Agenda and minutes

Environmental & Public Protection Scrutiny Committee - Friday, 17th May, 2019 10.00 am

Venue: Chamber - County Hall, Carmarthen. SA31 1JP. View directions

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor T. Higgins.

 

2.

DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL INTEREST INCLUDING ANY PARTY WHIPS ISSUED IN RELATION TO ANY AGENDA ITEM.

Minutes:

There were no declerations of interest.

 

 

3.

PUBLIC QUESTIONS (NONE RECEIVED)

Minutes:

The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.

 

4.

REVENUE & CAPITAL BUDGET MONITORING REPORT 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received for consideration the budget monitoring reports for the Environment Service, Public Protection Service and the Community Safety Service with an update on the latest budgetary position, as at 28th February 2019 in respect of 2018/19.

 

 

 

The following questions/issues were raised on the report:-

 

·         Members referenced the £108k increased income from Highways Adoptions, and were advised by the Head of Transportation and Highways that this was due to the fees associated with agreements under Section 38 of the Highways Act 1980. The fees cover costs incurred in relation to; checking designs, preparing agreements, inspecting the works etc. It was noted that this only applied to new developments.

 

·         Members noted the costs associated with Sustainable Drainage; the Head of Waste and Environmental Services advised that under the Flood & Water Management Act the authority had a duty to ensure that drainage was dealt with in a sustainable way in relation to applications for new developments. This included ensuring that excess water would not cause any detriment downstream.

 

·         In response to a question on staffing, the Head of Transportation and Highways advised that the Highways and Transportation Department employed over 400 staff, including School Crossing Patrols, Highways Operatives and Environmental Enforcement Officers. He further advised that post of Road Safety and Traffic Manager had not been filled and was being covered in part by the Highways and Transport Manger while a review of the wider structure was undertaken. It was acknowledged that the role of Traffic Manager was a key position within the department and it was anticipated a post would be filled over the coming months.

 

·         Members referenced the CCTV costs, noting that the responsibility for this had transferred back to Dyfed Powys Police and asked whether the CCTV was currently live. The Corporate Policy and Partnership Manager advised that that the CCTV was recording, and live monitoring would begin over the following week.

 

RESOLVED that the report be received.

 

 

5.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC PROTECTION SCRUTINY COMMITTEE FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 153 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered its Forward Work Programme for 2019/20.

 

Members noted that the programme was a flexible document that could be amended to reflect additional meetings and agenda items during the course of the municipal year.

 

RESOLVED that the Environmental and Public Protection Forward Work Programme for 2019/20 be endorsed. 

 

6.

REPORT ON PUBLIC SPACE PROTECTION ORDER CONSULTATION pdf icon PDF 466 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the Public Space Protection Order Consultation Report. The report was reviewed by the committee every three years as part of the renewal of the Public Space Protection Order.

 

The following issues were raised during consideration of the report:-

 

·         Section 11(B) of the report stated that Dogs are not permitted from entering an enclosed children’s play area, ‘enclosed’ being defined as surrounded on all sides by fences, gates, walls and other structures.  Members asked whether the order could be extended to areas that were enclosed on three sides, as there were several parks throughout the County with three sided, enclosed play areas. The Head of Waste and Environmental Services advised that this was looked at during the last review, however the principle could not apply to some areas and became difficult to define.

 

·         Members asked for clarification on how the order applied to working dogs on farmland where there was a Public Right of Way through the land. The Head of Waste and Environmental Services advised that working dogs were exempt from the Act.  He further clarified that the Act does not stipulate that dogs are required to be kept on leads, but to be kept under control.

 

·         Members highlighted the extent to which the order could be extended, to include sport pitches and school fields. The Executive Board Member for Public Protection advised the Committee that there would be opportunity in the future to make amendments to the proposed Public Space Protection Order and emphasised the importance of passing the order before the 3rd July 2019. It was also noted that consideration would need to be given to the operational requirements of extending the order, as there were currently four teams of two Enforcement Officers to cover the County.

 

RESOLVED that -

 

6.1    the duration of the Carmarthenshire County Council (Dog Control)           Public Spaces Protection Order 2016 be extended for a further period           of 3 years with effect from the 1st July 2019;

 

6.2    the Council makes an Extension Order to give effect to the above           extension and endorses the 2016 Order with suitable wording to           reflect the fact that the duration of the 2016 order has been extended.

 

6.3    the Chair and Vice Chair of the Scrutiny Committee to meet with the           Environmental Enforcement Manager to discuss proposed future           controls.

 

7.

CORPORATE STRATEGY 2018-23 - DRAFT UPDATE JUNE 2019 pdf icon PDF 213 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Performance Planning & Business Officer presented an overview of the report and a breakdown of the changes from the previous report.

 

The following questions/issues were raised on the report:-

 

·         Members considered Action 2 of Well-being Objective 8, which referred to continuing to monitor Air-quality, and noted that the action did not appear to be ambitious in relation to the corporate ambition to develop a clear plan for a route towards being net zero carbon within 12 months, and to be a zero net carbon local authority by 2030. Members were critical of the lack of specific targets, and encouraged the alignment of targets. It was agreed that this should be fed back to the Executive Board following a meeting with the Head of Homes and Safer Communities.

 

·         In answer to a question on Carmarthenshire’s rates of recycling, the Head of Waste and Environmental Services advised that there were issues with the disposal of black ash waste. Black bag refuse was sent away to be burned, and this is counted as recycling, however, the disposal of black ash remained an ongoing issue.  He further advised that under the new scheme of presenting identification at Household Waste Recycling Centres, a significant number of ‘out of County’ visitors had been turned away which should be reflected in the recycling rates for 2019/20.

 

·         Members asked for further information on the emissions of council fleet vehicles and what measures were being undertaken to mitigate this. The Head of Transportation & Highways advised that the current fleet were midway through their cycle and a key element of the future procurement process would be the consideration of electronic vehicles.  The current Highway Vehicle fleet was one the most advanced in terms of exhaust emissions.

 

RESOLVED that following a meeting with the Head of Homes and Safer Communities, the Executive Board Member for Public Protection to feedback to the Executive Board in relation to greater ambition and alignment of environmental targets.

 

8.

FORTHCOMING ITEMS pdf icon PDF 88 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items for the Committee meeting to be held on the 10th June 2019 be agreed.