Cambridge City Council

 

To: Councillors Howarth (Chair), Bagnall, Bradnack, Durrant, Harrison, Knowles, Nimmo-Smith, Reed, C Rosenstiel, Slatter, Smart and Stuart.

Alternate members: Councillors Douglas and J Rosenstiel

 

 

CITY BOARD

 

Date:              16 April 2002

Time:             6 pm

Place:            Committee Room 1

Contact:        Gary Clift                    Direct Dial: 01223 457011

 

 

 

 

 

 

AGENDA

 

1.         MINUTES

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 11 February 2002.

 

2.         APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence.

 

3.         DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members are asked to declare at this stage any interests which they may have in any of the following items on the agenda.  If any member is unsure whether or not they should declare an interest on a particular matter, they are requested to seek advice from the Head of Legal and Democratic Services before the meeting.

 

4.         PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

Information for the public is included at the end of this agenda.

 

5.         PHONE MASTS IN CAMBRIDGE – DRAFT PLAN OF ACTION

 

Appendix 1: Outcome of the Mobile Mast Seminar, 31st October 2001

Appendix 2: Draft Action Plan

Appendix 3: CRAM’s Response to Draft Action Plan

(Report by Head of Strategy & Partnerships, Directors of

Environment & Planning and  Community Services pages 1-28)

 

6.         CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY SAFETY STRATEGY 2002/05

           

            Appendix 1: Strategy Document

(Cover report by Head of Strategy & Partnerships pages 29-30),

[Strategy document appended and following on pages 1-44])

 

7.         BEST VALUE REVIEW OF COMMUNITY SAFETY – FINAL REPORT

            Executive Summary And Conclusions

            Appendix A: Action Plan 2002-2005

 

(Cover report by Head of Strategy & Partnerships pages 31-32

 [Review appended and on pages 1-55, Action Plan following on pages 1-25])

 

8.         RACE RELATIONS (AMENDMENT) ACT 2000: RACE EQUALITY SCHEME     

           

Appendix A: Race Equality Scheme - 2002         

Appendix (i): Cambridge City Council Functions as at April 2002

            Appendix (ii): Cambridge City Council Strategies at April 2002

            Appendix (iii): Cambridge City Council Policies at April 2002

            Appendix B: The Equality Standard at a Glance

            Appendix C: Comprehensive Equality Policy Draft

            Appendix D: Engaging with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities

(Report by Head of Strategy & Partnerships pages 33-66)

 

 

9.         A NEW CONSTITUTION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL

(Report by Head of Legal & Democratic Services

attached separately for members and deposit copy only)

 

10.       DECENTRALISED DECISION MAKING

(Report by Head of Strategy & Partnerships pages 67-71)

 

11.       HOUSING MANAGEMENT BOARD AND ELECTED TENANTS

(Report by Director of Community services pages 72-81)

 

The Housing & Health Committee considered this matter at its meeting on 20 March.  The officers have amended the report to reflect the comments made at this Committee.  City Board is asked to consider the report as the proposal will have to be integrated within the Council’s Constitution.

 

For decision

 

12.       A LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR CAMBRIDGE

(Report by Head of Strategy& Partnerships 82-85)

 

13.       CITY CENTRE MANAGEMENT CAPITAL GRANT – IMPROVEMENTS TO DRUMMER STREET BUS STATION

(Report by Director of Environment & Planning pages 86-87)

 

14.       SAFER CITY GRANT

(Report by Head of Strategy & Partnerships pages 88-91)

 

15.       THE HELPDESK PROJECT

           

            Appendix A: Project Definition Report

            Appendix A: Timetable

Appendix C: Extract from Report to City Board, February 2002

(Report by Director of City Services – attached separately) 

           

 

16.       REVENUE AND CAPITAL BUDGETS, CARRY FORWARDS AND SIGNIFICANT VARIANCES

           

