Items
No. |
Item |
108. |
Minutes PDF 264 KB
To approve as a correct record
the minutes of Cabinet held on 10 February 2021.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Hebb highlighted
page 8 of the agenda and stated that Thurrock had received
£14million in government funding, rather than
£140million as written in the minutes.
With this amendment, the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 10
February 2021 were approved as a true and correct
record.
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109. |
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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110. |
Declaration of Interests
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no interests
declared.
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111. |
Statements by the Leader
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader began his statement
by discussing the government’s roadmap to recovery as
children returned to school this week for face-to-face lessons;
care home residents could now receive one nominated visitor; and
residents could now meet with one person outside their homes, as
long as social distancing remained in place. He then stated that
39,000 first dose vaccines had been given in Thurrock this week,
and 1,300 second dose vaccines had also been given. He explained
that the number of positive COVID cases had dropped by 96% in
Thurrock from early January, and numbers were now returning to
levels that had not been seen since October. He felt that although
the numbers were moving in the right direction, people still needed
to follow the guidelines. He described how the next step of the
roadmap could not be carried out unless certain criteria, such as
reduced rates of infection, continued vaccine deployment and a
lower risk to the NHS, had been met, and urged residents to follow
the rules and guidance to ensure the next step of the roadmap could
take place when due.
The Leader stated that Thurrock needed to be prepared for the next
step of the roadmap by continuing to get tested regularly,
particularly working-age men who could not work from home. He
explained that there were many locations across the borough where
tests could be accessed, which included walk-through centres,
drive-thru centres and a new drop in testing centre in South
Ockendon. He urged residents to continue to take care as the next
stage of the roadmap occurred, including parents on the school run
maintaining social distancing and not forming crowds during
drop-off and pick-up times. The Leader added that the Prime
Minister would be assessing the data before moving on to the next
roadmap step, and felt that this allowed Thurrock time to prepare
for the next step of rule relaxation. He stated that Thurrock were
working with pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues to
ensure they can open safely outdoors, in a COVID secure way, on 12
April, as well as working with other non-essential retailers who
were due to open. He urged residents to continue to follow the
guidance of ‘hands, face, space’ and felt that if
residents continued with their hard work, the ultimate goal of
leaving lockdown for good would be achieved.
The Leader then outlined the COVID figures for Thurrock and stated
that between 26 February and 4 March, there had been 15 positive
COVID cases for those under 18, which had decreased from 26 cases
the previous week; 60 positive cases for those aged between 18-49,
which had decreased from 98 cases the previous week; 8 positive
cases for those aged between 50-59; which had decreased from 21
cases the previous week; and 6 positive cases for those aged over
70, which had decreased from 10 the previous week. He stated that
therefore there had been a drop in positive cases from 170 to 97
last week. The Leader then ...
view the full minutes text for item 111.
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112. |
Briefings on Policy, Budget and Other Issues
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no briefings on
policy, budget or other issues.
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113. |
Petitions submitted by Members of the Public
Additional documents:
Minutes:
No petitions had been submitted
by members of the public.
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114. |
Questions from Non-Executive Members
Additional documents:
Minutes:
No questions had been submitted
by non-Executive Members.
Councillor Jefferies stated that two questions had been received at
Full Council, which could have been asked at Cabinet. He wished to
highlight that any Councillor could ask a question at Cabinet and
would receive an answer from the Portfolio Holder.
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115. |
Matters Referred to the Cabinet for Consideration by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Other than those items already included in the
agenda, no matters had been referred to Cabinet for consideration
by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
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116. |
Lower Thames Crossing Task Force Update Report (Decision: 110557) PDF 330 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader stated that
Councillor Massey would be presenting the report in his role as
Chair of the LTC Task Force.
