Meeting documents
Cabinet
Monday, 26th September, 2016 7.30 pm
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| Date: | Tuesday, 26th July, 2016 | Time: | 7.30pm | Place: | Council Chamber, Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City |
| PRESENT: | Councillor Mrs L.A. Needham (Chairman), Councillor T.W. Hone (Vice-Chairman), Councillor P.C.W. Burt, Councillor Julian Cunningham, Councillor Jane Gray, Councillor Tony Hunter, Councillor David Levett and Councillor Bernard Lovewell. |
| IN ATTENDANCE: | Strategic Director of Finance, Policy & Governance, Strategic Director of Customer Services, Head of Finance, Performance & Asset Management, Head of Leisure and Environmental Services, Head of Housing and Public Protection, Strategic Planning & Projects Manager, Strategic Housing Manager, Project Manager (Waste Management), Contracts Lawyer, Corporate Legal Manager, Democratic Services Manager and Committee & Member Services Manager. |
| ALSO PRESENT: | Councillors Cathryn Henry (Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee) and Frank Radcliffe. 1 Member of the Public. |
| Meeting attachments |
Agenda Front Pages Audio Recording of Meeting 1 Audio Recording of Meeting 2 |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
| PART I | ||||
| 27 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE There were no apologies for absence. |
Noted | ||
| 28 |
MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 14 June 2016 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and signed by the Chairman. |
Agreed | ||
| 29 |
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS There was no notification of other business. |
Noted | ||
| 30 |
CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS (1) The Chairman announced that Members of the public and the press may use their devices to film/photograph, or do a sound recording of the meeting, but she asked them to not use flash and to disable any beeps or other sound notifications that emitted from their devices. In addition, the Chairman had arranged for the sound at this particular meeting to be recorded; (2) The Chairman reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question; and (3) The Chairman asked that, for the benefit of any members of the public present at the meeting, Officers announce their name and their designation to the meeting when invited to speak. (4) The Chairman advised that, following the exclusion of the press and public, Item 14 (the Part 2 item on the Shared Service for Waste and Street Cleansing) would be considered in advance of Item 12 (the Part 1 item on the same matter). |
Noted | ||
| 31 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was no public participation. |
Noted | ||
| 32 |
ITEM REFERRED FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 19 JULY 2016: ADOPTION OF A COMMON HOUSING ALLOCATION SCHEME Referral RESOLVED: That consideration of this referral takes place in conjunction with agenda item number 11 (see Minute 41 below). |
Noted | ||
| 33 |
ITEM REFERRED FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 19 JULY 2016 - CORPORATE PLAN 2017 TO 2021 Referral RESOLVED: That consideration of this referral takes place in conjunction with agenda item number 10 (see Minute 40 below). |
Noted | ||
| 34 |
ITEM REFERRED FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 19 JULY 2016 - REVISED POLICY FOR SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS Referral RESOLVED: That consideration of this referral takes place in conjunction with agenda item number 9 (see Minute 39 below). |
Noted | ||
| 35 |
ITEM REFERRED FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 19 JULY 2016 - SHARED SERVICE FOR WASTE AND STREET CLEANSING Referral RESOLVED: That consideration of this referral takes place in conjunction with agenda item number 12 (see Minute 44 below). |
Noted | ||
| 36 |
ITEM REFERRED FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 19 JULY 2016 - TASK AND FINISH GROUP ON PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Referral The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the following referral from that Committee, made at its meeting held on 19 July 2016, in respect of the Task and Finish Group on Performance Indicators (Minute 36 refers): "(1) That Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee receive Performance updates one month before Committee meetings; (2) That Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee receive Project updates one month before Committee meetings; (3) That the Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, together with the Group Leaders, review the reports in (1) and (2) above. The Chairman will then request that the relevant Executive Members attend the upcoming Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to address particular issues. In some instances it may be necessary to schedule a Task & Finish Group or Call-In an item; (4) That the Member Workshop on Performance Indicators be discontinued; (5) That, following the annual adoption of the Corporate Plan, Executive Members, together with Senior Officers, be requested to set performance and project targets; (6) That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee review these performance and project targets and receive an update from the relevant Executive Member on at least an annual basis." The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues had no objections to Recommendations (4), (5) and (6) of the Committee. In respect of