Agenda and minutes

There were no appeals against refusals of inspection of documents.

There were no items excluded from the public domain.

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 are no declarations of interest.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

The following apologies were noted:

-  Cllr Coupar, Executive Member (item 8)

-  Eve Roodhouse, Chief Officer Culture & Economy (item 7)

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the minutes of the meeting held on  15 June 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2022 were approved.

The Chair provided an update in relation to minute 9, noting that a remote working group would be arranged to enable the Scrutiny Board to consider the draft Delivery Partnership Plan ahead of the Executive Board meeting on 21 September. Potential dates will be circulated via the Principal Scrutiny Advisor.

To receive an update from the Director of City Development about the approach being taken to explore what the transition to Net Zero means for the Leeds economy.

The following individuals were in attendance for this item:

Cllr Helen Hayden   - Executive Member

Cllr Jonathan Pryor   - Executive Member

Fiona Bolam   - Head of Economic Policy

Fiona Bolam introduced the item, highlighting the importance of considering the transition to carbon neutrality in the context of the Council’s ambition to deliver inclusive growth.

Fiona referenced the appendix to the report, which sets out initial analysis from the Centre for Progressive Policy about the risks and opportunities for Leeds of the transition to net zero. The Council will be commissioning a partner to carry out more detailed sector-based analysis. This will include exploring the support businesses need to transition to net zero, and the impact on the current and future workforce. 

The Scrutiny Board was informed that this project aligns with regional work on the green economy, which is being led by WYCA and the final recommendations that emerge from the work will inform the refresh of the Inclusive Growth Strategy next year.

Fiona provided an overview of existing work to increase resilience to climate change and provided information about two regional schemes – Resource Efficient Business (REBiz) and Travel Plan Network. She also noted the success of Leeds City Council’s Electric Vehicle Trials with local businesses.

The Board discussed some of the risks identified in the initial analysis from the Centre for Progressive Policy. This included levels of employment in high emitting industries and the concentration of these industries in areas with higher deprivation. Members raised concern about the potential for inequalities to increase if employees in these industries do not have the skills to access emerging jobs in the green economy. 

Other matters discussed by the Scrutiny Board included:

-  Transport emissions: The high level of road transport emissions in Leeds.

-  Political uncertainty: Uncertainty about policy and funding commitments created by the current political context. It was noted that leading businesses have written to Conservative leadership candidates to urge them to commit to net zero targets.

-  The role of anchor institutions: Cllr Buckley raised concern about the impact on climate resilience of areas of woodland being sold by Yorkshire Water. Cllr Hayden noted the role of Yorkshire Water as a flood risk management partner and agreed to provide further information for Cllr Buckley about the sales.

-  Electric Vehicle Trials: the Board discussed learning opportunities including infrastructure requirements in areas of dense housing and the potential for EV chargers to be attached to lamp-posts in future. The Board sought clarity about the reasons why some businesses decided not to buy or lease a vehicle after the trial.

-  Regional partners: Reassurance was given that there is strong partnership working between both the Council and WYCA, and the results of the Leeds based exercise will be fed back to regional partners.

-  New Economic Opportunities: The Scrutiny Board highlighted the implications for skills training/interventions as new sectors emerge and the importance of supporting emerging sectors in order to attract  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

To receive an update from the Chief Digital and Information Officer on the approach outlined in the digital strategy, the digital transformation approach, and the innovation programme.

The following individuals attended for this item:

-  Cllr Helen Hayden (Executive Member)

-  Stephen Blackburn (Innovation Lead)

The Chair introduced the item, noting that in previous years the Scrutiny Board has received an annual update about ‘Smart Cities.’ Those reports provided updates on technology-led projects and connectivity roll out (e.g. full fibre) and have previously been received alongside a report from the 100% Digital team. However, the Board has received separate reports due to ongoing changes in IDS. 

Stephen Blackburn set out recent changes to the way in which IDS operates and confirmed that in line with recent restructuring the update to the Board will in future focus on broader digital updates, including strategy and innovation.

Stephen outlined the key elements of the report, introducing the new digital strategy which aims to transform how services are delivered and consumed. He also highlighted three digital priorities that have been identified as requiring immediate attention - Core Business Transformation, System Flow and Security Operations Centre.

Stephen underlined the links to the Best City Ambition, including the life stage approach within the Digital Strategy, and the aspiration that the service adopts a ‘city’ approach to digital rather than just an internally focused approach.

