Agenda, decisions and minutes

To authorise the Leader to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2008 as a correct record.

The Leader was authorised to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2008 as a correct record.

Councillor AG Orgee declared a personal interest in item 8, Minerals and Waste Plan – Response to County Council Consultation as he was a County Councillor. He stayed in the meeting room and took part in the discussions.

Councillor NIC Wright declared a personal and prejudicial interest in item 8, Minerals and Waste Plan – Response to County Council Consultation as he had been informed that a barrow pit was to be dug on land he owned close to the A14. He left the meeting room when this item was being discussed and took no part in the debate.

Councillor SGM Kindersley declared a personal and prejudicial interest in item 8, Minerals and Waste Plan – Response to County Council Consultation as he was a member of the County Council’s Development Control Committee, which had prepared this consultation document. He left the left the meeting room when this item was being discussed and took no part in the debate.

None. 

Cabinet

RECOMMENDED    to Council

A)           That the Aims, Approaches and Actions, set out in the Appendix attached to the report, be adopted with effect from 1 April 2009;

B)          That the Corporate Plan, existing service plans and strategies based on the current Corporate Objectives remain in force until they would normally be revised;

C)          That, for the remainder of the current financial year, new and revised policies and strategies should be tested for compatibility with the Aims, Approaches and Actions agreed in (A) above, and also with the existing Corporate Objectives. 

Councillor RMA Manning introduced this item on the adoption of new Council priorities to replace the current Corporate Objectives. He amended paragraph 5 of the report to read “… have been developed by the Conservative Group.” He also corrected the figure for revenue cost in 2009/10 to £300,000 in paragraph 10. An amended version of the recommendation at paragraph 13 was circulated, which stated that the new Aims, Approaches and Actions would take effect from April 2009 instead of immediately.

Councillor TJ Wotherspoon emphasised that this report had the support of the entire Conservative Group.

Councillor SGM Kindersley suggested that these new priorities were insufficient both in terms of the development agenda and the threat of climate change. Councillor JD Batchelor stated that the Conservative leadership needed to deliver on these objectives and that it was his duty as Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee to hold them to account for these aspirations.

Councillor SM Edwards explained that whilst the current Corporate Objectives would be in place until April 2009, he expected that due consideration would be given to the new objectives when any new policies were being considered before then.

Concerns were expressed regarding the specific actions in the appendices of the report, in particular the relationship between parish councils and neighbourhood panels and the removal of litter on A roads. It was noted that specific concerns could be discussed when this matter was determined by Council.

Cabinet

RECOMMENDED    to Council

A)           That the Aims, Approaches and Actions, set out in the Appendix attached to the report, be adopted with effect from 1 April 2009;

B)          That the Corporate Plan, existing service plans and strategies based on the current Corporate Objectives remain in force until they would normally be revised;

C)          That, for the remainder of the current financial year, new and revised policies and strategies should be tested for compatibility with the Aims, Approaches and Actions agreed in (A) above, and also with the existing Corporate Objectives. 

Cabinet

AGREED        to adopt the RECAP Revised Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy as Council policy

Cabinet delegated authority to the Environmental Services Portfolio Holder to set a more challenging target in the recycling of waste for this Council than that agreed with local authorities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Councillor SM Ellington, Environmental Services Portfolio Holder, presented this report which recommended that the Recycling in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Waste Partnership (RECAP) Revised Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough be adopted as Council Policy. Discussion focussed on two main concerns.

Setting a challenging target

The Corporate Manager Health & Environmental Services confirmed that the County was already meeting the target of 45-50% recycling to be achieved by 2010/11. However, he advised that increasing the County’s recycling rate to 60% by 2020 would be a considerable challenge. It was noted that the Council would play a leading role in achieving these targets, being one of the top performing councils nationally in recycling. It was suggested that it would be useful to know the tonnage recycled as well as the percentage of waste being recycled, as an increase in waste could negate an increase in recycling. It was noted that an increase in home composting could actually lead to a decrease in the official recycling rate. It was understood that the Council could aim for a more challenging target, independently of the Countywide targets in the strategy under discussion.

Financial implications

It was noted that the cost of implementing the Strategy over the next 10 to 12 years was unknown and that any proposed increases in the budget would be dealt with through the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Cabinet

AGREED        to adopt the RECAP Revised Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy as Council policy

Cabinet delegated authority to the Environmental Services Portfolio Holder to set a more challenging target in the recycling of waste for this Council than that contained in the Countywide strategy.

