| 337 | RECORD OF THE MEETING |
| | | The record of the meeting held on 10 June 2008 was signed by the Chairman as correct. |
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| 338 | APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE |
| | | Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Morris (Substitute Member (Swale Borough Council)). |
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| 339 | DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST |
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| 340 | APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 2007/2008 |
| | Discussion: |
| | | This report provided details of the requirement for the South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership to appoint an Auditor and also provided details of the Partnership's Statement of Accounts covering the period October 2007 - March 2008.
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| It was reported that the Audit Commission Act 1998 required the Partnership to appoint Auditors for the purposes of auditing the accounts. This was also covered in the Memorandum of Agreement. It was normal practice to appoint the Auditor of the lead financial authority (Medway) and as such it was proposed to appoint PKF (UK).
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| The report also provided details of the Statement of Accounts 2007/2008, this highlighted that the Partnership reported a surplus of £16,761 for the period in question. The Annual Return also provided details of the Governance Statement, External Auditor's certificate and opinion, and the Annual Internal Audit Report.
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| Members discussed the Statement of Accounts and paid particular attention to the surplus, the note to the Accounts, and the repayment of the set up costs.
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| | > Appointment of Auditor and Statement of Accounts 2007-2008 (pdf file 258.2kb) |
| | Decision: |
| | | The Joint Committee approved:
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| | - | the appointment of PKF (UK) as its external auditor
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| | - | the Statement of Accounts as presented
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| | - | that the repayment of the advances for the set up of the Partnership be the first call on any future surpluses achieved through the provision of consultancy services on a proportional basis to the three local authorities.
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| Reasons for Decision
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| There is a statutory requirement to appoint an Auditor and approve the Statement of Accounts.
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| 341 | SOUTH THAMES GATEWAY BUILDING CONTROL BUSINESS PLAN |
| | 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 business plan outlined how the building control function would be delivered for the three partnership Councils. This included details of the statutory and discretionary functions to be carried out together with a list of priorities that would need to be addressed throughout the year. It also included an analysis of the likely markets and workload over the area.
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| The report provided details of the approvals process for the Business Plan and it was noted that the Plan would be resubmitted to the Joint Committee for further comments in November 2008. The report also provided details of a proposal for the Partnership to set up a Consultancy to undertake additional detailed work on building control issues.
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| Members discussed the proposed Consultancy services in terms of how it would operate within the Partnership and how it would compete with the private sector with particular regard to the current economic climate.
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| | > South Thames Gateway Building Control Business Plan (pdf file 430.2kb) |
| | Decision: |
| | | The Joint Committee approved the Business Plan for consultation as set out in the summary of this report.
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| The Joint Committee approved the Partnership undertaking consultancy work on the basis set out in section 3.6 of this report.
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| Reasons for Decision
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| The business plan outlines how the building control function will be delivered for the three partnership Councils over the next financial year. The business plan is being developed in line with the constitution.
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| 342 | ANNOUNCEMENTS |
| | | The Chairman announced that Construction Expo had taken place on 24 September 2008 at Chatham Historic Dockyard. The exhibition sought to allow developers, contractors, training providers and schools to plan how they would take advantage of the opportunities for new business and jobs across the Thames Gateway. It was noted that the South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership ran a stall at the exhibition and that it had a number of positive discussions with a number of companies regarding its services.
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| The Chairman also announced that Glyn Thomson would no longer be attending meetings of the Joint Committee and that Gravesham Borough Council would be represented by Sarah Kilkie at future meetings. The Chairman and Committee Members paid tribute to Mr Thomson's work towards establishing the Partnership and wished him every success in his new role as Chief Executive of Gravesham Borough Council.
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| It was noted that the next meeting of the Joint Committee (11 November 2008), would be rescheduled to avoid any clashes with Remembrance Day services being held.
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