A Special Meeting of The Highland Council will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 8 February 2007 at 10.30am.
You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.
Yours sincerely,
Alistair B Dodds
Director of Corporate Services
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.
1. Calling of the Roll and Apologies for Absence
2. Housing Revenue Account Estimates 2007/08
At its meeting on 24 January 2007, the Housing and Social Work Committee agreed to make recommendations to the Council on the Housing Revenue Estimates and on rents for houses, garages and other charges.
In this connection, there is circulated Extract from the Minute of Meeting of the Housing and Social Work Committee which recommends that the Council:-
(i) note that a further report will be prepared for the Housing and Social Work
Committee providing a Standard Delivery Plan covering the next 8 years in
detail or a later deadline if agreed by Communities Scotland (and the
following 22 years in overview);
(ii) approve a rent increase for 2007/08 of RPI + 1% (4.9% in total) (Annex C)
– a budget of £41.591 million changing its financial strategy to include a mix
of RTB receipts and CFCR and the reintroduction of prudential borrowing to
fund capital investment;
(iii) approve an HRA Capital Programme of £12.65 million for 2007/08;
(iv) agree that the percentage approved is applied to house rents, service
charges, garage and garage site rentals, hostel rentals, homeless charges,
rechargeable repairs and Gypsy/Traveller pitches, except charges for energy
which would follow market rates (i.e. the rate of inflation that the Council
experienced);
(v) note that a further report will be submitted to the Housing and Social Work
Committee on the merger of Housing Services and Property and
Architectural Services and the resultant savings;
(vi) note that further work will be undertaken to properly identify the correct
allocation of costs between the HRA and the General Fund;
(vii) note that the Housing and Social Work Committee arrangements for
promoting maximum uptake of housing benefit will be reviewed in
consultation with Councillors E MacRae, K MacNab and P Corbett; and
(viii) note that the Chairman has written to the Minister for Communities
requesting a meeting during which, amongst other matters, the issue of
additional funding for the Common Housing Register (CHR) will be raised.
Options regarding external funding of the CHR project will be further
explored and a report will be submitted (if timescales allow) to the next
meeting of the Housing and Social Work Committee.
For information, there is also re-circulated Report No. HSW-08-07 dated 19 January 2007 by the Director of Housing.
The Council is asked to agree the recommendations from the Housing and Social Work Committee as detailed.
3. Council Tax 2007/08
There is circulated Report No. HC-63-06f dated 1 February 2007 by the Director of Finance which sets out information to allow Members to agree a Council Tax charge for 2007/08.
In this connection, there is circulated Extract from the Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Council held on Thursday, 1 February 2007 in relation to the Revenue Budget 2007/08.
The Council is asked to agree a Band D Council Tax charge for 2007/08, noting that a 2.5% increase (to £1163 at Band D) would be sufficient to balance the budget for the year of £516.839m.
4. HITRANS Regional Transport Strategy – Draft for Consultation
There is circulated Joint Report No. HC-64-06 dated 26 January 2007 by the Directors of Transport, Environmental and Community Services and Planning and Development which provides a proposed response to the draft Regional Transport Strategy recently published by HITRANS as a consultation document. The proposed response is included as Appendix A to the report.
The Council is asked to agree that Appendix A to the report be used as the basis of the Council’s response to the Regional Transport Strategy – together with views expressed by Members at the meeting.
5. Highland Climate Change Strategy
There is circulated Report No. HC-65-06 dated 1 February 2007 by the Chief Executive which seeks approval for the scope of work set out by the Climate Change Working Group to develop a Highland Climate Change Strategy and includes action by Council Services to adapt to the impact of global warming and increased activity to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint. The report also highlights predicted impacts of climate change and the Council’s existing commitments to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and seeks approval for a range of future activity to reduce our carbon footprint through tackling obstacles to the delivery of renewable energy projects in the Highlands.
The Council is asked to AGREE to the scope of the work of the Climate Change Working Group as set out in Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the report which covers the need to:-
(a) address all three dimensions of the Council’s role as manager of its own
estate, service provider and community leader;
(b) consider adapting to global warming, reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
partnership approaches, awareness raising, opportunities presented to the
region and the fit with national requirements;
(c) develop service-specific measures for adapting to climate change, using the
tolls and other support methods available; and
(d) ensure existing commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions are fit
for purpose and go as far as possible to minimise emissions and adapt to
climate change in terms of defining a carbon footprint, consolidating targets,
sorting any data issues and considering the need and mechanisms for off-
setting against carbon emission targets.
The Council is also asked to APPROVE the range of activity to tackle obstacles to delivering renewable energy projects in the Highlands as set out in Section 5 of the report, specifically to:-
(a) ensure that a “low carbon” approach is woven into the delivery of all
building projects under the Council’s capital programme, including
mechanisms for monitoring compliance;
(b) commission a clear appraisal of the supply and market for woodchip over the
next 20 years;
(c) influence the adoption of “low carbon” design practice for all new housing in
the Highlands;
(d) lobby the Scottish Executive to ensure that the Scottish Building Standards
and Scottish planning policy actively promotes “low carbon” design;
(e) review the operation of Highland Energy Advice Centre to deliver more
effective advice and action on alternative energy sources as well as energy
efficiency;
(f) explore options for a partnership approach to achieving more widespread
buy-in to “low carbon” energy solutions in the Highlands; and explore in
principle the potential for the Council to take part in the Carbon Trust’s
“Partnership for Renewables” scheme.
6.Voter Awareness for the Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections
There is circulated Report No. HC-66-06.pdf dated 2 February 2007 by the Returning Officer which advises of the Public Awareness Initiative being carried out in the run up to the May 2007 Elections.
The Council is asked to note the Public Awareness Initiatives being carried out as detailed in the report.
7. Adoption of Ross & Cromarty East Local Plan
Members are advised that Scottish Ministers have advised that the Council is now free to adopt the Ross & Cromarty East Local Plan.
The Council is therefore invited to adopt the following resolution:-
“With reference to the Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning, Development, Europe and Tourism Committee held on 27 September 2006, the Council resolves to adopt with effect from 8 February 2007 the Ross & Cromarty East Local Plan”.
8. Timetable of Meetings
(a) Gaelic Select Committee
Members are advised that - with the approval of the Chairman – it is proposed that an additional meeting of the Gaelic Select Committee should be held on Friday, 23 February 2007 at Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Skye.
(b) Land and Environment Select Committee
Members are advised that – with the approval of the Chairman – it is proposed that an additional meeting of the Land and Environment Select Committee should be held on Wednesday, 14 March 2007 (following the meeting of the Planning, Development, Europe and Tourism Committee which will be held earlier that day).
The Council is asked to approve the above changes to the Timetable of Meetings.