Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor N Smith.

Under the Code of Conduct members are reminded that in declaring disclosable interests you should make clear the nature of that interest and whether it is pecuniary or non-pecuniary.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive questions from members of the public under rule no.10 of the Council Procedure Rules. The procedure rule provides that members of the public may ask any question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the District, provided that three clear days’ notice in writing has been given to the Head of Legal and Support Services.

None.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 9 January 2019.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 9 January 2019.

It was moved by Councillor V Richichi, seconded by Councillor M Specht and

RESOLVED THAT:

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 January 2019 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Report of the Head of Customer Services

The Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services presented the report to Members.

Councillor V Richichi asked if income was lost regularly due to the arrears of vulnerable customers. The Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services reported that the collection rate was approximately 97.5 percent, which indicated that the vast majority of customers did pay their council tax.  Each case that involved a vulnerable customer in arrears would be assessed to determine the best plan of action.  Vulnerable customers in this situation were often given longer timeframes to make repayments before any further action was taken.  He assured Members that enforcement agencies were only used as a last resort in all cases.

Councillor A C Saffell entered the meeting at this point in the discussions.

Councillor T Eynon raised concerns regarding recommendation 2 of the report.  She felt it was difficult to agree that the council’s use of enforcement agents was proportionate and reasonable without any accompanying data.  She asked for the following information:

-     The percentage of people in arrears that were classed as vulnerable.

-     The percentage of people that were in arrears with no further action taken as yet, who had been assessed for vulnerability.

-     The percentage of people in arrears that received Universal Credit.

Councillor T Eynon was also aware of other authorities that allowed arrears to be carried forward into the new financial year, and instead of using enforcement to collect money owed, they put rigid payment plans in place for a longer period.  The Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services responded that he was happy to look into this method of dealing with arrears and would provide the information requested to Councillor T Eynon outside of the meeting.  He informed Members that the Council’s current working practises were not out of balance with what other authorities did.  Councillor T Eynon requested that the report be brought back to the committee to include further details, plus the information that was provided to the Revenues and Benefits Joint Committee in January regarding the Money Advice Service Creditor Toolkit.

The Chairman proposed that the Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services provide the information as requested outside of the meeting and if Councillor T Eynon still felt that it should be brought back for consideration at Committee, then arrangements could be made for it to go onto the work programme.  Councillor T Eynon did not agree as she felt the whole committee should consider the information for effective scrutiny.  The Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services did not feel that any further data would add value to the report, especially as the initial issue with the (incorrect) comparison with Chesterfield Borough Council had been clarified.  Regarding the report coming back to committee, the Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services explained that ultimately it was a decision for the Members when considering the current heavy work programme.

Councillor N Clarke raised concerns regarding the fees added to the debt once it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

Report of the Head of Housing and Property Services

The Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager presented the report to Members.

The Chairman asked how many cases of Homelessness there was currently in the district.  The Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager reported that the service dealt with approximately 200 cases per year and the levels were relatively low compared to neighbouring authorities.  As he did not have the information at hand, it was agreed to provide the current number of cases outside of the meeting.

Councillor R Ashman felt that homelessness was being dealt with well in the area and he was aware of the support being provided by the Salvation Army.  He thanked officers for a good comprehensive report that covered all types of homelessness.

In response to a question from Councillor V Richichi regarding rough sleepers, the Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager explained that there was an annual check undertaken in association with other authorities and support services to assess the number of rough sleepers in the district.  He confirmed that there was one case identified last year and that person had since been found a home.  He explained that the service was very proactive in identifying vulnerable people in the district but circumstances did change on a daily basis, therefore he was constantly trying to develop new ways to work with those at risk of homelessness and that was the aim of the strategy.

Councillor V Richichi asked if parish councils were aware of the support available.  The Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager stated that all organisations, including Parish Councils that worked with vulnerable people were aware of what support was available and the team worked proactively with them.

In relation to the authority gaining the bronze homelessness standard in 2017, the Chairman asked for the figures for the different categories for a clearer understanding.  The Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager agreed to provide the information outside of the meeting.

