Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
PDF 69 KBVenue: The Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone KT15 2AH
Contact: Sylvia Carter Surrey County Council, Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, KT15 2AH
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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: One apology for absence was received, from Councillor Terry Dicks. |
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
To approve the Minutes of the previous meeting as a true record. A copy of the minutes will be available in the room for half an hour prior to the meeting. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2012 were approved and signed by the chairman. |
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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: No declarations of interest had been received. |
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PETITIONS
To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 65. One electronic petition has been received with 1174 signatories, calling on the County Council to “begin the construction of a pedestrian crossing at the A30/St Jude’s Road junction as soon as possible”. There is a separate update report on the agenda. Minutes: One petition had been submitted from Englefield Green, with 1174 electronic signatories and a further 64 signatures on a paper version. The lead petitioner was unable to attend the meeting, but the petition was read out: “We the undersigned call upon Surrey County Council to begin the construction of a pedestrian crossing at the A30/St Jude’s Road junction as soon as possible. Traffic flow should not be prioritised above the safety of the 2000+ people who use the crossing. The residents of Englefield Green should not be put at risk for any longer than needed, and other alternatives to an all red phase four way crossing will either be ineffective at solving the problem or unfeasible to build.” It was noted that the issue of the crossing would be addressed at Item 8. |
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WRITTEN PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To receive and answer any questions from Surrey County Council electors within the area in accordance with Standing Order 66. Minutes: No written public questions had been received. |
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WRITTEN MEMBER QUESTIONS
To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47. Minutes: No written member questions had been received. |
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RUNNYMEDE: MAJOR SCHEMES [FOR INFORMATION]
The report outlines details of two major highways schemes in the borough for which Department for Transport funding bids are being submitted. Mr Lyndon Mendes will present the report. Minutes: Mr Lyndon Mendes advised members that the Major Schemes programme had been approved in principle by the Cabinet in December 2012, and that the over-arching aim of the programme was to promote economic growth and secure jobs. He noted that Government funding for major infrastructure would be routed in future through the local economic partnership Enterprise M3, due to be formally constituted from July 2013, and covering West Surrey and North Hampshire. He advised that the two major schemes proposed for Runnymede, outlined in the annexes to the report, were not guaranteed funding from the partnership, but it was considered that West Surrey might expect around £5 million per annum if calculated on a per capita basis.
Members asked for clarification on the costs of the proposed schemes, how these proposed measures would alleviate traffic congestion, whether new railway footbridges might be provided in other locations such as Chertsey, and whether there had been recent contact with Network Rail in respect of level crossing downtimes and signalling improvements affecting Egham.
It was noted that the research undertaken at the time of the Airtrack proposals had indicated a high proportion of local journeys being undertaken by car over short distances, implying that residents (including school students) might shift to walking and cycling to avoid waiting at the level crossings if there were additional footbridges and safe cycle routes provided. Additionally, detailed modelling of journeys through the town had indicated that improvements to the Runnymede roundabout could reduce congestion to an even greater extent than if an underpass below the railway was built. Mr Mendes agreed to re-circulate the cost-benefit analysis reports. Whilst rumours of a planned Network Rail signalling upgrade on the line in 2015 were welcomed, it was noted that previous discussion of this had ruled out any impact on level crossing downtimes. Mr Mendes advised that the requested costs for the Runnymede Roundabout improvements was £5 million, whilst the Egham Sustainable Package was expected to cost approximately £4 million. |
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A30/A328 PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS - UPDATE
Additional documents: Decision: AGREED:
That the revised scheme as laid out in the report with tabled Appendix 3, be progressed. Minutes: Mr Andrew Milne noted that members had considered a report on this scheme on 26 November (attached as Appendix 2) and raised concerns about the congestion impacts which may arise from an all-red pedestrian phase at the traffic lights controlling this busy junction. He explained that, at that point, the all-red phase appeared to be the only feasible solution because of the space constraints around the junction. Mr Milne explained that, following agreement from Royal Holloway College to dedicate a portion of its land at the corner of St Jude’s Road and London Road, an alternative new design for crossings on two of the four arms of the junction had been drawn up (Appendix 1). He asked members to note the tabled item, Appendix 3, outlining the additional costs of the revised design, construction and utilities relocation on this corner, and how a budget may be reached to meet these. He advised that, although the item was for information, he would appreciate a steer from the local committee on how to proceed.
