BLACKPOOL COASTAL HOUSING LIMITED MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 16th JULY AT 6.00PM IN THE BOARD ROOM AT COASTAL HOUSE PRESENT: Cllr Christine Wright (Chairman) Cllr Andrew Stansfield Cllr Martin Mitchell Bill Rogers Doreen Wightman Elaine Upton Alan Marsh Alan Disley Janet Stirling Colin Porter IN ATTENDANCE: John Donnellon Stephen Dunstan Mark Towers Sam Fowler (Chief Executive) (Director of Finance and Resources) (Company Secretary) (PA – Minutes) PART A – OPEN SESSION 1. Apologies Maggie Cornall, Cllr Adrian Hutton, Paul Whitehead 2. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest on this occasion. 3. Minutes of Meeting 14th May 2014 The Board considered the minutes of the meeting held on the 14th May. Agreed: That the Minutes be approved as a true record. 4. Matters Arising There were no matters arising not dealt with elsewhere on the agenda. The Chief Executive confirmed that he had received a letter of resignation a senior member of the management team. The Board noted that this was confidential information and agreed that this be discussed further under Part B of the agenda. Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited Company Reg. No. 05868852 5. LeftCoast Update The Chief Executive introduced Michael Trainor, Artistic Director from LeftCoast. Michael Trainor explained the staffing structure and confirmed that five members of staff were now in post and were mostly funded by ACE. A steering Group was also in place and this was chaired by John Donnellon. The first public information session had taken place the previous week which had been very successful. Michael circulated a leaflet explaining what projects were currently underway. He then gave a presentation to the Board. 6. 6A. 2014-15 Financial Performance 2014-15 Q1 BCH Budget Monitoring Report The Director of Finance and Resources reported on the overall position at the end of the first quarter of 2014/15. It was projected that BCH would show an in year deficit of £20,000. This was a net increase of £30,000 compared to the original budgeted deficit of £50,000. BCH balances were projected to be £561,000 at the end of the financial year. Agreed That the report be noted. 6B. 2014-15 Q1 HRA Budget Monitoring Report The Director of Finance and Resources reported on the overall position at the end of the first quarter. It was projected that in 2014/15 there would be an in year surplus on the Housing Revenue Account of £1,235,000, compared to a budgeted surplus of £1,197,000. Balances brought forward on 1 April 2014, which were still subject to external audit, were £4,187,000. Housing Revenue Account balances were projected to be £5,422,000 at the end of the year, excluding the repayment of any external debt. Agreed That the report be noted. Board Away Day – 23rd July 2014 7. The Chief Executive reported on the final arrangements for the Away Day on 23rd July and confirmed that Pauline Clare had been appointed as the Facilitator. Further details of the day would be circulated to the Board in due course. Agreed That the report be noted. 8. Asset Management Review (standing item) The Chief Executive reported on the progress being made with the action plan. A total of 80% of the actions had now been completed and the outstanding actions were scheduled to be completed on target. The Change Management Group which was made up of cross directorate officers was meeting weekly to monitor those actions. Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited Company Reg. No. 05868852 In terms of the restructure the two new Heads of Service posts had been delayed slightly due to the recruitment process being in the form of an assessment centre using external support and advice had been given that August was not a good time to advertise due to holidays. The advert for these posts would be circulated in September and would be internal too. A request was made by the Board to discuss this item further in Part B of the meeting. 9. Culture Review (standing item) The Chief Executive presented a report which set out the key areas for improvement and proposed actions following the outcome of the Culture Review. The vision and values of the organisation were in need of a refresh as the Decent Homes era ends and the Board away day would help shape this. Staff were being encouraged to work cross directorate and they seemed to be responding well with a positive momentum. The performance information presented to Board needed revisiting and simplifying and this was a priority. A question was asked whether a staff survey would be conducted after a 12 month period. The Chief Executive stated that there would be a peer review process with external validation. The Board requested a step by step report to show where improvements were being made. Agreed That the report be noted. 10. Asbestos Management Policy The Chief Executive stated that one of the outcomes from the Asset Management Review had found that there was no Asbestos Management policy in place. Mark Midgley, Health and Safety Advisor had now written a policy which was being presented to the Board for approval. Agreed That the policy be approved. 11. Welfare Reform Update The Chief Executive presented the report on behalf of the Director of Housing Services, Maggie Cornall. Agreed That the report be noted. 12. Minutes of Board Committees Minutes of FACS – 2nd July 2014 The Director of Finance and Resources presented the minutes of 2nd July and invited questions on behalf of the Chairman, Paul Whitehead. Agreed That the minutes be accepted. Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited Company Reg. No. 05868852 13. Any Other Business None raised. 14. Part B- Closed Meeting The Board considered a number of items of business in a Closed Meeting. Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited Company Reg. No. 05868852