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.

Cllrs Gunnell, Horton, King and Simpson-Laing each declared a personal non prejudicial interest in Executive Agenda Items 6 (Affordable Housing Policy Review) and 9 (City of York Council Response to the Secretary of State on the Proposed Changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy) as members of  planning committees which were likely to deal with any planning applications submitted.

To consider excluding the public and press from the meeting during consideration of any exempt information as detailed on the agenda for the Executive meeting to be held on 18 December 2007, under Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.

RESOLVED:             That the press and public not be excluded from the meeting as there was no exempt information detailed on the agenda for the Executive meeting to be held on 18 December 2007, under Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Shadow Executive meeting held on 28 November 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 11 December 2007, at 5.00 pm.

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

To consider the items on the agenda for the Executive meeting to be held on 18 December 2007, and to take a decision on whether to call-in any of these items.

Please note that the reports relating to these items will be published on the Council’s website on Friday 7 December 2207. The website address is www.york.gov.uk  Copies of the Executive agenda and reports are also available for viewing at public libraries in York and can be obtained by telephoning Democracy Support Group on York (01904) 551088.

The Shadow Executive made the following comments on the Forward Plan at page 11 of the papers circulated for the Executive meeting to be held on 18 December 2007:

The Shadow Executive:

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

Executive on 15 January

§        Easy @York Phase 2 Report

§        Post Office Closures

§        Traffic Management Act 2004 – Implications for Parking

Executive on 29 January

§        Future of City Archives Service

§      Establishing an Integrated Youth Service for York

The Shadow Executive considered a report which was listed as item 5 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 18 December 2007, at page 15. The report presented the minutes of the 25 September meeting of the Economic Development Partnership Board and asked Members to consider the advice given by the Board in its capacity as an advisory body to the Executive.

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

The Shadow Executive:

• expressed concerns about the significant delays in the minutes going before the Executive;
• agreed that a better system needed to be introduced so as to show the Board its role was valuable and the actions could be taken with reasonable speed.

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 6 on the agenda for the Executive meeting on 18 December 2007, at page 25. The report reviewed the current position on affordable housing policy in York and asked Members to agree that the information contained in the report be fed into the Local Development Forum policy review process.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report and questioned officers present at the meeting, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• supported the retention of the 50% affordable housing target;
• agreed that there was still a desperate need for decent social family housing in York;
• agreed that further information on the impact of the Council’s capital receipts would be welcomed;
• welcomed that this issue rests with the LDF and that the paper supports the retention of the 50% target;
• supported a review as to whether there should be a reduction in the 15 dwelling limit that was currently in place.

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 18 December 2007, at page 43.  The report provided an update on the Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan towards a Climate Change Strategy for the City, including additional information requested by the Executive when they endorsed the Strategy in September 2007.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report and questioned officers present at the meeting, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

·        noted and welcomed the report;

·        agreed that it was a good start to debate this issue;

·        agreed that there was a need to raise public awareness and for a programme of public engagement;

·        agreed that a strategic role needed to be taken by the Council for sustainable transport, which this report was lacking.

·        noted in relation to paragraph 4 that the Council should take ownership of developing a sustainable transport strategy, avoiding devolvement and dispersal of the issue to other bodies.

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 18 December 2007, at page 57. The report outlined the inter-relationships between: managing targets for carbon emissions; energy and water consumption and conservation; sustainability in design and construction, and suggested a funding mechanism for investment in all three of these areas.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report and questioned officers present at the meeting, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

·  supported the recommendations at paragraph 44.

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 18 December 2007, at page 75.  The report sought endorsement of a suggested response from the Council to the Secretary of State’s Proposed Changes to the Draft Revised Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), to be submitted to the Secretary of State by 21^st December.

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

The Shadow Executive:

• did not accept that 2011 was the appropriate date, as detailed on p.115 of the Executive agenda, but supported 2008 as the applicable date;
• agreed that 1055 was the appropriate figure (this was supported by the national household growth figures and other sources) instead of 850 as detailed on p.115 of the Executive agenda;
• agreed that the Council needed to maintain flexibility on demand management of traffic for regional and local initiatives;
• supported the existing policy T1;
• supported the officer views in terms of employment growth and hectares required;
• might send further comments to the Executive on minor details.

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 18 December 2007, at page 127. The report  set out options and proposed actions for sustaining the activities of the City Centre Partnership, following the decision not to proceed with the establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) at the present time.

Having discussed the issues set out in the report and questioned officers present at the meeting, the following comments were agreed:

The Shadow Executive:

• agreed that there was a need to co-ordinate tourism, city centre management and the Economic Development Partnership Board in a more coherent and holistic way;
• agreed that all options of organisation which would provide proper focus and co-ordination to city centre management and development should be considered.

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 18 December 2007, at page 133.  The report sought Member approval for the terms of a Service Level Agreement between the City of York Council and the new Single Tourism Organisation (working title: “Visit York”), setting out the Council’s priorities for action and committing resources to the new company.

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

The Shadow Executive:

·        welcomed the Service Level Agreement;

·        agreed that the following objectives were missing from the list:

§        bringing jobs which help to reduce income disparity

§        focus on sustaining all year round jobs

§        focus on training, education and partnership working with training/education providers

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.