POLICY AND STRATEGY COMMITTEE

 

THURSDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 1999 - 3.00 pm

 

Present:-  Provost Allan, Councillors Calvert, Morrison (M), O'Rourke, Jackson, McGhee, Robertson (Y), Mulholland, Sir Simpson Stevenson, Mitchell and Finnie, Councillor  Mulholland, Convener, in the Chair.

 

In Attendance:-  The Chief Executive, the Depute Chief Executive, the Executive Director Community and Protective Services, the Director of Central Services, Mr C Clelland (for the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services), the Executive Director Resource Services, Mr J Sutherland (for the Executive Director Education Services),  the Head of Technical Services, the Executive Director Social Work and Housing Services,   the Director of Personnel Services and the Chief Consumer Protection and Trading Standards Officer.

 

An apology for absence was intimated on behalf of Councillor Clocherty.

 

   165      ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS                                                                                                           165

 

The Director of Central Services referred to (i) a request received from the Provost that an appeal be launched to provide a contribution to assist in financing an expedition led by a local medical practitioner for the purpose of alleviating eye illnesses in Nepal; and (ii) a report by the Depute Chief Executive on the technical progress of the 1998/99 Capital Programme.  The Convener indicated that consideration of item (i) was urgent to allow arrangements for any appeal to be progressed without delay and that consideration of item (ii) was urgent to allow the Committee to be appraised of the technical progress in conjunction with the financial progress of the 1998/99 Capital Programme and moved that the items be added to the Agenda.  This was unanimously agreed in terms of the relevant Standing Order.

 

   166      REVENUE IMPLICATIONS:  KELLY STREET AND OTHER PRE-SCHOOL                                   166

              DEVELOPMENTS                                                                                                                                       

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 27 January 1999 by the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services advising of a request received from the Education Services Committee that sums of £36,050 to sustain commissioned voluntary and private sector pre-five education places and £39,760 part year costs for the Counicl’s pre-five facility at Kelly Street Hall be included in the Education Services Budget in 1999/2000 and beyond to secure the delivery of the pre-school education plan for Inverclyde.

DECIDED:  That sums of £36,050 to sustain commissioned places and £39,760 part year costs for Kelly Street Hall be included in the 1999/2000 and future Education Services Budgets.

 

   167      FEWSTER HOUSE AND SHANKLAND ROAD, GREENOCK:  DEREGISTRATION                       167

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 22 January 1999 by the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services on a request from the Social Work and Housing Committee that an estimated cost of £27,500 be provided from the current Revenue Budget in respect of the potential cost to the Council following the partial deregistration of the Salvation Army Hostel at Fewster 

House, Greenock and also to take account of a proposal from the Jericho Society to deregister the hostel at Shankland Road, Greenock.

DECIDED:  That the estimated costs of £27,500 be funded from the Revenue Budget 1998/99.

 

   168      REPLACEMENT HARDWARE:  YEAR 2000                                                                                       168

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 3 February 1999 by the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services on a request from the Corporate Business Committee that a sum of £407,000 be made available from the Council’s revenue balances for the purposes of the immediate replacement of hardware which is not fully Year 2000 compliant.

DECIDED:  That a sum of £407,000 be made available from revenue balances to allow immediate replacement of non-compliant hardware.

 

   169      REVENUE BUDGET 1998/99:  CENTRAL SERVICES BUDGET                                                        169

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 3 February 1999 by the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services on a request from the Corporate Business Committee that additional funding of £4,870 be provided in respect of a projected overspend of this sum arising from the balance of an error in the Central Services budget.

DECIDED:  That a sum of £4,870 be provided from the 1998/99 Revenue Budget in respect of the projected overspend.

 

   170      REVENUE BUDGET 1998/99 - MONITORING REPORT:  CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S                            170

              OFFICE                                                                                                                                                        

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 12 January 1999 by the Executive Director Resource Services on the position of the Revenue Budget 1998/99 for the Chief Executive’s Office as at 9 December 1998.