recommendations (1), (2) and (3), he foresaw that they could be potential difficulties in that the Council's Covalent Management System was updated regularly, and therefore a Performance/Project update report a month in advance of an Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting could well be very different by the time of the Committee meeting itself. He therefore suggested that he meet with the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to discuss further the implications of Recommendations (1), (2) and (3). This suggestion was supported by the Cabinet. RESOLVED: (1) That Recommendations (1), (2) and (3) of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in respect of Performance Indicators be discussed further by the Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues and the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee; (2) That the Member Workshop on Performance Indicators be discontinued; (3) That, following the annual adoption of the Corporate Plan, Executive Members, together with Senior Officers, be requested to set performance and project targets; and (4) That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee review these performance and project targets and receive an update from the relevant Executive Member on at least an annual basis. REASON FOR DECISION: To progress towards a revised system for consideration and monitoring of the Council's performance Indicators. |
Agreed | ||
| 37 |
STRATEGIC PLANNING MATTERS Report The Executive Member for Planning and Enterprise presented a report of the Strategic Director of Planning, Housing and Enterprise informing Members of the current position regarding the Duty to Co-operate with neighbouring authorities and Local Plans; Luton Local Plan Examination; and North Hertfordshire Local Plan. The Executive Member for Planning and Enterprise updated Cabinet on the following matters: - Luton Housing Market Area Growth Study - the Study was ongoing, although no future dates had been set for the Officer Working Group nor the Member Steering Group. However, the Study was expected to be completed in October 2016; - Stevenage Local Plan - Stevenage Borough Council agreed its Local Plan on 20 July 2016 for submission to the Secretary of State for independent examination; - Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan - Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council would be considering its submission Local Plan on 2 August 2016 which, if approved, would be subject to public consultation from 30 August 2016; - Luton Local Plan examination - the Duty to Co-operate examination had taken place on 19 July 2016. Key issues regarding the evidence base, the requirement to meet Luton's unmet housing need and the apparent lack of consideration given to the alignment of Local Plans, particularly between Luton and Central Bedfordshire, was debated. Other infrastructure issues relating to transport and education were also discussed. Luton was tasked with providing more clarity for the Inspector regarding its evidence base on Duty to Co-operate. This information was to be submitted by 22 July 2016. The Inspector stated that he intended to provide the outcome within 2/3 weeks, before moving on to subsequent stages of the examination later in the year; - North Hertfordshire Local Plan - As Members were aware, the Council meeting held on 20 July 2016 had endorsed the likely strategic policy and spatial implications of a new Local Plan for North Hertfordshire that would comply with the requirements of the NPPF and relevant legislation, and had agreed that officers be instructed to finalise the proposed submission documents for formal approval by Cabinet. It was hoped to confirm in the near future that the Cabinet meeting would take place on either 19 or 26 September 2016. RESOLVED: That the report on Strategic Planning Matters be noted. REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that the Cabinet is kept informed of developments on strategic planning matters. |
Noted | ||
| 38 |
MEDIUM TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY 2017-2022 Report Appendix A - Medium Term Financial Strategy 2017-2022 The Executive Member for Finance and IT presented the report of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance in respect of the Medium Term Financial Strategy 2017-2022. The following appendix was submitted with the report: Appendix A - Medium Term Financial Strategy 2017-2022. The Executive Member for Finance and IT advised that the report reviewed and updated the existing Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to reflect the impact of the current economic situation and expected changes in funding, alongside decisions taken by the Council during 2015/16. The updated MTFS provided the financial background to the Corporate Business Planning process for 2017-18 and beyond. In common with recent years, the report concluded that it may be necessary to revisit the MTFS in coming months following any further announcements in respect of funding (e.g. the Autumn Statement and any subsequent announcements). The Executive Member for Finance and IT stated that financial modelling undertaken for the MTFS currently projected that the overall budget gap for the four year period 2017/18 to 2020/21 was £2.750M. This was on the assumption that Council Tax would be increased by 1.9% each year and a managed use of reserves. There was a very high uncertainty on funding levels beyond the current national parliament. The Executive