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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices, Avon Room

Contact: Democratic Services Tel: 01684 272021  Email:  democraticservices@tewkesbury.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

6.

Announcements

When the continuous alarm sounds you must evacuate the building by the nearest available fire exit. Members and visitors should proceed to the visitors’ car park at the front of the building and await further instructions (during office hours staff should proceed to their usual assembly point; outside of office hours proceed to the visitors’ car park). Please do not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so.

 

In the event of a fire any person with a disability should be assisted in leaving the building.

Minutes:

6.1             The evacuation procedure, as noted on the Agenda, was taken as read. 

7.

Declarations of Interest

Pursuant to the adoption by the Council on 26 June 2012 of the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct, effective from 1 July 2012, as set out in Minute No. CL.34, Members are invited to declare any interest they may have in the business set out on the Agenda to which the approved Code applies.

Minutes:

7.1             The Committee’s attention was drawn to the Tewkesbury Borough Council Code of Conduct which was adopted by the Council on 26 June 2012 and took effect from 1 July 2012.

7.2             The following declaration was made:

Councillor

Application No./Item

Nature of Interest (where disclosed)

Declared Action in respect of Disclosure

P W Ockelton

Item 11 – Disabled Facilities Grants Review Monitoring Report

Had used the Disabled Facilities Grants facility in the past.

Would speak and vote.

7.3             There were no further declarations made on this occasion.

8.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 164 KB

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 April and 28 May 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

8.1             A brief debate ensued around Minute No. OS.103.4 which stated that the Head of Development Services had confirmed that the template for the report on Planning Committee overturns would be included on the Agenda for the July meeting, with the populated version being submitted at a later date following consideration by the Planning Committee.  A Member expressed the view that this was inaccurate and that the populated version should be brought to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting in July; he did not understand why the report needed to be taken to Planning Committee.  In response, the Head of Development Services explained that it was a requirement of the Planning Protocol for information on Planning Committee overturns to be reported to the Planning Committee and it was intended to do this once the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed the template for reporting at its meeting in July to ensure Members were happy with the information being provided.  The Member continued to be of the view that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been advised that the populated version would be brought to the Committee in July and, upon being put to the vote, it was agreed that the Minutes be amended to reflect that. 

8.2             A Member drew attention to Minute No. OS.108.3 which referred to Lead Members being advised when Section 106 money was available within their Wards and indicated that this should refer to ‘Ward’ Members as opposed to ‘Lead’ Members.

8.3             It was subsequently

RESOLVED          1. That the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 April 2019, copies of which had been circulated, be APPROVED as a correct record and signed by the Chair subject to the following amendments:

-     OS. 103.4 – The Head of Development Services confirmed that a populated version of the template would be included on the Agenda for the July meeting. in terms of the template with the populated version being submitted at a later date following consideration by the Planning Committee. 

-     OS.108.3 - The Member questioned whether Lead Ward Members could be informed when Section 106 money was available within their Wards and the Head of Development Services undertook to provide updates before the money was allocated.

2. That the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 May 2019, copies of which had been circulated, be APPROVED as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

9.

Executive Committee Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 243 KB

To determine whether there are any questions for the relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee can give to work contained within the Plan.

Minutes:

9.1             Attention was drawn to the Executive Committee Forward Plan, circulated at Pages No. 14-20.  Members were asked to determine whether there were any questions for the relevant Lead Members and what support the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could give to the work contained within the plan.

9.2             It was

RESOLVED          That the Executive Committee Forward Plan be NOTED

10.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 264 KB

To consider the forthcoming work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Minutes:

10.1          Attention was drawn to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2019/20, circulated at Pages No. 21-30, which Members were asked to consider.

10.2          A Member sought confirmation that the Annual Review of Committee Overturns item, due to be considered at the meeting on 23 July 2019, would be amended to make clear that this would be the populated version as opposed to just the template, in accordance with the amendment made to the Minutes of the meeting on 9 April 2019 discussed earlier in the meeting.  The Head of Development Services confirmed that would be the case and indicated she would provide as much information as she could, although it may not all be available in time for the next meeting.  Another Member noted that a Trade Waste report was due to be brought to the Committee in January 2020 and he sought an update on what was happening.  The Head of Community Services explained that a review was currently being undertaken as to the future of the service with a view to bringing the report to Members in the New Year.  In the short term, a piece of work had been carried out around how to increase the customer base to ensure that the authority was in a good position should the decision be to continue with the service.

