Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed all in attendance to the February meeting of the Scrutiny Board (Environment and Neighbourhoods).  In particular, the Chair welcomed Councillor Barker to his first meeting of the Scrutiny Board (Environment and Neighbourhoods).

To declare any personal / prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81 (3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

To receive and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11^th January 2010.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 11^th January 2010 be confirmed as a correct record.

To receive and note the minutes of the Executive Board meeting held on 6^th January 2010.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Executive Board meeting held on 6^th January 2010 be noted.

To consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting evidence as part of the Board’s inquiry into Recycling.

Further to Minute No. 84 of the meeting held on 11^th January 2010, the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which presented evidence in line with session three of the Board’s inquiry into Recycling.

The purpose of the session was to consider the following issues:

• The relationship between Environment and Neighbourhoods and City Development to ensure that future recycling service proposals were reflected in planning policy and guidance.
• The role of the Council in ensuring that developers were making adequate provision for recycling within their planning proposals.

The following information was appended to the report:

Appendix 1 – Report from the Director of City Development on recycling which included an extract from the (currently draft) Sustainable Design and Construction Supplementary Planning Document

Appendix 2 – Briefing Paper from WRAG on Waste Planning, Recycling and Regional Structures.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Councillor Monaghan, Executive Member (Environmental Services) and the following officers and representatives:

-  Andrew Mason, Chief Environmental Services Officer

-  Susan Upton, Head of Waste Management

-  David Feeney, Head of Forward Planning and Implementation

-  Martin Sellens, Head of Planning Services

-  Tim Godson, Team Leader – Climate Change, Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber (and representing the Waste Regional Advisory Group (WRAG)).

In brief summary, the main areas of discussion were:

• Whether developers were making sufficient provision for recycling.
• Planning policy context, particularly adopted planning policies which provided a strategic context to waste management, e.g. Sustainable Design and Construction (SPD) and the Local Development Framework (LDF).
• Concern of some developers in meeting increasing expectations around affordable housing, sustainability and waste management requirements.
• Levels of recycling dependant on scale of development – waste management was one of many factors as part of planning development.
• Concern that recycling and waste management appeared to be less of a priority in small scale developments.
• The need to establish local targets in relation to construction, demolition and excavation and commercial and industrial waste streams.  (The Head of Waste Management advised that targets were the responsibility of the Environment Agency.  Local requirements could be addressed as part of the Council’s procurement process.)
• Work being undertaken as part of the Site Waste Management Plan which sought to minimise the movement of waste off-site.
• Recycling pilot. (The Executive Member (Environmental Services) reported on a recycling pilot involving 8,000 properties in Rothwell.)
• Future proposals for rolling-out the trial in more diverse parts of Leeds.
• Offering incentives, e.g. reward schemes for people who recycled the most waste.
• The need for greater education and awareness around reducing packaging.
• Issues relating to communal waste storage, particularly at multi-storey developments and the need to make recycling facilities more accessible.
• Clarification about the cost of recycling (The Chief Environmental Services Officer agreed to provide the Scrutiny Board with further information regarding the results of the fortnightly SORT collection pilot.)
• Review of waste transfer sites in Leeds.  (The Executive Member (Environmental Services) advised that a report was being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94.

To consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting an update against the Board’s recommendations arising from it’s earlier review of Dog Fouling Enforcement.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which requested Members to confirm the status of scrutiny recommendations arising from the Dog Fouling Enforcement review conducted by the Board last year.

Appended to the report was the following information;

-  Recommendation tracking flowchart and draft status of recommendations; and

-  Dog Fouling Enforcement – Recommendation Tracking – Supplementary Report.

The following officers attended the meeting to present the report and respond to Members’ questions and comments:

-  Andrew Mason, Chief Environmental Services Officer

-  Stacey Campbell, Service Manager, Health and Environmental Action Service.

The following comments were made in respect of the outstanding recommendations:

Recommendation 1

• Confirmation that correspondence had been sent to Parish Councils in January and responses had recently been received.
• Concern that the issue of dog fouling had worsened over the last year.
• Issues around enforcement and educative campaigns, including the cost of erecting signage.

Recommendation 2

• Confirmation that a wider consultation programme was planned to take place in the near future.

Recommendation 3

• Confirmation that the Multi Agency Project Board met on a monthly basis and consisted of senior officers and stakeholders.  (It was agreed to provide a further update report to the Scrutiny Board in March.)

Recommendation 5

• Confirmation that recruitment to Community Environment Officer (CEO) and Community Environment Support Officer (CESO) posts was due to commence later in the week.

Recommendation 7

• Concern about staffing resources within the Dog Warden Team.
• Members reinforced the Board’s original recommendation that the full budget provision for the Dog Warden Service, including the additional funding from West Yorkshire Police, was spent on improving that service.

RESOLVED –

(a) That the report and information appended to the report be noted; and

(b) That the Board agrees the status of recommendations, subject to recommendations 1, 2 and 7 being given a status of 5, not achieved (progress made not acceptable, continue monitoring).

(Councillor Marjoram left the meeting at 11.30 am at the conclusion of this item.)

To consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presenting an update against the Board’s recommendations arising from it’s earlier Inquiry into Asylum Seeker Case Resolution.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report which requested Members to confirm the status of scrutiny recommendations arising from the Board’s inquiry into Asylum Seeker Case Resolution.

Appended to the report was the recommendation tracking flowchart and draft status of recommendations.

The following officers and representatives attended the meeting to present the report and respond to Members’ questions and comments:

-  Paul Langford, Chief Housing Services Officer

-  Bridget Emery, Head of Housing Strategy and Solutions

-  Sharon Hague, Refugee and Asylum Service Manager

-  Rob Warm, Regional Manager, YHRMP

-  Ann McKillop, Assistant Director, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Region UKBA

-  Steve Trimmins, Deputy Director Operations – Asylum, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber Region, UKBA.

The following comments were made in respect of the outstanding recommendations:

• Whilst a clearer timeframe had now been given for resolving the outstanding CRD cases which fall under the provisions within the National Assistance Act and Children Act, it was agreed that such cases could be progressed further through strengthening communication links between UKBA and the Council.
• Concerns about the standard of temporary housing for asylum seekers (The Chief Housing Services Officer advised that landlords were now subject to increased checks and that the use of temporary accommodation by the Council had been reduced significantly.)
• Issues relating to private accommodation provision (The Regional Manager, YHRMP,  advised that UKBA was currently responsible for the commissioning and monitoring of private sector housing contracts and that work was being undertaken with the Local Government Association (LGA) to consider strengthening the role of local authorities in commissioning such provisions in future.  In the meantime, the Board expressed a wish to look at how a more co-ordinated approach between UKBA and local authorities could be developed in terms of the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.)
• Concern about the recent increase in CRD cases and the need for improved dialogue between services to assist in the management and planning of these cases.

RESOLVED –

(a) That the report and information appended to the report be noted; and

(b) That the Board agrees the status of recommendations, subject to recommendation 6 being given a status of 5, not achieved (progress made not acceptable, continue monitoring).

To receive a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development on the Board’s current programme.

A report was submitted by the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which detailed the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for the remainder of the current municipal year.

Appended to the report for Members’ information was the current version of the Board’s work programme and an extract from the Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period 1^st February 2010 to 31^st May 2010, which related to the Board’s remit.

RESOLVED – That the work programme be approved.

Monday 8^th March 2010 at 10.00am (Pre Meeting for Board Members at 9.30am)

Monday, 8^th March 2010 at 10.00 am with a pre-meeting for Board Members at 9.30 am.

(The meeting concluded at 11.58 am.)