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 Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Environment Portfolio Holder, the Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, the Housing Portfolio Holder, the Legal and Estates Portfolio Holder, the Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder, the Operational Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder, the Performance Management Portfolio Holder and the Safer and Greener Portfolio Holder.

The Chairman invited the Leader to provide an oral report and other members of the Cabinet to give an oral update of their written reports.

(a)        Leader of the Council

The Leader advised that she had attended a meeting with the Leaders of other authorities in the County to discuss possible savings.  In relation to parking enforcement the County Council favoured an approach of dividing the County into two areas, north and south.  Under the County Council proposals this Council would be included in the north area and was one of only two authorities in that area which currently did not make a loss on the service.  The Leader reported that there now appeared to be acceptance of the need to consider the outsourcing of the new contract.

Councillor Collins advised that the meeting of Leaders had been informed of the County Council’s arrangements for winter gritting of highways.  She advised that during the recent inclement weather the main roads of the County appeared to have been treated quickly.

The Leader advised that the meeting had also discussed working together on procurement to achieve more savings.  She advised that the County Council wished to share property assets but this did not appear to be an issue for this District in view of the lack of suitable County Council accommodation.  She advised that proposals for a County Waste Authority had not received support.

Councillor Collins advised that the first Local Enterprise Partnership meeting scheduled to take place in Dartford had been cancelled due to the inclement weather.  She advised that together with the Deputy Leader of the Council she had met John Spence, a business representative on the Local Enterprise Partnership.  They had discussed the need to take steps to acquire funds for this District.

The Leader advised that a joint meeting of the Council’s Management Board and Cabinet was to be held on the following day and that later in the week there was to be a meeting of the Cabinet, local Members of Parliament and local County Councillors.

Councillor Mrs Collins advised that she had appointed Deputy Portfolio Holders as follows:

Portfolio/Portfolio Holder                            Deputy

Leader (Councillor D Collins)                         Councillor James Hart

Environment (Councillor M Sartin)                  Councillor S Jones

Finance and Economic Development)

(Councillor C Whitbread)                    )           Councillor D Johnson

Performance Management                 )

(Councillor R Bassett)                        )

Housing (Councillor D Stallan)                       Councillor W Breare-Hall

Legal and Estates                                           Councillor B Judd

(Councillor L Wagland)

Leisure and Wellbeing                        )

(Councillor B Rolfe)                            )           Councillor R Gadsby

                                                            )

Operational Planning and Transport   )

(Councillor S Stavrou)                        )

Performance Management                             Councillor A Lion (Performance

(Councillor R Bassett)                                    Management issues only)

Safer and Greener                                          Councillor R Barrett

(Councillor P Smith)

The Leader also advised that as Councillor A Green, Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee, would not be seeking re-election in May 2011, Councillors S Watson and A Watts would be shadowing his duties until that time.

(b)       Environment Portfolio Holder

Councillor Sartin advised that she had agreed to update members on the number of fixed penalty notices issued.  She reported that one notice had been issued in relation to waste.  She continued that no notices had yet been issued in relation to litter.

(c)        Finance and Economic Development

Councillor Whitbread referred to the tabled initial analysis of grant funding for the Council.  He emphasised that the figures were provisional and were still subject to detailed checking but they demonstrated the significant challenge facing the Authority over the next four years.

The Portfolio Holder pointed out that the Council would receive a reduction of £1.37 million (15.7%) in grant in 2011/12 and a further reduction of £0.9 million (12%) in 2012/13.  He also drew attention to the funding available to Councils that chose to freeze their Council Tax in 2011/12 which had been the stated intention of this Council for some time.

Councillor Whitbread drew attention to a new funding stream with respect to New Homes Bonus, encouragement to local authorities to provide new housing.  He also pointed out that revenue from Council Tax was anticipated to increase over the four year period as a result of new homes being built, not due to an increase in the level of District Council Tax.

Councillor Whitbread advised that having regard to work already undertaken the Council was on target to achieve the £557,924 of savings required for 2011/12.  However in 2012/13 there would be a need to identify savings or increased income equating to approximately £1.488 million.  He cautioned that as an organisation which was already lean, this would not be easy.  Members would need to make some very difficult decisions about future priorities and would need to form a view about the use of balances and how much they were prepared to increase fees and charges.  The Portfolio Holder pointed out that despite these challenges the advantage this Council had over many other authorities in the region was that it had more time to plan and manage any programme of efficiencies by virtue of the fact that it had already identified savings for next year.

(d)       Housing Portfolio Holder

Councillor Stallan drew attention to his written report regarding the proposed withdrawal of funding by Essex County Council for Caring and Repairing in Epping Forest.  He advised that he expected to receive an update of the position later in the week and that he would include details in the Council Bulletin when received.

(e)       Operational Planning and Transport Portfolio Holder

Councillor Stavrou reported on the proceedings of a recent meeting of the Local Highways Panel.

She advised that a feasibility study had been carried out to evaluate the impact of providing pedestrian facilities as part of the improvements to the A1168 Chigwell Lane/Langston Road/Oakwood Hill junction.  Members noted that computer modelling software and existing traffic and pedestrian counts had indicated that traffic queues on Oakwood Hill and Chigwell Lane southbound would increase significantly if pedestrian facilities were to be included.  As a result a decision had been taken not to pursue the provision of pedestrian facilities.

The Portfolio Holder advised that the Panel had received an oral presentation on the County Council’s winter gritting arrangements.  She advised that full details of the arrangements would be appended to the minutes of the Panel meeting but pointed out that 46 parishes across the county had been included in a new pilot scheme aimed at ensuring that salt was used appropriately.  Loughton Town Council, Nazeing and Theydon Bois Parish Councils had been included in the pilot and would receive initially a one tonne bag of salt.  The Portfolio Holder advised that members of the Panel had raised concerns over the lack of consultation regarding this pilot scheme and the difficulties which would be faced by town/parish councils in storing and using the salt.

(f)        Safer and Greener

Councillor Smith advised that a decision had been taken earlier in the day not to close Harlow Magistrates Court.  She advised that the County Court at Harlow would be closed although it was possible a facility would be included within the Magistrates Court.