Councillor Massey introduced the report and stated that this
presented an update on the work of the Task Force since November
2020, and highlighted that the Council remained principally opposed
to the scheme. He explained that since the Development Consent
Order (DCO) had been withdrawn and a new Highways England team had
been appointed, communications had improved and the Council were
receiving greater levels of detail regarding the proposed scheme.
He stated that DCO had been withdrawn due to issues relating to
consultations and although no new consultation had been officially
announced, another one might take place before the next DCO
submission.
Councillor Massey explained that at the December Task Force
meeting, the Committee had focussed on the next steps post-DCO
withdrawal, and had considered the 49 page Planning Inspectorate
letter, which outlined why DCO had been withdrawn, for example the
impact on local road networks, lack of air quality data and lack of
information regarding working hours during construction. He stated
that the Committee had also considered the economic mitigation
list, and had received a verbal update on the A303 project, which
could have an effect on other national road schemes such as the
LTC.
Councillor Massey commented that the Executive Director of Highways
England, Matt Palmer, had attended the January LTC Task Force
meeting, as well as the Highways England Technical Leads, and they
had discussed numerous items of mitigation, such as a bridge over
the Tilbury loop line; 5G connectivity; improved Public Rights of
Way; and the 2 Forts Way path. He added that the Highways England
team had also given a detailed presentation on design aspects of
the scheme, such as viaducts and felt that this presentation was
the best visual that the Committee had seen in terms of detail.
Councillor Massey added that the detail of the March meeting was
not included in this report, due to publication timing, but the
Task Force had spoken about mitigation, such as green spaces around
Chadwell St Mary. Councillor Massey summarised and urged residents
and local businesses to participate in any potential future
consultations, and also make representations to the Planning
Inspectorate, after DCO submission.
Councillor Coxshall thanked Councillor Massey for his report and
questioned the published mitigation list, which included 57 items
of mitigation. He asked whether or not the Task Force felt this was
enough mitigation, or if they would like to see more. Councillor
Massey replied that the Task Force always pushed for additional
mitigation, but felt that due to DCO withdrawal, there was now more
time to have detailed discussions. He stated that the Task Force
would continue to work towards the agreement of the 57 mitigation
areas, as well as any additional mitigation necessary. Councillor
Coxshall stated that it was good to hear the Task Force’s
thoughts. He questioned if the Task Force had considered the route
tolls. He stated that at ...
view the full minutes text for item 116.
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117. |
Memorandum of Understanding - Local Government Reorganisation (Decision: 110558) PDF 277 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader introduced the
report and stated that any proposed merger between Thurrock and
Basildon Council’s would not be undertaken immediately or in
the near future, and highlighted that this Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) only opened the conversation to consider
potential opportunities or risks from a merger, and to be as open
and transparent as possible. He explained that Basildon Council was
not a unitary authority, and therefore did not have control over
some services, such as Adult Social Care, Children’s Social
Care, or strategic highways; in comparison to Thurrock Council who
were a unitary authority and had control over all income and
expenditure. He added that as both Councils had two different
styles of governance, all aspects of every service would have to be
explored before a merger could be agreed, and this would take time
and input from a variety of people. He described how this report
was driven by central government, and their proposal for local
government reform and devolution. He stated that in between the two
lockdowns in 2020, central government had brought forward
regulations for local government reform, in line with their
manifesto commitments, and although this had now slowed due to the
pandemic, other authorities such as Essex County Council were
pushing forward their plans for reorganisation, which included
Thurrock. He felt that as Thurrock had been a unitary authority
since 1998, Essex County Council could not design Thurrock’s
future, and felt this highlighted why Thurrock needed to be at the
forefront of any local government reform.
