(a) Apologies for Absence
(b) Announcements
To consider any announcements by:
(i) the Chairman of the Council;
(ii) the Leader of the Council; and
(iii) any other Cabinet Member.
(c) LightBulb Apprenticeship Programme
The LightBulb based in Basildon provide training and consultancy services in Essex and the surrounding counties. The LightBulb Apprenticeship Programme delivers apprenticeships to match the needs of employers.
Summer North joined the Council as part of the Future Jobs programme and was given a one year contract as an ICT Apprentice. LightBulb oversee and mentor Summer by setting projects and tasks in order for her to complete and pass an NVQ.
Chris Askew, Customer Support Supervisor in ICT, is Summer’s line manager providing guidance, support and the opportunity to gain experience of working in ICT.
LightBulb have introduced awards this year and Summer has received an award for the apprentice who has interacted best with her employer and the apprenticeship programme. Chris has also received an award for employer of the year.
Summer and Chris will be attending the meeting to receive their awards from the Chairman of the Council.
(d) Travel Plan
The District Council agreed to introduce its own Travel Plan in September 2009 and, since then, in partnership with Essex County Council, has been developing a number of initiatives as part of that Plan. In view of the progress the Council has made on the Travel Plan, it has been awarded the Bronze Standard accreditation.
The Award is in recognition of the measures put in place by the Council including completion of a staff travel survey to obtain information about travel patterns and ideas for improvements, flexi-working, development of a car sharing scheme, provision of personal alarms, promotion of cycling and walking to work as a healthy way to travel including a Cycle2Work Scheme, provision of route maps and timetables for local public transport and promotion of its benefits, and ‘Green Driving Tests’ for staff.
Harvey Panrucker, Sustainable Travel Planning Manager, Essex County Council, will say a few words about Travel Plans and together with the Chairman of the Council will present the award to Councillor Smith,the Safer and Greener Portfolio Holder and Chris Overend, Policy Officer who has helped develop the Plan.
The Council will strive for accreditation to Silver, and ultimately to Gold, Standard by building on existing initiatives and introducing ideas in other areas.
Minutes:
(a) Announcements by the Chairman of the Council
(i) Attendance at Events
The Chairman reported that on 5 June he had hosted a very special event at North Weald Airfield in honour of the 90th Anniversary of the Royal British Legion. The event had also coincided with the North Weald Airfield American Eagles Fun Day and Fly-in which had been held to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the American Eagle Squadron at North Weald Airfield during the Second World War. The Chairman announced that wreaths had been laid at the base of the Gate Guardian in memory of those who had lost their lives in conflict. He also reported that he had made a presentation to 91 year old Doris Holden from the North Weald Branch of the British Legion. Doris had served at the Airfield during the Second World War and had been an active member of the Legion for over 30 years. The Chairman thanked the officers who had organised the event.
The Chairman reported that he had attended St Clare Hospice on 8 June for the visit of Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex.
He also reported on his attendance at the Young Enterprise (Essex) Team Celebration Event held on 9 June 2011. He advised the Council that the Team Programme had been specifically designed for young people aged 15-19 years who had experienced difficulties with learning and/or had physical disabilities. It had offered them a practical experience of running their own company, supported by their teacher and volunteer business advisors.
The Chairman announced that he had started visiting primary schools in the District to present the West Essex Primary School Prizes. The prizes were being presented on behalf of the West Essex Partnership in recognition of hard work and effort put in at schools over the past year.
The Council noted that the Chairman had attended the Crucial Crew Event on 17 June. The Crucial Crew was an interactive safety initiative based around key life skills that targeted 10-11 year old children. The Chairman advised that he had welcomed and toured the event with the High Sheriff, Lady Ruggles-Brise.
The Chairman announced that on 20 June, a short service had been conducted at the Civic Offices during which he had raised the Armed Forces Day Flag in recognition of Armed Forces Day on 25 June. Following the ceremony, he had hosted a small reception for those attending the event, at which coffee and cookies had been served and £65.00 had been raised for his charities.
The Chairman advised members that he proposed to impose a £10 fine on any member whose mobile phone rang during Council meetings during his year of office or on any member found texting during a Council meeting. He advised that the fines would be put to his charities.
The Chairman reminded the Council of the Members’ and Officers’ Golf Day on 19 July and encouraged members to participate.
Finally, the Chairman advised of his attendance at an Art and Design Exhibition at Epping Forest College as a result of which agreement had been reached for the display in the Chairman’s Office of a work of art for the duration of the municipal year 2011/12. The Chairman advised that a similar arrangement could be available for future Chairmen if they wished to participate.
(i) Floral Display
The Chairman announced that he intended to send the flowers from tonight’s meeting to Parsonage Court, Loughton.
