Agenda item

To receive reports and any announcements from the Leader and members of the Cabinet on matters falling within their area of responsibility:

(a)        Report of the Leader;

(b)        Report of the Business Support Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(c)        Report of the Contract and Technical Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(d)        Report of the Commercial and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(e)        Report of the Community and Partnership Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(f)        Report of the Customer Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(g)        Report of the Housing and Property Services Portfolio Holder (attached);

(i)         Report of the Planning Services Portfolio Holder (attached); and

(j)         Report of the Strategic Projects Portfolio Holder (attached).

The Council received written reports from Portfolio Holders. The Chairman invited the Leader of Council to provide an oral report and the opportunity for other members of the Cabinet to give updates on matters concerning their relevant portfolios.

(a)          The Leader of Council

The Leader advised that the Council had successfully recruited the two Strategic Directors and a Chief Operating Officer. There had been 120 applications and the Senior Selection Panel and Solace, the Council’s recruitment advisors had selected 14 candidates that had under gone various assessments.

The successful candidates were Andrew Small, an external candidate who would become one of the Strategic Directors and Chief 151 Officer; the Interim Strategic Director, Sacha Jevans  and Nick Dawe, who would become the Chief Operating Officer.

(b)          Community and Partnership Services Portfolio Holder

Councillor N Bedford advised that the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst had attended a members briefing before the Council meeting. He had  reported that 750 police officers had  now been recruited which brought the total of officers across Essex to 3400. Overall, there had been prudent savings, a reinvest of police assets, reduction in crime activity and hot spots were being dealt with across the District. The priorities going forward would be violent crime and drug related crime.

(c)           Strategic Projects Portfolio Holder

Councillor A Lion commented that he had attended the  ‘Be Part of the Next Generation of Digital Adoption’ conference held at the BT Tower in London this evening and around 60  business and local authorities had attended the event, which the Council had been instrumental in organising.