PROPERTY AND ADMINISTRATION 13
November 2001
SUB-COMMITTEE (4.30
– 6.20pm)
PRESENT: Councillors Taylor (Chair),
Bradnack, Currie, Douglas, Dryden, Lakin,
Liddle, C Rosenstiel, Smith and Woodford
FOR ADOPTION BY
THE COUNCIL
01/B/52 CHANGE TO STANDING ORDERS
The Subcommittee were advised that the Local
Authorities (Standing Orders)(England) Regulations 2001, had come into force on
7 November.
Regulation 6 required that local authorities amend
existing Standing Orders relating to disciplinary action to include an
authority’s Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer (previously covering
only the head of paid service). Local
authorities were required to change Standing Orders at ‘the first ordinary
meeting’ which meant for this authority at the Council meeting on 6 December.
The following replaces the existing Standing Order 40b:
“ (1) No disciplinary action in respect of the head of
the authority's paid service, its monitoring officer or its chief finance
officer, except action described in (2) below, may be taken by the authority,
or by a committee, a sub-committee, a joint committee on which the authority is
represented or any other person acting on behalf of the authority, other than
in accordance with a recommendation in a report made by a designated
independent person under regulation 7 of the Local Authorities (Standing
Orders) (England) Regulations 2001 (investigation of alleged misconduct).
(2) The action mentioned is suspension of the officer
for the purpose of investigating the alleged misconduct occasioning the action;
and any such suspension must be on full pay and terminate no later than the
expiry of two months beginning on the day on which the suspension takes
effect.”
Council is recommended to adopt this
change to Standing Order 40b.
PROPERTY
AND ADMINISTRATION 13
November 2001
SUB-COMMITTEE (4.30
– 6.20pm)
PRESENT: Councillors Taylor (Chair),
Bradnack, Currie, Douglas, Dryden, Lakin,
Liddle, C Rosenstiel, Smith and Woodford
FOR THE
INFORMATION OF THE COUNCIL
01/b/53
MINUTES
The minutes of
the ordinary meeting held on 26 June 2001 were confirmed as a correct record
and signed by the Chair.
01/b/54
APOLOGIES
There were no
apologies for absence.
01/b/55 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Councillor
Currie declared an interest (Code of Conduct) in the item on the budget
(01/b/57) as she was a member of the Cambridge-Szeged Society.
01/b/56 PUBLIC
QUESTION TIME
No members of the public wished to address the
Sub-Committee.
01/b/57 REVENUE BUDGETS 2001/02 (REVISED), 2002/03
BUDGET AND CAPITAL BIDS
The report by the Director of Finance set out the
Subcommittee’s revenue budget for 2002/03 with revisions to the budget for the
current year 2001/02. The budget took into account the key issues identified
for the services provided by the Subcommittee with feedback from the Budget
Issues Presentation, in consultation with the Chair and in the light of the
Subcommittee’s cash limit.
Revenue bids were identified for consideration by
the Subcommittee for submission to the Board for funding, together with bids
against the provisions in the Medium Term Forecast for the Priority Policy Fund
and the Priority Development Programme Exit Contingency. New capital schemes
were identified for consideration and submission to City Board for possible
inclusion in the Capital Plan or the Capital Plan Hold List.
·
Members discussed and sought advice from officers
on
·
The Council Tax Bailiff Fees,
·
The requirement of e-government for IT equipment
and its impact on members,
·
The circulation of agenda to members,
·
The vacant posts identified in Revenue Services,
·
The proposals for enhancing the Market, and
·
The small budget used to maintain the area of Nine
Wells
Resolved (by 5 votes to 0)
that
1) The revised
budget for 2001/02, as shown in Appendix A, be approved for submission to City
Board.
2) The Project
Appraisal set out in Appendix F for replacement of the Revenues Services File
Server be approved.
3) City Board be
recommended to approve expenditure of £39,500 described in Section 12 of that
Project Appraisal, to be funded from existing R&R provision.
