AT A MEETING of the ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSPORTATION SELECT COMMITTEE of the COUNTY COUNCIL - held at The Castle, Winchester on 3 July, 2008
p Councillor P.R.C. Hutcheson (Chairman)
|
|
|
p I.F.E. Beagley p Carol Boulton a A.S. Carew p Anne Edwards p Mrs K. Heron p Keith House |
p G.M. Hockley p Sam Payne p Mrs M.J. Tucker p Mrs. S.A. Wheale a John K. West |
|
|
77 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Councillor Carew and J.K. West.
|
|
78 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or a personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should declare their personal interest and having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with paragraph 12 of the Code. No such interests were declared on this occasion.
|
|
79 MINUTES
The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 17 June, 2008 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the addition of Councillor Anne Edwards to the list of those present.
|
|
80 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS
The Chairman reported that the recommendations emanating from the review of scrutiny would be considered by Cabinet on 7 July, and copies of the summary recommendations were made available for Members' information.
|
|
81 FLOODING - EMERGENCY PLANNING AND HIGHWAYS
The Committee received a presentation by Ian Hoult, Head of Emergency Planning and Business Continuity and Kevin Fuller, Area Director, Highways West, Environment Department, on progress in flood risk management in Hampshire. A copy of the presentation is set out as item 5 in the Minute Book. They outlined the roles of the County Council, District Councils, Environment Agency, Water Companies and the Police and Fire and Rescue Services in coordinating the response to incidents of flooding which occurred in the County, and the way in which those agencies worked together to coordinate an effective response. They explained that the Pitt report on recent flooding incidents across the country in 2007 envisaged a primary lead role for local authorities in flood risk management, and it was expected that a White Paper and legislation based on those recommendations would follow during the course of the next year. Members endorsed the importance they attached to such a leading role for local authorities and felt that the County Council was well placed to take the lead.
During discussion Members drew particular attention to the following:
|
|
|
|
· Land owners, including the Environment Agency and Water Companies need to take effective action to maintain their own assets, for instance pipes, gullies and drains.
|
|
· Housebuilders' need to build in flood protection measures where houses are built in low lying or flood plain areas.
|
|
Members asked for copies of the Flood Plan, and indicated that they would like to return to the issue to review progress in a year's time, or when a Government White Paper in response to the Pitt report is published, whichever is the earlier.
The Select Committee's continuing oversight is in keeping with the Pitt Report recommendation regarding scrutiny committees
(a) reviewing work by public sector bodies and essential service providers to manage flood risk and implement the review and (b) reporting annually on this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. That the issue of flooding be added to the Committee's work programme for review in a year's time, or in the light of Government responses to the Pitt report.
|
|
82 TOPICS FOR SCRUTINY 2008/09
The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive (Item 6 in the Minute Book) on the prioritisation of topics for in-depth scrutiny, together with background research on:
· Roads Infrastructure · Waste
Members discussed the respective merits of the two subjects identified, and weighed them against the topic of flooding (Minute 81 above). They considered that the subject of waste had been the subject of fairly exhaustive scrutiny in the recent past, and that precedence should be given to the subject of roads infrastructure, with waste and flooding to be included in the Committee's work programme. It was therefore
RESOLVED:
|
|
1. That the subject of roads infrastructure be adopted as the priority topic for in-depth scrutiny in 2008/09, and that the Scrutiny Officer be requested to work with Members on scoping the review.
|
|
|
|
|
|
83 COMMUNITY TRANSPORT
The Committee considered the report of the Director of Environment (Item 7 in the Minute Book) on progress with dial-a-ride schemes; the report had been adopted by the Executive Member for Environment at his Decision Day on 24 June. This step had been taken in order to clarify the ownership of vehicles and protect the County Council's position in the event that tendering led to any change in operators. The Committee indicated that they would like to continue to review progress with, and impact of changes to Community Transport funding arrangements and it was therefore
RESOLVED:
|
|
1. That a further report on progress with and impact of, changes to community transport be submitted to the Committee at their meeting in July 2009.
|
|
|
|
84 STATE OF HAMPSHIRE'S ROADS
The Committee considered outcomes from the Scrutiny Workshop held on 11 June 2008. The notes of that meeting are set out as item 8 in the Minute Book. It was reported that the outcomes had been submitted to the Executive Member for Environment for him to respond. The Chairman would bring the response to the Committee for consideration when it was received. The suggestion was made that Councillor Clarke, as personal assistant to the Executive Member for Environment, should receive copies of the Committee's papers with an invitation to attend their meetings, in the event that the Executive Member was unable to attend himself.
|
|
85 MINERALS PLAN
It was reported that the outcomes from the additional Select Committee meeting held on 17 June were incorporated in the Minutes at item 3 (Minute 79 refers) and had been submitted to Cllr Thornber for sharing with Cabinet Members.
The Chairman would bring the response to the Committee for consideration when it was received.
The Plan had been considered by Cabinet and was due to go to full Council for adoption on 10 July.
|
Chairman (Cllr Hutcheson)
|
86 UPDATES ON RESPONSES TO COMPLETED SCRUTINY REVIEWS
The Chairman reported that he had received a letter in response from the Executive Member for Environment, with regard to the recommendations on the Lyndhurst By-Pass : he was pursuing several issues further with the Executive Member and would bring the response to a future meeting of the Committee. |
|
The Scrutiny Officer reported that the recommendations on transport in the community were due to be considered on 7 July at a Cabinet Policy Briefing. The Executive response would then be shared with Select Committee Members. .
Trevor Wallis, Project Director for the Street Lighting PF1, from the Environment Department, gave a detailed update on the PFI street lighting project with reference to the 2007 Scrutiny Review recommendations which are set out as Item 10C in the Minute Book. He drew specific attention to: |
|
· reduction in carbon emissions and energy usage
· the extent to which it would be appropriate and acceptable to dim street lights or switch them off completely
· the extent and level of lighting necessary in different types of area
· the numbers of lighting columns that would need to be replaced
· the introduction of remote control switching technology
The opportunity had therefore been taken to revise the specification and bids received would be duly evaluated, with a view to work on the column replacement programme starting in the Autumn of 2009. There would then be extensive liaison and consultation with districts, parishes and stakeholders. In response to questions, the Director of Environment explained that there had been limited progress in collaboration with the Highways Agency on lighting arrangements where roads crossed or intersected with motorways and trunk roads. The Chairman offered to write to the Highways Agency to support the project, if this would be helpful. The Committee suggested that the Highways Agency should be invited to attend a future meeting to report further on their approach. The Committee also asked for further reports back on progress with street lighting.
|
Chief Executive (Philippa Smart) Cllr Hutcheson |
87 FORWARD LOOKING WORK PROGRAMME
The Committee received the updated work programme (Item 11 in the Minute Book). The document would be updated to reflect the additions made and recorded in these minutes. |
|
88 EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
RESOLVED:
That the public be excluded for the remainder of the meeting as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, or the nature of the proceedings, that if Members of the public were presented during item 13 there would be disclosure to them of a exempt information within paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and further that, in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person or organisation, for the reasons set out in the report at item 13 (Minute 89 below).
|
|
89 COMMUNITY TRANSPORT (EXEMPT)
The Committee received and noted the exempt section of the report of the Director of Environment on contracting arrangements for dial-a-ride (Item 13 in the Minute Book). |
|
