Meeting documents

To approve the minutes of the Services Overview Committee held on 30 January 2019.

Councillor L Smith declared a personal interest in item 13 under the Council’s Code of Conduct as the appointed district Council representative on the Chalfont St Peter Village Action Group.

Councillor L Smith declared a personal interest in item 13 under the Council’s Code of Conduct as the appointed district Council representative on the Chalfont St Peter Village Action Group.

Members queried when the Review of Remaining Recycling Centres item would be brought to the Committee for further discussion after it was noted that this item had been removed from the 28-day notice for this cycle of meetings. A response would be provided to the Chairman.

RESOLVED:

That the 28 Day Notices be noted.

The Committee is asked to consider and comment on the attached Cabinet report.

The Committee considered a report which sought approval of the refreshed Joint Business Plan 2019 - 20. The Joint Business Plan was refreshed each year to reflect the changing needs of the locality and the communities that live and work within Chiltern, as well as the service planning process. The proposed refreshed Joint Business Plan 2019/20 was appended to the report.

The Committee was advised that the document would be updated to include facts and figures that remained outstanding from 2018/19 and further information would also be included on the budget including a breakdown of where funds were spent. The document had been amended to reflect the implementation of the customer experience programme and to reflect the impact of the unitary decision.

Members queried the graphic which noted that 80% of the district was in the green belt as it was understood to be 87%. This would be amended accordingly. A question was asked about what the waste team were planning to do to support residents to reduce waste and increase recycling. Members were advised that it was understood that literature was to be sent out to residents and a campaign was planned to increase awareness of the importance of recycling paper, amongst other projects.

The Committee is asked to consider and comment on the attached Cabinet report.

The Committee considered a report which provided each of the Service Plans for all service areas within the Council. Service Plans were an important part of the Council’s performance management framework as detailed in the Joint Business Plan 2016-20 and linked to the Council’s policy objectives.

The Committee was advised that the service plans had been condensed in size from previous years and had been made more user friendly. Portfolio Holders, Management Team and Heads of Service had viewed the service plans and approved the content.

In relation to the PI target for monthly missed household waste collections it was clarified that 1,600 was the target maximum number to be missed and had been calculated as a reasonable figure in relation to the population. The percentage that 1,600 was of households in the district would be circulated to Members for information. The PI in relation to removing fly-tips was data-only however was calculated from any report the council received, regardless if it was the County Council’s responsibility.

Members noted that the document recognised the hard work of staff and thanked the officer for the work put into producing the Joint Business Plan and Service Plans which were relevant, modern, and representative of the Council.

The Committee is asked to consider and comment on the attached Cabinet report.

Members received a report which gave an update on the outcomes of the Performance Indicator (PI) review for 2019/20 and sought approval for proposed changes to reporting.

The Committee is asked to consider and comment on the attached Cabinet report.

The Committee considered a report which outlined the annual performance of Council services against pre-agreed performance indicators and service objectives for Quarter 3 of 2018-19.

Members queried the fall in user numbers at the Chalfont Leisure Centre which had appeared to fall by 10,000 for two consecutive quarters. It was agreed that this would be investigated and a response circulated to Members.

The Committee is asked to consider and comment on the attached Full Council report.

The Committee considered a report which sought Full Council authority to adopt and implement the revised Bucks Home Choice Allocations Policy. Following a report to Cabinet in October 2018, a consultation exercise had taken place on the proposed revisions to the policy with the majority of respondents being in favour of the proposed revisions with the exception of the proposal that same sex siblings should be expected to share a bedroom until the older child reached the age of 21. The four District Councils in Buckinghamshire were now seeking to adopt and implement the revised policy.

It was summarised that minimal changes had been made from the draft previously presented to the committee and paragraph 4.3 of the report summarised the key responses from the consultation.

The revised draft is also currently being reviewed by the Legal Services of the four district councils and the final draft will include any amendments required to ensure that the policy meets statutory and legal requirements.

In relation to the proposal that same sex siblings should be expected to share a bedroom until the older child reached the age of 21, it was queried how the question was put in the consultation and how the revised age of 18 had been reached. The Committee was advised that existing housing providers were amongst the consultees and had raised issue with the age being 21 as it contradicted their policies. The consultation worded the question with answer options as ‘agree/disagree/don’t know’ and included an open text section. There was a mechanism to review the policy post-adoption with a Partnership Board in place which consisted of representatives from each of the District Councils in Buckinghamshire; this was further underpinned by a practitioner group.

It was said that whilst those in their late teens were accepted on to the waiting list, there was no guarantee of housing and there were often significant wait time’s dependant on individual circumstances and housing need.

In terms of partnership working with the County Council, whilst each Council had its own pressures there was a positive working relationship. Provision was made by the district Council to support care leavers who were ready to move on independently. Those with more intensive needs were not covered by this scheme as the County Council procured more specialist schemes.

