Your Council!Your Council

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING

COMMITTEE:      PERFORMANCE AND OVERVIEW

                          (ORGANISATION)

DAY/DATE:         MONDAY, 25TH JUNE 2007

TIME:                 2.30PM

VENUE:             COUNCIL CHAMBER 

                         MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS

                         EARLE STREET, CREWE        

Despatch date:   14th June 2007  

Enquiries to:       Carol Jones

Tel: 01270 537598

Fax: 01270 537605

Chair :  Councillor A C Johnson

Tel : 01270 820124

Fax: 01270 628204

E-mail: agendas@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk

To:       Members of the Performance and Overview Committee (Organisation)

(Councillors W T Beard, J A Beech (Deputy Chair), D H D Charlesworth,   H W Curran,  R E Dodd, B Evans, K Healey, A C Johnson (Chair), Z S Krizanac, J Lewis , A Moran (Deputy Chair), D J Straine-Francis)

Other Members of Council

Chief Executive, Executive Directors, Assistant Chief Executive

Other recipients of the agenda

Local Press and Radio

Notes for Members of the Public

The Borough Council welcomes and encourages members of the public to attend its Committee, Board and Council meetings.

If you plan to attend, please report to the Reception Desk in the Municipal Buildings, where you will be provided with a Visitor’s Pass.

Car parking is not available at the Municipal Buildings, but there are several town centre car parks.  There is a disabled access to the rear of the Municipal Buildings, and this can be accessed through the side door on Vernon Way.  Please press the button for attention, and someone will meet you and escort you through to the main reception area.

You are asked to remain quiet whilst the meeting is taking place, and to enter and leave the meeting room, or public gallery of the Council Chamber, as quietly as possible.  Please ensure that if you have a mobile phone or pager, it is switched off for the duration of the meeting.

You are not allowed to have drinks or food in the meeting rooms or in the Public Gallery, other than beverages offered by the Council during Committee breaks.  A “No Smoking” policy operates in the Municipal Buildings.

Fire Evacuation

If the fire alarm rings, you should make your way to the nearest exit with your belongings, as quickly as possible, and leave the building.  Please follow any instructions from staff about evacuation routes.          

Copies of the agenda will be available if you attend. Agendas are also made available on the Internet and can be accessed via the Council’s website – see front page for details.

On occasions, members of the press and public will be excluded from the meetings when the business to be transacted is of a confidential nature, for example, dealing with individual people, contracts and financial affairs of other parties.

If you require any further information, please contact Carol Jones the Committee Officer (details on front page).


AGENDA

1          Apologies

2          Declaration of Interests

Any Member present (including non-Committee Members) to declare any personal or prejudicial interest, and the nature of the interest, which they have in any item of business on the agenda and, if necessary, to leave the meeting prior to discussion of that item.

Members who also serve as County, Town or Parish Councillors, are reminded of the need to make declarations in respect of any item which directly concerns the business of the appropriate authority.

Declarations are a personal matter for each Member to decide.  Whilst Officers will advise on the Code of Conduct and its interpretation, the decision to declare, or not, is the responsibility of the Member, based on the particular circumstances.


3          Whipping Declarations

Members to declare in respect of items where the whip has been applied.


4          Wulvern Housing – Governance Arrangements

4.1         At its meeting held on 31st May 2007, the Board considered the report of the Portfolio Holder for Planning which set out Wulvern Housing’s proposed change in governance arrangements.

The Board made the following decision –

“DECISION:

(A)              That, in the light of the comments made by the Performance and Overview Committees, a decision on this matter be deferred;

(B)              That the Performance and Overview Committee (Organisation) be asked to review this matter;

(C)             That a representative of Wulvern Housing be asked to attend the Performance and Overview Committee meeting to advise on the issues involved; and

(D)             That the Performance and Overview Committee (Organisation) be asked to make a recommendation to Board at the earliest meeting, to inform Wulvern’s decision on its governance arrangements at its Annual General Meeting on 13th September 2007.”

4.2              To assist the Committee in reaching a conclusion, the following representatives from Wulvern Housing will be in attendance to explain the rationale behind its proposals -

                   +  Sue Lock                   - Chief Executive

                   +  Mark Thrasher            - Director of Resources

                   +  David Beardmore        - Legal Services Manager

                   +  David Williams           - Chair of Wulvern Housing Board

                                                        (drawn from tenant representatives)

4.3             The following documents are enclosed to assist the Committee-     

                 -  Report submitted to Board on 31st May 2007 

                 -  Briefing Paper on Voting Rights, tabled at the Board meeting

4.4       Appointments to Wulvern Housing - Background Information

On 15th July 2004, the Board appointed four elected Members (Councillors Beard, C Bratherton, Dykes and Westwood) to the Wulvern Housing Board, with David Marren as its fifth representative.  They were appointed for 2-years to ensure continuity of experience and knowledge.

In 2006, the Council was informed that Wulvern Housing was reviewing the size of its Board and had been advised by the Housing Corporation that it should be reduced to 12 Members.  As a consequence, the Council was invited to nominate only four representatives and Wulvern Housing had expressed the view that it would prefer the four current elected Members to be re-appointed by the Board to ensure continuity. 

Councillor C Bratherton lost her seat in the May 2006 elections, and at its meeting on 15th June 2006, the Council’s Board re-appointed the remaining 3 elected Members and David Marren (Officer representative), to comprise the four appointees.

These appointments were made for 2-years and are not due for review until May 2008.

 

This agenda can be made available in larger text on request