Agenda and minutes
PDF 276 KBVenue: Meeting Room 2 - Level 3, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR. View directions
Contact: Michael Turner, Democratic Services Officer
| No. | Item | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Apologies for absence Minutes: Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Etheridge, Saroy and Stamp.
Councillors Purdy, Opara and Griffiths were attending in their place as substitutes. |
|||
|
To approve the record of the meeting held on 28 January 2016. Minutes: The record of the meeting held on 28 January 2016 was signed by the Chairman as a correct record. |
|||
|
Urgent matters by reason of special circumstances The Chairman will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report. Minutes: There were none. |
|||
|
Declarations of interests and whipping (A) Disclosable pecuniary interests and other interests
A member need only disclose at any meeting the existence of a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) in a matter to be considered at that meeting if that DPI has not been entered on the disclosable pecuniary interests register maintained by the Monitoring Officer.
A member disclosing a DPI at a meeting must thereafter notify the Monitoring Officer in writing of that interest within 28 days from the date of disclosure at the meeting.
A member may not participate in a discussion of or vote on any matter in which he or she has a DPI (both those already registered and those disclosed at the meeting) and must withdraw from the room during such discussion/vote.
Members may choose to voluntarily disclose a DPI at a meeting even if it is registered on the council’s register of disclosable pecuniary interests but there is no legal requirement to do so.
Members should also ensure they disclose any other interests which may give rise to a conflict under the council’s code of conduct.
In line with the training provided to members by the Monitoring Officer members will also need to consider bias and pre-determination in certain circumstances and whether they have a conflict of interest or should otherwise leave the room for Code reasons.
(B) Whipping
The Council’s constitution also requires any Member of the Committee who is subject to a party whip (ie agreeing to vote in line with the majority view of a private party group meeting) to declare the existence of the whip. Minutes: Disclosable pecuniary interests
There were none.
Other interests
There were none.
|
|||
|
To advise the Committee of petitions received by the Council which fall within the remit of this Committee including a summary of the responses sent to the lead petitioners by officers. Additional documents: Minutes: Discussion:
Members considered a report concerning three petitions received by the Council which fell within the remit of this Committee, including a summary of the response sent to the lead petitioners by officers. Two of the petitions were for information but one petition organiser had asked for the response to a petition calling for the removal of double yellow lines from Roosevelt Avenue in Chatham to be reviewed. Mr Ward, the petition organiser for the latter, referred to the information he had submitted to the Committee explaining the reasons behind the petition and why he had asked for the response to be reviewed.
The Head of Highways and Parking responded, noting that some of the signatories on the petition calling for the removal of double yellow lines had also supported the original scheme three years ago. As a way forward he proposed that one of the Council’s Parking Engineers meet with Mr Ward and local residents in order to investigate this further and see if a positive solution could be found.
Members commented that this appeared to be a satisfactory way forward.
Decision:
The Committee agreed to:
a) note the petition responses and appropriate officer actions in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the report
b) note the Director’s comments at paragraph 5 of the report concerning the petition referral request and endorse the proposal outlined at the meeting that a Parking Engineer liaises with local residents to try and find a positive solution. |
|||
|
Attendance by the Portfolio Holder for Business Management This report sets out progress made within the areas covered by the Portfolio Holder for Business Management which fall within the remit of this Committee.
Minutes: Discussion:
The Portfolio Holder for Business Management responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:
Community Wardens
· Fly tipping – in response to a question whether the Portfolio Holder had personally attended fly tipping scenes with the team, Councillor Turpin confirmed that he had and that the introduction of two tipper trucks to quickly clear sites had proven to be very effective. Responding to a question as to whetherthe current supply of trucks was sufficient to cope with what one Member expected to be a large increase in fly tipping as a result of the introduction of a charge for the collection of bulky items, Councillor Turpin replied that he did not think there would be a significant increase as a result of this charge. Much of the fly tipping involved large amounts of rubble etc. being disposed of as opposed to bulky items being fly tipped. A Member asked if information could be provided to show the amount of fly tipping and the costs involved to see if there was any connection as a result of the charge. Officers advised that the information about quantities of fly tipping and what categories of waste was collected was publicly available.
