Councillors and committees

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Pippbrook, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ

Contact: Jess Edmundson, Partnership Committee Officer  Pippbrook, Reigate Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ

Items
No. Item

OPEN FORUM SESSION pdf icon PDF 54 KB

The questions and respones from the open forum session are attached as Annex A to these minutes.

11/19

APPOINTMENT OF DISTRICT COUNCIL SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION]

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    Under the County Council's Constitution (Part 4. Standing Orders, Part 3 40 (f)) no substitutes are permitted for district/borough council co-opted members of local committees, unless a local committee agrees otherwise at its first meeting following the Council’s annual meeting and in relation to all meetings in the following year, upon which named substitutes will be appointed to the Local Committee on the nomination of the relevant district/borough council.

    The Local Committee is therefore asked to decide whether it wishes to co-opt substitutes in the municipal year 2019/20. Mole Valley District Council has nominated District Councillors and substitutes to serve on the Local Committee for the municipal year 2019-2020. Jonanna Killian, Chief Executive, has now confirmed these appointments as follows, subject to the agreement by the Committee to permit substitutes:

     

    District Councillor Lesley Bushnell

    District Councillor Paul Kennedy

    District Councillor Caroline Salmon

    District Councillor Charles Yarwood

    District Councillor Tim Ashton

    District Councillor Alan Reilly

    District Councillor David Harper

     

     

    Decision:

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed:

     

    To co-opt the substitutes for District Council members for the municipal year 2019/20 as listed in the agenda.

     

    Reason for decision:

     

    The above decision was made in accordance with Standing Order 40(f) that requires the Committee, at its first meeting in the municipal year, to agree whether it wishes District Council members to be permitted to have substitutes.

    Minutes:

    Resolution:

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed:

     

    To co-opt the substitutes for District Council members for the municipal year 2019/20 as listed in the agenda.

     

    Reason for decision:

     

    The above decision was made in accordance with Standing Order 40(f) that requires the Committee, at its first meeting in the municipal year, to agree whether it wishes District Council members to be permitted to have substitutes.

12/19

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

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    To receive any apologies for absence and notices of substitutions from District members under Standing Order 39.

    Minutes:

    Apologies were recevied from Mr Chris Townsend and Cllr Hawskworth who was susbstituted by Cllr Harper.

13/19

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 95 KB

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    To approve the Minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.

    Minutes:

    The minutes of the meeting on 13 March 2019 were agreed as a true record and signed by the chairman.

14/19

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter

    (i)         Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)        Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

    NOTES:

               Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest

               As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)

               Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial

    Minutes:

    There were none

15/19a

PUBLIC QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 162 KB

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    To receive any questions from Surrey County Council electors within the area in accordance with Standing Order 66.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Zena Curry, Area Highways Manager (AHM), SCC

     

    Petitions, Public Statements, Questions: The questions and officer responses were provided within the supplementary agenda.

     

    [2.46pm Cllr Harper arrived]

     

    Question 1 was raised by Mr David Allbeury who attended the meeting and asked the following supplementary question:

     

    1.    The answer provided is not totally satisfactory as doesn’t cover the issue of sightlines. I would suggest the use of a mobile lane closure vehicle to offer protection to the work force whilst clearing the sightline. The work could be done in short time and offers an option with limited resource.

     

    The Area Highways Manager confirmed that the mobile lane closure vehicle was not appropriate on the type of road in question. She added that if there were concerns over the vegetation growth then the Revenue Maintenance Gang would usually carry out site inspections and undertake any ‘ad-hoc’ work that was needed when there were concerns over safety. However, as the divisional member hadn’t contributed money to fund the Revenue Maintenance Gang for 2019/20 there was only a limited resource to complete this work.

     

    Question 2 was raised by Cllr Caroline Salmon who attended the meeting and asked the following supplementary question:

     

    1.    The response was not what I expected. I was looking for long term solutions to the subway problems and would dispute the fact the subway doesn’t need anything doing to it. My question is therefore how much paint has to have fallen off and how stained do the walls need to be before it is considered bad enough to go on the programme of repairs and how long before this work will be prioritised?

