Agenda and minutes
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Virtual meetings procedure - briefing and etiquette Chair to report. Minutes: The Corporate and Community Services Officer outlined the virtual meetings etiquette and procedure and confirmed those Members and Officers present. |
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Apologies for absence Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Deed. |
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To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 12th November 2020 (attached) Minutes: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 12th November 2020 (circulated previously) be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. |
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Declarations of Interest (Please telephone the Corporate and Community Services Team to prepare a form for your signature before the meeting. Interests must be re-declared when the item is called, and Councillors must leave the meeting if necessary). Minutes: No declarations of interest were made. |
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Building Control Partnership Trading Account 2020-21 3rd Quarter Report by North Devon Council Head of Resources Minutes: The Committee considered the Building Control Partnership Trading Account 2020-21 3rd Quarter (circulated previously), by the Head of Resources.
The Accountancy Services manager (NDC), gave the Committee the following summary:
The Committee noted the Building Control Partnership Trading Account 2020-21 3rd Quarter. |
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Building Control Partnership Forecast Trading Account 2020-21 as at 3rd February 2021 Report by Head of Resources, (attached) Minutes: The Committee considered the Building Control Partnership Forecast Trading Account 2020-21 as at 3rd February 2021 report, (circulated previously), by the Head of Resources.
The Accountancy Services Manager advised the Committee that both authorities would stand at around £1,000 deficit based on the 12 month forecast.
The Committee noted the Building Control Partnership Forecast Trading account 2020-21 as at 3rd February 2021 report.
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Key Performance Indicators Report by the Building Control Manager (attached). Minutes: The Committee considered the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) report, (circulated previously), by the Building Control Manager.
The Building Control Manager gave the Committee the following updates:
In response to a question from the Chair about how other Local Authority Building Control teams were performing. The Building Control Manager explained it was a very mixed situation, East Devon for example had possibly fared worse than most, whereas, Plymouth were doing really well having secured £140 million in construction applications.
The Committee noted the report and contents. |
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Building Control Business Update Report by Building Control Manager (attached) Minutes: The Committee considered the Building Control Business update report, (circulated previously), by the Building Control Manager.
The Building Control Manager advised the Committee of the following updates:
In response to a question about how he saw things going forwards. The Building Control manager said he would struggle to make a prediction, however, currently the situation was very buoyant and there were no signs of this slowing down.
In response to a question about an influx of possible enforcement cases as a result of lockdown. The Building Control Manager advised that enforcement was a big issue. Change was coming as a result of the Grenfell enquiry. Having a Lead Enforcement Officer dedicated to preparing cases and taking them through to court would be a big culture change. The appointment of a New Homes Ombudsman would mean new home owners had a point of contact to raise issues and concerns with and this in turn would be fed-back into the Building Control process.
The Committee noted the Building Control Business update report.
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Building Safety Bill Update Report by Building Control Manager, (attached) Minutes: The Committee considered the Building Safety Bill update report, (circulated previously), by the Building Control Manager.
The Building Control Manager gave the following updates:
In response to a question about whether planning departments would be kept up to date with the changes. The Head of Planning, Economy and Regeneration (MDDC) advised the Committee that from April 2021 there would be a requirement for the Planning department to consult with the Building Control department. It was expected that the in scope definitions of buildings would expand to allow for a greater building safety control. The validation of competency would be focussed on the individual rather than the Team.
In response to the question of how the impact of individual competency validation might affect future recruitment of staff. The Building Control Manager responded that this could have an impact on future recruitment. He could think of no other discipline where staff were required to re-validate their ability to carry out their duties every four years. It would be tempting for an Officer validated at level six to find work elsewhere at a higher salary. It was very likely there would be shortages of staff in the future. Currently there was only one approved scheme for validation of Officers and that was through the LABC. It was not a simple process to set up a scheme and it was doubtful whether a new scheme could be set up by 2022. |
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Agenda Items for Future Meetings Building Control Manager and Head of Planning, Economy and Regeneration to report Minutes: The Head of Planning, Economy and Regeneration advised the Committee on an area of interest that she thought members of the Committee might like to learn more about as being the need for Carbon neutral new homes. Due to the sound quality of the call causing interference with the presentation the Chair requested that the Head of Planning, Economy and Regeneration forward an email outlining her intention of a new standing item to be placed on the agenda. |