POLICY AND INFORMATION UPDATE

Tuesday, 16 August 2011 Issue 05 2011/12

Performance Improvement Unit

Email: [email protected]

www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/local_democracy/Performance

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1. POLICY AND INFORMATION UPDATE

The Policy and Information Update is published on a regular basis, to highlight announcements, publications and consultation documents issued by the Government and other relevant agencies and public bodies, which directly affect the work of the Council. The Update is designed to ensure that relevant matters, which often have corporate as well as service specific implications, are drawn to the attention of the appropriate Portfolio Holders, Service Directors and other members and officers.

The Policy and Information Update provides a brief summary of new and emerging issues, and contains links to the full versions of publications and consultation documents etc. The update also provides details of forthcoming events of relevance to the Council’s activities. Whilst Members, Directors and managers may already be aware of issues specific to particular services, functions, responsibilities or interests, the Policy and Information Update is intended to raise corporate awareness of relevant matters and to ensure that nothing of importance to the Council is overlooked.

If members or officers wish to discuss any of the items published in the Policy and Information Update, or require further information or reports on specific issues, they should contact the relevant Service Director in the first instance. Comments or suggestions in respect of the format and content of the Update can be made to the Performance Improvement Unit at [email protected]

PART A - NEWS

2. NEW GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE ON MINICABS TO GIVE VOLUNTEERS AND CARE WORKERS A SMOOTHER RIDE (3 AUGUST 2011)

Volunteers, childminders and care workers should be freed from the unnecessary and costly process of being licensed as minicabs following guidance published by Transport Minister, Norman Baker.

Changes to the minicab licensing laws in 2006 mean that some councils have been classing people like childminders, who drive children to and from school in their own vehicles, and care workers, who assist elderly people in their homes, as minicab drivers. The new guidance makes it clearer which vehicles the Government believes need minicab licences and those that do not, removing the burden on local authorities of licensing vehicles unnecessarily. Groups that the Government considers should be exempt from licensing their vehicle include private ambulances (including emergency vehicles and vehicles which operate as part of a formal patient transport service), volunteers who share their car or provide lifts as part of their voluntary duties, care and support worker services (including those who care for adults in their own homes, in community settings or in residential or nursing care homes), childminders who carry children as passengers as part of their duties,

2 Policy & Information Update Tuesday, 16 August 2011 and rental car companies and garages offering ‘courtesy lift’ services for customers, for example whilst their car is in for repair.

The Department for Transport document sets out details of what is, and what is not, a private hire vehicle. It is designed to assist local licensing authorities in making licensing decisions and provide transport service providers with clarity about whether they need to be licensed as private hire. http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/phv-licensing-guidance-note/phv-licensing- guidance.pdf

Of interest to : Safer, Greener and Highways Portfolio Holder Director of Environment and Street Scene Director of Corporate Support Services

3. GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW ESSEX POWER STATION (4 AUGUST 2011)

Energy Minister Charles Hendry has given the go-ahead for proposals to construct a new gas power plant at the London Gateway Logistics Park in Coryton.

The plans are for a new £600 million power station comprising of up to two CCGT generating units, each around 450MW in capacity. This brings the total new capacity consented by the Government since May 2010 to 5,456MW, enough to power more than seven million homes if developed. The proposed combined cycle gas turbine plant will take about three years to build, generating around 600 jobs during the construction period.

Of interest to : All Members

4. PUBLIC PROPERTY MAP - COUNCILS COULD SAVE BILLIONS (5 AUGUST 2011)

Councils and other public bodies should publish asset lists that will help to identify billions of pounds of potential savings and protect frontline services, Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has announced.

A 'demo' map published by the Department for Communities and Local Government locates over 180,000 assets owned by almost 600 public sector bodies, including Central Government and 87 councils. It reveals widespread public property ownership, beyond frontline services, underlining the scope for savings and the potential of a national asset map. Public sector assets are worth an estimated £385bn, with almost two thirds owned by councils. The Government has committed to work with areas seeking to make savings through better property management, and estimates this could potentially save £35 billion over ten years. Mr Pickles wants public sector organisations, including councils, to publish registers of all buildings and land owned, for local people to use alongside the Localism Bill's new

3 Policy & Information Update Tuesday, 16 August 2011 community rights to protect local treasures. Mr Pickles believes the public have a right to see the sheer scale and variety of public sector asset wealth, which in some cases include pubs, farms and even sports clubs. Results from eleven council led pilot projects, known as capital and assets pathfinders, found that on average 20% savings could be made by rationalising public assets or co-locating local services based on customer needs, and a recent independent report found local government and the public sector could save up to £7bn a year in operational costs through better property management. http://publicassets.communities.gov.uk/

Of interest to : All Members Management Board

5. POSITIVE PLANNING TO LET GOOD SCHOOLS GROW (15 AUGUST 2011)

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has introduced new planning measures to support the expansion of popular state schools and the creation of new free schools. Ministers are determined to change the current system which is viewed by many as an obstacle to good schools with long waiting lists being able to expand.