Member for Finance and IT explained that the main general funding streams for the Council were Business Rates, Revenue Support Grant, New Homes Bonus and Council Tax. Each of these was subject to some degree of constraint, reduction or risk, as set out in Paragraphs 8.3 to 8.6 of the report. The Executive Member for Finance and IT commented that it was very uncertain what even the short-term impact would be of the recent Referendum decision to leave the European Union. The Council should therefore be ready to review forecasts in light of any further Government announcements, including the Autumn Budget Statement or a new Budget. The Cabinet noted that balancing the budget would require a consideration of how funding and expenditure could be matched. The ability to be more efficient by reducing resources and staffing levels was now extremely limited, and so the strategy would therefore focus on: - Transformation of services so that they could be delivered at lower cost. This may involve up-front investment to allow the transformation to take place. This could include sharing of services with other organisations to make best use of resources from economies of scale. There may be some changes to the way that residents received services; and - Looking at ways to make use of the Council's assets (e.g. capital resources) to generate revenue income (or reduce revenue costs). This would include increasing investment returns from those assets. The Executive Member for Finance and IT advised that the Council had built up reserves over the last few years to allow some protection against short-term uncertainties. This also allowed some time to implement budget changes, particularly those that required up-front investment or had a lead-in time. The general fund reserve had a balance of £7.085M at 31 March 2016, which was £5.390M higher than the minimum balance approved for 2016/17 of £1.695M.He re-iterated that the current estimate (based on the significant uncertainties outlined above) was that the Council would need to make £2.750M of savings by 2020/21. However, there needed to be a plan in place to manage the impact of funding levels being lower than currently forecast. The very high uncertainty for year 5 (2021/22) made it difficult to estimate what further savings would need to be delivered. RESOLVED: That the contents of the updated Medium Term Financial Strategy and the key strands of efficiency savings, service transformation and income generation, be noted. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That the updated Medium Term Financial Strategy 2017-2022 outlined in Appendix A to the report be adopted and communicated to officers as the medium term financial framework for the Corporate Business Planning process. REASON FOR DECISION: To assist in the process of forward planning the use of Council resources and in budget setting for 2017/18 to 2021/22 culminating in the setting of the Council Tax precept for 2017/18 in February 2017. |
Agreed | ||
| 39 |
CORPORATE PLAN 2017 TO 2021 Report Appendix A - Corporate Plan 2017-2021 The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues presented a report of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance in respect of the Corporate Plan 2017 to 2021. The following appendix was submitted with the report: Appendix A - Corporate Plan 2017-2021. The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the following referral from that Committee, made at its meeting held on 19 July 2016, in respect of the Corporate Plan 2017 to 2021 (Minute 35 refers): "That the Corporate Plan include statements regarding the following issues: (i) Recognising the financial climate and constraints; (ii) Acknowledge statutory duties together with either costs or percentage of budget spent on each duty; (iii) More positive statements about the projects, with some detail about how these will be achieved on time and within budget; (iv) Positive statements regarding what NHDC does well." The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues commented that he felt that Recommendation (i) had been recognised in the Leader's foreword to the Plan; Recommendation (iii) would be covered by way of the Action Plans which flowed from the overarching Plan; and Recommendations (ii) and (iv) were matters which could be addressed, but not through the medium of the Corporate Plan. The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues advised that the Council was required to have in place a suitable, high level strategic policy document to inform its corporate business planning process. The Council was required to approve the final Corporate Plan document as the formal, overarching policy framework for the authority. The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues stated that all projects included in the Corporate Plan would be subject to sound business cases being provided, and specific targets established as they were introduced. The Council's performance against these would be monitored and reported. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That the Corporate Plan 2017-2021, as attached at Appendix A to the report, be adopted. REASON FOR DECISION: To put in place a suitable high level strategic policy document to inform the Council's Corporate Business Planning process. |
Agreed | ||
| 40 |
