Agenda, decisions and minutes
PDF 49 KBVenue: Council Chamber, Elmbridge Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD. View directions
Contact: Damian Markland, Community Partnership & Committee Officer Elmbridge Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
To receive any apologies for absence and notices of substitutions from Borough members under Standing Order 39. Minutes: Apologies were received from Dorothy Mitchell. |
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2012 and the Minutes of the Special meeting held on 27 September 2012 as correct records. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2012 were agreed as a correct record, subject to the following amendment:
· Minute item 27, paragraph 3, the first sentence be changed to read: “The Divisional Member for Cobham requested that, in future, officers keep him fully informed about any significant developments in his division, in accordance with the Council’s Member / Officer protocol”.
The minutes of the special meeting held on 27 September 2012 were agreed as a correct record. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest.
· Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
· Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register.
· Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest. Minutes: None. |
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CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
To receive any Chairman’s announcements. Minutes: The Chairman informed the Committee that a new policy concerning the use of A-boards by shops was being drawn up. He stated that he would continue to monitor its development and ensure that it was shared with Members.
The Chairman also stated that he was pleased with some of the data captured as part of a recent resident survey. He encouraged Members to look at the results and suggested that they contact Damian Markland if they would like a copy. |
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PETITIONS & LETTERS OF REPRESENTATION
To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 65 or letters of representation in accordance with the Local Protocol. An officer response will be provided to each petition / letter of representation. Minutes: There was one letter of representation and two petitions submitted to the Elmbridge Local Committee. |
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To receive the letter of representation and consider the officer response. Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the letter of representation; ii. Note the content of the report.
Minutes: The Committee received a petition signed by 34 residents of Garrick Gardens and Hothan Close, West Molesey, requesting that the Council introduce yellow lines to address anti-social parking. Mr John Lewis introduced the petition on behalf of residents and explained that during the morning and afternoon school run, many parents were parking and causing obstructions along Garrick Gardens. In particular, parents were routinely parking across driveways, on the zig zags in front of the School’s side entrance or in such a way to cause obstruction to parents and children wishing to cross the road. Mr Lewis stated that he and other residents believed that the introduction of yellow lines would help resolve the situation. The Parking Team Leader, Rikki Hill, explained that he had requested that Garrick Gardens be added to the annual parking review for consideration. The recommendations of the review would be brought back to the Committee in late February for agreement. A Member stated that whilst he accepted that dealing with the matter via the parking review was the most efficient option, he urged the Committee to consider the matter carefully when the results were brought back to the next meeting. RESOLVED: That i. The letter of representation be noted; ii. The content of the report be noted.
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PETITION: REQUEST FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SPEED REDUCTION MEASURES ALONG BURWOOD ROAD AND THROUGH HERSHAM VILLAGE
To receive the petition. Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the petition; ii. Agree that a full report on the matter be prepared for consideration at the next meeting on 25 February 2012.
Minutes: The Committee received a petition signed by 190 residents requesting the implementation of speed reduction measures along Burwood Road and through Hersham Village. Michelle Wentworth presented the petition on behalf of residents and explained that residents were extremely concerned about excessive vehicle speeds through Hersham Village and, in particular, Burwood Road. This same issue has been raised during successive Police Panel Meetings over the past three years or more. However, whilst vehicle speeds along other local roads had been addressed by the implementation of traffic calming measures, including street-light notices, road humps and vehicle-speed indicator signs, no such action had been taken with regard to the problem of excessive vehicle speeds in Burwood Road. The following was requested: 1. 20 mph speed limit (from 30mph) through Hersham Village, in particular:
· The section of Molesey Road, from Thrupps Lane to its junction with Queens Road, Hersham · Burwood Road, from its junction with Queens Road, through to Green Lane · Pleasant Place
2. Clearer notices of 30mph zone along Burwood Road from its junction with Turners Lane to Green Lane.
3. 20mph and 30mph ‘roundels’ painted on the relevant road surfaces.
4. 20mph and 30mph ‘reminder’ signs on all streetlight columns along Burwood Road and Pleasant Place with supporting Surrey Police ‘Speed Check’ signage.
5. Zebra crossing along Burwood Road, giving children a safe place to cross on their route to school, nursery, church playgroups and the playground on Hersham Green; and the elderly a safe place to cross for the bus stop and St Peters Church.
6. Children crossing signage by Lilliputs nursery, the playground and Pleasant Place.
7. A barrier outside the playground to prevent children from running out of the Green and into Burwood Road.
8. Flashing ‘vehicle-speed indicator’ signs on selected streetlight columns in Burwood Road.
9. ‘Please drive carefully through our village’ signs along Burwood Road and Molesey Road.
