(a)     West Kent Homelessness Strategy 2011-2016 (Cabinet – 15 September 2011)

(b)     Proposed Changes to Staff Terms and Conditions (Cabinet – 15/9/11 & 13/10/11 – Services Select Committee – 20/9/11)  

(c)     Review of IT Allowances/Provision of Computers for Members (Modern Local Government Group – 6 October 2011)    

A.        West Kent Homelessness Strategy 2011-2016

Cllr. Fleming moved and Cllr. Mrs Davison seconded the recommendation of the Cabinet held on 15 September 2011 that the West Kent Homelessness Strategy 2011-16 be adopted as District Council Policy.

The report explained that the draft Strategy had been developed in consultation with a wide range of service users and partners across various sectors and updated the Joint Homelessness Strategy 2007, although the new draft Strategy was significantly different from the 2007 document. Key themes that had emerged from consultation included a desire for more commonality in how the three West Kent local authorities (Sevenoaks District Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) worked. This included a need for more shared services, more innovation and sharing of knowledge, information and good practice, and opportunities to streamline services, processes and information. The draft Strategy provided the national, regional and local policy context, methods of consultation and key findings along with the five key strategic objectives and conclusions. The Strategy had already been adopted as policy by Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells Borough Councils.

Cllr. Fittock welcomed the Strategy as a good and necessary approach to address the housing needs of the homeless. He voiced concerns about the possible impact of the decision to limit housing benefit payments for people aged under 35 to the shared room rate which was likely to force more people into homes in multiple occupation, which were sometimes quite primitive accommodation, and  also questioned what other initiatives were proposed to deal with this. He also expressed concern that 32% of applicants for housing during the last year had not been deemed to be “in housing need” and felt that areas of underperformance highlighted in the Strategy should be addressed. He also felt that the levels of both social housing stock and right-to-buy properties were falling and that it was likely that the percentage of long term tenancies was likely to increase further squeezing the availability of housing. Finally he welcomed the Council’s strategies to deal with traveller needs which would also protect the Council’s position if challenged.

The Leader of the Council explained that changes to welfare provision and the inclusion of housing benefit within the universal credit meant that 25-35 year olds would only be entitled to the shared room rental rate in future and that he had raised this at the Cabinet meeting to make it clear that the demand for accommodation in homes in multiple occupation was likely to increase and that this would need to be addressed in the Council’s plans. He explained that he was very proud of the Council’s achievements in recent years such as the commitment to reduce the use of bed and breakfast accommodation and the new policy around developer contributions which he felt would not deter development projects given that new housing would continue to be built as long as it was profitable to do so. He also felt that the Council had good policies in place to deal with traveller housing issues and to protect the Green Belt.

Resolved: That the West Kent Homelessness Strategy 2011-2016 be adopted as District Council policy.

B.        Proposed Changes to Staff Terms and Conditions

Cllr. Fleming moved and Cllr. Mrs Davison seconded that the recommendations of the Cabinet held on 15 September 2011 and confirmed on 13 October 2011 be approved.

The report set out the proposals to achieve the savings included in the 10-Year Budget arising from changes to staff terms and conditions. The changes would be introduced on a phased basis to mitigate the impact on productivity and to ensure that residents continued to receive high quality, value for money services whilst delivering the level of savings required over the life of the 10-Year Budget. The proposals had been subject to extensive consultation with staff who had broadly understood the need for savings to be made and were supportive of the proposal as the “least worst option”. The report outlined the consultation timetable and briefings which had begun in April 2011 with a view to the changes being introduced in April 2012. It was noted that in addition to briefings the staff most directly affected by the proposals had received one-to-one meetings.

The proposed changes to staff terms and conditions were outlined in Appendix A to the report and attention was drawn to the comments received from staff in response to the consultation process which ended on 6 September, which were summarised in Appendix B to the report along with the management response to those comments.

The Leader of the Council explained that the recommendations had been shaped by the Council’s staff and had been subject to wide consultation.   When options for savings had been considered during the preparation of the 10-Year Budget it had been proposed that the outer fringe payment for staff would be withdrawn however this had been reconsidered as this was felt to have a disproportionate impact on lower paid staff. The proposed changes to pay and conditions would deliver the same level of savings over the ten year period but phased more evenly across that time and also contained an element of protection for staff on the affected grades.

            Resolved: That

(1) the changes to staff terms and conditions set out in the report and in Appendix A to the report be implemented from 1 April 2012; and

(2) the 10-year budget be amended as shown in Appendix B to the report to take account of the phased introduction of these changes.

C.        Review of IT Allowances/Provision of Computers for Members

Cllr. Fleming moved and Cllr. Mrs Davison seconded that the recommendations of the Modern Local Government Group held on 6 October 2011 be approved.

Members considered a report which reviewed whether an IT allowance should be added to the current Members’ Allowance Scheme as recommended by the Joint Independent Remuneration Panel (JIRP). The report explained that laptops had been provided to SDC Members in 2004 under a central government funded scheme whereby funding of £60,000 was secured which equipped all 54 Councillors with a basic laptop computer. However by the time of the May 2011 elections many of the original laptops had become obsolete or required disproportionate support from the IT Department and the central government funding was no longer available. The accessibility of information by Members had also changed in the intervening years and the Council had developed a simple approach to Members’ access to Council information and communications via a new Members’ Electronic Portal, an extranet which made it possible to have web-based access to the e-mail system and all the necessary information systems and databases. As a consequence Members could access all of the information that they required to perform their duties securely from any internet access point including a home computer. 

The Leader of the Council explained that it was no longer possible for the Council to provide a new laptop computer for every member of the Council nor to continue to provide the level of support that would have been required to support those laptops. The proposals recognised that there was no separate IT allowance currently as the allowance for Broadband had already been withdrawn from the Scheme. However the JIRP had considered that it was appropriate for Councillors to be able to claim a separate allowance as a contribution towards the cost of purchasing or maintaining a computer and to even out imbalances in the current provision for Members. The JIRP had also recognised that the current Basic Allowance in the Council’s Scheme of Allowances had been set at a lower level than that recommended by the Panel for adoption and suggested that the new IT allowance should be withdrawn should the Council decide to increase the Basic Allowance to the recommended level. The Council was being asked to make the necessary changes to the Scheme of Members’ Allowances in the Constitution. 

Resolved: That the Council, in giving consideration to the Report and recommendations of the Joint Independent Remuneration Panel (JIRP) as included in Appendix A to the report, and the comments of the Modern Local Government Group on 6 October 2011

            (1) adopts the allowance as set out in paragraph  7 of the report, as recommended by the JIRP, with minor changes of wording to recommendations 7(a) and 7(c) suggested by the Modern Local Government Group, and be met from within budget for 2011/12 and as a growth item for future years;

(2) updates Appendix G  Clause 3.7 of the Constitution in its entirety as set out within Appendix  B to the report incorporating the allowance as set out in (1)  above; and

(3) formally records thanks to the members of the JIRP, Barry Cushway, Sue Holes, Simon Knott, Jean Selmes and Colin Wilby for their work in preparing the review of IT allowances and provision of computers for Members.