REVISED POLICY FOR SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND SAFEGUARDING VULNERABLE ADULTS Report Appendix 1 - Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy: revised 2016 The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health presented a report of the Head of Policy and Community Services in respect of the revised Policy for Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults. The following appendix was submitted with the report: Appendix 1 - Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy: revised 2016. The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the following referral from that Committee, made at its meeting held on 19 July 2016, in respect of the revised Policy for Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults (Minute 34 refers): "(1) That Cabinet request that the Group Leaders consider whether all Members should receive training regarding Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults; (2) That the policies be recommended for endorsement by Council." The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health advised that the Care Act 2014, which came into effect on 1 April 2015, placed a statutory duty on local authorities to provide services to meet the needs of adults who required care and support. A duty to establish a Safeguarding Adults Board in every local authority area was introduced and a duty placed on District Councils and other local organisations to co-operate fully with the Board. This duty involved both referring concerns and providing information when requested to assist with investigations. District Council representation was maintained on both the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board and Hertfordshire Districts Safeguarding Group. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health explained that, since the adoption of NHDC's policies on safeguarding in 2014, a number of key new duties had been introduced, namely the Prevent Duty (introduced through the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015); a duty to address the effects of an increase in cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM); and a duty under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, which had made it illegal in England and Wales to force someone to marry, to take someone overseas and force them to marry, and to marry someone without the mental capacity to consent. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health stated that a bi-annual audit of the Council's compliance with Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 was conducted by the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children's Board, as having an up to date policy for Safeguarding Children was a key requirement in the audit. The Council had statutory duties to contribute to the safeguarding of both children and vulnerable adults. The existence of a policy that reflected current legislative requirements and best practice guidelines was a key requirement in maintaining those duties. The Executive Member for Policy, Transport and Green Issues endorsed the comments made by the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health, and was of the view that, sadly, the three new legal duties previously referred to were as applicable to children as to vulnerable adults. The Cabinet Chairman supported the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and therefore considered that it would appropriate for Group Leaders to be requested to encourage all Members of the Council to receive training regarding Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults. RESOLVED: (1) That the revised Policy for Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults be received; (2) That the Group Leaders be requested to encourage all Members of the Council to receive training regarding Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That the revised Policy for Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be adopted. REASON FOR DECISION: To fulfil statutory obligations and to ensure robust practices are in place for the protection of children and vulnerable adults throughout the Council and services conducted on its behalf by partners and contractors. |
Agreed | ||
| 41 |
ADOPTION OF UPDATED COMMON HOUSING ALLOCATION SCHEME Report Appendix A - Proposed Common Housing Allocation Scheme Appendix B - Update to the Common Housing Allocation Scheme Appendix C - Equality Analysis [Prior to the consideration of this item, Councillor Jane Gray declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in the matter, due to her role as one of the Council's nominated representatives on the Board of North Hertfordshire Homes. Accordingly, she withdrew from the Chamber fur duration of the debate and vote upon the item.] The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health presented a report of the Head of Housing and Public Protection in respect of the proposed adoption of an updated Common Housing Allocation Scheme (CHAS). The following appendices were submitted with the report: Appendix A - Proposed Common Housing Allocation Scheme; Appendix B - Update to the Common Housing Allocation Scheme; and Appendix C - Equality Analysis. The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the following referral from that Committee, made at its meeting held on 19 July 2016, in respect of the adoption of an updated Common Housing Allocation Scheme (Minute 28 refers): "(1) That the updated version of the Common Housing Allocation Scheme be approved; (2) That Cabinet delegates to the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health, in conjunction with the Head of Housing and Public Protection, the power to make minor amendments to the Common Housing Allocation Scheme and to agree the launch date for the commencement of the updated Scheme on behalf of the Council." The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health was pleased that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was supportive of the proposed updated Scheme. