Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks. View directions

Contact: Email: Democratic.Services@sevenoaks.gov.uk 01732 227199 

Items
No. Item

10.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 30 KB

To agree the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 28 June 2016, as a correct record.

Minutes:

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2016, be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

 

11.

Declarations of Interest

Any interests not already registered

Minutes:

No additional declarations of interest were made.

 

12.

Actions from Previous Meeting

Minutes:

There were none.

 

13.

Referrals from Cabinet or the Audit committee

Minutes:

There were none.

 

Change in order of agenda items

The Chairman advised he would give his Portfolio Holder update at the end of the meeting.

14.

Fly Tipping Enforcement Update pdf icon PDF 21 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the new Environmental Enforcement Officer who updated Members on some of the work he had carried out so far, which predominantly consisted of reactive investigation along with proactive prevention strategies. 

 

He discussed the difficulties faced in tracing fly-tippers, investigations and prosecution of offenders.  He advised that he was identifying hotspots and placing signage in these areas.  As the signage warned that CCTV was in use this also meant that he was able to deploy a camera without the need for authority under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).  He was also meeting, informally, with neighbouring enforcement officers to exchange ideas, intelligence and best practice.  Road checks were also carried out with the Police and Environment Agency. 

 

Members were keen that successful prosecutions be publicised, and local members kept up to date with any issues in their areas.  

 

  Resolved:  That the report be noted.

15.

Environmental Health Partnership- charging for Food Hygiene re rating inspections pdf icon PDF 30 KB

Minutes:

The Environmental Health Manager presented a report which provided Members with an overview of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) proposal to introduce a change to the National Food Hygiene Rating scheme. The purpose of the pilot was to trial charging food businesses when they requested a re-rating inspection following an initial food hygiene inspection rating. The charge would be based on cost recovery and would be calculated on the average cost that the Council currently incurred for the provision of the service. The pilot would operate for a period of 3 months and the Food Standards Agency would use the data collected to introduce a National Charging Scheme in 2017.

Since the publication of the report, the Environmental Health Manager advised that she had received confirmation that the FSA did intend this to be ongoing. 

 

Resolved:  That it be recommended to Cabinet that

 

a)     the Environmental Health’s team participation in the Food Standards Agency pilot of charging businesses for a food hygiene re-rating inspection, be noted;

b)     the fee for a food hygiene re-rating inspection be set at £200 for the period of the Food Standards Agency pilot; and

c)     if the pilot was successful, and with the support of the Food Standards Agency, charging be continued on a cost recovery basis.

 

16.

Annual Review of Parking Charges 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 37 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Parking Manager presented the annual review of parking charges for 2017-18 report.  It proposed consultation on revised tariffs in the Council’s off-street car parks and in on-street pay and display parking bays.

 

Public Sector Equality Duty

 

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

 

Resolved:  That the proposals for revised parking charges for 2017-18 be recommended to Cabinet for consultation.

17.

Christmas Parking pdf icon PDF 27 KB

Minutes:

Members considered the report which requested that the Committee consider free concessionary parking on select dates at Christmas 2016.

Members were advised that, as in previous years, the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Direct and Trading had allowed free evening parking for Christmas Lights and shopping events in Sevenoaks on Friday 25 November 2016 and in Westerham on Thursday 24 November 2016.

 

Public Sector Equality Duty

 

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

 

Resolved:  That it be recommended to Cabinet that

a)     free parking be provided in car parks and on street parking bays for two Saturdays, 10 and 17 December 2016 preceding Christmas; and

b)     subject to recommendation (a) above, it be recommended to Council that the cost in terms of lost income for free Christmas parking be funded from Supplementary Estimates.

 

18.

Budget 2017/18: Service Dashboards and Service Change Impact Assessments (SCIAS) pdf icon PDF 48 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chief Finance Officer presented the report which set out updates to the 2017/18 budget within the existing framework of the 10-year budget and savings plan.  The report also presented proposals that had been identified which needed to be considered, together with further suggestions made by the Advisory Committees, before finalising the budget for 2017/18.

 

The major message of the report was that the Council was able to remain financially self-sufficient.

 

The budget agreed by Council in February included £100,000 of new savings or additional income per annum and the Advisory Committees were being asked to make suggestions to Cabinet that would achieve the £100,000 required for next year. Two Member Budget Training sessions had recently taken place with the intention of increasing, or refreshing, Members knowledge of the budget process and to enhance the discussions that would take place at this round of Advisory Committees.

 

The Chief Finance Officer reminded reminding Members that over £6m had already been agreed to be saved between 2011/12 and 2017/18 made up of over 130 items and over £10m had been saved since 2005/06.

 

Members reviewed and discussed Appendix D which contained the growth and savings proposals put forward by the Portfolio Holder and Chief Officers, and the Service Change Impact Assessments (SCIAs) in Appendix E. 

 

Members also considered and gave their individual ideas for growth and savings items.  The Chief Finance Officer summarised the suggestions put forward and Members considered whether there was anything they wanted taken forward as potential growth or savings suggestions.   Upon discussion of the many suggestions put forward, the Chairman, as Portfolio Holder, agreed to give further consideration to the marketing of income producing services, dog fouling preventions strategies and parking management.  He advised that this could be undertaken within existing budgets.

 

Public Sector Equality Duty

 

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty and that individual equality impact assessments had been completed for all Service Change Impact Assessments (SCIAs) to ensure the decision making process was fair and transparent.

 

Resolved:  That it be recommended to Cabinet that

 

a)     the savings proposals identified in Appendix D applicable to the Advisory Committee (SCIAs 19, 20 and 21) be agreed; and

b)     there were no further suggestions for growth and savings from the Advisory Committee at this time. 

 

19.

Work Plan pdf icon PDF 15 KB

Minutes:

The work plan was noted.

20.

Update from Portfolio Holder

Minutes:

The Portfolio Holder, and Chairman, reported the following, that:

 

·                     Bradbourne car park piling had been completed ahead of schedule;

·                     he had written to the new Police Commissioner requesting a contribution from the Police for CCTV, but it was unsuccessful; and

·                     it looked as though the Council would be successful in getting rid of the timber from the oriental chestnut gall wasp in Farningham Woods infestation, by the end of the financial year.

 

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