The Leader stated that by signing the MOU, Thurrock and Basildon
could find out all the necessary information before making a merger
decision, and could find out the risks and opportunities. He added
that the report had been seen by the Corporate Overview and
Scrutiny Committee, and they had questioned if residents would be
involved in the decision. He reassured the Committee that the MOU
would begin to evaluate the risks and opportunities, so residents
and the Council were able to make an informed decision. He stated
that once the costs and benefits had been evaluated, residents
would be consulted. He thanked the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny
Committee for their comments and was pleased that they had agreed
the recommendations. He added the Committee had also questioned the
need for a merger, as some Members had felt that as Thurrock
continued to grow, particularly with the recent announcement of the
Freeport, the Council may not need to merge with Basildon. The
Leader stated that all options would be considered as part of the
MOU, including maintaining current ways of working. He felt that
Thurrock needed to be prepared for all eventualities, including if
central government legislation for local government reform was
agreed, as was planned for summer 2021.
The Leader summarised and stated that he had spoken in detail with
the Leader of Basildon Council, and they both felt that although
this would not be a quick process, the MOU needed to be signed so
both Councils ...
view the full minutes text for item 117.
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118. |
Financial Update - Quarter 3 2020/21 (Decision: 110559) PDF 949 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Hebb introduced the
report and stated that this provided the outturn figures at quarter
3. He stated that the Council were predicting a balanced in-year
budget, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore would not have
to bring an emergency in-year budget to Full Council. He thanked
all officers across every service for their hard work this year,
and felt that officers had been adaptive and reactive to the issues
that COVID-19 had caused. He also thanked all service managers, and
the Chief Executive, for considering resources and for being
financially prudent during these difficult times. He also thanked
central government for their £14million of COVID support,
which had helped to offset the £17millon of COVID-19
pressures the Council had faced. He felt grateful that the Council
had been in surplus, and although this surplus had originally been
designated for discretionary service spending, could now be used to
help balance the budget.
Councillor Hebb highlighted that Adult’s Social Care was
currently slightly under-budget, due to excellent management and
government funding support. He stated that Adult’s Social
Care still needed support, particularly around the care market,
which had seen increased pressure due to COVID-19. He stated that
the Council planned to inject £2.5million into Adult Social
Care in the future, as the majority of residents or their loved
ones, would have to access this service at some point in their
lives, and therefore the service needed to be secure. He then
described the £1.8million of pressure currently being
experienced by Children’s Social Care and explained that this
was due to a number of high-need, high-cost placements. He stated
that lots of work was going on surrounding this issue, to ensure
the highest quality of care as well as prudent financial spending
occurred. He stated that Children’s Social Care was a
financial issue across the UK, but that Thurrock had worked hard to
improve the quality of the service and decrease spending. He
thanked the other services for balancing their budgets, and
expressed his appreciation to all officers for their hard work on
this.
Councillor Hebb summarised and highlighted the capital programme,
detailed in appendix 3 of the report, which showed that some of the
larger schemes in the programme had been re-profiled. He stated
that this meant a £16million under-spend, highlighted in
section 16 of the report, which could be utilised elsewhere.
The Leader felt pleased to see an in-year balanced budget, which
had been helped by surpluses made in previous years. He thanked
central government for their £14.2million of support to deal
with COVID-19 pressures, but highlighted that this money would be
paid by national taxpayers in future years to pay off this deficit.
He added that Children’s Social Care was a demand-led
service, and a few high-need, high-cost placements could push the
Children’s Social Care budget outside their budget envelope.
He stated that Thurrock was committed to ensuring every
child’s wellbeing and would continue to work on this service.
He felt that Thurrock had also been fortunate to have
...
view the full minutes text for item 118.
