Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Brian Dalton and Mike Hewitt. Councillor Dalton was substituted by Councillor Bob Jones MBE.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Environment  Select Committee meeting held on 7 June 2016.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 June 2016 were presented for consideration and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign as a true and correct record.

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

There were no declarations.

To receive any announcements through the Chairman.

Through the Chair there were the following announcements:

1)    On 15 March 2016 the Cabinet received the final report of the Housing Board. Details were provided on its activities December 2014-November 2015.

2)    Details were provided of meetings between the Chairman, officers and the Executive regarding issues related to the planning service. It had been noted at the Management Committee that any scrutiny involvement or review of the service should be led through the Environment Select Committee.

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 (acting on behalf of the Corporate Director), no later than 5pm on Tuesday 6 September 2016, in order to be guaranteed a written response prior to the meeting. Any question received between the above deadline, and no later than 5pm two clear working days before the meeting, may only receive a verbal response at the meeting.

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.

It was raised by a member of the Committee that there was an issue with planning applications and the designation of ‘virtual pavements’ and details were sought on how many of these existed in the county and what they involved. It was stated the questions should be referred to the relevant Cabinet Member.

The Waste Service Changes Task Group was established to:

a)    Consider the impact of changes to Household Recycling Centre (HRC) locations and opening times on:

·       Volume of waste received and recycled;

·       Incidences of fly-tipping;

·       Customer experience.

b)    Consider the impact of the introduction of fees for garden waste collection on:

·       Garden waste recycling rates (including food composters);

·       Residual waste volumes;

·       Incidences of fly-tipping.

c)     To monitor the implementation of the Council’s Mobilisation Plans (for lots 2 and 5), preparing for the commencement in August 2017 of new contracts for waste collection and HRCs.

The Committee is asked to endorse the findings and recommendations within the report and to refer them to the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management, Strategic Housing, Operational Property and Waste for response.

On 27 October 2015 the Environment Select Committee asked the Waste Task Group to investigate the impact of reduced Household Recycling Centres’ hours and traffic management issues and to investigate the impact of the new green waste collection service particularly in relation to fly-tipping. Evidence was collected by the Task Group as detailed in paragraphs 7-10 of the report.

Councillor Jose Green, Chairman of the Task Group, presented the final report, outlining the key findings and recommendations made by its members. It was emphasised that the council’s Household Recycling Centres were not designed for commercial disposal of waste, and the task group had looked at the effectiveness of the existing centres and policies, and potential impact from service changes such as changes to opening hours and location of sites.

A total of 18 recommendations had been made to the Cabinet Member, including ensuring a minimum of 11 HRCs, to continue to monitor opening times to ensure they cope with demand, to explore the possibility of a redevelopment of the Churchfields depot in Salisbury, improved signage, links with charities and supporting the implementation of the Van Permit Scheme to reduce disposal of commercial waste. 

The Committee discussed the report and its recommendations, noting concerns about the lack of awareness of individual householder responsibility for waste on their properties and waste licensing in general. Mini recycling sites operated at commercial sites were discussed as alternate locations, along with questions on the response times to reporting of asbestos and other materials. It was requested the Cabinet Member update the committee on policies and procedures regarding asbestos collection.

At the conclusion of debate, it was,

Resolved:

To endorse the recommendations of the Task Group to the Cabinet Member:

1.         That the council ensures that a minimum of 11 HRC’s are retained and operational.

2.         To acknowledge that the advantages of reduced opening hours at HRCs include providing time for HRC staff to remove and replace full waste containers.

3.         For the council to monitor the usage of HRC sites in the future in order to determine whether the new opening times are fit for purpose and capable of coping with the demand.

4.         To explore the possibility of funding a redevelopment of the Churchfields depot through the CIL by placing it on the Regulation 123 list; and for consideration to be given to using CIL to fund the development of any new HRCs.

5.         For any future HRC site development or redevelopment to take into account proximity to businesses in order to avoid incurring negative impacts from the HRC site.

6.         To ensure that all signage at HRCs is appropriately chosen to ensure that customers are well guided through the site, and that the number and type of signs at entrances and exits avoids creating “sign blindness”.

7.         To install “percentage recycled” signs at all HRC’s, as demonstrated at Warminster HRC, and to expand the statistics to illustrate the savings achieved as a result of recycling.

8.         To provide relevant HRC workers with high  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

During 1 September 2015 Environment Select Committee, Members agreed that the Committee would continue to monitor the Housing Allocation Policy.

The Housing Allocation Policy had been introduced as a framework for Wiltshire Council and its partners to work alongside in the registration, assessment and allocation of affordable homes. The policy details how applicants for affordable housing should be assessed; to ensure that those with the greatest housing need are prioritised.

The Committee will receive information on the implementation of the Housing Allocation Policy and the latest housing register figures, and is asked to note the report.