[Miss Marisa Heath, the local member for Englefield Green, joined the meeting with apologies for lateness].
Members expressed their support for the revised scheme in light of the advice received from the police and the substantial petition presented urging progress. Concerns were expressed about the significantly increased estimated total cost of £350,000 and suggestions were made that the College might be invited to contribute, and that one arm of the junction – the A30 London Road – might be prioritised for immediate action, with a crossing point for St Jude’s Road to be considered at a later date, as some residents had suggested a controlled crossing by the shops at the entrance to the village. Mr Milne advised that he could not give an immediate estimate for the latter option and that pursuing this would entail further delay in re-designing and costing; he also noted that the pedestrian survey (described in Appendix 2) had shown considerable demand to cross St Jude’s Road at the existing traffic lights. The chairman noted the general consensus in favour of a two crossing solution as set out in the report, and asked Mr Milne to explore further the A30-only option.
Mr Furey proposed a resolution, seconded by Councillor Roberts, which was carried unanimously:
AGREED:
That the revised scheme as laid out in the report with tabled Appendix 3, be progressed
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CYCLING SAFETY SCHEMES - EGHAM [FOR DECISION]
Mr Duncan Knox will present this Surrey County Council bid submitted for funding to the Department for Transport, which incorporates the A308 Staines Causeway route to Staines Bridge, and seek the Committee’s approval. Additional documents: Decision: AGREED: That the proposals for The Causeway and The Glanty are approved, subject to the outcome of the funding bid. Minutes:
Mr Duncan Knox and Mr David Sharpington presented the report, noting that a segregated cycleway along the top of the existing footpath would offer significant safety benefits. They advised that if the Department of Transport allocated funding a report would be considered by the Cabinet in March to consider the Surrey County Council contribution.
The local county and borough members expressed support for the scheme to take cyclists off the busy road and away from Runnymede roundabout.
AGREED: That the proposals for The Causeway and The Glanty are approved, subject to the outcome of the funding bid. |
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HIGHWAYS UPDATE REPORT [FOR DECISION]
Mr Andrew Milne will present an update on highways schemes for 2012-13, and the programme for 2013-14, and seek agreement for the programme of capital maintenance schemes. Additional documents: Decision: AGREED: i) to note the progress with the ITS Highways and developer funded schemes; ii) to note that a further Highways update report is to be brought back to the next meeting of the Committee; iii) the capital maintenance proposals for 2013/14 subject to the anticipated provision of capital funding; iv) the delivery of additional capital maintenance works from the list shown in Annex 1 as a contingency plan in the event of any ITS schemes not being deliverable, or there being an underspend of the ITS capital budget, and to delegate authority to the Area Highway Manager to determine any additional capital maintenance works in consultation with the Committee chairman and vice-chairman. Minutes: Mr Milne presented the report. Members raised concerns about the quality of road repairs undertaken, with particular reference to the A30 Egham bypass which had shown signs of damage following removal of the Olympic lane markings, and also queried whether a minor road or cul de sac should be prioritised for Local Structural Repair (Annex 1).
AGREED: i) to note the progress with the ITS Highways and developer funded schemes; ii) to note that a further Highways update report is to be brought back to the next meeting of the Committee; iii) the capital maintenance proposals for 2013/14 subject to the anticipated provision of capital funding; iv) the delivery of additional capital maintenance works from the list shown in Annex 1 as a contingency plan in the event of any ITS schemes not being deliverable, or there being an underspend of the ITS capital budget, and to delegate authority to the Area Highway Manager to determine any additional capital maintenance works in consultation with the Committee chairman and vice-chairman. |
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DATA OVERVIEW OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS IN RUNNYMEDE [FOR INFORMATION}
Mr Mark Scarborough will present the data for 2011-12 for maintained schools in Runnymede, and answer members’ questions. Minutes: Mr Jonathan Roddick and Mr Ian Wilson, of Babcock Four S, and Mrs Sue Eckett of Surrey County Council presented this report, with apologies from Mr Mark Scarborough.
