Agenda and minutes
PDF 186 KBVenue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 2DN
Contact: Andrew Spragg
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: Apologies were received from Mary Angell and Richard Wilson. There were no substitutions. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 5 October 2017 and 11 October 2017
To agree the minutes of the previous meeting as a true and accurate record of proceedings. Additional documents: Minutes: 1. A Member noted that item 2 of the minutes from 5 October 2017 should be amended to say £4 million, instead of £4,000.
2. The Committee agreed these minutes as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
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: Under item 7, Paul Deach asked that it be noted that the company he worked for had provided social media content for the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Stephen Spence and Bernie Muir asked that it be noted that they are members of the Rambler’s Association. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To
receive any questions or petitions. Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (Thursday 23 November 2017).
2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (Wednesday 22 November 2017)
3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received. Minutes: 1. The Committee had received two Member questions from Eber Kington. The response to these was tabled at the meeting and attached as an annex to these minutes. The Cabinet Member was asked to clarify whether there had been any recent change in his position in respect to LED light installation. In response, he commented that the business case was still under consideration, and that he wanted assurance that it represented best value for the Council. It was also commented that the option for overnight street lighting for New Year’s Eve required some alteration of the program that operated the lights, the Cabinet Member was exploring the possibilities with the provider and hoped to make an announcement in due course. |
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RESPONSES FROM THE CABINET TO ISSUES REFERRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
The referral to Cabinet made on 5 October 2017 regarding proposals to change financial arrangements for waste management in 2018/19 will be considered alongside the Cabinet decision on 28 November 2017. Minutes: The Committee noted the responses from Cabinet which were tabled on the day, and included as an annex to the minutes. One Member commented that there had not be sufficient consideration given to how the financial arrangements would incentivise recycling. The Cabinet Member commented that the new arrangement would see district and boroughs sharing in the benefits if recycling rates increased. It was also highlighted that recycling rates had stalled around 40% when recycling credits were in place and it was intended that the new arrangement would improve this. |
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RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
The Board is asked to review and approve the Forward Work Programme and Recommendations Tracker and provide comment as required. Additional documents: Minutes: 1. The Chairman informed the Committee that he and the Vice-Chairman had met with Cabinet Members to discuss the forward plan for 2018. Several additions had been included. The Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport commented that he would welcome a Member Reference Group to support the development of new guidance on speed restrictions.
2. The Committee also proposed to add some additional items.
Resolved:
· That the Forward Plan include additional items on Project Horizon; income generation; and aviation |
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PAY AND CONSERVE - CAR PARK CHARGING ON THE COUNTRYSIDE ESTATE
Purpose of the report:
To share the results of the consultation on implementing car parking charges on the Countryside Estate and to consult the Environment and Infrastructure Select Committee on the proposals. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None.
Witnesses:
Samantha Cunningham, Senior Change Consultant, E&I Directorate Programme Group Lisa Creaye-Griffin, Countryside Group Manager Lesley Harding, Head of Place Development
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. Additional financial information and a presentation were circulated to the Committee, these are included as an annex to these minutes. The Committee reviewed the options, with the majority of Members expressing support for option five in the papers. It was noted that there was some reluctance in introducing charges, but it was recognised that the Council’s financial position meant sustainable solutions were required.
2. Members commented that they would like to take a broader consideration of the different business plans under consideration in relation to the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) and its long term plans to generate income. It was commented that the Committee and the Countryside Management Member Reference Group would be invited to review different proposals as they came forward. The Committee queried whether disposal of the car parks had been considered, and it was confirmed that this had been reviewed and considered not in the best interest of the SWT and its future sustainability.
3. Members highlighted that there were options to bring in additional revenue through the provision of kiosks, and other amenities. Officers commented that there were kiosks on some of the sites and options were being considered for future development. It was also noted that kiosk staff would be able to assist people using the car park if needed.
4. Member suggested that additional consideration should be given to enabling online payments, and looking to best practice from the congestion charges. It was noted that payment on exit was not a feasible solution as the cost of technology to enforce this would exceed the benefits.
5. The Committee discussed the need to make payment options easy to use, and that blue badge holders should not be charged for parking. Exemption for blue badge holders was confirmed by the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport. The Committee was informed that barriers would not be removed to allow horseboxes to enter, as this also increased the risk of traveller incursion. It was suggested that payment options could be phased, with some sites only offering phone payment. The Cabinet Member was supportive of a phased approach.
6. The Committee discussed enforcement, and the risk of displacement. It was acknowledged that there needed to be a flexible solution, and one that did not seek to create issues for residents and local businesses. The Cabinet Member highlighted that there was work being undertaken to look at the specific local options, and that a blanket approach using double yellow lines were not considered to be a popular solution. The Cabinet Member highlighted that there was a lump sum in the budget for the changes for displacement solutions, though it was intended that not all of this would be required.
7. The Committee queried the level of charges, following some correspondence that had been received from the Surrey ... view the full minutes text for item 37. |
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DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The next public meeting of the committee will be held 28 February 2018 at 10.30am in County Hall. Minutes: It was noted that the date of the next meeting was 28 February 2018 at 10.30am in County Hall. |