Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr Robert Mcilveen and Cllr Keith Onslow attended as alternate.

Cllr Fawthrop declared an interest with respect to item 10 which was the update on the Glendale Contract. This was not considered to be a prejudicial interest. 

Councillors William Huntington Thresher and Ian Dunn declared an interest as they had been nominated to serve on the Countryside Consultative Panel.

Councillor Harry Stranger declared an interest in that he had been nominated to serve on the Leisure, Gardens and Allotments Panel. 

The minutes of the meeting held on 11^th March 2021 were agreed as a correct record.

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. Questions that are not specific to the agenda should have been received by the Democratic Services Team by 5.00pm on 25^th May.

Questions specifically relating to reports on the agenda should be received within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda.  Please ensure that questions specifically concerning reports on the agenda are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5.00pm on 3^rd June 2021.

Oral and written questions were received from members of the public, and they follow as appendices to the minutes.

The Chairman commented that the document which presented the Portfolio Performance Overview was difficult to navigate. Officers were aware of this and it was anticipated that an easier to read version would be presented at the next meeting.

A Member referred to the figures with respect to the amount of waste that was  collected in February (from the Waldo Road Dump) compared to the big increase in the amount of waste collected in March. He wondered what the explanation for this was, as it was not explained in the report. The Portfolio Holder responded and said that it basically depended on the actual date when the waste left Waldo Road. It may be the case that with respect to the February collection, that as it was a short month it meant that some of February’s waste was removed from Waldo Road in March as opposed to February.

A Member referred to item 5L  on the performance update report which was the update concerning schools engaged in an anti-idling campaign. He asked what could be done to maintain the legacy of these campaigns, as the campaigns seemed to be of a temporal nature and then moved on. The Director of Environment and Public Protection responded that the Council was working with the schools to try and ensure that the legacy was protected.

A comment was made that with respect to data on the performance overview spreadsheet, the data was spread over too many years and it was suggested that the focus should be made on more current data--possibly going no further back than the previous two years.

The observation was made that the street lighting target was 100%, which was possibly an unrealistic target that may need to be reviewed. Another observation was that targets were not being hit for the recycling of household waste and Members asked if they could assist in any way to enable these targets to be hit.  The Director for Environment and Public Protection agreed that how officers presented data to Members would need to be reviewed.

A Member asked which street lights were failing, and it was noted that in the main it was the older style lights that were failing.

A Member highlighted the fact that highway maintenance performance had been down in the first quarter and inquired as to what was being done to investigate these issues. The Director updated the Committee concerning this and Members were informed that the Council was in discussions with the contractor with respect to their contract performance.   

RESOLVED that the update regarding the ECS Performance Overview be noted.

CSD 21065

A Member stated that at the previous meeting of Full Council, he had asked the Portfolio Holder if permission could be granted for a report to be drafted concerning the post completion review of the Crofton Road Cycle Scheme. It was agreed that this would be added to the Work Programme for the November meeting. 

A Member asked why the update on the Parks and Open Space Strategy had been deferred to September. He also enquired as to when the scheme regarding ‘moving traffic violations’ would be implemented. The Portfolio Holder explained that the response to the consultation on the Parks and Open Space Strategy had been delayed as time had to be allowed to consider the responses to the consultation. It was still hoped that the follow up report regarding the responses to the consultation would be available for the September meeting.

With respect to the implementation of the ‘moving traffic violation’ scheme, the Director informed the Committee that this had been presented to the Executive for approval and the Executive had approved the procurement of the relevant cameras--the scheme was on track for implementation at the correct time.

A Member suggested that as the September agenda was looking full, it may be prudent to move some of the items to the November meeting. The Director stated that two of the reports currently scheduled for the September meeting would not be ready in time and would need to be deferred to the November meeting. These were reports with respect to Broomwood Road—Sevenoaks Way Junction Review and the report regarding Manor Road—Wickham Road Junction Pedestrian Safety.

Regarding the TfL report concerning the electrification of the 358 bus route from Orpington to Crystal Palace, the Chairman requested that the Director check to see if an update on this could be presented to the Committee soon. 

The Chairman informed Members that Biggin Hill airport had asked if they could present to the Committee with respect to their carbon neutral policy. The Chairman requested that this be added to the work programme and fitted in.

A Member further suggested that time be allocated for Biggin Hill Airport to present a report on their monitoring systems. The Director expressed the view that this matter would sit under the remit of another committee, possibly Renewal, Recreation and Housing. He said that he would look into this and confirm which committee the matter should be presented to.

A Member asked when Riney would be presenting to the Committee, and also when the Committee would receive an updated report with respect to the Shortlands Friendly Village. The Director explained that with respect to the Shortlands Friendly Village update, the Council was waiting for funding from TfL before this could proceed.

RESOLVED that

1) A report regarding the post completion review of the Crofton Road Cycle Lane scheme be presented to the November meeting.

2) Consideration be given to re-structuring the Work Plan as deemed appropriate.

