Agendas, Minutes and Reports

MINUTES

OF THE MEETING OF THE

Executive

Tuesday 25th November 2003

HELD AT THE TOWN HALL, WESTON-SUPER-MARE, SOMERSET.

Meeting Commenced: 10.00 a.m. Meeting Concluded: 11.05 a.m.

PRESENT: Councillors Michael Roe (Chairman), Nigel Ashton, Peter Burden, Isabel Cummings, Peter Fisher, Peter Kehoe, Deborah Yamanaka.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Councillor Alan Hockridge.

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Councillors Elfan Ap Rees, Jeremy Blatchford, Bob Cook, Glyn Duck, and Chanel Stevens.

EXE

Minutes – 28th October 2003

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting be approved as a correct record.

EXE

Councillor Stevens – Apology (Minute EXE 86)

Councillor Stevens apologised for the press release referred to at the previous meeting. On behalf of the Conservative Group, Councillor Roe accepted the apology.

EXE

Non-Executive Councillor’s Address

Councillor Blatchford: Nailsea Ring Road (Agenda Item 4)

Councillor Blatchford had been requested to raise this issue on behalf of Nailsea Town Council. It was understood that the Town Council had not been informed of the proposals.

EXE

Forward Plan Dated 14/11/03 (Agenda Item 6)

Councillor Roe presented a report.

Councillor Burden stated that he intended to submit a report to the next meeting on a business case for the Safety Camera Partnership which would include recommendations from the Strategic Planning and Economic Development Policy and Scrutiny Panel.

RESOLVED: that the Forward Plan be received.

EXE

Working Towards a Local Compact Agreement for North Somerset (Agenda Item 7)

Councillor Roe presented a report.

RESOLVED: that the development of a joint issues’ paper covering the potential implications of, and the timetable for, the development of a Local Compact Agreement in North Somerset, be approved.

EXE

Surveillance Policy (Agenda Item 8)

Councillor Roe presented a report.

RESOLVED: that the policy, as submitted, be approved and adopted and that –

(1) all covert surveillance exercises conducted by the Council comply with the requirements of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA);

(2) only those officers identified in Appendix 1 of the policy be permitted to authorise a covert surveillance exercise or the use of a covert human intelligence source, and that the Director of Development and Environment be added to those officers listed in Appendix 1; and

(3) that the policy and procedure be circulated to all Council officers who may potentially carry out covert surveillance or obtain information from a covert human intelligence source.

EXE

Prosecution Policy (Agenda Item 9)

Councillor Mrs. Cummings presented a report.

RESOLVED: that the policy, as submitted, be approved and adopted.

EXE

Service Level Agreement with Bristol City Council for the Provision of the Service for Sensory Impaired Children (Agenda Item 10)

Councillor Kehoe presented a report.

RECOMMENDED TO THE COUNCIL: that the proposed Service Level Agreement with Bristol City Council for the provision of the Sensory Impairment Service to North Somerset for the period of 1st April 2004 to 31st March 2009, as submitted, be approved and adopted.

EXE

School Re-organisations – Various Expansion and New Build Proposals (Agenda Item 11)

Councillor Kehoe presented a report.

RESOLVED:

(1) that Councillor Kehoe, the Executive Member for Learning, be authorised to submit funding applications on the basis of the details contained in the report, subject to a further report to the Executive following initial assessment of the submissions; and

(2) that Councillor Kehoe, the Executive Member for Learning, consider, on a case by case basis, the requirement to publish statutory notices in relation to school expansion proposals on the basis of the details contained in the report.

EXE

Best Value Review 2003 – Evaluating the Effectiveness of Partnership Working in North Somerset (Agenda Item 12)

Councillor Mrs. Yamanaka presented a report.

RESOLVED:

(1) that the improvement plan outlined within the Best Value Review of Partnership Working, contained in the report, be approved;

(2) that further work be undertaken over the remainder of the current financial year (2003/04) to develop the detail of the improvement plan and to identify ways of funding the improvements; and

(3) that the officers report to a future meeting when further detailed work on the content of the improvement plan has been completed.

EXE

Civil Contingencies Bill – New Legislation (Agenda Item 13)

This item was withdrawn and would be submitted to the meeting on the 23rd December 2003.

EXE

Nailsea Ring Road (Agenda Item 14)

Councillor Burden presented a report.

RESOLVED:

(1) that it be acknowledged that the Nailsea Ring Road proposal is not now required and that the Draft Replacement Local Plan process address this position;

(2) that the clause of the land sale agreement which deals with the return of the funds reserved for the road, be activated; and

(3) that the Strategic Planning and Economic Development Policy and Scrutiny Panel examine the evidence and recommend whether the line for the road should be amended or altered and the officers liaise with Nailsea School so as to ascertain the effects on the school.

EXE

High Street (East End) Nailsea (Agenda Item 15)

Councillor Burden presented a report.

RESOLVED: that an additional sum of £108,650 be allocated for the works to improve High Street, Nailsea in accordance with the details contained in the report.

EXE

100

Green Paper: “Every Child Matters” (Agenda Item 16)

The Chairman ruled that this item be considered as urgent because of the need for the Council to respond to the Green Paper by the required date, 1st December 2003.

Declaration of Interest

A Member declared the interest below –

Councillor Blatchford – personal interest in further education centres.

Following the invitation from the Chairman, Councillor Blatchford, the Chairman of the Children and Young People Policy and Scrutiny Panel, presented a report. Councillor Blatchford referred to the need to make careful progress on this issue. Councillor Ashton said that there would probably be significant changes to the proposals. Reference was also made to the effect on the staff and the need to support them. The Executive thanked the Best Value Team for its assistance in completing the report.

RESOLVED:

(1) that the Children and Young People Policy and Scrutiny Panel be thanked for the report and that the response contained therein be approved as the Council’s response to the consultation on the Green Paper;

(2) that the Chief Executive Officer be requested to prepare a further report on how the Council might respond to the Green Paper proposals including consideration of the need to ensure sufficient capacity and resources to project manage potential significant change to services and structures, bearing in mind subsequent guidance from the Government following the close of the Green Paper consultation process; and

(3) that in respect of issues concerning early intervention and effective protection relating to children’s welfare, arrangements be made to ensure that adequate support is given to those people who supply information and otherwise take action, in respect of individual child protection issues.

EXE

101

Oral Report of an Executive Councillor

Councillor Roe: Grant Settlement (Agenda Item 17)

Councillor Roe referred to the recent publicity that had been given to the grant settlement. He wished to emphasise that there had been a fundamental change in funding arrangements in that combined fire authorities, such as the Avon Fire Brigade, would be enabled to precept separately from the councils in the authorities’ areas. The Avon Fire Brigade had indicated that it intended to increase its budget by 10% which would indicate a 5% increase on the overall level of Council Tax. Furthermore, the Avon and Somerset Police Authority had considered that there might be an increase in its precept of 22% which would provide a 2% increase on Council Tax levels. It could be seen, therefore, that Council Tax bills would rise significantly on the basis of these increases and these would be in addition to any increase required by the Council.

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Chairman

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