Agenda and minutes

During this period, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it was informally agreed between the two political groups to run Medway Council meetings with a reduced number of participants. This was to reduce risk, comply with Government guidance and enable more efficient meetings. Therefore, the apologies given reflects that informal agreement of reduced participants.

Apologies for absence were received from the Vice Chairman Councillor Bhutia, Councillors Carr, Curry, Sylvia Griffin, Hubbard and Thompson and the Director of Place and Deputy Chief Executive.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chairman congratulated Sunny Ee on his recent appointment to the post of Assistant Director Regeneration.

The Chairman and Councillor Andy Stamp provided an update on the health of Councillors Bhutia (Vice Chairman) and Councillor Bowler and the Committee requested that its best wishes be passed onto both Members.

To approve the Record of the Meeting held on 14 January 2021.

The record of the meeting held on 14 January 2021 was agreed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report.

The Chairman of the Committee had agreed for the item on the Update on the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) Programme to be considered at this meeting as a matter of urgency as permitted under section 100B of the Local Government Act 1972 having regard to the first stage of the HIF consultation having commenced on 11 January 2021 and being due to finish on 6 April 2021 and with the next meeting of this Committee being scheduled provisionally for 10 June 2021.

The report had not been available in time for despatch with the main agenda as it had been necessary to undertake further work to finalise the report.

Members are invited to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct.  Guidance on this is set out in agenda item 4.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

Councillor Andy Stamp referred to the Annual Review of Waste Contracts: Contract Year October 2019 – September 2020 and informed the Committee that he worked for the Environment Agency. However, he was not involved in any sites in Medway therefore he was not precluded from taking part in the discussion on this item.

This report sets out progress made within the areas covered by the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe which fall within the remit of this Committee.

Discussion:

Members received an overview of progress on the areas of work within the terms of reference of this Committee and covered by the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe as set out below:

·         Archives

·         Armed Forces Covenant

·         Events and Festivals

·         Greenspaces

·         Heritage

·         Leisure Services

·         Sporting Legacy

·         Theatres and Arts

·         Tourism

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:

• Splashes Sports Centre – Clarification was sought as to the current position following the closure of the Splashes Sports Centre and in particular, whether the redevelopment of this facility would proceed as planned.

In response, the Portfolio Holder informed the Committee that the redevelopment of this facility remained a high priority project. However, whilst funding had been set aside for these works, detailed surveys indicated that more works were required than originally envisaged and therefore the project would take longer than anticipated. It was intended that when redeveloped, this facility would provide family friendly activities that would complement sessions held at other Medway sports centres.

He stated that whilst he was disappointed that the completion of the project would be delayed, work on the detailed designs would be undertaken in the Spring/Summer of 2021.

The Committee expressed concern that the project would not now include all the original proposals and in response, the Portfolio Holder advised that in considering the project as a whole, it was necessary to consider the market demand for facilities. Whilst there had once been a high demand for gym facilities, this was one example where demand had reduced in recent years as many people now had exercise equipment at home.

• Strand Swimming Pool – The Committee noted that the Strand Swimming Pool had not opened in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but that it was intended that the facility would be open in 2021 if permitted under Government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

Whilst it was appreciated that the facility would need to operate at a reduced capacity to comply with ongoing social distancing rules, it was considered that demand to use the facility was likely to be high especially as Splashes Sports Centre was currently closed and the Committee requested information as to whether there were plans to introduce a booking system and extend the opening hours of the Pool.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that subject to Government restrictions permitting the Pool to be open, a booking system would be introduced. The Committee suggested that consideration be given to introducing timed sessions of say 2 – 3 hours in length to enable as many people as possible to use the Pool.

The Portfolio Holder advised that whilst he was not against opening the pool for extended hours, as the pool was open air, actual usage of the pool was weather dependent and therefore it was necessary to take this into account when arranging opening times and staff work patterns. This made it more difficult to arrange extended opening  ...  view the full minutes text for item 829.

This report provides a summary of performance on the Medway waste contracts and performance for the contract year October 2019 to September 2020:

Veolia Environmental Services – providing waste disposal services for residual and recycling waste.

Medway Norse – providing waste collection, street cleaning services and management of Medway's Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC).