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health advised that the North Hertfordshire Housing Partnership (NHHP) was formed in June 2005, and comprised North Hertfordshire District Council, Howard Cottage Housing Association and North Hertfordshire Homes. A new, single Common Housing Allocation Scheme was agreed by all members of the NHHP and this was implemented on 1 July 2009. The partnership approach enabled the process of registering applications for social housing to be streamlined and nomination rights to vacancies to be pooled, in order to provide better customer service and a more efficient way of working. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health explained that the Localism Act 2011 gave local authorities and Private Registered Providers (PRPs - the current legislative name for housing associations) greater freedom to set priorities and criteria for social housing waiting lists, including the power to exclude certain categories of people from the Housing Register. The current version of the CHAS came into effect in March 2014, and this introduced a number of exclusions for those with poor tenancy records, such as applicants with outstanding housing debts and those associated with unacceptable behaviour, including anti-social behaviour. A 10 year ban for those evicted from social housing was also introduced in respect of that person from being re-housed by that same landlord. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health commented that the economic climate had changed over the past two years, which had made it more difficult to place applicants in private rented accommodation, thereby increasing the number of homeless persons in bed and breakfast accommodation. The proposals to update the CHAS contained in Appendix B to the report sought to facilitate move-on from temporary accommodation and to minimise the number of bed and breakfast placements. It aims to achieve this by improving access to the Common Housing Register for those households. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health stated that the proposed measures would also enable excluded applicants, who had behaved responsibly and met the new criteria, to be considered for social housing without the requirement to make a homelessness application, possibly eliminating the requirement for a placement in temporary accommodation altogether. This would also provide an incentive for excluded households to improve their behaviour and begin to repay any outstanding rent arrears. The Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health advised that the key proposals to reduce pressures on temporary accommodation were: - Enable those with former tenants arrears to qualify for the CHR after repaying 25% of the debt and entering into and maintaining an agreed repayment plan (paragraph 5.5.2); - Reduce the Common Housing Register exclusion period for households guilty of anti-social behaviour, or a crime likely to cause fear, distress or alarm, from five years to three years for those with no further convictions for unacceptable behaviour (paragraph 5.5.1); - Removal of a further five year landlord ban on those evicted from social housing (paragraph 5.5.4); and - A reduction in the period for homeless households to make their own bids from three months to one month (paragraph 22.1). The Cabinet noted that North Hertfordshire homes was supportive of the proposals contained in the report and would be formally considering the proposed CHAS on 11 August 2016. However, following discussion, the Howard Cottage Housing Association (HCHA) had expressed concerns over the final proposals, citing the risk to their rental income arising from the re-housing of persons currently excluded from registration. HCHA had indicated that the existing discretionary provisions that allowed for each case to be considered on its merits were satisfactory. Officers had raised the alternative risk management options, including risk sharing arrangements, that could run alongside the provisions contained in the CHAS, however, at the time of writing of the report, HCHA had not agreed to the updated version of the CHAS. RESOLVED: (1) That the updated version of the Common Housing Allocation Scheme, as attached at Appendix A to the report, be approved; and (2) That the Executive Member of Housing and Environmental health, in conjunction with the Head of Housing and Public and Protection, be delegated the power to make minor amendments to the Common Housing Allocation Scheme, and to agree the date for its commencement. REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the introduction of an updated Common Housing Allocation Scheme (CHAS) that better meets the housing needs of North Hertfordshire. |
Agreed | ||
| 42 |
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC RESOLVED: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended). |
Agreed | ||
| 43 |
