Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Jacqui Lay.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Environment Select Committee meeting held on 13^th March 2018.

Resolved:

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 13^th March 2018.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any announcements through the Chairman.

·         A letter from Malmesbury Town Council is attached. Following the ESC-Executive meeting on the ‘flooding’ portfolio, the Chairman stated that he would like the Committee to see sight of the attached letter from the Town Council in regard to the positive work that is being undertaken.

The Chair made the following announcements:

1.    Update on Salisbury Town Centre

The Chairman provided an update on Salisbury town centre following the recent nerve agent attack, in particular the continuing clean-up operation and increased workloads for Council Officers, impact on local business’, the drive to promote Salisbury and securing high profile events in the City.   

2.    Malmesbury Town Council – Flood Defences

The Committee was advised of a letter received from Malmesbury Town Council thanking Wiltshire Council’s Highways Principal Tech Officer, Drainage for the contribution and positive engagement made towards arranging precautionary flood defences for St John Street, Malmesbury in December 2017.

3.    Deferred Agenda Items

Members were informed that the following agenda items scheduled on the Forward Work Programme for consideration at this meeting had been deferred until the next meeting on 26^th June 2018:

·         Future Development;

·         Development where it is needed; and

·         The Draft Waste Management Strategy.

The Chair explained the reasons for the deferrals and confirmed that the Forward Work Programme would be updated accordingly.

4.    Exploring Domestic Food Waste in Warminster

Members received an update about the meeting between the Director of Waste and Environment and Chris Walford representing a Volunteer Community Group from Warminster.  The Committee were reminded that the meeting was a result of a request at the last meeting for discussions to be held about domestic food waste in Warminster (Min 18 iv – 13^th March 2018).

The Group would now look to liaise with Warminster Town Council to establish if the Town Council is interested in establishing a voluntary local food waste collection scheme.

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 on the front of the agenda 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 on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on Tuesday 24^th April 2018 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on Friday 27^th April 2018. Please contact the officer named on the front 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.

There was no public participation.

Following the ESC-Executive Annual Meeting on Economic Development, it was agreed that the ESC receive a verbal briefing on how profit from development is being used to advance the County of Wiltshire as a whole.

The Head of Development Management will be delivering a presentation on this topic and will respond to any Questions raised.

The Committee received a presentation from the Head of Development Management.

The presentation focussed on the national legislation that governs the use of developer contributions received by the Council (Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 agreements), the background to their introduction and current usage, income received from the contributions and how this is distributed between the Council and Town/Parish Councils, and Government proposals to modify these contributions.

The Head of Development Management and Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning, Development Management and Property responded to the following statements, issues and questions raised by the Committee:

·         Council’s approach to the payment of CIL and S106 by developers

·         Increase in the housing supply and potential impact on CIL and S106 contributions

·         Timeframes for transferring CIL and S106 contributions to Town and Parish Councils 

·         Return of CIL and S106 contributions to developers in the last 3 years

·         Lapsed planning applications and the payment of CIL

·         Activating S106 payments

·         Level of engagement between developers and Town/Parish Councils prior to application submission

·         Concerns regarding land banking

·         Timeframes for the commencement of developments

·         The measurement used for CIL payments

·         Level of input by Town/Parish Councils and development of Neighbourhood Plans

·         Differences between developers that promote land for development and those focusing on the construction of developments

·         Infrastructure improvements linked to S106 contributions

·         Impact of army rebasing to Wiltshire and inclusion within the figures for CIL and S106 contributions

·         Monitoring of developers fulfilling their obligations in connection with S106 agreements

·         Collection and repayment of CIL and S106 contributions

·         Impact of developments on neighbouring Town/Parish Councils and their ability to claim a proportion of the S106 contribution

·         Developments based on either CIL or S106 contributions, and the differences between CIL and S106 funding for each of these developments

The Chair thanked the Committee for their contributions during the consideration of this matter.

Resolved:

             i.        To thank the Head of Development Management for his presentation on Developer Contributions and the Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning, Development Management and Property for attending and responding to issues and questions raised.

            ii.        That the Head of Development Management prepare an update on:

a.    whether any S106 money was returned to developers in the last 3 years; and

b.    the amount of S106 money listed as “time expired” and has plans for such funds

To receive any updates on recent activity for active task groups and from members of the Environment Select Committee who have been appointed as overview and scrutiny representatives on programme boards.

The Committee received updates on recent activity for the following Task Groups:

i)             Waste Contracts Task Group

The Committee received an update from Cllr Yuill, Chairman of the Task Group. He explained that the most recent meeting of the Task Group was held on 12^th April 2018 where they discussed the amended pricing model of the Waste Service’s communication strategy and reviewed the draft communication information, which included the leaflet design and bin sticker. The next meeting of the Task Group was scheduled for 20^th June 2018 to receive a briefing on the Key Performance Indicators associated with the contract for Lot 2 (Management of HRCs).

Resolved:           To thank Cllr Yuill for updating the Committee on the latest work being undertaken by the Waste Contracts Task Group.

To note and receive updates on the progress of items on the forward work programme.

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 Senior Scrutiny Officer introduced the Committee’s Forward Work Programme, asked for confirmation about how to progress a number of items and provided updates on the following areas:

·         Government’s 25-year Environment Plan and potential topics for inclusion within the Forward Work Programme

·         More affordable homes to rent and buy

·         Eco Strategy

·         Question asked by Cllr Murry and response from Cllr Seed, Portfolio Holder for Flooding

·         Briefing on Air Quality

·         Visit to Waste Depot

Resolved:

i.             To defer consideration of the following reports to the next meeting on 26^th June 2018:

·         Future Development

·         Development where it is needed

·         Draft Waste Management Strategy

ii.            To remove the following items from the Forward Work Programme.

a.    More affordable homes to rent

b.    Planning Enforcement Team

iii.          To add consideration of the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan, in particular the future of plastics, to the Forward Work Programme

iv.          To note the ‘Emissions’ item previously scheduled on the Forward Work Programme as TBC, has now been scheduled for 6^th November 2018

v.            That:

a.    A visit to Northacre Waste Depot, Westbury be held on either Friday 11^th or Friday 18^th May 2018. Members to indicate their preferred date for the visit to the Senior Scrutiny Officer, and an invite to then be extended to all members of the Council following confirmation of the date.

b.    To invite a representative of the Environment Agency to attend the visit.

vi.          That the Forward Work Programme be updated to reflect the changes detailed above.

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 26^th June 2018.

The next meeting is scheduled for 26^th June 2018 at 10.30am.