Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL

Communities and local services Overview and Scrutiny Committee

At a meeting of the Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee held in Committee Room 1, County Hall, Morpeth on Wednesday, 25 November 2015 at

10:30 am.

PRESENT

Councillor B. Gallacher

(Chair, in the Chair)

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Armstrong, E.
Cairns, L.H.
Campbell, D.
Graham, K.O. / Grimshaw, L.
Jones, G.W.
Jones, V.

CABINET MEMBERS

Swithenbank, I.C.F. Local Services

OFFICERS

Jones, J.
Laux, D.
Lowry, K.
Nicholson, S.
Robinson, M
Todd, A. / Head of Neighbourhood Services
Head of Technical Services
Director of Housing and Local Services
Scrutiny Officer
Transport Policy and Programme Manager
Democratic Services Officer

40. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J.D. Foster and C.W. Horncastle.

41. MINUTES

Review of Public Conveniences - update

The Committee were provided with an update on the Review of Public Conveniences which was discussed at 21 October 2015 meeting. It was confirmed that discussions had taken place with regard to the schedule B listed toilets and all but one would remain open during the winter months. An alternative provision had been found for the Bellingham toilet closed for the winter using the Your Welcome Scheme at a nearby hotel.

Members were advised that the authority had been unable to secure agreement regarding the schedule C listed toilets and therefore closures had been implemented. However, alternative provision had also been agreed within the localities of most of the listed toilets in schedule C using the Your Welcome Scheme.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Wednesday, 21 October 2015, as circulated, be confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

42. FORWARD PLAN OF KEY DECISIONS

Members received the latest Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period November 2015 to February 2016 (a copy of the Forward Plan has been enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix A).

RESOLVED that the Forward Plan, be noted.

REPORTS PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED BY CABINET

43. REPORTS OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LOCAL SERVICES

Members were advised of the following reports from this Committee which were considered by the Cabinet; one at its meeting on 13 October 2015 and the other at its meeting on 3 November 2015:

(a)  Adoption of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Northumberland

(b)  Transport Asset Management Plan (TAMP) Policy and Strategy

An extract from the minutes of the Cabinet meetings had been enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix B.

RESOLVED that the decisions taken at the Cabinet meetings of 13 October 2015 and 3 November 2015, be noted.

44. REPORT OF HEAD OF PUBLIC PROTECTION

Members were advised of the Committee’s Corporate Enforcement Policy report which was considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 3 November 2015.

An extract from the minutes of the Cabinet has been enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix C.

RESOLVED that the decision taken at the Cabinet meeting of 3 November 2015, be noted.

REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION BY SCRUTINY

45.  REPORT OF THE HEAD OF NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES

Review of Summer Grounds Maintenance Programme

The purpose of this report was to review the performance of the summer grounds maintenance programme undertaken during 2015/16 to ensure the best possible outcomes for communities, from the resources available, within the context of the County Council having to meet further on-going budget reductions up to 2020. (Report enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix D).

Also, in response to a request at a previous meeting (enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix E) information was provided on the frequency of roadside gully cleansing. A map highlighting where within the county the roadside gullies listed as red rating were located was circulated during the meeting.

Councillor Swithenbank, Cabinet Member for Local Services made reference to the overall good performance achieved by the programme especially as the Service had seen a reduction in their budget. Although issues had been highlighted in relation to verge maintenance and weed control, the county had achieved awards. Awards had been attained in many towns and villages for floral planting and Green Flag status had been secured in 10 of the county’s parks. These honours along with the successful Tour of Britain were praised by the committee and members thanked all staff involved.

P. Jones, the Head of Neighbourhood Services summarised the report with specific attention as to how concerns would be addressed, such as increased use of agricultural contractors for verge works during 2016/17, re-tendering weed control contracts, purchase of quad bikes to be used to spray weeds around obstacles and aid the clearing of snow/ice in the winter period, and additional resource to enable the retention of seasonal staff for winter grounds maintenance activities. Following the report a number of comments were made including the following:-

·  Concerns were raised regarding tree branches which were overhanging roads and posed a safety hazard for passing vehicles and pedestrians. Specific examples of hazardous trees at rural roads and a stretch of road at Berwick were discussed. Members were advised to contact the team with any concerns. With regard to the issue at Berwick the Head of Neighbourhood Services requested to discuss with the relevant councillor following the meeting.

·  Following a query regarding what was deemed as a hazardous overhanging tree, it was confirmed that height and the health of the tree were assessed. Highways Inspectors, as part of their duties, reported dangerous tress for inspection but specific concerns could also be reported by the public and councillors.

·  It was reported that those town and parish councils generally were complementary of the work carried out during the summer programme.

·  Confirmation was given that actions to improve customer satisfaction in grounds maintenance in relation to highway verge cutting and weed control in urban areas had been proposed for 2016/17.

