To receive announcements and business brought forward by the Mayor, Leader, and Members of the Cabinet or the Chief Executive.
4.1 By the Mayor:
4.2 By the Chief Executive:
4.3 By the Group Leaders: Any apologies for absence
4.4 Council Leader and Members of the Cabinet:
Councillor Williams Leader of the Council
Councillor G Sutton Planning and Regeneration
Councillor Marshall Environmental, Sustainability and Regulatory Services
Councillor Elliot Finance & Resources
Councillor Mrs Griffiths Housing
Councillor Harden Residents & Corporate Services
Decision:
1. By the Mayor:
There were no announcements from the Mayor
2. By the Chief Executive:
The Chief Executive announced the results of the Adeyfield West by election held on 29 September 2016.
3. By the Group Leaders:
Councillor Williams gave apologies on behalf of Councillors
Ashbourn, Brown, Guest, Howard, Ransley and Ritchie.
4. By the Leader and Members of the Cabinet:
(Full details are in the minutes under Announcements of the Leader and Cabinet).
Minutes:
4.1 By the Mayor
None.
4.2 By the Chief Executive:
The Chief Executive announced the results of the Adeyfield West by election held on 29 September 2016.
4.3 By the Group Leaders:
Councillor Williams gave apologies on behalf of Councillors Ashbourn, Brown, Guest, Howard, Ransley and Ritchie.
4.4. Council Leader and Members of the Cabinet:
Councillor Williams, Leader of the Council and
Portfolio Holder for Community Leadership
Members were encouraged to attend the Budget training being held on the 17th of November 2016 as it was good preparation for the budget scrutiny process beginning in December.
Questions and Answers
Councillor Tindall referred to the Crown estates roadshow in St Albans recently and was surprised on the size of the proposal being considered as it would impinge considerably on Dacorum. He asked that this council receive a presentation so we know how to address our concerns.
Councillor Williams agreed that this was a considerably significant proposal on the edge of Hemel Hempstead which could have significant consequences on this borough. He explained that it was a long process which Dacorum needed to work closely on with St Albans to monitor.
Councillor C Wyatt Lowe noted that this was impinging directly on the ward she represents and asked that officers kept members updated and involved in the process.
Councillor Bassadone said that St Albans had circulated the plan in November 2013. She said that Leverstock Green Association needed useful information to take to the AGM in the future.
Councillor Imarni arrived at 7.37pm
Councillor Williams said he would keep members informed as much as possible, bearing in mind it was a St Albans plan and therefore Dacorum would not have the final decision.
Councillor Birnie asked if the land belonged to the crown estate.
Councillor Williams confirmed this was the case.
Councillor Mills arrived at 7.40pm
Councillor G Sutton, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regeneration
Maylands Business Centre extension
· The site has now been cleared
· All planning conditions have been discharged
· Construction Work is starting on site for this 5-unit development
· Completion expected by May 2017
Water Gardens
Notable progress including:
· All railings to bridges and balconies now installed
· Turf laid on the bank by Waterhouse Street – progressing well
GB High Street Awards Best town centre category
· Just a final reminder to vote – closes on Friday 18 Nov – go to www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk
· Our officers hosted a visit by the judges on 3 Nov, received a very comprehensive tour of the town centre
· We will get the result on 12 December
Questions & Answers
Councillor Tindall was impressed with the grass area at the Water Gardens. He asked what action would be taken to ensure the geese did not ruin it.
Councillor Sutton said they were looking at options available but assured members that the grass was protected.
Councillor Marshall, Portfolio Holder for Environmental, Sustainability and Regulatory Services
Environmental Services
The last Garden Refuse collection rounds are in the weeks commencing 28 November and 2 December. The service will recommence early March. New calendars are in the course of being distributed.
A new “Love Food Hate Waste Challenge” has started, runs to 27 November, to encourage less food waste. Open to all residents. Residents who sign up get daily tips on saving food and free kitchen goodies. This campaign was run in the summer and participants averaged a saving of £60 per month and a reduction in food waste of over 50%.
173,500 bulbs have been machine planted this season and a further 58,300 bulbs are to be hand planted, so the Borough will look fantastic in the Spring.
DBC’s Youth Tenant Involvement Team toured the Cupid Green depot recently to learn about recycling and see where the recycled materials go after having been collected by the refuse collectors. There was also a presentation on the impact of littering.
