Agenda

The Mayor will open the meeting and welcome all present.

The Mayor’s Chaplain, Deacon Tony Martin, will lead the Council in prayer.

To receive any apologies for absence on behalf of Council members.

To invite Councillors to declare any interests they may have in items on the agenda.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on the 25th of June 2007.

(Minutes circulated in Minute Book 2)

To receive a report from the Mayor on civic matters which have arisen since the last meeting or events which may be occurring in the near future.

To give notice of any variation to the items listed in the Forward Plan and/or items accepted as “Urgent Business”.

(No separate report / oral update)

To formally note the appointment of the Right Honourable Jacqui Smith MP to the position of Home Secretary.

(No Separate report)

To consider the following Question for the Leader which has been submitted in accordance with Standing Order 8A:

1.   Management of Council Business
 (Mr C T Wareing)

(Question attached)

(No direct Ward Relevance)

A.  To formally receive the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on the 13th of June 2007.

(All decisions here have previously been fully resolved. There are no Recommendations or Referrals which require the Council’s consideration.)

(Circulated in Minute Book 2)

B.  To receive the minutes and consider the recommendations and/or referrals from the following meetings of the Executive Committee :

       18th July 2007

Matters of potential interest to the Council are:

·        Prosecution Policy

·        Voluntary Groups – Core Funding

·        Medium Term Financial Strategy & Plan

·        Budget Bids – General Fund

·        Job Evaluation Scheme (Confidential item)

·        Capital Programme

·        Irrecoverable Debts

·        Leisure Contracts Advisory Panel
– Abbey Stadium Options  (Confidential item)

      (Circulated in Minute Book 2)

Any matters arising, not covered elsewhere in the agenda, will be considered under this heading.

Confidential matters may be taken after the Exclusion of the Public, subject to notification at this point in the meeting.

To formally receive the minutes of the following meetings of the Council's Regulatory Committees:

(Circulated in Minute Book 2)

To consider further delegations of authority in relation to Officer administrative requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.

(Proposed revised delegations attached)

To confirm the appointment of a Planning Advisory Panel, to comprise in 2007/08 Councillor Chance (Portfolio Holder, as Chair) and Councillors Chalk, Cookson, Field, Hall and Hartnett), and the terms of its operation.

(Draft Terms of Reference documents attached)

To note the following decisions taken in accordance with SO36 and/or the Overview & Scrutiny Procedure Rules (Constitution), as specified : 

1)    Gas Service Contract – Extension
(Director of Housing & Asset Management)
(Decision Reference 467 – 28th June 2007)

The case for urgency was that the contract was due to expire on Saturday the 30^th of June, and that failure to have a contract in place would have risked the Health and Safety of tenants.

      RESOLVED that

the contract be extended for a further three months.

2)    AbbeyCemetery – Relining of Cremators

       (Director of Environment & Planning)
(Decision Reference 468 – 9th July 2007)

The case for urgency was that during recent servicing of the cremators, additional works were identified. It was not until the end of week commencing the 11th of June that the lead time for booking a slot with the service company became clear, by which time it was too late to get the matter to Council.

RESOLVED that

1)      the sum of up to £75,000 be allocated within the Capital Programme for the purpose indicated; and the Programme adjusted accordingly (full Council decision);

2)      an order for the reline of the Cremators be placed as soon as possible (Executive Committee decision);

3)      expenditure of up to the sum indicated be approved in accordance with Standing Order 41 (Executive Committee decision).

3)   ArrowValley Lake – Additional Revetment Works

       (Director of Environment & Planning)
(Decision 468 – 9th July 2007)

The case for urgency was that the need for the works had only been determined once contractors arrived on site; and it was most cost-effective to undertake the additional works while they were already on site.

RESOLVED that

1)      Officers redirect up to £8,200 of existing capital money already allocated for works in the Arrow Valley Park to complete the revetment works to the Arrow Valley Lake (full Council decision); and

2)      Officers be authorised, in accordance with Standing Order 41 to incur the expenditure of up to the sum agreed, for the purpose stated (Executive Committee decision).

(No separate reports - further information available on request.)

To consider any additional items exceptionally agreed by the Mayor as Urgent Business in accordance with the powers vested in him by virtue of Section 100(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

(This power can be exercised only in cases where there are genuinely special circumstances which require consideration of an item which has not previously been published on the Order of Business for the meeting and/or on the Leader's Forward Plan.)

It may be necessary, in the opinion of the Chief Executive, to consider excluding the public from the meeting in relation to the following items of business on the grounds that exempt information is likely to be divulged. It may be necessary, therefore, to move the following resolution:

“that, under S.100 I of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following matter(s) on the rounds that it/they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the relevant paragraphs (to be specified) of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) of the said Act, as amended.”

To consider confidential matters not dealt with earlier in the evening and not separately listed below (if any).

(Note: Anyone requiring copies of any previously circulated reports, or supplementary papers, should please contact Committee Services Officers in advance of the meeting.)