Meeting documents

Members received a PowerPoint presentation on the role of the PAG and the services covered by the Environment Portfolio Holder.

The PAG noted that the presentation would be made available in the Councillors’ Area on the Intranet.

The minutes of the meeting of the PAG held on 15 March 2011 were received.

The Council has for many years provided funding for partnership working and projects within the Colne Valley and the PAG received a report identifying schemes which could receive funding from the annual budget of £8.450.

During the discussion a member felt that, given the size of the budget, it was important that a not disproportionate amount of officer and member time was spent on assessing, considering and administering the schemes. A number of members, whilst accepting this point, agreed that it was important for members to be provided with an opportunity to consider the schemes in order to display transparency in the decision making process and ensure that value for money was being achieved regardless of the levels of monies involved.

With regard to the scheme at Land at Swan Road, the PAG endorsed the suggestion of the Portfolio Holder that in the event of the plans for the cemetery not proceeding, the grant be used for any similar environmental improvement within the site.

After the PAG had indicated its support for each of the proposed schemes, officers suggested that the report produced next year should identify the match funding that Groundwork Thames Valley was able to attract as a result of the schemes approved in 2011/12

Having considered the comments of the PAG the Portfolio Holder has AGREED that the budget to carry out environmental improvements in the Colne Park by Groundwork Thames Valley be allocated to the following four schemes:

The Council is responsible for clearing fly-tipped waste from public land adjacent to the highway and had set a target time for clearing such waste of two days.

The PAG received a report providing an update on flytipping clearance and enforcement in the district and setting out in a table the performance against the above target since 2008/09.

The PAG was pleased to note that although flytipping had decreased County wide the Council had seen the biggest decrease by a large margin. The PAG was also pleased to note that the average number of days taken to clear flytipping had also decreased over the past three years.

The report went on to set out the work that the Council was involved in as an active member of the Joint Waste Committee for Buckinghamshire together with details of the success prosecutions that had been pursued across the County and in South Bucks in particular for flytipping.

In connection with the prosecutions, the Portfolio Holder referred to the work that the Joint Waste Committee had carried out to impress upon Magistrates the need to recognise flytipping as a serious example of anti-social behaviour and to impose the highest possible penalties. He went on to congratulate the Magistrate who had imposed a custodial sentence on a flytipper and hoped that the case would get extensive media coverage and act as a deterrent to any person minded to flytip.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The Portfolio Holder referred to the Outside Bodies which fell within his remit and after a discussion the following members indicated their willingness to be nominated to serve on the body stated when a report on the appointments to Outside Bodies was submitted to Council:

·        Verdant Contract Performance Improvement Board - Mr Clark

·        Chilterns Conservation Board - Mr Walters

·        Colne Vallley Park Partnership - Mrs Royston

·        Friends of Littleworth Common (to be established)  - Mrs Wallis and Mr Naylor

Mr Naylor indicated that he might be interested in being nominated to the position of the non executive member on the Joint Waste Committee for Buckinghamshire subject to receiving more information on the time commitment required in terms of attending meetings.