Members considered the detail of the new digital strategy and sought clarification about the timeline for implementation. The Board discussed progress with the Shared Care Record and requested clarification about which providers would be able to access patient health records.

It was noted that Digital Inclusion remains a significant area of focus and the involvement of neighbourhood networks was discussed. The Chair asked the Principal Scrutiny Advisor to circulate the most recent update from the 100% Digital team for the benefit of new board members.

Members considered the extent of the Council’s influence over providers of broadband infrastructure. It was noted that the Council-led Full Fibre programme supports the delivery of this infrastructure by enabling the connection of around 1,400 council buildings, schools and healthcare buildings and will provide the backbone to deliver superfast broadband to around 90% of homes and businesses across the city.

Cllr Hayden committed to updating the Board on the outcome of a meeting with digitals providers and WYCA about mapping the coverage of full fibre across the region.

The Board sought reassurance about the metrics that will be used to evaluate the successful delivery of the Council’s digital ambitions. Stephen Blackburn committed to update members at a future.

Members considered how the Council currently manages, analyses and interprets data it collects. It was agreed that more efficient data analysis could assist with the planning and delivery of public services. 

Clarification was sought about the proposal to establish a Digital Academy which will focus on improving the digital skills of council staff, and members discussed the importance of ensuring that young people understand the opportunities the digital sector can offer them.

Stephen confirmed that the Council would be pursuing a ‘digital first’ but not a digital only approach to transformation and traditional methods of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

To consider the final version of the 2021/22 inquiry report into the prevention of deaths and serious injuries on Leeds roads.

The following individuals attended for this item:

-  Cllr Helen Hayden (Executive Member)

-  Gary Bartlett (Chief Officer, Transportation & Highways)

The Chair introduced the item. He reminded colleagues that a draft version of the inquiry report was provided to Executive Board in February 2022 to support the proposal to begin consulting on adopting a Vision Zero approach to road deaths in Leeds. He reiterated that the inquiry had concluded that road safety should be approached as a public health issue and the adoption of a Vision Zero approach should be warmly welcomed.

The predecessor Board had asked for further discussion of 3 issues (school crossing patrols, pedestrian crossing criteria and school streets), which were considered at a meeting in April 2022. Additional recommendations relating to these items were included in the final report being considered by the Board at this meeting. 

Gary Bartlett welcomed the support from members for the draft Vision Zero strategy. He noted the scale of the ambition and the significant change from a traditional approach to road safety. 

Gary noted that progress has already been made since some of the recommendations were drafted, including in relation to speed camera criteria. He reiterated that in Leeds partners want to be able more use of average speed camera in locations where it is judged they could have significant impact on driver behaviours. 

Gary went on to underline the scale of the challenge and the need for all stakeholders, including the public, to work collectively to make any road deaths unacceptable.

Cllr Hayden urged colleagues to take part and share a Council consultation about establishing a vehicular nuisance public protection order across Leeds. It was agreed the link would be shared with Board members.

The Board discussed the advantages of average speed cameras but sought more clarification about whether the technology also addressed ‘spot speeding’. Members were advised that update criteria would seek to reduce the minimum space between cameras to help address sudden increases in speed.

Members sought further information about potential locations for additional speed cameras, noting community concerns about traffic coming off the motorway at speed to avoid congestion in peak periods.

The potential to use average speed cameras as another tool to tackle speeding was welcomed. However, members also acknowledged the importance of education within communities to change driver behaviours.

The Scrutiny Board discussed the challenge of benchmarking performance given different local contexts and the impact of the pandemic on traffic volumes in recent years. The potential impact of a modern public mass transit system on road deaths was noted.

It was agreed that Gary would provide the Principal Scrutiny Advisor with more information about benchmarking to circulate to the Scrutiny Board.

It was agreed it is important for community committees to be engaged on this agenda so they can take proactive action to champion Vision Zero in their localities.

The Scrutiny Board debated the challenge of adapting to new pedestrian crossing technology and confirmed that officers are considering options to put additional educational material  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2022/23 municipal year.

Members noted the work schedule.

The next meeting of the Scrutiny Board (Infrastructure, Investment & Inclusive Growth) will take place on Wednesday 28 September at 10.30am. There will be a pre-meeting for all Scrutiny Board members at 10.15am.

The next public meeting of the Board will take place on 28 September at 10.30am. A pre-meet will take place for Board members at 10.15am.