Meeting documents

Venue: Large Dining Room, Judges Lodgings, Aylesbury. View directions

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Items
Note No. Item

10.00am

1.

Apologies for Absence

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Minutes:

Mrs Jean Teesdale( Vice Chairman), Mrs Avril Davies.

 

10:00

2.

Declarations of Interest

To disclose any personal or disclosable pecuniary interests.

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Minutes:

No Declarations.

10:05

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 288 KB

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 15th November 2016.

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Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 15th November 2016 were confirmed as a correct record.

 

However an outstanding action from TfB on the gulley cleaning programme was raised and a request for an update on the gulley cleaning programme to be sent to Members.

 

Action: Simon Dando to provide Members with a detailed update on the gulley cleaning programme.

 

10:06

4.

Public Questions

This is an opportunity for members of the public to put a question or raise an issue of concern, related to Environment, Transport and Locality Services.   Where possible, the relevant organisation to which the question/issue is directed will be present to give a verbal response.  Members of the public will be invited to speak for up to four minutes on their issue.  A maximum of 30 minutes is set aside for the Public Questions slot in total (including responses and any Committee discussion). This may be extended with the Chairman’s discretion. 

 

For full guidance on Public Questions, including how to register a request to speak during this slot, please follow this link:

 

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/about-your-council/scrutiny/getting-involved/

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Minutes:

No questions

10:10

5.

Chairman's Report

For the Chairman of the Committee to provide an update to the Committee on recent scrutiny related activity.

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Minutes:

The Chairman updated the Committee on the recent Budget Scrutiny work and the development of the Committees inquiry scope, discussed at item 7.

 

10:10

6.

Flooding Inquiry; 12 Month Update pdf icon PDF 318 KB

Members will receive the 12 month progress update on the recommendations made to Cabinet in the flooding inquiry. Members will examine the progress and assess the level of completion of each of the recommendations.

 

Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Environment.

Karen Fisher, Strategic Flood Management Team Leader.

Andy Fyfe, Head of Resilience and Community Safety.

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Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Mr Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Environment, Ms K Fisher, Strategic Flood Management Team Leader, Mr A Fyfe, Head of Community Safety and Resilience, and Mr M Averill, Head of Strategic Highways (Client).

 

The Cabinet Member, Warren Whyte provided the Committee with an update and introduction on the recent work and activity in relation to strategic flood Planning. Key areas covered were:

  • The activity on strategic Flood Planning
  • The County’s role in the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCC) – the Cabinet Member attended the two for the county on a regular basis and has met with the Chair for these to discuss the issues faced in Bucks.
  • Officers were taking part in looking at the next 25 year  for flood management as part of a regional RFCC initiative
  • The role and benefit of regional RFCCs – the Council’s contribution enables the authority to access more scheme funding. The importance of the relationship with these Committees was key to gaining infrastructure spending within Buckinghamshire
  • Working with districts to respond to the flood issues which may arise from the proposed growth.
  • The revised local flood risk management strategy was due out later in the spring.
  • An overview of a number of strategic flood management risk projects was given.
  • Staffing, a major part of the inquiry, has been addressed and increased the team by 3 people.
  • The major challenge of sustainable drainage applications – 250 last year with a predicted 400 in 2017/.
  • Challenge of HS2 and surface water flooding.

 

Questions from Members covered the following areas:

 

  • Shovel ready" schemes:  Members heard that no schemes were currently shovel ready due to resource but the team were currently working on this. A number of schemes have had feasibility studies and outline business cases. E.g. the Marlow surface water scheme could be ready by next financial year.
  • Unresolved issues in relation to recommendation 2 and sandbags:

Members heard that it was not a statutory duty for the local authority to provide or collect sandbags to protect private property. Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) had a mutual aid agreement with the County Council via Transport for Bucks (TfB) which would hold a minimal stock of filled sandbags (due to bags degrading) but would hold a stock of sand and empty bags separately to fill as required. AVDC already signposted people to TfB for sandbags from its website. TfB and AVDC needed to confirm arrangements. The disposal of used or contaminated sandbags was the responsibility of the homeowner. The public were reminded that they had to manage the flood risk to their property in areas where risk was known, and that they should protect their own homes. Resource needed to be saved for unexpected incidents.

  • How HS2 would work with Council in terms of flooding risks – collaboration:

Members heard that the Council had regular meetings with HS2 to look at standardised designs, consenting procedures and opportunities for integration and that they took a similar approach with East-West rail. Collaboration was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

11:00

7.

Country Parks: 10 Year Business Plan

Members will receive an update on the 10 year Business Plan for the County’s Country Parks.

 

Warren Whyte, Cabinet Member for Environment.

Andrew Fowler, Head of Country Parks and Green Spaces.

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Minutes:

The Chairman informed the Committee that this item had been deferred until March which would provide a more timely discussion.

 

11:30

8.

Draft Inquiry (proposed) Scope pdf icon PDF 332 KB

Members will consider the inquiry proposal/draft scope and agree it as their next inquiry topic.

 

Kama Wager, Committee and Governance Advisor

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Minutes:

The Chairman invited Ms K Wager, Committee and Governance Advisor to talk the Committee through the proposed scope for the Committee’s next Inquiry.

 

Ms Wager provided the Committee explained that the scope focussed on best practice across the county on sustainable travel for the school journey. Ms Wager confirmed that although wider issues may arise during the evidence gathering, these could be highlighted in the report for more detailed examination through the Committee’s future work programme. 

 

Members agreed the scope but raised the following issues:

  • The need to consider the different challenges of urban vs rural schools
  • Catchment areas played a part in the issues – Ms Wager that if raised, this could be looked at in more detail in the future work programme.
  • Enforcement measures should be considered: Ms Wager advised that given that enforcement measures were proven to be ineffective, it was proposed that the inquiry would not undertake detailed work on different enforcement measures, but that the Committee should focus on reducing the number of car journeys to school (where possible).
  • Safety needed to be in scope: Ms Wager advised that safety was intrinsic to the scope, by reducing safety risks around the school. Data on casualties around schools was being researched, and Ms Wager reported that she had been advised by the road safety team that there was not an issue of collision of casualties around schools in Bucks.
  • Home to school transport would not be included as a specific focus for the Inquiry.
  • Members suggested that they could send questions to their local schools.  Ms Wager agreed to provide some questions for Members to use.

 

Members were informed that evidence gathering sessions would take place on the 7th and 8th February and Members agreed to confirm their attendance for the Inquiry Group after the meeting.

 

RESOLVED

 

Members agreed the scope for the Sustainable School Travel Inquiry.

 

12:00

9.

Committee Work Programme pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Members will discuss upcoming items on the committee work programme.

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Minutes:

The Committee noted the future work programme items for its next meeting on the 07th March

12.05pm

10.

Date of the Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on the 7th March 2017 in the Judges Lodgings in the Large Dining Room.

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Minutes:

07th March 2017 at 10am in Large Dining Room, Judges Lodgings, Aylesbury. There will be a pre-meeting for members of the Committee only at 9.30am.