Executive Committee - 7 January 2008

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a meeting to be held in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth, on Monday 7 January 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)

Tony Beirne, Director of Strategic Services, 20 December 2007

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 26 November 2007.

07 11 26 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.

FINANCIAL POSITION STATEMENT & BUDGET MONITORING REPORT – NOVEMBER 2007 (MONTH 8)

This report gives an update of the three-year medium-term financial plan and the position on the current year’s budget for the period ending on 25 November 2007.

08 01 07 EX i - (05) financial position statement and budget monitoring - november 2007 (month 8) (doc)

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

To receive the recommendation from the Resources Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 6 December 2007 in relation to the following item on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 7 January 2008.

08 01 07 EX i - (06) resources recs (doc)

6aSTRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING 2008-2011

The purpose of this report is to allow the Committee to receive the draft service plans and to recommend their contents to the Executive Committee.

08 01 07 EX i - (6a) strategic service and financial plng (doc)08 01 07 EX i - (6a) strategic services-app 2 (doc)

7.ANNUAL REPORT AND MONITORING OF TREASURY MANAGEMENT

To inform Members of Treasury Management performance for 2006/07 and for the first eight months of 2007/08.

08 01 07 EX i - (07) treasury management (doc)

8.COUNCIL TAX BASE FINANCIAL YEAR 2008/2009

This report details the Authority’s council tax base for 2008/2009 which must be approved before 31 January 2008.

08 01 07 EX i - (08) council tax base 2008-09 (doc)08 01 07 EX i - (08) council tax base 2008-09-app 1 (xls)

LEISURE

9.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 27 November 2007 in relation to the following items on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 7 January 2008

08 01 07 EX i - (09) leis recs (doc)

9aSTRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING 2008-2011

The purpose of this report is to allow the Committee to receive the draft service plans and to recommend their contents to the Executive Committee.   (Please refer to report 6a).

9bCAPITAL GRANT

For the Committee to consider capital grant applications from The Oxhey Jets Football Club and the trustees for the Henderson Hall in Abbots Langley.

08 01 07 EX i - (9b) capital grant (doc)

9cLEAVESDEN COUNTRY PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN

To provide Members with more detailed cost estimates associated with various elements of the capital bid for Leavesden Country Park 2008-11 and ongoing revenue estimates.

08 01 07 EX i - (9c) leavesden country park (doc)08 01 07 EX i - (9c) leavesden country park-app a (doc)08 01 07 EX i - (9c) leavesden country park-app b (doc)

9dCONSULTATION OUTCOMES FOR THE PROPOSED EASTBURY PLAY AREA

The purpose of this report is to update Members on the results of the recent consultation for the proposed Eastbury play area, which took place during October and November 2007.

08 01 07 EX i - (9d) eastbury play area (doc)

9eFEEDBACK ON THE CONSULTATION FOR THE PROPOSED SOUTH OXHEY SKATEBOARDING AREA

The purpose of this report is to update Members on the outcomes of the consultation for the proposed skateboarding area, which took place during October 2007.

08 01 07 EX i - (9e) south oxhey consultation (doc)

9fLEISURE AND COMMUNITY GRANT APPLICATIONS

The Committee is asked to consider the fourth round of applications from groups and organisations for grant support from the Leisure and Community Grants 2007/08 revenue provision and to recommend accordingly to the Executive Committee.

The applications to be considered for grant support are from Watford and District Mencap and from Special Connection.

08 01 07 EX i - (9f) leisure grants (doc)

9g FEES AND CHARGES FOR LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND VENUES 2008/2009

The Policy and Scrutiny Committee is asked to agree the fees and charges set out in Appendices A and Bfor leisure activities/ venues for 2008/2009 and to recommend accordingly to the Executive Committee.

08 01 07 EX i - (9g) fees and charges 2008-09 (doc)

COMMUNITY SAFETY

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

To receive the recommendation of the Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 November 2007 in relation to following Item on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 7 January 2008

08 01 07 EX i - (10) comm recs (doc)

10aUPDATE / EXCEPTION REPORT ON THE COMMUNITY SAFETY ACTION PLAN 2007/08 AND PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE SAFER STRONGER COMMUNITIES FUNDING (SSCF)

This report provides the Policy and Scrutiny Committee with a brief overview of the Community Safety Partnerships priorities for 2007/08 and the progress which has been made against the local crime reduction targets. A full action plan update is completed quarterly for the Community Safety Board and a full report will also be produced for the Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee at the end of Quarter 4.

