Meeting documents

To sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 10 March 2015.

The Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held 10 March 2015, copies of which had been previously circulated, were approved and signed by the Chairman, as a correct record with an amendment to the Declarations of Interest.  Councillor Mrs L Smith declared a personal interest in Item 7 - Chiltern Leisure Advisory Report - Leisure Contract Performance 2014 due to her role on the Leisure Board.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman requested that the Homelessness Strategy, Housing Strategy (Framework) and the Private Sector Housing Strategy reports be presented to the Services Overview Committee.  There was also a request for the Service Level Agreement grant to the Citizens Advice Bureau be considered by the Services Committee as it had recently had a presentation from this organisation.

The end of year Chiltern Service Plan Actions were presented in Appendix A for consideration by the Committee.  These were part of the overall Performance Management framework of the Council for the delivery of its Business Plan objectives.  In addition to the Service Plan actions there are the Performance Indicators which are reported quarterly..  Overall, many service areas had completed 100% of their planned actions.  A further update was reported to page 11; reduction in burglaries had achieved 100% and the reduction in violence against the person had also achieved 100%.  The Committee noted the achievements that had been made.

RESOLVED -

That the report be noted.

Chiltern District Council had received an invitation to join the Colne Valley Park Community Interest Company.  Only 3% of Chiltern District was located in the park but the Council had been a founding member, ending its membership in 2009 for financial reasons.  The aims and objectives of the organisation were similar to the Council’s and Chiltern was one of only two district councils that did not support the organisation (Three Rivers was also not a member) whose area includes part of the park.

It was reported that Colne Valley Park CIC had visited Chalfont St Peter Parish Council to give a presentation which had been well received and was recommended.

It was noted that the organisation was working on HS2, protecting the green belt, and was a valuable leisure amenity for residents. It was not considered necessary to nominate a member of CDC to the board.  A nominal fee to join had been requested.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET:

1.     That Chiltern District Council considers accepting the invitation to become a member of Colne Valley Park.

2.    That the organisation be invited to give a presentation to Council or the Services Overview Committee.

3.    Consideration of a financial contribution would be for Cabinet decision.

The Trust was an independent charitable body, set up in the 1990s, specialising in young people.  It focussed on giving advice and support to prevent homelessness.  With the changes in access to housing benefit for young people, the Trust had an increase in people seeking help and had also noted a trend in more complex cases coming forward.  Chiltern District Council had a statutory duty to provide emergency accommodation for young people and it was noted that the work of this organisation had helped to reduce this cost.

It was asked whether Bucks County Council contributed to this scheme and it was advised that it supported the organisation through its Supported People funding..

The Committee had recently had a presentation from the Housing Interaction Trust and were in favour of a grant to continue the work.

RECOMMENDATION TO CABINET

That the Council issues a grant of £40,000 to Housing Interaction Trust to support and maintain the Trust’s work in Chiltern District in 2015/16 of which £10,000 to be applied from the Homelessness Reserve.

This charitable transport organisation with volunteer staff had recently managed to get its services back within budget.  It was a valuable service for the elderly and infirm that had extended its operation and made many improvements.  There was a new dynamic Chairman and a new board running the organisation.

RECOMMENDATION TO CABINET

That an annual payment of £20,200 and continuation of the current service level agreement be made.

There was a high number of volunteer organisations in Buckinghamshire and many new ones being set up, for example, community libraries. These charities were being helped with training for governance, recruiting volunteers and other information.  It was run and mostly funded by Bucks County Council and Chiltern was a small contributor.  In 2016/17 there would be a re-tender for these types of services.

It was reported that a 6 weekly funding advice workshop was held at Chiltern District Council and generally oversubscribed by local groups.

Members wanted to know how the amount charged had been worked out and it was advised that this was historic, based on a population by district formula.

RECOMMENDATION TO CABINET

To agree an annual payment of £15,270 to Buckinghamshire County Council for 2015/16 and 2016/17 for the continuation of the voluntary and community sector infrastructure grant subject to performance.

The Days Alms Houses were Grade II listed buildings, were very small and in need of refurbishment to create larger living accommodation, new kitchens, re-wiring and insulation.  Planning permission had been granted for this work to be done and was intended to be done as properties became vacant.  The grant recommended was similar in cost per unit to that given to other charitable organisations to provide affordable housing in the Chiltern District.  A grant would also enable the Council to have an option to place suitable tenants in these properties under its housing allocation policy.

RECOMMENDATION TO CABINET

To agree a housing grant of £100,000 for the refurbishment of the Days Alms houses, 71-87 High Street, Amersham subject to days Alms houses entering into a nomination Agreement with Chiltern District Council that will give the Council the right to nominate tenants to all future vacancies that arise following completion of the refurbishment works (excluding any vacancies that have to be utilised to decant or re-house existing residents during the refurbishment works).

Members noted the poor state of repair in the car park and the attempts that had been made to fill potholes.  An explanation of how the drainage would work was requested and assurances were given that the Council’s own staff would oversee the tests to determine how deep the drainage layer would need to be, as this would also alter the cost of the work.  The Committee agreed that the work needed to be undertaken as soon as possible.

RECOMMENDATION TO CABINET

To agree the award of tender to company B for the resurfacing of the Sprinters (Prestwood) Leisure Centre car park and to agree a budget of up to £225,000 in the Approved Capital programme for this project.

The Chairman welcomed Neville Shore and Andrew Snowdon (CTG Surveyors Ltd)) to the meeting.  This specialist company had recently undertaken the structural, mechanical and electrical surveys at Chiltern’s three main leisure centres. Neville and Andrew both answered a range of   technical questions from Members.

There was general agreement for future works relating to Chesham and Chalfont Leisure Centres incorporate systems that can provide life coverage up to and beyond 2030.   Concerns were raised for Chiltern Pools due to the age and condition of the building.  Councillors asked many questions regarding safety and were reassured that the on-going monthly monitoring was in place to ensure public health and safety.

RECOMMENDATION TO CABINET -

1.    To agree to prioritise capital improvements across the Chiltern, Chalfont and Chesham leisure centres to ensure

a)    An operational life of the Chesham and Chalfont Leisure Centres until 2030 and

b)   To maintain Chiltern Pools to achieve an operational life until 2022.

2.    To agree expenditure of £173,000 from the capital budget to fund the leisure capital works totalling £173,000 as detailed in Appendix 5.

It was agreed that there was a need to review the provision of sports and leisure in the Amersham area and the whole Chiltern district post 2020.  It was proposed to appoint a specialist consultant to undertake a sports facility needs assessment. This would provide an independent viewpoint of existing provision and future needs, as well as a potential funding model options available.  Members were keen that the survey be carried out as soon as possible so that a long term plan could be developed.  It was advised that it was likely to take 3 to 4 months to complete.

It was noted that the report would also suggest options for financing, including partnership funding.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET

1.    To establish an officer/member working group comprising of six councillors from the Corporate Asset Management Group and Community Policy Action Group along with key officers including the Director of Services and the Head of Healthy Communities.

2.    To appoint a specialist leisure consultant to undertake a staged approach to identifying the sports and leisure needs post 2020 by;

a)    Undertaking the assessment of sports facility needs in the district

b)   Undertaking an assessment of the wider leisure needs of the district.

c)    Identifying the risks and opportunities associated with the delivery of sports or leisure facilities.