The Corporate Director – Neighbourhood and Planning will attend the meeting to provide details on the priorities of the department.
Minutes:
The Corporate Director Neighbourhood and Planning attended the meeting to provide an outline of the priorities and challenges faced by the Department following the well publicised comprehensive spending review announced by central government.
Key issues arising included that the year ahead would prove challenging for both the Department and the Council as a whole, with budgetary cuts of 28% expected over the next 4 years although confirmed that the organisation was well placed to face the challenges in comparison to other public sector bodies.
Key projects under consideration for the forthcoming year included waste collection and leisure services where further comment was provided as follows:
· Waste
The waste collection service was being reviewed in order to ensure residents within Wiltshire received a better service. The review would allow Wiltshire to improve its waste management, including recycling, in a cost effective manner. Good communication would be a key element to ensure the public were kept informed of the new arrangements.
As the landfill tax was likely to increase the Council was looking to develop alternatives to waste disposal. The Council now had access to a waste disposal plant in Slough. Discussions were also taking place regarding the use of a mechanical biological treatment plant in Westbury which, if successful, would significantly reduce residual landfill.
The relatively small amount of waste within Wiltshire (Wiltshire generated approximately 25k tonnes, significantly lower than neighbouring authorities) would not justify the costs that would be incurred to build waste sites themselves. Collaborative partnerships with neighbouring authorities were considered a more cost effective approach and further work was being done in this area.
· Leisure
The Council inherited a portfolio of leisure centres following the amalgamation of the former District Councils within the Wiltshire county in April 2009. The service was currently being revised where usage, cost effectiveness and value for money would be considered.
Various proposals were being discussed following the end of the consultation period at the end of October. A report was expected to be presented to Cabinet in December where options on the appropriate direction of leisure services would be further considered.
As the Council was reviewing how it managed Council owned property through its Workplace Transformation Programme there was potential for further partnership working with ‘campus’ style facilities that could house several public services and which would result in cost savings.
Street Scene (who were responsible for amenities, ground and routine highways maintenance) would also be reviewed to ensure the most affective service was provided. The Street Scene Area Managers would be responsible for running the service and would provide a coordination role of works to be undertaken. The Area Managers would also attend local Area Board meetings to ensure the work of the Street Scene teams was widely communicated.
The current economic situation had affected housing in both the public and private sector with an increase in the number of people presenting themselves as homeless. This had resulted in extra pressure on housing staff to find appropriate accommodation in light of the countrywide housing shortage. Although the Housing Departments had successfully reduced the use of B&B accommodation to 0% it was now likely that, due to the increased numbers, this may no longer be achievable. There was also an emphasis on improving the housing management service in the south of the County.
A lean review had taken place within the Planning department to address the need to amalgamate the 5 existing services across the County and the benefits that could be achieved. Work had already commenced in this area with the procurement of a single IT system to assist with the harmonisation of the service. Discussions were underway to ensure the transfer from Local Plans to a single Core Strategy would result in one clear set of policies that would enable all Planners to consider with any application received across the County.
National changes to the planning system had also taken place whilst the Core Strategy was being developed. This had resulted in a delay in progress whilst regional housing numbers were being set and the powers that local authorities would have announced.
The development of the forward planning policies had also been delayed until early 2011 following the release of further details within the Localism Bill expected in December 2010.
Following the details provided the following comments were provided:
· Parish Council involvement in waste collection should be explore.
· Recycling facilities should be given consideration as part of the waste review on waste transfer sites.
· As it was understood the average cost of the leisure services subsidy equated to approximately £150 per user, details of the cost per user per building would allow the Committee a better understanding of the cost of leisure facilities provided.
· The cost of maintenance may impact on the viability of facilities within rural locations.
· Consideration should be given to the potential of a ‘change of use’ in relation to some of the authorities existing buildings. The current housing shortage could perhaps be improved upon by exploring this area further.
· It was understood that a proposal had been made to the Secretary of State from the Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the results of which were yet to be confirmed. A bid submission by the Council continued to be developed in the meantime.
Resolved:
To thank the Corporate Director for Neighbourhood and Planning and note the update provided.