Councillors and committees

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames. TW18 1XB

Contact: Carys Walker  Partnership Committee Officer

Items
No. Item

OPEN FORUM pdf icon PDF 78 KB

Before the formal committee session began, the Chairman invited questions from members of the public attending the meeting. The attached annex contains the questions asked at the meeting and their respective responses.

1/19

JOINT COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP (FOR INFORMATION)

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    To announce the change in chairmanship tenure

    Minutes:

    Cllr Ian Harvey opened the meeting. He explained that chairmanship of the Joint Committee was shared between the County and Borough council’s and had, up to now, switched on an annual basis. He went on to explain that the chairmanship would now be a two yearly tenure and that chairmanship would now revert to last year’s chairman, County Councillor Richard Walsh to continue into his second year.

     

    The reasons for the change are two-fold: As committee cycles run only for four formal meetings, a longer stint allows the chairman to become more established in the role and follow through on issues. Secondly, the timing of the change means that no chairman should be actively up for re-election whilst holding this office.

     

    The legal advisers from both authorities supported this change. No change is the constitution is required at this stage.

     

    Cllr Richard Walsh took up the chair to preside over the remainder of the meeting.

     

     

2/19

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

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    To receive any apologies for absence.

    Minutes:

    Apologies were received from

    Sinead Mooney

    Naz Islam

3/19

MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 88 KB

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    To approve the Minutes of the previous meeting on 13 March 2019 as a correct record.

     

    Minutes:

    The previous minutes were agreed and signed by Cllr Ian Harvey

4/19

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:

    Mr Richard Walsh announced that for procedural reasons he would be unable to take part in item 9 and would excuse himself for that portion of the meeting. Cllr Harvey would chair that item.

     

    Mr Robert Evans shared advice that he had received from the County Council’s legal team relating to the Committee’s recent private meeting. This was noted by the Chairman.

5/19

DECISION TRACKER (FOR INFORMATION) pdf icon PDF 121 KB

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    To review any outstanding decisions from the Joint Committee.

     

    Minutes:

    The decision tracker was perused by the Committee members. In addition, it was announced that there was an update to the first item relating to the withdrawal of bus services in 2017 from Stanwell to Heathrow terminal 5. Since this item, negotiations with Heathrow have been ongoing and as a result Heathrow agreed to provide additional funding for an upgraded service including a new Sunday service.

     

    Relating to the item from 19 March, 2018 concerning flooding in Charlton Villages: The Area Highways Manager reported that there had been no further incidences of flooding but monitoring will continue.

     

    Relating to the item from last meeting 13 March, 2019 concerning a resident’s request for information about pothole reporting. The Partnership Officer reported that she would be following up that item to ensure its resolution.

     

     

     

     

6/19

PETITIONS & PETITION RESPONSES

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    To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 14.1.  Notice must be given in writing or by email to the Community Partnership and Committee Officer at least 14 days before the meeting.  Alternatively, the petition can be submitted on-line through Surrey County Council’s or Spelthorne Borough Council’s e-petitions website as long as the minimum number of signatures has been reached 14 days before the meeting.

    Minutes:

    No petitions had been received for this meeting.

7/19

WRITTEN MEMBER QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 126 KB

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    To receive any written questions from members under Standing Order 13.  The deadline for members’ questions is 12 noon four working days before the meeting.

    Minutes:

    The County Member for Stanwell and Stanwell Moor had submitted a question about the status of the Oast House in Staines. As negotiations are currently ongoing regarding the future of this building it was deemed too commercially sensitive to disclose many details. This also meant that the Member was unable to ask a follow-up question at this time.

     

     

    Cllr Fidler, Member for Halliford and Sunbury West, had submitted a question regarding the condition of the road surrounding the ECO park and had received a response from the Area Highways Manager stating that this area was not a current priority for improvements and in view of the expected heavy vehicle traffic, any plans to improve the service should wait until the park’s completion. The Member expressed surprise that this was not prioritised given the investment in the site and the expected traffic levels. He was encouraged to put this to the County’s Cabinet Member for Highways to address this in item 11.

     

    Two further questions had been submitted by the same member relating to the Community Infrastructure Level (CIL) and the task group that had previously assisted in administering it. The first of these questions related to the inclusion of a Cabinet portfolio holder in the task group membership that was not currently a position in the Cabinet. The officer’s response stated that this was a post that was currently vacant. Building on this answer, the vice-chairman stated that the Borough council was currently running on a reduced Cabinet and that for the time being, the Planning and Economic Portfolio was split between two other Cabinet Members and himself and the appropriate Member would attend the task group based on the projects proposed.