Parts 1 and 2 attached

(1) Cabinet AGREED

A)     The introduction of a Category 1 Hazard Loan, termed Major Renovation Loan, to vulnerable owner occupiers of properties identified as having Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health & Safety Rating System and the eligibility criteria for the Major Renovation Loan as set out below

i)        Tenure: The resident must be a homeowner (the term 'resident' includes the applicant's spouse, or partner, if they are living with the applicant).  The loan will not be available to properties in part ownership such as equity share or to a co-owner who lives elsewhere, nor will the loan be available to private tenants as this would become the landlords responsibility.

ii)      Length of residency: The resident must have lived in the property for at least 2 years (although if the reason for moving was to care for someone or to be cared for this requirement can be waived).

iii)     Age of the Property: The property must be at least 10 years old.

iv)    Maximum amount of the loan: The grant is 100% of the cost of the necessary work up to a maximum of £20,000. The loan will be registered as a land charge with the land registry indefinitely following the certified completion of the works. Any costs associated with registering the land charge condition will be an allowable fee within the maximum value of the loan as will the Home Improvement Agency fee of 12%.

v)      Number of Loans allowed: Each application for the loan will be considered on its own merits and normally no more than one application per property will be allowed.

vi)    Means Tested Benefit: The resident must be in receipt of a MTB as per current Home Improvement Agency eligibility criteria.

B)    The introduction of a Replacement Boiler Grant and the eligibility criteria for the replacement boiler grant set out below:

i)        Tenure: The resident (the term 'resident' includes the applicant's spouse, or partner, if they are living with the applicant) must be either a homeowner, (this includes part ownership such as equity share or co-owner who lives elsewhere), or a private tenant, (subject to maintenance responsibilities laid down in any tenancy agreement).

ii)      Length of residency: The resident must have lived in the property for at least 2 years (although if the reason for moving was to care for someone or to be cared for this requirement can be waived).

iii)     In receipt of Means Tested Benefit (MTB): The resident must be in receipt of a MTB as per current Home Improvement Agency eligibility criteria.

iv)    Maximum amount of Grant: The maximum award of the grant is £5000.  This includes a HIA fee of 12% as per existing grants offered by the Council and administered by the HIA.

v)      Energy efficiency measures already installed where appropriate: The applicants home should be as energy efficient as possible before the replacement boiler grant can be considered.  The property must have had loft insulation to the recommended depth of 270mm/10.5 inches and cavity wall insulation fitted, where  ...  view the full decision text for item 50.

Councillor SM Ellington, the Environmental Services Portfolio Holder, introduced this item which sought approval for the agreement of two policies to help implement phase two of the private sector housing renewal strategy. The first report sought to issue grants for replacement boilers and loans for properties with Category 1 hazards.

Interest on loans

It was suggested that instead of providing interest free loans of up to £20,000, for major renovations for houses with Category 1 hazards, the Council should charge an index linked interest rate on the loan otherwise the scheme could cost the authority a considerable sum in real terms. The Corporate Manager Health & Environmental Services agreed to investigate the feasibility of this suggestion and report his findings back to the Portfolio Holder.

It was believed that repayments of these loans were not subject to the pooling arrangements that effect capital receipts on the sale of council housing, although the Chief Executive agreed to confirm this.

Cabinet AGREED

A)     The introduction of a Category 1 Hazard Loan, termed Major Renovation Loan, to vulnerable owner occupiers of properties identified as having Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health & Safety Rating System and the eligibility criteria for the Major Renovation Loan as set out below

i)        Tenure: The resident must be a homeowner (the term 'resident' includes the applicant's spouse, or partner, if they are living with the applicant).  The loan will not be available to properties in part ownership such as equity share or to a co-owner who lives elsewhere, nor will the loan be available to private tenants as this would become the landlords responsibility.

ii)      Length of residency: The resident must have lived in the property for at least 2 years (although if the reason for moving was to care for someone or to be cared for this requirement can be waived).

iii)     Age of the Property: The property must be at least 10 years old.

iv)    Maximum amount of the loan: The grant is 100% of the cost of the necessary work up to a maximum of £20,000. The loan will be registered as a land charge with the land registry indefinitely following the certified completion of the works. Any costs associated with registering the land charge condition will be an allowable fee within the maximum value of the loan as will the Home Improvement Agency (HIA) fee of 12%.

v)      Number of Loans allowed: Each application for the loan will be considered on its own merits and normally no more than one application per property will be allowed.

vi)    Means Tested Benefit: The resident must be in receipt of a MTB as per current Home Improvement Agency eligibility criteria.

B)    The introduction of a Replacement Boiler Grant and the eligibility criteria for the replacement boiler grant set out below:

i)        Tenure: The resident (the term 'resident' includes the applicant's spouse, or partner, if they are living with the applicant) must be either a homeowner, (this includes part ownership such as equity share or co-owner who lives  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

Cabinet

AGREED        the responses to the Minerals and Waste Development Plan consultation contained within the report and in Appendices 1 and 2, subject to the following amendments, approval of the final wording being delegated to the New Communities Portfolio Holder.