The Highways Area Team Manager stated that he would be instructing his officers to look into the concerns raised by residents and would return to the next meeting of the Elmbridge Local Committee with a comprehensive report for Member consideration. A number of Members supported the petition and requested that officers conduct a thorough investigation into the issues raised.
RESOLVED: That i. The petition be noted; ii. A full report on the matter be prepared for consideration at the next meeting on 25 February 2012.
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PETITION: REQUEST FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SPEED REDUCTION MEASURES IN LONG DITTON
To receive the petition. Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the petition; ii. Agree that a full report on the matter be prepared for consideration at the next meeting on 25 February 2012. Minutes: The Committee received a petition signed by 219 residents requesting the implementation of speed reduction measures in Long Ditton. David Williams presented the petition on behalf of residents and explained that they were seeking the introduction of a 20mph zone encompassing Long Ditton Infants and St. Mary’s Junior Schools, a pedestrian crossing at the infant school and traffic calming measures. A short document was circulated to Members, setting out the requests in more detail and providing evidence of need. The Highways Area Team Manager stated that due to the complexity of the request, he would be instructing his officers to undertake a full analysis of the situation with the intention that the matter be brought back to the next meeting for full consideration. RESOLVED: That i. The petition be noted; ii. A full report on the matter be prepared for consideration at the next meeting on 25 February 2012. |
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PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
To receive any questions from Surrey County Council electors within the Elmbridge area in accordance with Standing Order 66. Minutes: None. |
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MEMBER QUESTION TIME
To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47. Minutes: None. |
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MATTERS OF LOCAL CONCERN
To update the committee on the following matters of local concern:
1. Gully cleaning 2. Vehicle Activated Signs 3. Street Light Replacement Programme Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the content of the report.
Minutes: The Chairman introduced the item and explained that the purpose of the report and upcoming presentations was to address matters of local concern that he and the Vice-Chairman had become aware of since the last meeting of the Elmbridge Local Committee. A number of senior officers were in attendance to answer questions and the Chairman stated that he hoped Members would make the most of the opportunity. Gully Cleaning The Highways Area Team Manager informed Members that he, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman had recently met with representatives of May Gurney to discuss the situation in relation to gully cleaning. During the course of the discussion the following points were clarified: · There were approximately 17,208 gullies in Elmbridge and contractors attempted to clean each at least once a year. Whilst the cleaning programme was behind schedule, steps were being taken to improve the situation, with two new cleaning machines recently acquired. · 99% of gullies in Elmbridge were operating correctly, with only 1% known to be blocked. · When a gully was discovered to have become blocked, a follow-up visit was scheduled for within 7 days. However, this had in practice not been happening and was something that needed to be addressed and monitored. · Of those discovered to be blocked, most could be cleared relatively easily. However, there were a small number of gullies that had become completely blocked or broken and required extensive repair to rectify the problem. · It was acknowledged that having highway officers with a good local knowledge was of great help when dealing with blocked gullies. Whilst natural staff turnover could not be prevented, officers were in the process of putting together a comprehensive asset inventory which would be held centrally and hopefully avoid the loss of local knowledge in the future. · At present the highways team were not in a position to notify local Members of every blocked gully in their division. However this was something that could be worked towards. · In cases where Members or residents discovered newly resurfaced roads that were not draining water towards gullies, they could report the issue to the highways team who would investigate. · The typical definition of a gully was a road side grating into which surface water drained. · There were no known microbiological health risks associated with any blocked drains in Elmbridge. · Officers had no direct contact point at Thames Water and had to make contact via the company’s call centre. It was acknowledged that this was not a satisfactory arrangement and officers were looking to try and establish more formal relations. Vehicle Activated Signs The Road Safety Team Leader provided an update on the repair and replacement of vehicle activated speed signs (VAS) in Elmbridge. During the course of the discussion the following points were clarified: · There were a total of 58 VAS in Elmbridge and, at the beginning of the year, 14 were known not to be working. Of these 8 were in the process of being repaired. · The signs were not designed to be moved, ... view the full minutes text for item 50/12 |
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Update from Ray Lee, Strategic Director at Elmbridge Borough Council. Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the content of the report.
Minutes: Elmbridge’s Chief Executive, Rob Moran, provided an update on the work being carried out by the Street Smart Team for Surrey County Council, as agreed by the Local Committee. The Elmbridge’s Chief Executive explained that the new arrangements had been in operation since August 2012. The Street Smart team was now working 2 days per week on Surrey County Council nominated jobs, with the remainder of time spent on routine work generated by the Street Smart Team Supervisor, staff nominations and public reports. It was noted that despite the arrangement being in place, Surrey County Council was yet to transfer the agreed sum of £40,000 to Elmbridge. The Committee agreed that this should be done immediately. RESOLVED: That i. The content of the report be noted;
ii. Officers ensure that the agreed payment of £40,000 be transferred to Elmbridge Borough Council as soon as possible, to support the work of Street Smart.