Appendix A: Requests to Carry Forward Budgets from 2001/02 into    2002/03

            Appendix B: Summary of Bids and Savings approved by Council 21

February 2002

            Appendix C: Bids and Savings by Proposed Service Area

            Appendix D: Projection of effects of Significant Variances and

Requests to Carry Forward Budgets

(Report by Director of Finance – attached separately)

 

17.       CITY SERVICES FINANCIAL REPORTING AND BUDGETING

(Report by Director of Finance – attached separately)

 

18.       THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE WHITE PAPER ‘STRONG LOCAL LEADERSHIP – QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES’ PART II FOR THE FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE SYSTEM

(Report  by Director of Finance attached separately)

 

19.       MANAGING THE COUNCIL’S RISK EXPOSURE

(Report by Chief Executive pages 92-100)

 

20.       THE COUNCIL’S CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (DRAFT)

(Report by Director of Central Services pages 101-120)

 

To consider the attached draft and recommend it to full Council for approval.

 

All local authorities have been recommended to draw up a Code of Corporate Governance and have it adopted by members by 31 March 2002 (or as soon as possible after that date).

 

Guidance on drawing up a Code has been published jointly by CIPFA, SOLACE, the Local Government Association and the Audit Commission.

 

The attached draft draws very heavily on this guidance: the “What the guidance says…..” boxes are direct lifts from the Guidance, as is the wording in the first column: “Cambridge City Council commits itself to”.

 

The wording in the column “How the Council will do this” indicates how we might demonstrate compliance. The Code will need to be reviewed annually.

 

           

21.       PERIODIC ELECTORAL REVIEW SUB-COMMITTEE – ALTERATION TO TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

City Board is requested to extend the original terms of reference of the sub-committee by including at section 4, f. the following:

 

“To oversee initial consideration of the Polling District review process on behalf of the Council.”

 

Under the new constitution the Council’s responsibility for establishing and reviewing polling districts will be discharged through the Civic Affairs Committee.  However officers recommend a meeting prior to the adoption of the new constitution, in order for work on the review to get underway swiftly once the Local Government Commission for England’s (LGCE) final recommendations are published on 23 April. 

 

Although the changes will not come into effect until May 2003 the new boundaries will be used as building blocks for the PER of the County’s electoral arrangements, which will start in December 2002.  The LGCE advice is that the district registers published on 1 December 2002 should reflect the new boundaries (although it will be necessary to recreate a register based on the extant boundaries should a by-election be called between 1 December and the implementation date).  Publishing on the new boundaries facilitates the County review process and avoids the time, expense and confusion of publishing a register on the old boundaries on 1 December, and then republishing on the new boundaries shortly afterwards.  Rather than attempt to reframe the register whilst the autumn registration canvass is underway the aim should be for the canvass to take place on the new polling district and ward boundaries.  This means that the polling district review needs to be completed by early July.

 

For decision

 

The next meeting of City Board is scheduled on

TUESDAY 7 MAY 2002 at 6.00pm.


 

 

Information for the public

 

You are welcome to attend this meeting as an observer, although it may be necessary to ask you to leave the room during the discussion of matters which are described as confidential on the agenda.

 

o0o

 

You can ask questions on an issue included on the agenda, or on an issue which is within this committee’s powers. If you wish to ask a question related to an agenda item contact the committee officer (listed above under ‘contact’) before the meeting starts.  If you wish to ask a question on a matter not included on this agenda, please contact the committee officer by 10.00am the working day before the meeting.  Further details  concerning the right to speak at committee can be obtained from the committee section.

 

o0o

 

In the event of the fire alarm sounding  (which is a continuous ringing sound), you should pick up your possessions and leave the building by the route you came in. Once clear of the building, you should assemble on the pavement opposite the main entrance to the Guildhall and await further instructions. If your escape route or the assembly area is unsafe, you will be directed to safe areas by a member of Cambridge City Council staff.