Meeting documents

To sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 February 2015.

The Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held 3 February 2015, copies of which had been previously circulated, were approved and signed by the Chairman, as a correct record.

Councillor Mrs L Smith declared a personal interest in Item 7 - Chiltern Leisure Advisory Report - Leisure Contract Performance 2014 due to her role as Treasurer of Chalfont St Peter Revitalisation Group.

The Committee considered potential topics for review from the 28 Day Notice Forward Plan.  It was queried that in respect of the Amersham Additional Parking item there was also a need to review off street parking across the District.

It was requested that in respect of planning and proposed housing in the District, the Committee were kept updated on local plan issues through the Forward Plan.  It was noted that the Sustainable Development Policy Advisory Group were also monitoring the local plan review and it was currently on track with project milestones.

RESOLVED -

That the Work Programme be noted and no further topics be added at this time.

Members will receive a presentation from the District Manager of the CAB.

 Paul Gosling, Chairman and Jennifer Allott, District Manager of Chiltern Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) both attended the meeting to provide members with an overview of the service provided by the CAB, which included specialist services, projects, the impact of the CAB work and the development of the service.

The CAB Chairman outlined the objectives of the charity, as follows:-

·         To continue to help more people

·         Provide a service to meet with changing needs

·         Provide a Tribunal Service

·         To retain quality volunteers

·         Increase awareness

·         Aim to solve client issues

·         Develop project based revenue streams

·         Due to funding constraints continually ensure that the delivery of service was effective

The Committee received a detailed presentation of the CAB service provided for Chiltern and the impact of this work in the area.  Discussions took place in relation to the general theme of problems faced by residents in the Chiltern area, how these were addressed and the valuable support provided by 63 volunteers and 6.5 FTE staff. 

Members will receive a presentation from John Amatt and Luke Askew (GLL) on leisure performance.

 The Principal Leisure and Community Officer presented a detailed report which outlined the overall performance of the Chiltern Leisure Contract with Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) - BETTER from 1 January - 31 December 2014.  The key themes covered visitor numbers, financial performance, investment in facilities, energy usage and outreach community development work.

The Committee received a detailed presentation from the Principal Leisure and Community Officer and colleagues from GLL - BETTER (John Amatt (Regional Manager and Luke Askew Chiltern Partnership Manager) which outlined service operation at the Council’s three leisure centres (Chalfont, Chesham and Chiltern Pools). Collectively, the leisure centres attracted over 927,000 visits annually and generated an annual turnover of in excess of £4,000,000.  A major local employer (particularly of young people) and provide key services to local residents that directly support several of the Council’s key corporate objectives in relation to improving health and well-being.  The report also explained that the contract had evolved over recent years and included targeted outreach work that helped reduce health inequalities and even anti-social behaviour in targeted communities at no additional cost to the Council.

The Committee were advised of challenges and opportunities for the Leisure Centres, such as:-

·         No contract membership

·         Challenging trading environment

·         Ageing facilities

·         Low cost gym competition

·         Increased swim school competition

·         Loyal customer base

·         Good products

·         Good and committed workforce

The Committee noted the content of the report and presentation.  It was mentioned that overall the Leisure contract was a success story but there was still areas for improvement including addressing maintenance issues more quickly and more consistent standards of cleanliness of the buildings and potential increased staff training in some aspects.

Councillor Wertheim left the meeting during consideration of this item at 7.40pm.

RESOLVED:

That the content of the report be noted

Members are asked to note and comment on the attached draft Cabinet report.

The Director for Services presented the quarterly performance report which outlined the performance of the Community, Health and Housing service areas against performance indicators and service objectives during October to December 2014.  It was noted that the Cabinet were to review the number of performance indicators with a view to reducing them.

Particular reference was made to pressure areas of this service area in respect of homelessness where the average length of stay in B & B temporary accommodation was off target.  The overall figure and average was inflated by a long term placement of 163 nights in one case.  Also issues in respect of an increase in the percentage of fly tippings removed within 2 working days following an improved administration process but it continued to be off target for the third quarter this year.  The administration process was being reviewed further.

The Cabinet Member for Environment advised the Committee that additional pressure had been put on the waste service due to increased verge clearance by Bucks County Council which had not been communicated to District Councils.  Discussions were ongoing with the County Council to improve future co-ordination. 

Councillor Rose left the meeting during consideration of this item at 7.50pm

RESOLVED -

That the content of the report was noted.

Members are invited to note and comment on the attached draft Cabinet report.

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

Paragraph 5 - Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings

Consideration was given to a confidential report on the Joint Waste Contract with Serco Limited.

The request to novate the contract as part of Serco’s corporate restructuring proposals had come from Serco, who had been informed that there must be no financial impact on the contracting Councils.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET -

i)     That the proposed set of principles relating to the novation of the Joint Waste Contract, as described in the report, be approved as the basis for negotiations with Serco;

ii)    That the Director of Services, in consultation with Head of Legal and Democratic Services be authorised to:-

a)    Complete the negotiations with Serco on the proposed Deed of Variation and Deed of Novation and to take any necessary actions to finalise and enter into the said Deeds and any ancillary or incidental documents or agreements; and

b)   Take any other actions necessary to facilitate the transfer of the services under the existing contract to the new company;

iii)   That any necessary exemption to the Joint Contracts Procedure Rules in respect of the novation and any subsequent change in control of the Joint Waste Contract, is granted;

iv)  That the Head of Finance be authorised to approve the financial matters relating to the novation of the Joint Waste Contract.