Agenda item

Members will recall that O & S had requested that Portfolio Holders present their Business Plans at the first meeting of the new O & S Cycle on the 6 June.  As the Business Plans are developed on a Directorate basis, such a presentation would have required some careful choreography.  However, agreement has been reached, that it makes more sense for the Business Plans to be presented to the relevant Select Committee, where there would be better alignment.  This way the Select Committees would have time to undertake a more in-depth scrutiny role regarding the numerous services which make up their Select Committees. 

 

On this basis, the relevant Portfolio Holders are requested to attend this meeting and take the Select Committee through their plans for the coming year.

D Macnab outlined the background to this item that O & S had requested the relevant Portfolio Holders (PFHs) attend the first meeting of each Select Committee (SC) to present their Business Plans, which were developed on a Directorate basis. This would enable each SC to undertake a more in-depth scrutiny role regarding the numerous services which made up each SC.

 

The Key Statistics showed a:

 

·         Gross Budget of £18.6m;

·         Gross Income of £8.9m;

·         Net Budget of £9.7m; and

·         113 full time equivalent (FTE) staff.

 

These statistics covered frontline services, direct and contracted services – whether outsourced or in-house. The gross income comprised the Council’s commercial estates, which provided the most revenue, car parking revenue and licensing income.

 

Councillor N Bedford asked for the PFHs to each give a short presentation on their responsibilities as defined in the table below, which would be followed by a 5-minute short session for questions and answers.

 

Service Area	Portfolio	Portfolio Holder
Leisure Management, North Weald Airfield Operations	Leisure and Community Services	Councillor H Kane
Environmental Health, Neighbourhoods, Public Health, Contingency Planning, Waste Management, Land Drainage and Flood Alleviation, Contaminated Land, Grounds Maintenance, Fleet Operations, Environmental Co-ordination	Environment	Councillor W Breare-Hall
Licensing, Car Parking, Energy Efficiency, Fuel Poverty and Countrycare	Safer, Greener and Transport	Councillor G Waller
Planning Policy	Planning and Governance	Councillor John Philip
Economic Development	Assets and Economic Development	Councillor A Grigg
Local Strategic Partnerships	Leader’s Portfolio	Councillor C Whitbread

 

Councillor H Kane introduced the Leisure and Community Services Portfolio.

 

The Leisure and Community Services Portfolio covered a diverse range of leisure, cultural and community services, both provided directly by the Council and in partnership with other agencies.  The administration of the Council’s Grant Aid Scheme was also the responsibility of the PFH.

 

Councillor H Kane had already presented the Community and Cultural Services Business Plan to the Communities SC.  Therefore the main area within the Terms of Reference of the Neighbourhoods SC was the management of the Council’s Sports and Leisure Centres.

 

The Council had let a new 20-year contract to Places for People Leisure (PfP) to manage the District’s Leisure Centres after a competitive dialogue procurement process.  The contract had started on 1 April 2017 and would not only bring in significant investment but also deliver on average £1m per year of savings to the Council.

 

There was a monitoring process built into the contract to ensure that PfP performed to the required standards.  This included both statistical returns, but also customer satisfaction surveys and site inspections by the Council’s Client Officers.

 

The tender for the contract required bidders to submit proposals for the improvement of the facilities and also the design, build, operation and management of a new Leisure Centre at Hillhouse, Waltham Abbey to replace the ageing Waltham Abbey pool.

 

PfP proposals were summarised as below:

 

1.         Extension to Loughton Leisure Centre, to provide a new 120-studio fitness suite and new management studio.

 

2.         Conversion of two squash courts at Epping Sports Centre to two new movement studios, extension of the fitness suite, a complete changing room refurbishment and a new crèche facility in the under-used bar area.

 

3.         Internal refurbishment to fabric and finishes at Ongar Leisure Centre plus the purchase of new gym equipment. External reinstatement of the tennis courts on which the temporary school accommodation stood.

 

4.         New modern purpose built wet and dry leisure centre at Hillhouse, Waltham Abbey to contain a 25-metre main pool, teaching pool, fitness suites and movement studio plus a community room. The Outline consent had been granted with a full planning application due to be considered by District Development Management Committee in July. If successful, building was due for completion by November 2018.

 

Councillor A Patel said that there had not been any update from the Forum meeting. D Macnab replied that a liaison committee had not been set up as yet. They were hoping to set it up along the lines of the Waste Management Partnership Board, with senior management from PfP and meet on a quarterly basis.

 

Councillor M Sartin asked about progress on the North Weald Airfield Operations. D Macnab said that came under Councillor H Kane for day-to-day operations and safety etc. The Assets and Economic Development PFH, Councillor A Grigg, would deal with the commercial aspects of the Airfield, while its future use would come under the Planning and Governance PFH, Councillor J Philip.

 

Councillor W Breare-Hall introduced the Environment Portfolio.

 

The Environment Portfolio covered a diverse range of frontline services, which maintained and enhanced the physical environment of the District, to help improve the quality of life for residents.

