Agenda and minutes

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To declare interests in any items on the agenda.

In considering whether to declare a personal or a prejudicial interest under the Code of Conduct, Overview & Scrutiny members are asked pay particular attention to paragraph 11 of the Code in addition to the more familiar requirements.

This requires the declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest in any matter before an OS Committee which relates to a decision of or action by another Committee or Sub Committee of the Council, a Joint Committee or Joint Sub Committee in which the Council is involved and of which the Councillor is also a member.

Paragraph 11 does not refer to Cabinet decisions or attendance at an OS meeting purely for the purpose of answering questions or providing information on such a matter.

No declarations of interest were made.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive)  To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

The Panel noted there were no substitute members.

To consider and agree the notes of the meeting of the Panel held on 2 September 2008.

The minutes from 2 September 2008 were noted and agreed as a correct record.

(Chairman/Lead Officer) the Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed the Terms of Reference of this Panel and associated work programme. This is attached. The Panel are asked at each meeting to review both documents.

(1)        Safer, Cleaner, Greener (general) –

• The Panel noted that the rapid response vehicle had been delivered and officers were currently recruiting a driver.
• The Environment and Neighbourhood team were to be launched in the new year.
• Once enforcement action begins then figures will be brought back to the Panel for information.
• The Safer, Cleaner, Greener Strategy document was nearly completed.
• Councillor Frankel was encouraged by the Environment and Neighbourhood team and asked if they could make a presentation to the O&S Committee or the Council. He was informed that there will be a formal launch of the team who would go around the Town and Parish Councils to make themselves known.

(2)        Safer Communities -

• The new CCTV officer will be updating our current CCTV policy in the near future.
• The pictures from the CCTV will be able to be used as evidence.
• Neighbourhood Action Panels (NAPs) were still going strong.
• Joint Action Groups were now called Joint Area Action Groups (JAAGs). Both NAPs and JAAGs were working reasonably well at present.
• The crime trend was downwards with the only area of real concern being millennium Crime (car theft resulting from keys stolen from homes).
• There is a National Indicator on the fear of crime that is being researched by a survey being carried out. It would be interesting to know why the fear of crime was still high even though crime itself was low.

(3)        Essex Waste procurement process and joint committee -

• Noted that the Essex Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy had been adopted by the Council in September 2008.
• The text of the inter authority agreements to come to this panel at a later meeting.

(4)        Waste Management Partnership Board -

• The next formal meeting will be held in January 2009.

(5)        Nottingham Declaration -

• Good progress has been made on the Climate Change Strategy; the first draft will be available by December 08.
• The local biodiversity action plan was ready and the carbon reduction plan was almost ready.
• A new Council cycle scheme had now been advertised.
• 2,000 trees to be planted at the Bobbingworth Site in November.

(6)        Residential Parking -

• Councillor Frankel reported that a draft policy on parking on Housing land was going to go to Cabinet.

(7)        County Highway Matters -

• Still awaiting the Speed Management and the Freight strategy from County.

(8)        Bobbingworth Tip -

• Currently buying topsoil for the site. Officers were confident that they would get the job finished by the end of the year, subject to the weather.

(Director of Environment and Street Scene) to consider the attached report.

The Director of Environment and Street Scene informed the Panel that he had a number of amendments to the report printed in the agenda. He also tabled a paper with the latest outcomes from the recent survey on a revised waste service. The closing date of which was Friday 24 October 08. 

According to the preliminary results, option 1 was the favoured option. This option proposed:

• Recycling to be collected using the existing clear plastic sacks and blue box every fortnight.
• Kitchen waste and garden waste to be collected together using a new large wheeled bin every week.
• Residual waste to be collected using the existing wheeled bin every fortnight.

It was noted that:

• there was a generally high level of satisfaction with the current arrangements;
• option 4 was where a responder had indicated their preference for the status quo or for another option;
• respondents were broadly in favour of having their kitchen waste collected on a weekly basis (question 5);
• people were also broadly in favour of having a second wheeled bin (question 9);
• it was intended to take  the report to Cabinet  for them to make a decision as soon as possible so that if agreed the Council could order wheeled bins for next year in plenty of time;
• the cost would lie with SITA for the collection and delivery of the bins;

Councillor Mrs Richardson asked what if a resident did not want a second wheeled bin. Mr Gilbert replied that if option 1 or 2 was chosen they would have to go along with the agreed policy for the district.

Councillor Frankel asked which was the better option, 1 or 2, both for the environment and for EFDC. He was told that option 1 was slightly better. The significant difference was that option 2 separates food and garden waste. Councillor Frankel asked if there was a lot of green waste could they add bags. He was told they could not, as they were trying to constrain people in giving the council too much green waste, they would much prefer that people composted at home.

Councillor Jacobs said that he had contacted other district councils about the matter of food and garden waste. Norfolk said that they did not have co-mingled loads (food and garden waste) and did not like it. Did the council have any feedback about the use of co-mingled waste? SITA have said that they like co-mingled collections. Councillor Mrs Sartin said she had asked to meet with Rochford council once they had bedded down their system. 

Councillor Jacobs said that SITA costs were higher than anticipated, and wondered if county could meet these extra costs.

Councillor Barrett asked why the Council could not say that they just can’t do this, as it was too expensive. Mr Gilbert said that was an option to be considered. However the council will have to pay one way or the other, either with providing more bins or by paying the higher landfill taxes.

Councillor Chana said this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

To note the summary of decisions for the last meeting of the West Essex Waste Management Joint Committee.

The Panel noted the summary of decisions for the last meeting of the West Essex Waste Management Joint Committee held on 26 August 2008. It was noted that a Waste Collection Authority Inter-Authority Agreement Work-Stream Leader had now been recruited and that they had not yet appointed a IAA Legal Advisor for Waste Collection Authorities.

The members said they would like a seminar to explain the decisions that were coming up. Officers to arrange a suitable date.

To consider which reports are ready to be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its next meeting.

1.         That a suitable verbal report to go to the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on the discussions had at this Panel’s meeting.

2.         Councillor Pritchard wanted to draw the Panel’s attention to the new recycling bins for batteries that were now appearing outside shops and in recycling centre around the country.

To note the forward programme of meeting dates for the Panel. They are:

09^th December 2008,

24^th February 2009, and

21^st April 2009.

Future meetings of the Panel were noted.