Mr Roddick noted a correction to the report at 2.6 (and 1.7) advising that the Surrey average for Key Stage 4 was 64.2% not 62.9% as stated in the report, which meant that Runnymede’s results were slightly below the county average rather than above. He also highlighted that wherever primary schools were below the average, attention was focused on improving the value-added measure between years 2 and 6. He noted that a high proportion of the local schools had been rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted, and that where this was not the case continuing support on school leadership was being provided.
Members queried why the report said that data had been “suppressed” and asked about differentials in performance between girls and boys. They requested a breakdown of how schools had used the Pupil Premium allocations, and that information should be provided in numbers as well as percentages. They asked that a further briefing opportunity to discuss schools performance in private be arranged later in 2013, as they were not prepared to note the report in its current format which provided insufficient detail.
Mr Roddick explained that “data suppressed” meant that due to the very small sample size of the cohort in a particular school, the Department for Education advised that it should not be published, to protect the individual children in that cohort. He advised that, where schools had in place strong assessment processes for individual pupils, boys did as well as girls in English and particularly where they were confident in reading ability at age 6. Mrs Sue Eckett offered to speak to members individually outside the meeting with reference to particular schools where they had specific questions or concerns.
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YOUTH: LOCAL PREVENTION COMMISSIONING 2013-15 [FOR DECISION]
Mr Leigh Middleton will present the draft specification for commissioning preventative youth services in Runnymede from September 2013-15, as recommended by the local Youth Task Group. Additional documents: Decision: AGREED
a) to approve the allocation of £20,000 to Personalised Prevention Budgets (see 1.3a for details);
b) to approve the local needs specification (Annexe A) to be considered by providers focusing on the identified needs of Runnymede and the geographical neighbourhoods prioritised by the Youth Task Group. Minutes: Mr Leigh Middleton noted that a revised version of the report had been tabled. He said that, following consideration of the previous year’s process, it had been agreed to move to a grants rather than a contracts-based system to give greater flexibility and for the same reason, providers might bid for smaller amounts from the total budget with a maximum of four local providers delivering the service together. A further change was that as well as using data to identify which young people were at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) the local schools, police and youth centres may refer individuals considered to be in need. He explained that a small budget of £20,000, to be allocated by the Youth Support Service manager, would enable young people to be supported with small expenses such as travel costs to ensure they could access their training or employment. Furthermore, the Youth Small Grants budget would be open to small groups of young people to bid for specific purposes, provided that they were supported by a larger organisation which could receive and administer the funding for them.
The chairman thanked Mr Middleton for his work with the Task Group.
AGREED
a) to approve the allocation of £20,000 to Personalised Prevention Budgets (see 1.3a for details);
b) to approve the local needs specification (Annexe A) to be considered by providers focusing on the identified needs of Runnymede and the geographical neighbourhoods prioritised by the Youth Task Group. |
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YOUTH SMALL GRANTS 2012-13 [FOR DECISION]
Mr Leigh Middleton will outline the proposals for decision, for the final round of youth small grants to be awarded to Runnymede groups in 2012-13. Additional documents: Decision: AGREED to award: a) £1000 to Boxing Inclusion Zone (BIZ) towards core revenue costs; b) £0 to 1st Chertsey Scout Group towards replacement of their mini-bus (as funding for the mini-bus has now been found from another source); c) £500 to 1st/4th Addlestone (St Paul's) Scout Group towards camping equipment; d) £3120 to All Saints Church Parochial Church Council towards a youth worker; e) £0 to Addlestone Youth Committee towards their music project (as this project does not meet the current core criteria); f) not to make an award to Heathervale Baptist Church's youth group relaunch, as this organisation has already been awarded £1767 in Small Grants in 2012/13; g) not to award to British Dyslexia Association Summer School, as this organisation has a turnover of more than £100,000 and therefore does not meet the agreed core criteria for the award of Small Grants.
