Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from D Archer (Scarborough).

The minutes of the meeting of the North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership held on 12 October 2011 (previously circulated) were presented.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting of the North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership held on 12 October 2011 be approved.

The Chairman welcomed all those present to the meeting and appropriate introductions were made.

To receive notice of any urgent business which the Chairman considers should be dealt with at the meeting as a matter of urgency by virtue of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no items of urgent business.

Members to indicate whether they will be declaring any interests under the Code of Conduct.

Members making a declaration of interest at a meeting of a Committee or Council are required to disclose the existence and nature of that interest.  This requirement is not discharged by merely declaring a personal interest without further explanation.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Head of Building Control submitted a report (previously circulated) in which Members were presented with details of the financial performance of the North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership for the months of April 2011 to December 2011 inclusive.

The report had been produced using actual income and expenditure figures, taking into account known commitments to 31 December 2011, and summarised the income and expenditure for the chargeable and non-chargeable accounts for that period, together with the deficit as at that date.

Reference was made to flood defence work that had been undertaken and to other projects for the Environment Agency.  The number of redundancies and the overall reduction in salary costs over the five Council areas was also noted.

Resolved

That the report be received and that the financial performance of the North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership for the period 1 April 2011 to 31 December 2011 be noted.

The Head of Building Control submitted a report (previously circulated) in which Members were presented with details and options for a revised budget for 2011/12 and a proposed budget for 2012/13, including a further two year financial recovery plan.

An additional paper giving further details relating to staffing was circulated at the meeting.

Annex A to the report outlined the Partnership’s expected financial performance in the current year together with proposed budgets for the next three years, based on the current staffing structure, whilst Annex B  set out a revised budget for 2011/12 showing the expected income level for the Partnership and proposed budgets based on a revised staffing structure.

Annexes C and D set out the current structure and the proposed structure at 1 July 2012 respectively.

The report was discussed in detail, with particular reference being made to issues relating to redundancies and the need for succession planning.

Resolved

That the report be received and that

(a)   The revised 2011/12 budget as detailed at Annex B be approved

(b)   The expected out-turn be noted and that partner authorities advise their  appropriate committees

(c)   The redundancies as outlined in Annex B be approved and the revised structure shown at Annex D be implemented from 1 July 2012

(d)  An increase of 4% be applied to Building Regulations Charges for the next financial year.

The Head of Building Control submitted a report (previously circulated) giving details of a review that had been carried out into the true costs to the Partnership of undertaking non-chargeable work. 

The Partnership had, over various periods of time, undertaken an exercise via timesheets to establish the split between the chargeable and non-chargeable accounts. For this particular exercise the month of November had been used and time allocations in the various categories of work had been checked and verified by internal audit.

A statement, in the form of an email, from Internal Audit  was circulated at the meeting.

Resolved

That the report be received and that

(a)   The revised charge £55,006 for undertaking non-chargeable work be adopted from 2012/13 and increased in line with the criteria set out in the Legal Agreement  and revised annually

(b)   Each partner authority be advised of the new charging arrangement and that approval be sought from their Cabinet/Committee.

As requested at the last meeting of the Partnership Board, Ryedale’s Corporate Director (s151) submitted a report (previously circulated) outlining the costs of maintaining the Partnership office at Easingwold or transferring back into accommodation at one of the partner Authority’s offices. 

It was concluded that, although there could be some benefit in establishing the Partnership’s office within a local authority for the simplification of IT systems, etc, the overall disruption to staff and the cost of financing any relocation did not generate a business case for moving.

It was considered that further consideration of alternative accommodation options be considered and brought back to a future meeting of the Board noting that a decision to vacate the existing premises would need to be made by April 2013.

Resolved

That the report be noted and that a further report be presented to a future meeting following consideration of alternative options.

The Head of Building Control submitted a report (previously circulated) giving details of the Partnership’s operational performance from 1 April 2011 to 31 December 2011.

During that period the Partnership had achieved most of its targets with the exception of those relating to market share and training,  details of which were set out in the report.

It was reported that Michelle Lanaghan and Helen Winfield had undertaken a one day course on Energy Performance and Sustainability in Buildings and that Julie Etherington had received an award from the Federation of Master Builders for attendance, dedication and commitment.

Resolved

That the report be noted and that a letter be sent to Julie Etherington congratulating her on her achievement.

It is recommended that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items as there will be a like disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as the information relates to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Resolved

That, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the following items as there will be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as the information relates to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

The Head of Building Control submitted a report (previously circulated) seeking Member approval to upgrade the Partnership’s current information technology to facilitate on-line submission of applications together with payments, back office integration, public and consultee access and document management.

Annex A to the report set out details of the benefits in implementing improvements to the current computer system which would enable the Partnership to move forward with on-line submissions and plan checking which would increase efficiency and reduce the amount of handling. 

It was considered that it was essential that the Partnership maintain its databases to the highest level to ensure maximum efficiency and simplicity for applicants and agents in an increasingly competitive market as well as meeting with the Government’s Parsol requirements for access to services.

The report was discussed in detail and it was considered that further negotiations take place and a project evaluation be undertaken with a report being submitted to a future meeting of the Partnership.

Resolved

That the report be received and that

(a)  the proposal as outlined by IDOX in Annex B for the upgrading of the Partnership’s software be approved in principle subject to further report with more detail on the revenue self financing proposals, ongoing maintenance and revenue costs, and negotiations on the capital costs;

(b)  that financial support for the implementation be sought from Ryedale District Council; and

(c)  the Partnership investigates alternative suppliers to host and maintain the computer systems on behalf of the Partnership.

As requested at the last meeting of the Partnership, the Head of Building Control submitted a report (previously circulated) giving details of the current market position across the housing, domestic and commercial sectors.

Resolved

That the report be received.

It was reported that this was the last meeting to be attended by David Simpson and the Chairman, on behalf of the Board, thanked him for his valuable contribution to the work of the Partnership.

It was agreed that the next meeting of the Partnership would be held at 1.30pm on 20 April 2012.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 3.30pm.