Agenda item

To receive the Leader’s report on the work of the Executive since the Council meeting held on 14 September 2016.

Council is asked to resolve a recommendation in respect of:

• Regulatory Services – Joint Services Proposal as outlined in Appendix A of the Executive report (paragraph 5.3.4)
• The Commercial Property Investment Strategy as outlined in Appendix B of the Executive report (paragraph 5.4.3)

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Bettison OBE, presented his report on the work of the Executive since that reported at the Council meeting on 14 September 2016. The Executive had met twice on 27 September 2016 and 18 October 2016.

The meeting joined the Leader in welcoming two new senior officers to the Council: Nikki Edwards, Director, Children, Young People and Learning and Stuart McKellar, Borough Treasurer. The Leader also took the opportunity to welcome Councillor Kennedy to her first Council meeting having been elected in October.

The Leader highlighted the following matters that had been considered:

·         It was proposed to Council to join together Regulatory Services with Wokingham and West Berkshire which would provide long term resilience and savings. A Joint Committee would be set up with each authority represented by two Councillors. 

·         The Commercial Property Investment Strategy was recommended to Council which would support the Council’s financial planning and Medium Term Financial Strategy. 

·         The five year Government funded Priority Schools Building Programme would run from 2016 – 2021 and would result in major rebuild/refurbishment projects based upon need. Bids had been submitted in January 2015 and the bids for Brakenhale and Edgbarrow School had been successful. Bracknell Forest Council would deliver the Edgbarrow project and the Education Funding Agency (EFA) would deliver the Brakenhale project.

·         The basis for the Housing Strategy consultation had been agreed including:

·         looking at Council role in intervening in market

·         Downshire Homes Limited role

·         National Landlord Association led review of private rented sector

·         engaging with pension funds etc to develop private renting opportunities

·         establishing a Bracknell Forest Extra Care & Retirement Village Developers Forum

·         Significant changes to Housing Allocation Policy had been agreed including:

·         the increase to the residency requirement to 4 years but those currently with 3 year residency would be exempt

·         offers of private rented housing to discharge homeless duty

·         special arrangements for families with children taken into care

·         maximum of 3 lettings per annum under “right to move”

·         New Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme was agreed for working age households with the discount to be focused on income levels which maximised Incentive to Work.

·         Nomination rights to South Hill Park Trust had been removed to allow greater flexibility for the Trust in attracting appropriate skills which was closely linked to progress with Arts Transformation Review.

·         Following comprehensive consultation on community access at Edgbarrow and Sandhurst Sports Centres the sites would be under the direct management of the schools from April 2017. The majority of consultation respondents supported for ‘no change’ but there was minimal support for the resulting price increases.

·         The two year Residents’ Parking Scheme trial was introduced around the town centre in 2015. A consultation was undertaken on extending the scheme on a self funding basis and in many areas the majority were against paying for scheme therefore to recognise local preferences the proposals were redrawn to focus on areas where residents supported scheme. This would be kept under review post the opening of the Lexicon.

·         A Joint Minerals & Waste Plan would be developed with Wokingham, Reading and Windsor & Maidenhead and the new Local Development Scheme (LDS) recognised the new timetable. The Joint Plan would provide important protection against unwanted extraction and Hampshire Services had appointed to undertake work on behalf of the three authorities.

Councillor McCracken confirmed, in response to a question, that the Pest Control Service was being deleted as there was no requirement for the Council to offer this.

Councillor McCracken advised, in response to a question, that a new liaison arrangement between the Council, landowners and the Police was being developed by the Community Safety Team which would replace the current link that the Council’s Licensing Officers provided for incidents of unauthorised encampments. 

In response to a question, Councillor Bettison OBE confirmed that the Corporate Property Investment Strategy was to borrow £20 million every year for the next three years to purchase commercial property.

The agenda report contained recommendations that the Council was asked to resolve.

On the proposition of Councillor McCracken, Executive Member for Culture, Corporate Services and Public Protection, seconded by Councillor Allen it was

RESOLVED that

(i)   the arrangements set out in Appendix A to the Executive report be authorised, including the creation of a Joint Committee for the strategic policy and oversight of the delivery of public protection services with Wokingham Borough Council and West Berkshire Council through the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) with effect from 9 January 2017,

(i)    the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Borough Treasurer and Director of Environment, Culture & Communities, be authorised to finalise the terms of the PPP as set out in the draft Inter Authority Agreement between the three Councils (Appendix A of the Executive report) and to make any necessary drafting or other amendments to the terms of the draft Agreement which are necessary to reach final agreement but do not materially affect the intent and substance of the Agreement,

(ii)   the Joint Committee be authorised to determine policy, strategy and oversee the performance monitoring and management of the new PPP and have the powers set out in the terms of reference contained in Schedule 1 of the draft Inter Authority Agreement in Appendix A of the Executive report,

(iii)  the Council’s representatives on the Joint Committee would be the Executive Member for Culture, Corporate Services and Public Protection and the Chairman of the Licensing and Safety Committee with any Member of the Executive being able to act as a substitute,

(iv)all existing service specific specialist equipment and the associated ongoing liability be transferred to West Berkshire from the 13 January 2017,

(v)  any associated existing contracts with the Council be transferred to West Berkshire to administer on this Council’s behalf until such time as they can be renegotiated,

(vi) as a consequence of this proposal, the disabled facilities grants, Home Improvement Loans, home energy functions and all associated staff and budgets be transferred to the ASCHH Department, as soon as it is practical to do so,

On the proposition of Councillor Heydon, Executive Member for Transformation and Finance, seconded by Councillor Bettison OBE it was

RESOLVED that

(i)    the Commercial Property Investment Strategy as set out in Appendix B of the Executive report be adopted and implemented,

(ii)   a supplementary capital approval of £20m in 2016/17 to support commercial property purchases to effect the policy be approved,

(iii)  further investment in commercial property be included in the draft capital programme for 2017/18 and 2018/19 (£20m in each year)

(iv) the Constitution be amended to give effect to the revised Terms of Reference of the Executive Committee as set out in Appendix B of the Executive report to include authorisation of Property Investment expenditure.