Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Members.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Cox, Deadman and Earl.

To receive information on any changes in the membership of the Committee.

Note – When a member of a Committee is unable to attend a meeting of a Committee or Sub-Committee, the relevant Political Group Leader (or their nominated representative) may, by notice to the Monitoring Officer (or their nominated representative) prior to the meeting, appoint a substitute member from within the same Political Group. The contact details on the front of this agenda should be used for notifications. 

Councillors Brooke and Trent were substitutes for Councillors Cox and Earl.

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.

Councillor Gabriel declared an interest as manager of two leisure centres in Poole.  Councillor Trent declared an interest in assisting residents in CIL bids.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution, which 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 a public question 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.

There were no public issues received on this occasion.

To consider and amend the Board’s Forward Plan as appropriate and to consider the published Cabinet Forward Plan.

The Committee noted the Forward Plan.

The Chairman advised the Board that this item had been deferred from the afternoon Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The Leader of the Council, with support from the Head of Planning and Planning Research GIS & Information Manager presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Officers responded to comments and requests for clarification, details included:

• Clarification was provided over the membership of the Future Infrastructure Programme Board (FIPB) which included four Senior Officers and the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council.
• How the legacy authorities had managed strategic CIL was discussed including the distribution of CIL and some previously agreed priorities.
• The Board was advised that the Regulation 123 list was no longer inexistence, and that it was being replaced by a infrastructure funding statement which was appended to the report.
• In response to a concern regarding when  a new BCP wide CIL charging schedule would be prepared to ensure  fair and equitable charging across BCP, the Board was advised that the Government had proposed changes across the planning system, and until the detail of any proposed changes to the CIL regime were known,  the creation of a single CIL charging schedule was on hold. It is also imperative that the CIL charging schedule is prepared alongside the emerging BCP Local Plan to take into account the cost of policy requirements and viability.
• In response to a concern the Board was advised that the aim was to improve transparency and the process which, after being considered by the FIPB would go through the democratic process of approval by Cabinet and Council.  The Board was also reassured that the Infrastructure Funding Statement would be in the public domain.
• In response to a concern, the Board was advised that there had been a request for CIL funding from Dorset NHS and the proposed projects were detailed in appendix 3 to the report.  The Board was reassured that this request would be considered carefully by the FIPB and if approved, would continue through the democratic process.
• The Board was advised that the CIL neighbourhood portion  was separate to strategic CIL and would not be affected by the proposal. It would continue to be managed using the same cross party member panel.
• In response to a query, the Leader confirmed that increasing cultural assets within BCP was included in the delivery market plan but advised that this paper related to governance and not the proposed CIL spending plans.
• The Leader concluded strategic CIL was about mitigating the impact of development upon the community through the provision of infrastructure to support the development and that all decisions would be taken in an open and transparent manner.

The Chairman thanked Board Members and Officers for their contributions.

To consider the Cleaner, Greener, Safer reports scheduled for Cabinet consideration on 29 September 2021.

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise and comment on the report and if required make recommendations or observations as appropriate.

Cabinet members invited to attend for this item: Councillor Drew Mellor, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Transformation; Councillor Mark Anderson, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Cleansing and Waste; and Councillor May Haines, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety

The Cabinet report for this item is included with the agenda for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The Leader of the Council, supported by the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Cleansing and Waste and the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Officers responded to comments and requests for clarification, details included:

