Agenda item

To receive a copy of the final report from the Audit Commission presenting the findings from their review of the Council’s arrangements for management of the Green Belt.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee is being asked to consider and note the outcome from the review.  Members are asked to note that Roy Anklesaria (Audit Commission) will be attending the meeting to present the report.

Overview & Scrutiny Committee (OSC) received the final report from the Audit Commissions review of the Council’s arrangements for management of the Green Belt.  OSC had been asked to consider the report on behalf of the scrutiny function and note the outcome of the review.

The report was presented by Roy Anklesaria (Audit Commission) and OSC noted:

1.      A number of weaknesses had been identified during 2006/07 in relation to the Council’s management of its property assets in the Green Belt.  The Council had subsequently changed its management arrangements, and appointed specialist external consultants to take over management of its properties in the Green Belt.  The report presented to OSC detailed the outcomes from a review of these new arrangements.

2.      The main findings from the review, as detailed in section 10 of the report, which highlighted that since 2007 the Council had significantly improved its processes and procedures for property asset management across all portfolios and specifically within the Green Belt.

3.      The key actions taken by the Council, as detailed in section 11 of the report, to improve management arrangements of Green Belt assets.

4.      The key actions being recommended to secure further improvements, as detailed in section 12 of the report, including voluntary registration of the Council’s substantive holdings within the Green Belt at H M Land Registry and maintaining a programme of updating valuations.

5.      The detailed Action Plan included within the report, which allocated priorities against each of the recommendations and set out the response already provided by the Council.  The Action Plan had been passed onto the Council’s new External Auditors.  Members attention was also drawn to the Audit Commission’s recently published study on Asset Management.

The following comments/ issues were then raised on the report:

(a)   Councillor Dey raised queries on the following sections of the report:

(i)      para 9 – the involvement of councillors representing wards within the Green Belt in the review process.  Roy Anklesaria advised that ward councillors were not consulted as part of the review process.  The Leader of the Council and Chairman of Overview & Scrutiny Committee had been involved along with a wide range of officers.

(ii)      para’s 12, 29 to 31 – the action proposed to quantify the outstanding losses from the previous failure to charge appropriate business rates for assets on the Green Belt, particularly in relation to St Johns School.

(iii)      Recommendation 2 – this was strongly supported as an action for the Council.

(iv)      Recommendation 6 – the need for a consistent approach in terms of the policy for implementing rent increases was supported as a principle, although further details were requested on how this would be applied.  Roy Anklesaria advised that this approach would need to be underpinned by the recommendation to maintain a programme of ongoing valuations.  It would still be possible to address individual circumstances within this approach but this would need to be in a way that only applied to the specific asset and was not transferrable.

(v)      para 37 – details were sought on the progress made in locating missing documentation relating to asset management on the Green Belt.

(vi)      para 41 – details were sought on the progress made in addressing issues involving the relationship with the Duchy of Lancaster and specific assets including South and North Barvin Farm and Water Tower.

(b)    the following issues were raised by Councillor Giladi:

(i)      para 18 – the perception that fewer meetings of the Green Belt Forum would be required was challenged.  She reported that attendees at the last Forum had, if anything, called for more regular meetings.  In addition the need to appoint a permanent Forum chairman was highlighted.  Roy Anklesaria highlighted the important role of the Forum in terms of discussing issues relating to management of the Green Belt and as a consultation mechanism for any changes to the Council’s Green Belt Strategy and Policy.

(ii)      para 20 – it was felt reference also needed to be included to the arrangements for officers, as well as councillors, to be clear about their interests, roles and responsibilities in relation to the Green Belt.

(c)   Concerns were raised by Councillor Hayward, relating to para 34 in the report, about the need for the Council to ensure Value for Money in relation to its management of the Green Belt.  As an example he highlighted the short notice provided for the recent sub letting of two properties in the Green Belt.

(d)   Councillor Prescott advised that the recommendation (3) to include the review of a random sample of property disposals within the Annual Scrutiny Work Programme would be considered and requested that an update on progress against the Action Plan and response to the issues raised be provided for a future meeting.

As no further issues were raised the chairman thanked Roy Anklesaria for attending the meeting.

AGREED that

(1)   Overview and Scrutiny Committee note the content of the Audit Commission report and request that a further update is provided by the Director of Place Shaping and Enterprise, for its meeting on 3 November 09 on:

(a)    the progress being made against the key recommendations within the Action Plan detailed in the report;

(b)    the issues raised by members at the meeting, as set out above;

(2)    a reference be made to the Assistant Director Corporate Governance regarding the need to seek, in consultation with the Majority Group, the appointment of a permanent chairman for the Green Belt Forum and to ensure that regular meetings of the Forum continue to be held.

Councillor Robert Hayward declared a personal (non-prejudicial) interest in respect of the above item, as a tenant farmer on the Green Belt within the borough.  Councillor Vivien Giladi also declared a personal interest as a member of the Conservation Advisory Group, Green Belt Forum and Woodland Trust.  Both councillors remained in the meeting and participated in the discussion on this item.