By-passing villages

A Haul road was required to ensure that Northstowe’s construction traffic by-passes Willingham. The route of Northstowe construction traffic to the A10 should by-pass the villages of Cottenham and Landbeach.

Hazardous waste

Amend response on page 65 regarding the selection of the Cottenham Business Centre as the location of a hazardous waste facility, to “no recommendation”, as the advice from the Environmental Health and Conservation services states that the available information is insufficient to support or reject the proposal.

Councillor Dr DR Bard, New Communities Portfolio Holder, presented this item on this authority’s response on the County Council’s consultation document on Preferred Options 2 of the Minerals and Waste Development Plan.

London’s waste apportionment

It was suggested that the Council should issue a press release highlighting the Council’s concerns regarding the 5.1 million tonnes of London’s waste that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have been asked to accommodate. It was noted that there were different terms used to describe waste and so there was not yet a consensus on the deficit within Cambridgeshire. It was hoped that the 3 million cubic metres of waste referred to on page 91 of the agenda, could be expressed in terms of weight to identify the shortfall of dealing with the 5.1 million tonnes of waste referred to above.

Chalk extraction at Barrington

Cabinet welcomed the fact that the Plan included a policy promoting the use of the railway siding at Barrington. It was hoped that Network Rail had been consulted on this because it will not viable without their support.

By-passing villages

It was agreed that a by-pass should be a requirement for those villages that would be directly affected by lorries transporting minerals across the County. It was noted that Willingham and Cottenham in particular were settlements likely to require by-passes.

Concern was expressed regarding the environmental impact on Smithy Fen and Cottenham on the proposed expansion of the Cottenham and Landbeach allocation for sand and gravel extraction.

Hazardous waste

It was agreed to amend the response on page 65 regarding the selection of the Cottenham Business Centre as the location of a hazardous waste facility, to “no recommendation”, as the advice from the Environmental Health and Conservation stated that the available information was insufficient to support or reject the proposal.

Local Recycling Centre

It was agreed that the comments made during the last consultation relating to Northstowe should be reaffirmed in this consultation regarding the local recycling centre.

Cabinet

AGREED        the responses to the Minerals and Waste Development Plan consultation contained within the report and in Appendices 1 and 2, subject to the above amendments, the exact wording being delegated to the New Communities Portfolio Holder.

Cabinet

AGREED        to approve the revised Workforce Plan and to request the Action Plan to be built into service plans and implemented by the officers concerned, with a particular focus on a review of the workforce and succession planning to ensure a corporate approach to this issue.

Councillor MP Howell, Staffing Portfolio Holder, introduced this report on the Workforce Plan, which aims to ensure that the Council has the right people, with the right skills, in the right jobs, at the right time to deliver its priorities and to continue to improve services. It was noted that the reintroduction of flexible working had been a success.

Equalities

The Staffing Portfolio Holder reported that following the tragic death of our Equalities Officer the Council had appointed a temporary Equality Officer until a permanent replacement could be found. He concluded that the authority would achieve level 2 of the Equality Standard for Local Government during the next calendar year, although it was doubtful if this would be before the end of this municipal year.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Job Evaluation Scheme

In response to questioning, the HR Manager explained that the Council was required to adopt a scheme that complied with equality legislation. She asserted that reports that these Schemes discriminated against professionals were unjustified and had been fuelled by biased articles in professional magazines.

The HR Manager agreed to examine the graphs on page 153 of the agenda giving the break down of the workforce by age, as the two graphs had a different total number of employees.

Cabinet

AGREED        to approve the revised Workforce Plan and to request the Action Plan to be built into service plans and implemented by the officers concerned, with a particular focus on a review of the workforce and succession planning to ensure a corporate approach to this issue.

The final report is enclosed separately for Cabinet members and is also available on the Council’s website, www.scambs.gov.uk

Cabinet received the report of the Arbury Park Task and Finish Group and

AGREED

A)     to provide a response and action plan to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee.

B)    to aim to provide this response at its meeting on November 13 2008, to be reported to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee on 4 December 2008.

Councillor JD Batchelor, Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee, introduced this report which advised the Cabinet of the findings and recommendations of the Arbury Park Task and Finish Group. He thanked the two Chairman, Councillors EM Heazell and AG Orgee, the other members of the Group and Impington parish council for their involvement in compiling the attached reports with its 43 recommendations.

The report was praised by Cabinet, who recognised its value not just for Arbury Park but also for future developments.

Cabinet received the report of the Arbury Park Task and Finish Group and

AGREED

A)     to provide a response and action plan to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee.

B)    to aim to provide this response at its meeting on November 13 2008, to be reported to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee on 4 December 2008.

None.