     

    The second question concerned reporting how the decisions regarding the allocation of CIL were made public as the task group had not reported to the Joint Committee in two years. The officer response outlined the most recent allocations but noted that there had not been a need to report to the Joint Committee as there had not been available funding in the last two years. The Chairman assured the Committee that decisions have to be put into the public domain as part of the process.

     

     

     

8/19

WRITTEN PUBLIC QUESTIONS pdf icon PDF 119 KB

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    To answer any questions from residents or businesses within Spelthorne borough area in accordance with Standing Order 14.2.  Notice should be given in writing or by email to the Partnership Committee Officer by 12 noon four working days before the meeting.

     

    This item concludes the public participation section of the meeting.

    Minutes:

    Mr Andrew McLuskey had submitted a written question concerning the proposed car park at Heathrow and whether the proposed site had been earmarked as a wildlife area. A written answer had been supplied from County and Borough officers and this had been shared with the Committee members.In follow up, Mr McLuskey questioned how the authorities were going to oversee the restorations process as he had reservations about the project.The Chairman suggested that the Committee takes a look at the detail of his concerns and if possible arrange a site visit.

     

     

    Mrs Caroline Nicholls had submitted a question about waste and single use plastic and wanted to know how the Joint Committee would go about addressing this. To illustrate her point she had brought along a bag of litter she had collected on a short walk. She enquired as to whether this could be added to the Joint Committee agenda. Cllr Smith- Ainsley, Borough Member for Laleham and Shepperton Green advised that this was part of the Scrutiny Committee’s forward plan and he would feed this issue to that committee’s chair.

     

    The Committee also indicated that they would like to consider this as part of their forward plan as some members were already involved with clean-up initiatives in their communities and would welcome to opportunity to extend their efforts.

     

9/19

PARKING UPDATE (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, FOR DECISION) pdf icon PDF 102 KB

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    An update on a parking proposal outstanding from the parking review of the 13 March. The reports outlines the results of the consultation with residents of Ford Close, Shepperton and the resulting recommendations.

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed to:

     

    (i)            not to proceed any further with the proposed double yellow lines in Ford Close at the present time but to review it at next parking review with officers exploring the possibility of white lines.

     

    Reasons for Recommendation:

     

    1.    The Joint Committee reviews on-street parking annually as part of its remit.

    2.    The Joint Committee recognised the impact anti-social parking had on certain residents in this case and would like to monitor the issue.

     

     

    Minutes:

    The Chairman (County Councillor Richard Walsh) left the meeting in accordance with the procedural advice he had received and declared in item 4

     

    The Vice- Chairman (Cllr Ian Harvey) chaired this item.

     

    This report was a follow up to the parking review that had been carried out and presented at the last committee meeting in March. This proposed parking scheme in Ford Close had been deferred pending further consultations with the residents. The consultation had been carried out but had not resulted in support for the proposal and so the officer had recommended that this should not go ahead.

     

    One of the residents of Ford Close, Mr Wheeler was present to put forward an alternative view. As one of the householders that lives at the end of the close, nearest the main road, he felt that he and his immediate neighbour were impacted more by the anti-social parking and asked the Committee to take this into account.

     

    The Committee were sympathetic to Mr Wheeler who related some of his experiences to them although they felt that they could not ignore the wishes of the majority. They therefore resolved not to proceed with the parking measures but to add it to the next parking review whereby the officers would be asked to consider other measures such as white lines across the drives.

     

     

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed to:

     

    (i)            not to proceed any further with the proposed double yellow lines in Ford Close at the present time but to review it at next parking review with officers exploring the possibility of white lines.

     

    Reasons for Recommendation:

     

    1.    The Joint Committee reviews on-street parking annually as part of its remit.

    2.    The Joint Committee recognised the impact anti-social parking had on certain residents in this case and would like to monitor the issue.

     

     

10/19

HIGHWAYS UPDATE (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, FOR DECISION) pdf icon PDF 180 KB

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    To receive an update from the Highways Area Team Manager (North East).

     

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

     

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed to:

    (i)    Approve the capital maintenance programme to be funded from the £78,000 capital allocation for this Financial Year 2019-20

    (ii)   Authorise the advertisement of a legal notice for the relocation of two speed cushions in Clare Road, Stanwell, in support of bus stop improvements at the junction with Bedfont Road, and to consider any representations in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Divisional Member and if there are no significant objections to relocate the speed cushions

    (iii)   Authorise the Area Highway Manager in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and relevant Divisional Member(s) to undertake all necessary procedures to deliver the agreed programmes.

