Executive Committee - 4 February 2008

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a meeting to be held in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth, on Monday 4 February 2008 at 7.30pm.

Members of the Committee (portfolio responsibility in brackets):-

Councillors Ann Shaw OBE (Chairman), Matthew Bedford (Vice-Chairman) (Housing)

Sara Bedford       Roger Seabourne (Community Safety)

Phil Brading (Public Services & Health)       Richard Struck (Resources)

Kerron Cross       Martin Trevett (Environment)

David Sansom       Chris Whately-Smith (Leisure & Community)

Steven Halls, Chief Executive, 25 January 2008

The Executive Committee welcomes contributions from Members of the public to its discussion on agenda items.   Contributions will be limited to one person speaking for and one against each item for not more than three minutes. Please note that in the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will automatically be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Committee. Details of the procedure and the list for registering the wish to speak will be available for a short period before the meeting.

1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Executive Committee meeting held on 7 January 2008.

08 01 07 EX mins (doc)

3.NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 31 to be announced, together with the special circumstances which justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chairman to rule on the admission of such items.

4.DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

To receive any declarations of interest.

RESOURCES

5.CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE RESOURCES POLICY AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

To receive the recommendation from the Resources Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 24 January 2008 in relation to the following item on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 4 February 2008

08 02 04 EX i - (05) resources recs (doc)

5aLAND AT GROVE CRESCENT, CROXLEY GREEN

To consider the sale of land at Grove Crescent, Croxley Green following monitoring of car park usage.

08 02 04 EX i - (5a) land grove crescent (doc)08 02 04 EX i - (5a) land grove crescent-car park mon-app (xls)

LEISURE

6.CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LEISURE AND COMMUNITY SAFETY POLICY AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

To receive the recommendation of the Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 15 January 2008 in relation to the following items on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 4 February 2008

08 02 04 EX i - (06) leis recs (doc)

6aNEW ENVIRONMENTAL MAINTENANCE AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

To outline various options that the Council may wish to consider including within the next Environmental and Grounds Maintenance Contracts.

08 02 04 EX i - (6a) new env and ground maint contracts (doc)08 02 04 EX i - (6a) new env and ground maint contracts-app (xls)

6bWILLIAM PENN LEISURE CENTRE REFURBISHMENT – PROGRESS REPORT

To update Members on the refurbishment of William Penn Leisure Centre.

08 02 04 EX i - (6b) william penn (doc)

6cSAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

To present to the Committee a proposed Council policy for Safeguarding Children.

08 02 04 EX i - (6c) safeguarding children (doc)08 02 04 EX i - (6c) safeguarding children-app a (doc)08 02 04 EX i - (6c) safeguarding children-app b (doc)

7.CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LEISURE AND COMMUNITY SAFETY POLICY & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE AND PUBLIC SERVICES AND HEALTH POLICY AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

To receive the recommendation of the Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 15 January 2008 and Public Services and Health Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 10 January 2008 in relation to following Item on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 4 February 2008.

08 02 04 EX i - (07) leis and public serv recs (doc)

7aNEW ENVIRONMENTAL MAINTENANCE AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

To outline various options that the Council may wish to consider including within the next Environmental and Grounds Maintenance Contracts. (Please see report 6a).

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

8.CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT POLICY AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

To receive the recommendation of the Sustainable Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee on 22 January 2008 in relation to Draft New Housing Allocations Policy

08 02 04 EX i - (08) se recs (doc)

8a      DRAFT NEW HOUSING ALLOCATION POLICY – THREE RIVERS CHOICE HOMES FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION

This report seeks comments and in principle endorsement from Members in respect of the proposal to withdraw the existing Housing Allocation Policy following further comprehensive consultation with tenants, residents, voluntary and statutory organisations and replacing it with the New Housing Allocation Policy – Three Rivers Choice Homes

08 02 04 EX i - (8a) draft new housing allocation policy (doc)08 02 04 EX i - (8a) draft new housing allocation policy-app a (doc)

9.UPDATE ON REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR GADE VIEW GARDENS

To seek approval to increase the number of affordable units on the Gade View Gardens site and reduced capital receipt for the transfer of land at Gade View Gardens to Home Group Housing Association.

