Agenda and minutes

Councillor David Jeffreys attended as a substitute for Councillor Will Rowlands.

Members were informed that Councillor Aisha Cuthbert had stood down from her role as the Portfolio Holder for Environment, in order to pursue other interests as the new parliamentary candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Councillor Will Rowlands had been appointed as the new Environment Portfolio Holder; this being the case, the Vice-Chairman, Councillor Adam Grant, chaired the meeting. 

The outgoing Chairman,  along with the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety, and Members, expressed their thanks for all the hard work and dedication shown by Cllr Cuthbert as the previous Portfolio Holder for Environment. The Committee also expressed their thanks to Councillor Will Rowlands as the outgoing Chairman. 

Councillor Alison Stammers declared an interest as the Secretary of the ‘Friends of Chislehurst Recreation Ground’. 

Councillor Alison Stammers referenced page 18 of the agenda pack where there was a supplementary oral question, requesting a list of the stakeholders consulted regarding the equalities impact assessment that was undertaken with respect to the removal of cash payments for parking in Bromley. The response to this question was that the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety would see if a list was available. The Director for Environment and Public Protection said that he would follow up on this.

RESOLVED that the minutes be agreed and signed as a correct record. 

CSD23141

Members noted the ECS PDS Work Programme and Matters Arising report. It was noted that the matters arising had been resolved.

RESOLVED,  that the ECS PDS Work Programme and Matters Arising report be noted.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions that are not specific to reports on the agenda must have been received in writing 10 working days before the date of the meeting. These questions should have been received by Democratic Services by 5pm on 2^nd November.

Questions regarding specific agenda reports should be received by Democratic Services by 5pm on Friday, 10^th November.

Please provide your name and address details and if you intending to ask your question at the meeting or require a written response.

You can email questions directly to stephen.wood@bromley.gov.uk

No questions had been received for the attention of the Chairman.

Two questions had been submitted to the Portfolio Holders from members of the public for oral response. The responses are appended to the minutes. Questioner Susan Moore did not attend to ask her question.   

Questions to the Portfolio Holders for oral response were received from Councillors, Alisa Igoe, Will Connolly and Chloe-Jane Ross. The responses are appended to the minutes. 

It was decided that the oral question from Cllr Will Connolly (for the Environment Portfolio Holder) would be deferred for a written response.    

Five written questions had been received from members of the public and four had been received from Councillors. The responses to the questions are appended to the minutes.

ES20318

The report was presented to the committee so that Members could review idverde’s performance with respect to the contract for parks management and grounds maintenance services during 2022/23. An annual contract performance report was required under the contract procedure rules as the contract had a value that exceeded £500k.

Attending to present the report on behalf of LBB was the Assistant Director for Environment (Carbon Management and Greenspace), and Martin Bradley, the Operations Director from idverde. Also in attendance from idverde were Mark Garthwaiten (Operations Manager) and Richard Burton (Managing Director).

Members noted that the Annual Report was large and the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety suggested that a link could be provided instead. Mr Bradley responded that an Annual Report was required as part of their contract and that they wished to showcase their achievements, particularly in the areas of woodland, biodiversity and ecology. A Member suggested using Power Point to showcase the company. The Chairman commented that it was an excellent report and that he was particularly interested in what idverde was doing in terms of education. He stated that there was some room for improvement with respect to facilities. 

A Member referred to section 3.17 of the report which reported on incidences that were not dealt with within the agreed timescale. He asked if going forward, some context could be provided regarding the data. For example, it was noted in the report that ‘10 reported instances were not completed within the agreed SLA timescale’. The question was how many instances were there in total, so was this particular instance of ten failures with respect to ten occurrences, or a significantly greater amount. The Assistant Director said that percentages could be produced if required.

A Member requested that when the annual report was first published by idverde, that a link be made available to the committee. A Member commented on the effect that the winter planting regime had on the war memorial in Penge. She commented that on Remembrance Sunday, there were unsightly droopy green leaves around the Memorial in Penge. Mr Bradley responded that it was unfortunate that the winter planting regime was responsible, but it was the case that the winter planting regime (ready for the flowers to appear in the Spring) meant that no colourful winter plants would be on display. The Member suggested that next year the winter planting regime be deferred around the Penge War Memorial until after Remembrance Sunday.

