Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Ian Thorn and Cllr Linda Packard who was substituted by Cllr Trevor Carbin.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Environment  Select Committee meeting held on 28 October 2014.

Resolved:

To approve and sign as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 28 October 2014.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of disclosable interests.

To receive any announcements through the Chairman.

The Chairman advised that the Emergency Flood Operational Response Plan and Local Flood Risk Management Strategy which the Committee received in October would be considered by Cabinet on 16 December 2014.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item.  Please contact the officer named above for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution. Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named above no later than 5pm on Tuesday 2 December 2014. Please contact the officer named on the first page of this agenda for further advice.  Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

The Committee noted the rules on public participation.

The Wiltshire Policy on 20 mph Speed Limits and Zones and a report on the related consultation process were considered by the Environment Select Committee on 10 December 2013; the Committee resolved to establish a Task Group to review and aid in the development of the policy, as it was enacted.

The Task Group met on four occasions and explored the adequacy of the current policy with reference to a range of research and witness accounts. The Policy was reviewed, in light of whether it would enable the delivery of reduced numbers of casualties and increased road safety associated with the use of 20 mph speed restrictions.

The Task Group’s final report is available to the Committee which is asked to consider and endorse the recommendations in the report.

The Chairman introduced the remit of the Task Group to review current policy as enacted and highlighted the decision to adopt its recommendations would be made by the Cabinet Member.

The Task Group had explored the adequacy of the Wiltshire Policy on 20 mph Speed Limits and Zones with reference to a range of research and witness accounts. The Policy was reviewed, in light of whether it would enable the delivery of reduced numbers of casualties and increased road safety associated with the use of 20 mph speed restrictions.

The Task Group members described their different approaches to 20mph policy and it was commented that this demonstrated there had been wide-reaching discussion within the Task Group.

Members of the public addressed the Committee as follows:

Paul Freegard suggested 20mph policy would support cyclists and the many benefits of cycling.

William Bailey expressed concern in the organisation of a pilot scheme of 20mph policy in Limpley Stoke village.

Tamzin Daddow read a statement on behalf of Alex Machin from Bradford-on-Avon ‘20’s Plenty’ group which expressed disappointment in the Task Group’s final recommendations and the content of its report.

Martin Rose, Traffic Engineer, responded to issues raised and advised that Wiltshire Council supported 20mph schemes where they were credible, demonstrated by the application of over 80 20mph zones across the county.

Dr Alan Wheals, Westwood Parish Council, expressed disappointment in the content and conclusions of the Task Group’s report.

Margaret Willmot, Salisbury City Council, explained the benefits of 20mph policy in Salisbury and conveyed her dissatisfaction with the conclusions in the report.

Pamela Hyde, Bradford-on-Avon Town Council, advocated a clearer and more flexible policy in Wiltshire to allow a ‘whole-town’ approach to 20mph policy.

Wiltshire Councillors spoke on the report and it was noted that budget constraints limited the action that could be taken to reduce speeding in the county. Questions were raised over the scrutiny process which had produced the report and it was explained that the process was designed to create debate and balance conflicting viewpoints and had been adhered to. It was commented that the Task Group’s recommendations would allow the community to identify credible 20mph zones through their Area Board and the proposal to further review policy in 2017 and 20mph zones outside of schools demonstrated commitment to an evolving policy. Councillors asserted that drivers should make the choice to drive at 20mph when driving conditions were poor.

The Committee considered the report and it was clarified that data quoted in the report was typical of 20mph limits. Members commented that the recommendations would support local groups campaigning for 20mph limits to achieve this through their Area Board. The Committee noted that 20mph policy was a salient issue and policy should evolve over time.