08 02 04 EX i - (09) gade view gardens (doc)

PUBLIC SERVICES AND HEALTH

10.      CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC SERVICES AND HEALTH POLICY AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

To receive the recommendation of the Public Services & Health Policy & Scrutiny Committee held on 10 January 2008 in relation to following Items on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 4 February 2008.

08 02 04 EX i - (10) public serv recs (doc)

10aCEMETERY DATABASE

To advise members of the benefits of purchasing a cemetery database.

08 02 04 EX i - (10a) cemetery database (doc)

10bNEW ENVIRONMENTAL MAINTENANCE AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

To outline various options that the Council may wish to consider including within the next Environmental and Grounds Maintenance Contracts. (Please see report 6a)

10cREDUCING 14 DAY TARGET FOR FIRST PEST CONTROL APPOINTMENT TO 7 DAYS

To report on the implications of reducing the current 14 day target for a first pest control appointment to 7 days and achieving this target 98% of the time in line with all other Environmental Health Performance targets and to advise on resource implications to achieve this.

08 02 04 EX i - (10c) reducing pest control (doc)

GENERAL

11.HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL – CONSULTATION ON SCHOOL ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2009/10

To inform Members of two consultation documents published by the County Council and to ascertain whether the Executive Committee wishes to make a formal response.

08 02 04 EX i - (11) hcc consultations (doc)

12.SHARED SERVICES

To update Members on the Shared Services project

08 02 04 EX i - (12) shared services update (doc)08 02 04 EX i - (12) shared services update app2 (pdf)

13.      STRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING - INTRODUCTION

This report is an introduction to the six agenda items that follow - see item 19 below

14.STRATEGIC PLANNING – THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2008-2011

The purpose of this report is to allow consideration of the Council’s Strategic Plan for the period 2008-2011 - see item 19 below

15.SERVICE PLANNING – SERVICE PLANS 2008-2011

The purpose of this report is to allow consideration of the service plans for the period 2008-2011 - see item 19 below

16.FINANCIAL PLANNING – HOUSING STOCK TRANSFER AND HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT

This report gives the financial implications of the housing stock transfer, the position on the Housing Revenue Account and, to enable recovery action to be taken on outstanding rents, recommends, in collaboration with Thrive Homes Ltd, the rent increases for 2008/09 - see item 19 below

17.FINANCIAL PLANNING – GENERAL FUND SERVICES

The purpose of this report is to allow the Executive Committee to recommend to the Council the service levels and outputs it wishes to see in the medium term and the associated General Fund budget. This budget is a component of the 2008/2009 Council Tax calculations - see item 19 below

18.FINANCIAL PLANNING – CAPITAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME

The purpose of this report is to allow the Executive Committee to recommend to the Council its capital investment programme, in the light of the available funding. It also seeks approval of the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for 2008/2009 in accordance with its Treasury Management Policy Statement - see item 19 below

19.STRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONS

This report enables the Committee to make its recommendations on the strategic, service and financial plans to the Council on 19 February 2008

08 02 04 EX i - (13 to 19) strategic, service and financial planning (doc)

20.OTHER BUSINESS -  if approved under item 3 above

21.EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If the Committee wishes to consider the remaining item in private, it will be appropriate for a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

“that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

(Note: If other confidential business is approved under item 3, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional items).

LEISURE

1.SOUTH OXHEY PLAYING FIELDS SKATE/BMX AREA TENDER OUTCOME

The purpose of this report is to inform members that the tender price for the skate/bmx area in South Oxhey Playing Fields has exceeded the agreed capital budget. Officers are therefore requesting that Members approve budget virements from within the Leisure Service’s budget to obtain the required finances to proceed with the project as originally planned.

2.OTHER BUSINESS - if approved under item 3 above