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119. |
Integrated Transport Block Capital Programme 2021/22 and Highways Maintenance Allocation and Programme 2021/22 (Decision: 110560) PDF 255 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Maney introduced the
report and stated that this was an annual report which outlined the
Integrated Transport Block (ITB) programme and highways maintenance
allocation programme. He stated that Thurrock would receive
£971,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT) for the ITB programme, which would help
deliver services and schemes across the borough. He added that
Thurrock would also receive over £1million for the highways
maintenance allocation programme, which would help with the upkeep
of highways across the borough. He highlighted the appendices of
the report that detailed every scheme included in this funding. He
stated that previously the DfT funding
had been used to fund road and pedestrian safety schemes,
particularly near schools and on routes in/out of the borough. He
stated that this policy had been successful, and these routes were
now much safer than in previous years. Councillor Maney explained
that therefore this years’ funding would be used on a new
area intervention programme, which would focus on residential roads
and move away from the ad-hoc approach previously used. He stated
that in previous years, the team could not accommodate requests
from residents regarding residential roads, as this did not fit the
road safety scheme, but the team had listened to residents, and
residential roads would now be the focus of the funding. He thanked
the team for their hard work on this report, and for delivering the
scheme last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Approved the ITB Capital Programme,
policy and prioritisation direction for the DfT ITB Block funding under the key policy areas of
Road Safety Engineering, Safer Routes to School, Area Intervention
Programme and EV charging programme.
2. Approved the Highways Maintenance
Block Allocation Programme (as detailed in Appendix 4) for
2021/22.
3. Approved delegated authority to the Director of Place, in
consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to
review and make local changes to the ITB programme (and additional
funding allocations that may arise) taking into account local views
and priorities.
4. Approved delegated authority to the Director of Environment,
Highways and Counter Fraud, in consultation with the Cabinet Member
for Highways and Transport, to review and make local changes to the
DfT Maintenance Block Allocation
programme.
Reason for decision: as outlined in
report.
This decision is subject to call-in.
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120. |
Contract Renewal for Litter Enforcement (Decision: 110561) PDF 535 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader introduced the
report and stated that following an initial trial period in 2016,
the Council had entered into a contract with Kingdom for litter
enforcement, and this contract was now due for renewal. He
explained that the Council had introduced enforcement notices for
issues such as littering, as residents had often raised issue with
the amount of litter and dropped cigarette ends in their
communities. He added that this problem also looked terrible and
cost the Council money. The Leader mentioned that since 2016 when
the contract had begun, Thurrock’s Keep Britain Tidy (KBT)
scores had continually improved, partly due to the enforcement
notices, and also due to the hard work of the street cleaning and
highways teams.
The Leader stated that enforcement notices were handed out for
offences such as littering, dropping cigarette ends, spitting and
other anti-social behaviour, and the Council had kept the maximum
level of fine. He stated that the Council averaged 3000 tickets per
year, and if people chose not to pay their tickets, Thurrock would
take those people to court. He stated that Thurrock had taken
approximately 520 people to court last year for failure to pay
their enforcement fines. The Leader explained that there was a
number of options for contract renewal, which included bringing the
service in-house and procuring the contract on the open market. He
stated that if the service was brought in-house this could increase
risks such as increased staffing cost and recruitment costs. He
stated that the current contract did not cost the tax-payer money,
as all money raised through enforcement fines paid for the service,
and any surplus allowed the team to pursue additional activities,
such as late night patrolling of car parks for nitrous oxide users,
and late night fly-tipping patrols.
The Leader stated that the Council had received a good service from
the current provider, and although enforcement of offences such as
littering had been paused during the pandemic, Kingdom officers had
continued their work by ensuring local residents were adhering to
social distancing measures, and essential shops were COVID
compliant. He stated that Kingdom officers also patrolled street
drinking in Grays, and had reduced the
number of people street drinking since
2019.
Councillor Watkins echoed the Leader’s comments and felt that
Kingdom had undertaken good work throughout their contract period.
He thanked the street cleaning teams for their hard work across the
borough. He stated that Thurrock had undertaken lots of work to
ensure there were more bins across in Thurrock that were located in
the right places, and urged residents to use these bins. He
summarised and thanked the street cleaning team and Kingdom
officers for their hard work every day, including during the
pandemic.
Councillor Maney supported the recommendations made in the report
and felt that the KBT scores, and Thurrock’s Clean It, Cut
It, Fill It policies had been one of the biggest success stories.