In a new planning statement, Mr. Pickles has set out new principles for councils considering proposals for the creation or development of free and other state-funded schools. The new guidance is a boost for state education and local promoters of the Government's free schools programme, who can now be confident their proposals will be processed swiftly, and that new schools can be set up quickly in response to demand from local people. The Secretary of State said the measure should allay public concerns that some councils could have a conflict of interest as a local planning authority and a local education authority, or could try to use the planning system to stop new free schools opening. The new rules provide greater certainty for all involved. The Government is committed to ensuring there are sufficient state- school places and improving choice and opportunity in state education so every child can reach their full potential. Free schools give parents, teachers and community groups the power to establish a state-funded school to help improve standards for all children. The Government is making it easier for people to create, expand and improve free and other state-funded schools, and today's guidance makes it clear that councils should work positively with communities from an early stage to identify suitable sites and prepare strong planning applications. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1966167.pdf

Of interest to : Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder Director of Planning and Economic Development

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6. 2012 BIRTHDAY HONOURS (28 JULY 2011)

The Local Government Group has been asked by the Department for Communities and Local Government to invite recommendations for the Queen’s Birthday 2012 Honours List. It is important that citation forms be fully completed, as lack of information can prevent a name being put forward. A new form is required when re- submitting a candidate put forward in a previous round, as names do not go forward automatically. Citation forms must be returned by email by 2 September 2011. http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/19480097 (Citation Form) http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/19480101 (Guidance)

Of interest to : All Members

PART B - PUBLICATIONS

7. 'DOING SOMETHING BIG' (18 JULY 2011)

This report from the Local Government Group's Big Society Task Force shows how democratically-elected local councillors are at the forefront of developing stronger, more empowered and more resilient communities. By working together with local people, public service partners and voluntary and community organisations, local councillors are delivering different and better services for communities in difficult times. http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=5bfefa23-ac6d-4d01-82c8- a8d6f9be251b&groupId=10161

Of interest to : All Members Acting Chief Executive

8. LOCAL AUTHORITY COLLECTED WASTE FOR ENGLAND - QUARTERLY STATISTICS (4 AUGUST 2011)

These provisional results summarise waste collected and managed by local authorities in England in the twelve months from January 2010 to December 2010.

The statistics are based on quarterly data submitted by local authorities to WasteDataFlow. In this statistics release, comparisons are made between the financial year April 2009 to March 2010 and the twelve month period January 2010 to December 2010, to minimise the effects of seasonal fluctuations. The proportion of household waste sent for recycling, composting or reuse between January 2010 and December 2010 in England was 40.8%, increasing from 39.7% in the financial

5 Policy & Information Update Tuesday, 16 August 2011 year April 2009 and March 2010. The tonnage of local authority collected waste being sent to landfill by local authorities has decreased by 7.7% between the financial year 2009/10 and the year January 2010 to December 2010 to 11.5 million tonnes. This continues the decrease of tonnes sent to landfill since 2002/03. http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/environment/waste/wrfg22-wrmswqtr/

Of interest to : Environment Portfolio Holder Director of Environment and Street Scene

9. CAPITAL AND ASSETS PATHFINDER PROGRAMME 2010/11 - POSITION STATEMENT (5 AUGUST 2011)

This Department for Communities and Local Government document highlights how local areas can better manage their assets, and explains how the government will help. It is intended to stimulate local authority-led action. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/19535881.pdf

Of interest to : Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Holder Housing Portfolio Holder Director of Corporate Support Services Director of Housing

10. 'LEARNING FROM THE FUTURE LIBRARIES PROGRAMME' (5 AUGUST 2011)

The Future Libraries Programme is a partnership between the Local Government Group (LG Group) and Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The partnership is driven by local authorities and is about sharing good practice.