     

    Reasons:

     

    1.    The Joint Committee authorises Highways personnel to proceed in order that they can carry out their agreed programme for 2019/20 in a timely fashion.

     

    .

     

    Minutes:

    The Area Highways Manager presented the report which outlined the agreed  programme of works for the municipal year and the available capital budget. County councillors were reminded that they each had £7,500 allocated to them to nominate improvement works in their respective divisions. Members discussed what sort of improvements works could be funded from this money.

    The report also summarised projects from 2018/19 and the status of each.

     

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed to:

    (i)    Approve the capital maintenance programme to be funded from the £78,000 capital allocation for this Financial Year 2019-20

    (ii)   Authorise the advertisement of a legal notice for the relocation of two speed cushions in Clare Road, Stanwell, in support of bus stop improvements at the junction with Bedfont Road, and to consider any representations in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Divisional Member and if there are no significant objections to relocate the speed cushions

    (iii)   Authorise the Area Highway Manager in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and relevant Divisional Member(s) to undertake all necessary procedures to deliver the agreed programmes.

     

    Reasons:

     

    1.    The Joint Committee authorises Highways personnel to proceed in order that they can carry out their agreed programme for 2019/20 in a timely fashion.

     

    .

     

11/19

CABINET MEMBER UPDATE (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, FOR INFORMATION)

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    Cllr Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Highways will address the Committee.

     

     

    Minutes:

    The County Council Cabinet member for Highways, introduced himself to members and outlined his role in overseeing infrastructure delivery. He reported that there has been an increased investment in highways in the past year.  A new highways contract is being developed to begin in two years.

     

    The Cabinet will be considering a report to allow Districts and Boroughs (and potentially parishes) to be more involved in managing highway assets in town centres. An example of the involvement these local councils will be able to have will be input on the type of surface materials that can be used in their town centres.

     

    The roll out of LED street lights will begin in September/October and will follow the usual maintenance cycle to avoid additional costs.  This will involve the replacement of bulbs only.  It will save money on electricity and reduce carbon emissions. A question was asked as to why this was happening so soon after their replacement to halogen bulbs. The Cabinet Member replied that when the halogen bulbs were introduced the LED alternative was not robust enough. The technology has now improved significantly and the cost savings that will be gained made this too good an opportunity to delay on.

     

     

    Highways assets have been reviewed and it has been agreed that there should be some additional investment in pavements, which it is hoped will result in improvements.

     

    The Surrey Infrastructure Academy has been launched recently and will be working with local colleges to promote highway related degrees to address a skills shortage.

    There has been a successful switch over to a new drainage contractor and following the recent wet weather the number of enquiries related to highway flooding has been lower than previously.

    A question from the Committee enquired as to the confidence that the County Council has with one of their contractors who had recently attracted negative publicity. The Cabinet Member explained that there were contingencies in place should contractor failure occur but that there was benefits to continuing with this contractor such as their commitment to developing new technology to fill potholes more easily.

    Relating back to the Member’s question raised in item 7 of the agenda, the Cabinet Member confirmed that the area around the ECO-park was not deemed a priority for this year but that funding allocated to County Members could be used. However he concurred with the Area Highways Manager in recommending that improvements are not considered until after the ECO-park is completed.

     

     

     

12/19

COMMUNITY SAFETY FUNDING (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, FOR DECISION) pdf icon PDF 106 KB

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    This report outlines the proposed process for allocating the Committee’s community safety funds for the municipal year 2019/20 and gives an update on the project that was supported with last year’s funding.

    Decision:

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:

    (i)                    The Committee’s delegated community safety budget of £3000 for 2019/20 be retained by the Community Partnership Team, on behalf of the Joint Committee, and that the SSSP and/or other local organisations be invited to submit proposals for funding that meet the criteria and principles.

    (ii)                   That authority be delegated to the County Council’s Community Safety Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee, to authorise the expenditure of the community safety budget in accordance with the criteria and principles.

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

     

    Reasons:

    1.    The process agreed by the Committee allows the funding to be allocated promptly and in a transparent way.

    2.    The Committee will be updated with the progress of the projects in order that it can monitor their success.

     

    Minutes:

    The Partnership Committee Officer introduced the report explaining that its main purpose was to recommend that the method for allocating the Committee’s £3,000 community safety allocation is once again adopted by the Committee this municipal year.

    A representative of the Borough’s Community Safety Team updated the Committee on the success of last year’s project. This was the production of a children’s play to deter knife crime. He also related other projects that the County Council had contributed to during the year.