He stated that residents often raised the issue of environmental
crime, such as littering, ...
view the full minutes text for item 120.
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121. |
Procurement of Housing Capital Programme Delivery PDF 270 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Johnson drew
Cabinet’s attention to page 104, point 6.1 of the report and
stated that the contract commencement date should be September
2021, and not September 2020 as written in the report. He
introduced the report and stated that it set out the proposals for
a new contract within the 3 Chadwell St Mary high-rise flats, which
would introduce a new heating solution for the 273 homes in these
buildings. He stated that a new ground source heat pump would be
installed, and completed surveys had shown this would be the best
and most efficient way forward, as it would help the environment
and reduce people’s heating bills. He stated that this
proposal was subject to two rounds of consultation, the first being
in April 2021 and the second that would begin in August 2021,
before contract commencement in September 2021. He commented that
the recommendations had been supported by the Housing Overview and
Scrutiny Committee, who had sought reassurance regarding resident
consultation. He added that the Tenants Excellence Panel would be
included in the tender process.
Councillor Johnson stated that the second part of this report
covered the refurbishment of non-traditional properties across the
borough, which would improve thermal efficiency and reduce mould
problems within properties. He stated that a survey would be
undertaken to identify the properties most in need, who would then
be prioritised to improve residents comfort and the safety of
buildings. He explained that these schemes would be paid for out of
the HRA budget, but external funding would also be sought. He
stated that if additional funding was found, the HRA monies
originally designated for these schemes would be released to fund
other proposals.
The Leader felt pleased to see that the Council was focussing on
the renovation of older properties, as well as ensuring new builds
were thermally efficient. He stated that this report would benefit
residents living in older council stock, and also felt pleased to
see that these schemes would improve residents’ lives and
reduce fuel poverty. He stated that although this would be a
complicated rollout, it would also help the Council meet their
target of net zero carbon emissions.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Approved the procurement of two new contracts for major works
delivery programmes.
2. Approved delegated authority for award of the above contracts to
the Corporate Director of Adults, Housing and Health, in
consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing.
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122. |
Housing Re-Procurement of Concierge Contract (Decision: 110562) PDF 406 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Leader sought confirmation
that that this report did not relate to the concierge contract
currently in place in Tilbury. Councillor Johnson confirmed that it
did not relate to Tilbury, and therefore the Leader stated that he
did not have an interest to declare and could vote on this
item.
Councillor Johnson introduced the report and stated that the report
also included the Brook House temporary accommodation in Grays,
which had been brought into the contract since its last renewal. He
stated that this report included properties in Chadwell St Mary,
Godman Road and Piggs Corner, as well as Brook House, and provided
24/7 monitoring, CCTV services, anti-social behaviour reporting,
and fire safety monitoring. He felt that the concierge contract
provided a safe and secure service for residents, and 65% had
wanted the service to continue and provide better value for money,
when they had been consulted. He stated that there were three
options for the contract, but these were time-limited to September
2021. He explained that the option to bring the service in-house
would be expensive, and re-procurement of the current contract was
the preferred option.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Noted the available options as set out in section 3 of the
report.
2. Agreed the re-procurement of the Housing concierge contract for
a period of up to 3 years (2 years plus 1 year extension subject to
performance and funding).
3. Approved delegation to award the contract to the Corporate
Director Adults, Housing and Health, in consultation with the
Portfolio Holder for Housing in order to ensure service
continuity.
Reason for decision: as outlined in
report.
This decision is subject to call-in.