Library sector professionals are increasingly looking to each other and beyond their own service to share and capture knowledge. This can help develop imaginative solutions that save money and improve outcomes for communities. Crucially, it is about harnessing local political leadership and professional expertise and getting them moving in the same direction. This report from the LG Group and the MLA presents the findings of the work undertaken with 36 councils to look at how libraries can adapt to meet the challenges of the future. http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=c6349d6d-7b26-49e4- aee5-b476de21ecbb&groupId=10161

Of interest to : Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder Acting Chief Executive

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11. AN EVALUATION OF APPROACHES TO COMMISSIONING YOUNG PEOPLE'S SERVICES (9 AUGUST 2011)

This Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills small-scale survey examined approaches to the commissioning of services for young people in twelve local authority areas. It reports on the experience of national organisations involved in this work. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/surveys-and-good- practice/a/An%20evaluation%20of%20approaches%20to%20commissioning%20you ng%20people%27s%20services.pdf

Of interest to : Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder Acting Chief Executive

12. PLANNING SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES AND SHOPS (12 AUGUST 2011)

This Department for Communities and Local Government letter to Chief Planning Officers, asks local planning authorities to consider the ways in which their planning powers can be used to support businesses and shops, to restore premises that have recently suffered riot damage. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1965627.pdf

Of interest to : Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder Director of Planning and Economic Development

PART C - CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS

13. SWIFTER JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF 'NEIGHBOURS FROM HELL' (3 AUGUST 2011)

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced plans to speed up the process for evicting persistent 'neighbours from hell' from their homes when all other efforts to curb their anti-social behaviour have failed.

The Minister has proposed a new mandatory power for possession, enabling previous convictions for anti-social behaviour to be taken into account and short- cutting the often long and expensive process which requires landlords to prove again the 'yobbish' actions of their nightmare tenants. Trigger offences are likely to include:

• a conviction for a serious housing-related offence, including violence against neighbours, drug dealing and criminal damage;

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• breach of an injunction for anti-social behaviour , where the social landlord has obtained, or is party to, the injunction; and • closure of a premises under a closure order, for example where a property has been used for drug dealing.

This Department for Communities and Local Government consultation seeks views on the detail and practicalities of a new mandatory power of possession to enable landlords to take swifter action to evict their most antisocial tenants. The closing date for response to the consultation document is 27 October 2011. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/1959275.pdf

Of interest to : Housing Portfolio Holder Director of Housing Director of Corporate Support Services

14. MAKING OPEN DATA REAL (4 AUGUST 2011)

This Cabinet Office consultation seeks views on the government’s proposed approach for a transparency and open data strategy for public services. The consultation invites views on a number of issues including enhancing a ‘right to data’, setting transparency standards, holding public service providers to account, making the public sector more open, and whether there is a role for government to stimulate enterprise and market making using open data. The closing date for response to the consultation document is 27 October 2011. https://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/open-data- consultation.pdf

Of interest to : Leader Cabinet Management Board

PART D - CONFERENCES & EVENTS

15. 'WORKING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN ENGLAND - UNDERSTANDING HEALTH REFORMS' (10, 12, 17, 20 OCTOBER 2011)

The Government’s health reforms will fundamentally alter the landscape of the commissioning of healthcare and pose significant challenges for delivery. This one- day Local Government Group workshop (to be held on various dates during October) will provide an understanding of local government's leading role in health improvement, and how local authorities interact with central government to enable better stakeholder engagement in the policy process.

8 Policy & Information Update Tuesday, 16 August 2011 http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/events/display-event.do?id=19492069

Of interest to : Leisure and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder Acting Chief Executive

16. 'POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS - GETTING READY FOR MAY 2012' (19 OCTOBER 2011)

The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, which replaces police authorities with police and crime commissioners, is expected to complete its passage through the House of Lords shortly, and it is anticipated it will get royal assent in the early autumn. The transition to police and crime commissioners raises significant issues for councils, police authorities, the police and other partners working at a local level to reduce crime. Police and crime commissioners will set the policing priorities for their force area, will have funding transferred to them from the Home Office to enable them to commission services needed to reduce crime, and set the police precept. This one-day Local Government Group conference on 19 October 2011 will provide an opportunity to consider these issues. http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/events/display-event.do?id=19301955

Of interest to : Safer, Greener and Highways Portfolio Holder Director of Environment and Street Scene

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