SHARED SERVICE FOR WASTE AND STREET CLEANSING The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment presented the Part 2 appendix relating to the report of the Head of Leisure and Environmental Services regarding the proposed Shared Service for Waste and Street Cleansing with East Hertfordshire District Council. The Part 2 appendix detailed the proposed Outline Business Case for the Shared Service. The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment advised that the Outline Business Case sets out several options to achieve savings by re-procuring the services. A shared service pursuant to the recommended Option 2 projected the optimal combined saving of £707,000 per annum in total, with £494,000 accruing to NHDC. The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment summarised the savings as estimated contractor efficiencies expected from the next contract resulting from a reduction in collection rounds and spare vehicles, contractor management and support staff; a reduction in the number of depot sites; and client staff reductions due to efficiency gains from managing a single joint contract, rather than two separate contracts. The Cabinet noted the Officer and Member Governance arrangements outlined in the report, and acknowledged that NHDC would be acting as the "Administrative Authority" for the Shared Service. The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment explained that the service standards, approach, financial and governance arrangements to be delivered by the Shared Service would be described in the Joint Contract (for the operational contracted services) and in an Inter-Authority Agreement for the ‘in-house' functions. This document would be for the life of the main service contract (7 years) and would be completed once any Shared Service had been approved. An Interim Inter-Authority Agreement had been developed by the Project Board to protect both authorities from financial liabilities and risks in the event of one partner unilaterally ending the partnership prior to procurement. RESOLVED: That the Outline Business Case for the Shared Service for Waste and Street with East Hertfordshire District Council be noted, and taken into consideration during the deliberations on the accompanying Part 1 report (see Minute 44 below). REASON FOR DECISION: To achieve efficiency savings, including contractor economies of scale and route optimisation, client efficiencies and resilience and depot rationalisation, without a reduction in the quality of service. [Note: At this point in the proceedings, the press and public were re-admitted to the meeting.] |
Agreed | ||
| 44 |
SHARED SERVICE FOR WASTE AND STREET CLEANSING Report Appendix B - Proposed Member and Officer Governance Arrangements The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment presented a Part 1 report of the Head of Leisure and Environmental Services in respect of the proposed Shared Service for Waste and Street Cleansing with East Hertfordshire District Council. The following appendices were submitted with the report: Appendix A - Outline Business Case (see Minute 43 above); and Appendix B - Proposed Member and Officer Governance Arrangements. The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented the following referral from that Committee, made at its meeting held on 19 July 2016, in respect of the Shared Service for Waste and Street Cleansing (Minute 40 refers): "That the recommendations in the report entitled Shared Service for Waste and Street Cleansing be supported." The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its support, and assured Members that he would take all necessary steps to ensure that NHDC's position would be well protected via the proposed Inter-Authority Agreement. The Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment had nothing further to add to his introductory remarks made during the Part 2 item, and he therefore proposed that the recommendations in the report be approved. He added that the proposed Shared Service arrangement had already been approved by both the Scrutiny and Executive arms of East Hertfordshire District Council. In supporting the Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment, it was further agreed that he and all officers involved in the Shared Service project should be thanked for their diligent efforts in producing the Outline Business Case. RESOLVED: (1) That a Shared Waste and Street Cleansing Service be implemented with East Hertfordshire District Council, and a joint contract be procured to provide these services; (2) That the Shared Waste and Street Cleansing Service be implemented with East Hertfordshire District Council on the basis of the preferred option (Option 2) set out in the Outline Business Case; (3) That the Head of Leisure and Environmental Services be delegated authority to make minor changes to the scope of the Shared Service, in consultation with the Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment and East Hertfordshire District Council; and (4) That the Executive Member for Waste Management, Recycling and Environment and all officers involved in the Shared Service project be thanked for their diligent efforts in producing the Outline Business Case. REASON FOR DECISION: To achieve efficiency savings, including contractor economies of scale and route optimisation, client efficiencies and resilience and depot rationalisation, without a reduction in the quality of service. |
Agreed | ||
| PART II | ||||
| 45 |
PART 2 REPORT RELATING TO MINUTE 43 ABOVE Cover Page Appendix A - Outline Business Case Appendices to Outline Business Case This is on the E-Genda Committee Management System. |
Noted | ||
| Published on Monday, 15th August, 2016 |
| 9.40pm |