Agenda item

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

(This item was considered at item 13).

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection in respect of the London Gateway Port which was currently under construction within the boundary of the London Port Health Authority and preparations for the opening of the Port in the last quarter of 2013 had to be put in place so that the Authority could meet the demands placed upon it.

This would entail recruiting sufficient staff and securing office accommodation as well as the provision of IT and other equipment.

The costs associated with this project were not known at present; however, start-up funding was available via a reserve fund held by Port Health. Additional funds may be sought at a later stage.

This was an exciting development which presented an opportunity for the Port Health Authority to show that it could meet the challenge and provide a first class service to the international companies that would be using the new port.

It was noted that as a priority, Officers were also in discussion with staff regarding their preferences in respect of their work location.

RESOLVED: - That,

i)                 existing staff be redeployed to London Gateway with new employees back filling the vacancies left by those transferring;

ii)               funding for the proposal be via the Products of Animal Origin Reserve Fund in the first instance with any additional start-up costs being the subject of a separate report; and

iii)             further report be submitted to your Committee within six months to provide an update on the position.