Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Choubedar and Councillor Dhillon, with Councillor Chapman and Councillor Allen substituting.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2018 was agreed as a correct record.

It was agreed that all items would be considered in public.

The Finance Manager for Transformation, Finance and the Chief Executive's Office was in attendance at the meeting to introduce the 2019/20 Budget Planning Report. The future savings requirements and the budget process was highlighted to Members, and it was confirmed that a further budget report would return to the Committee in January 2019.

Councillors noted the projected budget gap and strategy, and thanked the Finance Department for their work in successfully managing the Council’s finances.

RESOLVED: That the 2019/2020 Budget Planning Report for Services within the Remit of the Corporate Services, Commerce and Communities Policy Overview Committee be noted.

The Head of Facilities Management, Fleet Services, Civil Protection and Emergency Management introduced the report to the Committee and highlighted a number of the recent projects that had taken place, or were scheduled to take place, at the Civic Centre. These were a mixture of projects that took into account priorities, the finances available, as well as included some projects that may help improve staff morale.

Members heard that the work was split into three categories: compliance work, work based on life cycles, and work requested in staff feedback. The latter had resulted in upgrades to kitchens and bathrooms. Future projects included, but were not limited to, a replacement of carpets and redecorating, roof repairs in the Middlesex Suite and Mezzanine, the replacement of fire doors, and improvements to air conditioning within the Middlesex Suite.

The Committee was also informed that security upgrades were also planned, and in addition to the installation of security items, FM are considering additional improvements that would not involve much capital investment, and were centred on plans to lock doors and other cost-effective policies.

Responding to Councillors’ questioning, the Head of Facilities Management, Fleet Services, Civil Protection and Emergency Management confirmed that the yearly expenditure on these projects was similar to previous years, and that it would not have been cost effective and appropriate to replace carpets with laminate and wooden flooring.

It was confirmed that, in the event of a fire, the Council prioritised the quick removal of staff and visitors from the building, as the building was aging and its layout meant that it was not designed to be compliant with current fire regulations. As such, the cost to ensure the building was compliant with current building standards would be vast, and instead there was a focus on improving the office layout to ensure that the risk of fire is reduced and escape routes were as accessible and visible as possible. This approach has also been agreed with Building Control and the Fire Officer.

RESOLVED: That the Facilities Management Civic Centre Projects report be noted.

The Service Manager for Community Safety was in attendance to answer any queries relating to the Draft Scoping Review for the Committee’s first review.

Members commented that they were pleased that CCTV was included in the Terms of Reference, following recent investment in local CCTV, and confirmed that it would be helpful to discuss how footage was used and shared between the Council and the Metropolitan Police. Councillors also noted the possibility of discussing the funding to the CCTV Control Room, and the quality of the images that were provided.

Questions were also raised by Members surrounding Police Officers being moved around local ward areas, and the reporting of anti-social behaviour to the Police. Furthermore, it was suggested that Ward Panel Chairman may be approached as potential witnesses for the review.

The Chairman noted that the three proposed witness sessions could potentially involve witnesses from the Metropolitan Police, Ward Panels and resident-facing organisations, and the Council’s own officers.

The Committee agreed that it was a very detailed report and thanked the officers for their work in preparing the report. The scoping report was noted, and it was agreed to move forward with the review into Community Safety and Policing in Hillingdon.

RESOLVED: That the scoping report was agreed, and the Committee move forward with the proposed review topic.

RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan be noted.

RESOLVED: That the work programme was noted, subject to potentially moving one of the reports one-off business items from September to October.