10.3          A Member drew attention to the pending items section of the Work Programme and queried when the Safeguarding Policy and Procedure would be coming forward given that this had been put on hold pending new national guidance.  The Head of Community Services advised that Gloucestershire County Council was in the process of consulting on a new policy document; once that had been agreed, Tewkesbury Borough Council would then look to review its own policy with a view to bringing this back to the Committee early in the new year.

10.4           The Chair indicated that he was aware that a meeting of the Gloucestershire Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee had recently taken place and he asked that Democratic Services check the dates of these meetings and ensure that updates from the Member representative be included at the appropriate place in the Work Programme. 

10.5          It was

RESOLVED          That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2019/20 be NOTED subject to the following amendments:

-             23 July 2019 – Annual Review of Planning Committee                                        Overturns – wording to be amended to make clear that                                            this would be the populated version as opposed to just                                             the template, in accordance with the amendment made                                        to the Minutes of the previous meeting discussed earlier                                                 in the meeting; and,

-           Safeguarding Policy and Procedure – To be moved              from pending items to the Agenda for the meeting on 14 January 2020.

11.

Economic Development and Tourism Strategy 2017-21 pdf icon PDF 150 KB

To consider the progress made against the delivery of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy during year two and the actions identified for 2019/20 and to recommend to the Executive Committee that authority to make amendments to the strategy be delegated to the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion in consultation with the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Development Services.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

11.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 31-56, which asked Members to consider the progress made against the delivery of the Economic Development Strategy during year two, and the actions identified for 2019/20, and to recommend to the Executive Committee that authority to make amendments to the strategy be delegated to the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion in consultation with the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Development Services.

11.2           The Head of Democratic Services advised that it was not possible to delegate authority to the Lead Member to make changes to the strategy, therefore, part two of the recommendation set out in the report should read ‘To recommend to the Executive Committee that authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, to make amendments to the strategy’.

11.3          The Economic and Community Development Manager advised that the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy 2017-21 had been adopted by the Executive Committee in June 2017.  The strategy had been developed by an Overview and Scrutiny Working Group and was informed by an employment land review, economic assessment and business survey carried out by Bruton Knowles.  The strategy was based on five key priorities: employment land planning; transport infrastructure improvement; business growth support; promoting Tewkesbury Borough; and employability, education and training.  These priorities were reflected in an annual action plan.  The report outlined the work from the previous year and, as set out at Page No. 33, Paragraph 3.2 of the report, provided key actions for the year ahead.  Members were advised that a new strategy was due to be produced in 2021; however, due to a focus on growth and a number of changes around economic development, for example, new initiatives such as Garden Towns and the High Street Fund, it was requested that authority be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Development Services, in consultation with the Lead Member for Economic Development/Promotion, to update the current strategy in the interim.

11.4           A Member indicated that she could see Officers had worked hard, and there were a number of actions, but there were no quantifiable outputs in the report so she would like to see the inclusion of performance metrics to demonstrate what had been achieved.  The Economic and Community Development Manager indicated that the performance tracker, included as part of the performance management report which was the next item on the Agenda, gave information on the unemployment rate, number of business births etc. and he would be more than happy to reflect that within this report in future.  The Growth and Enterprise Manager advised that the Growth Hub set targets around jobs created and interactions with businesses so those figures could also be included.

11.5           A Member went on to question whether there was a realistic timescale for the work around supporting the Gloucestershire Airport business expansion.  He noted that a lot of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Performance Management - Quarter 4 and Full Year 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 578 KB

To review and scrutinise the performance management information and, where appropriate, to require response or action from the Executive Committee.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

12.1           The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 57-109, attached performance management information for quarter four of 2018/19.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee was asked to review and scrutinise the performance information and, where appropriate, identify any issues to refer to the Executive Committee for clarification or further action to be taken.

