Agenda item

To receive reports and any announcements 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 Commercial and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(c)        Report of the Customer and Corporate Support ServicesPortfolio Holder (attached);

(d)        Report of the Environmental and Technical Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

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

(f)         Report of the Housing and Community ServicesPortfolio Holder (attached); and     

(g)        Report of the Planning and Sustainability Portfolio Holder (attached).

The Council received written reports from Portfolio Holders. The Chairman invited the Leader of Council to provide an oral report and the opportunity for other members of the Cabinet to give updates on matters concerning their relevant portfolios.

(a)        Leader of Council

Councillor C Whitbread stated that since the last Full Council meeting on the 25 February 2021, it had been a busy time for the Council, high streets, businesses and the Country as a whole, as the timetable to bring the Country out of lockdown had begun. The Council have been actively engaged in helping businesses back to life on the high streets. Throughout Epping High Street there were notices on the lampposts to encourage people to shop local and it was encouraging to see the car parks getting busier and also the hospitality venue gardens being open and I am sure as the Country progresses to the next stage of the lockdown programme on the 17 May, with inside dining getting ready to open again.

It would be interesting to see what happens after 17 May, when Council meetings will become physical again and meeting in the Civic Offices. I believe going forward this will be a positive outcome for the Council and our residents.

Over the last year we have all been conditioned to work differently, at times this has been challenging and again we will seek different challenges once we start going back to physical meetings with some meetings still being held virtually. I believe for a time there will be a mixture of virtual and physical meetings and some meetings will stay as virtual for the foreseeable future.

The refurbished Civic Offices had been completed and I have been liaising with the Essex Library Services regarding them bringing the library service into the Civic Offices. The meeting was held with the Cabinet Member for Libraries and the library staff and he reported that it was a very positive meeting and progress was being made and he looked forward to reporting on further progress.

He also advised that he had met with Councillor Murray and Councillor Pond to discuss the Debden Library and will be meeting with the Cabinet Member for Libraries again to discuss Debden but with the forthcoming elections the Cabinet Member may change. It was important that this Council can influence and can talk to the correct people to move the library decisions forward.

After this very difficult year the Council was about taking Epping Forest forward in the next year and the five sites in Epping would support and fund the new Epping Sports Centre.

(b)        The Commercial and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder

Councillor A Patel advised that at the Cabinet meeting on the 20 April 2021 that he gave members a detailed verbal update on the Council’s assets at Centric Parade, Loughton, 202-226 High Road, Loughton and The Broadway, Debden.

To summarise Centric Parade had been hit by the effects of the Covid lockdown, four shops had become vacant and two had gone into a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). I am pleased to be able to advise that three of the vacant shops have now been let and the two shops that had gone into a CVA we have managed to let one to a National Health and Wellbeing operator at market rent and we are finalising terms with a National Discount retailer for the other unit. With regard to The Broadway, Debden, all shops remain let with the exception of one, but this has now been let and is in the hands of solicitors to finalise. Of the seven commercial units located at the Landmark building six are now let and the remaining unit was now under offer.

He advised that this was a good news story and was sure that Member’s would agree and he stated that he would like to praise the efforts of the Council’s Estates Team for being able to find new tenants during this difficult time whilst being in lockdown.

(c)        The Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder

Councillor J Philip advised that he would like to give an update to the Covid Economic Development Programme that was referenced in his report and stated that the Council had now appointed a Town Centre Project manager who had already started work and one of the first things he would look at was making sure the reports for the remaining town centres were available to be discussed and the first Cabinet meeting to be held in the new municipal year. He would then start to work on the larger villages which would also benefit from the Economic Development Programme starting with Theydon Bois, North Weald and Chigwell and find ways to make those places more attractive for our residents to go shopping in as the economy opens up.

On the finance side of the portfolio he stated that he would like to reassure member’s that the budget the Council produced and approved in February 2021 was accurate and that despite reports to the contrary the Council have not reduced the rent that they are expecting to receive for the second floor of the Civic Offices, we expect to get the same amount as was set but with Covid and not reopening the Civic Offices until after the start of the financial year, it would be impossible to let and get tenants at the start of the financial year and the date has been moved to start in six months. So to put it into context it was not a failure to let there was a significant amount of interest in the second floor and offers had been received.