Meeting documents

Members will discuss the Committee’s work programme and proposals for future items with input from The Strategic Director for Communities and the Built Environment.

Neil Gibson, Strategic Director for Communities and the Built Environment

Papers:

Committee Proposed Work Programme

Neil Gibson, Strategic Director for Communities and the Build Environment was welcomed to the meeting.

Members discussed the Committee’s work programme and proposal for future items with the input of the Strategic Director.

The Chairman explained that the work programme is an evolving document.  Members of the Committee were asked for comments on the proposed work plans and suggestions for additional topics/items

During discussion, the following comments were made:-

The inclusion of the Flood Risk Strategy, the role of the County Council and how this role could be developed has been suggested

Mr Gibson explained that the Government have given Local Authorities new responsibilities to take a strategy overview of the responsibilities linked to ground water flooding and river flooding in Buckinghamshire.  The County Council has a new statutory duty to understand how the system works and to build partnerships and relationships and to provide plans to avoid flooding in the future. The County Council’s role as the Transport Authority and the duty to keep gulley and drains clear is only part of the Council’s broader flooding responsibilities.

The Planning, Advisory and Compliance team have the responsibility to take the overview. The team have been collecting data and knowledge around flood events in county and should be developing a good strategic picture of the issue and what the issues might be.

Has there been any work undertaken from an officer point of view in bringing together the water companies, the internal drainage boards and other riparian owners? Mr Gibson explained that Planning, Advisory and Compliance team have to do this to meet their new strategic responsibility.  For example in the recent floods, there was a disagreement between TfB, Thames Water and a Housing Association as to why a car park at the back of a row of shops floods. Very often it is the private owner of the land who has the responsibility for the drainage systems not Thames Water or the Highway Agency.

With regard to planning, last year the Committee received an update on S106, how the process is changing and how we can work with the changes in the landscape of the S106 and Community Levy Infrastructure (CIL).  Is there scope for the Committee to do more work to understand the management of the contracts and CIL agreements etc.

There also needs to be an understanding of the strategic role of how different departments submit bids for S106 monies as well as how the process is co-ordinated and managed. Mr Gibson said that the Committee could look at the process of S106; e.g. the negotiations, enforcement, management and the robustness of the administration of legal contracts as well as the role of local Member in the process.

The Committee could look at what the current and future funding process for CILs, and how influence can be exercised during the process to ensure maximum taxation and development.

Strategic planning is no longer a statutory role for the Local Authority. How can we as a county, have an overview and bring the processes together. There is the need for a wider strategic look not just the District. Mr Gibson explained that the County Council no longer has a Strategic Planning Function. As a strategic Transport, Education & Economic Development Authority, it can be quite challenging to map ambitions for the services we still have a responsibility for onto a planning process that is done four different ways in the County. We need to work as closely as we can with the four District Councils to try and ensure that our needs and ambitions as a County Council are knitted into formal planning processes. CIL discussions are part of the relationship building. 

The Committee agreed to consider proposals to review the following:-

·         the scope of the flooding response in Buckinghamshire

·         Devolution of parishes and the implications of the Future Shape programme

·         S106 scope (including the strategic element)