Cllr Janice Marshall invited questions.
Questions and Answers
Councillor England noted the increased litter problem in his ward around the Jarman Park area. He had recently undertaken a littler pick to help the situation. He asked if there was an update on replacement basket bins as the problem has increased since some were removed.
Councillor Marshall thanked Councillor England for carrying out the litter pick. She said she would look into the issue of replacing the bins. There was a problem with open basket bins as the litter could fall out; therefore they were looking to have bins with lids.
Councillor England continued to ask if councillors were advised when such bins were to be removed.
Councillor Marshall said that this was a minor detail for the function of the service and therefore councillors would not be advised. She would look into this issue and respond to Councillor England via email.
Councillor Elliot, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources
Finance:
The Council has received a confirmation from Public Sector Audit Appointments that Dacorum will be one of the few Councils named in their annual report (this is not a bad thing). The report names those Councils which have managed to receive an unqualified audit opinion on the Statement of Accounts by the 31st July, which is two months prior to the statutory deadline. The Finance team go about their business in an understated way. As a lady MP said ‘I think its important to do a good job and not to feel that you’ve got to make a grand gesture, but just to get on and deliver’ – Teresa May.
Work continues on the 2017/18 budget, and the draft budget proposals are going to joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6th December.
Revenue & Benefits:
The team has started preparation for the business rates revaluation which takes effect from April 2017, and has sent a leaflet to all local ratepayers which advises them to visit the Valuation Office website to check their new rateable value.
Recent publication by DWP of national benefits performance data for the first quarter of 2016/17 confirms the ongoing improvements made by the benefits team. Since the same period last year, we have moved up the rankings of 379 Authorities by 64 places for new claims and 115 places for change of circumstances.
Commercial Assets & Property Development:
We have issued the tender for the Stock Condition Survey and are awaiting returns. This will enable better allocation of funds and a reduction in unplanned maintenance and forms part of the approved action plan from the Asset Management Strategy.
The ongoing work to maximise capital receipt is continuing with the fourth garage site being marketed. A fifth site is in preparation.
Planning permission has been secured for the development of the Multi Storey Car Park in Berkhamsted and the tender has been issued.
Commissioning, Procurement & Compliance:
The Facilities Management Service contract with Interserve (Facilities Management) Ltd has entered the mobilisation stage. The initial focus is on agreeing the security arrangements for the Forum from the Practical Completion date, and the safe management and working practices of the staff and contractors who will be on-site during the final fit-out stage between Practical Completion and the DBC staff moving in.
Bids have been received for the Forum Coffee Bar/Café and are currently being evaluated. It is anticipated that this service will be live in the Forum in February 2017.
The commissioning process has commenced on the replacement Parking Enforcement Contract, this will include reviewing current and future service requirements, technological innovation, legislative requirements and market dialogue. The current contract with Watford Borough Council and Indigo Park Services UK Limited ends in early 2018.
Thank you. That concludes my report and I welcome any questions.
Questions & Answers
Councillor Douris acknowledged that there was an excellent audit performance report and therefore would he accept a request to share thanks and appreciation to the relevant finance teams and departments as they richly deserve such praise.
Councillor Elliot agreed and noted that DBC were an exemplar in this sector and he would pass on such praise.
Councillor Mrs Griffiths, Portfolio Holder for Housing
Tenant Involvement
We recently launched our latest tenant involvement strategy. The strategy is designed to engage a wider population in designing and developing the services that the Housing Service provides. Although the strategy focuses on engaging with the tenant population it recognises the need to engage effectively with leaseholders and housing applicants.
The launch of the tenant involvement strategy signalled the Council’s commitment to refreshing some of our formal involvement mechanisms. The Tenant and Leasehold Committee for example has been relaunched; meeting as a Committee for the first time in October.
Recharges
The Housing Service has been enhancing our processes of collecting money owed to the service following damage or neglect. We have employed a fulltime staff member to work on income recovery (with an annual collection target of £100,000) from 1 October.
We have worked in partnership with Osborne to identify rechargeable work as early as possible and to empower their operatives to pause work before the tenant has agreed to pay.
This process is working well and enabling value resources to be brought into the service.
