The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jarvis, presented his report.

Members made comments on the following items:

·         Planning for the Future, agenda page 45 – it was requested that all Members were kept regularly informed on issues regarding the Waste Plant.  In response the Cabinet Member Major Contracts, stated that things were moving forward and negotiations were being carried out.  In addition it was asked if some of the meetings of ‘Your Community, Your Say’ meetings could be held in the day time for some of the more elderly residents.

·         Herefordshire’s People, agenda page 45 paragraph 2 – in congratulating the exam results of looked after children it was requested that Members were kept informed of the progress of looked after children as corporate parents.  In response to a question on exam results and that a letter was sent to the Minister, the Cabinet Member stated that the local colleges were aware of the issues, however, it was the responsibility of the school to address the issue of which exam board they used.

·         Carers in the County Consultation page 46 paragraph 4 – in referring to the consultation on the website it was asked that it be remembered that not everyone had access to the web.

·         Council Tax Benefit Scheme page 46 paragraph 5 – assurance was sought that people were being made actively aware of this benefit.

·         Hereford Racecourse, agenda page 46 paragraph 6 – it was stated that the impact of the racecourse closing impacted locally as well as nationally and it was requested that Members be kept informed on events and a Member briefing be provided at the earliest opportunity.  In response the Leader stated that a timetable had been set and he was working towards a formal agreement in the near future.  It was hoped that racing could be resumed in 2014.

·         Borders Broadband Project page 46 paragraph 8 – In responding to the points raised the Cabinet Member Education and Infrastructure stated he was aware that the original figure had been £6m however, Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) had underestimated the rurality of the area and increased the budget in order to achieve what was needed for the County.  The Council had decided to match fund to ensure a strong broad band network for the future.  Members congratulated the Cabinet Member on what had been achieved with the Border Broadband Project.  With regard to the percentage of the County that would be covered by Broadband, the Cabinet Member stated that BDUK were expected to provide high speed broadband to up to 90% of the County.  Presently the take up of high speed broadband was 7-8%.  He stated that there would be no exclusion, once completed, for lower speed and there were new technologies and bursary schemes to fill any gaps.

·         Affordable Housing page 46 paragraph 7 – in response to a question on disused buildings, the Leader asked all Councillors to notify the Cabinet Member of any disused properties that could be reused.  In response to a question on the true number of people in need of housing, the Leader stated that officers were working to obtain accurate figures and asked the Cabinet Member to provide a short note for Members.

·         In response to a question on a major procurement process being carried out, the Leader advised that all Members were informed and was part of the root and branch review.  The forthcoming meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would provide the opportunity to discuss the issues.

·         Finally in noting this was the last Council meeting for Chris Bull as Chief Executive, Members thanked him for the excellent job he had done for Herefordshire in his time as joint Chief Executive for Herefordshire Council and Hereford Primary Care Trust.

The Leader announced to Council that two directors of Stanhope were in attendance at Council and thanked them for attending the meeting.

RESOLVED:  That the overview of the Executive’s activity be noted.