Agenda

The agenda for the Planning Committee Chairman’s Delegation meeting on 16 July is attached. 

An all day training session in Planning has been arranged for Tuesday 2 September.  The course will be delivered by Trevor Roberts Associates.

Priority will be given to members of the Planning Committee and Cabinet, but there will be additional spaces available on a “first come, first served” basis for Members wishing to take advantage of this opportunity.

If you wish to reserve your space could you please let me know as soon as possible.

Guy Moody

Democratic Services

Telephone:01954 713026

Email:  guy.moody@scambs.gov.uk

Post Office Closures

The Post Office has announced that 26 of its Cambridgeshire branches are expected to close or be replaced with a reduced service. The move is part of wider proposals to reduce the number of branches nationwide by up to 2,500. Six of the affected post offices are in South Cambridgeshire. These are:

The proposal is for the post offices in Fen Drayton, Granchester and Impington to close, whilst the post offices in Arrington, Elsworth and Over are to have either a hosted or a mobile Outreach Service. These are defined below:

Mobile Service 

• Mobile Post Office van with a counter service inside
• Parked at a pre-determined safe location
• Available at fixed periods, e.g. 90 minutes at specified hours on set days of the week 
  
  

Hosted Service 

• Mobile counter
• Located in a local community building or business such as a village shop, church hall or garage

Public Consultation

There will now be 7 weeks of public consultation ending 26th August 2008. During this time, individuals, businesses and communities will be invited to check and challenge the Government’s closure criteria applied by Post Office Limited to see if it has been correctly applied and to make a formal response.

A Guidance Note on how communities can effectively respond during the consultation period can be downloaded from Cambridgeshire ACRE’s website following this link: http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/services/advice_funding.htm

Sources of Help and Assistance for Communities

There are a number of actions that can be taken to minimise the negative effects if Post Office closures by individuals and communities as a whole. These include looking at alternative ways to provide key services.

A Guidance Note with further ideas and information can be downloaded from Cambridgeshire ACRE’s website following this link: http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/services/advice_funding.htm

Sources of Help and Assistance for Affected Post Office Businesses – The Post Office Closure Business Support Scheme

In Cambridgeshire, a support package has been funded by County and District Councils that will give one-to-one support from an experience Business Link Advisor. The Advisor can help analyse business needs and develop a business action plan.

A Guidance Note with full information can be downloaded from Cambridgeshire ACRE’s website following this link: http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/services/advice_funding.htm.

Short-term Support Strategy

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Post Office Network Change Group has published a short-term support strategy outlining the work it will undertake on this important issue. There are separate strategies for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and copies of these can be downloaded from Cambridgeshire ACRE’s website following this link: http://www.cambsacre.org.uk/services/advice_funding.htm

Post Office Limited

Further information can be found on Post Office Limited’s website, including the Area Plan and Branch Access Reports. Please follow this link to be taken to the relevant area of the site: http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content1?catId=57600693&mediaId=57600697

Postwatch

Postwatch is the independent consumer watchdog for postal services in the United Kingdom and plays an important part scrutinising and challenging closures before the closure list is announced. To find Postwatch information, go to www.postwatch.co.uk and select “post office closures”.

What next?

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Post Office Network Change Group will be gathering together information in order to make a partnership response to the public consultation.

The Group is developing a longer-term strategy that looks beyond the current closure programme. This strategy will identify a range of actions to support the viability and survival of post office and other services in communities, as well as alternative and innovative ways of providing postal services to those communities left without. The strategy will be launched later this summer.

If you need any further information, please contact the Chief Executive’s Office at Cambridgeshire ACRE on 01353 865041 or email kirsten.bennett@cambsacre.org.uk

To remind you, Cambridgeshire ACRE is providing a briefing for District and Parish Councillors in the Chamber at 6.30pm on Wednesday 16 July. There are still places available. Bookings via Jackie Sayers 01954 713541.

The Rural Services Network is a group of over 250 service providers and local authorities working to establish best practice across the spectrum of rural service provision. The network has representation across the complete range of rural services.  For general comments or enquiries, email: editor@ruralcity.co.uk 

To view the list of planning applications submitted in the past seven days, please visit the Council’s on-line Planning Application Search.  Once the page has loaded, select the relevant parish from the drop-down list, set the date period to ‘7 days’ and click the Search button or click the Advanced button, select a ward from the drop-down list, then set the date period to ‘7 days’ and click the Search button.

The system will provide a range of information on current and decided applications since 1948, including a brief description of the development, reference number, decision and the date of decision.  More recent applications show the name and telephone number of the council officer who is dealing with the application.

Search results are presented in a collection of pages, the number of which depends on the number of results your search produces.  Each page displays 30 results and there are navigation tools to allow you to browse these results.

In accordance with the Access to Information Procedure Rules, any executive decision shall be published normally within five days of being made.  That record will bear the date on which it is published and will specify that the decision will come into force, and may then be implemented, on the expiry of 5 working days after the publication of the decision, unless called in for review by the Chairman of the Scrutiny and Overview Committee or by any five other councillors.

