Agenda and draft minutes

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25* of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded).

(* In accordance with Procedure Rule 25, notice of an appeal must be received in writing by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting).

There were no appeals against refusal of inspection of documents.

1.  To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.

2.  To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.

3.  If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:

No exempt items have been identified.

There was no exempt information.

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 interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

There were no declarations of interests.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies were received from the following members of the Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing & Communities):

-  Cllr N Harrington (Cllr B Flynn attended as a substitute)

-  Cllr B Anderson (Cllr R Stephenson attended as a substitute)

-  Cllr A Hannan (Cllr E Bromley attended as a substitute)

-  Cllr Z Hussain (Cllr J Garvani attended as a substitute)

-  Cllr M Iqbal (Cllr R Jones attended as a substitute)

-  Cllr A McCluskey (Cllr N Manaka attended as a substitute)

Cllr M Dobson also asked that his apologies be noted in his capacity as a signatory to the first call-in request.

To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services advising the Scrutiny Board on the procedural aspects of calling in the decision.

The Principal Scrutiny Advisor highlighted the key elements of the call-in process as set out in the appended report.

The Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing & Communities) members were advised that they were being asked to consider two call-in requests, which had been received in line with the Executive and Decision-Making Procedure Rules.

Those call-in requests related to a key decision regarding Parking Charges on District Centres. Further detail surrounding the decision was provided elsewhere in the agenda pack, along with copies of the call-in request forms.

The Scrutiny Board was advised that the meeting was specific to the key decision that has been called in. Issues outside of this decision, including other related decisions, could not be considered as part of the Scrutiny Board’s determination of the outcome of the Call In.

Members were reminded that having reviewed the decision, the Scrutiny Board could pursue one of two courses of action:

Option 1 – Release the decision for implementation. In this case, the decision would be immediately released for implementation and the decision could not be Called In again.

Option 2 – Recommend to the decision maker that the decision be reconsidered. If the Scrutiny Board chose to make this recommendation, a report of the Scrutiny Board would be produced and referred to the Director of Communities, Housing and Environment for consideration.

Members were advised that if the Scrutiny Board did not agree one of the above actions, then Option 1 would be adopted by default - the decision would released for implementation and could not be Called-In again.

RESOLVED: The Scrutiny Board noted the content of the report and agreed to adopt the procedure as detailed within it.

To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services, which presents background information relating to a key decision that has been called in in accordance with procedures set out within the Leeds City Council’s constitution.

The original delegated decision was taken by the Chief Officer Elections & Regulatory and the Chief Officer Transportation and Highways on 13 November 2024 and relates to Parking Charges On District Centres.

Please note that appended to the cover report are documents including two call in requests, the delegated decision notice and the original report to the decision maker.

Those individuals in attendance were:

The officers supporting the Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing & Communities) for this meeting were:

The Chair introduced the item by setting out the structure for the meeting.

He noted that he had agreed in advance to a request for a nominated representative from each political group represented on the first call-in request to speak at the meeting. However, Cllr Dobson was subsequently unable to attend the meeting. The Scrutiny Board therefore agreed Cllr Harrington could read a brief statement on his behalf.

Speakers were reminded that they should focus on the grounds for the call-in and that introductory comments would be time limited.

In making her introductory comments, Cllr Harrington highlighted concerns including:

-  Levels of local opposition in Wetherby reflected in consultation exercises, public meetings and a petition.

-  Potential displacement of parking to surrounding areas.

-  The impact on young and vulnerable people.

-  Limited alternative methods of public transport.

-  Economic impact of reduced footfall on local businesses and charities.

-  The outcome of a pilot programme of enhanced enforcement.

Cllr Hart-Brooke provided further comment noting the following issues:

-  Impact on local businesses, particularly near Marsh Street car park.

-  Disadvantage for local businesses in comparison to out of town retail sites, which will continue to offer free parking.

-  Impact on low-income households and workers.

-  The geography of outer areas resulting in a higher reliance on car ownership for some people.

-  A lack of reliable public transport alternatives.

-  Level of opposition reflected in consultation responses.

-  Predicted levels of revenue and costs associated with the project.

With the agreement of the Scrutiny Board, Cllr Harrington read a statement on behalf of Cllr Dobson. He highlighted concerns including:

-  Potential to exacerbate existing challenges regarding parking and driver behaviours around Barleyhill Road.

-  Risks to public safety of increased congestion and poor driver behaviour.

-  Potential displacement of parking to surrounding areas.

-  The impact of new charges on local businesses.

-  Predicted costs of potential increases in enforcement activity.

Cllr Stables was invited to make introductory comments. She began by noting she did not object in principle to car parking charges as a potential tool to discourage car use and raise revenue. However, in this instance she is concerned that Wetherby has no railway and a lack of reliable, regular bus services.

She agreed with many of the comments relating  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

To determine whether to release the decision for implementation or recommend to the decision-maker that the decision should be reconsidered.

The Chair invited each member of the Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing & Communities) to vote for one of two available options:

·  Option 1: release the decision for implementation.

·  Option 2: recommend to the decision maker that the decision be reconsidered.

The Principal Scrutiny Advisor confirmed that the majority of Scrutiny Board members voted for option 2 and the outcome was therefore to recommend to the decision maker that the decision be reconsidered.

She further advised the Scrutiny Board that where a decision is referred back for reconsideration, the Scrutiny Officer is required to prepare a report within three working days of the meeting for the relevant Director.

As a result, there was a brief adjournment of the meeting to allow the Chair, Principal Scrutiny Officer and the Legal Officer supporting the Scrutiny Board to summarise the principles which would form the basis of that report to the Director.

Upon returning to public session, members agreed the following principles should form the basis of the Scrutiny Officer’s report to the Director:

·  Displacement Parking: concern was expressed that the introduction of parking charges would lead to displacement parking on roads in surrounding areas. Clarity and reassurance was requested regarding the pace at which additional Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) could be introduced.

·  Impact on the economies of district centres: It was acknowledged that district centres are by their nature highly localised. However, common concerns were raised about all district centres including ways in which a robust assessment could be made about the influence of new parking charges on footfall, length of parking stay and how much money may then be spent in the local economy. The Scrutiny Board suggested that comparative data from other district centres outside of Leeds, where charges have already been introduced, may provide valuable evidence.

·  Proportionality: the Scrutiny Board sought additional data to provide assurance about the proportional impact of the introduction of charges on different stakeholder groups – for example, workers, shoppers and visitors. Members highlighted challenges regarding the accessibility of district centres for some people living in the outer areas of the city with limited options for alternative methods of travel.

·  Consultation: Members expressed concern about the level of opposition to the proposed charges (reflected in the survey responses appended to the report to the decision maker).

·  Equality of access: The Director was asked to further consider the breadth of payment methods, particularly addressing those citizens without access to a bank card or parking app.

RESOLVED:

The Scrutiny Board agreed to recommend to the decision maker that the decision be reconsidered. The Scrutiny Officer was therefore required to prepare a report within three working days of the meeting for the relevant Director.

In line with the Council’s Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rules the Scrutiny Board further agreed the principles which should form the basis of the Scrutiny Officer’s subsequent report to the Director. The details of the agreed principles are as set out in the minute above.

The next meeting of the Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) will take place at 10am on Friday 6 December 2024. There will be a pre-meeting for all members of the Scrutiny Board at 9.30am.

The next meeting of the Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) will take place on Friday 6 December at 10.00am. There will be a pre-meeting for all Scrutiny Board members at 9.30am.