Agenda and minutes

To confirm the notes from the previous meeting.

The notes from the previous meeting on the 17 June 2024 were agreed.

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Minute 15
Cllr O Davey: ANRI Exmouth Town Council member
Cllr I Barlow: ANRI Sidmouth Town Council member
Cllr M Goodman: ANRI Sidmouth Town Council member

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To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the press) have been excluded. Thereare no itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway.

None.

The Estates Team update report covered:

·        Recent event to celebrate 25 years of the East Devon Business Centre

·        Re-let of two units at Riverside Workshops, Seaton

·        Preparing of assets for auction in early 2025

·        Completed acquisition of additional 18 acres of land at Seaton Marshes

·        Additional resource secure to complete work on the draft Asset Management Plan in the New Year;

·        Continued work on the disposal of Category B and C public toilets.

The Forum were also advised that a demonstration of the Asset Register software would be provided at a future meeting. 

Discussion included:

·        A positive meeting had taken place between the directors of the Norman Lockyer Observatory and officers in the past few days;

·        Recent toilet closures had been necessary due to the invasive nature of the asbestos inspections, and liaison with Streetscene would continue to bring the toilets back into use as soon as possible.

The Forum noted the report.

The update report included:

·       Depots Review

·       Public toilets, Esplanade & Drill Hall, Sidmouth

·       UKSPF Feasibility Studies, Exmouth

·       Stalled Employment Sites in Axminster, Honiton and Seaton

·       Seaton Moridunum

·       Clyst Meadows Country Park

·       Cranbox, Cranbrook

Discussion covered:

·       The size and scale of the Depot Review meant that a report could not be ready for Cabinet consideration until spring 2025;

·       Planning application for the Clyst Meadows Country Park was now in for consideration by the Council this month;

·       Modular space in Cranbrook was still under evaluation.

The Forum noted the report.

The Forum received an update report covering the period June 2024 to October 2024; the report also set out the findings of the SWAP audit on corporate health and safety.  The actions resulting from the audit were all priority 3 (priority 1 being the most urgent) and overall gave a high level of assurance that the Council was meeting its obligations.

Discussion included:

·        The due diligence and dedication of the team in dealing with the work, particularly in balancing the demand of reactive work, was commended;

·        The next stages of the toilet review would demand considerable time and resources;

·        Any additional spend for projects that was not included in the budget (including capital projects that required additional funding) would come before Cabinet for approval.  A request was made for future reporting to the Forum ti include evaluation of the capital projects completed to establish the level meeting budget, under budget or reaching overspend;

·        Spend on LED run assets was approximately at 40% of the total the Council covered, and communications should be considered to inform the public of the public spend to support the service.

The Forum noted the report.