Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bromley Civic Centre

Contact: Stephen Wood  020 8313 4316

Items
No. Item

151.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND NOTIFICATION OF SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor William Harmer and Councillor Michael Tickner attended as substitute. Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Marlow

152.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

Councillor Mcilveen declared an interest as he worked for a company that represented concrete, asphalt, cement and aggregate producers.

153.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 17th NOVEMBER 2021 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Minutes:

Councillor Simon Fawthrop said that during the previous meeting he had spoken to the Assistant Director for Traffic and Parking regarding the Crofton Road item. This was in respect of the consultation process. Councillor Fawthrop had argued that if you omitted the views of residents (in the consultation) that were not local, then the remaining local consultees were in the main not in favour of the scheme. He said that this had not been recorded in the minutes of the meeting and asked that this be noted. 

 

Aside from this, there were no factual inaccuracies and the minutes were agreed and subsequently signed as a correct record.

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17th November be agreed and signed as a correct record. 

154.

QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS OR THE PUBLIC

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 therefore been received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on 5th January 2022.

 

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 on reports on the agenda are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on 13th January 2022.

Minutes:

Oral and written questions were received from Councillors and from the public.

 

The questions with responses will be attached as an appendix to the minutes.

155.

MATTERS ARISING AND WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 339 KB

Minutes:

CSD 22007

 

The Chairman introduced the Matters Arising report, saying that it seemed to be the case that all the matters arising had been resolved and he asked if Members had any questions on the report.

 

A Member referred to the update concerning the Court Road consultation. He asked how the Portfolio Holder and officers had taken into account the feedback from the consultation in the detailed design of the scheme.  The Portfolio Holder responded and said the matters mentioned by the Member (with respect to speed limits and the possible introduction of a new pedestrian crossing) had already been looked at and considered at the design stage. After taking into account the results of the consultation, there was no new information that had any bearing on what had already been considered in terms of design. This being the case, it was decided that work could proceed with the current design.

 

A Member commented that the Work Programme report referenced ‘Manor Wood Road’ and said that this was incorrect and that the name of the road should be changed to simply ‘Manor Road’.

 

It was noted that the report concerning ‘Fix My Street’ would be presented at the March meeting.

 

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

 

156.

PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF REPORTS TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PORTFOLIO HOLDER

Portfolio Holder decisions for pre-decision scrutiny.

156a

CAPITAL PROGRAMME MONITORING--QUARTER 2 pdf icon PDF 628 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

FSD22009

 

A Member asked how many of the initiatives referred to in the Capital Programme report were TfL priorities rather than LBB priorities. The Portfolio Holder responded and said that LBB would only implement the projects that they wanted.

 

A Member referred to Appendix A which was the revised Capital Programme ending in 2024/25. There was an item in the Appendix for £2.2m which related to ‘Orpington Public Realm Improvements’. The Member observed that there was no split to show how this money was going to be allocated and he asked if any information was available concerning the specific schemes. The Portfolio Holder responded and said that the amount of funding that had been  received from TfL in this regard was what the Council would normally expect. Details of specific spending going forward would be discussed at future meetings of this committee.

 

It was noted that there appeared to be an underspend regarding the BMX track and a Member asked what would happen to the underspend. It was explained that any underspend would be returned to the Capital Programme Budget.

 

A Member queried what the process was for submitting a scheme for capital funding and the process was explained. 

 

The Portfolio Holder noted and acknowledged the current position in respect of Capital Schemes, as agreed by the Executive on 24th November 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

156b

ALBEMARLE ROAD AND BROMLEY ROAD CYCLE SCHEMES pdf icon PDF 678 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

ES20151

 

The report was introduced by the Assistant Director for Traffic and Parking who explained that the report had been drafted to seek approval for the modification of cycle lanes on Albemarle Road and Bromley Rd and also to retain Westgate Road Bridge as one directional traffic. It was pointed out that at the ECS PDS meeting on the 11th of March 2021, the Portfolio Holder had made a decision which recommended that the Albemarle Road experimental scheme be subject to further reviews and consultations and because of this the report was now being presented to the Committee.

 

The Assistant Director for Traffic and Parking highlighted what he considered to be the main recommendations as outlined in the report:

 

1.  The segregated cycle lane which currently existed between the junctions with St. Georges Road and Westgate Road should be retained.

 

2.  It was recommended that the segregated cycle lanes that existed between the junctions with Westgate Road and Bromley Road be removed and that two directional traffic be reinstated.

 

3.  The junction of Albemarle Road with Bromley Road should be changed to ‘no entry’ from Bromley Road and then left turn only towards Shortlands.

 

4.  There should be no change to the one way traffic system that was currently in operation on the railway bridge in Westgate Road.

 

The Ward Member for the Copers Cope Ward, (Councillor Michael Tickner) said that there were two items referenced in the report which had not been taken forward in terms of recommendations. He stated that he would like to add two more recommendations to those that had been outlined in the report. His two additional recommendations were then disseminated to Members by the Committee Clerk.