     

    The AHM advised that the Engineers focus on the structural appearance of the subways and not the aesthetical appearance. In previous years community groups had helped to clean up the subway. The resurfacing of the path would be treated the same as any other footpath and prioritised in the same way by the same criteria.

     

    The divisional member added she had been speaking with youth club leaders in Beare Green about the issue to see if they could take on some of the work of redecorating the subway.

     

    Question 3 was raised by Mrs Jenny Whiting who attended the meeting and asked the following supplementary questions:

     

    1.    In relation to a) the map provided to show where the Mount Road starts and Arundel Road ends does not appear to be accurate. Has this map been checked by the land registry?

     

    The AHM confirmed that there was difference between land ownership and highways rights and the map showed the public highway. Land registry had nothing to do with it.

     

    2.    In relation to question c) I am concerned whether any consideration has been given to Mount Street being in a conservation area.

     

    The AHM stated that it might affect planning consents which are done through MVDC and it would therefore be best to consult with the team at the district council.

     

    Question 4  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15/19a

15/19b

MEMBER QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 63 KB

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    To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Zena Curry, Area Highways Manager, SCC

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: The questions and officer responses were provided within the supplementary agenda.

     

    Question 1 was raised by Cllr Claire Malcomson, who asked the following supplementary question:

     

    Can we come to some compromise over the verge cutting as when Mole Valley District Council were in charge of the mowing they did attempt to do the edges. When can we discuss the preservation of orchids?

     

    The AHM stated that when orchid areas were known these were protected. The county Ecologist has been working with teams to look at alternative ways for work to be done.

     

    Question 2 was raised by Cllr Nancy Goodacre, who asked the following supplementary questions:

     

    1.    Are there definite dates in the diary for the summer consultation meetings with user groups and local stakeholders? Which user groups and local stakeholders will be invited to these meetings? 

    2.    Likely to be complete in Autumn 2019 is very vague. Could you provide a definite target date for planned completion of the detailed plans? Perhaps Thursday 31st October? 

    3.    Please clarify what ‘detailed planning for the site’ will  include. Would this, for example, include: 

    o    detailed plans for the new building, including floor plans 

    o    a date for when the current building will be demolished 

    o    when completion of the new building is expected 

    4.    Who will run the new community building? Are there any plans to transfer it to the Community under a Community Asset Transfer? If it remains with SCC what sort of rents will be charged given it is currently a Peppercorn rent & youth-work based.

    These questions would be put to the officer who provided the original response for answering.

16/19

PETITIONS

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    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.

     

    One petition has been received before the deadline.

    Minutes:

    One petition was received before the deadline.

17/19

PETITION TO: MAKE IT SAFER FOR OUR CHILDREN TO CROSS THE GUILDFORD ROAD IN BOOKHAM BETWEEN GROVESIDE AND HAWKWOOD RISE

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    The full wording of this petition along with the officer response will be provided within the supplementary agenda.

    Minutes:

    This petition was deferred until the next meeting of the Mole Valley Local Committee on 4 September 2019.

18/19

PRESENTATION FROM SURREY WILDLIFE TRUST [AGENDA ITEM ONLY] pdf icon PDF 2 MB

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    Zoe Channon, Liaison Officer for the Surrey Wildlife Trust, will be providing a short presentation on the work the Trust do more widely, linked to the overall management of Norbury Park. It will cover topics such as how the trust is managed, our grazing operation, the grassland under management at Norbury Park and where we are with woodland management.

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Zoe Channon, Liaison Officer, Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT)

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: The PowerPoint presentation provided by the Liaison Officer is included as Annex B to these minutes.

