Agenda and minutes

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration.

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.)

There were no late items.

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 and paragraphs 13-16 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests declared to the meeting, however the following matter was brought to the attention of the Scrutiny Board:

-  Councillor J Procter advised that his employer had procured the services of waste management providers.

Councillor J Procter remained present for the duration of the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were submitted by Councillors A Khan and G Wilkinson.  Notification had been received that Councillor C Dobson was to substitute for Councillor A Khan and Councillor B Flynn for Councillor G Wilkinson.

To confirm as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 22 March 2016.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 March 2016 be approved as a correct record.

To receive a report from the Director of Environment and Housing presenting an update on a series of summaries of waste strategy themed issues identified by the Board.

The Director of Environment and Housing submitted a report which presented an update on a series of waste issues that were presented to the Board in November 2015.

The following were in attendance:

-  Neil Evans, Director of Environment and Housing

-  Susan Upton, Chief Officer (Waste Management)

-  Andrew Lingham, Head of Service (Waste Strategy and Information)

-  Paul Fowler, General Manager at Veolia Environmental Services, Leeds.

The key areas of discussion in relation to the various themes were:

The City’s Waste Strategy

·  The development of education programmes outlining the benefits of recycling. 

·  The need to address local concerns about emissions and odours being associated with the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF).  To assist with this it was suggested that the Council works closely with the Environment Agency to put in place local air quality management and monitoring arrangements that would assist in identifying the source of complaints.  The Board requested that a further briefing on this matter be brought back to Scrutiny at a future meeting.

·  Confirmation regarding the cost benefits of recycling at the site.  The Board was advised that Veolia had a minimum target of 10% for recycling.

·  A breakdown was sought regarding sources of waste.  It was reported that Leeds City Council (LCC) waste was between 85-90%.  The remaining amount was Veolia commercial.

Recycling (including addressing low participation rates in existing AWC areas and viable options for non-AWC areas across the city)

·  Concern about missed bins in areas that were difficult to access.  The Board was advised about recent improvements regarding missed bins.

·  Concern that not all landlords provided tenants with information about recycling.

·  The need for information about recycling to be displayed in different languages.

·  Development of targeted recycling campaigns.

·  The need for clearer recycling messages and markings on packaging.  The Board discussed the need to involve the Local Government Association (LGA) in helping to address this issue.

·  Issues associated with recycling of textiles and fabrics.

·  The benefits of home composting. 

Managing waste in high rise properties

·  No issues identified.

The bulky item collection service

·  An acknowledgement regarding recent improvements to the Council’s bulky item collection service.

·  The need to promote the Council’s free of charge service.

Addressing fly-tipping across the city

·  The positive impact of covert operations in the outer north east area of Leeds.

·  The need for more joined up working with police, particularly in terms of enforcement.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the update on waste issues be noted

(b)  That a further briefing about air quality management and monitoring arrangements for those areas surrounding the Veolia RERF be brought back to Scrutiny at a future meeting.

To receive a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development in relation to the Peckfield Landfill Site.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which provided an update regarding Peckfield Landfill Site.

The following information was appended to the report:

-  Memorandum for the operation of liaison groups for mineral working, waste management and energy sites.

RESOLVED – That a more detailed update in relation to the Peckfield Landfill site be scheduled early in the new municipal year to include feedback from the Peckfield Liaison Committee in relation to the site’s Restoration and Aftercare scheme.

To receive a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting the final report following the recent Scrutiny inquiry into Housing Mix.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which presented the final report following the recent scrutiny inquiry into Housing Mix.

RESOLVED – That the Scrutiny Inquiry Report into Housing Mix be noted.

(The meeting concluded at 2.50pm)