To notify the Chairman of any items that appear in the agenda in which you may have an interest.

Councillor R.S. Fleming indicated that he would be declaring a personal and prejudicial interest in Item 5 - Comprehensive Performance Assessment : Key Lines of Enquiry Corporate Governance Inspection: Implications for Standards and Ethics, the Standards Committee and Member Training - Taking the Ethics Agenda Forward as he was mentioned in the report.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 19^th January 2006 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Joint report of Chief Executive Officer and Solicitor to the Council.

Consideration was given to a report regarding the above.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

Part A of the report gave details of the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) in relation to the procedures set up to deal with requests and the number of requests received.

Part B of the report set out the main obligations of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 and the measures that needed to be implemented by the Council to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

RESOLVED:         1.         That the contents of Part A of the report in relation to the Freedom of Information Act be noted and that further similar reports be submitted annually to Cabinet.

                        2.         That responsibility for the operation of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations (Part B) be delegated to the Customer Services Manager and the Solicitor to the Council as set out in paragraph 4.11 of the report and that the Council’s Constitution be amended accordingly.  

Report of Solicitor to the Council and Monitoring Officer.

NB:           In accordance with Section 81 of the Local Government Act 2000 and the Members Code of Conduct Councillor R.S. Fleming declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the above item and left the meeting for the duration of discussion and voting on the item.

Councillor K. Noble in the chair

Consideration was given to a report regarding the impact of the forthcoming Corporate Governance Inspection component of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment and those aspects that focused upon how best authorities take forward their ethics agenda.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

It was reported that in December 2005 the Government had published a series of major proposals that would significantly change the role of the Standards Board, local Standards Committees and the duties of the Council’s Monitoring Officer.  Details of the key changes envisaged were set out in paragraph 3.1 of the report.

Members’ attention was drawn to the proposal that the Council should assign lead responsibility to the Leader of the Council for conduct and standards issues as part of its corporate governance arrangements.

Specific reference was also made to the possibility of extending the existing remit of the Council’s Standards Committee and the move towards mandatory attendance of councillors at training events.

RESOLVED :                 1.                  That the report be submitted to Standards

                                           Committee .

2        .That Council be recommended to approve the

         report and the consequential changes to the Council’s constitution as appropriate.

Councillor R.S. Fleming in the chair

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services.

The Lead Member for Housing presented a report, which gave details of the operation of Group Repair Schemes, the contribution they could make to improve the confidence in the housing market of a neighbourhood, and the outcome of the procurement process for the Eden Terrace Group Repair Scheme.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

Members were reminded that Cabinet at its meeting on 1^st September 2005 had considered the Private Sector Renewal Programme for 2005/06 and had agreed to develop and implement a Group Repair Scheme for Eden Terrace, Chilton.

It was reported that five contractors that had experience of delivering such projects had been invited to tender for the Eden Terrace Group Repair Scheme and the lowest tender had been submitted by Vest Construction, in the sum of £829,459.25.  It was, however, pointed out that the final contract price would be reduced significantly to take account of the take up of the scheme by eligible participants and any savings in relation to contingencies. 

RESOLVED :   That the lowest tender submitted by Vest Construction to undertake the Private Sector Housing Renewal Capital Programme - Eden Terrace Group Repair Scheme be accepted in the sum of £829,459.25.  The final account to be reduced to take account of the take up of the scheme by eligible participants.

Report of Director of Neighbourhood Services,

The Lead Member for Housing presented a report regarding the above.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

It was explained that since the Durham Coalfield Housing Partnership had been established in 2003, a significant amount of work had been undertaken to gain a better understanding of the issues within the Durham Coalfield Sub Region and develop an evidence base to support any proposed interventions. The Partnership had commissioned Jacobs Babtie and Genecon Consultants to undertake the following:

Ø             Phase 1 - Establish a strategic context in relation to housing investment and a sub regional settlement pattern.

Ø             Phase 2 - Assess settlement relationships in the Durham Coalfields and outline the rationale for intervention.

Ø             Phase 3 - Establishing a broad programme of settlement interventions to support changes through area based interventions and the identification of those communities where production of an Area Development Framework was an essential pre cursor to any funding bid for further resources.

It was pointed out that English Partnerships had specifically requested that all District Authority partners consider Phase 3 of the above study and formally adopt its findings to ensure that any funding bid to the Government had clear and unequivocal support from all members of the Partnership.  Paragraph 3.2 of the report gave details of the County Durham Settlement Study Phase 3.

Members noted that the Study had confirmed the existing three priority communities in Sedgefield Borough as Dean Bank, Ferryhill Station and Chilton West and required the production of Area Development Frameworks for each community.  The Study also identified the strategic importance of Newton Aycliffe as a major economic centre in the Borough and the importance of its role in the sustainability of the interventions in Chilton and the potential impact in the other communities.

RESOLVED :      That the findings of Phase 3 of the Durham Settlements Study be adopted and the production of the Area Development Framework for the communities of Dean Bank, Ferryhill Station, Chilton West and Newton Aycliffe be undertaken.

Report of Chief Executive Officer.

Consideration was given to a report (for copy see file of Minutes) regarding the Council’s representation at the following:

a)      The Centre for Public Scrutiny - Parliamentary Seminar - ‘Scrutiny: Transforming Local Democracy’ - London 15^th March 2006.

b)      The LGA Annual Cultural Services Conference, Norwich, 28-29^th March 2006.

RESOLVED :   That the Council be represented at the Parliamentary Seminar - Scrutiny Transforming Local Democracy by the Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny Committee 3, together with one officer.

            That the Council be represented at the LGA Annual Cultural Services Conference by the appropriate Lead Officer, together with one officer.

To consider the minutes of the following:

Consideration was given to the Minutes of the following :

a)   Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 - 10^th January 2006

b)   Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2 - 19^th January 2006

         (For copies see file of Minutes).

RESOLVED :  That the Committees recommendations be noted and                          appropriate action taken.

To consider the minutes of the following:

Consideration was given to the Minutes of the following:

a)      Area 2 Forum - 10^th January 2006

b)      Area 3 Forum - 11^th January 2006

         (For copies see file of Minutes).

RESOLVED :  That the reports be received.

RESOLVED:             That in accordance with Section 100(a)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and 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 Paragraphs 1,7 and 9 of Schedule 12a of the Act.

Report of Chief Executive Officer.

Consideration was given to a report setting out the recommendations of above strategy as well as the corporate policy and financial implications.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

RESOLVED :      That the recommendations detailed in the report be adopted.

Joint report of Head of Strategy and Regeneration and Director of Resources.

Consideration was given to a report regarding an application to purchase land at All Saints Industrial Estate, Shildon.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

RESOLVED :   That the recommendations detailed in the report be adopted.

Report of Chief Executive Officer.

Consideration was given to a report seeking approval to revise the ob descriptions and grades of two posts in the above Department.  (For copy see file of Minutes).

RESOLVED :   That the recommendations detailed in the report be adopted. 

Published on 3^rd February 2006.

The key decisions contained in these Minutes will be implemented on Monday 6^th February, 2006 five working days after the date of publication unless they are called in by five Members of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the call in procedure rules.