 

Cllr Tickner said that his first recommendation derived from paragraph 3.15 of the report which referred to cars and cyclists disobeying the one way instructions. In view of this, he proposed an additional recommendation, (Recommendation 2.7) which read as follows:

 

  I.  In view of one way traffic on Westgate Railway Bridge being often dangerously ignored by cyclists, a ‘cyclists dismount’ sign be erected on the south side of the bridge and police be requested to take enforcement action.

 

Councillor Tickner then referenced section 3.18 of the report which referred to the junction of Westgate Rd and Albemarle Rd. The report noted that this junction had in fact been the subject of three safety audits in total. However  the consultation indicated that most responders thought the junction should be redesigned. The report went on to say that the designs for the junction would therefore be considered independent of the recommendations in the report and would rather be approved under delegated powers. Councillor Tickner stated that he was not happy with the recourse to delegated powers in this case and he proposed an additional recommendation, this would be Recommendation 2.8 which read as follows:

 

  II.  Proposals for a reconfiguration of the junction of Westgate Road and Albemarle Road be submitted to the next meeting to include an option for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 156b

157.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER ITEMS

157a

ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES PORTFOLIO DRAFT BUDGET 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 351 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

FSD22007

 

Members noted that this report had been presented to them so that they could consider the Portfolio Holder’s Draft Budget for 2022/2023 which took into account future cost pressures. Members were requested to scrutinise the report and provide any relevant comments to the Executive.

 

A Member made an enquiry regarding the cameras that were used to identify ‘moving traffic contraventions’. It was noted that there was a problem with the cameras which was currently being addressed with the manufacturer.

 

A Member was surprised to note that the Council had spent £1.5m on the management and support of the Environment contracts. He said that this was twice as much as the Council spent on planting trees and queried if the Council had got its priorities right. The Director for Environment and Public Protection answered and pointed out that the Environment contracts were large and complex. The Council had a duty to ensure that the contracts worked properly and that these complex contracts were managed correctly and provided a sound and effective service. The Council had experienced problems in the past with the management of environmental contracts and it wished to learn from the past and avoid such issues re-occurring.

 

A Member stated that he would be interested to see how the allocation of resources in terms of contract managers were split across the various contracts. It was noted in the course of the discussion that as well as the contracts being large and complex, additional complexities had been added because of the COVID pandemic, and the shortages of both fuel and drivers. This meant that Bromley’s contract managers had been working with contractors on a daily basis. The contract managers had to work effectively to ensure value for money and the continued and effective provision of Council services. It was noted that a ‘Fix My Street’ update would be provided to the Committee in March 2022 and the Director for Environment and Public Protection noted that out of 33,000 FMS inquiries--95% of these had been dealt with seamlessly. He further pointed out that in most other councils they had much larger teams to manage contracts.

 

The Member responded and said that he would be interested to be provided with more information as to how the contract managers were assigned to the various contracts and he would like a breakdown of the budgets and headings. He wanted to understand how the budget headings were broken down by contract. He said it may be the case that the Committee may decide that a particular contract may need a greater allocation of contract managers for example. The Director for Environment and Public Protection responded and said that he would discuss this matter with the Head of Finance for ECS.

 

A Member asked if the Council was still encouraging people to compost and the response to this was affirmative. It was noted that the Council received income from paper recycling but not from the disposal of green garden waste. A Member asked if the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 157a

157b

CARBON MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME UPDATE pdf icon PDF 538 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

ES 20152

 

The Assistant Director for Performance Management & Business Support provided a brief introduction to the report which was ‘LBB’s Carbon Management Programme Update—Planned Borough Wide Signposting for 2022/23’.

 

She explained that the purpose of the report was to provide an update on the progress that was being made by the Carbon Management Team and also on the progress being made by the Council’s Environmental Contractors towards their net zero targets. The report also provided an update on the suggested approach to the provision of carbon management signposting for residents and businesses.

 

It was noted that a comprehensive update on the progress being made towards net zero targets by individual contractors would be provided in the relevant annual performance reports. Assurance was provided that  officers scrutinised ECS contracts at regular monthly meetings.

 

The Assistant Director explained that signposting to residents would take place in May after the Council’s website had been revamped. There would be a microsite on the main site to facilitate this. This would provide advice to residents and businesses on how they could reduce their carbon emissions. This would be supported by workshops and educational materials. This method was chosen rather than the production of a brochure as it was more flexible and the website could be updated as required. 

 

A discussion took place as to the type of residents and community groups that the Council may be working with. A Member referred to paragraph 5.9 of the report which mentioned the fact that the Carbon Management Team had applied for a £920,000 grant under the Local Authority Delivery scheme. It was mentioned that the programme would enable the retrofitting of approximately 130 domestic properties. The Member was keen to understand what types of property may be retrofitted and with what.

 

The Assistant Director answered and said that one of the main environmental groups that Bromley worked with was ‘Greener and Cleaner Bromley and Beyond’..

 

https://www.greenerandcleaner.co.uk/

 

She explained that in terms of retro-fitting—this would include insulation related materials and boilers.

 

It was noted that it was still possible to switch energy providers via the ‘Big London Energy Switch’. This was scheduled to take place during early February and would be promoted on the Council website. 