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123. |
A Fresh Start for our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services - Re-Procurement Outline (Decision: 110563) PDF 341 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Halden introduced
the report and stated that this was the first step to improve
mental health services for children and young people across the
borough. He felt the current process was slow to respond and
focussed on formal therapy and the use of pharmaceuticals, which
made the service too clinical and focussed on those with more
severe mental health needs. He added that the current offer was not
locally accountable and Thurrock lacked the ability to measure
success. He explained that this report would maintain
Thurrock’s current place in the commissioning group,
alongside Council’s such as Southend, but would give Thurrock
better value for money and a more local arrangement. He stated that
it would allow seconded workers from Thurrock Council to work on
the contract and would break down silo working patterns. He added
that the Brighter Futures team would also provide a local
prevention offer as part of the Essex County Council contract, but
would be accountable to Thurrock. He stated that these proposals
had been accepted by the wider partnership and would ensure that
Thurrock’s voice was heard. He thanked Teresa Salami-Oru,
Catherine Wilson and Michele Lucas for their hard work on this
report, and felt it was the first step in changing the service and
providing a solution for Thurrock.
Councillor Mayes echoed Councillor Halden’s comments and stated that his first
conversation as Portfolio Holder had been regarding mental health,
and how to improve the service and support young people. He
highlighted the new Mental Health Group which had been set up under
the Health and Wellbeing Board to work on mental health
transformation for young people, and would in turn support schools.
He thanked officers and NHS partners for their support on this
scheme and felt that the proposals would help children and young
people, particularly post-COVID, when young people could experience
an increased number of mental health crises.
The Leader thanked Councillors Halden and Mayes for their work on
the report, and felt they had worked tirelessly to implement this
change and help the service work better for Thurrock. He agreed
that children and young people could experience mental health
crises post-COVID and felt this report aimed the service in the
right direction, by providing early intervention support.
Councillor Jefferies supported the recommendations within the
report as he felt children and young people would need additional
mental health support in the coming months.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Agreed to the continuation of the collaborative commissioning
arrangements and supported the financial contribution from Thurrock
Council as set out in the report.
2. Agreed to the re-procurement of the tier two and tier three
Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service through the
collaborative commissioning arrangements.
3. Agreed the development of a local service response through the
Brighter Futures strategy to address the mental health and
emotional needs of young people in Thurrock, in collaboration with
partners and the Collaborative Commissioning Forum, encompassing
the core elements of the Thurrock specific plan listed above.
4. Agreed that ...
view the full minutes text for item 123.
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124. |
Backing Thurrock: A Roadmap for Economic Recovery, Resilience and a Return to Growth (Decision: 110564) PDF 246 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Coxshall introduced
the report and stated that it provided the roadmap to recovery,
resilience and a return to growth, to improve residents lives post-COVID. He stated that the
report would work alongside the Local Plan to improve
infrastructure and would provide a community focus through the
action plan, which set out the Council’s priorities. He
explained that since the report had been published, the Thames
Freeport bid had been successful, which would cement
Thurrock’s place as the ports capital of the UK, and would
make the report much easier to deliver. He felt there was lots of
civic pride in Thurrock and urged all Members to push the
‘work, live, play’ message to residents and to
celebrate Thurrock’s achievements.
Councillor Halden thanked the Director and Assistant Director for
their work on this report, as he felt it would help to support the
economy. He felt pleased to see that the most vulnerable residents
were included in the report, particularly in terms of jobs, and
improving opportunities to re-skill. Councillor Coxshall replied
and agreed that the report was community driven and would help
benefit all residents. He also felt the report delivered on the
‘work’ and ‘play’ aspect of the
Council’s priorities as it provided jobs and living
opportunities for all.
The Leader felt it was good to see the report was community led and
infrastructure focussed, as this would improve resident’s
lives. He felt the Thames Freeport would also be a game changer for
Thurrock and that it would help to deliver the actions outlined in
the report.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Noted the outcome of the consultation
on the Backing Thurrock Roadmap.
2. Approved the final version of the Backing Thurrock
Roadmap.
3. Approved the draft Backing Thurrock Action Plan, which will be a
live document subject to further engagement with anchor public,
private and voluntary organisations to refine actions and agree
delivery mechanisms.