The Committee received a report which detailed the positive work undertaken through the Chiltern Community and Wellbeing Plan during 2017/18. The Community and Wellbeing Plan and Annual Review were appended to the report.

The Community and Wellbeing Plan was adopted in May 2017. Projects supported to date were highlighted in the report. £32,500 had been awarded in grant awards to 44 community groups, helping support a diverse range of community projects and also levered in extensive external funding.

A member queried whether schemes were still granted for heating and insulation improvements. It was clarified that the Council supported the National Energy Foundation (NEF) who in turn helped residents access sources of funding. The improvement schemes on offer vary, however the NEF stay on top of this and provide advice as appropriate.

The Committee noted that 920,000 customer visits had been made to the Chiltern Pools, Chesham and Chalfont Leisure Centres and questioned whether an 800,000 target for the proposed development to Chiltern Pools could be reached. It was explained that the proposed development would be significantly larger and have a wider range of facilities and further work was ongoing with the project.

Members identified that the taxi trade was well aware of child sexual exploitation and to increase further protection against this, ongoing training was offered by the Council. It was also recognised that whilst an aim of the Plan was to help stimulate and support a vibrant local economy whilst protecting the environment, certain issues such as loss of large employment sites were not through the fault of the Council but rather Government changes at national level.

The Committee thanked all officers involved in the work that was highlighted in the report and were in agreement that the community work carried out by the Council was invaluable to residents.

RESOLVED

That the positive work undertaken during 2017/18 be recognised and the report be noted.

The Committee received a report which provided an update on the Chiltern and South Bucks Lottery’s first year of operation and the positive impact of the scheme.

It was reported that the scheme had a positive start with 51 live voluntary groups on the platform that to date had collectively raised in excess of £24,000 for local good causes. The lottery had awarded £4,150 in prize money.

It was highlighted to Members that further work would be carried out with a focus on marketing and ensuring the lottery was promoted in the community. Community groups also had to work on promotion as the more members they achieved, the more funds they would receive. It was noted that Gatherwell, the external lottery manager took a small percentage, however the lottery was still cost effective and had already been of benefit to a number of groups. Every group that had signed up automatically received information on how to promote the scheme and had contact details for Gatherwell.

Members were encouraged to view the websites which could be found here: https://www.chilternsouthbuckslottery.co.uk/

http://www.gatherwell.co.uk/

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

Members received an update on projects delivered across the Councils seven Revitalisation Groups. A summary of the wide range of schemes completed during 2018/19 for each group was detailed in the report. The report also highlighted two capital projects which the Council was funding through the revitalisation capital grant scheme in Chalfont St Peter and Great Missenden respectively.

The Groups had been pro-active in seeking external funding which allowed them to carry out a range of schemes in partnership with various groups/organisations.

The funding through the capital grant scheme supported the Chalfont St Peter Village Action Group who were leading on a Memorial Garden project which was a large scale community project and had attracted significant external funding. This was a substantial project which would make a real difference to the village and increase footfall. The funding also supported the Great Missenden Parish Revitalisation Group improving public space and the overall attractiveness of the village. The group was working hard to improve two untidy grass areas at the front of the Prestwood High Street car park, by providing seating within a pleasant garden and new community notice and local history board.

The revitalisation groups were working together on creating a visitor strategy to improve the local economy and footfall which included a Midsomer Murder Amersham/Chalfont trail, River Misbourne walk and a Chess walk linking with external bodies such as Visit Bucks.

Members recognised the difference that these groups were making to communities and praised their commitment in improving the towns and villages of the District.

RESOLVED

That the positive work of the Revitalisation Groups be noted. The 2019/20 annual grant for each group was noted as was the £14,000 of the capital programme which supported Chalfont St Peter and Great Missenden and Prestwood Revitalisation Groups.

Members received a report which gave an overview of the World War One (WW1) special small grants scheme and the successful projects awarded funding to commemorate this landmark year. The report outlined the projects which had been delivered by a mix of voluntary and community groups to Parish and Town Councils through the Council’s special small grant scheme.

The Committee was advised that the scheme had a hugely positive impact across the district and had supported local communities to recognise and reflect on the contribution of the armed forces locally. Town and Parish Councils and community groups were invited to apply for funding of up to £300 per project, there had been eleven successful applications awarded a total of £1,837.32.

The work and contributions of volunteers was recognised by the Committee and thanks were given to the officers involved who had helped create such excellent value. It was suggested that similar schemes be explored for 2020 which marked the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War 2 and the 80^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Armed Forces Day was being celebrated in the County on 29 June and air displays were being held at Booker Airfield. The Committee asked that the district Council hold an event to recognise the armed forces during armed forces week. Officers agreed to investigate this along with the possibility of an armed forces representative giving a presentation at a future meeting of Full Council.

RESOLVED

That the positive work undertaken through the World War One special small grant scheme be recognised and the report be noted.