To All Members of the Strategy Committee

Mr A C Bavington

Mr N A Bennett

Mr M P Booth

Mrs S P Clarke

Mr D J Read

Mr N A Ridley

Mr C M Spence

Mr H N Todd

Mrs S M Wigglesworth

Mr L H Young

ITEM

BUSINESS

1

SUBSTITUTES AND APOLOGIES

Any Member attending as an approved substitute to report giving his/her name and the name of the Member being substituted.

To receive apologies for absence.

2

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

Members to declare any interests as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at this meeting.

3

MINUTES

To confirm and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 August 2005 as a correct record subject to the addition of Mr L H Young to those Members present at the meeting.

4

PETITIONS

The Head of Legal and Administrative Services to report in accordance with Council Procedure Rule No.13, the receipt of any petition submitted to the Chief Executive.

5

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS

The Chairman to answer any questions on matters in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affect the District and which fall within the terms of reference of the Committee of which due notice has been given in accordance with Council Procedure Rule No. 15.4 – (a) and (b).

6

ISSUES ARISING FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEES (OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY RULES 33 AND 34)

None received.

Paper E111
previously

circulated

7

RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES

Overview and Scrutiny (Community Services) Committee Minute No.25 – Review of the Council's Housing and Homelessness Strategies and HRA Business Plan

Councillor Sue Wigglesworth, Chairman of the Housing Panel, attended the meeting to present the Panel’s report (Paper E111) following its review of the Council’s 2004-2009 Housing Strategies and Business Plan.  Members noted that relatively few changes were suggested and that the Housing Panel considered that good progress was being made with the Action Plans.  Mrs Wigglesworth referred to the main areas covered by the Panel’s recommendations which related to the need for more investment in Affordable Housing and tackling Crime and Disorder, the new Government initiative for Choice Based Lettings, and a countywide approach to housing successful asylum seekers.  During the course of the discussion, Members raised various matters including the effect on waiting lists of the Affordable Housing proposals and Choice Based Lettings, land availability for future building, the role of the Council’s Estate Ranger and the operation of Shared Ownership Schemes and Section 106 Planning Obligations.  Members also agreed that the two places on the Development Group for elected members who were not on the Housing Panel should be filled by Members of the Committee.  The names of Mr D G Grutchfield and Mr J R A Sayers were put forward for inclusion in the recommendation to Council. 

(1)       That the updated Affordable Housing Programme, as detailed in Appendix 1 to Paper E111 be approved.

(2)    That (a) a Choice Based Lettings Development Group be established to undertake the tasks detailed in section 4B of Paper E111 (b) the Group’s membership includes 5 elected Members, three of which to be Housing Panel Members and the remaining two to be Members of the Overview and Scrutiny (Community Services Committee) and (c) the Council be asked to appoint David Grutchfield and John Sayers to serve on the Group.

(3)    That the current allocation of £100,000 per annum for Registered Social Landlords to provide affordable housing be increased to £200,000 per annum, subject to consideration through the Council’s Service and Financial Planning process.

(4)    That up to twelve properties a year in the Babergh District be provided for successful asylum seekers from Ipswich Borough Council as part of a Suffolk wide agreement as detailed in Section 4D of Paper E111.

(5)    That the temporary posts of Estate Ranger (Post JO32T) and the Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator (Post JO29) be made permanent and that 100% of Post JO32T and 25% of Post JO29 be funded by the Housing Revenue Account.  Further, that the remaining 75% of Post JO29 be funded from the General Fund, subject to consideration through the Council’s Service and Financial Planning process.

Mr D L Wood abstained from voting on this matter and asked for his abstention to be recorded in the Minutes.

Paper
E135

8

RECOMMENDATIONS AND REPORTS FROM TASK GROUPS/PANELS

Redevelopment of Clibbon House, Great Cornard

Report by the Housing Panel attached.

Paper
E136

9

WORK PLAN

Report by the Head of Legal and Administrative Services attached.

Paper
E139

10

RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

Joint report by Geoff Kistner, Corporate Director and the Head of Finance and Performance Review attached.

Paper
E138

11

"GROWING STANSTED AIRPORT ON THE EXISTING RUNWAY" CONSULTATION

Report by the Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development attached.

12

PROCUREMENT ACTION PLAN

The Head of Finance and Performance Review to report that the E-Government Steering Group has approved the acquisition of appropriate software in order to implement the above project this financial year.  This will enable the Council to process orders and services electronically, both internally and with suppliers and will result in significant efficiency savings.  The estimated capital cost of the project is  £55,000 and the payback in terms of efficiency savings should equate to this amount annually.  E-Procurement is one of the Government's service transformation priority outcomes and is also one of the key National Procurement Strategy implementation milestones for March 2006.

Although no specific funding for the project has been allocated from this year's E-Government grant, depending on progress and actual expenditure on other projects, some of this could be available and used for the E-Procurement project.  If that is not the case, the cost can be met from usable capital receipts.

Members are aware that, where possible and appropriate, the Council purchases new software modules from our existing supplier(s) in order to avoid the overhead costs associated with interfacing different systems.  Contracts Procedure Rules (CPR's) provide for an exemption to be made from the need for more than one tender to be invited if the goods/services to be supplied are required in the interests of standardisation for maintenance or for other special reasons.  Therefore, it is proposed that Agresso, the existing supplied in this case, supply the software and associated services.

The Committee is therefore recommended:

(1)          To approve the funding for the project and that this be added to the 2005/06 capital programme.

(2)          In accordance with Contracts Procedure Rule No. 2 (a) to approve an exemption to CPR No. 3  to enable an order to be placed with Agresso for the supply of E-Procurement software and associated services without seeking competitive tenders, in the interests of standardisation.

13

BABERGH WEBSITE SOFTWARE UPGRADES

The Head of Organisational Development to report that approval has been given under CPR No. 2(a) to an exemption relating to the invitation of tenders for the provision of software development and support expertise to upgrade the Babergh Website software environment and to improve the accessibility in line with E-Government requirements.

The reason for the exemption is that the services in question are required in the interests of protecting the integrity and supportability of the Website infrastructure environment at Babergh.  Four potential service providers were approached initially to assess their ability to meet the Council's specification, but it was considered that only Ciber UK Ltd could comply based on the content of their submission, references from other organisations that have used their services, and their knowledge of Microsoft software (being a Microsoft Certified Partner).  A subsequent detailed analysis and review of the Website infrastructure with Ciber UK Ltd has been conducted to create firm prices.  Further tendering would incur additional cost to Babergh for other suppliers and undertake similar detailed analysis (of the order of £10 – 15,000) before an award could be made and it is not expected that this would result in a substantially more cost-effective contract.

The Committee is therefore asked to note that the Head of Legal and Administrative Services has exempted the requirement to follow Contracts Procedure Rules to enable a contract to be entered into with Ciber UK Ltd in the sum of £24,088 for the provision of professional services to upgrade the Babergh Website software environment without seeking further competitive tenders.

14

EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC (WHICH TERM INCLUDES THE PRESS)

To consider whether pursuant to Section 100(A)4 of the Local Government Act 1972, the public should be excluded from the meeting for the business specified below, on the grounds that if the public were present during this item, it is likely that there would be the disclosure to them of exempt information as indicated against the item.

PART II

Paper
E137

15

CUSTOMER ACCESS AND SERVICE TRANSFORMATION (CAST)  (Exempt information by virtue of Paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part 1)

Report by the Head of Organisational Development attached.