A Member paid tribute to idverde’s Community Team. She asked if improvements could be made to the lighting around Beckenham Park and could anything be done to improve the current park standards—possibly with the aim of heading towards a ‘Green Flag’ award. Mr Bradley responded that he was aware of the considerable work that was being undertaken to improve conditions at Kelsey Park and that a management plan for Kelsey Park was being developed. He said that once the dust had settled and budgets were re-assessed, it may then  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

ES20326

Attending to present the report was the LBB Head of Shared Parking Services and Russell Peacock from APCOA. The report was presented to the Committee to provide an update regarding the performance of the Parking Services Contract with APCOA.

The Chairman was sad to note the abuse incurred by Civil Enforcement Officers and asked that his appreciation for their work be conveyed to them. A Member pointed out that the way the KPIs were noted in the report was not as clear as those in the idverde report, and asked if this could be noted for the future. The Head of Shared Parking Services acknowledged this, but explained that APCOA had 90 different KPIs. The Member also referred to the situation regarding litter and fly-tipping in car parks and said that a faster turnover in dealing with this issue was required. It was noted that the car parks were only inspected once a week, and she suggested that inspections should be more frequent.

It was noted that APCOA had their own mobile service and a Member asked that as this was the case, why APCOA contracted out work to RingGo. Mr Peacock responded that the RingGo App probably worked better with local authority car parks. The Member said that having duplicate Apps could be confusing for the public and suggested that APCOA consider selling their mobile service to RingGo. The Member was pleased to note that the percentage number of CEO errors had decreased. It was further noted that the number of PCNs issued for contravening bus lanes had fallen due to increased compliance. The other matter raised was the issue of APCOA car washes that were licensed to operate, but at the same time had not received planning permission. The Head of Shared Parking Services explained that when the APCOA car washes were first installed, planning permission was not required. If there was an APCOA car wash that was refused retrospective planning permission, then that car wash would unfortunately have to close. 

A Member drew attention to parking problems in Beckenham High Street, particularly with respect to the night time economy. The possibility of undertaking a parking ‘blitz’ by Enforcement Officers (outside of normal working hours) was mentioned. It was noted that this could be actioned, but would require extra resource. Members noted that APCOA conducted an anti-idling campaign in certain boroughs, along with air quality monitoring activities with live data feedback. The Head of Shared Parking Services responded that some anti-idling work was already being undertaken by Enforcement Officers outside of Bromley schools. In these cases, warnings were given rather than PCNs, so the activity was not generating any income for the Council. It was suggested that the Portfolio Holder could discuss the matter of air quality monitoring activities with APCOA.

It was noted that the cost of a camera in a car park would be between £30k and £35k plus the cost of installation and maintenance. A Member suggested the use of ‘Parking Friends’ which was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

The update was provided by the new Environment Portfolio Holder, Councillor Will Rowlands.

The Portfolio Holder stated that he would provide a written update in due course. He said that he would be writing to Members shortly to arrange ward visits which would likely take place after Christmas. The Portfolio Holder gave a ‘Treemendous’ update and said 1,510 trees had been planted and 1,250 of these were ‘Treemendous’ Trees. Any trees that ‘failed’ within a year of planting would be replaced free of charge. It was anticipated that going forward, 302 trees would be planted in nine batches. QR codes were working on IOS and it was hoped that these would be operative on Android as well soon. Details of Christmas bin collections would be published soon. A Member requested that the data with respect to the tree planting be disseminated to the Committee.

It was noted that the recycling of Christmas Trees would take place on 6^th and 7^th of January 2024.

The Portfolio Holder wished everyone a Merry Christmas!

RESOLVED that the update from the Portfolio Holder be noted. 

A Member requested that (going forward), the Portfolio Holder updates be disseminated to Members quicker and that the updates also be tabled to the public gallery.

RESOLVED that the update from the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be noted. 

ES20312

Members were presented with the report as it detailed the ECS Performance Overview indicators relating to the ECS Portfolio Plan for 23/24.

It was commented that it would be helpful to split KSI data to show those who had been injured and those that had lost their lives. It was noted that during the first half of 2023, the number of those killed or seriously injured had increased. The Assistant Director for Traffic and Parking stated that there had been very few fatalities in Bromley, so there was no significant statistical difference and the reporting of such data was therefore meaningless. Factual detail could be provided of incidents/accidents if required. The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety pointed out that where there was a fatality, it was prudent to wait for an inquest, as not all fatalities would be classed as accidents—there was a fatality recently that looked like it would be classed as a homicide. A Member queried why the projection for KSIs was high and why there was no mention in the commentary of speed as a possible causation.  The Assistant Director responded that there were many factors that could be involved aside from speed. A Member commented that it would be helpful to note where speed was a causatory factor so that the relevant action could be undertaken.

