No apologies for absence were received. 

The minutes of the Policy, Projects and Resources Committee meeting held on 20 June 2017 were approved as a true record. 

Report to follow.

The purpose of the report was to advise members of planned changes to parking fees and the parking order. 

Cllr Mrs McKinlay explained to the committee that a strategic report would be brought back to committee in September and that discussions should be based on the recommendation in the report at the proposed parking tariffs. 

Cllr Mrs McKinlay MOVED and Cllr Kerslake SECONDED the recommendations within the report and following a discussion a recorded vote was taken in accordance with Procedure Rule 9.6 of the Council’s Constitution. 

Members voted as followed:

FOR:  Cllrs Mrs McKinlay, Kerslake, Faragher, Hossack and Parker (5)

AGAINST:  Cllrs Barrett, Keeble, Kendall and Mynott (4)

ABSTAIN: 0

RESOLVED that

1.    The proposed changes to the parking tariffs and the parking order updates be agreed to go forward and be subject to public consultation. 

Reason for Recommendation

The council’s strategic agenda to develop income generation options is key to the need to implement the recommendation, plus, there are logical alterations to the parking order which will help residents and shop keepers alike, whilst encouraging commuters to select a more appropriate paring option.  

Appendix A to the report identified that £138,000 of additional income (in a full year) which the proposed tariff increases would yield in Brentwood Town Centre car parks, assuming the demand for parking remained the same for the time being.  This excluded any income from the re-introduction of charging in Shenfield and other initiatives that were being looked into, including those mentioned in 4.4 of the report.  It was estimated, based on historic figures, that the yield from the re-introduction of parking charges in Shenfield, post Crossrail, would yield the council approximately £300K (full year).   

The cost of the changes to the tariffs would be minimal, as an example the maintenance agreement with the organisation that managed the car park machines, allowed for one tariff change per year.  There would be a small impact on resources in relation to the issue of resident permits but this should be contained within existing budgets. 

If a resident who was in possession of a valid car park certificate, accidentally paid a higher amount, the Council would not reimburse such as amount.  The Council would not accept the responsibility nor would it compensate users for such errors. 

Report to follow.

All staff and Members of local authorities are obliged to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act) which required individuals personal data we hold to be processed securely.  Breaches of the Act can result in serious financial and reputational harm to both the Council and to those whose information we hold.  The Information Commissioner had the power to issue penalties up to £0.5m in such cases.  To effectively manage these risks, the Council had engaged a locum information governance lawyer to review the Council’s compliance with the Act.  A key aspect of the ongoing work was to be ensure relevant policies exist and that these were current and effective in helping to manage business risk.  These policies were presented for Members’ consideration and approval.    

Cllr Mrs McKinlay MOVED and Cllr Kerslake SECONDED the recommendations within the report and following a discussion a vote taken on a show of hands it was

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that  

1.    The proposed six policies appended to the report be approved by Members. 

2.    Delegated authority be granted to the Senior Information Risk Officer (currently the s151 Officer) acting in consultation with senior officers, the Chair of the Policy, Projects and Resources  Committee and Monitoring Officer to make any minor adjustments or in respect of any changes in law as necessary. 

Reason for recommendations

To assist in achieving effective compliance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act, so enabling the Council to keep related business risk to a minimum. 

Report to follow.

The purpose of the report was to update the Committee on the current status of the Asset Register.  Much work had been undertaken since the last report in January 2017.  There was an asset list which covered all known deeds the council owned.  The asset list covered non housing assets.  The database would form the basis of a more detailed asset review which allowed the Council to prepare more detailed business cases related to potential usage, which would incorporate income generation. 

Cllr Mrs McKinlay MOVED and Cllr Kerslake SECONDED the recommendation within the report and following a discussion a vote was taken on a show of hands it was

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that

1.    Members agreed to upgrade the Argus Management System and the Geographic Information System in line with the up to date asset list, and commence work on the remaining statutory declaration land assets. 

Reason for recommendation

To ensure that the full extent of general fund assets are recorded, reported and understood in order to maximise their use. 

To ensure the Council’s use of assets reflects the needs of the borough and the Council and to contribute towards the establishment of an income generation plan utilising the Councils assets. 

There were no matters of urgent business to discuss.

The meeting concluded at 19:50.