 

The main area of responsibility was the provision of domestic waste collection, recycling and street cleansing. This service was undertaken by Biffa Municipal who was awarded the contract in November 2015. Despite difficulties experienced in the change from 5-day to 4-day collections, the general quality of the service from Biffa was good, especially now that the contract was fully stabilised and the need for agency staff had been largely eliminated.

 

The performance of the contract was managed through a partnership board (PB) which negotiated some variations to the original contract, to reflect the change in composition of dry recycling, the number of clear recycling bags our residents utilised and the number of new homes being provided. This had led to increased costs of approximately £350,000 per annum. The PB was reviewing its options to increase efficiency and recover these costs. If feasible, there might be the potential for a third wheeled bin for dry recycling.

 

It was noted that the clear waste sacks had increased costs and officers were now working on other possibilities including the inclusion of a third wheeled bin.

 

Air quality was an ongoing concern for our residents. The Council undertook general air quality monitoring across the District and more in-depth monitoring in areas where there was an indication of increased risk e.g. heavily congested parts of the District. Air quality monitoring was taken very seriously by the Council and it would review how it undertook this work to see what improvements could be made to ensure it was well placed to respond to any legislative changes. The Council would also review the principle of enforcement action for idling traffic, for example as could happen outside schools.

 

The Cabinet would be receiving a report in July regarding the disposal of the Pyrles Lane Nursery Site. The service was due to transfer to the new Oakwood Hill Depot, but with the feasibility of relocating the housing repairs service to this location, an alternative location was being pursued at Town Mead, Waltham Abbey. With the loss of the traditional glass-houses at Pyrles Lane, the procurement of plants for the numerous bedding schemes across the District was being undertaken. Hopefully within procurement rules this could secure supplies from local growers.

 

In light of the tragic fire in Kensington and Chelsea and the perceived poor response from the Borough, the Council would review its Emergency Planning arrangements.  Whilst plans were in place it would be holding an exercise to test assurance.  The Neighbourhoods SC would be receiving a separate report on this at a future meeting.

 

Councillor N Bedford asked how the Civil Emergency Planning arrangements would be tested practically. D Macnab said this would be co-ordinated by our Emergency Planning officers. They would be checking the call-handling and would be looking at how staff could physically set up a recovery / emergency facilities centre.

 

Councillor N Avey complimented the Council on the very fast reply he had recently received from the Environment and Neighbourhoods call centre when he had reported his green bin was cracked and it had taken two days to receive a replacement bin.

 

Councillor J H Whitehouse was very pleased to hear that air quality arrangements would be reviewed in the District and asked if this would include Epping Underground Station where the fumes were very bad as quite often cars and buses left their engines idling. Councillor W Breare-Hall said the review of air quality monitoring should start within the next six months. D Macnab added that this project would be led by the Assistant Director of Neighbourhood Services, J Nolan. It might be feasible to include Epping Station but this was on private land as was the access road, which was owned by Transport for London. The Environment and Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers would also be able to issue fines of £60 to ‘idling’ offenders, which he affirmed to Councillor S Neville would use existing staff. This was a matter that would require clear guidelines and appropriate publicity before implementation. Councillor L Hughes also commented on the increase in fumes when vehicles were stationery in traffic jams and that she had seen stationary buses with no drivers but with the engines left running. Councillor W Breare-Hall was sure conversations between relevant parties would help stop this. Councillor N Bedford commented that ice cream vans could be a problem in the City and that the City of London Corporation used idling as a means to confiscate the vehicle rather than confiscating the ice creams. Councillor G Shiell drew attention to the parking outside some schools which was hazardous when vehicles were parked on double yellow lines.

 

On the issue of flimsy recycling sacks and people using two at a time from Councillor S Neville, Councillor W Breare-Hall said that quality testing of these sacks had been undertaken. There was also a cost element involved as thicker sacks would be more costly for the Council, but he acknowledged that using two instead of one also increased consumption. Councillor N Bedford commented on the way sacks were delivered to residents by the contractor and often thrown onto the fronts of properties and asked why these could not be collected instead. Councillor W Breare-Hall replied that he had raised the way sacks were deposited and that the response was unsatisfactory.

 

Councillor H Brady said the contractor was good at collecting residents’ refuse bins. However, what about the problem of fly-tipping and would the Council be approaching Essex County Council about fly-tipping with a view to ECC widening the waste taken at its recycling centres? Councillor W Breare-Hall replied that the next county-wide meeting on this was next week and ECC might hopefully be forthcoming on this matter. At the moment he was not making any connection yet between when ECC had introduced its new waste protocol at its recycling centres. However, if there was a correlation between the tighter restrictions and the increase in fly-tipping then he would be pressuring ECC on this.

 

Councillor G Waller introduced the Safer, Greener and Transport Portfolio.

 

The Safer, Greener and Transport Portfolio covered a range of frontline services as well as wider responsibilities for working in partnership with others on such issues as community safety and highways / transport. The Communities SC had already considered the work of the Community Safety Partnership at their last meeting. The Governance SC covered the conservation of the built environment, and trees and landscape.