4) Proposals for
savings and revenue bids, as shown in Appendix C, be approved for submission
and consideration by City Board, in the light of the requirements of the cash
limit and the available funding sources.
5) The Review of
Charges, as shown in Appendix E/1-3 be approved.
6) the transfer of
£15,000 from 2001/2 from Finance General budget to Finance Services Budget be
approved.
7) The revised cash
limit as shown in Appendix D be approved.
8) The budget for
2002/03, as shown in Appendix A, be approved for submission to City Board.
9)
The Capital Bids, identified in Appendix C, be submitted for
consideration by City Board for inclusion in the Capital Plan or addition to
the Hold List.
10)
The Subcommittee noted that the funds related to maintenance of Nine Wells would be transferred to
Environment Committee as they sat more logically with the budget for Hobson’s
Conduit.
01/b/58 OUTCOME REPORT OF THE BEST VALUE
FUNDAMENTAL SERVICE REVIEW (BVFSR) OF CAMBRIDGE MARKETS
The report by the Head of Street Services presented the findings of the Minor Best Value Fundamental Service Review into the General and Sunday Market. The recommendations of the Best Value Steering Group and the comments of this subcommittee would be submitted to the Best Value Inspectorate for a ‘light touch’ inspection. The Head of Street Services drew attention to the Action Plan included in
the report and outlined the proposals for improvements. The Markets Manager confirmed that the bus services and other locations would be used for advertising the Market.
Exclusion of Press and Public
In considering Appendix 3 to the report on this item, the Subcommittee noted that members of the public were excluded from the meeting on the grounds that, if they were present, there would be disclosure to them of information defined as exempt from publication by paragraph 7 of Part 1, Sch 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.
Resolved that
1) The City Council
continue to manage the Market.
2) The service
improvements detailed in the Action Plan of the BVFSR report be approved.
3) The Subcommittee
noted
i the positive contribution by the Markets
Manager.
ii suggestion for the market to be advertised on the bus shuttle service. accessing the City Centre
01/b/59 BEST VALUE FUNDAMENTAL SERVICE
REVIEW (BVFSR) PROJECT DEFINITION:
REVENUE SERVICES
The report by
the Head of Revenue Services set out the Project Definition for the Best Value
Fundamental Service Review together with a Service Profile for 2001.
Members noted
that a Revenue Services Breakfast Briefing would be held on 20 November at
8.30am to inform them about the services provided, the key issues affecting
service provision, measures being taken already to make improvements and the
use of the Review to make further improvements to services and customer care.
Resolved that the Project Definition be approved.
Resolved that
1)
The project appraisal forms for the refurbishment of ground floor
offices at the rear of Hobson House to facilitate the relocation of staff from
and within the Guildhall be approved, together with expenditure totalling
£42,000 for the work, from the existing provision in the Capital Plan.
2)
The
Subcommittee asked that the issue of the future use of the vacated
accommodation at the rear of the Guildhall by the Tourist Information Office be
considered at the next meeting of the Office Accommodation Working Party.
The Subcommittee recalled that in July 2000, the
Council had adopted a scheme allowing members of the public to speak at
meetings of the Council, its committees, sub-committees and working parties,
and had instructed the Sub-Committee to review the scheme in November 2001
(minute number 00/41 refers). The number of occasions on which the scheme had
been used since it was adopted was set out on the agenda for the meeting.
Separate schemes to allow public speaking at the
Planning Sub-Committee and the Licensing Sub-Committee were in place and had
proved successful.
Members agreed that there
had been an encouraging uptake of the scheme, and the principle of allowing
members of the public to speak at formal meetings remained sound and provided a
means of achieving one of the aims of the Government’s modernizing agenda for
local authorities in opening up decision-making. Efforts had been made to
increase the public’s awareness of the scheme and when meetings take place.
Some consideration should be given to some form of co-opted or representational
attendance at committee meetings on the lines of the Tenant Representatives at
Housing and Health Committee.
Resolved that the scheme
continue in its current format and be reviewed after a year of the new
decision-making structures.