Resolved:

To endorse the following recommendations:

1.    Local road safety initiatives, are pursued by communities with the support of  Community Area Transport Groups (C.A.T.Gs) and Area Boards;

2.    Communities are encouraged to pursue alternative funding, including undertaking their own fundraising to implement schemes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

During the summer of 2014 the Council consulted on three options for the future of the kerbside garden waste collection service as making savings on the service would enable funding to be realigned to deliver the Council’s priorities. The consultation proved to be the most popular run by Wiltshire Council with over 15,000 responses and indicated the public’s preference for the type of future service provision.

The results of the consultation are available to the Committee which is asked to note the conclusions drawn from the consultation and consider the options for the future of the kerbside garden waste collection service.

During the summer of 2014 the Council consulted on three options for the future of the kerbside garden waste collection service to enable funding to be realigned to deliver the Council’s priorities. Conclusions from the survey were presented by Tracy Carter, Associate Director for Waste and Environment, who explained that Cabinet would consider these proposals as part of its budget setting.

The Committee considered the options for the service and it was clarified that the amount of garden waste varied each year and during periods of collection suspension larger amounts of waste in recycling centres were expected. The officer confirmed that a benefit in Wiltshire was that windrow composting was possible and cost-effective. 

Members suggested there should have been an option for survey respondents to declare if they did not use the current service. Reasons were suggested for the poor survey response in Tisbury however it was noted that overall there had been a great response to the survey which had clearly identified the public preference  for a three

month suspension of the garden waste service with no collections taking place in

December, January and February.

Resolved:

To note the report and the preferred option for the future of garden waste kerbside collections identified by the consultation.

The CIL Task Group was first established in August 2012 to test out the charging proposals for CIL and report on recommendations for the future implementation of CIL, this was achieved in December 2014 and the Task Group was stood down. The Task Group was reconvened in September 2014 to consider the recording and access of monies gained from CIL, and the distribution of monies to towns and parishes with and without established neighbourhood plans.

The Committee is asked to consider the Task Group’s report, endorse its final recommendations and refer the report to Cabinet for response.

The CIL Task Group was reconvened in September 2014 to consider the recording and access of monies gained from CIL, and the distribution of monies to towns and parishes with and without established neighbourhood plans. The Task Group’s final report was presented to the Committee by Cllr Tony Trotman, he explained the remit of the Task Group and thanked its members and officers for their work supporting the Group.

It was explained that CIL would likely be administered in the summer of 2015 and town and parish councils should be engaged prior to this and receive their allocations in a timely manner. Towns and parishes would only gain 15 percent of the levy until their Neighbourhood Plan was in place when they would receive 25 percent. It was noted that the Task Group was satisfied with the proposed operational flowchart for the administration of CIL.

Resolved:

To refer the report to Cabinet for response and endorse the following recommendations:

1.    The Environment Select Committee endorse the work undertaken to prepare for administration of the CIL;

2.    Further briefing and training be provided to the Town and Parish Councils ahead of the implementation of the CIL, to include invitations to local unitary members.

3.    The CIL Task Group stands down after the presentation of the report to the Environment Select Committee; to be reconvened as necessary should additional issues with the implementation of the CIL require further consideration.

The Task Group was established prior to the elections in May 2013 based on concerns over the conditions attached to planning approvals being open to abuse or being ignored to the detriment of council activity, owner- occupiers and tenants. This is manifested in the forms of: defaulting on or being slow to pay S106 money and failing to complete the installations of lighting, sewage and other infrastructure to a satisfactory standard for adoption resulting in long delays whilst problems are resolved.  

It was agreed that the Task Group would continue as a legacy item at the June 2013 meeting of the Environment Select Committee.

The Task Group have met on five occasions to discuss the key issues surrounding the adoption of roads and services on new developments with the Service Director Economy and Regeneration, planning officers, legal services and witnesses such as: Persimmon Homes, Bloor Homes and Wessex Water.

The Task Group wish to highlight that due to the conflicting evidence received that it is felt that the task they were given is unable to be completed without further input and investigation at service level.

The Committee is asked to note the Chairman’s foreword, consider the report and endorse its recommendations.