A Member asked why the programme, ‘Driven by Consequences’ had been delivered only once. It was explained that this was resource intensive and needed a minimum of 120 school children to be involved. Schools would need to buy in. A Member expressed the view that the information presented in the report regarding KSIs was not sufficient for Members. Members wanted to know what had occurred, where, why, and where speeding was involved. She requested that this detail be provided in the next report. The Assistant Director responded that such data was only feasible in an annual report. The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety said that the Council had to work on evidence and limited resources and that reporting expectations needed to be lower. LIP funding was being cut. Speeding was a police matter. 

RESOLVED that:

1) The ECS Performance Overview report be noted by the Committee.

2) The Environment Portfolio Holder, together with the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to endorse the outcomes, aims and performance measures set out in the report.

The ECS Performance Overview Appendix has been published as an Information Briefing:

The link for the Information Briefing is:

ECS Performance Overview Appendix

Members noted that the ECS Performance Overview Data Appendix had been published as an Information Briefing, and no questions were raised on the night.

FSD23076

This report was presented to the Committee for scrutiny, as it highlighted changes in the Capital Programme for the ECS Portfolio that would be recommended to the Executive on November 29^th 2023. The Committee agreed with the recommended changes.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety, together with the Environment Portfolio Holder, be recommended to note and agree the changes to be proposed to the Executive on 29^th November 2023. 

FSD23068

A Member commented that the report indicated that car park usage had decreased but that there was no reference to say if RingGo had any part to play in this. The Portfolio Holder for Transport Highways and Road Safety stated that the parking figures for April to September 2023 were higher than in the same period for the previous year. The Council would be analysing long term trends and a report would be presented to the January meeting.  A Member requested parking data from other boroughs, but it was explained that this data was not available.

A Member quoted the following written question that had been submitted by a member of the public:

‘Please explain why you regard payments to the second contractor repairing potholes as “commercially sensitive” when all contracts over £50k require to be reported on the public contracts register, and all payments to contractors over £500 are also reported publicly?’

The Member asked if the payment details to the second contractor would be published. The answer to this was affirmative, with the exception of the unit rates which were commercially sensitive.

RESOLVED that the Environment Portfolio Holder and the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to endorse the 2023/24 revenue budget monitoring position for the ECS Portfolio.

ES20327

The Chinese Roundabout Safety Scheme report was presented to the Committee to seek approval to make safety improvements at the roundabout of South Eden Park Road/Stone Park Ave/ Wickham Road/Hayes Lane/ Wickham Way, commonly known as the ‘Chinese Roundabout’. The proposals, as outlined in the report, aimed to reduce the number of collisionsat that location and to provide a safer environment for all road users. Officers proposed that ‘Option 1’ be adopted.

It was noted that at this roundabout there was a higher than expected number of casualties, particularly with respect to cyclists. A Member asked if there was a scatter graph showing where the accidents occurred. The Transport Projects and Programme Manager responded and said that it appeared that there were accidents everywhere with a slightly higher concentration in the northern part of the roundabout. The Member asked if he could see a copy of the scatter graph at the meeting. Members generally agreed that the scheme was a good one that they would be happy to support, and that they had confidence in the traffic engineers who had designed the scheme. The Member who had asked to see the scatter graph said that he could not support the scheme without seeing the scatter graph. A vote was therefore taken and the recommendations were agreed. The Portfolio Holder stated that this was an excellent scheme and he would be happy to accept the recommendations.

RESOLVED that:

1) The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to approve the junction improvements as detailed in Section 3, (Option One) of the report.

2) The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to agree that any minor changes to the design should be delegated to the Director of Environment and Public Protection, in  consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety. 

ES20324

This report was presented to the Committee to detail the changes in LBB's organisational emissions for carbon reduction for year 4 of the Council's Net Zero Action Plan and provided an update on the progress made towards achieving the Council's 2027 net zero carbon target. The Committee noted the report and agreed with its recommendations.

Resolved that:

1) The Portfolio Holder for Environment note the year 4 greenhouse gas assessment and the progress made to reduce the Council's organisational emissions to net zero by 2027.

2) The Portfolio Holder for Environment note the Scope 3 procurement emissions measured.

3) The Portfolio Holder for Environment be recommended to approve work on an Action Plan for the phased reduction of Scope 3 emissions for presentation to a future meeting of the Executive for a decision.

ES20328

The report was presented to the committee to seek approval to make pedestrian and cycle safety improvements at the roundabout of South Eden Park Road, Links Way and Monks Orchard Road Roundabout. The proposals in the report were aimed at reducing the number of collisions at the location and to provide a safer environment for all road users.

