Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Epsom Town Hall

Contact: Tim Richardson, 01372 732122  Email: trichardson@epsom-ewell.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in respect of any item of business to be considered at the meeting.

Decision:

No declarations of interest were made by Councillors in items on this agenda.

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were made by Councillors in items on this agenda.

2.

Question Time

To take any questions from members of the Public.

 

Please note: Members of the Public are requested to inform the Democratic Services Officer before the meeting begins if they wish to ask a verbal question to the Committee.

Decision:

No questions were asked or had been submitted.

Minutes:

No questions were asked or had been submitted.

3.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 91 KB

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 21March 2017 (attached) and to authorise the Chairman to sign them.


Decision:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 21 March 2017 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 21 March 2017 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

4.

Private Sector Housing Grants Assistance Policy pdf icon PDF 86 KB

This report sets out the proposed private sector housing grants assistance policy. The policy relates to discretionary assistance that will be made available to vulnerable residents to enable them to remain healthy and safe within their own homes.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Agreed to approve the private sector housing grants assistance policy.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report proposing a private sector housing grants assistance policy.

Members of the Committee expressed their support for the proposed policy and that they were pleased that it would be available to vulnerable residents. During consideration of the Policy, the following matters were noted:

a)            Availability of services to residents who would not qualify for assistance under the Policy. The Committee was informed that the Council’s Home Improvement Agency (HIA) provided a range of assistance to residents who would not qualify for a grant under the policy. This included providing assistance in finding contractors to undertake privately funded works.

b)            Publication and awareness of Policy. The Committee was informed that the Policy would be published on the Council’s website, and be featured in both e-Borough Insight and Borough Insight magazines to raise awareness of its availability. Councillors’ assistance in raising awareness of the Policy would be welcomed by officers, but it was requested that information regarding it not be disseminated until the Policy had been fully launched. The Committee noted that there were no plans to increase staffing levels as a result of the introduction of the Policy, so it would be necessary to ensure that the service wasn’t over-stretched, and that all grants issued could be administered within existing resources.

c)            Repayment of grants in the event of a property sale. The Committee was informed that grants over £1,000 would be registered as a legal charge against the adapted property, and that repayment of that sum would be sought if the property was sold within 10 years of the works being undertaken. This process would be operated with sensitivity however, and a decision on whether to require repayment would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

d)            Minimum age of applicants. The Committee was informed that all applicants for a grant under the Policy would need to be 18 years of age, or older.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Agreed to approve the Private Sector Housing Grants Assistance Policy.

5.

Use of Advertising Around the Bowling Greens pdf icon PDF 85 KB

This report sets out proposals for the Home Ground Bowling Clubs to place advertising around the bowling greens during the bowling season as an extra source of income to the club.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Agreed to grant permission for advertising around bowling facilities which are directly managed by the Council, as set out in the report.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report setting out a proposal that Home Ground Bowling Clubs be granted approval to place advertising around their bowling greens, to provide financial assistance to the clubs.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Pilot at Gibraltar Recreation Ground bowling green. The Committee was informed that it was intended to run a pilot of advertising at Gibraltar Recreation Ground initially, to identify whether it created any difficulties.

b)            Procedure for approving advertising. The Committee was informed that the bowling clubs would be responsible for identifying advertisers and agreeing a fee with them, but that the nature of all advertising would require the approval of the Council’s Head of Operational Services prior to being installed.

Advertising would be approved for a period of one year and included in the annual licence issued to the bowling club by the Council.

c)            Location and nature of advertising. The Committee was informed that advertising would be located around the outside of the bowling greens, facing inwards. Officers anticipated that small, local businesses were most likely group to be interested in their use. It was also felt that they would primarily be used by sponsors of the clubs.

d)            Implications for officer workload capacity. The Head of Operational Services informed the Committee that the administration of the advertising arrangements (including their inclusion within annual licences for the bowling clubs) could be managed within existing resources.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Agreed to grant permission for advertising around bowling facilities which are directly managed by the Council, as set out in the report.

6.