The Task Group met on five occasions since June 2013 to discuss the key issues surrounding the adoption of roads and services on new developments. The Task Group’s report was presented by Cllr Tony Deane who noted with concern the availability of Member and officer resource to examine adoptable estates.

The Committee considered the report and commented that sufficient, legal, highways and planning officers were currently not available to provide  consistency and overview of cases and administration. Members felt more joined-up thinking was needed between Planning and Highways services and roads should be adopted in a timely manner.

Resolved:

To endorse the following recommendations:

1.    That due to the conflicting evidence presented to the Task Group that the Task Group is stood down in lieu of further investigation and review of the process by the service;

2.    That the review is completed by a suitable individual or small team who is able to take a fresh and somewhat impartial view. This may include consideration of best practice utilised elsewhere, the use of bonds, the use of New Homes Bonus monies as a means of funding the streamlining and rationalising of the planning process; a revised template for s106 agreements and the need for additional officer training;

3.    That the Task Group reconvene once the review has been undertaken to support its progression and implementation.

The Committee is asked to endorse the revised work programme and recommend approval by Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.

A copy of the relevant section of the Overview and Scrutiny Forward Work Programme is attached for reference.

The Chair and Vice Chair, in conjunction with the Management Committee, met with Cllr Fleur de Rhé-Philipe on 25 November 2014, to discuss the potential for scrutiny involvement in work being done across the theme of the Economy. It was concluded that the Environment Select Committee may usefully seek involvement in reviewing the process of transferring community assets on a cost neutral basis for the Council. It was raised that the process currently in place is lengthy and that communities wish to improve its efficiency. This activity features as one of the 12 key actions in the Council’s Business Plan.

Resolved:

To endorse the revised work programme and recommend approval by Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee.

To note the update following a meeting from Cllr Fleur de Rhé-Philipe on 25 November 2014.

A written update on Environment Select Committee Task Group activity is attached.

The Committee is asked to note the update and approve the membership of the Waste Task Group.

Written updates on Task Group activity were included in the agenda pack.

Resolved:

To approve the membership of the Waste Task Group as: Cllrs Jose Green (Chair), Rosemary Brown, Peter Evans, Mollie Groom, Jacqui Lay and Pat Aves.

Attention was drawn to the Agenda Supplements which updated on the Highways and Streetscene Task Group activity. Cllr Jeff Osborn introduced the Task Group’s report and initial recommendations. It was highlighted that there needed to be better integration of the work undertaken by Atkins and BBLP and a retention of records of gully location and maintenance. It was explained that although there was currently a greater budget for highways there was less flexibility on spending under any monies provided by the LEP.

The comment was made that, although the report focussed on targets for improvement, overall Atkins’ work had been excellent. Clarification of funding detailed in the report was provided.

The Committee considered the report and suggested that it should be informed of budget reductions on both contracts and should subsequently inform the Task Group. In was agreed that updates to the Committee would not be information in addition to that published through the normal budget process. It was confirmed that the Task Group’s third recommendation would result in improve communication back to CATG from both BBLP and Atkins.

Resolved:

To endorse the following recommendations:

1. The Environment Select Committee should be fully kept abreast of all budget reductions on both Highways contracts and the consequent implications for the service and the people of Wiltshire;

2. That surveying and repairing drainage below the road surface should continue as a priority given its relationship with flood preparation;

3.  That closer working is seen from Atkins and BBLP with CATG on Integrated Transport Scheme projects;

4. That Atkins continue to build on their commitment to local recruitment and career progression, and their involvement with schools and the Chamber of Commerce.

Future meetings of the Car Parking Review Task Group were considered.

Resolved:

To agree that the Task Group should meet again after consultation responses have been received to review them and should report to the next Committee meeting.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.

To confirm the date of the next scheduled meeting as 17 February 2015.

The next meeting of the Committee would be held on 17 February 2015.