Issue - meetings
Presentations from Services
Meeting: 29/09/2009 - Audit Committee (Item 5)
5 Feedback Presentations - Nil/Limited Assurance PDF 19 KB
To receive presentations from Development and Renewal on Section 106 Planning Agreements and Asset Management on the Management of the Commercial Property Portfolio.
(Issues last discussed by Committee on 31st March 2009).
Progress Reports attached.
Also attached is summaries of the audits undertaken of these areas and actions arising.
Additional documents:
- s106 rep, item 5
PDF 33 KB
- AUDIT COMMITTEE Asset Mangement (2), item 5
PDF 20 KB
- cm report, item 5
PDF 21 KB
Minutes:
Mr David Williams (Development Manager, Development and Renewal) presented a feedback report on S. 106 Planning Obligations. Mr Williams reported that during the past 18 months, all of the outstanding recommendations made during the March 2008 Audit of the service had been addressed. The service had been audited again in May 2009 and the findings of this were awaited. Mr Williams reported on the sums currently held in the S. 106 account against a range of headings and projected spend for this year and that officers were working to secure further funding.
In reply to a question from Councillor Eaton regarding the role of the Planning Contributions Overview Panel (PCOP), Mr Williams reported on the steps being taken to strengthen its governance structure. A new Terms of Reference for the Panel had been approved at PCOP. The Panel had also started to receive reports as per the Audit recommendations that clearly linked mitigation with the development proposals. In relation to the Primary Care Trust, the majority of the planning proposals which triggered s106 contributions for the PCT were from residential development and the Council mainly negotiates for capital contributions towards the provision of the infrastructure . There was current funding set aside in the S. 106 account for health infrastructure that was now being allocated to projects.
In reply to further questions from Councillor Eaton and Snowdon about the remit of local S. 106 agreements, Mr Williams clarified that the S. 106 process was a legal process and the money is allocated and spent in accordance with the requirements in the legal agreements. In relation to the Millennium Quarter Agreement, the funding had to be spent in the two local wards it related to. This was a legal obligation.
In relation to agreements specifically on the Isle of Dogs including CrossHarbour developments, these were mainly larger s106 agreements and the funding was mainly but not exclusively restricted to the areas around the development in accordance with the legal agreement. The terms of agreements could be revisited, so long as the principles of mitigation in the original agreement were still met and all parties to the agreements agreed to the deed of variation.
Mr Toks Osibogun (Head of Corporate Property Services) presented a short update on the management of the Commercial Property Portfolio. Mr Osibogun reported that since the Audit of the service last year (January 2009), all the outstanding actions had been addressed and the service had been assigned substantial assurance. Councillor Eaton asked about progress in addressing rent arrears? In response, Mr Osibogun responded that although responsibility for rent areas did not fall under Asset Management, they were working with colleagues in Revenues to instigate a proactive response by intervening early. Chris Naylor (Corporate, Director Resources) Agreed to make available statistics for rent arrears for circulation to Councillor Eaton.
ACTION Chris Naylor (Corporate, Director Resources).
Resolved: That the feedback presentations be noted.