Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
Minutes PDF 364 KB
To approve as a correct record
the minutes of Cabinet held on 10 March 2021.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The minutes of the Cabinet
meeting held on 10 March 2021 were approved as a correct
record.
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2. |
Items of Urgent Business
To receive additional items
that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter
of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local
Government Act 1972.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no items of urgent
business.
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3. |
Declaration of Interests
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no interests
declared.
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4. |
Statements by the Leader
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader began his statement
by welcoming everyone to the first Cabinet meeting of the 2021/22
municipal year. He stated that this was the first meeting since
March, and the first face-to-face meeting since 2020. He explained
that due to the Forward Plan, the first municipal Cabinet meeting
was typically shorter than others, but felt that the coming year
would be exciting, with many new projects planned and
underway.
The Leader then explained that in the last two weeks new play
equipment had launched in two of the borough’s parks thanks
to the Towns Fund scheme. He explained that new equipment had been
unveiled at Grays Beach Riverside Park thanks to £750,000
from the Grays Town Fund Board, which meant that younger residents
could now enjoy a new ship and castle, and the parkour outdoor
sports, health and fitness area. He added that a new splash pad
area, which had been funded by the Council, was also due to open
this summer. He highlighted that residents in Tilbury could also
enjoy a new outdoor gym, parkour equipment and running track at
Daisy Field Park, which was one of many projects across the town to
be boosted by fast-tracked funding from the Tilbury Towns Fund
Board. He felt that these projects would continue to regenerate
Tilbury and Grays, as the government and Council to invest in
Thurrock.
The Leader stated that there were also numerous other projects
underway across the borough, which included the new planning
permission application to convert the old State Cinema in Grays
into a pub. He stated that the plans had now been submitted, and
felt that the re-development would open and preserve an iconic
building in Grays, whilst creating a new hospitality venue. He
explained that work was also progressing on the Civic Offices, with
the majority of outside cladding now complete. He felt that this
project would stimulate growth and redevelopment in Grays, whilst
creating a new landmark and town centre housing. The Leader added
that new bus stops were also being installed throughout the borough
due to an investment of £1.2million, to try and encourage
residents to utilise public transport. He stated that the smaller
bus stops had now been installed, and the larger, electronic bus
stops would be installed soon. The Leader explained that work was
also progressing on the Manorway, with one side of the road
completed and work underway on the west-bound carriageway. He
described how this work would create a quieter road surface for
HGVs and other traffic utilising the road for DP World London
Gateway. The Leader stated that plans were also moving ahead on the
Thames Freeport project, after a successful ASELA-backed bid, with
Thurrock Council acting as the lead authority supporting the
development of the Outline Business Case. He stated that the
Freeport would create more than 25,000 new jobs, and would develop
1,700 acres of land with technologically advanced green
business.
The Leader moved on and stated that central government would be
making an announcement regarding ...
view the full minutes text for item 4.
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5. |
Briefings on Policy, Budget and Other Issues
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no briefings on
policy, budget and other issues.
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6. |
Petitions submitted by Members of the Public
Additional documents:
Minutes:
No petitions had been submitted
by members of the public.
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7. |
Questions from Non-Executive Members
Additional documents:
Minutes:
No questions had been submitted
by Non-Executive Members.
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8. |
Matters Referred to the Cabinet for Consideration by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Other than those items already
contained in the agenda, no items had been referred to the Cabinet
for consideration by an overview and scrutiny committee.
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9. |
Appointments to Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other Panels PDF 219 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader introduced the
report and stated that it was a statutory duty for Cabinet to
nominate Members to sit on outside bodies, and the majority would
be as written in Appendix 1. He named some changes which
included:
1. Anglian (Eastern) Regional Flood and Coastal Committee –
Councillor Collins
2. Essex Pension Advisory Board – Councillor Duffin
3. Opportunity South Essex – Councillor Coxshall
4. SELEP Strategic Board – Councillor Coxshall
5. SELEP Accountability Board – Councillor Coxshall
6. Thurrock Arts Council – Councillor Watson
7. Thurrock Sports Council – Councillor Jeffries
8. ASELA – Councillor Coxshall
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Approved the nominations to Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other
Panels.
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10. |
End of Year (Month 12) Corporate Performance Report 2020/21 PDF 511 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Duffin introduced
the report and stated that it presented the annual Key Performance
Indicator (KPI) results for 2020/21, and showed the impact that
COVID-19 had had on some services, as well as service achievements.
He explained that the report had been to the Corporate Overview and
Scrutiny Committee yesterday and feedback had shown Members wished
to see more information for some KPIs. He thanked Councillor Huelin
for her work as Portfolio Holder last year, and Councillor Gerrish
for his hard work as Chair of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny last
year.
Councillor Duffin highlighted page 34 of the agenda and stated that
since March 2020, 4000 potholes had been filled in, 700 of those in
March 2021. He understood that residents could get frustrated, but
urged residents to continue reporting potholes online, as this
ensured they could be inspected and fixed quicker. He also
congratulated the education department, as Thurrock had seen a 5%
increase in residents receiving their first place school
preference. He also thanked residents for donating approximately
two thousand Christmas presents to the borough’s Looked After
Children, as he felt this would have made a huge difference to
their festive period. He then thanked central government for their
continued support to borough residents, for example with the
furlough scheme throughout the pandemic, as well as for the Tilbury
and Grays Town Fund Boards. He summarised and stated that the past
year had been challenging due to COVID-19, but service delivery had
continued and positive signs could be seen throughout the
report.
Councillor Hebb echoed Councillor Duffin’s comments and
thanked Councillor Gerrish for his hard work as Chair of the
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He felt Councillor
Gerrish had left a good legacy, particularly with his work on the
scrutiny review. He explained that as part of the scrutiny review,
he had attended last night’s meeting of the Corporate
Overview and Scrutiny Committee to discuss the Work Programme. He
highlighted the KPI on page 42 of the agenda relating to collection
rates for council tax. He stated that this had only decreased by 1%
since the start of the pandemic, and felt this was testament to
resident’s who continued to strive to pay their bills in
difficult times. He added this figure was also helped by the
government’s furlough and support schemes, which had ensured
people continued to get paid when their place of work had been
closed. He also highlighted the work of the revenue and
collection’s department who operated a scheme of
compassionate collections, in partnership with the Citizens Advice
Bureau. He stated that he would therefore work with the Corporate
Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a piece of work regarding
compassionate collections to ensure the system continued to benefit
resident’s, and to listen to any suggestions or feedback from
the scrutiny committee to improve the service. He felt that
although this KPI had not met its target, it was a pleasing outturn
as it showed residents had been supported, and with the ongoing
Corporate ...
view the full minutes text for item 10.
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