 

Within the Portfolio the most contentious issue for residents, visitors and local businesses was parking, along with the Local Plan. The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) was set-up by Essex County Council (ECC) to manage both on-street and off-street parking. Last year the Council gave notice to quit the off-street component of NEPP and took back the control of its own pay and display car parks. The Council undertook its own competitive tender resulting in the appointment of NSL Limited. The NSL contract would make enforcement more regular across all of the Council’s car parks. In advance of the new arrangements, significant investment in new ticketing machines, surfacing, signage and light had taken place. There should be a considerable increase in revenue from parking and penalty charge notices (PCNs). However, the Council was not seeking to issue as many PCNs as possible, but rather encourage compliance.

 

One of the problem areas was that of parking outside schools and we now have a camera car that could wait outside problem schools to catch this behaviour; what he wanted now was for members to let him know which schools the camera car should concentrate on.

 

The Council’s Countryside Management Service, Countrycare, worked across the District not only on nature conservation and land management of the Council’s assets, but also provided invaluable advice and support to private landowners. A particular feature of the service was their ability to enthuse and co-ordinate the work of volunteers. The four staff were complemented by over fifty volunteers. The volunteers met every Thursday to work in the nature reserves (NRs), they were very enthusiastic and a genuine flagship resource. The service was due to locate to the new Oakwood Hill Depot, similar to the Nursery Service, but with housing repairs now relocating there, a review was underway to see if Countrycare could be better accommodated at Town Mead, Waltham Abbey. Another aspect of future arrangements for Countrycare that was being looked at was how some cost recovery could be achieved from private / partner organisations without it becoming a disincentive for owners to manage sites for the benefit of wildlife, flora and fauna. There were currently nine NRs, which would hopefully increase by three to four new sites.

 

This Council was not the statutory transport authority, which was undertaken by Essex County Council, but the PFH supported a liaison role on transport matters and associated infrastructure, such as through funding for Epping Forest Community Transport for the elderly, which we supported with a grant of £16,000 – £17,000 per annum, and had recently taken over Harlow Community Transport. Similarly, a wider view was taken on such issues as the Central Line and TfL responsibilities for buses in the south of the District.

 

Within the Green component of the Portfolio, sat a remit for energy efficiency and associated issues, such as fuel poverty. The Council’s commitment to the green agenda was co-ordinated through the Officer Working Party which the PFH attended. As well as trying to reduce the carbon footprint of the Council, by such initiatives as the solar panels on the Civic Offices, officers worked with landlords and tenants in the private sector to ensure that good standards of insulation and energy efficiency were achieved in privately rented property, to mitigate against the risk of fuel poverty, i.e. namely those who spent a disproportionate amount of their income just trying to heat their homes.

 

Councillor S Neville asked where the new three or four nature reserves were situated. Councillor G Waller replied that there was one in Sheering Village and another in Matching. Sheering Parish Council had engaged Epping Forest District Council to do the work, and in Councillor L Hughes’ ward (Broadley Common, Epping Upland and Nazeing). Councillor R Morgan added that Sheering Parish Council had organised a 5-year contract with Epping Forest Countrycare.

 

Councillor A Patel asked about the funding issue from Transport for London (TfL) for step free access to the underground stations. Councillor G Waller replied that TfL had approached the Council looking for some funding, but had not understood it was not set-up as a unitary authority and that ECC was the transport authority for the County. Councillor S Neville reported that the Buckhurst Hill Feasibility Study had been partly funded by ECC and was now completed but he had not received a copy of the report yet.

 

Councillor J Philip introduced the Planning and Governance Portfolio.

 

He stated that planning covered Neighbourhoods and Governance Directorates. The Portfolio had the responsibility for all aspects of Governance as well as both the Development Management and Planning Enforcement aspects of the Council’s Planning Services. There was a need to ensure the Local Plan was done as quickly as the Council was able to, and he asked if the Committee would agree to bring forward agenda item 9, Local Plan Update, to follow this item so he could expand on his presentation, which was agreed.

 

Councillor A Grigg introduced the Assets and Economic Development Portfolio.

 

The Portfolio covered both the management and development of the Council’s physical estate, primarily the commercial property portfolio, as well as a small team that promoted economic development, sought to support local businesses and promoted the visitor economy, and the Valuation Service.

 

A review had been undertaken on the Estates and Valuation Service with an increased focus on driving revenue from the estate and sought to maximise the potential of the assets. In the short term, the Council had been relying on agency staff. This new structure would establish a more sustainable permanent staffing structure with the appropriate skills for the future.

 

Members of the Cabinet Committee received regular updates on the progress of the Shopping Park. The builders were excellent and had completed on time in June. All the key tenants, Aldi, Costa Coffee, Hobbycraft and TK Maxx, were in place and had been handed over to allow the fitting out of the shop units. The Shopping Park was still scheduled to open by the end of September and the S278 Highways Work should be finished by the end of August 2017.

 

The legal agreement on the St John’s Road site was due to be completed in mid-July. New negotiations to secure the community benefits, in particular the cinema were complete. Frontier would then proceed with the detailed development of their full planning application, which could be received by the end of the year.

 

There were no further questions from members.