Venue: Microsoft Teams
Contact: Miss C Tuohy (0116 305 5483). Email: cat.tuohy@leics.gov.uk
No. | Item |
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In attendance. Mr. B. Pain
CC, Deputy Leader of the Council Mr.
T. Pendleton CC, Lead Member for Highways and Transportation Mr.
O. O’Shea JP CC Cabinet Support Member. Mr
B. Rhodes CC Lead Member for Finance |
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Minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2020. Minutes: That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2020 were taken as read, confirmed and signed. |
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Question Time. Minutes: The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 34. |
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Questions asked by members under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5). Additional documents: Minutes: The
Chief Executive reported that questions had been received from Mr Hunt CC under
Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5). Mr
Hunt asked the following questions of the Chairman:- 1.
“Public Transport has taken quite a knock
during the last year. What do we know about the use of the County’s
contribution (including Concessionary Fares) to local bus services, the support
provided by central government and the ability of existing services to survive
the coronavirus public health crisis?” The
Chairman replied as follows:- Leicestershire
County Council is continuing to pay operators concessionary travel
reimbursements at 2019/20 (pre-covid-19) levels during 2020/21, in line with
government guidance. Total spend in 2019/20 was £5.03m. Expenditure in 2020/21
is therefore expected to be at that level. The
funding support for operators from central government is in the form of the
Covid-19 Bus Services Support Grant (CBSSG). This funding is designed to ensure
bus operators can maintain necessary services at a level which is enough to
meet reduced demand, but also to allow adequate space between passengers on board, in line
with social distancing guidance. The
authority has claimed the following amounts from the Government’s CBSSG funding: ·
17 March - 8 June 2020 - Amount claimed:
£170,121 ·
9 June - 3 August 2020 - Amount claimed:
£99,241 ·
4 August - 28 September 2020 - Amount
claimed: £247,412.20 The CBSSG fund
is expected to run until at least 18th January 2021. Further claims will be
made for the remainder of this period as appropriate. Additionally,
Government has enabled local authorities (LAs) to use Supported Bus Services
Funding (SBSF) allocated to them last year pre-Covid-19 to subsequently provide
additional support to subsidised services during the Covid-19 period; the
authority was awarded £556,000 of SBSF. This funding was originally intended to
enable LAs to improve some current supported services and to restore some lost
bus services where most needed. It is now expected that all
of this funding will be required to support
subsidised services affected by Covid-19. Further
information on these funds can be found on the County Council public website
which is updated periodically as part of our commitment to transparency and
compliance with the funding terms and conditions. This can be accessed at: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/buses-and-public-transport/covid-19-support-for-passenger-transport The
impacts on the current bus market and service provisions have been, and continue
to be, significant. It is not currently known whether the government will
extend the CBSSG funding past 18th January, or if so for what period. Therefore, it
is difficult to foresee the true impact on service provision in the future,
however the County Council remains committed at present to supporting existing
service provision to enable our communities to access essential services in
line with our Passenger Transport Policy and Strategy (PTPS) during this
difficult time. We continue to engage with operators on an on-going basis,
which informs our on-going approach to service provision. 2.
