Agenda and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

Cllr Fraser declared a personal non prejudicial interest in Agenda Item 8 (Accommodation Project Update) of the Executive agenda for 24 July 2007 (Minute 32 refers) as a retire member of Unison.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Shadow Executive meeting held on 4 July 2007.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Shadow Executive’s remit can do so. The deadline for registering is Tuesday 17 July 2007, at 5.00 pm.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation scheme.

The Shadow Executive made the following comments on the Forward Plan at page 7 of the papers circulated for the Executive meeting to be held on 24 July 2007:

The Shadow Executive

·        expressed concern about the lack of leadership and continuing mismanagement of Council business, as demonstrated by the Parking Review report which was now 9 months overdue.

·        suggested that an extra meeting of the Executive be held in August to alleviate the situation

·        agreed to provisionally request officers for the following items on the Executive Forward Plan:

·  all review reports

      Executive on 11 September

·        Thin Client Management Arrangements

·        Competition Policy

·        Finance Strategy 2008/09 to 2010/11

·        Efficiency Programme

·        Constitutional Changes by Monitoring Officer

     Executive on 25 September

·        Setting Out the Long Term Direction for the Council: Corporate Strategy 2007-2011

Members requested a presentation on the Shaping the I.T. Strategy report at the meeting on 25 September.

Due to the lack of Executive Meetings in August, Members agreed to cancel the meeting of Shadow Executive on 1^st August and to hold an informal meeting on 15^th August.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 6 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 13.  The report proposed to improve direct communications with the people of York by establishing a monthly Council publication which would be delivered to every household, investigated three different approaches to producing this publication and sought approval in principle for one of these. It also sought approval to repeat the successful publication of an A-Z of Council services, to be delivered to every home.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• welcomed the return of the Council’s direct communication with residents
• noted with concern the correlation between communication and resident satisfaction
• agreed that the publication must ensure that job advertising was appropriate in terms of its status, geographic catchment and inclusivity
• hoped that the content of ‘Your Ward’ could return to being ward focussed
• recommended Option 2B on the basis of the information in the report, but should have regard to any adverse economic consequences of pursuing the option.

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)                        That the item not be called in.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 7 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 41.  The report informed Members of the current status of the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system in the city, outlined the development work that was ongoing and provided information about potential future enhancements.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• welcomed and noted the report
• recommended that cameras be introduced by virtue of para 24,  which should be selected on a priority basis, in consultation with local residents and the local policing teams
• recommended, in relation to the cameras identified at para 30, a feasibility report to match funding with businesses and council reserves
• expressed concerns about the delays in producing a mobile network

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)                        That the item not be called in.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 8 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 63.  The report provided a progress update of the Council’s Corporate accommodation project, which included the targets and achievements for the period October 2006 to June 2007. The main focus of the report was the outcomes from the Hungate feasibility study, a key area of activity during this reporting period. The study demonstrated how a level of further investment would improve the overall business case for the project and provided further benefits particularly in relation to sustainability and the future use of the building. It set out the top ten project risks and how these continued to be managed and sought Member approval for a revised business case for the project.

Members received a presentation from the report author and the Head of Property Services which covered the following areas:

• Background and Agreed Principles of Occupation
• Accommodation Brief and Needs Based Study
• Feasibility Study
• Site Issues, including Site Constraints, Flood lines, Orientation, Sustainability, Transport, Area/Massing
• Options and Way Forward
• Affordability

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• noted the report
• expressed concern that there was a reduction of floor space in the building whilst costs were over 60% more than originally envisaged. Costs should be stopped from spiralling out of control.
• agreed that the costs must be affordable for York residents and the project needed to be properly and rigorously managed.

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)                        That the item not be called in.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 9 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 91.  The report presented the outcome of officer investigations into the feasibility of providing rear access to existing properties at 75-87 Chapelfields Road, and requested that this condition was removed from the terms of disposal of the former play area site.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

·        noted the report and supported Option 1.

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)                        That the item not be called in.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 10 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 97.  The report sought views from the Executive on the use of Performance Reward Grant (PRG) earned at the conclusion of York’s second Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA2). It was asked specifically to consider whether this should be made available to help further work which supported both the Council’s priorities and the outcomes of the Local Strategic Partnership.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• recommended that para 13 be approved
• recommended Option 1 as the preferred option

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)                        That the item not be called in.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 11 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 125.  The report sought to brief members on research on the evening economy and the experience of York city centre in the evening, undertaken in association with the First Stop York Product Development Group. It sought views on the principles of the draft vision and action plan prior to a costed action plan being presented later in the year.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• welcomed the report
• agreed that there was a need to promote the café culture, including food and family facilities
• expressed support to promote the peripheral street economy including Micklegate
• noted the support for the Labour Group’s position on evening city car parking charges
• welcomed the re-emergence of Labour’s city centre invigoration

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)                        That the item not be called in.

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 12 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 24 July 2007, at page 171.  The report  requested that the Local Development Framework (LDF) Working Group’s recommendations to the Executive be endorsed and that the LDF Core Strategy Issues & Options 2 and supporting documentation be approved for consultation in the summer.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• agreed that this document was not acceptable in terms of accessible language
• needed to be written so as to avoid planning jargon and be more easily understandable
• agreed that consultation needed to be more thorough and include a city wide leaflet, including ward committees
• reserved their position in relation to detail until finalised.

RESOLVED:(i) That the Executive be asked to take the above comments into account when considering this item.

(ii)That the item not be called in.