12.2          Members were advised that this was the fourth quarterly monitoring report for 2018/19 and progress against delivering the objectives and actions for each of the Council Plan priorities was reported through the Performance Tracker, attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  Key actions for the quarter were highlighted at Paragraph 2.3 of the report and included the strong performance of garden waste renewals with over 17,000 stickers sold, generating income of £820,000; progression of the Spring Gardens project in accordance with key milestones with a report due to be taken to the Executive Committee in July; input from Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the development and approval of a new Workforce Development Strategy; a Place Approach Member seminar held in the final quarter of the year which had resulted in it being tailored to what worked most effectively in each of the three areas; ‘making’ of the Down Hatherley, Norton and Twigworth Neighbourhood Development Plan at Council on 28 May resulting in a total of six ‘made’ Neighbourhood Development Plans across the borough; and the successful bid for Garden Town status for the Ashchurch area.  Due to the complex nature of the actions being delivered, it was inevitable that some would not progress as smoothly or quickly as envisaged and the details of these were set out at Paragraph 2.4 of the report.  In terms of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Members were informed that the status of each indicator was set out at Paragraph 3.2 of the report. Of the 17 indicators with targets, nine had been achieved, two were on par with the target and six had not been achieved as at the end of quarter four.  Key areas of interest were included at Paragraph 3.3 of the report.

12.3          During the debate which ensued, the following queries and comments were made in relation to the Performance Tracker:

Priority: Finance and Resources

P70 – Objective 3 – Action b) Undertake a review of the discretionary trade waste service to ensure it is operating on a viable commercial level – A Member noted that the commentary for this action stated that this included an action plan for increased marketing of the service and he questioned if this was necessary at this stage given that the service was under review.

The Head of Community Services explained that the Council had a legal duty to deal with trade waste.  The service was currently not far from a break-even point and the review had demonstrated that the customer base could be increased quite easily; as such, it was important that the service was in as strong a position as possible should Members resolve to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Enviro-Crime Annual Report pdf icon PDF 164 KB

To consider the annual enviro-crime report and action plan. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

13.1          The report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 110-136, provided an annual summary of progress made tackling enviro-crime in 2018/19.  Members were asked to consider the report and action plan.

13.2           The Head of Community Services explained that responsibility for enviro-crime rested with the Environmental Health Team.  This was a small but very busy team which also carried out food hygiene inspections in over 750 food establishments across the borough; undertook environmental protection work such as monitoring air quality and contaminated land as well as commenting on planning applications; supported the licensing service; delivered Disabled Facilities Grants; and reacted to service requests.  The Environmental Health Manager advised that the original action plan for tackling enviro-crime was attached at Appendix 1 to the report; this had focused on putting in place the procedures and general infrastructure to allow a more robust, targeted approach to enviro-crime.  This was built upon in the revised plan, attached at Appendix 2 to the report, which also focused more on making connections within local communities and developing joint working arrangements with partner agencies.  Enviro-crimes had originally been considered collectively but, during 2018/19, they had been separated out into individual enviro-crimes in order to allow comparison and identification of trends going forward. 

13.3          With regard to fly-tipping, Members were advised that majority of fly-tips reported were not witnessed and did not appear to contain any relevant information that would allow a further investigation to take place, for example, residential or business addresses, therefore it was more difficult to secure a prosecution; however, it was hoped that increased Officer presence across the borough would give more chance of catching offenders.  When the last report had been presented to the Committee in January, Members had been informed that a case involving a number of waste offences had been taken to court in November 2018 but one of the individuals had not attended, therefore this had not been resolved and a warrant had been issued for their arrest.  Over the Christmas period, both parties had been arrested with one pleading guilty and the other claiming their innocence.  Another court date had been set but the individual had absconded again and the Environmental Health Team was working with the Police to find them.  In terms of littering, the Environmental Health Manager explained that it was a criminal offence for a person to drop, throw down, leave or deposit litter in a public place and offenders could receive a fixed penalty fine of up to £75 so this was something he would encourage people to report.  In terms of littering from a vehicle, a change in legislation meant that this was the responsibility of the registered keeper so offenders could be actively pursued.  With respect to dog fouling, a Public Space Protection Order had been introduced in July 2018 which made it an offence for any person in control of a dog to fail to pick up after the dog or fail to produce, on request, a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Single Use Plastics Update pdf icon PDF 263 KB

To endorse the actions undertaken and proposed in order to eliminate single-use plastics from the Council’s operations and to consider the extracts from the Government Waste Strategy in relation to single-use plastics.

Minutes:

14.1          The report of the Head of Finance and Asset Management, circulated at Pages No. 137-144, provided Members with an update on the elimination of single-use plastics following the motion to Council in July 2018.  Members were asked to endorse the actions taken, and proposed, in order to eliminate single-use plastics from the Council’s operations and to consider the extracts from the Government Waste Strategy in relation to single-use plastics.