In response to a question about the number of prosecutions for fly tipping, Councillor Turpin undertook to provide this information outside the meeting.
A Member referred to the issue of an increase in bed bugs in recent years and asked if this was taken into account when mattresses were collected at fly tipping sites. Councillor Turpin replied that such waste was broken up rather than recycled back into the community.
Dog fouling – In response to a question whether dog owners who allowed their dogs to foul in public places without clearing up could be found by the DNA testing of dog excrement, Councillor Turpin advised that such a scheme had been introduced by Barking and Dagenham Council on a voluntary basis. This was not something the Council could afford and its voluntary nature meant that many of those who caused this situation would be unlikely to voluntarily participate. Councillor Turpin added that the Council was pursuing other measures such as free de-worming tablets and placing non-permanent anti dog fouling messages on pavements where they were more visible. In addition, if any Member had concerns about a particular situation, then the wardens would carry out a site visit to try and gather evidence.
Refuse and identity theft – A Member asked if the operation conducted in Gillingham highlighting the issue of identity theft from refuse put out for collection too early could be rolled out across Medway as “bin raiding” was an increasing problem in some wards. Councillor Turpin responded that, if successful, it would be rolled out but the proliferation of “bin raiding” in some ... view the full minutes text for item 897. |
|||
|
Housing (Demand, Affordability and Supply) Task Group This report asks Members to consider the final report of the in-depth review into the demand, supply and affordability of housing in Medway. The Committee is recommended to consider the findings and recommendations of the Task Group and forward any comments to the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Additional documents: Minutes: Discussion:
|
|||
|
Presentation on Highways Members asked officers to make a presentation on how Highways is managed in Medway, with a view of understanding the technical process involved in selecting a work programme for a year and whether Medway was in a position to look further ahead in their programming: This presentation explains how officers arrive at a programme of works to meet council objectives. Minutes: Discussion:
A Member welcomed the data-led approach to determining the programme of highways schemes and asked for confirmation that requests from individual Members did not undermine this approach. The Head of Highways and Parking commented that all schemes were technically appraised and then prioritised and gave an assurance that Members’ requests, whilst welcome, had not in the previous 6 years led to the schedule of works being amended.
On liaison with utility companies, officers responded that work by utilities impacted on public satisfaction with the road network. Once a scheme had been signed off, the Council served notice on the utilities that they had 3-4 months to finalise any works after which the Council would prevent them from carrying out works on the highway unless it was an emergency situation.
A Member asked for details of what funds were needed for the highways network to maintain its current levels of technical performance.
A Member asked what the annual budget was for Medway Tunnel, how this compared to the situation before the Council took on responsibility for the tunnel and what percentage this represented in terms of the overall highways budget. In response, the Council was spending about the same each year on the tunnel as the previous operator - £600-800,000 pa. The DfT had given the Council £5m to operate the tunnel, which had been ring fenced.
Regarding the levels of finance needed to be invested in the highways network in order to maintain current levels of technical performance, officers responded that the Council’s budget modelling systems allowed this information to be made readily available.
In response to a question about whether the Council would be adopting the road network at Medway Gates, the Committee was advised that this would not be considered at present due to concerns about the soundness of the roads both structurally and financially.
A Member asked what the possible impact might be on the network as a result of the ... view the full minutes text for item 899. |
|||
|
Council Plan Monitoring 2015/16 - Quarter 3 This report summarises the performance of the Council’s Key Measures of Success in Quarter 3 for 2015/16. Additional documents: Minutes:
|
|||
|
This item advises Members of the current work programme and allows the Committee to adjust it in the light of latest priorities, issues and circumstances. It gives Members the opportunity to shape and direct the Committee’s activities over the year. Additional documents: Minutes: Discussion:
The Democratic Services Officer reported on the Committee’s current work programme.
A suggestion that the item in the unallocated section of the work programme on plans for expansion of markets be dealt with as a briefing note instead of a report to the Committee was agreed.
Decision:
The Committee agreed to:
a) note the current work programme, and;
b) agree that information on the Kent and Medway Growth Deal and also plans for expansion of markets be circulated as briefing notes and these items be removed from the list of outstanding reports on the work programme.
|