Discussion:

The Committee received a comprehensive report on the activities carried out by Veolia Environmental Services on the waste disposal service for residual and recycling waste and Medway Norse for the provision of waste collection, street cleaning services and management of the three household waste recycling centres for the contract year October 2019 – September 2020.

The Head of Environmental Services presented the report and in doing so, thanked the teams for the work undertaken during the Covid-19 pandemic. This appreciation was echoed across the Committee throughout the debate.

Andy Mann, Partnership Director from Medway NORSE attended the meeting to answer questions.

The Committee discussed the following issues:

• Provision of litter bins in greenspaces – The Committee requested whether there was scope to increase the frequency of emptying litter bins located on greenspaces. Over the past 12 months with people staying local and increased use of greenspaces for exercise some litterbins were often full and overflowing.

The Head of Environmental Services informed the Committee that the contract for the clearance of park litterbins was included under the Greenspaces contract and work had been planned to combine contracts to make this service more effective and efficient. However, this work had been delayed due to the need to concentrate on the provision of other services during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andy Mann from Medway Norse informed the Committee that the frequency of litterbin clearance was tied into the Service Level Agreements and was discussed at monthly meetings. To increase the frequency of litterbin clearance in one area may have implications on the frequency of collections in other areas. However, he was willing to continue dialogue on the Service Level Agreements to establish whether there was scope for increasing the frequency of litterbin emptying where considered necessary.

It was suggested that if any Member had a particular issue in their Ward, they notify officers and this could be investigated. It was also suggested that consideration could also be given to utilising Ward Improvement Funds for additional litterbins.

The Committee suggested that one alternative may be to consider installing larger litterbins in areas where the bins were heavily used.

The Head of Environmental Services informed the Committee that the next report on Waste Services was due to be submitted in October 2021 and this would cover the period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and would therefore show the impact upon waste collection through this period.

• Possible retention of the booking system at Household Waste collection sites - In response to a question as to whether the booking system at household waste collection sites could be extended beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, the Head of Environmental Services informed the Committee that the system was working well and was essential to ensure that the facilities could remain open safely at the current time. A customer satisfaction survey was due to be undertaken in April which would feed into future consideration as to whether the booking system should continue into the future.

The Committee was further informed that there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 830.

This paper updates Members on the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) bid and covers developments of the road, rail and environment infrastructure, and the first round of HIF consultation.

This report has been circulated separately to the main agenda as it was necessary to undertake further work to finalise the report. The Chairman of the Committee is of the opinion that it should be considered at this meeting as a matter of urgency as permitted under section 100B of the Local Government Act 1972 to enable the Committee to consider this important issue in a timely manner, noting that the first stage of HIF consultation commenced on 11 January 2021 and finishes on 6 April 2021. The next scheduled meeting of the Regeneration, Culture and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee is not until 10 June 2021 (this date is provisional).

Discussion:

The Committee received a report providing an update on the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) bid and setting out information on the developments of the road, rail and environmental infrastructure and the first round of HIF consultation.

It was noted that the first round of HIF consultation had commenced on 11 January and would run for a period of 12 weeks during which virtual meetings had been arranged for Parish Councils, Ward Councillors, Statutory Consultees and residents. Further consultations on rail, road and SEMS would take place during their consenting processes. Feedback on the first round of consultation would be presented in the form of a Statement of Community Involvement based on an analysis of the online HIF questionnaire.

The following issues were discussed:

• 24% Costed risk for future unknowns – In response to questions, the Assistant Director Regeneration confirmed that a 24% costed risk had been built into the project as a contingency. He advised that in line with the decision of the Council on 23 January 2020, the £170 million HIF funding had been added to the Council’s Capital Programme. The full funding would be provided by Homes England but if an overspend was to occur, the Council would be required to fund the first 1% (£1.7 million) from its own resources. He confirmed that at this stage of the project, no overspend was anticipated.

• Consultation – In response to questions, the Assistant Director Regeneration confirmed that officers would be undertaking an analysis of the responses to the online questionnaire produced as part of the consultation process. Members expressed concern that there had been an indication that individuals could submit email responses and sought clarification that these would also be included in the analysis. The Assistant Director Regeneration advised that this would have a resource implication as they would need to be cross referenced with the completed questionnaires but he would investigate their possible inclusion.

• Major changes to proposals – The Assistant Director Regeneration confirmed that should there be any major changes to the road proposals, this would present a challenge as such major changes would need to be the subject of further consultation. Following the consultation process, the Council would publish a summary of the proposals which were to be taken forward and those that could not be included.