14.2          Members were advised that, in July 2018, the Council had approved that all single-use plastics within buildings and facilities managed by the Council be eliminated by 2020 and efforts be made to encourage the elimination of single-use plastics within the Council’s supply chain by 2025; and that the work of the Gloucestershire Joint Waste Partnership in promoting the reduction of single-use plastics across the County be supported and any opportunities to lobby central government be taken through the partnership.  There was no accepted definition of single-use plastics, and no common set of products, but Officers had looked far and wide to those used by environmental groups, the European Union and the government to come up with a list of commonly accepted examples, set out at Page No. 139, Paragraph 2.3 of the report.  The Council’s progress in eliminating single-use plastics from the Council building was detailed at Page No. 140, Paragraph 3.4 of the report, and it was noted that most had been replaced or removed.  Particular reference was made to plastic water bottles, which were currently sold in vending machines, and it was noted that the vending machines would be removed by the end of the month.  All disposable drinking cups and lids had been replaced with cardboard or compostable alternatives and plastic drinks stirrers had been phased out and replaced by wooden stirrers.  Whilst the Council did not supply plastic cutlery, refreshments were provided at some meetings and Officers were working with suppliers to provide alternatives.  Plastic milk cartons were currently still being provided but consideration was being given to alternative provision for supply of tea and coffee.  Whilst the Council used little in the way of plastic bags, the ones it did use, for food waste etc. were biodegradable, with very few black bin bags being used – with regard to the latter, it was noted that the industry was moving very quickly and an alternative bio-based plastic was being produced which the Council would look to bring in over time.  Whilst the Council had no direct power over its tenants in this respect, it was able to encourage and support them to adopt its policies and a number of tenants already had their own policies, for instance, Gloucestershire County Council was much further advanced and Places for People also had a policy in place.  It was noted that the Council’s Procurement Strategy was being updated to ensure it was appropriately worded so as to eradicate single-use plastic from the supply chain. 

14.3           Members were reminded that reduction of single-use plastic was an international issue and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

Disabled Facilities Grants Review Monitoring Report pdf icon PDF 306 KB

To consider progress against the actions arising from the Disabled Facilities Grants Review and to approve closure of the review. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

15.1          Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 145-153, which set out the progress made against the recommendation arising from the Disabled Facilities Grants review.  Members were asked to consider the report and to approve closure of the review.

15.2           The Head of Community Services advised that the Council’s Environmental Health Team administered Disabled Facilities Grants but applicants must first be assessed by an Occupational Therapist from Gloucestershire County Council to find out if an adaptation best met the customer’s needs; it was only following a referral that the Council was involved.  The Environmental Health Manager explained that a review of the way the Council delivered Disabled Facilities Grants had been conducted by an Overview and Scrutiny Working Group in 2015/16 and reports setting out progress against the action plan had been brought to the Committee on a six monthly basis since that time.  The action plan was now complete, therefore, Members were asked to consider the progress made and to close the review.  It was noted that the downward trend of Occupational Therapist referrals and applications for Disabled Facilities Grants had continued during 2018/19 which could be attributable to the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group restructure and the Occupational Therapists having less customers or less ability to process customers; notwithstanding this, it was a similar level to the previous year with a total of 85 referrals compared to 89 in 2017/18.  He pointed out that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government had allocated additional funds to local authorities which committed to spend it prior to 1 April 2019 and Tewkesbury Borough Council had been allocated £141,363 which had been used for Disabled Facilities Grants adaptations and more broadly on “other social care capital projects”, in particular for the insulation of park homes across the borough.

15.3          A Member noted that neither the Tewkesbury Borough Plan or Joint Core Strategy referred to ‘homes for life’ i.e. wheelchair accessible, wet rooms etc.  In response, the Chief Executive advised that the ‘homes for life’ standard did come with affordability issues which some housing providers had problems with, particularly in terms of affordable housing, and he undertook to ensure that a briefing note on this matter was provided to Members following the meeting.  Another Member questioned whether Gloucestershire County Council had been informed that the Council was not spending all of the funding it was allocated.  The Head of Community Services confirmed that discussions did take place with colleagues at the County Council and any unused money went back into the pot at the end of the year but a countywide working group was currently looking at how this could be improved.   In terms of possible reasons as to why the money was not being spent, Members were advised that, although the Council’s procedure was sound and applications were processed quickly, Officers were required to follow specific criteria set down by legislation which meant that some people looked elsewhere for grants; in addition,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

16.

