Agenda and 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 the 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.

The agenda contained 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 of business.

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.

No declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests were made, however Councillor Akhtar reported his “other” interest in agenda item 9 – “Improving Air Quality in Leeds” as a representative of local private hire drivers. (Minute 24 refers).

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor A Blackburn and Councillor J Bentley

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2018.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held 28^th June 2018 be agreed as a correct record

Minute 10 Anti-Social Behaviour – The Board received an update on the first of several meetings planned between Burmantofts and Richmond Hill ward Councillors and the Executive Member, Communities, to discuss how to ensure that responsible authorities and partners tackle rising crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour issues in the East End Park area of the city.

To consider the report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support and the appended Tenant Scrutiny Board inquiry report into the Anti-Social Behaviour Service.

The report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support presented the Tenant Scrutiny Board Inquiry into the Anti-Social Behaviour Service – Final Report and Response to Recommendations.

The Tenant Scrutiny Board concluded their inquiry into the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Service in April 2018, having conducted the inquiry over six formal evidence gathering sessions between October 2017 and March 2018.

The report included a copy of the inquiry report attached at Appendix 1; along with the formal response to the inquiry (appendix 2) and a copy of the minutes of the Tenant Scrutiny Board meeting held on 22^nd  June 2018 (appendix 3) which considered that response.

The following were in attendance for the item:

·  John Gittos – Chair of Tenant Scrutiny Board

·  Councillor D Coupar, Executive Member for Communities

·  James Rogers – Director of Communities and Environment

·  Harvinder Saimbhi - Head of Operational Delivery, ASB & Security Services

·  David Longthorpe – Head of Housing Management

John Gittos, Chair of the Tenant Scrutiny Board presented the Inquiry report, highlighting the complex nature of the inquiry which spanned several agencies and the ten recommendations reached. He highlighted those recommendations where agreement had been reached and those areas where further work could progress the issues.

The following key matters were raised during discussions

·  The scope of the TSB Inquiry – noting that several issues identified fell within the remit of other agencies

·  The emerging ‘One Council approach’

·  The possible source of customer dissatisfaction

·  The anticipated review of the LASBAT structure and operating procedures

·  The capacity and resources available to LASBAT

·  The breadth of issues within LASBATs remit, and the impact this had on the timeliness of investigations which crossed several agencies

·  The need to manage the expectations of tenants/residents making a referral; and to provide clear information on the process and evidential targets to be met to proceed with an investigation.

(Councillor Akhtar left the meeting at 10:30 am at this point)

The Board considered its role in the review of the Service and resolved to consider this matter further. The Board requested the chronology of the intended review to facilitate further support from Board in a timely manner.

In conclusion it was noted that the Tenant Scrutiny Board would track the recommendations in 6 months’ time.

RESOLVED –

a)  To acknowledge the findings and recommendations arising from the Tenant Scrutiny Board Inquiry into the Anti-Social Behaviour Service, and the response to the recommendations made.

b)  To support the review of the LASBAT service by incorporating scrutiny of progress into the work programme.

To consider the report of the Director of Environment and Communities which outlines the draft Safer Leeds ‘Community Safety Strategy’ (2018-21) for consideration by the Scrutiny Board

The Board considered the report of the Director of Communities and Environment which presented the draft Safer Leeds Strategy 2018-2021 in line with the Council’s requirement for key strategies identified in the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework to be made available for Scrutiny, before they are agreed by full Council.

The report outlined that as part of the city’s Community Safety Partnership, the Safer Leeds Executive (SLE) has a statutory requirement to prepare and implement a local Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy, referred to locally as the Safer Leeds ‘Community Safety Strategy’ (appendix 1). The Executive Board considered the draft Community Safety Strategy 2018-21 on 25^th July 2018.

The following were in attendance for the item:

·  James Rogers - Director of Communities and Environment

·  Paul Money – Chief Officer, Safer Leeds

·  Councillor D Coupar, Executive Member for Communities

Having reviewed the draft Strategy, the Board discussed the document and made the following comments:

·  Measures to encourage speed reduction to be given greater prominence; specifically information on the enforcement of Leeds 20 MPH. The Board were advised that Roads Policing falls under the remit of West Yorkshire police however vehicular anti-social behaviour fell within the remit of the ASB Board which reported directly to the Safer Leeds Executive. The Board therefore sought to ensure that the Strategy clearly identified the responsibilities of each Board and their links to the SLE.

·  Whether the Strategy should further emphasise work done with schools/education settings regarding sexual harassment education; noting that “Safer Schools” had developed a focus for secondary provision, with further work ongoing to develop a primary age approach

·  Clarity to be provided on the statistics for domestic burglaries, setting the information in context.

Additionally, the comments submitted by Councillor J Bentley regarding the impact of vehicular ASB on estates and defining this as a community safety issue, rather than a road safety matter, were shared with the meeting

The Board noted the following during discussions:

-  The intention to improve links to the Scrutiny Board to promote its influence

-  Recognition that the Strategy needed to clarify links to other services

-  The overarching Strategy was not intended to be prescriptive, but responsive, with the Boards established to support the Safer Leeds Executive to respond to emerging issues.

-  As speeding/vehicular ASB was one of Safer Leeds top 3 local priorities; in areas where this was a significant issue; strong links needed to be established with Neighbourhood Policing Teams. Liaison with LCC Community Committee Community Safety Champions was suggested to consider the opportunities to tackle this, and Members were encouraged to communicate their concerns to local NPTs.