(b) Announcements by the Leader of Council
Councillor Wagland reported that at a recent meeting of the West Essex Alliance, it had been announced that the enterprise zones being backed by the Local Enterprise Partnership covering Essex, East Sussex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock had been confirmed as Discovery Park in Sandwich, Kent and Enterprise West Essex in Harlow. The bid in relation to West Essex had been focussed on supporting small and medium sized businesses. Councillor Wagland pointed out that there was no guarantee of these bids being accepted by the Secretary of State.
The Leader reported that she had appeared on Channel Four News to discuss the Council’s Refuse and Recycling Policy. She had emphasised the Council’s arrangements for a weekly collection of food waste. It had subsequently been announced that central government was not going to attempt to force councils to adopt weekly collections for all waste.
The Leader advised that together with the Deputy Leader and the Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, she had met representatives of Ernst & Young to discuss the prioritised resource planning study being undertaken. She also reminded the Council that Price Waterhouse Coopers were being engaged to undertake a revenue income optimisation project.
Councillor Wagland advised that there had been a certain amount of misinformation expressed in certain quarters regarding tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She advised that the Council had been approached in November 2010 by the Government Olympic Executive to bid for tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as for the canoe slalom event. As a result, the Council had bid for two tickets at the lowest price band for both the Olympic Opening Ceremony and the Olympic Closing Ceremony. Further, on the basis that it was understood the Paralympic Ceremony to be cheaper, a bid had been made for six tickets for each of the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies. In addition, the Council had also bid for up to 50 tickets at the lowest price bands for the canoe slalom events for the heats and for the semi final/final. Councillor Wagland informed Members that the Council had now been offered two tickets for the Olympic Opening Ceremony and two tickets for the Olympic Closing Ceremony and 50 tickets for the canoe slalom events. She pointed out that tickets for the Paralympic Games had not yet been allocated. The Leader advised the Council that no decision had yet been taken on whether to accept the tickets or how the tickets, if accepted, would be allocated. She reported that this would be a matter for the Cabinet but that no tickets would be for councillors or for members of staff and she expected any tickets to be used to reward local residents who had contributed in some significant way to community life/citizenship in the District or had overcome adversity.
(c) Announcement by the Environment Portfolio Holder
Councillor Knapman advised that the Council had received a petition requesting that the lake in the Roding Valley, drained by the Police, be refilled. The Portfolio Holder pointed out that he was considering the petition but that significant resources would be required to refill the lake and the level had already improved since the submission of the petition. Councillor Knapman advised that at present there was no evidence of any danger to fish or plant life in the lake.
Councillor Knapman advised that in considering savings for future years’ budgets, he had no proposals to remove the Emergency Flood Team.
(d) LightBulb Apprenticeship Programme
The Chairman announced that the LightBulb based in Basildon provided training and consultancy services in Essex and the surrounding counties. He reported that Summer North had joined the Council as part of the Future Jobs programme and had been given a one year contract as an ICT apprentice. LightBulb had overseen and mentored Summer by setting projects and tasks in order for her to complete and pass an NVQ. During her apprenticeship, Chris Askew, Customer Support Supervisor in ICT had been Summer’s line manager, providing guidance, support and the opportunity to gain experience of working in ICT.
The Chairman said that he was delighted to announce that Summer had received LightBulb’s award for the apprentice who had interacted best with her employer and the apprenticeship programme. Further, Chris Askew had received an award for employer of the year.
The Chairman presented the awards.
(e) Travel Plan
The Chairman announced that the Council had agreed to introduce its own Travel Plan in September 2009 and, since then, in partnership with Essex County Council, had been developing a number of initiatives as part of the Plan. He advised that in view of the progress the Council had made on the Travel Plan, it had now been awarded the Bronze Standard Accreditation. The award was in recognition of the measures put in place by the Council including completion of a staff travel survey to obtain information about travel patterns and ideas for improvements, flexi-working, development of a car sharing scheme, provision of personal alarms, promotion of cycling and walking to work as a healthy way to travel, provision of route maps and timetables for local public transport and promotion of its benefits, and “green driving tests” for staff.
The Chairman introduced Harvey Panrucker, Sustainable Travel Planning Manager, Essex County Council and Rochelle Ruston, Sustainable Travel Planning Advisor to the meeting. Mr Panrucker congratulated the Council in obtaining the award and together with the Chairman, presented the award to Councillor Smith, the Safer and Greener Portfolio Holder and Chris Overend, Policy Officer who had helped develop the Plan.
The meeting noted that the Council would strive for accreditation to silver, and ultimately to gold standard by building on existing initiatives and introducing ideas in other areas.