“Our current Local Transport Plan places
a significant emphasis on Quality Bus Partnerships to offer more accessible
public transport including a joint approach between local authorities and bus operators to
improve services. It states that the local authority will invest in transport
infrastructure, passenger facilities and/or information and the bus operator
invests in higher quality services and/ or newer vehicles aimed at increasing
bus patronage and improving customer satisfaction. What are the Quality Bus
Partnerships delivering in this regard and what areas do they cover?” The
Chairman replied as follows:- During the life of the LTP3, working relationships with operators have transitioned away from formal Quality Bus Partnerships, a concept largely founded on traditional fixed routes operated by conventional buses; however, the authority ... view the full minutes text for item 29. |
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To advise of any other items which the Chairman has decided to take as urgent elsewhere on the agenda. Minutes: There were no urgent items for consideration. |
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Declarations of interest in respect of items on the agenda. Minutes: The Chairman invited members who wished to do
so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting. Mr L. Phillimore CC declared a personal interest in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Transport
issues referred to in Agenda Item 8 on the Medium
Term Financial Strategy 2021/22-2024/25. |
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Declarations of the Party Whip in accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 16. Minutes: There were no declarations of the party whip. |
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Presentation of Petitions under Standing Order 35. Minutes: The Chief Executive reported that no petitions had been received under Standing Order 35. |
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Change to the Order of Business. Minutes: The Chairman agreed to vary the order of the business from that set out on in the agenda, taking Agenda Item 9: Environmental Performance Report 2019-20 and Greenhouse Gas Report 2019-20 ahead of Item 8: Medium Term Financial Strategy 2021/22 – 2024/25. |
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Environmental Performance Report 2019-20 and Greenhouse Gas Report 2019-20. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee
considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport on the Environmental
Performance Report and Greenhouse Gas Report 2019-20. A copy of the
report, marked ‘Agenda Item 9’ is filed with these minutes. The Director
informed the
Committee that 12 of the key performance
indicators (KPI) had been met or were ahead of target,
including carbon reduction, renewable energy and energy consumption. While
there was plenty for the Authority to celebrate regarding progress made it was
also important to look at the three amber and three red
indicators. Members were assured that continued development and
implementation of the Environment Strategy and the planned Strategic
Approach to Biodiversity as well opportunities arising
from the Government’s Environment Bill and Agriculture Bill would
further aid the Authority reach and exceed set targets. Arising from the
discussion the following points were noted:- i.There were five outstanding environmental
risks, three of which linked to drainage at Recycling and
Household Waste sites. The Director assured Members that dialogue was
continuing with the Environment Agency regarding improvements and
that planned works had been scheduled. Members noted that such
works would take time to implement due to the nature of excavation works
and capital financing required. ii.Total CO2 under the Authorities
influence while rated amber was improving. Members were assured that the
County Council was looking to address the indicator as part of its
wider approach to carbon reduction via the Tranche 2 Roadmap that would be
developed over the year and focus on the Council’s unmeasured emissions and the
wider Leicestershire emissions. Members requested that consideration be
given to the monitoring of travel plans for industrial developments, as
well as school travel plans. iii.Members noted that non-County Hall
sites performed worse than County Hall in relation to percentage
recycled. This was as a result of the sites being in multi
occupancy which presented different challenges as it was harder to educate
and enforce the matter. Officers would continue to train
staff and provide direct signage to mitigate the challenge. iv.Non compliance relating to the air conditioning
units was as a result of the filing not being up to date with
maintenance plans, Members were assured that this was being
addressed by Property Services. In concluding the
discussion Mr Pain CC thanked Officers for the work undertaken to reduce carbon
emissions to
date and the further commitment following the joint pledge with
the UK100 coalition to achieve ‘net-zero’ across the County faster
than Government’s 2050 goal. It was anticipated that as
technology advanced and became more affordable there would be more
opportunities to build on progress with innovations such as hydrogen power
and electric vehicles. RESOLVED: That the Environmental Performance Report 2019-20
and Greenhouse Gas Report 2019-20 be noted. |
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Medium Term Financial Strategy 2021/22 - 2024/25. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee considered a joint report of the
Director of Environment and Transport and the Director of Corporate Resources
which provided information on the proposed 2021/22 to 2024/25 Medium Term
Financial Strategy (MTFS) as it related to the Environment and Transport
Department. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 8’ is filed with these
minutes. The Chairman welcomed the Deputy Leader, Mr B Pain
CC, the Cabinet Lead Member for Resources, Mr J B Rhodes CC, the Cabinet Lead
Member for Highways, Transport and Waste Mr T Pendleton CC and the Cabinet
Support Member Mr O O’Shea CC to the meeting for this item. In introducing the report, the Director of
Environment and Transport advised members of the continuing financial
challenges facing the Council and that further savings were required to address
future challenges, notably Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
transport and continued waste tonnage increases. Arising from the discussion the following points
were noted:- Growth i.G13 - SEN
Transport – Growth reflected the increased client
numbers and costs arising from increasingly complex needs presented by some
service users. Figures forecast expected 10% growth in the service (as per data
