Agenda and decisions

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 13 April 2022.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is 4 clear working days before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a statement is midday the working day before the meeting.

The deadline for the submission of a petition is 10 working days before the meeting.

To consider recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Board on items not otherwise included on the Cabinet Agenda.

The Joint Archives Service (JAS) based at Dorset History Centre (DHC) in Dorchester is funded pro rata to population by Dorset Council and BCP Council.  The JAS has been governed since 1997 by a tripartite Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) signed that year between Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Borough Council and Borough of Poole, the three first tier councils then operating in Dorset.  To allow continuity, the 1997 agreement was maintained through local government reorganisation in 2019.  Following a consultant-led review of the JAS which reported in February 2021 which gathered opinions from officers and councillors, it was agreed at a meeting of the Joint Archives Advisory Board in April 2021 that the governance of the JAS required updating.  This was in order to reflect both the new unitary council arrangements and the modern context in which the service operates.  The agreement in Appendix 1 is the outcome of that process.

RESOLVED that the revised Inter-Authority Agreement with Dorset Council over the provision of the Joint Archives Service be adopted.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Culture and Vibrant Places

Reason

To enable appropriate political, financial and strategic oversight of the Joint Archive Service.

On 26 May 2021 Cabinet considered the report Fly-tipping and Fly-posting Enforcement Pilot and resolved that:

(a) Cabinet approves the commencement of a 12-month pilot scheme to deploy a suitable qualified contractor to undertake investigations and prosecutions of fly-tipping and fly-posting incidents;

(b) Cabinet agrees to receive a further report following 6 months of this pilot, which will include recommendations for the future of this service; and

(c) Cabinet approves the levels of fines for relevant offences as per paragraph 10.

This report provides a review of the first 6 months of the pilot which, from September 2021 has been delivered by Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement Ltd (WISE), together with recommendations for the future of the service.  WISE have been contracted on a cost-neutral basis to investigate and enforce against offenders of fly-tipping and fly-posting and ensure businesses meet legal requirements to manage waste lawfully and responsibly.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           Cabinet approves an extension to the fly-tipping and fly-posting pilot with WISE until November 2022, with additional emphasis on:

                        i.         effective and increased communications with public and businesses;

                      ii.         enhanced joint working with the Council’s Waste Compliance Officers;

                     iii.         consideration of learning from best practice in other Councils

(b)           A further Cabinet report be brought in November 2022 with recommendations for the service long-term.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holders: Community Safety and Regulatory Services

                             Council Priorities and Delivery

                             Environment and Place

Reason

Prior to this Pilot, the Council did not investigate all reports of fly-tipping and had limited data on the scale of the problem in the area.

The Pilot has delivered its original objectives to investigate all reports of fly-tipping and fly-posting, to take enforcement action where an offence has been committed and fundamentally supports the Council’s Cleaner, Greener, Safer campaign.

The initial pilot period presents too short a timescale for the data collected by WISE to date to fully illustrate the challenges these environmental crimes cause BCP Council. Extending the pilot will provide further understanding to help enable officers and Members make the best decision for how the service operates longer term.

A more effective communications campaign will help mitigate some of the adverse reactions by those found to have committed an offence and closer working with the Council’s Waste Compliance Officers will ensure better co-ordination of efforts and improve the public’s understanding of the impact that fly-tipping and fly-posting has on the environment.

Further time with the Pilot will enable officers to speak to other Councils who are exhibiting best practice with regards to deterrents against fly-tipping and other environmental crimes and this information and subsequent recommendations will be provided at the further Cabinet meeting in November 2022.

The report seeks the allocation of CIL funding to replace the sluice channel at Harbourside Park and upgrade the sluice gate in Poole Park. Due to poor and further declining asset condition, public access is now restricted to the shared path and vehicular access is prohibited, negatively impacting BCP operations. As time goes on the likelihood of catastrophic failure increases, posing a risk to users, lagoon operations and water levels, and dividing up the greenspace.

An options study has been undertaken. Two options with similar estimated construction costs for both options have been identified which subject to securing funding need to be narrowed to one preferred option in the detailed design stage for tendering and construction.

Working closely with Landscape Architects the project will consider the benefits of a carefully designed open channel that would provide a focal point of interest, against the merits of an enclosed channel. This will consider public access, impact on the landscape, maintenance requirements and overall cost to deliver.

This strategic infrastructure improvement extends the work of the heritage funded Poole Park life project, including a new bridge over the sluice channel North of the railway line, will develop in parallel with the forthcoming Harbourside Masterplan and is considered within the current segregated cycleway improvement works.

Also linking wider to the Poole Quay public realm improvements to rejuvenate Poole; these works are one of a series of strategic improvements significantly enhancing the quality of place in Poole.

The report asks that Cabinet recommend to Council allocating CIL funds to complete detailed design and construction to ensure the tight project delivery programme can be achieved, for two key reasons – to reduce the impact on the active travel fund works in 2023 and to carry out the work as soon as practicable to reduce the risk of failure of the sluice channel. The completed project will maintain a key asset for amenity and habitat in Poole Park and improve BCP operations.

1.     Poole Museum is undertaking a £7.7m redevelopment programme delivering capital improvements at the three historic buildings of the Museum Estate: Grade II listed Oakley’s Mill, and the Grade I listed medieval buildings the Wool Hall and Scaplen’s Court, as well as a programme of creative, cultural activity that will build and broaden audiences for the Museum.

2.     Poole Museum has successfully secured £4.4m third-party funds from three major public funds: an NLHF project grant, a Historic England High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) grant, and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (Salix). Additionally, third-party funding has been secured from a range of national and local trusts and foundations (including Garfield Weston and the Fine Family Foundation).

3.     BCP’s contribution to date is £2.15m including: existing borrowing of £1.023m Prudential Borrowing (approved June 2021); the balance of £1.120m approved third-party partnership fundraising underwritten by borrowing of £645,000 (£475,000 already secured); and a £455,000 contribution has been made to date from CIL/S106.

4.     Costs have increased across the scheme as a result of a number of factors, but these include scope increase and national pressures on construction projects as a result of Covid and Brexit.

5.     This has resulted in a funding gap of £1.4m and accordingly, approval is now sought for acceptance of a grant from Historic England, additional Prudential Borrowing, and a further contribution from CIL.

The Chief Executive to report on any decisions taken under urgency provisions in accordance with the Constitution.

To consider the latest version of the Cabinet Forward Plan for approval.