RESOLVED that:

1) The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to approve the junction improvements at the roundabout of South Eden Park Road, Links Way and Monks Orchard Road, as detailed in section three of the report

2) The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to agree that any minor changes to the design of the roundabout safety scheme design, should be delegated to the Director of Environment & Public Protection, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder.

ES20329

The Assistant Director for Traffic and Parking informed the Committee that the report sought approval for the Local Implementation Plan programme submission to Transport for London for the financial year 2024/25. The Committee welcomed the report and the LIP programme. The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety commented that it was essential that Ward Councillors unanimously agreed on any improvement programme that required LIP funding. If there was not unanimous agreement amongst ward Councillors, then the project would not be put forward to receive LIP funding.

RESOLVED that:

1) The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to approve the draft 2024/25 Transport Improvement Programme set out in appendix C of the report for submission to TfL for approval of funding.

2) The Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety be recommended to approve the delegation of any amendments to the Programme (once the final allocation was confirmed by TfL) to the Director of Environment and Public Protection in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety.

ES20335

The Veolia Environmental Services Contract Strategy report was presented to the Committee to seek a decision in principle to extend the current Veolia Environmental Services Contracts beyond April 2027. The Committee noted the report and agreed with the recommendations.

RESOLVED that:

1) The Environment Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree an early decision in principle, to extend the Environmental Services contracts with Veolia for a further eight years, from the 1st of April 2027 to the 31st of March 2035.

2) The Environment Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree that officers should develop a package of efficiency and financial savings proposals for further consideration.

3) The Environment Portfolio Holder notes that a formal decision report will be presented for scrutiny by the Environment and Community Services PDS at the March 2024 committee meeting. The formal decision report would enable Members to provide comments on the proposals for the extension of the contract, ready for submission to the Executive at the March 2024 meeting.

ES20317

This report was presented to the Committee by the Environmental Investigation Manager to update on the actions that had been undertaken by the Neighbourhood Management Team since the last annual Fly Tipping Action Plan Update.

The Committee and the Environment Portfolio Holder were pleased to note the report and expressed their thanks and congratulations to the Environmental Investigation Manager.

RESOLVED that the report be noted and that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to agree the updated fixed penalty charge amounts. 

ES20336

The report was presented to the Committee to update them regarding Riney’s performance over the past 12 months. It was noted that Riney had now caught up with the back-log of pot-hole repairs. The contract had been running for five years. The total contract length was 8 years. A Member requested that when work was completed, that Riney operatives clear up after themselves properly, and remove barriers and signage. A Member queried why repairs that had been designated as ‘permanent’ kept needing to be re-repaired. In response it was explained that the permanence of the repair in most cases was dependant on the underlying road surface. A Member asked if extra work could be undertaken on problem sites. Riney responded that they undertook the work that was requested by officers.   

The matter was raised of projects (like the installation of Zebra Crossings) that were given dates for implementation, and the issues resulting when those dates slipped. In some cases there could be several slippages. This caused Members difficulties when dealing with residents who had been provided with completion dates that were not being met. Better communications around these matters was requested.

A discussion took place concerning problems that Riney had faced in the past, and may also face going forward. These included shortages of materials, skilled labour and inflation. The acquisition of natural stone was difficult and LEDs were primarily manufactured in the EU. The other cause for concern was a deteriorating road network. More money was needed to invest in Highways and Footways.

RESOLVED that the report be noted along with the on going work that had been undertaken to ensure compliance with the contract. 

ES20309

This report was presented to the Committee to provide an extract from the September 2023's Contracts Register of contracts with a whole life value of £50k or higher.

RESOLVED that the Contracts Register report be noted.

The ECS PDS Part 1 Contracts Database extract has been published as an Information Briefing and can be viewed at the following link:

Agenda for Information Briefings on Thursday 16 November 2023, 7.00 pm (bromley.gov.uk)

The Environment and Community Services Part 1 Contracts Register Database Extract had been published as an Information Briefing.

RESOLVED that the Information Briefing be noted.  

ES20314

The report presented the revised Environment and Community Services risk register for scrutiny by the Committee.

RESOLVED that the ECS Risk Register report be noted.

ES20325

This was a Part 2 report seeking a decision in principle to extend the current Veolia Environmental Services Contract beyond April 2027. As this was a Part 2 report, the full minutes for this item will be in the Part 2 minutes.

RESOLVED that the Veolia Environmental Services Contract Strategy report (Part 2) be noted.

This item has been emailed directly to Members.

It was noted that the Part 2 ECS Contracts Database Extract had been emailed directly to members of the committee.

RESOLVED that the ECS Part 2 Contracts Database extract be noted.