provided by the Children and Families Department). as well as a 3% increase in
transport costs. The Department continued to look at how growth may be contained
over the duration of the MTFS and were aware that colleagues nationally were
raising concerns about the overall cost of SEN provision and transport with
Government. ii.Data on
previous growth in pupils identified with SEN and predicted growth would be circulated
to Members. A briefing would further be organised to help Members understand
the process of preparing Education, Health and Care plans for those children
with SEN needs. iii.G14 –
Developing External Funding Bids – The report presented
the removal of the one-off growth for temporary capacity to support the
development of external funding bids in 2020/21. Members were advised the
Department would continue to have some capacity to prepare bids for funding and
was covered elsewhere in the budget. However, it was recognised that there was
a wider conversation that needed to be had with Government regarding efficiency
of the bidding process for authorities and the resource that it required. iv.G15 -
Highways Maintenance – Funding for highway maintenance from the
Department for Transport had effectively been reduced by £10million a year over
the last decade. The County Council invested an additional £3.7million funding
in the previous year in recognition of the importance of this service and
underfunding it faced. As a result of Covid-19 Government had amalgamated a
number of funding streams, some of which would previously have been part of a
competitive bidding process, and allocated £9.5million to the County
Council to be spent by the end of the current financial year. While the
Authority welcomed the funding, assurance for long term funding was needed for
the Authority to plan most effectively and achieve the best value for
money. v.There was
a concern that due to Government’s continual underfunding of Council services
residents were seeing a decline in the most visible services to them such as
highway maintenance. This was despite increasing council tax that was required
to support the financial pressures on the Council. vi.Members noted that in previous years the Department had reduced full width grass cuts from six to five following an earlier budget consultation where residents had rated it as a lower priority. However, the reduction had resulted in heavy backlash, thus the six cuts were reinstated, which was welcomed by Members. Members noted that twelve parish councils ... view the full minutes text for item 36. |
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Final Report of the Scrutiny Review Panel on Flooding. Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee
considered a report of the Flooding
Scrutiny Review Panel. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed
with these minutes. Mrs. M. Wright CC
Chairman of the Scrutiny Review Panel introduced the report. She advised members that the
Panel had been established following significant flooding events in October
and November 2019. The purpose of review was to
consider the role of the Council as Lead Local Flood Authority and its
partnership working with flood risk management
authorities. Arising from the
discussion the following points were noted:-
i.Flooding can have devastating effects on
residents’ lives which could leave them away from their home for
an unspecified time in the aftermath. Flooding events often came at
unpredictable times in unforeseen places, the Council needed to ensure that
communications reflected this and that residents were aware and informed
of potential flood risk. It was evident that those who had never
experienced a flood were often at risk of experiencing the most severe impact.
ii.The Environment Agency operated a
24/7 Floodline and provided a service that allowed residents to find out
whether they were within a flood zone, and any warnings. Members were asked to
encourage their residents to
sign up for the Service.
iii.Members felt it was important that the Authority looked to make
partners accountable to residents in completion of actions arising from Section
19 investigations.
iv.The Flood Risk Management Team had
experienced staffing shortages due to the high demand on the skill set required
which resulted in high turnover. During the review Members had been pleased to
note that recruitment was ongoing and that support from external consultants had
reduced in more recent months as a result.
v.The Flood Risk Management Team were
completing detailed Section-19 Investigations into the causes of flooding
in Stoney Stanton and Cossington. Final modelling work was still to be
completed before final conclusions could be reached. Local
Members would be kept informed as the matters progressed.
vi.Local planning
authorities were responsible for approving any new developments and
taking any comments from Leicestershire County Council, as Lead Local Flood
Authority, on board. In this regard it was noted that only planning
authorities could enforce mitigating measures and ensure developments were up
to the agreed standard as approved. vii.The Committee was of the view that that the Government needed to do more to require
flood mitigation measures be built as standard on houses built on flood
plains as LPA’s could only work to national regulations.
The County Council could not influence such measures. viii.Mr Harrison CC
emphasised the role Members could play as Community Champions setting out the positive experience
within Appleby Magna where the community had stepped up and worked
together with partners to put mitigating measures in place.
ix.Members further agreed it
was important that parishes and residents looked at their own
risk and looked to build resilience within their communities through
initiatives such as the Volunteer Flood Warden scheme. In conclusion Mr B. Pain CC,
Deputy Leader, stated that while the Water Management Act
assigned the Council the role of Lead Local Flood Authority, it
had no enforcement powers and current legislation did not
provide the Authority with the ability to compel risk management
authorities to take action, even
when identified as part of Section-19 Investigations. Members thanked the
Scrutiny Review Panel for their detailed report on the matter and looked
forward to receiving a progress report in the coming months, following approval from Cabinet. RESOLVED: a. That the report be recommended for consideration by Cabinet ... view the full minutes text for item 37. |
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Date of next meeting. The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to take place on 4 March 2021 at 2pm. Minutes: That the next meeting of the Committee will be held on 4
March 2021 at 2pm. |