Corporate Plan: Year-end Performance Report 2016 to 2017 and Provisional Targets for 2017 to 2018 pdf icon PDF 83 KB

This report provides a year-end update against our Key Priority Performance Targets for 2016 to 2017, under our new Corporate Plan and provisional targets for 2017 to 2018.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Noted the performance reported for 2016-17 in Annexe 1 to the report and did not identify any areas of concern.

(2)          Reviewed and agreed the targets for 2017 to 2018 as detailed in Annexe 2 to the report.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report providing a year-end update against the Council’s Key Priority performance targets for 2016-17, and provisional targets for 2017-18.

The following matters were considered:

a)            Performance during 2016-17. The Committee noted that during 2016-17, it had achieved 12 of its targets and not achieved 4. The reasons for not achieving the 4 targets were detailed within the Committee report and had been considered at length at meetings during the previous year.

b)            Households in emergency nightly paid temporary accommodation – 2017-18 target. The Committee noted that the number of households currently in emergency nightly paid temporary accommodation was near to 40, but that the target had been set higher than that, at 50. The Head of Housing and Community informed the meeting that the number of households needing temporary accommodation was affected by factors largely outside the Council’s control, and that given this, it was felt that 50 was a realistic target. It was Officers’ intention to deliver below the target however.

The Committee noted that a target of 50 was lower than that set in 2016-17, which had been 60. It was also noted that some of the remaining households were very challenging to find permanent accommodation for, either due to the number of family members (which made it difficult to find a sufficiently sized property), or due to alcohol/drug issues.

c)            Leisure development strategy – 2017-18 target. Members noted that the delivery of Epsom and Ewell’s entry into the Surrey Youth Games was a target for 2017-18 and considered whether other activities (such as the Round the Borough Hike & Bike events) should also be included as targets. It was noted that whilst not listed as performance targets, the Round the Borough Hike & Bike would still be held.

The Vice-Chairman informed the Committee that the Council’s Leisure Developments Team consisted of only two officers, who already faced significant workload pressures to deliver the events currently scheduled.

It was noted that the Chairman would look into whether there were any other elements of the work undertaken to support the Leisure Development Strategy which would be appropriate to include as Key Priority performance targets for 2017/18.

d)            Operational Management Plan for King George V recreation ground (Poole Road). A Member of the Committee enquired whether an Operational Management Plan for King George V recreation ground would be produced. The Head of Operational Services informed the meeting that two new operational management plans would be written each year, with Rosebery Park and Ewell Court Park to be completed this year. A plan for King George V recreation ground would be included within the targets for 2018-19.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Noted the performance reported for 2016-17 in Annexe 1 to the report and did not identify any areas of concern.

(2)          Reviewed and agreed the targets for 2017 to 2018 as detailed in Annexe 2 to the report.

7.

Outstanding References pdf icon PDF 57 KB

The references to Officers outstanding as at 13 June 2017.

 


Additional documents:

Decision:

The Committee noted the outstanding references detailed in the Annexe to the report.

Minutes:

The Committee noted the outstanding references detailed in the Annexe to the report.

8.

Exclusion of Press and Public pdf icon PDF 51 KB

The Committee is asked to consider whether it wishes to pass a resolution to exclude the Press and Public from the meeting in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the business involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended) and that pursuant to paragraph 10 of Part 2 of the said Schedule 12A the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Decision:

As there were no members of the Press or public present, the Committee did not pass a resolution of exclusion.

Minutes:

As there were no members of the Press or public present, the Committee did not pass a resolution of exclusion.

9.

Update on Charging Protocol - June 2017

This report has not been published because the meeting is likely to be closed to the press and public in view of the nature of the business to be transacted/nature of the proceedings.  The report deals with information relating to the business affairs of the Council and the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

 

Decision:

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Noted the use of the charging protocols in 2016-17.

(2)          Agreed to the continued use of the protocols.

Minutes:

The Committee received a report describing the use of charging protocols for the Council’s Venues during the 2016-17 year.

Following consideration, the Committee:

(1)          Noted the use of the charging protocols in 2016-17.

(2)          Agreed to the continued use of the protocols.

10.

Date of next meeting - 9 October 2017

Minutes:

The Chairman reminded the Committee that the date of its next meeting had been changed to Monday 9 October 2017 at 19.30 hours, due to a clash with the Epsom and Ewell Sports Awards on the original date.