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:

    (i)                    The Committee’s delegated community safety budget of £3000 for 2019/20 be retained by the Community Partnership Team, on behalf of the Joint Committee, and that the SSSP and/or other local organisations be invited to submit proposals for funding that meet the criteria and principles.

    (ii)                   That authority be delegated to the County Council’s Community Safety Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee, to authorise the expenditure of the community safety budget in accordance with the criteria and principles.

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

     

    Reasons:

    1.    The process agreed by the Committee allows the funding to be allocated promptly and in a transparent way.

    2.    The Committee will be updated with the progress of the projects in order that it can monitor their success.

     

13/19

HEALTH & WELLBEING STRATEGY UPDATE (FOR INFORMATION) pdf icon PDF 122 KB

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    An update on the Borough Council’s latest Health and Wellbeing strategy.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Cllr Maureen Attewell,  Member for Laleham and Shepperton Green presented this paper in her capacity of Portfolio Holder for Community Wellbeing and Housing who chairs this board.

     

    The Committee took special interest in the Public Health England profile of the borough especially around the obesity levels amongst children of 10 and 11 years old and requested additional information about the source of these figures.

     

    The Committee also requested an update on the delayed air quality report as air quality is a particular concern in the borough.

     

     

14/19

TASK GROUPS & MEMBERSHIPS ON EXTERNAL BODIES (EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, FOR DECISION) pdf icon PDF 101 KB

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    This report outlines the Committee’s task groups and their membership on other bodies and requests that the Committee agree on membership for this for the municipal year 2019/20

    Additional documents:

    Decision:

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:

    (i)                     The continuation of the Joint Committee’s task groups for the year 2019/20

    (ii)                    To agree the membership as set out in each Terms of Reference

    (iii)                   To note in Annex 2, the Terms of Reference and membership of the external bodies set out in 2.2 – 2.9 of the report.

    (iv)                  To appoint Joint Committee members to these groups from the nominations set out in Annex 3 with the addition of Cllr Alison Griffiths to the Health & Wellbeing Board, Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley to the Parking Task Group.

     

    (v)                    To note that the Joint Committee’s appointment to the Health & Wellbeing Board is for a county councillor only.

     

    Reason:

     

    The Joint Committee decides on the continuation of their Task Groups and to membership of external bodies at the beginning of each municipal year.

    Minutes:

    The Partnership Committee Officer presented this report. At the beginning of each municipal year, the Committee forms task groups and appoints members to each. It is also invited to appoint link members to two external bodies; the Health & Wellbeing Board and the Stronger & Safer Spelthorne Partnership Board, which is the borough’s community safety partnership body.

    Nominations for the positions had been requested ahead of the meeting and were published as part of the supplementary agenda on the Friday prior to Monday’s meeting. There were two vacancies that remained but Miss Alison Griffiths and Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley put themselves forwards for the Health & Wellbeing Board and the Parking Task Group respectively.

    It was suggested that there needed to be further clarity as to which groups were task groups formed by the Committee and which were external bodies and for this to be reflected in future reports. In the case of the Health & Wellbeing Board it was confirmed that the Joint Committee was invited to appoint one county councillor to the Board.

     

    The Joint Committee (Spelthorne) agreed:

    (i)                     The continuation of the Joint Committee’s task groups for the year 2019/20

    (ii)                    To agree the membership as set out in each Terms of Reference

    (iii)                   To note in Annex 2, the Terms of Reference and membership of the external bodies set out in 2.2 – 2.9 of the report.

    (iv)                  To appoint Joint Committee members to these groups from the nominations set out in Annex 3 with the addition of Cllr Alison Griffiths to the Health & Wellbeing Board, Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley to the Parking Task Group.

     

    (v)                    To note that the Joint Committee’s appointment to the Health & Wellbeing Board is for a county councillor only.

     

    Reason:

     

    The Joint Committee decides on the continuation of their Task Groups and to membership of external bodies at the beginning of each municipal year.

15/19

FORWARD PROGRAMME 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 93 KB

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    To review the forward programme 2019/20, indicating any further preferences for inclusion.

    Minutes:

    The Forward Plan was noted for the year ahead. The Chairman reiterated that Members could put forward items for inclusion via the Committee Officer at any time.

16/19

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

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    To be held on Monday 30 September, 2019 at 6.30pm in the Council Chamber, Spelthorne Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW18 1XB.

     

    (Meeting to start with Informal Open Forum)

     

     

    Minutes:

    The date of the next meeting is 30th September, starting with the Open Forum at 6.30pm