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To update the Local Committee with progress of the 2012-13 Highways programmes and to agree the priorities for next Financial Year’s Capital and Revenue programmes. Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Agree the priorities for next Financial Year’s Capital and Revenue programmes, including a pooled sum of at least £175,000 to be delegated to the Area Team Manager to attend to various revenue concerns across the Borough, as detailed in paragraphs 2.11-2.15 of the report.
Reason: To ensure that all the budgets available to Committee are fully allocated and that arrangements can be made to ensure these budgets are spent for the benefit of Highway users in Elmbridge.
Minutes: The Committee received a report from the Highways Area Team Manager which updated Members on the progress of 2012/13 highway programmes funded by the Local Committee. The Committee was also asked to agree the priorities for the next financial year’s Capital and Revenue programmes. The Area Team Manager stated that he had to flag up the issue that if Members were minded to split the Capital Maintenance budget evenly between the 9 divisions in Elmbridge, as had been done in 2012/13, there was a risk that funding larger projects could be problematic. That Chairman stated that he personally believed that splitting the money worked well and would like to see the same process adopted for at least one more year. He stated that the vast majority of the work that needed doing could be accommodated by individual member’s budgets and that Members could work together to fund larger schemes. A Member queried whether the relationship between County and Borough Members in determining where to spend money needed to be better formalised. The Chairman stated that the current arrangements were working well and that he did not believe that a formal engagement process was required. RESOLVED: That i. The priorities for next Financial Year’s Capital and Revenue programmes, including a pooled sum of at least £175,000 to be delegated to the Area Team Manager to attend to various revenue concerns across the Borough, as detailed in paragraphs 2.11-2.15 of the report, be approved. |
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To update Members on local parking matters. Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the report.
Minutes: The Committee received a report from the Parking Team Leader which provided an update on local parking matters.
RESOLVED: That i. The report be noted.
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APPROVAL OF SMALL GRANTS BIDS
To consider the applications received for the Small Grants Allocation. Additional documents: Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Agree the funding recommendations as set out in Annexe B of the report; ii. Agree that the remaining balance of £764.23 be transferred to the Studio ADHD Centre to support its fishing project, as detailed in Annex A of the report.
Reason: It is anticipated local commissioning will offer better value for money in that the outcomes commissioned will be more closely aligned to local need. Minutes: The Local Committee received a report from the Assistant Director for Young People that set out recommendations for approval of Small Youth Grants. RESOLVED: That i. The funding recommendations as set out in Annexe B of the report be agreed;
ii. The remaining balance of £764.23 be transferred to the Studio ADHD Centre to support its fishing project, as detailed in Annex A of the report.
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DELIVERING THE LOCAL PREVENTION FRAMEWORK COMMISSION IN ELMBRIDGE
Verbal update from the Director of Youth Work at The Eikon Charity on the Youth Consortium’s progress in delivering the Local Prevention Framework Commission in Elmbridge.
Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Note the verbal update. Minutes: The Director of Youth Work at The Eikon Charity had intended to provide a verbal update on the Youth Consortium’s progress in delivering the Local Prevention Framework Commission in Elmbridge. However, due to time restraints, it was agreed that the matter be considered in more detail at a future meeting of the Committee. RESOLVED: That i. The verbal update be noted. ii. An update be provided at a future Committee. |
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LOCAL COMMITTEE FUNDING
To consider applications for member allocation funding and to note the projects funded in 2012/13. Additional documents: Decision: The Local Committee resolved to: i. Agree the items presented for funding from the Local Committee’s 2012/13 revenue funding as set out in the report; ii. Approve the reallocation of £1,250 revenue granted to St Barnabus Youth Group for a new roof project; iii. Note the expenditure previously approved by the Community Partnerships Manager and/or the Community Partnerships Team Leader under delegated authority, as set out in section 3 of the report; iv. Note any returned funding and/or adjustments, as set out within the report or at Appendix 1.
Reason: To ensure that the Community Partnerships Team can process the bids in line with the wishes of the Committee. Minutes: The Local Committee received a report from the Community Partnerships Team Leader which set out the funding requests received. RESOLVED: That i. The items presented for funding from the Local Committee’s 2012/13 revenue funding, as set out in the report, be agreed; ii. The reallocation of £1,250 revenue granted to St Barnabus Youth Group for a new roof project be approved; iii. The expenditure previously approved by the Community Partnerships Manager and/or the Community Partnerships Team Leader under delegated authority, as set out in section 3 of the report, be noted; iv. Any returned funding and/or adjustments, as set out within the report or at Appendix 1, be noted. |