To receive apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for this meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2012 were confirmed as an accurate record of that meeting.

No items of urgent business were considered at this meeting.

To receive any declarations of interest in any matter to be discussed at the meeting.  Members and officers are requested to identify the nature of the interest and indicate whether the matter is personal or prejudicial.

In their capacity as members of Gloucestershire County Council, Councillors Terry Hale, Martin Quaile and Brian Robinson each declared a personal interest in exempt item 14 of the agenda, Land Acquisition, Cinderford. 

Non-cabinet member, Councillor James Bevan, declared a personal interest in item 11 of the agenda, Cabinet Transport Champion Appointment. Councillor Bevan declared an interest as a local tour bus operator.

To consider the attached copy of the cabinet forward plan and to agree any changes.

Subject to the following changes, the cabinet forward plan that had been circulated with the agenda was noted and agreed.

a)     Councillor Terry Hale, Cabinet Member for Community, informed members that the report on the proposed Leisure Management Strategy would now be considered at the May, and not the April cabinet meeting, as had originally been reported on the cabinet forward plan. 

b)     Similarly, Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, said that the report on the Benefit Services Partnership would also be considered at the May, and not the April, cabinet meeting.

Councillor Martin Quaile, Cabinet Member for Environment, gave a brief update on the progress of the work involved with the formation of a Joint Waste Committee and a Local Authority Company for Gloucestershire. Councillor Quaile informed members that, due to the short time-span in which the council had to renew its street cleaning contract, arrangements had been put in place to commence the procurement process for this contract independently in an attempt to move the situation forward.

To consider questions from members of the public in accordance with the ‘Protocol for Public Questions at Cabinet Meetings’. For guidance on how to submit questions, please refer to the council’s website www.fdean.gov.uk. Alternatively,  please contact Democratic Services on 01594 812624 or email democratic.services@fdean.gov.uk. All questions must be submitted in writing at least two working days prior to the meeting.

No public questions were considered at this meeting.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Patrick Molyneux, to invite non-executive members of the council to refer questions to cabinet. (A maximum of 15 minutes will be allocated to each meeting for consideration of member questions). Each question must relate to an item on the agenda and avoid confidential, personal, or any other information, where the law requires the council to consider the matter in private.

To assist in providing a complete answer, members are requested to submit questions to Democratic Services at least two working days before the meeting, either by email or in writing. Questions will be considered in the order of the agenda and at the discretion of the Leader of the Council.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Patrick Molyneux, said that, although he was not aware of any questions for this meeting, he intended to consider member questions as and when any items of interest appeared on the agenda.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, to present report LD.397, seeking approval of the council’s policy on working from home.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, presented report LD.397, including an overview of the council’s proposals for staff working from home. He informed members that, prior to this document, there had been no formal policy on this aspect of employment, although flexible arrangements had been in place for some employees to perform an element of work from home occasionally, subject to prior agreement with their line managers.

Having considered the implications that working from home might have on an organisation, Councillor Robinson said that, in some instances this could offer significant benefits to the council. These included: better use of office workspace, increased energy savings, less demand on the council’s car park and more productive working conditions. He said that, subject to careful planning and effective communication, home working could hopefully create a useful and worthwhile arrangement. He also said that line managers would be encouraged to take a sensible and realistic appraisal of any requests to undertake work from home and that implementation of the policy would take into consideration the council’s commitment to developing a better work life balance for employees. Before noting the report, cabinet requested a progress report in a year’s time, detailing how many new home-working arrangements were being carried out. The report was noted and members,

RESOLVED to approve the Home Working Policy as set out in Annex A of report LD.397, with a progress report in 12 months time.

Councillor Terry Hale, Cabinet Member for Community, to present report PH.110, detailing proposals for the council to join a carbon saving project in partnership with the Severn Wye Energy Agency. This item was deferred at the 9 January 2012 cabinet meeting for members to attend a presentation on the proposals on 30 January 2012.

Councillor Terry Hale, Cabinet Member for Community, reminded members that this item had been deferred at the cabinet meeting in January to allow councillors to attend an all member presentation from the Severn and Wye Energy Agency and for cabinet to make a more informed decision. He said that the Cabinet Housing Support Group, who had supported the proposal to include an additional recommendation for cabinet to review the scheme in a year’s time, had also considered the matter.