     

    Key points from the discussion:

     

    ·         A question was asked about the use of glyphosate and whether anything could be changed so as to not use it. The Liaison Officer explained the herbicide was usually spot sprayed on to specific plants rather than blanket sprayed. SWT were limited on what they could do onsite.

    ·         Members raised concerns about fly-tipping on Norbury Park and whether this had been reported to MVDC via the website. It was confirmed that it had been reported and although the amount that was being fly-tipped was steady, it was low.

    ·         A question was asked in relation to tree felling and whether the trees would be replaced. It was noted that the SWT needed to wait 5 years to see what species naturally grew. If the regeneration rate wasn’t as required then it was likely that new trees would be planted.

    ·         Concerns were raised over the potential income that may have been generated from the selling off of woodchip to the power station. It was confirmed that the SWT barely broke even on this. Members suggested the SWT may need to illustrate this to residents to change the perception.

     

    The Liaison Officer finished by issuing an apology on behalf of the SWT for the handling of the glamping site application at Phoenice Fields. She admitted that they hadn’t got it right and didn’t think properly about the access. She confirmed that SWT were also no longer involved in the application.

     

19/19

APPOINTMENTS TO LOCAL COMMITTEE TASK GROUPS AND EXTERNAL BODIES 2019/20 [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION] pdf icon PDF 78 KB

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    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) is asked to review and agree the terms of reference and membership of task groups set by the Committee. 

     

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed:

     

          i.        The terms of reference for the Property Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Mr Stephen Cooksey, Cllr Mary Huggins and Mr Tim Hall.


         ii.        The terms of reference for the Parking Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Cllr Raj Haque.


        iii.        The terms of reference for the Leatherhead Major Schemes Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Mrs Helyn Clack and Mr Tim Hall.


       iv.        The terms of reference for the Dorking Major Schemes Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Mr Stephen Cooksey, Cllr Mary Huggins and Cllr Claire Malcomson.


        v.        The nominations to outside bodies (Community Safety Partnership) as set out in Annex 1 (Mr Tim Hall).

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) noted:

     

       vi.        That the representatives nominated by the committee in June 2018 (Chris Townsend and Mary Huggins) would remain as the local committee representatives on the Early Help Advisory Board pending review of this board (Paragraphs 2.11 – 2.12 of this report).

     

    Reason for decisions:

     

    The above decisions were made in order to update the list of representatives to task groups and nominations to outside bodies for the 2019/20 municipal.

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Jess Edmundson, Partnership Committee Officer, SCC

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

     

    Resolution:

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed:

     

          i.        The terms of reference for the Property Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Mr Stephen Cooksey, Cllr Mary Huggins and Mr Tim Hall.


         ii.        The terms of reference for the Parking Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Cllr Raj Haque.


        iii.        The terms of reference for the Leatherhead Major Schemes Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Mrs Helyn Clack and Mr Tim Hall.


       iv.        The terms of reference for the Dorking Major Schemes Task Group and the membership of this task group as set out in Annex 1 with the addition of Mr Stephen Cooksey, Cllr Mary Huggins and Cllr Claire Malcomson.


        v.        The nominations to outside bodies (Community Safety Partnership) as set out in Annex 1 (Mr Tim Hall).

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) noted:

     

       vi.        That the representatives nominated by the committee in June 2018 (Chris Townsend and Mary Huggins) would remain as the local committee representatives on the Early Help Advisory Board pending review of this board (Paragraphs 2.11 – 2.12 of this report).

     

    Reason for decisions:

     

    The above decisions were made in order to update the list of representatives to task groups and nominations to outside bodies for the 2019/20 municipal year.