Councillor S Sheahan commented on the recent increase in rough sleeping nationally in the cities due to people traveling in from smaller towns.  He asked if information was shared between authorities to try to stop people going into the cities.  The Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager confirmed that there were links between authorities and rough sleepers were referred back to their home towns wherever possible.  He added that the team did everything they could to stop people moving towards the cities but if they did leave the area, they were ready to accept them back when required.  Councillor S Sheahan felt it would be useful to have a log for these cases so that rough sleepers’ movements could be monitored.  The Housing Strategy and Systems Team Manager reported that the authority had signed up to an agreement to contribute to a national database to track people’s movements and therefore a better provision of support.

Councillor T Eynon was aware that local landlords were unwilling to accept tenants in receipt of benefits and one of the reasons for this was the difficulty  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

Report of the Head of Human Resources and Organisation Development

The Head of Human Resources and Organisation Development presented the report to Members and thanked the Equalities Officer for the work undertaken on developing the policy.  He drew attention to the action plan within the report and informed Members that the actions for February would be changed to March due to the Cabinet meeting timelines.

Councillor S Sheahan commented that it was essential to be a leader on this subject within the community and it was important to put out the right message as part of the next steps.

Councillor T Eynon concurred with Councillor S Sheahan and believed it was a great policy, but only the beginning of a long process.  She asked that regular updates, which would be supported by the Equality and Access Group, be provided to the community.

It was moved by Councillor T Eynon, seconded by Councillor S Sheahan and

RESOLVED THAT:

a)     The report be noted.

b)     Comments made by the Committee be presented to Cabinet when considering the report at its meeting on 6 March 2019.

Report of the Head of Legal and Commercial Services

The Legal Services Team Manager presented the report.  He informed Members of an amendment from the External Auditor regarding the authority to award contracts up to the value of £9,999, this should include Team Managers as well as Heads of Service and the report would be updated when presented to Council.  He also informed members that social media guidance for members was being developed to tie in with the Members Code of Conduct and that this would be put before the Audit and Governance Committee in due course as the committee that monitors ethical standards.

Councillor T Eynon was pleased with the proposals for Policy Development Group; she felt it was sensible due to the increasing workload.  However, she felt that one of the Scrutiny Committees should be chaired by the opposition group as some other authorities do.  She asked if this was something that could be written into the constitution.  The Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services explained that the current proposal was to elect the chairman of the scrutiny committees either at the first meeting or the Annual Council meeting to align with the other council committees, but the comments would be taken on board.

Councillor S Sheahan was also pleased with the proposals for the scrutiny function and felt the split between the two committees was logical.  He concurred with Councillor T Eynon in relation to the proposal for an opposition chairman and understood that it would be down to the political groups to come to some sort of agreement.

Councillor A C Saffell commented that the constitution had seen many changes over the years and he felt that it was now quite lengthy and difficult to understand.  He suggested that the document be fully reviewed in the near future to eliminate the many duplications that caused confusion.

In relation to the proposal of an opposition group chairman for one of the scrutiny committees, Councillor R Ashman believed it could work as long as the aim continued to be to scrutinise and to not use the meetings as a political arena.

It was moved by Councillor R Ashman, seconded by Councillor G Hoult and

RECOMMENDED THAT:

Council adopt the amendments to the Council’s Constitution as set out in the report.

To consider any items to be included in the work programme. The plan of forthcoming Cabinet decisions and the current work programme are attached for information.

RESOVLED THAT:

The work programme be noted.

The officers consider that the press and public should be excluded during consideration of the following items in accordance with Section 100(a) of the Local Government Act 1972 as publicity would be likely to result in disclosure of exempt or confidential information.  Members are reminded that they must have regard to the public interest test and must consider, for each item, whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure outweighs the public interest in making the item available.

RESOLVED THAT:

In pursuance of Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that the business to be transacted involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act and that the public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Report of the Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services

The Strategic Director of Housing and Customer Services presented the report to Members.

RESOLVED THAT:

The project update be noted.

RECOMMENDED THAT:

When considering the report, Cabinet adhere to the Council’s Local Plan and the amount of affordable housing required by it.