Meeting documents

By the Chairman of the Council.

By the Leader/Cabinet Members.

(a)          Chairman of the Council

(i)            Silent Soldier Campaign – the Chairman of the Council informed Members that to mark the final year of the World War One centenary, the British Legion had invited the public to take part in a movement to say ‘thank You’ to the First World War generation who had served, sacrificed, rebuilt and changed the nation.  A life sized image of a "Tommy", situated outside the main entrance to the Gateway offices, would be unveiled in a ceremony to be held at 6.30pm on Thursday 20 September 2018.  All Members were invited to attend.

(ii)           Chairman’s Quiz Night – the Chairman of the Council invited Members and staff to form or join a team for the next Chairman’s quiz night that would be held at 7.30pm on Friday 19 October, in the Oculus, the Gateway.

(b)          Deputy Leader of the Council – the Deputy Leader of the Council informed Members that the Government had recently announced the preferred route for the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, which was Option B for the corridor to "broadly align" with the proposed East-West rail route from Abingdon to south Milton Keynes via Winslow.

The Council recognised the Government’s long term ambition for growth in Aylesbury Vale and also saw the essential requirement for additional infrastructure to support this economic growth and the associated housing requirement to support 1.1 million jobs along the Expressway.

Once more detail was available on the actual route it would be important to ensure that it achieved the best possible outcomes for residents and Aylesbury Vale.  The concerns that had been raised were understood.  The Council would be working with communities to ensure that account was taken of these concerns during the consultation process to ensure the best mitigation was achieved.  It would also listen to communities and work to maximise the possible benefits and outcomes for local residents.

A briefing for Members would be held on a date to be advised.

(c)          Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing – the Cabinet Member for Waste and Licensing informed Members that this would be the last Council meeting attended by the Assistant Director (Business Support and Enablement), Isabel Edgar Briancon, who would be taking up a position as Head of Paid Service at Stratford-on-Avon District Council.  Members thanked Mrs Briancon for the all the work she had done for the Council over the last 11 years, in particular relating to waste and recycling, and on the street and horticultural contract that was an agenda item for this meeting.

(d)          Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources – the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources updated Members on the security measures that were being put in place as part of the Council’s duty to ensure all data and email accounts were held safely and securely.  Airwatch would support this change as it controlled the Council’s data within a secure ‘bubble on Members’ devices.  The set up process was easy and would be supported by the Enterprise Service Desk.

Members who had not already installed Airwatch on their devices were asked to contact the Enterprise Service Desk as the deadline for getting this sorted for Members was 1 October, 2018.

(e)          Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement – the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement updated Members on the situation in relation to 112 High Street, Aylesbury.  The Council had been advised by the public on 16 August of a dangerous structure.  Council Building Control staff and structural engineers had visited the site and had been so concerned about the immediate risk to the public that they had immediately acted on emergency powers to secure the building and the surrounding area.  This had also included liaising with the Police, Fire Service and the County Council.  A food business and flats adjacent to the site had been evacuated which was an action that the Council had not taken lightly.

Members were further informed on the work that had been undertaken over the next few weeks to ensure the structural integrity of the building which had finally been signed off on 13 September.  The Council had engaged and kept the media informed at all stages of this process.

Members paid tribute to Council staff who had acted swiftly to this potentially dangerous situation and had helped to ensure that no-one had been hurt or injured.