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 and Legal Portfolio Holder;

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

(c)         Report of the Environment Portfolio Holder;

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

(e)        Report of the Housing Portfolio Holder;

(f)          Report of the Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder;

(g)     Report of the Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder;

(h)     Report of the Safer, Greener and Highways Portfolio Holder;

(i)      Report of the Support Services 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 Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder, the Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder, the Safer, Greener and Highways Portfolio Holder and the Support Services Portfolio Holder.  The Council also received a supplementary written report from the Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder.

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

(a)        Leader and Legal Portfolio Holder

Councillor Wagland reported that she had recently attended a meeting of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership covering Essex, Kent and East Sussex.  The Leader advised that this Council now had a key role on a broadband sub group of the Partnership and this role would be filled by Councillor Philip, Deputy Leader of the Council.  Councillor Wagland reported that John Spence, formerly Chairman of the West Essex Alliance, had been appointed Chairman of the Partnership.  She suggested that this would benefit the Council as he understood the issues relating to this District.  She advised that John Spence was on record as saying that he wished to be part of a Local Enterprise Partnership which added value, only centralised if this was more effective and efficient  than a local solution and aimed to become the most enterprising economy in England.  Councillor Wagland reported that it had been made clear the Local Enterprise Partnership would be focussed on actions and not a talking shop.  She advised that the first priority which had been identified related to transport projects which would either benefit the region as a whole or would be of local importance in order to secure economic progress.  The Partnership had recognised that in order to move forward on such projects it would be necessary to explore various ways of funding.

Councillor Wagland advised that the Council had hosted a breakfast meeting of the West Essex Alliance.  As it had been necessary for John Spence to stand down as Chairman of the Alliance, Vance Rowe, a local businessman, had taken over as Chairman.  The meeting had identified employment issues as being of key importance and reference had been made to the shortage of semi-skilled workers in West Essex, the need to link skills to the ambitions of colleges and employers and  the acceptance of new retail developments as presenting opportunities not threats.  The Leader advised that she would include the West Essex Alliance Vision in the Council Bulletin.

Councillor Wagland reported that she had attended a meeting of the North London Strategic Alliance which comprised East Anglia corridor authorities.  The key issue had been investment and reference had been made to identified employment areas (clusters) including a high tech one in Hackney which had produced 30,000 new jobs in a year.  The Leader advised that Anglia Ruskin University were attempting to use the concept to get some sites set up in Essex for Life Sciences employment.  Reference has also been made to an existing cluster in the Lea Valley for the growing of vegetables and distribution.

The Leader reported that together with Councillor Bassett she had met County Councillor T Chapman who had taken over as the County Council’s Highways Portfolio Holder.  Councillor Chapman had advised that she had been addressing a backlog of work and the need to make significant reductions in the highways budget.  The County Council Portfolio Holder had advised that the Highways Service would soon be put out to tender and that it was her aim to try to get some local input into the Highways Service.  The County Council Portfolio Holder had acknowledged that Loughton had been poorly served from a Highways Service prospective and that she would attempt to address this in the future.  The County Council Portfolio Holder had expressed concern at the reception County Highways officers had received at local Highways Panels but she had been advised that in the main this was due to County Council officers not being solution driven or being sufficiently briefed on issues.  The Leader reported that she had been advised that the strategic arrangements for winter gritting would be similar to last year although town and parish councils wishing to stockpile salt would be provided with more manageable bags.

The Leader advised that following the meeting with Steve Quartermain, the Chief Planner at the Department for Communities and Local Government, she had arranged for Mark Beard, Barrister, to advise the Council on elements of the Council’s existing Local Plan which could be carried forward into the new plan and thereby achieve savings in time and resource.

Councillor Wagland reported that following the Dale Farm eviction, this Council’s legal officers were supporting officers at Brentwood Borough Council to prevent a possible incursion onto a site which was 80% within Brentwood Borough and 20% within Epping Forest District.  Officers had also issued advice to landowners about their rights in relation to trespass.

(b)       Housing Portfolio Holder

Councillor McEwen, Housing Portfolio Holder, advised that the previous day the Government had issued a consultation document outlining their proposals to reduce the amount of Feed In Tariff payable to those that installed solar PV to generate electricity.  The consultation document had set out a reduction of as much as 47% which would have a significant effect on the content of the report that had been considered by the Housing Scrutiny Panel on 25 October 2011 and was due to go to the Cabinet in December.  Councillor McEwen advised that together with officers she would be analysing the impact of the consultation document with a view to determining whether the scheme was now viable.

(c)        Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder

Councillor Philip, Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder, reported that arising from the discussion with Steve Quartermain, Chief Planner at the Department for Communities and Local Government, it appeared that there would be a transitional period, probably of 12 months from April next year during which existing Local Plan policies could carry weight.  He advised that in order to ensure that the Council had a new Local Plan was in place before the transitional arrangements expired, he had spoken to the Council’s Forward Planning Team with a view to this Council’s submission being ready by the end of the calendar year 2012.  Councillor Philip pointed out that this would involve a significant amount of work for the Council, both for members and officers.

Councillor Philip also drew attention to the progress being made in relation to a new website for the Council.