Review of Communications Strategy pdf icon PDF 209 KB

To consider the progress made against the actions within the Communications Strategy during 2018/19.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

16.1          The report of the Head of Corporate Services, circulated at Pages No. 154-164, set out the progress made in delivering the actions within the Communications Strategy during 2018/19.  Members were asked to consider the report.

16.2          The Corporate Services Manager advised that the Communications Strategy had been approved by the Executive Committee on 7 June 2019 where it was agreed that an annual review would be undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to ensure actions were being delivered effectively.  The 2018/19 action plan was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and the Communications Team had worked hard to try to deliver all of the actions.  There had been a particular focus on providing continued support for the Public Services Centre with the launch of the Growth Hub; developing social media engagement; ongoing promotion for the Joint Core Strategy; supporting the elections team in communicating the local elections; and reviewing the format of the Tewkesbury Borough News.  Of the 17 actions, three had not been achieved and these were detailed at Page No. 155, Paragraph 2.2 of the report.  It was to be borne in mind that these actions had been carried out alongside the day-to-day reactive duties of the Communications Team which included responding to a significant amount of media enquiries as well as managing the Council’s social media channels.  In terms of moving forward, this was the final year of the strategy and the team was currently working on developing a new one which would be brought to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for comment prior to presentation to the Executive Committee for approval.

16.3          A Member raised concern that Councillors often knew less about issues than the public they served and questioned what could be done to ensure Members were better informed.  The Corporate Services Manager recognised this was an issue but pointed out that it took a significant amount of resource to ensure that all Members were kept updated on everything; notwithstanding this, she undertook to work with other service areas to come to a solution.  The Member also indicated that he was having problems with loading photographs onto the Report It system as Office 365 did not seem to have the tools to reduce the picture size and the Corporate Services Manager indicated that she would discuss this with the IT Team following the meeting.  Another Member noted that one of the outstanding actions was the consolidation of the Council’s photo library and questioned whether a temporary member of staff was needed to help deliver this action.  In response, the Corporate Services Manager advised that she did not think this was necessary as it was thought there may be a solution within the review of the Council’s intranet which was currently being carried out.

16.4          It was

RESOLVED          That the progress against the actions within the Communications Strategy 2018/19 be NOTED.

17.

Parking Strategy Review pdf icon PDF 143 KB

To establish a Working Group to undertake a review of the Parking Strategy. 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

17.1          The report of the Head of Finance and Asset Management, circulated at Pages No. 165-169, asked the Committee to establish a Working Group to undertake a review of the Parking Strategy in accordance with the Terms of Reference attached at Appendix A to the report.

17.2          Members were advised that the current Car Parking Strategy was adopted in 2015 and it was now due for review.  Members would be aware that the Council was considering possible regeneration options for Spring Gardens and it was important to have an effective parking strategy to support this.  It was proposed that an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group be established to undertake the review with the Lead Members for Economic Development/Promotion and Finance and Asset Management, meeting on a monthly basis between July and October, in order to bring a draft report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in October with a final report presented in December before going to Executive Committee for approval in the new year.  The new Parking Strategy and associated Parking Order would come into effect in April 2020.  The proposed Terms of Reference for the Working Group were attached at Appendix A to the report. 

17.3           A Member commented that Gloucestershire County Council was conducting its own review of parking in Tewkesbury and assumed this would be taken into account in this review.  In response, the Head of Finance and Asset Management clarified that, whilst it would be informed by the County Council review which was looking at on-street parking and wider issues, Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Parking Strategy would be focusing on the elements within its own control i.e. off-street parking in the eight car parks in Tewkesbury and two in Winchcombe.  It was subsequently

RESOLVED          1. That a Parking Strategy Working Group be established in accordance with the Terms of Reference set out at Appendix A, subject to an amendment to 2 (i) to state that the Working Group shall comprise four Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

2. That the membership of the Working Group be AGREED as follows:

Councillors K J Cromwell, J W Murphy, M J Williams and                        P N Workman plus the Lead Members for Economic Development/Promotion and Finance and Asset Management.