A list of decisions currently within the call-in period is available on the Council’s website.

Cabinet decisions were published on Thursday 3 July 2008 and therefore the Democratic Services Manager must be notified of any call in by Thursday 10 July.  All Cabinet decisions not called in by this date may be implemented on Friday 11 July.  Unless otherwise specified, the Democratic Services Manager must receive notification of call in of any other executive decision by Wednesday 16 July.  All decisions not called in by this date may be implemented on Thursday 17 July.

Any member considering calling in a decision is requested to contact the Democratic Services Section to determine whether any relevant amendments have been incorporated.

The call in procedure is set out in full in Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution, ‘Scrutiny and Overview Committee Procedure Rules’, paragraph 12. 

The Cabinet RECOMMENDED that Council approve the Food and Safety Plan 2008/09. 

Cabinet RECOMMENDED that Council adopt the Member Development Strategy 2008-2011. 

Cabinet AGREED the Health and Safety Service Plan 2008/09. 

Reason for decision: To reduce accidents in workplaces throughout South Cambridgeshire.

Cabinet NOTED:

1. The requirement to extend the maximum Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) from a maximum limit of £25,000 to £30,000.

2. All of the alterations to DFG Test of Resources

3. The requirement to facilitate access to and from a garden by a disabled occupant and making access to a garden safe for a disabled occupant, defined in legislation.

Cabinet AGREED:

1.      To local property charge applicable on mandatory DFG in excess of £5,000, up to a maximum charge of £10,000.  To be repayable if applicant disposes of the property within 10 years of certified date.

2.      That a report detailing a clear criteria of when the repayment of the property charge should be waived.

3.      That in the meantime discretion be delegated to Cabinet to waive repayment of the property charge upon disposal, as per legislation.

Other options considered:  To delegate authority to the portfolio holder to waive repayment of the property charge upon disposal.

Reason for decision: Adaptation works improve the quality of life of clients and appropriate funding levels for DFG is essential to the continuation of disabled persons remaining in the community.

Cabinet AGREED that the

1.      issues raised by the Arbury Park Task and Finish Group, including those relating to member champion roles, be referred for further consideration by the New Communities Portfolio Holder;

2.      New Communities Portfolio Holder be asked to give further consideration to the establishment of a New Communities Working Group and, if establishment be agreed, that the terms of reference of such a group be delegated to the New Communities Portfolio Holder for decision; and

3.      New Communities Portfolio Holder be appointed as one of the Council’s member representatives on the Northstowe Community Trust Governance Group and that Cabinet select and appoint a second member to the Group.

Reason for the decision:  To enhance the Council’s role in managing the growth agenda.

Cabinet AGREED to delegate authority to the Chief Executive, with the Leader and the Finance Portfolio Holder, for finalising the Council’s Backward Look 2007/08 Annual Efficiency Statement.  The finalised statement will be copied to all Members, as in previous years.

Reason for decision:  To comply with the 8 July deadline for the submission of the Annual Efficiency Statement.  

Cabinet AGREED to appoint Councillor Mrs VG Ford as the Council’s representative on the East of England Assembly. 

Cabinet AGREED to appoint Councillor Miss JA Dipple as the Member Champion for the Olympics. 

The New Communities Portfolio Holder AGREED the response to the East Cambridgeshire District Council’s Core Strategy.

The Corporate Manager, Affordable Homes AGREED that CLC Contractors be awarded with the Cyclical Painting Contract for the five years of the contract with a possible extension of up to three years with mutual agreement.

Agendas

·                      Standards Committee – 14 July 2008 Safety Committee – 14 July 2008 (Intranet only)

Reports

·                      Late report to agenda item 7, Electoral Arrangements Committee – 8 July 2008

Decisions

·                      Decision sheet, Cabinet - 3 July 2008

·                      Decision sheet, Planning Committee – 4 July 2008

·                      Response to East Cambridgeshire District Council Core Strategy Submission Stage May 2008

·                      Housing Futures – Managing Conflicts of Interest

·                      Housing Futures and Retained Services

·                      Housing Futures – Tenant Ballot Paper

·                      New Landlord Selection Panel Conclusion

Minutes

·                      Executive Management Team – 25 June 2008 (Intranet only)

·                      Standards Committee – 11 June 2008

Issues

·                      Arbury Park Parish Review

·                      Appointment of Independent Members

·                      Establishment and Appointment of Panels

·                      Response to East Cambridgeshire District Council Core Strategy Submission Stage May 2008

·                      Housing Futures – Managing Conflicts of Interest

·                      Housing Futures and Retained Services

·                      Housing Futures – Tenant Ballot Paper

·                      New Landlord Selection Panel Conclusion

Starters

Joanna Peek started on 24 June 2008 as an Assistant Lawyer in Legal and Land Charges.

Leavers

Sally Harbey, Resident Involvement Manager – Housing Futures, will be leaving on 5 September 2008.