     

20/19

LOCAL COMMITTEE COMMUNITY SAFETY FUNDING [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR DECISION] pdf icon PDF 89 KB

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    The local committee has a delegated budget of £3,000 for community safety projects in 2019/20. This report sets out the process by which this funding should be allocated to the Community Safety Partnership and/or other local community organisations that promote the safety and wellbeing of residents. The report also provides a progress update regarding last year’s funding

    Decision:

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed that:

          i.        The committee’s delegated community safety budget of £3,000 for 2019/20 be retained by the Community Safety Team, on behalf of the local committee, and that the Community Safety Partnership and/or other local organisations be invited to submit proposals for funding that meet the criteria and principles set out at section 3 of this report.

         ii.        Authority be delegated to the Community Safety Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the local committee and divisional members as appropriate, to authorise the expenditure of the community safety budget in accordance with the criteria and principles stated in section 3 of this report.

        iii.        The committee receives updates on the project(s) that are funded, the outcomes and the impact it has achieved.

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) noted:

     

       iv.        The update from the North Leatherhead Street Talk Project regarding the use of the funds in 2018-19.

     

    Reason for decisions:

     

    The above decisions were made to set out a process for allocating the committee’s

    delegated community safety budget of £3,000 to local organisations.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: None

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

     

    Key points from the discussion:

     

    ·         The Chairman urged members to look for possible recipients of the funding. Adding that the money was ideal for pump priming any new projects.

     

    Resolution:

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) agreed that:

          i.        The committee’s delegated community safety budget of £3,000 for 2019/20 be retained by the Community Safety Team, on behalf of the local committee, and that the Community Safety Partnership and/or other local organisations be invited to submit proposals for funding that meet the criteria and principles set out at section 3 of this report.

         ii.        Authority be delegated to the Community Safety Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the local committee and divisional members as appropriate, to authorise the expenditure of the community safety budget in accordance with the criteria and principles stated in section 3 of this report.

        iii.        The committee receives updates on the project(s) that are funded, the outcomes and the impact it has achieved.

     

    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) noted:

     

       iv.        The update from the North Leatherhead Street Talk Project regarding the use of the funds in 2018-19.

     

    Reason for decisions:

     

    The above decisions were made to set out a process for allocating the committee’s

    delegated community safety budget of £3,000 to local organisations.

21/19

HIGHWAYS SCHEMES UPDATE [EXECUTIVE FUNCTION - FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 97 KB

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    To inform the Local Committee on the progress of the 2019/20 Integrated Transport Programme, the capital maintenance programme, the Members Highway Fund highways maintenance programmes, Transform Leatherhead and other highways and transport projects being carried out in Mole Valley.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Zena Curry, Area Highways Manager, SCC

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

     

    Key points from the discussion:

     

    ·         A question was asked in relation to the first scheme in annex 1; St Pauls Road West/ Horsham Road safety measures. It was noted by the divisional member that the scheme did not work and needed to be looked at again. The AHM explained that there was unusual driver behaviour being exhibited, in which vehicles were driving through and behind the crossing in order to park on the footpath. Work was to continue with partners to tackle the problem and officers from the Joint Enforcement Team (JET) would be involved.

    ·         Concerns were raised over the continuous flooding problem outside Downsend School, Ashtead and it was questioned whether this had any connection to the cycle path. It was confirmed there was no connection and that the drainage issue was complex. The soakaways and gullies had previously been checked and cleared and work would be starting from 17 June 2019 to fully investigate the issues.

     

    Resolution:

     

    The Mole Valley Local Committee noted the contents of the report.

     

22/19

RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER [FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 76 KB

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    The tracker monitors the progress of the decisions and recommendations that the Local Committee has agreed.

    The Local Committee is asked to note the progress made and agree to remove from the tracker any items marked ‘complete highlighted in grey.

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Jess Edmundson, Partnership Committee Officer, SCC

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

     

    Resolution:

     

    The Mole Valley Local Committee noted the decision tracker.

23/19

FORWARD PLAN [FOR INFORMATION] pdf icon PDF 49 KB

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    The Local Committee (Mole Valley) will note the contents of the forward plan.

    Minutes:

    Declarations of Interest: None

     

    Officers attending: Jess Edmundson, Partnership Committee Officer, SCC

     

    Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

     

    Resolution:

     

    The Mole Valley Local Committee noted the forward plan.