Despite several strong reservations about possible risks to the council and concerns about the potentially poor take up from some sectors of the community, on balance, it was felt that, as a pilot project, the decision to join the scheme was an opportunity for homeowners to make living arrangements more comfortable and to protect the fabric of their properties over time.

In response to some of the concerns, Strategic Housing Manager, Malcom Vine, said that the Severn and Wye Energy Agency was confident savings could be made from the scheme. He reassured members that the council was committed to protecting its investment and in providing good value for money. He also suggested that a representative from the agency attend a member question and answer session in the autumn as part of the review process. Councillor Di Martin agreed that it would be useful to review the agreement in a year’s time but reminded members that it would be some time before the scheme was fully established.

Cabinet noted the report and,

RESOLVED to: -

a) Join the countdown to low carbon homes project, and

b) To commit £10, 000 per year to this project for each of the next three

financial years, (2012/13 – 2014/15), and,

c) To review the agreement after one year of the launch of the scheme to ensure that the project is fulfilling the needs of the residents of the district and providing value for money 

Councillor Terry Hale, Cabinet Member for Community, to present report PH.109, detailing the council’s Homelessness Prevention Strategy.

Councillor Terry Hale, Cabinet Member for Community, said that, although supportive of the Forest of Dean District Homelessness Prevention Strategy in principle, he had deferred consideration of report PH.109 until the cabinet meeting on 10 May 2012, to allow the Strategic Housing Manager to re-evaluate and condense the strategy before cabinet considered the proposals. Councillor Hale said that adoption of the strategy was not time-limited and that the Cabinet Housing Support Group would be involved in the re-evaluation process. On this basis, cabinet,

RESOLVED to defer consideration of report PH.109 until the cabinet meeting on 10 May 2012

Leader of the Council, Councillor Patrick Molyneux, to present report SD.87, seeking formal approval of the appointment of a Cabinet Transport Champion.

Before presenting report SD.87, Leader of the Council, Councillor Patrick Molyneux, reminded members that on 21 July 2011, the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee had resolved to conduct an inquiry into the public and community transport function for the Forest of Dean District. He said that, at the cabinet meeting on 19 January 2012, Councillor Ian Whitburn, (Vice Chairman for the Inquiry), had reported the outcome of the investigation, before presenting a series of recommendations from the Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 12 January 2012. Cabinet resolved to recommend to Full Council that it agree the recommendations and to appoint a cabinet member champion to undertake work on transport related issues as a short-term project.

To maintain the momentum of this recommendation, the Leader said that cabinet had discussed appointing the Chairman for the Scrutiny Inquiry, Councillor Marion Winship, to undertake the role of Cabinet Transport Champion, with the following Terms of Reference:

a)     To keep a watching brief on transport provision within the district.

b)     To co-ordinate information supplied by parish councils and the Community Engagement Team

c)      To encourage the use of bus services and community transport

d)     To explore the possibility of installing cycle racks

e)     To liaise closely with the county council’s Urban Transport Manager and attend transport meetings as necessary

f)        To help the Community Engagement Team co-ordinate marketing and communication with the community

g)     To involve other councillors in stage two of the lottery bid process or other ways forward if the bid does not reach that point.

Councillor Winship said that she was pleased to accept the appointment and that she intended to include cycle-tracks as part of her work. It was later suggested that she consult with Councillors James Bevan and Clive Elsmore and any other member who might have knowledge and experience of transport related issues. Cabinet noted the report and,

RESOLVED to approve the appointment of Councillor Marion Winship as Cabinet Transport Champion until the Full Council meeting on 24 May 2012

To consider, and if so agree, to resolvethat under section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in schedule 12A of the said act.

Resolvedthat under section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the public was excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in schedule 12A of the said act.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, to present exempt report LD.398.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, presented exempt report LD.398.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, to present exempt report F.154.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, presented exempt report F.154.

Councillor Brian Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, to present exempt report EDP.51.

Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Patrick Molyneux, presented exempt report EDP.51.

Should any of the items of business at this meeting not be completed, the meeting will be adjourned and cabinet will reconvene at 5.30pm on Wednesday 14 March 2012.

The next scheduled meeting will take place on Thursday 19 April 2012 at 5.30pm.

19 April 2012