·  A query was raised as to whether Councillors could be provided with a work programme for their ward so they could monitor progress or maybe provide the information via the Council’s website for all to see. It was reported that officers could look into putting more information on the website.

·  Confirmation that work not completed within the summer programme would be included within the winter programme.

·  Clarification was given regarding the introduction of new legislation for traffic management controls when undertaking works on the highway and the implications for the Council including additional cost associated with these changes.

·  Confirmation that colour schemes when flower planting were agreed in conjunction with Town and Parish Councils.

·  Discussion took place on the wider benefits of being able to achieve a high quality environment for communities across the county. It was confirmed that along with helping improve residents sense of well-being it also provides a safer environment for people with impaired vision/or mobility.

·  The need to inform and manage the public’s expectation on the range/standard of services that the Council could provide following the reduced budget in Neighbourhood Services.

·  Comments on the valuable work of the teams within Neighbourhood Services were made and in particular the North Neighbourhoods Manager who had been very responsive and personable since being in post.

The Committee welcomed the overall good performance of grounds maintenance undertaken during 2015/16 and acknowledged the issues still needing to be addressed by the service to further improve performance, particular in relation to weed control and highway verge cutting.

RESOLVED that:-

(a)  the overall good performance of grounds maintenance activity this summer, as demonstrated by the Northumbrian in Bloom results and Green Flag awards, be noted;

(b)  the implementation of the actions outlined in this report, which aim to improve performance for weed control and highway verge cutting in 2016/17 in order to address the main areas of dissatisfaction with the service, be supported, and

(c)  the gully cleansing standards, be noted.

46. REPORT OF THE HEAD OF TECHNICAL SERVICES

Road Safety at Schools, Progress Report

The report provided an update to the Committee on improvements to the way road safety concerns at schools were addressed. (Report enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix F).

The Committee was advised by D. Laux, Head of Technical Services and M. Robinson, Transport Policy and Programme Manager on how the authority was addressing road safety issues at schools, including detailing the First Response initiative, the introduction of 20 mph speed limits outside schools and the new parking enforcement vehicle.

Following on from the report members made a number of comments, which included:-

·  Education and enforcement were the key issues needed to change the behaviour of the public and improve road safety around schools.

·  Confirmation that the draft programme for introducing 20 mph limits at schools detailed within the report was now out of date and additional schools had been placed on the list.

·  Members spoke favourably about the first response meetings and hoped, following these partnership discussions, agreed actions could take place to illustrate to the public that issues were being addressed.

·  A discussion took place regarding Members Small Schemes and the possibility of utilising these to further help improve road safety concerns at schools.

·  The problem of where schools were located and their designs were discussed. Also the problem of inconsiderate parking and lack of staff parking were discussed and members made reference to issues within their local areas. However, it was stressed that children safety would always be paramount when trying to improve road safety around schools.

·  Members were advised of early discussions regarding possible solutions for traffic management problems including links to the A189 Spine Road. It was suggested that all Blyth Councillors be kept informed of developments.

·  It was confirmed that officers were working on the backlog of projects within Members Small Schemes. It was advised that the reporting of progress within Members Small Schemes was to be improved with regular updates to be provided to individual Councillors as well as reports being presented to Area Committees.

·  Members considered the length of time needed to consult the public on changes to traffic management which not only slowed down the whole process but was also quite costly for the authority. It was confirmed that the whole consultation process was to be examined and hopefully streamlined to quicken up procedures. It was also suggested that the Council consult on a number of different proposed projects at the same time to save time, officer hours and unnecessary duplication of costs.

·  Safety issues would be accentuated at those schools which were moving from being a first to a primary school due to the increase of pupils expected.

·  A suggestion to politely inform new parents/pupils of traffic problems around schools and where to park safely and legally.

·  A concern was raised regarding the new street lighting that was currently being introduced, particularly around schools, as it was thought the new lights were not as bright. A suggestion was made for school children to possibly wear reflective clothing or a sash during the dark winter months.

RESOLVED that the report and comments made, be noted.

REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER

47.  Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

Members considered the Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme. (A copy of the Work Programme has been enclosed with the signed minutes as Appendix G).

RESOLVED that the Work Programme, be noted.

INFORMATION REPORT

The following report was for information only and can be accessed through Northumberland County Council’s Web site. If a member of the Committee would like further explanation of the report, or has questions they wish to put to the relevant Policy Board Member, he/she should contact Democratic Services Section in order that appropriate arrangements can be made.

48. POLICY DIGEST

The report gave details of the latest policy briefings, government announcements and ministerial speeches which may be of interest to members.

RESOLVED that the information, be noted.

CHAIR

DATE

Ch.’s Initials………

Communities and Local Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, 25 November 2015 3