Community Wellbeing Project
We have received a grant of £33,000 through Public Health Herts to provide outreach to vulnerable adults in Adeyfield, Highfield, Grovehill, Bennetts End or Tring. The service aims to reduce child poverty and housing and health outcomes. It is focused on individuals in receipt of income related benefits, who are aged under 40, who have experienced some rent arrears in the last 12 months and have requested a high numbers of repairs. Tenants living in the private sector who are considered to be at risk of homelessness will also be targeted.
The service commenced in October and will be running for 10 months.
Pet Policy
We have updated our award winning approach to dealing with pets in Council owned properties. Dacorum Borough Council continues to build on the approach that we have set out to promote responsible pet ownership. For example; we support dog owners to have them microchipped – we encourage tenants to ask for permission before getting a pet, to ensure that can look after them – we support older tenants where appropriate to get a pet as it is proven to improve their quality of life.
Strategic Housing
Strategic Housing management team have continued to place high focus on performance challenge and looking at opportunities to develop the service. As a result there has been ongoing improvement work within all areas, which has had an impact on KPI’s such as average time to re-let homes, which is down 6 days on the figure from last September. In addition the service continues to strive to develop further improvements when working towards Gold Standard, this month sees the launch of our rough sleeper campaign and Homelessness Strategy.
Over the summer Aspen Court, London Road, Apsley and Elizabeth Court Queen Street developments were completed and occupied. These 2 developments provided 41 new Council Homes for social rent in Dacorum.
Able house continues on site and is due to complete in March next year.
Wood House contract has been awarded to Jarvis and they will start on site early November.
Work on Stationers Place, Apsley, Swing Gate Lane in Berkhamsted and Martindale school site continues.
Property & Place
Osborne - Total Asset Management.
The action plan that was put in place in July to address two areas of declining performance, the number of appointments kept and responsive repairs not being completed within the target, has resulted in improvements. The performance indicators for September and October were all within tolerance or above target.
Sun Realm - Gas Servicing and Installation
The servicing and installation contract continues to deliver consistently high levels of compliance, currently 99.99%. There is one overdue property, which is being progressed with the support of the ASB team and external agencies, due to the vulnerability of the tenant’s mental health, which can result in aggressive outbursts. Customer satisfaction with the service remains high.
Questions & Answers
There were no questions raised.
Councillor Harden, Portfolio Holder for Residents and Corporate Services
Resident Services:
People:
Supporting the Voluntary Sector: Community Action Dacorum have signed the contract and a Press release out. Service begun on the 1st of October.
Reducing Social Isolation: Age UK have signed the contract and the press release is out and Service begun on the 1st of October.
Information, Advice and Advocacy: Citizens Advice Dacorum have signed the contract and a Press release out. Service begun on the 1st of July.
Promoting Healthy Relationships: Mediation Herts and the press release is out and Service will begin on the 1st of December.
Living Stable Lives: WDP has been appointed and the press release is due. Service is due to start during Dec but they were currently working on KPIs.
Voluntary sector commissioning project is now complete producing £68,550 saving and with updated KPIs will provide better outcomes for our residents.
ICT
DBC has been certified by the PSN for another year. We did so this year without being required to make any significant changes in infrastructure or how we manage devices (such as iPads, PCs, etc.)
Resident Services:
Neighbourhood Action
The Max Whitlock event in town centre was a great success attracting over 1000 people.
The Max Whitlock competition for schools was very successful with over 1100 entries.
The Love Your Neighbourhood event in Chaulden – The focus was Health for all ages. This ran in partnership with the local GP surgery and 64 residents attended.
Anti-Social Behaviour
The ASB Team was a finalist in Resolve Anti-Social Behaviour Awards 2016 - Best Project Award for Silver Street which is advice and guidance for older people to help prevent them becoming victims of crime.
Hemel Cycle Hub
Works to the building are still ongoing. Bikes for the organised cycle rides have arrived and 4 rides have already taken place with a total so far of 58 participants.
Christmas Lights Neighbourhood Centres
The schedule for Christmas Lights being switched on in the Neighbourhood Centres is as follows:
26th November:
2nd December:
3rd December:
Questions & Answers
Councillor Griffiths asked if the Portfolio Holder was aware that Leverstock Green turned their Christmas lights on last week.
Councillor Harden was unaware of this and congratulated them.