• Section 106 funding – Referring to Appendix 2 to the report (Summary of the HIF Recovery Strategy), the Committee expressed a view that any Section 106 funding should be directed for use on the Hoo Peninsula.

The Head of Planning confirmed that Section 106 funding was required to comply with the CIL test and specifically relate to the development e.g. provision of schools, road improvements etc. A bespoke Section 106 as referred to in Appendix 2 would see an increase in the standard Medway-wide Section 106 payable by potential developments coming forward on the Hoo peninsula in recognition of the up-front delivery of infrastructure through the HIF, but would still need to meet the CIL tariffs.

• Request for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 831.

Medway’s Council Plan 2016/21 sets out the Council’s three priorities. This report and appendices summarise how we performed in Quarter 3 (Q3) of 2020/21 on the delivery of the two priorities relevant for this Committee: Place and Growth.

This report also presents the Q3 2020/21 review of the Council’s Strategic Risk Register.

Discussion:

The Committee received a report setting out performance for Quarter 3 against the Council's two priorities Place and Growth insofar as they fell within the remit of this Committee.

The report also set out the Quarter 3 2020/21 review of the Council’s Strategic Risk.

Then Committee was advised that as agreed at the Quarter 2 risk review, a new risk had been added to the strategic risk register in Quarter 3 – SR49: Income reduction due to Covid-19.

The Committee was then advised that in line with discussions at the Strategic Risk Management Group (SRMG), although the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) was included in the risk register under SR17 – Delivering Regeneration, it was considered that the HIF project warranted inclusion as a separate risk in its own right and therefore this would be added under Quarter 4 risk monitoring.

The following issues were discussed:

LRCC4a – Number of jobs created and safeguarded– In acknowledging the challenges for the Country as a whole as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, concern was expressed that the report failed to provide information as to how Medway planned to address the creation and safeguarding of jobs in Medway and it was suggested that further work was required to support existing jobs in Medway and to secure new investment.

In response, the Corporate Head of Performance and Business Intelligence informed the Committee that from Quarter 4, more detailed information would be included on this individual performance indicator and she advised that both Cabinet and the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee were receiving reports on the Council’s response and recovery after Covid-19 on 30 March 2021.

The Assistant Director Regeneration also informed the Committee that from April 2021, the Economic Development and Skills and Employment Teams  would be transferred to his division and he confirmed that this was a priority area and further information would be available in Quarter 4.

NI 154 – Net additional homes provided – Referring to the section of the report titled ‘Encourage the delivery of homes to meet our targets – Strood Waterfront’ it was suggested that consideration be given to alternative uses of sites that cannot be developed at the current time e.g. provision of box parks so as to provide an income.

In response, the Assistant Director Regeneration advised that the Innovation Studios Strood, essentially shipping containers similar to the box park principle had been successfully delivered at Strood Riverside and whilst income could be derived from this type of facility, it could not be provided without some initial grant funding. He referred to the former Civic Centre site (Strood Waterfront) and provided an update as to potential development of this site. He advised that if development was not feasible at the current time, then temporary alternative uses could be considered.

Members suggested that alternative temporary uses of undeveloped land could include income generating initiatives such as markets, pop-up shops or boot fairs which would boost economic development, add to the creation of jobs and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 832.

This report advises the Committee of petitions received by the Council which fall within the remit of this Committee including a summary of the response sent to the petition organiser by officers.

Discussion:

The Committee received a report advising of petitions received by the Council which fell within the remit of this Committee, including a summary of the response sent to the petition organisers by officers.

Decision:

The Committee noted the petition response set out in paragraph 3 of the report.

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. 

Discussion:

The Committee received a copy of its current work programme.

It was suggested that the Committee receive an update on progress on the work of the Climate Change Advisory Board either by way of a summary report or via a briefing note. However, it was subsequently noted that Climate Change currently fell within the remit of the Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee and therefore, to avoid duplication of work, this update would be requested via that Overview and Scrutiny Committee in the first instance and a briefing note requested only if considered necessary.

Decision:

The Committee:

a)            noted that a further update report on the HIF programme would be submitted to the Committee in 6 months.

b)            agreed that a report be added to the Committee’s work programme on the potential for increasing commercial use of the river.