Minutes for Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) meeting, Apr 14 2009, 6.30PM official page

No apologies for absence were received.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

The following declarations of interest were received:-

Member

Minute No.

Reason

Action

Councillor Cluskey

55 - Environmental Protection Department Service Plan 2009-12

Personal – He is a Representative on the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority

Took part in the consideration of the item and voted thereon.

Councillor

Weavers

55 - Environmental Protection Department Service Plan 2009-12

Personal – He uses the commercial waste collection service.

Took part in the consideration of the item and voted thereon.

Minutes of the meeting held on 3 February 2009.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 February 2009 be confirmed as a correct record.

Further to Minute No. 49 of 3 February 2009, Councillor Webster reported that local meetings had been held, concerning the future of the above town centre and the interest expressed by Sainsbury P.L.C. in acquiring new retail floor-space in the town, the meetings being well attended.

The Chair indicated that concerns remained regarding trading conditions within the town and that he would be discussing the feasibility of undertaking a mini review with the Head of Overview and Scrutiny in due course.

Report of the Environmental Protection Director.

Further to Minute No. 93 of the meeting of the Cabinet Member – Environmental of 8 April 2009, the Committee considered the report of the Environmental Protection Director on his Department’s Service Plan for 2009-2012.

The report indicated that the three year overview highlighted expected external national policy and statutory drivers for change, together with the future financial pressures that would arise during such period; and detailed the main service issues that would require specific attention in the Service Plan.

The report concluded that the overview Service Plan was supported by more detailed annual Sectional Service Plans relating to :

·                    Commercial Section;

·                    Trading Standards;

·                    Public Health and Housing;

·                    Environment;

·                    Cleansing;

·                    Building Cleaning; and

·                    Vehicle Fleet Management.

Half yearly reports relating to Departmental progress with respect to its contribution to the agreed Corporate Strategy and department goals would be submitted to the Cabinet Member - Environmental.

A copy of the Environmental Protection Department Service Plan 2009/10 -2011/12 was attached as an annexe to the report.

RESOLVED:

That the Environmental Protection Department Service Plan 2009/10-2011/12 be supported.

Report of the Legal Director.

The Committee considered the report of the Legal Director presenting the final report of the Libraries Assets Management Review Working Group. The Working Group had produced a number of recommendations, as follows:-

Part Two of the Review should:

(a)       be included within the Committee’s Work Programme for 2009/10, with a starting date of June 2009;

(b)       consist of an in-depth analysis of each individual library which would incorporate the following:

• Condition of building (conditional survey) including maintenance and refurbishment costs and D.D.A requirements;
• Potential for co-location of services (links to other strategies, for example Building Schools for the Future);
• Demographic information;
• User statistics;
• Revenue costs of each library; and
• Medium – long term planning;

(c)        consist of interviews with library staff, relevant Council Officers, further visits to Sefton libraries and identification of local and national best practice; and

(d)       keep Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children’s Services) informed of the work being undertaken, and give them the opportunity to participate, where appropriate.

Councillor Pearson, the Lead Member of the Working Group, gave a summary of the work undertaken so far and the work anticipated to be achieved during 2009/10.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the report of the Libraries Assets Review Working Group be supported;

(2)       the recommendations contained within the report be supported;

(3)       the report be forwarded to the Cabinet Member – Leisure and Tourism for consideration; and

(4)       the thanks of the Committee be extended to the Members of the Working Group and relevant officers for the work undertaken to date on the Review.    

Report of the Legal Director.

The Committee considered the report of the Legal Director on the work of the Watercourse Maintenance and Flooding Working Group undertaken to date. The report set out the background to the Review, the findings so far, together with the planned next steps.

The Chair, Councillor Papworth, the Lead Member of the Working Group, indicated that the Working Group would be interviewing witnesses shortly, and the final report would be produced after that.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the report be supported; and

2)         the final report of the Working Group be presented at the next meeting of this Committee.

Report of the Legal Director.

The Committee considered the report of the Legal Director attaching the latest Key Decision Forward Plan which contained all the Key Decisions which the Executive was anticipated to take during the above period. The Committee was advised of its right to pre-scrutinise any Key Decision which fell under its remit.

With regard to the Community Involvement - Licensing Working Group, the report indicated that the Review was subject to minor amendments and a final report would be presented to this Committee at the next meeting.

Further to Minutes Nod. 56 and 57 above, reports on the progress of the Committee’s other current Working Groups had been presented to this meeting.

Councillor Weavers indicated that he had requested items regarding land for both housing and commercial use.

The Chair indicated that he was currently considering a list of potential items for this Committee to consider during 2009/10, which would be forwarded to Party Group Spokespeople, who would be invited to add items, if they wished.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the contents of the Forward Plan, together with the report, be noted; and

(2)       the progress in relation to the Committee’s Work Programme and Working Groups be supported.