio Holder;

(g)        Report of Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder;

(h)         Report of Operational Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder;

(i)          Report of Performance Management Portfolio Holder;

(j)      Report of the Safer and Greener Portfolio Holder.

The Council received written reports from the Environment Portfolio Holder, the Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, the Housing Portfolio Holder, the Legal and Estates Portfolio Holder, the Operational Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder, and the Performance Management Portfolio Holder.

The Chairman invited the Leader, the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder to provide oral reports and other members of the Cabinet to give an oral update of their records.

(a)        Leader of the Council

The Leader reported on her attendance together with the Vice-Chairman of the Council at the Homestart Annual General meeting.  She drew attention to the work of Homestart, the majority of which was undertaken by volunteers.

Councillor Collins reported that she had also attended the speed meeting event for Council members and Youth Councillors and had been impressed with the input of the young persons.

The Leader advised that together with the Deputy Leader she had met the Leader and Deputy Leader of the County Council.  A number of matters had been discussed including the establishment of a Local Enterprise Partnership covering Essex, Kent and East Sussex.  She reported that being such a large area a considerable amount of central funding was expected but it was unclear how much of that funding would be directed to West Essex.  Councillor Collins advised that the subsequent Government announcement of accepted Local Enterprise Partnership had surprised her as some covered only a County area and in Essex it had been pointed out that such a restricted area would be unlikely to be accepted.

The Leader advised that the meeting with the Leader and Deputy Leader of Essex County Council had also discussed the Comprehensive Spending Review.  She pointed out that the full impact on the County of Essex and this District would not be known until the announcement of grants in December.  However, the Government had indicated that in recognition of local authorities not increasing the Council Tax, central funding would be made available to meet the difference between no increase and 2½%.  The Leader also advised that Central Government funding for Homelessness would now be made to Districts and not to the County Council as had previously been announced.

The Leader advised that the meeting with the Leader and Deputy Leader of the County Council had also discussed the outstanding parking reviews in this District and in particular the difficulties regarding the advertising costs.  The District Council views had been noted and it now appeared that the District Council be allowed to continue with its enforcement contract operated by Vinci until it expired.  Councillor Collins advised that this discussion had led to the County Council agreeing to consider the possibility of outsourcing the new Enforcement Contract at the appropriate time.

Discussions with the Leader and Deputy Leader of the County Council had also included the plans for St John’s School and the Epping Design Brief.  The County Council had agreed to provide further details of the plans for the school and had indicated that the Epping Design Brief would be made available for consultation shortly.  Councillor Collins advised that the County Council had indicated that it was anxious to maximise its assets and that it would like to sell most of its land covered within the brief for housing.  She advised that the County Council members had been informed that this was not favoured by local residents and that their views should be taken into account.

Councillor Collins advised that the meeting had discussed the London Olympics in 2012.  Representations had been made to the County Council representatives that the County Council had appeared to be focussing on the Mountain Biking course in Hadleigh with little attention being given to the White Water course just outside of the Epping Forest and Essex border in Broxbourne.  The meeting noted that local County Councillors Valerie Metcalfe and Liz Webster were now involved in discussions about the legacy benefits to the Waltham Abbey area which was expected to attract 70,000 visitors a year.

Councillor Collins said that the County Council representatives had seemed to be unaware of the concerns being expressed in many quarters about the Children’s Services.  She reminded members that Essex had received two poor inspection reports and had been judged inadequate on both occasions.  The County Council representatives had suggested that their procedures were very good but it had been pointed out to them that whilst this might be the case there was little evidence of putting the procedures into practice  for the benefit of children.

The meeting had also discussed housing provision and in particular the expansion of Harlow.  She advised that the County Council representatives had acknowledged that the County Council would need to take an overview of housing provision in the county and in particular in the West Essex area.

In relation to the future of Local Strategic Partnerships, the County Council had already spent the money which had been previously allocated to District Councils.  Councillor Collins advised that she had pointed out to the County Council representatives that Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford were continuing to work together on a Partnership arrangement for West Essex.

In relation to Health and Wellbeing, representations had been made to the County Council representatives for the need to ensure for proper scrutiny.

Councillor Collins advised that an Away Day with other Essex Authority Leaders was to be held next week.  She advised that together with a number of other Leaders she had been surprised at an announcement made by Councillor G Butland who was leading on the consideration of shared services throughout the County.  Councillor Butland had announced that there would be one Chief Executive for all District Councils in the County and five Managing Directors.  Councillor Collins pointed out that he had since apologised for expressing his own views in a way which could have been interpreted as being supported by other Essex Authority Leaders.  She said that her preference which was shared by the Leaders of Harlow and Uttlesford Councils was for those three authorities to work together rather than be involved in larger grouping of authorities.

Finally, the Leader advised that the first meeting of the Chief Executive Appointment Committee had been held at which consideration had been given to the terms of reference and an outline of the process. Members of the Committee had also met the Consultants appointed to advise on the appointment.  Councillor Collins reported that a further two or three meetings would be held before Christmas and that she would make a further report on progress to the Council meeting in December 2010.

(b)       Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Morgan advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been due to receive a presentation from the Principal of Epping Forest College at its last meeting but that due to an IT failure at the College that day it had not been possible.  He advised that the presentation would be made to a future meeting.

(c)        Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder

Councillor Rolfe expressed his thanks to District Council Officers for the role in which they had played in obtaining lottery funding for a Skateboard Park in Waltham Abbey.  He also advised that £25,000 had been secured by the Epping Forest Museum to help with future exhibitions.  This funding had been obtained from the Heritage Lottery Renaissance in the Region Fund.

Councillor Rolfe further reported that £45,000 had been obtained from the Aiming High Fund for the provision of play facilities for children with disabilities.

(d)       Operational Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder

Councillor Stavrou updated the Council in relation to the outstanding parking reviews.  She advised that, subject to call-in, the Cabinet at its meeting on 25 October 2010 had decided that further work on the parking reviews should be continued.  She reported that total expenditure to date since the commencement of the 2004/05 financial year on the Epping, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton Broadway parking reviews had been £922,956.  The Cabinet was also recommending that the £20,000 associated with the previous abortive advertising costs should not be paid to Essex County Council.  On the basis that Essex County Council would not provide a written assurance for their revised approach to advertising the Traffic Regulation Orders meeting with all the legal requirements nor indemnify this Council against any abortive costs which would arise should the revised approach be successfully challenged, advertising of the Orders was to be undertaken through a newspaper or newspapers whose circulations covered all the areas affected by the reviews at an estimated additional cost of £165,000.  The Portfolio Holder advised that, as recommended by the Local Highways Panel, the reviews would be progressed through a phased approach of completing the Epping Review first, followed by the Buckhurst Hill Review and finally the Loughton Broadway Review, but with total expenditure being contained within the currently available capital allocation.  She advised that the Cabinet was also recommending the use of the District Parking Enforcement Account to meet the additional costs of:

(a)        the capital costs of the reviews should the budget be exceeded;  and/or

(b)        the enforcement associated with the implementation of new and revised Traffic Regulation Orders to include weekend and evening enforcement.

Finally, the Cabinet was recommending that the Council should no longer undertake wide area parking reviews.

Councillor Stavrou reported that robust project management would be adopted in relation to the future processing of the reviews.  She said that it would be necessary to undertake further consultation although previous comments made would be taken into account by the County Council.