NOTED

 

   171      REVENUE BUDGET 1998/99:  SUMMARY                                                                                          171

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 21 January 1999 by the Executive Director Resource Services on the position of the Revenue Budget 1998/99 as at 9 December 1998.  The report advised that the current projection showed an overall underspend of £413,550, an improvement of £159,420 since the last report to the Committee on 17 December 1998 (para 1360) and detailed the various significant changes which had resulted in the present position.

NOTED

 

   172      CAPITAL PROGRAMME 1998/99:  FINANCIAL POSITION                                                             172

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 20 January 1999  by the Executive Director Resource Services  on the financial position of current and proposed projects in both the Non-HRA Capital Programme 1998/99 and the Urban Programme 1998/99.

DECIDED:

(a)  That additional funding of £14,000 required for the demolition of the Bay Hotel, Post Office and Yellow Kettle, Gourock be approved; and

(b)  That the report be otherwise noted.

 

   173      CAPITAL PROGRAMME 1998/99:  TECHNICAL PROGRESS                                                           173

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 8 January 1999 by the Depute Chief Executive on the technical progress of the Capital Programme 1998/99.

NOTED

 

   174      NON-HRA CAPITAL PROGRAMME 1998/99                                                                                     174

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 21 January 1999 by the Executive Director Resource Services on the financial position of the Non-HRA Capital Programme 1998/99.  The report advised that the latest estimated shortfall in the Capital Allocation 1998/99 was £1,646,000, a decrease of £2,361,000 since the last report to the Committee and set out the reasons for the decrease in the projected shortfall which was mainly due to the £2,000,000 exchange of Non-HRA Capital consent arranged with Edinburgh City Council.  The report indicated that the projected expenditure on legally committed projects in 1998/99 was currently £11,378,000, approximately £119,000 above the estimated allocation which, with the addition of professional fees of up to £300,000 resulted in an overall projected shortfall in Capital Allocation of £419,000.

The report also advised of a remit from the Social Work and Housing Committee requesting that a sum of up to £60,000 be made available in the 1999/2000 Private Sector Housing Capital Programme to fund repairs grants for 5 owner occupiers who form part of the next phase of the Brown Street/Baxter Street refurbishment project.

DECIDED:

(a)  That the request by the Social Work and Housing Committee for an increase of up to £60,000 in the Private Sector Housing Capital Programme to allow progression of refurbishment work at Brown Street/Baxter Street be agreed; and

(b)  That the report be otherwise noted.

 

   175      “INVEST IN INVERCLYDE” PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN                                                             175

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 4 January 1999 by the Depute Chief Executive setting out details of a proposed promotional campaign “Invest in Inverclyde” the objective of which is to promote Inverclyde as an attractive area in which to live, work, invest and visit.   The report sought the agreement of the Committee in principle to the introduction of such a campaign and if so approved, recommended that a Working Group be established with appropriate representation from the Council and the private sector to oversee the development and implementation of the campaign.  A further report would be submitted to the Committee on the detailed operational plan including likely costs and funding sources and the utilisation of employees.

DECIDED:

(a)  That it be agreed in principle to proceed with the proposals for an “Invest in Inverclyde” promotional campaign;

(b)  That the Depute Chief Executive be authorised to establish a Working Group with a view to the development and implementation of the campaign with appropriate membership from the Council and the private sector; and

(c)  That a report be submitted to the next meeting of the Committee outlining a detailed operational plan including costs and funding sources and utilisation of employees.

   176      INVERCLYDE REGENERATION PARTNERSHIP:  URBAN REGENERATION                               176

              APPLICATIONS 1998/99

 

SUBMITTED:  Report by the Executive Director Community and Protective Services seeking the approval of the Committee to a number of individual project applications for 1998/99 as recommended by the Urban Programme Panel.

DECIDED:  That the 6 revenue projects amounting in total to £82,395 and a capital project amounting to £20,838 all as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report be approved.

 

   177      ENFORCEMENT CONCORDAT                                                                                                          177

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 5 January 1999 by the Chief Executive together with copy of draft Enforcement Concordat and recommending that the draft be approved for consultation with the business community and any other interested parties and also outlining the proposals with regard to monitoring the performance of the various Council services covered by the Concordat.

