Agenda, decisions and minutes

Prior to the start of the meeting, the Committee received a presentation from Sarah Jeffery, the Heritage Lottery Fund Project Manager, on the history of Wepre Park and various projects undertaken.

Purpose: To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

Purpose: To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 October 2015.

That, subject to the amendment, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 October 2015 were submitted.

Accuracy

Minute number 37: Review of the consultation process for introducing traffic calming and other highway traffic and safety features on the highway - Councillor Ron Davies clarified that his concerns about ‘rat runs’ related to Higher Shotton and not Connah’s Quay.

Matters Arising

Minute number 35: Minutes of previous meeting - Councillor Paul Shotton reported that monthly meetings were being held of the Task Group set up to look at problems with fly tipping in the Golftyn ward and along the Deeside strip.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to the amendment, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

That the presentation be noted.

The Chair introduced Nick Thomas and Anthony Randles of Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and invited them to deliver a presentation on the work of NRW in Flintshire.  The main features of the presentation were:

·         Who we are

·         Our purpose

·         Landowner and Land Manager

·         Outdoor Recreation

·         Designating Authority

·         Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Flintshire

·         Flintshire Coastal Tourism Potential Challenges

·         Potential for a Dee Estuary Regional Park

·         Species Management / Alien Species Legislative Update

·         Fisheries Management

·         Partnership Work

·         Water Framework Directive

·         Environmental Regulation

·         Incident Management

·         Fly Tipping

·         The River Dee

·         Flood Risk Management

·         Environmental Bill

Mr. Thomas spoke about the wide remit of NRW and described Flintshire as unique in terms of the urban areas and significant wildlife interest.  During an overview of partnership work, he highlighted the role of the Halkyn Mountain Ranger and close links between NRW and the Countryside team on improvements to the Wales coastal path.  He cited the potential for joint working on a possible Dee Estuary Regional Park which would not only be an opportunity to enhance recreation but could also help to benefit the environment (ie  removal of eyesores) which in turn could improve employment opportunities (eg  tourism, light industry etc) and hence improve the prospects for the Estuary’s communities.  However, he raised concerns about the annual joint working partnership with the Countryside and Environment service in view of the intention by Welsh Government (WG) to allocate funding to local authorities through the Revenue Support Grant.  He also advised that more funding would be required to support the Dee Invasive Project to tackle various invasive species and that officers were currently considering the implications of the European Directive.

Mr. Randles provided explanation on the setup of his team and gave an update on progress with the second cycle of the Water Framework Directive.  He spoke about a range of improvements which had been carried out on the River Alyn, together with the various workstreams covered by Environmental Regulations.

Councillor Paul Shotton welcomed the potential for more improvements at Wepre Park and the idea of a Dee Estuary Regional Park.  He asked about the emphasis on more partnership working and the impact on NRW in relation to the Euro funding available for rural communities.  Mr. Thomas spoke about eligible areas under the Rural Development Plan, the need to submit bids at an early stage and the commitment from NRW to work in partnership to deliver objectives.  In response to a question on cockling, he said that the beds were opened between July and December, and explained the consequences from the difficult conditions this year which had resulted in low stocks and the potential impact on next year.  On the Coastal Defence Survey, he shared concerns about the erosion of sand dunes at Talacre, but highlighted the challenges of resolving this satisfactorily, as evidenced previously.  On the subject of fracking, explanation was given on the role of NRW in issuing licences which met the necessary criteria  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Purpose:           To inform members of the information technology methods available for the public to report problems on public rights of way.

That the contents of the report and demonstration of the CAMS web system be noted.

The Senior Rights of Way Officer shared information on the Countryside Access Management System (CAMS) which had been used by the Council’s Rights of Way team for almost 20 years to record rights of way issues reported by the public.