3) The report regarding Broomwood Road—Sevenoaks Way Junction Review and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 108.

Portfolio Holder decisions for pre-decision scrutiny.

CSD 21064

Members noted the proposed appointments to the Countryside Consultative Panel and to the Leisure, Gardens and Allotments Panel.

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder confirms the 2021/2022 membership of the Countryside Consultative Panel and the Leisure Gardens and Allotments Panel.

Post meeting note:

The subsequent decision following this resolution was amended to allow for any councillor who was a member of one of the Panels to be able to act as Chairman.   

ES20090

Members noted that this report was in respect of woodland improvement works that had taken place during 2014 to 2016. Funding had been provided from the Forestry Commission. The report was on the agenda as it was a requirement that post capital completion reports were presented to the PDS Committee.

A Member referenced the report where it mentioned that woodland had been undermanaged for 30 years. He asked for assurances that this would not happen again. The Director responded that he had more confidence that this would be the case going forward as improvements had been made to the Tree Management Team.

RESOLVED that the post completion review report for the Woodlands Improvement Programme be noted.  

ES20096

The Assistant Director for Environment along with Mr Nick Brooks from Glendale, attended to update the Committee regarding the Glendale contract. Mr. Brooks was the Regional Director for the South Thames region. The Committee was briefed on the performance of the contract and it was noted that the performance of the contractor was monitored monthly. The Assistant Director expressed the view that generally speaking, work was completed on time. He explained that volatile seasonal variations could affect performance but overall the performance of the contract was good. The report also addressed the issue of how the matter of planting new trees would be addressed going forward.

Mr Brooks stated that the contract had been running for roughly 2.5-3 years and was based on a Performance Management Framework with clear KPIs.

A Member asked for an explanation as to what was meant by target KS01. The Member noted that for a period of five months this had been below target. He asked with respect to this target whether this had to be hit over a particular period, or whether it was an annual target. He referred also to targets for tree planting and noted that for 2021, no figures were provided and he wondered if the 2021 tree planting target was being achieved.

The Assistant Director clarified that KS01 referred to the completion of works on time and this was an annual target. It was the case that 75% of work had been completed on time and this was included in the Portfolio Plan. The Member wondered if this target was wrong and needed to be re-assessed; the Assistant Director stated that the target was being reviewed.

A discussion took place concerning the matter of planting trees and looking after them after they had been planted. It was noted that when new trees were planted their location was now being mapped out. They would be planted with a water bag and would be pruned as required and monitored for two years. Additional administrative resource was also likely to be required to help administer the new tree planting and maintenance programme.

A Member asked if tree survival rates were monitored. It was noted that the survival rates of trees had improved by using supporting stakes and water bags. The Member recommended that tree mortality rates should be monitored and recorded going forward--to ensure VFM and the correct allocation of resources. The Portfolio Holder stated that his understanding was that a warranty existed within the terms of the contract with respect to tree mortality. He asked if this could be looked into and reported back to the Committee under Matters Arising.

A discussion took place regarding the introduction of a tree planting sponsorship initiative involving the public; the details around this would need to be confirmed with the Portfolio Holder.

A Member expressed the view that the tree service had improved and that issues were being dealt with quickly and effectively. He asked if there was a better way of dealing with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112.

ES20087

The Committee noted the ECS Contracts Register report.

RESOLVED that the ECS Contracts Register report be noted.

ES20086

Members noted and reviewed the ECS Risk Register report.

A Member commented that in his view the noise service had completely collapsed and he asked if anything could be done to reinstate it. He additionally referred to the proposed works in respect of the Waldo Road Waste Transfer Station. He expressed concern over the anticipated disruption that this would cause and asked if measures would be put in place to mitigate this.

The Chairman pointed out that the issue of noise nuisance was not a matter for the Environment Committee--it was a matter for the Public Protection and Enforcement Committee. The Director disagreed with the view that the noise service had collapsed, but rather stated that it was still working and indeed was working effectively.

Another Member also referred to the proposed disruption that was anticipated with respect to the works involving the Waldo Road Waste Transfer Station; she said that in her view it was unacceptable that this should be a red risk. This seemed to infer that either mitigation had not been planned, or if it had been planned, it was deemed as being ineffective. This being the case, there was a need for urgent work to be undertaken so that effective measures to reduce disruption could be put in place. 

The Assistant Director responded that this was a major repair work and that this was why it had been allocated a high risk value. Consultants had been employed and a project board established to oversee the project. However it was clear that the site would not be able to be used when these major works were being undertaken. The full extent of the works required were not yet fully defined. Once the full extent of the required works was established, then the appropriate mitigation measures could be confirmed. It was clear that taking waste elsewhere would have a significant disruptive impact. It was agreed that this was a matter that the Committee would be updated upon at the September meeting. 

RESOLVED that the Risk Register update be noted and that an update would be provided to the Committee at the September meeting regarding the Waldo Road major works project, and the planned mitigation measures to reduce disruption.