DECIDED:

(a)  That the draft Enforcement Concordat detailed in Appendix 1 to the report be approved for the purpose of a consultation exercise with the business community and other interested parties and that a final draft, taking account of any comments received, be submitted to the Committee for approval in 3 months time; and

(b)  That 1 year after approval of the final draft, the first Annual Report on the performance of the Council’s enforcement services be submitted to the Committee for approval and subsequent publication.

 

   178      CONSULTATION ON POLLING PLACES FOR POLLING SCHEME                                              178

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 27 January 1999 by the Chief Executive advising of the outcome of the consultation process with Members and seeking approval for the polling places to form the basis of a detailed polling scheme in the forthcoming Council/Scottish Parliament elections in May 1999 and the European Parliament elections in June 1999.

DECIDED:  That the polling places in the Draft Polling Scheme detailed in the Appendix to the report be approved subject to (a) an alternative polling place being identified to replace the Wellpark Centre in consultation with the local Member and (b) that approval be given to the use of an alternative polling place should circumstances arise where an original polling place is no longer available subject again to consultation with the local Member.

 

   179      STANDING ORDERS RELATING TO CONTRACTS AND SCHEME OF DELEGATION               179

                                                                                                                                                 (OFFICERS)

 

       SUBMITTED:  Report dated 1 February 1999 by the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services together with proposed revised versions of the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts and a proposed Scheme of Delegation (Officers) following consideration by the Standing Orders Working Group.

DECIDED:  That recommendation be made to Inverclyde Council to (a) adopt the Standing Orders relating to Contracts document as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report and (b) to adopt the Scheme of Delegation (Officers) as detailed in Appendix 2 of the report subject to minor amendment at page 24 (Economic Development) by the substitution of £10,000 for £1,000 under the paragraphs relating to Economic Development.

   180      EXPEDITION BY DR SADHU RAM GUPTA TO NEPAL:  APPEAL                                                  180

 

The Provost referred to the forthcoming visit to Nepal of a team led by Dr Sadhu Ram Gupta for the purpose of alleviating eye conditions suffered by the people of that country and requesting the Committee to approve the establishment of an Appeal Fund for collection of voluntary contributions from Members, council staff and the general public to assist in financing the expedition.

DECIDED:  That the establishment of an Appeal Fund be approved and that it be remitted to the Executive Director Resource Services to make appropriate arrangements.

 

   181      STRATHCLYDE REGIONAL COUNCIL:  EXTERNAL AUDITOR’S REPORT                                 181

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 26 January 1999 by the Executive Director Resource Services together with copy of the Auditor’s report on the final accounts of the former Strathclyde Regional Council as at 31 March 1996.

NOTED

 

   182      RESOLUTION:  EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESS                                                                    182

 

On the motion of the Convener it was agreed unanimously that, in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the undernoted items of business on the grounds that consideration of the items involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the respective paragraphs of Part I of Schedule 7(A) of the Act as are set opposite each item:-

 

Item                                                                                                                 Paragraph(s)

Economic Development Services:  Director of Economic Development             1

Greenock Waterfront Leisure Complex                                                            6, 8 & 9

 

   183      ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES:  DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC                                       183

                                                                                                                                                  DEVELOPMENT

 

SUBMITTED:  Report dated 19 January 1999 by the Depute Chief Executive seeking approval of the Committee to proposals regarding the designation and grade of the current vacant post of Director of Economic Development.

DECIDED:  That the current post of Director of Economic Development be redesignated as Chief Economic Development Officer, that the grade/salary for the post be set at Chief Officer spinal column point 22 (£41,970) and that arrangements be authorised to fill the vacant post on this basis.

 

   184      GREENOCK WATERFRONT LEISURE COMPLEX                                                                           184

 

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director Legal, Information and Support Services setting out the current position on consultants’ fee claims in respect of the Waterfront Leisure Complex and requesting authority for payment of one element of a fee claim, all as detailed in the Appendix.