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Council

Tuesday 27 January 2009 18:30

Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Reading.

Chief Committee Administrator

David Moore

A meeting of Council will be held on Tuesday 27 January 2009 at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Reading.

The agenda for this meeting will is set out below.

Access Arrangements

Most of the meeting rooms in the Civic Offices are accessible to wheelchair users and an audio loop induction system is available in the Council Chamber and Kennet Room for those with hearing difficulties (a portable induction loop is available for other rooms on request - please contact the Committee Officer above if you need this service or any further information).
If you wish to attend the meeting but have any individual requirements to enable you to do so please contact the Committee Officer above, as soon as possible before the date of the meeting.
We can provide information in other formats (e.g. larger print, audio tape, Braille etc) or in other languages, upon request. Please contact the Committee Officer above if you need this service, giving as much notice as possible.

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PDF

Some of the following documents are in pdf format. You can download and install a free PDF reader to enable you to read and print them. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Reader from the Adobe website.

File	Type	Size	Download Time
Agenda	PDF	23 KB	56Kbps Modem: 5 Seconds Broadband : 1 Second
Questions & Answers	PDF	110 KB	56Kbps Modem: 28 Seconds Broadband : 2 Seconds

Item No		Report
1	DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST To receive any declarations of interest.
2	MINUTES The Mayor to sign the Minutes of the proceedings of the Council Meeting held on 27 November 2008	Item 2 (20 KB)
3	PETITIONS To receive petitions in accordance with Standing Order 8.
4	QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC Questions in accordance with Standing Order 9.
5	QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS Questions in accordance with Standing Order 10.
	REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM COMMITTEES
6	CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Report by Chief Executive.	Item 6 (24 KB) Item 6 App 1 (20 KB)
7	ADOPTION OF THE READING CENTRAL AREA ACTION PLAN (RCAAP) Report by Director of Environment, Culture and Sport	Item 7 (90 KB)
8	HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT – FINANCIAL PLAN 2009/10 Report by Director of Housing and Community Care and Director of Resources	Item 8 (70 KB)
9	RECOMMENDED FINANCIAL MATTERS BY CABINET Report by Director of Resources	Item 9 (13 KB)
10	NATIONAL IDENTITY CARDS Report by Chief Executive	Item 10 (24 KB) Item 10 App 1 (20 KB)
11	LOCAL AREA AGREEMENT 2 REVIEW AND REFRESH Report by Chief Executive	Item 11 (16 KB) Item 11 App 1 (35 KB) Item 11 App 2 (12 KB)
12	CIVIC HEADQUARTERS RELOCATION - PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS AND CIVIC BOARD Report by Director of Resources	Item 12 (29 KB)
13	SCRUTINY – MAJOR PIECES OF WORK FOR 2008/09 AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007/08 Report by Chief Executive	Item 13 (33 KB)
14	STANDARDS COMMITTEE AND REMUNERATION PANEL – INDEPENDENT MEMBERSHIP Report by Monitoring Officer	Item 14 (28 KB) Item 14 App 1 (15 KB)
15	LEAD COUNCILLOR FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES Report by Monitoring Officer	Item 15 (16 KB)
	MOTIONS
16	SUPPORT FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES Councillor Townend to move: “This Council recognises that one of the greatest challenges facing a business is getting customers to pay their bills thereby ensuring vital cash flow. Furthermore, the council recognises that this economic recession and the credit squeeze is particularly hard on small businesses, and we will do everything that we can to help ease the financial strain for local businesses. Reading Borough Council resolves that: · To help the cashflow of small businesses, any Reading company that does business with the Council will be paid within 10 days; and · To give a boost to the local economy the council will, wherever possible, use local businesses to provide goods and services to the Council.”
17	PATIENT REFERRAL Councillor T Harris to move: “That the Council: 1. Notes that from April 2008, if a General Practitioner (GP) escalates a patient/case to a specialist, patients can choose to go to any hospital in England, including many private and independent sector hospitals. 2. Notes that whilst we wholeheartedly support an increase in patient choice, in practise this is not working, because: a. The Appointment Line (TAL) is a service which is meant to simplify appointment booking for patients, often at their most vulnerable. Currently, it acts as an additional layer of bureaucracy; requiring the patient to inform TAL of their appointment details after requiring that the patient organise an appointment. This is often required even if a patient is not well enough or does not want to take on the task. b. By making it difficult for patients to visit specialists, the Healthier Reading Strategy will be compromised. c Medical Professionals are spending more time completing administration tasks. d. Appointments will often not be booked if the current waiting list exceeds 3 months. e. Finally and importantly, vulnerable Reading people are at risk of not getting treatment because of the current appointment system, which is not acceptable to this Council. 3. Calls for an entire review of this system, which is failing patients and wasting huge amounts of money and time within the NHS, and asks that the Chief Executive write to the secretary of State for Health requesting that this system is scrapped and replaced by one which serves patients and is cost efficient.”
18	ISRAELI INVASION OF GAZA Councillor Lovelock to move: “This Council shares the outrage of many Reading people of all backgrounds about the Israeli invasion of Gaza. It thanks the Pakistani Community Centre, Reading Muslim Council, Reading Council for Racial Equality and others for organising a meeting on 6th January to discuss the local response to the crisis. This Council welcomes the determination of those present at that meeting to ensure that Reading’s response is coordinated within the spirit of the community cohesion we value so highly in Reading. This Council therefore resolves to: 1. Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and Reading’s M.P.s to highlight the local condemnation of the violence and to urge them to do all they can to ensure an enduring ceasefire on both sides. 2. Welcome the action taken already by the cross-party group of M.P.s to bring pressure for an immediate ceasefire, for a long-term political solution to the situation and to win support for the condemnation of the disproportionate actions of the Israeli Government. 3. Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the region’s Euro-M.P.s asking them to oppose the extension of Israel’s trade agreement with the EU at this time and to work to stop the supply of further arms to either side in this conflict. 4. Instruct the Chief Executive to investigate what options are open to the Council in terms of its purchasing and other policies to bring pressure to bear on the Israeli government.”
19	NATIONAL REVIEW OF COUNCIL HOUSING FINANCE Councillor Ennis to move: “This Council welcomes the forthcoming Government national review of council housing finance and this council agrees to support the campaign to secure increased allowances to the level of needed for the management, maintenance and repair of council homes and to end negative subsidy. This Council intends to participate in the work of the Council Housing Inquiry group by: · Organising a delegation to the inquiry on the 25th February 2009 to include the Lead councillor for Housing, other interested councillors, trade unionists, tenants representatives and officers. · Submitting written evidence to the Inquiry · Writing to Reading’s two M.P.s urging them to sign the Early Day Motion (EDM 355) on Council House Building and requesting them to also meet with the delegation on 25th February.”
20	SAFEGUARDING OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN Councillor Ballsdon to move: “In the light of the findings of Ofsted’s Joint Area Review published on 13 January 2009 that: ‘Safeguarding is inadequate due to significant weaknesses in fundamental elements of child protection and children’s social care’; and ‘Provision to reduce teenage conceptions is poorly coordinated and inadequate’; Added to the fact that, as Lead Councillor for Children’s Services for many years, it has been Cllr Ruhemann’s responsibility, ultimately, to ensure the safety of the Borough’s vulnerable children; Council resolves: That pursuant to Article 7.4(e) of the Constitution (“the Executive”), this Council has no confidence in Councillor Ruhemann as Lead Councillor for Children’s Services and removes him from this office with immediate effect.”