 

A Member queried where the Council was now in respect of the original Council motion which was about the ‘direct action’ that could be undertaken by the Council and which could therefore be controlled by the Council itself. He asked that it be minuted that he was requesting that the Director for Environment and Public Protection remind officers that the Council should be focusing on ‘direct activities’. He expressed the view that as the Council was using green energy suppliers it should not be affected by rising gas prices. The Member further commented on sections 5.10 and 5.11 of the report which noted that the Council had provided funding to set up a Library of Things (LoT) in Bromley Town Centre. The idea was that people would save money and make a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 157b

157c

ECS PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW pdf icon PDF 145 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted that there were two areas that had been rag rated as red and two that had been rag rated as amber. The two red ratings were for:

 

·  Total Waste Arising

·  Residual Household Waste Per Household

 

It was still the case that the amount of waste being generated because people were working from home was high.

 

The first amber rating was connected with this and was the Amount of Household Waste composted.

 

The second amber rating was related to the number of people either killed or seriously injured in road traffic incidents. The data to August was that this figure was 96 against a target of 86.

 

A Member highlighted that although ‘Residual Household Waste Per Household’ was amber, the figures indicated that the Council had recycled more household waste than ever before and this was an achievement. LBB was one of the top recyclers in London. 

 

A Member asked what could be done to reduce the KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) figures to zero in line with ‘Vision Zero’.

 

The Portfolio Holder responded and said that the Council's strategy for reducing the number of KSIs had been laid out in the LIP 3  Programme which had been signed off by the London Mayor. A number of strands were involved which included making the protection of the most vulnerable a priority. The Council had a methodology which was heavily rooted in education and award winning education schemes like ‘Driven by Consequences’. These were particularly targeted at the age range of 18 to 24. The Council would also analyse accident hot spots to see where there was a common cause and where funds could therefore be allocated. It seemed to be the case that the trend for KSIs was gently downwards, but obviously the Council would prefer for it to drop further. 

 

It was noted that in terms of the number of KSIs, Bromley was either the second of third safest borough in London but would not rest there and would still seek to improve.

 

The Assistant Director of Performance Management and Business Support agreed with the Member that we could include some explanation in the performance report in future, in terms of how Bromley compares with other London boroughs.

 

The Assistant Director of Performance Management and Business support also reflected on the earlier Member’s comments in relation to Contract Management and Support and pointed out to the Committee that in fact this includes the Performance Management and Business Support team who have, since their inception in 2018, contributed to reducing 15 priority 1 recommendations from a previous waste audit down to zero.

 

 

RESOLVED that the ECS Performance Overview update be noted. 

 

 

 

 


157d

ECS CONTRACTS REGISTER pdf icon PDF 706 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

ES20142

 

Members attention was drawn to the market stall contract which had been considered at the previous meeting when it was rag rated as amber and due for renewal. A tender exercise had been undertaken for competitive bids but the tender exercise was unsuccessful. Resultantly, a direct award had been made to the incumbent provider.

 

A discussion took place concerning the ‘Fix My Street’ contract which was showing as amber on the contracts database snapshot that had been presented to the Committee.

 

It was noted that the Contracts Database snapshot had been taken on the 21st October and that if the snapshot had been taken on the day of the meeting for example, then the ‘Fix My Street’ contract would in fact be rated as red.  A Member requested that a way be found to provide more up to date Contract Database information to the ECS PDS Committee, rather than data which was in fact out of date.

 

RESOLVED that the Contracts Database report be noted and that going forward a way be found to provide more current contract data to the Committee, rather than data that was out of date. 

 

Post Meeting Note from the Assistant Director for Performance Management and Business Support:

 

This methodology will not be amended, but in future meetings there will be a Part 2 report which will have a commentary from the Assistant Director for Procurement and Commissioning to better explain any contracts that are coming up for renewal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

157e

RISK REGISTER UPDATE REPORT pdf icon PDF 205 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

ES20058

 

No red risks were reported.

 

A Member referred to a risk relating to climate change and said there was no reference to what the risks actually were. The Assistant Director for Performance Management and Business Support responded and said that the risks in the report were purely the risks to the Council, for example from flooding and what the Council could do in terms of planning and design to adapt to those risks. This could be the things like Council’s Flood Risk Strategy, the way the Council managed drains, planted trees and designed buildings. 

 

A Member referred to the Clean Air Act and said that people still held bonfires all over the place which were polluting and nothing was done about it. He felt that the Council should focus on matters such as these over which they had direct control.

 

It was noted by the Chairman that it was Sarah Foster’s  (Assistant Director for Performance Management and Business Support) last meeting for the Council as she was moving on to pastures new. The Chairman and the Committee thanked Ms Foster for her excellent service for Bromley Council and wished her well in her future role.

 

RESOLVED that the Risk Register update be noted.

 

 

 

 

 

ORAL QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC WITH ANSWERS pdf icon PDF 415 KB

WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC WITH ANSWERS pdf icon PDF 602 KB

ORAL QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS WITH ANSWERS pdf icon PDF 198 KB

WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS pdf icon PDF 187 KB