Members were reminded that the Cambridge Environment
and Transport Area Joint Committee (AJC) used the City Council’s petitions
procedure, which it had adopted in 1997. However, all the other AJCs use the
County Council’s petitions procedure. There were two main differences in the
two procedures:
a)
Under the County Council’s procedure, petitions could be presented if
they have been received by no later than 9.00am two working days before the
meeting; under the City Council’s procedure, the deadline is six working days.
b)
Under the County Council’s procedure, petitioners had three minutes to
present a petition to a meeting; under the City Council’s procedure, the time
limit is five minutes.
Members were of the view
that there were merits in retaining the City Council’s procedure. Members
pointed out that, under the present procedure, the text of petitions was not
included in the papers put before the Joint Committee and that a deadline
closer to the meeting might make consideration more difficult. They also noted
that the City Council’s scheme allowed more time for the petitioners to speak.
Members also asked for a
review of the City Council’s petition scheme generally and suggested that the
AJC petition procedure be considered as part of this more general review.
Resolved that
1)
Officers
raise the issue of the availability of petition texts with the County Council's
Secretariat Officers.
2)
Officers
undertake a review of the Council’s petitions procedure, at the January 2002
Subcommittee meeting, if possible or, if not, as part of the new political
arrangements.
01/b/63 LAND AT THE REAR OF 48 CROWLAND WAY
The owner of 48
Crowland Way had requested to purchase an area of land at the rear of the
property where it adjoined the garage area off Whitfield Close. Access to the
land was over the Council’s retained
Subject to the
necessary planning consents, the land was intended to be used to build a garage
and to extend the garden at 48 Crowland Way.
If the sale proceeded there would be a covenant restricting its use to
these purposes. A vehicular/pedestrian
right of way was to be granted over the land in order to provide an access.
Members were concerned that the sale of the land could allow the purchaser to
create a separate building plot . Whilst members were no necessarily opposed to
this, they were anxious that the Council should receive its share of any
development value. Members also asked for assurances that officers had properly
considered whether the land owned by the Council was suitable for residential
development or whether more garages should be built on the site.
The land was
frequently used as a dumping ground for cars and rubbish and the sale was
therefore supported by both Housing Services and City Homes. Ward councillors and the local residents’
association had been consulted and had had no objection to the proposed sale.
In addition,
this land was considered to be public open space. The Council therefore had to
give notice of its intention to dispose of the land in a newspaper circulating
in the area for two consecutive weeks.
The Committee was to consider any representations received before the
land can be finally disposed of.
This item was
also to be considered by the Housing and Health Committee.
Resolved (by 8 votes to 0)
that
1)
The
disposal of the land be authorised, subject to any representations received
being reported to the next available Subcommittee meeting for consideration,
and that Housing and Health Committee be advised accordingly.
2) The Director of Community
Services provide members with information on the take up of council garages in
the area.
01/b/64 EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC
Resolved that the public be excluded from the meeting for the next items on the
grounds that, if they were present, there would be disclosure to them of
information defined as exempt from publication by paragraphs 3, 7 and 9 of Part
1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.
01/b/65 SALE OF LAND AT CRISPIN PLACE (OFF EAST ROAD)
The report by the Head of Property and Building Services related to the proposed sale of a small piece of bare land at Crispin Place, off East Road, which the Prudential wished to purchase in connection with the further development of the Grafton Centre.
Resolved that the disposal of the land be
authorised on the basis of the terms set out in Clause 3 of the report and the
purchaser obtaining planning permission for the revised development proposals
for Grafton Centre 3.
01/b/66 NON-DOMESTIC
RATES AND COUNCIL TAX – BAD DEBTS FOR WRITE-OFF
Resolved that the Non-Domestic Rates And Council Tax bad debts totaling £42,277.98
in respect of Business Rates and £5,425.03 in respect of Council Tax, set out
in the report be written off.
01/b/67 FORMER TENANT ARREARS – WRITING
OFF BAD DEBT
Resolved
that the four cases of former tenant arrears, totalling £10,219.44, set out in
the report be written off.
The meeting
ended at 6.20pm
CHAIR
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