Agenda and minutes

Venue: Civic Hall, Leeds

Contact: Andy Booth (0113) 247 4325  Email: andy.booth@leeds.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

53.

Exempt Information - Possible Exclusion of the Press and Public

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 on this agenda.

Minutes:

Councillor Pryke, as signatory to the Called-In decision requested that information that was contained in Appendix B to the report be released as a public document.  Following advice from Officers on the sensitive information detailed in Appendices B and C to the report, the Board was asked to take a vote on whether to keep this information restricted and to exclude the public from the meeting during the discussion of the information in these appendices.

 

RESOLVED -

 

That the public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as exempt 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 public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information so designated as follows:-

 

Appendices B and C to Agenda Item 7, Call-In – Waste Solution for Leeds – Residual Waste Treatment PFI Project,  under the terms of Access to Information Procedure Rule 10.4(3) and on the grounds that they contain commercially sensitive information on the City Council’s approach towards procurement issues, and commercially sensitive pricing and information about the commercial risk position of bidders, where the benefit of keeping the information confidential is considered greater than that of allowing public access to the information.

 

54.

Apologies for Absence and Notification of Substitutes

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

 

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors R Grahame, K Groves, M Hamilton and J Marjoram.

 

Councillors P Grahame, C MacNiven, PEwens and M Robinson were in attendance as substitutes.

 

55.

Call-In of Decision - Briefing Paper pdf icon PDF 69 KB

To receive and consider the attached report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development informed Members of the Call In arrangements in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and the options of action available to the Board.  It was reported that the following options were available to the Board:

 

  • Release the decision for implementation
  • Recommend that the decision be reconsidered
  • Recommend that the decision be reconsidered and refer the matter to full Council if recommendation not accepted

 

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

 

56.

CALL-IN - WASTE SOLUTION FOR LEEDS - RESIDUAL WASTE TREATMENT PFI PROJECT pdf icon PDF 51 KB

In accordance with Scrutiny Board Procedure Rules, to review a decision of the Executive Board regarding the Waste Solution for Leeds – Residual Waste Treatment PFI Project

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development presented the background papers to a decision that had been Called In in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.  The decision of the Executive Board regarding the Waste Solution for Leeds – Residual Waste Treatment PFI Project had been called in by Councillors R Pryke and D Blackburn.

 

The following were in attendance for this item:

 

Councillor R Pryke, Signatory to the Call-In

Councillor D Blackburn, Signatory to the Call-In

Councillor M Dobson, Executive Member for Environmental Services

Neil Evans, Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods

David Outram, Chief Officer, Public Private Partnership Unit

Andrew Lingham, Waste Strategy and Policy Manager

Andrew Tait, Executive Manager (Projects). Public Private Partnership Unit

Sarah Covell, Member of Community Organisation for Viable Environments and Neighbourhoods (COVEN) and local resident

Maria Herlingshaw, Member of Community Organisation for Viable Environments and Neighbourhoods (COVEN) and local resident

 

Councillors Pryke and Blackburn were invited to address the Board with their reasons for the Call-In.

 

The following issues were highlighted:

 

  • It was not felt that the Council allowed enough time for consultation.
  • Implementing this decision would prevent future options to deal with waste.
  • Weighting given to different categories within the decision did not appear to have considered comments by local residents and others affected.  This included issues such as having the treatment site as far away from housing as possible.
  • Use of third party waste – throughout the consultation process it had been said that waste would not be brought in from other local authority areas, but extra waste from commercial waste would be used to fill the capacity of the project.  It had, however, been reported that waste would be imported from Sheffield.  In response to this it was reported that there would be a reciprocal agreement between Leeds and Sheffield to treat each others waste during periods of maintenance at their respective sites.
  • There was no evidence to suggest that the minimum tonnage of waste would be available for the site in spite of household growth and increased recycling.
  • Likelihood of delays with the planning process for the development of the site.  The Secretary of State had cancelled a number of similar projects due to planning matters.
  • Concerns that forty percent of the capital costs were subject to exchange rates and that this was a major financial risk for the Council.
  • Use of bottom ash from the proposed site.  Visits to other areas had shown that there was no market for the bottom ash produced and that this would end up going to landfill.
  • The disposal of air pollution control residues – the plant would provide over 6 tonnes of this hazardous waste per year.
  • Answers had not been given to what would happen to domestic waste that could not be treated at the site such as furniture items.
  • Screening of the site – plans for low planting would not reflect artist impressions of the site until plants had grown.
  • There had been no  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

57.

Outcome of Call-In

In accordance with Scrutiny Board Procedure Rules, to consider the Board’s formal conclusions and recommendation(s) from the consideration of the called-in decision.

Minutes:

Following a vote by Members present, it was

 

RESOLVED – to release the decision for implementation

 

58.

Date and Time of Next Meeting

Monday, 12 December 2011 at 10.00 a.m. (Pre-meeting for all Members at 9.30 a.m.)

Minutes:

Monday, 12 December 2011 at 10.00 a.m. (Pre-meeting for all Board Members at 9.30 a.m.)