RESOLVED

a)  Having considered the draft Safer Leeds ‘Community Safety Strategy’ for 2018-21 as part of the consultation phase; the comments made by Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) were noted for action.

b)  To note the funding allocations from West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, as outlined in the report, for 2018/19

c)  To prepare a statement of the Scrutiny Board’s conclusions and recommendations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

To consider the report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support and the appended Executive Board report of the Director of Resources and Housing, Director of City Development, Director of Communities and Environment and Director of Public Health dated 27June 2018.

The report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support presented an update and an overview of the consultation responses received on the Clean Air Charging Zone proposal and detailing how the first stage of consultation responses had been considered and reflected within an updated proposal.

The report provided a brief history to the development of the proposals; including the Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) working group which met on the 15^th December 2017 to consider the air quality solution proposed to Executive Board on 13^th December 2017 - a Class B Clean Air Zone was proposed, effectively introducing a charge for any buses, coaches, HGVs and taxi and private hire vehicles that did not meet pre-determined emission standards.

A copy of the report to the Executive Board meeting on 27^th June 2018, and the minutes of that meeting were included within the report as appendices.

The following were in attendance for the item:

·  Cllr James Lewis, Executive Member for Resources and Sustainability

·  Neil Evans - Director of Resources and Housing

·  Polly Cook - Executive Programme Manager

The Board welcomed the additional opportunity for involvement at this latter stage in the process, before the submission of the Full Business Case to Government in September 2018.

The Board discussed the following key issues:

·  Clarity on Leeds’ standards when compared to other Authorities to ensure residents understood that Leeds actions were in line with other authorities seeking achieve the Euro 6 or Euro 4 standards.

·  The measures put in place to provide a period of transition and support for the hackney carriage and private hire trade.

The Chair outlined the Boards endorsement of the approach taken so far to implement the proposals.

RESOLVED -

a)  To note the content of the report, appended Executive Board report and the decision of the Executive Board;

b)  To note the information communicated at the meeting;

c)  To note the comments made during discussion of the item and the offer to provide an update to the Board in the Autumn.

d)  The endorsement of the Scrutiny Board to the approach taken in Leeds.

To consider the report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support, and the report of the Chief Officer Environmental Services which provides information relating to kerbside collections of domestic waste and provides guidance regarding the scope of work for further review or inquiry.

The report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support was considered as the basis for a scoping discussion on Waste Management and Kerbside Collection, following consideration of a request for Scrutiny regarding refuse collection. At its meeting on 28th June 2018, Scrutiny Board (Environment, Housing and Communities) identified current performance and the developing waste management strategy as a potential area of focus for the 2018/19 municipal year

The report provided advice on key considerations when determining the scope of any review/inquiry and included a report submitted by the Chief Officer, Environmental Services, setting out further information on the Waste Management Service in Leeds in order to help inform Scrutiny discussions on the scope of an inquiry into this service.

The following were in attendance to discuss the issue with the Board:

·  James Rogers - Director of Communities and Environment

·  Helen Freeman – Chief Officer, Environmental Action

·  Susan Hardy – Service Manager, Waste Management

·  Andrew Lingham – Head of Service (Waste Strategy)

·  Councillor Mohammed Rafique – Executive Member

·  Councillor Matthew Robinson

·  Councillor Paul Wadsworth

·  Councillor Mark Dobson

The Board heard from Councillors M Robinson; P Wadsworth and M Dobson as signatories to a letter submitted requesting scrutiny of this issue.

The Board noted the suggested areas for review and identified the following as areas for Scrutiny:

·  To provide a better, accurate understanding of performance of kerbside collections, with a focus on what is being collected, recycling rates and whether the rates are sufficient and continue to move in the right direction.

·  To understand/agree what constitutes a true service failure and therefore the point at which escalations should be made by Members and residents and how best to do this efficiently.

·  To make recommendations on improving the customer focus of the service, including an ability for residents to readily check for themselves what’s happening with current collections in their area; and the role of advice; education and enforcement to encourage residents to become involved in improving the service.

·  To understand the process of recording and reporting daily collection activity and to recommend how that can best be reported to Members and other external interested parties.

·  To understand the process of recording and reporting longer term issues that hinder the collection of refuse that need to be addressed by other parts of the local authority or other organisations.

·  To explore and understand the reasons for missed collections across the city, including the measures available to tackle blocked highway access and the possibility of a pilot scheme for the use of Traffic Regulation Orders

·  To see the patterns and trends of collection rates & the incidence and reasons behind repeat misses in certain locations.

• To consider the needs of Leeds Residents and the longer term aspirations for Leeds in the developing waste management strategy, to enhance service, build resilience, ensure compliance and overcome problems. This is to include focus on Environmental Enforcement in accordance with the request for Scrutiny in June 2018.

·  As part of the developing waste management strategy to understand the fleet  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2018/19 municipal year.

The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support submitted a report which invited Members to consider the Board’s work schedule for the 2017/18 municipal year. Copies of the Board’s draft work schedule and the minutes of the Executive Board meeting held on 27th June 2018 were appended to the report for information.

In respect of the Board meeting currently scheduled for 11^th January 2019, the Board noted that following a canvas of Members availability, this meeting would be moved to Wednesday 23^rd January 2019.

RESOLVED –

a)  To note the matters outlined in this report, and raised during the meeting.

b)  To agree the overall work schedule (as presented at Appendix 1) as the basis for the Board’s work for the remainder of 2018/19.

c)  That the work schedule and Executive Board minutes be noted.

d)  To note the new date for the January Board meeting as Wednesday 23rd January 2019

e)  That Board members be canvassed about their availability for a visit as detailed in minute 25.

f)  That Board members be canvassed about their availability for a working group in late September to consider Housing Repairs.

Wednesday 3 October 2018 at 10:30am (pre meeting for all Board Members at 10:00am)

RESOLVED – To note the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday 3^rd October 2018 at 10.00 am

(The meeting concluded at 11:50 am)