The Housing Allocation Policy helps deliver the council’s aim to create stronger and more resilient communities by focusing on local homes for local people. At the request of the Committee, the Cabinet Member for Housing, Leisure, Libraries and Flooding, Councillor Jonathon Seed and the Associate Director, Adult Care Commissioning and Housing, James Cawley, were in attendance to provide an update on the latest data on the policy and figures for the housing register.

It was stated the policy had been successful in prioritising housing in communities for those with a connection that community, and that figures could be broken down by community area or individual parish. Details were provided on the bandings clarifying the need levels of those on the register, and the numbers being houses in the past year.

The Committee discussed the update and sought additional details from the Cabinet Member, including procedures to identify long term empty homes, the accessibility of housing board agendas and minutes and the impact of housing refugees. It was agreed further details would be provided after the meeting clarifying if the change to empty houses being subject to the same rates had had an impact upon their number, and it was stated refugees had been initially placed in hard to let properties and so not appreciable effect on the register.

Resolved:

To note the update on the Housing Allocation Policy.

The Gypsy and Traveller Reference Group (GTRG) aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the Gypsy and Traveller (G&T) population of Wiltshire; in line with the strategic objectives of Wiltshire Council, to create stronger and more resilient communities and ensure those from G&T communities have healthy, high-quality lives. 

The group will support the G&T residents of Wiltshire, it also supports the aims of the Health and Wellbeing Board’s strategy, as well as the implementation of the Gypsy and Traveller Strategy (2010); in which by 2015 service provision and engagement with G&T communities will be strengthened, coordinated and in line with Wiltshire Councils aims.

The GTRG reports to the Environmental Select Committee as appropriate; covering areas including programme delivery, identifying service gaps and reporting on the delivery against the Gypsy and Traveller strategy action plan.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and the progress of the programme and make recommendations as necessary.

The Gypsy and Traveller Strategy was published in 2010 to bring together a range of services and responsibilities as they engaged with Gypsy and Traveller communities within Wiltshire. The Strategy had now been refreshed, including the creation of an action plan to provide support for the council’s aims to create resilient communities among Gypsy and Travellers and the settled populations.

Steve Maddern, Head of Health Improvement, presented the report outlining the key actions  proposed including the continued monitoring of the Strategy to be reported to the Committee.

The Committee discussed the draft Strategy, and in response to queries it was confirmed once ratified specific timeframes would be developed for the proposed action plan and an implementation plan prepared, and that the council had been working with the Canal Trust to include the Boating community. It was also noted the refreshed Strategy was to be referred to simply as the Traveller Strategy.

Resolved:

a)    To approve the refreshed Strategy.

b)   To note the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy will be undertaken by the Traveller Reference Group, who will be accountable to the Committee

Written updates on Environment Select Committee Task Group activity are attached, further verbal updates may be provided at the meeting by the Chairman of Task Groups.

The Committee is requested to note the Task Group updates and consider any recommendations arising.

Updates were provided on the Task Groups overseen by the Environment Select Committee, as detailed in the agenda papers and including the following:

Highways and Streetscene Task Group

It was stated 19 out of 22 Parish Stewards had been recruited, and that information on the role of the stewards would be resent to councillors to enable people to be aware of their role. The October meeting of the Committee would contain an item on Highways, and the Cabinet Member in attendance, Councillor Philip Whitehead, encouraged all councillors to set an example by using the MyWiltshire App to report highways concerns.

Public Transport Review Task Group

The Task Group would consider the Public Transport report before its consideration by Cabinet on 11 October 2016, and meet following Cabinet to discuss its decision.

Resolved:

To note the Task Group updates provided.

To note and receive updates on the progress of items on the forward work programme. This includes the outcomes of the meetings with the Executive Members held on Tuesday 21 June 2016.

Under the revised Overview and Scrutiny (OS) arrangements there is now a single OS work programme controlled by the OS Management Committee, linked to priorities in the Business Plan.

Therefore it should be noted that, whilst any matters added by Members are welcome, they will be referred to the OS Management Committee for approval before formal inclusion in the work programme for the Environment Select Committee.

A copy of the Overview and Scrutiny Forward Work Programme for the Environment Select Committee is attached for reference.  

The Committee considered the proposed Forward Work Programme including suggestions arising from the meetings between the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and the Executive, as detailed in the agenda papers and including any review of the planning service.

A meeting had been held between the Chair of the Committee, Alistair Cunningham and Cllr Toby Sturgis to discuss planning services. It was noted at the last meeting of Overview and Scrutiny planning should fall under the remit of the Environment Select Committee.

Resolved:

1.         To approve the proposed Forward Plan.

2.         To notify Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee of the intention to investigate establishing a Planning Services Rapid Scrutiny and to begin scoping and forming a terms of reference.

To confirm the date of the next scheduled meeting as Thursday 20 October 2016.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 20 October 2016.

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

There were no urgent items.