08 01 07 EX i - (10a) 2007-08 qtr 2 update (doc)

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

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

To receive the recommendation of the Sustainable Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee on 4 December 2007 in relation to the following item on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 7 January 2008

08 01 07 EX i - (11) se recs (doc)

11aSTRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING 2008-2011

The purpose of this report is to allow the Committee to receive the draft service plans and to recommend their contents to the Executive Committee.   (Please refer to report 6a).

PUBLIC SERVICES AND HEALTH

12.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 29 November in relation to following Item on the agenda for the Executive Committee on 7 January 2008.

08 01 07 EX i - (12) public serv recs (doc)

12aSTRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING 2008-2011

The purpose of this report is to allow the Committee to receive the draft service plans and to recommend their contents to the Executive Committee. (Please refer to report 6a).

12bREAL TIME CREW REPORTING

To provide further information to Members following a trial of the real time reporting system, with a view to obtaining approval to bring forward procurement of the system in 2007/08.

08 01 07 EX i - (12b) real time reporting (doc)08 01 07 EX i - (12b) real time reporting - livetrack (doc)

12cBAGS FOR LIFE

To consider promoting Bags for Life throughout Three Rivers, in order to cut down on the use of plastic carrier bags.

08 01 07 EX i - (12c) bags for life (doc)

12dCOMMERCIAL WASTE FEES & CHARGES 2008 TO 2011

To obtain Members’ approval for revised fees & charges for commercial waste collection.

08 01 07 EX i - (12d) comm waste fees and charges (doc)

13. CAPITAL PURCHASE OF WHEELED BINS

To advise Members of the need for the urgent procurement of wheeled bins, utilising capital underspends in 2007/08.

08 01 07 EX i - (13) wheeled bins (doc)

GENERAL

14.SHARED SERVICES

The purpose of this report is to seek to Committee’s agreement to taking forward the shared services agenda with Watford and to investigate the possibility of including a new partner in the programme.

08 01 07 EX i - (14) shared services (doc)

15.COUNCIL CALENDAR 2008/09

To consider the draft Calendar of Meetings for the Local Government Year 2008/2009.

08 01 07 EX i - (15) calendar 2008-2009 (doc)

16. AUDIT & INTERNAL CONTROL – RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The report recommends to the Council that the Executive Committee updates the Risk Management Strategy.

08 01 07 EX i - (16) risk management strategy (doc)08 01 07 EX i - (16) risk management strategy appA (doc)

17.OTHER BUSINESS -  if approved under item 3 above

18.      EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If the Committee wishes to consider the remaining items 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 items of business on the grounds that they involve 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).

1.

RENT ARREARS WRITE OFF

To seek authority to write off four tenants' arrears which arose on a former tenancies

2.CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MEMBERS WORKING GROUP – HOUSING STOCK TRANSFER

To receive the recommendation of the Members Working Group – Housing Stock Transfer.

2aOFFICE ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS

This report details the office accommodation to be made available to Thrive Homes and the Service Level Agreements reached for inclusion in Schedules 12 and 13 to the Transfer Agreement.

PUBLIC SERVICES AND HEALTH

3.ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION CONTRACTS – CROXLEY GREEN PARISH COUNCIL

Executive Committee on 27 March 2007 accepted the recommendations from the Public Services and Health Policy Panel on the future of the Environmental Protection Contracts, including that Croxley Green Parish Council be asked to extend the contract until 30 June 2009 and that both The Green and Stones Orchard, Croxley Green, be included in the Grounds Maintenance Contract specification. (Minute EX179/06 refers)

ENVIRONMENT

4.CONCESSIONARY TRAVEL – ISSUE OF NEW PASSES

This report discusses options for suppliers of new bus passes to be compliant with the Government’s specification for operation of the new statutory scheme with effect from 1 April 2008.

5.OTHER BUSINESS - if approved under item 3 above