A meeting of the Highland and Western Isles Valuation Joint Board will be held in Committee Room 1, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Wednesday, 30 April 2008 at 10.30 a.m.
Your attendance at the meeting is invited and I append a note of the business to be transacted.
Yours faithfully,
Clerk to the Board
Declarations of Interest – Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.
Business
1. Apologies
2. Appointment of Clerk and Monitoring Officer
Following the retirement of the previous Clerk, Ms Roslyn Pieroni, the Board is invited to appoint Ms Michelle Morris, Assistant Chief Executive, The Highland Council, as Clerk to the Board, with immediate effect.
It will also be recalled that the Board’s Monitoring Officer is currently the Acting Head of Legal Services of The Highland Council. Members are informed that The Highland Council has now created a post of Head of Legal and Democratic Services, to be filled shortly. The Board is asked to agree that the postholder, when in place, be appointed the Board’s Monitoring Officer.
3. Minutes of Last Meeting
There are circulated, for confirmation, Minutes of Meeting on 9 January 2008.
4. Revenue Budget Monitoring Statement 2007/08
There is circulated, for noting, Report No Val-4-08 comprising a statement and commentary by the Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer on Revenue Expenditure and Income for the period to 29 February 2008.
5. Annual Audit Plan 2007/08
There is circulated Report No. Val-5-08 by the Mr R Clark, Senior Audit Manager, Audit Scotland setting out the 2007/08 Annual Audit Plan for the Highland and Western Isles Valuation Joint Board. Planned work in 2007/08 included an audit of the financial statements and a review and assessment of the Joint Board’s governance arrangements in a number of key areas.
The Board is invited to note the report.
6. Review of Discretionary Policies under the Local Government Pensions Scheme
There is circulated Report No Val-6-08 by the Treasurer which reviews the Board’s discretionary policies under the Local Government Pension Scheme following changes in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) legislation.
Discretionary Payments Regulations were initially set up in 1998 and were subject to review every five years. The last review took place in 2003 and the next full review is scheduled for 2008. However, changes to HMRC legislation which were incorporated into the Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland) Regulations with effect from October 2006 directly affected two of the current Discretionary Policies requiring them to be reviewed in advance of the next scheduled review.
The Board is invited to:-
i. agree that the suspension of contributions is removed with effect from 1
October 2006;
ii. note the removal of the policy on the abatement of pensions upon re-
employment;
iii. agree to review all policies in 2008 as part of the fire year review
incorporating these changes; and
iv. agree that, in line with the main scheme policy, there be an ‘opt out’
provision allowing reconsideration of any specific discretion if the special
circumstances of an individual case merit it.
7. Scheme of Approved Duties
There is circulated Report No Val-7-08 by the Assistant Clerk recommending a Scheme of Approved Duties for Members of the Board tailored to the circumstances of Board membership.
8. Update Report - Gender, Disability and Race Equality Schemes
There is an obligation for periodic reports to be received by the Board in relation to the Department’s Gender, Disability and Race Equalities Schemes. In this connection, there is circulated Report No Val-8-08 by the Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer setting out an annual report on each of the Schemes and which the Board is required to publish.
The Board is asked to note the report and to agree to the production of a single Equalities policy in a similar timescale to that being adopted by Highland Council.
9. Departmental Report
There is circulated Report No Val-9-08 by the Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer advising on the current position of the main activities of the Department.
The Board are asked to resolve that under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the public be excluded from the meeting for this item on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 or Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act.
10. Retirement – Forward Planning
There is circulated to Members only Report No VAL10/08 by the Assessor and Electoral Registration Officer informing the Board of imminent retirals of certain members of staff and the potential effect on the Department in the foreseeable future.
The Board is asked to agree the proposals contained within the report.