Meeting documents

To approve the minutes of the Services Overview Committee held on 9 October 2018.

The minutes of the Services Overview Committee held on 9 October 2018 were approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. 

There were no declarations of interest.

The Committee considered the 28 Day Notice for Cabinet and decided that there were no additional items to be added at this time.

RESOLVED

That the 28 Day Notice for Cabinet be noted.

The Committee received a report outlining the performance of Council services against pre-agreed performance indicators (PIs) and service objectives for Quarter 2 2018-19. It was noted that the vast majority of these were currently on target, and those that were off target were due mainly to staffing shortages which had been addressed.

The PI for the number of missed assisted bin collections was being reviewed in order to produce a more realistic PI.  It was not possible to align the methodology with that used for South Bucks as the CDC target was aligned to the production of KOTs and any changes would require a variation to the existing waste contract. Members were assured that the new joint waste contract currently being procured would harmonise the reporting of missed containers, and would contain penalties if collections at the same property were missed more than once in a three month period.

A concern was raised that where targets had been missed across the service areas this had been due primarily to staff shortages, which could increase with the decision to create a new single district unitary council for Buckinghamshire. The Committee were advised that senior management were aware of this risk, however the current turnover of staff was not any higher than would be expected.

RESOLVED

That the Performance Report for Quarter 2 2018-19 be noted.

Members received a report which requested agreement to establish a joint sub-committee of the Resources Overview and Services Overview Committees called the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre Scrutiny Sub-committee. It was advised that the Sub-committee would undertake the scrutiny role of both Overview Committees in relation to the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre and would report directly to Cabinet. Although the Sub-committee would comprise of the Members listed in the report, meetings would be open to all Members to attend and participate.

The Committee felt that the Sub-committee would allow Members to gain a full understanding of the complexity of the project and therefore scrutinise it more effectively. This would also provide an extra level of transparency for residents.

RESOLVED

1.      That the report be noted.

2.      That the Terms of Reference of the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre Scrutiny Sub-committee attached at Appendix 1 of the report be agreed.

3.      That 5 Members from the Resources Overview Committee, 5 Members from the Services Overview Committee and 1 Non-Committee Member be appointed to the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre Sub-committee, comprising of:

Resources Overview Committee: Cllr N Rose, Cllr C Ford, Cllr J Gladwin, Cllr V Martin and Cllr D Phillips

Services Overview Committee: Cllr J Burton, Cllr N Varley, Cllr L Smith, Cllr P Jones and Cllr M Harker

Non-Committee Member: Cllr G Harris

4.      That authority be delegated to the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre Scrutiny Sub-committee to undertake the scrutiny role of both Overview Committees in respect of the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre and that views and recommendations be reported to Cabinet.

Note: Councillor J Gladwin entered the meeting at 19.15 p.m.

A report was presented which provided information to Members regarding the end destinations of materials collected for recycling by the Council. The report set out the impact of regulations introduced by China to improve the quality of materials it imports for recycling, and showed the percentage of material exported to EU and non-EU countries. Table 3 of the report showed an analysis of the material collected from blue bins as well as the end destination for each material.

The Chairman reported on a recent visit undertaken by Members to a Viridor recycling centre, where they had viewed the sorting process first-hand. Officers advised that Members would also be welcome to visit the Council’s London Road waste depot.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Committee considered a report on the future provision of recycling centres (bring sites) in the District. Members were advised that the remaining centres in Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe were being reviewed ahead of the commencement of a new joint waste collection contract in spring 2020.

The report recommended that the eight remaining centres in Chiltern District be removed; the reasons for this included:

·         Residents were able to access all the recycling streams offered at recycling centres through the kerbside collection service.

·         The benefits of the centres were now not proportionate to the costs of collection.

·         Removal of the centres would free up resources for other waste services such as improving bulk bin collections at flatted developments.

·         Removal of the centres across all three Districts would simplify the procurement process for the new Joint Waste Collection contract.

·         The quality of material collected from recycling centres was generally poorer than material collected at the kerbside.

Officers further advised that work was ongoing to overcome outstanding issues, for example properties which front directly onto high streets were unable to present extra recycling at the kerbside. Officers would assist affected residents by working with the contractor to provide solutions and support.

Whilst the Committee accepted the rationale behind the recommendation to close the remaining recycling centres, Members expressed several concerns summarised below:

·         The timescale for the implementation of the closures was too short. A replacement service would need to be in place and any outstanding issues resolved prior to any of the centres being removed. This would need to be communicated to residents in advance.

·         Residents living on high streets would have no suitable alternative recycling service.

·         The centres were well used and valued by local residents. Evidence was needed on the usage of each individual recycling centre before a decision could be taken on whether to remove them. This could be used to explain the decision to residents.

·         The closures would increase the burden on kerbside collections.

·         Fly tipping was a problem across Bucks; removing the recycling centres would exacerbate this and any savings made may be offset by increased clear-up costs.

·         There was a lack of monitoring/enforcement at recycling centres to improve the quality of material collected and to deter fly tipping.

Following the discussion, Members were in agreement that they did not support the recommendation to remove the remaining recycling centres and requested that a further report be brought to the Committee with evidence on the usage of each individual centre.

RESOLVED

1.      That Cabinet note that the recommendation to close the eight remaining recycling centres was not endorsed by the Services Overview Committee; and

2.      That a further report be brought to the Services Overview Committee at a future meeting with evidence on the usage of each individual site.

Note: Councillor I Darby entered the meeting at 19.50 p.m.

The Committee received a report which updated Members on the progress of the Chiltern Pools redevelopment project. The report set out the position on the potential for an enabling development on the site, including the opportunities, constraints and local planning considerations. Members were also updated with the results of the consultation exercise, where 1963 replies were received of which 86.6% of respondents were in support of the proposal whilst 4.9% were against.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet note that the Services Overview Committee endorsed the recommendations in the report.

Note: Councillor J Gladwin left the meeting at 20.01 p.m.

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Paragraph 5 - Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings

A report was received which updated Members on the position regarding Unauthorised Encampments and set out potential options which could be taken forward. The Committee discussed the report and agreed that the options presented in the report should not be pursued.

RESOLVED

That the Cabinet note that the Services Overview Committee felt that options set out in the report should not be taken forward.