Agenda item

To receive reports from the Leader and members of the Cabinet on matters falling within their area of responsibility:

(a)         Report of the Leader;

(b)     Report of the Asset Management and Economic Development Portfolio Holder;

(c)         Report of the Environment Portfolio Holder;

(d)     Report of the Finance and Technology Portfolio Holder;

(e)        Report of the Housing Portfolio Holder;

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

(g)     Report of the Planning 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 Asset Management and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, the Environment Portfolio Holder, the Finance and Technology Portfolio Holder, the Housing Portfolio Holder, the Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder, the Planning Portfolio Holder, the Safer, Greener and Highways Portfolio Holder and the Support Services Portfolio Holder.  The Council also received an updated written report from the Environment Portfolio Holder.

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

(a)        Leader

Councillor Whitbread informed the Council that he had been elected Chairman of One Epping Forest, the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) at their board meeting on 14 June.  The partnership had received a presentation from the Local Future's Group on the potential future demographic and socio?economic changes affecting the District.  This had been timely given that the Council's Local Plan Issues and Options consultation had also been on the agenda.  Councillor Whitbread informed the Council that he had been impressed by the productive work being undertaken by the LSP thematic groups around children, safer and sustainable communities and health.

The Leader advised that he had attended a meeting of the Essex Leaders and Chief Executives.  Further concern had been expressed about the Localisation of Council Tax Benefit and welfare reform generally.  Assurances had been given around the need to make sure that any local schemes in Essex had common core criteria although some local variations to reflect individual District needs would no doubt be necessary.  Councillor Whitbread referred members to the report which had been made to the Council's Cabinet on this issue on 23 July.  He reported that the Leaders and Chief Executives had also received an update on the Whole Essex Community Budgets Pilot and the establishment of the new Police and Crime Panel in advance of the Commissioner's election later in the year.  The meeting had also received a presentation from the Chief Fire Officer on the emergency planning arrangements for the Olympic Games. 

Councillor Whitbread reported that he had also attended a meeting of the London Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership which was proposing a local enterprise partnership focused on the Lee Valley/M11 corridor. 

The Leader advised that members of the Cabinet had recently met with local Essex County Councillors and Members of Parliament as part of the joint liaison arrangements which had been in place for a number of years.  At that meeting discussions had taken place regarding the Local Plan preparation and the Localisation of Council Tax Benefit.  The meeting had also discussed the new arrangements for Highways Panels and had received progress reports on the St John's Road and Langston Road developments.  Councillor Whitbread advised the Council that he had also received feedback from a meeting held with the Epping and Ongar Railway, local town and parish councils and residents' representatives.  He expressed the hope that as some residents still had concerns about the railway operation another meeting could be convened in the near future.  Finally, the joint meeting had discussed the establishment of Locality Boards and had concluded that rather than establish yet another forum, the joint liaison meeting was best placed to undertake this role.  Concern had been expressed about representation by town and parishes on Locality Boards but given that a representative of the Local Councils’ Liaison Committee now attended the joint liaison meeting those concerns appeared to have been addressed.

Councillor Whitbread referred to two community events which he had recently attended, namely, Crucial Crew and the West Essex Primary School prize giving.  He reported that in his capacity as LSP Chairman he had been pleased to attend the latter at Epping Forest College at which over 80 schools had participated. 

(b)       Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder

Councillor Webster provided the Council with an update in relation to the Olympic Games.  She stated that locally there had been no major issues with travelling to and from the Lee Valley Park White Water Centre although the use of the park and ride facility at North Weald Airfield had been disappointing.  She advised that although some 50 parking penalty charge notices had been issued in Waltham Abbey on the first day of this event these would be cancelled if they had been wrongly issued to local residents.  She continued that Princess Anne had attended the White Water Centre on the first day.

(c)        Finance and Technology Portfolio Holder

Councillor Stavrou advised that the Department of Communities and Local Government had issued a consultation document regarding the retention of business rates.  She pointed out that the document ran to some 250 pages and posed 83 detailed questions.  She informed the Council that officers would be reporting on the consultation paper to the Finance and Performance Management Cabinet Committee in September at which a response would be agreed.