• There was some discussion surrounding the fly tipping pilot scheme which had recently been launched.  The Committee was advised that it had been a success to date and included education for offenders and grace periods to resolve issues.  It was clarified that the scheme only dealt with fly tipping where the rubbish could be linked back to an offender.
• It was noted that enforcement and clearing of fly tipping were undertaken by two separate services and information on how to report fly tipping was provided to the Board.
• The breakdown of the figures to be spent was highlighted and the Board was advised that details of timelines were available at appendix four to the report.
• In response to a query regarding increased residents input into keeping local green spaces tidy, including grass cutting, the Board was advised that it is difficult to balance differing residents views but that any views and feedback was welcome.
• A concern was raised regarding the proposed weed treatments planned, using chemicals such as glyphosates and whether alternative weed treatments had been considered, the Board were referred to paragraph 32 of the strategy in response.   There was agreement that community engagement in removing weeds on paths outside their properties should be encouraged
• The Board was reassured that it was policy to not spray glyphosates around playgrounds and water ways.  Alternatives had been considered to try and reduce the herbicides being used 
• In response to a query, the Board was advised that the investment would include deweeding pavements, some flower beds and there would be urban greening, including significant investment in tree planting. 
• The Board was reassured  regarding the plan for street cleansing and zoning of roads to ensure a good level of cleanliness across all roads.
• In response to a concern, the Board was advised that cross conurbation work was ongoing and including work with the local BIDs and a pilot was currently underway in Poole, starting with a street survey to consider street lighting, lampposts being painted, managing antisocial behaviour.
• Where the funding would be sourced from was discussed and it was confirmed that the Futures Fund and some elements of CIL would be used with a mix of revenue and capital spend.
• The Board discussed the partnership with Hubbub and McDonalds using drones and artificial intelligence to map litter surveys and public behaviour and the possible benefits of it.  The Board noted that Hubbub was currently writing a report detailing their findings and proposals.
• The Leader advised that BCP was trying to send a message of pride in the conurbation to residents, but it was ultimately the responsibility of the Council to maintain  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

To consider the Complaints and 2020/21 LGSCO annual report scheduled for Cabinet consideration on 29 September 2021.

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise and comment on the report and if required make recommendations or observations as appropriate.

Cabinet member invited to attend for this item: Councillor Drew Mellor, Leader of the Council

The Cabinet report for this item is included with the agenda for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The Policy and Performance Officer and Local Government Ombudsmen Link supported by the Chief Executive presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Officers responded to comments and requests for clarification, details included:

• Clarification was provided regarding the difference in the number of complaints received in a year and determined differing due to some determinations happening the year after the complaint was received.
• In response to a query about the number of complaints received that did not go to the LGSCO and dealt with internally, the Board was advised there was not currently a fixed system and each service had different ways of managing complaints.  The Board was advised that the number of complaints should not be seen as an indicator, but how many were resolved satisfactorily.
• The Board was advised there were plans to centralise complaints received to provide a better overview, efficiency of monitoring and reduce pressure on front line services. 
• The Board was advised of the difficulties which were encountered, for example encouraging and enabling complaints would increase the numbers and the different type of complaints which carried different weights such as a missed refuse collection compared to a complaint regarding a child’s Education, Health and Care Plans.
• In response to a query from the Chairman, the Board was advised that each service had a complaints system and it was hoped that the a corporate monitoring would be in place over the next 12-18 months.

The Chairman summarised that the Board was pleased about the plan to centralise complaints management and thanked Board Members and Officers for their contributions.

To consider the following Community related reports scheduled for Cabinet consideration on 29 September 2021:

•   Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise and comment on the report and if required make recommendations or observations as appropriate.

Cabinet member invited to attend for this item: Councillor Karen Rampton, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Councillor Jane Kelly, Lead Member for Community Engagement

The Cabinet report for this item is included with the agenda for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The Portfolio Holder for Adults supported by the Lead Member for Engagement presented a report on Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy Report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Officers responded to comments and requests for clarification, details included:

• In response to a query, the Board was advised that there had been a large investment in asset-based community development and communicating with residents to get the best results. 
• The Chair enquired about the proposed Area Forums and was advised that the outcome of the consultation was that many residents wanted them as a way of communicating and engaging with BCP Council and therefore they would be supported in the future
• In response to a concern about the consultation platform being unsatisfactory and the need for it to be more intuitive, the feedback was welcomed and the Board was advised that Officers were currently experimenting with different tools to discover what works and what doesn’t.
• The Board was advised that the strategy would build on and improve consultation and engagement using every tool available, not just digital platforms.

The Chairman summarised that the Board welcomed the proposed community engagement with BCP’s residents and thanked Board Members and Officers for their contributions.

To note the following proposed meeting dates and locations for the 2021/22 municipal year:

·       18 October 2021

·       15 November 2021

·       6 December 2021

·       5 January 2022

·       31 January 2022

·       28 February 2022

·       4 April 2022

The Board noted the future meeting dates.