| 649 | RECORD OF THE MEETING |
| | | The record of the meeting held on 12 November 2008 was signed by the Chairman as correct. |
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| 650 | APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE |
| | | Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Morris (Substitute Member, Swale Borough Council). |
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| 651 | DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST |
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| 652 | SOUTH THAMES GATEWAY BUILDING CONTROL BUSINESS PLAN 2009/2010 |
| | Discussion: |
| | | This report provided details of the draft South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership's Business Plan for 2009/2010.
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| The Joint Committee had originally considered the Business Plan for 2009/2010 on 12 November 2008, however, the subsequent downturn in the economy had meant that the Partnership had revisited the draft Business Plan for 2009/2010.
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| It was noted that the plan had been amended to take into account the effects of the economic situation within the construction industry and a predicted downturn in applications, work commencements and consequent loss of income. The plan identified a balanced budget should income fall by 20% from the original budgeted expectation. An indication of the likely implications to each partner authority's contributions should the income fall by 30% or 40% was also included. A reduction in staff members and other cost savings to mitigate the likely financial pressures were also included.
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| Monthly budget monitoring reports would be presented to the officer steering group and subsequently to Joint Committee. Should this indicate a potential deficit situation, further savings and economies of scale would be introduced to offset the need for Councils to fund any deficit. A call on additional Council contributions would be seen as a last resort.
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In addition, the current year's financial position was tabled at the meeting to highlight the potential impact of the downturn in the economy on the Partnership's budget for 2008/2009. This showed that a deficit of £309,000 was currently forecast, based upon the January projection, which would necessitate deficit funding contributions of £164,000, £83,000 and £62,000 from Medway, Swale and Gravesham respectively.
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| The draft would now be submitted to partner authorities for their final approval.
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| | > South Thames Gateway Building Control Business Plan 2009-2010 (pdf file 544.7kb) |
| | > South Thames Gateway Building Control Business Plan 2009-2010 Annexe 4 (pdf file 39.0kb) |
| | Decision: |
| | | | (1) | The Joint Committee approved the Business Plan, as attached to the report, and agreed to refer it back to the Cabinet of each Partner Authority to approve the Final Draft Business Plan.
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| | (2) | The Joint Committee noted the forecast deficit for 2008/2009 as tabled at the meeting.
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| Reasons for Decision
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| The Constitution of the Joint Committee requires approval of the business plan for the following year by the Cabinet of each Partner Authority. |
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| 653 | SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS 2009/2010 |
| | Discussion: |
| | | This report set out the proposed meetings schedule for the 2009/2010 municipal year.
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| The Committee was being asked to consider the meetings schedule in advance of a decision being made at the Annual General Meeting in June, in order to provide some certainty for Members on the schedule of dates during 2009/2010.
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| | > Schdule of Meetings 2009-2010 (pdf file 60.5kb) |
| | Decision: |
| | | The Joint Committee recommended the timetable of meetings for the 2009/2010 municipal year to the Annual General Meeting for approval. |
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