Minutes: Mr Middleton advised members that the remaining funds were over-bid for this final round, and corrected the recommendation e) as it was not eligible under the current criteria although in 2013-14 following changes to allow groups of young people to bid, it would be. The chairman advised that the funding for the Chertsey Scouts mini-bus had been awarded by another body. This meant that there was a further £2000 to allocate, and members considered that the All Saints youth worker request (supported by the local member) should receive additional funds.
AGREED to award: a) £1000 to Boxing Inclusion Zone (BIZ) towards core revenue costs; b) £0 to 1st Chertsey Scout Group towards replacement of their mini-bus (as funding for the mini-bus has now been found from another source); c) £500 to 1st/4th Addlestone (St Paul's) Scout Group towards camping equipment; d) £3120 to All Saints Church Parochial Church Council towards a youth worker; e) £0 to Addlestone Youth Committee towards their music project (as this project did not meet the current core criteria); f) not to make an award to Heathervale Baptist Church's youth group relaunch, as this organisation has already been awarded £1767 in Small Grants in 2012/13; g) not to award to British Dyslexia Association Summer School, as this organisation has a turnover of more than £100,000 and therefore does not meet the agreed core criteria for the award of Small Grants.
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SURREY FIRE AND RESCUE PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN [FOR INFORMATION]
Mr Gavin Watts will summarise the key points in the next Action Plan for the Fire and Rescue Public Safety Plan for the county. Minutes: Mr Gavin Watts explained that the Public Safety Plan for Surrey Fire & Rescue did not include any specific changes for Runnymede, but that neighbouring areas were affected by proposals. In particular, he noted that the Service was reforming its “retained duty contracts” from summer 2013, and that there would be fire station rationalisation in Spelthorne and Elmbridge within the coming three years, with public consultation planned for Staines later in 2013. He advised members that the increase in volunteers had assisted the service in maintaining a presence at community events, even when duty crews were called away to emergencies. He also noted that four-wheel drive vehicles, to be kept at Egham and Chertsey stations, were being purchased as part of the Service’s flood response readiness.
Members noted the report. |
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MEMBER ALLOCATIONS FUNDING [FOR DECISION]
Mrs Michelle Collins will present the proposals for member allocations funding in 2012-13. Additional documents: Decision: AGREED:
i) to approve the items presented for funding from the Local Committee’s 2012/13 revenue and capital funding as set out in paragraph 2 (2.2 to 2.8) of the report, with additional funding of £750 from Mel Few’s allocation for the project at 2.5;
ii) to note the expenditure approved since the last Committee by the Community Partnerships Team Leader under delegated powers, as set out in paragraph 3 (3.2 to 3.5);
iii) to note returned funding of £300 (Mary Angell) approved at Local Committee on 20 February 2012 towards Central Surrey Health for Surrey Peer Education, as the project was cancelled. The funding has now been reallocated to an Art Workshop held by SCC Children’s Rights team.
Minutes: Mr Few said that he would like to support the Youth Festival in Runnymede during the summer, and would allocate £750 towards this.
AGREED:
i) to approve the items presented for funding from the Local Committee’s 2012/13 revenue and capital funding as set out in paragraph 2 (2.2 to 2.8) of the report, with additional funding of £750 from Mel Few’s allocation for the project at 2.5;
ii) to note the expenditure approved since the last Committee by the Community Partnerships Team Leader under delegated powers, as set out in paragraph 3 (3.2 to 3.5);
iii) to note returned funding of £300 (Mary Angell) approved at Local Committee on 20 February 2012 towards Central Surrey Health for Surrey Peer Education, as the project was cancelled. The funding has now been reallocated to an Art Workshop held by SCC Children’s Rights team.
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FOR INFORMATION - LOCAL CONSULTATIONS
Runnymede Borough Council is publishing documents for public consultation for its draft Local Plan for the area from 14 February to Easter 2013, see: www.runnymede.gov.uk/planningpolicy
Surrey County Council will hold elections on 2 May 2013, and the next meeting of the Local Committee will be on Monday 1 July 2013, for more details see www.surreycc.gov.uk/runnymede
Minutes: Members noted the items.
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