Agenda and minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 11 February 2014.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive on 11 February 2014 together with the accompanying decision records be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or an Affected Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Executive considered the reports submitted on the items listed below and the decisions taken are recorded in the decision sheets attached to these minutes and summarised below:

To update the Executive on the strategy to narrow the gap in performance between pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium and their peers.

RESOLVED that the strategy for ‘Narrowing the Gap’ (Annex B) to the report be agreed..

To determine the Executive’s response to the recommendations in the report by the Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel’s Working Group on ”Applying the Lessons of The Francis Report to Health Overview and Scrutiny.

RESOLVED that

1          The following recommendation of the Working Group on “Applying the Lessons of The Francis Report to Health Overview and Scrutiny” be accepted.

2          The Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing should carry out a stock take of all the Council’s external positions on NHS bodies, and works with Members to ensure that all suitable opportunities are taken up.

3          The recommendations set out in the report for other organisations and the way the Panel works within available resources be supported.

To consider a Residents’ Parking Scheme in streets surrounding Bracknell town centre.

RESOLVED that

1          The information contained within the report, including the results of the public consultation undertaken in July 2013 be noted. (see Appendices A & B).

2          The associated Residents’ Parking Scheme rules,  permit eligibility criteria and charges which would be subject to an initial 2 year trial (see Table 1 & Appendix C) be approved.

3          The necessary advertisement of Traffic Regulation Orders associated with the proposed Residents’ Parking Scheme, the results of which to be considered and determined by the Executive Member for Planning Transport (see Appendix D) be noted.

To consider the introduction of a scheme of fixed civil penalties for households who negligently fail or fail without reasonable excuse to inform the Council of a change in circumstances that leads to an overpayment of housing benefit.

RESOLVED that a scheme be introduced from the 1st April 2014 to impose a fixed civil penalty of £50 for overpayment of Housing Benefit that exceeds £250 due to the claimant negligently not informing the Council of a change of circumstance or failing to inform the Council without any reasonable excuse be agreed.

Following the approval of the Council's budget for 2014/15, to consider the list of schemes for approval to which the available highway maintenance works budget will be applied during the year.

RESOLVED that the budget for 2014-15 be targeted at the indicative Highway Maintenance Works Programme as set out in Annex 1 to the report.

To inform and seek approval from Executive for the proposed Joint Commissioning Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities 2014 -2019.

RESOLVED that the Joint Commissioning Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities 2014 -2019 be approved.

To inform the Executive of the new Council Corporate Asset Management Plan.

RESOLVED that the Asset Management Plan 2014-2015 at Annex A be approved and its recommendations endorsed.

To agree the Key Actions to be contained in the Service Plans 2014-2015.

RESOLVED that the proposed Key Actions to be contained in the Service Plans 2014-2015, as set out in Appendix A be agreed.

To inform the Executive of the performance of the Council over the third quarter of 2013/14 (October – December  2013).

RESOLVED that the performance of the Council over the period from October to December 2013, highlighted in the Overview Report in Annex A be noted.

To approve to award contracts for Highways Maintenance and Works, for Street Cleansing and for Ground Maintenance.

RESOLVED that

1          Tenderer 3, as detailed in the confidential annexe, be awarded the contract in respect of Highways Maintenance and Works (Lot 1), with effect from 1st October 2014.

2          Tenderer 5, as detailed in the confidential annexe, be awarded the contract in respect of Street Cleansing (Lot 2), with effect from 1st October 2014.

3          Landscape Services, currently an internally provided service, be contracted to an external contractor, and that Tenderer 5, as detailed in the confidential annexe, be awarded the contract for these services -  Grounds Maintenance (Lot 3), with effect from 1st October 2014.

To consider the following motion:

That pursuant to Regulation 4 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2012, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of item 16 which involves the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

 (3)       Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 (NB:    No representations have been received in relation to the notice published pursuant to Regulation 5 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2012.)

RESOLVED that pursuant to Regulation 21 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) Regulations 2000, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of item 16 which involves the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

(3)        Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority).

To consider the Category Strategy for Facilities Management which includes property maintenance and facilities management.

RESOLVED that the Facilities Management Category Strategy be approved.