Reason for decision: as outlined in
report.
This decision is subject to call-in.
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125. |
Asset Disposals (Decision: 110565) PDF 253 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Coxshall introduced
the report and stated that assets had now been characterised as
operational; community; or other and were being decided for
disposal based on the 3Rs policy of reuse, release or retain. He
stated that asset disposals had wider implications for local
communities, and gave the Council an opportunity to deliver
affordable homes and community assets. He stated that the report
had been presented to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny for
transparency, and the Committee had agreed with recommendations and
comments they had made would be taken on-board, for example the
protection of open spaces and parks. The Leader felt this was a
good report, and meant the Council would not repeat past issues, by
ensuring assets were disposed of appropriately and at the right
price. He felt pleased to hear that scrutiny’s comments would
be taken on-board and agreed that this report provided
transparency.
RESOLVED: That Cabinet:
1. Approved the disposal policy as proposed in Appendix 1.
2. Approved the immediate release and declare surplus the
properties as shown in Appendix 2.
3. Delegated authority of the disposal to the Corporate Director of
Finance, Governance and Property, in consultation with the Leader
and the completion of a delegated authority decision report to
permit disposal.
4. Noted the approach towards identifying the route to additional
housing as set out in Appendix 3.
Reason for decision: as outlined in
report.
This decision is subject to call-in.
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126. |
Quarter 3 (April-December 2020) Corporate Performance Report 2020/21 PDF 581 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Councillor Huelin introduced
the report and stated that it highlighted the impact that COVID-19
had had on services, many of which had been shut, had changed
working practices, or experienced high levels of sickness or COVID
isolation amongst staff. She stated that in quarter 3, 66% of key
performance indicators (KPIs) had met target, and this was similar
to quarter 1, which had occurred during the first lockdown. She
mentioned that during quarter two, when restrictions had been
eased, 75% of KPIs had met their target. She felt that all services
were working hard, and introducing new ways of remote working, for
example the number of apprenticeships being undertaken by the
Council had decreased, but the team were introducing new virtual
processes to improve the KPI. She mentioned that the report had
gone to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny, who had understood that
the report reflected the impact of COVID, rather than service
performance. She summarised and thanked officers and external
organisations for their hard work.
Councillor Watkins highlighted the KPI regarding the rate of
recycling, which had been affected by COVID and had dropped to
25.9% in December. He thanked waste collection crews for their hard
work throughout the pandemic, and thanked residents for their
patience with the service. He stated that the team were doing lots
of work to improve recycling rates, including with a new
‘back to basics’ programme and a ‘Getting
Thurrock Recycling’ programme that would highlight the
positives of recycling. He stated that feedback from the communal
recycling programme had been positive, and this feedback would be
included in the new campaigns. He added that the team were also
working hard to understand why residents were not recycling, and
how the Council could improve the recycling figure. He added that
garden waste collection had been re-introduced this week, as the
weather warmed and people began working on their gardens, and again
thanked residents for their patience as the service got back on
track.
Councillor Watkins added that this would be his last meeting on
Cabinet, and thanked the Director, officers, and other Portfolio
Holders for their hard work, and felt success had been proven with
the continually improving KBT scores.
The Leader thanked Councillor Watkins for his hard work as a
Portfolio Holder, particularly with his success on the Clean It,
Cut It, Fill It scheme. He felt the team
had gone from strength to strength under his leadership, and
thanked him for his service.
Councillor Halden felt pleased to see that the amber measure had
been removed, and now KPIs either met or did not meet their
targets, which made it easier for residents to understand. He
thanked Councillor Watkins for his hard work and stated that he
would be missed as a Cabinet Member. Councillor Hebb added that the
removal of the amber KPI measure also made the report more
transparent. He thanked officers across the Council for their hard
work on all the KPIs, particularly during such a difficult year,
and thanked Councillor ...
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