The Rights of Way Officer gave a demonstration of CAMS web, the internet-enabled module for reporting faults on public rights of way which was accessed via a link on the Council’s website.  New users were required to register their details to access the system and could then select specific areas from the digital map on which to input data on the issue they wished to raise, such as reporting obstructions, fly tipping etc.  Since its launch in 2014, a number of improvements had been made to the system and a further update in the New Year would resolve some outstanding problems such as updating community areas and enabling progress to be automatically sent to the user who had reported the problem.  In the meantime, users were able to track progress of their raised issues via the unique reference number generated by the system.  Feedback from user sessions held with the Flintshire Local Access Forum and other relevant groups had been passed to the developers to improve the system, and the intention now was to raise awareness of the system with small groups of Members.

Councillor Chris Dolphin asked about the number of people who had used the system and raised concerns about the outstanding problems, including response times, which he felt would discourage users.  He also took the opportunity to express his appreciation for the work done on footpaths by Jon Hill.  The Senior Rights of Way Officer said that the forthcoming update would resolve these problems and that over 150 people had raised issues through various sources including the CAMS web.

During discussion on footpath numbers, it was confirmed that these could be viewed by selecting a particular footpath on the digital map.  The Senior Rights of Way Officer also advised the Committee that the display of footpath numbers on public footpaths was currently being phased in.

In response to the comments made, the Chief Officer for Planning & Environment acknowledged that the system was not yet finished and was awaiting the update.  He reiterated that the trial sessions with user groups had resulted in various changes to the system being implemented by the developer.

Following a request by Councillor Dolphin, officers agreed to provide the Committee with details of the cost of the system.  Councillor Dolphin also asked for information on the system to enable him to share with others.

In response to the latter request, Councillor Nancy Matthews asked that this be circulated to all Members of the Committee.  She went on to say that the service from the developer was not satisfactory and requested information on the procurement process.  Councillor Ann Minshull commented that the system appeared to be too complex.

Councillor Mike Peers also raised concerns about the outstanding problems on the system and questioned why  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

That the report be noted.

The Facilitator introduced the regular update report to consider progress towards the delivery of the impacts set out in the 2015/16 Improvement Plan, focussing on the areas of under-performance relevant to the Committee during the second quarter of 2015/16.

In response to a request from the Chair, the Chief Officer for Streetscene gave a brief update on the development of community transport arrangements, following the consultation workshops held in September 2015.  Having taken the feedback on board, the approach was to formulate key routes such as Mold to Flint supported by community transport routes.  Cabinet Members had asked that officers liaise with town and community councils early in the New Year to speak about joined-up proposals, following clarity on the budget settlement.

Councillor Kevin Jones explained that various transport options were included in years 2 and 3 of the plan but that the budget outcome needed to be resolved first.

The Chief Officer stated that plans for 2016/17 would allow some flexibility to introduce community transport arrangements across the county, with more detail to be shared at the Committee’s budget consultation meeting the following week.

On Mold to Flint routes, Councillor Paul Cunningham commented on the recent withdrawal of a particular service and asked about plans for the remaining service and whether this was subsidised.  The Chief Officer agreed to check and provide a separate response, adding that the Council had no jurisdiction on non-subsidised routes.  He explained the need to get the right balance of core routes which would be brought to the Committee for consideration on completion of the consultation process.

The Chair commented on the need to encourage older drivers to participate in advanced driving sessions.  Whilst the Chief Officer shared this view, he pointed out that Welsh Government restrictions did not permit use of the funding for other purposes or for advertising the sessions, which meant that the Council had to rely on its own communication channels.  Councillor Nancy Matthews, who had taken part in the sessions, recommended them to others.

The Chair requested that more details on this particular initiative be circulated to enable Members to share with their older constituents.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

That the Forward Work Programme be updated accordingly.

The Facilitator introduced the current Forward Work Programme for consideration by the Committee.  She confirmed the two items scheduled for the meeting in January 2015, as set out in the appendix, adding that an update from the Dog DNA Task Group could also be received.  She also confirmed that the Energy Manager had agreed to bring the item on Renewable Energy to the meeting in February 2015.

RESOLVED:

That the Forward Work Programme be updated accordingly.

There were no members of the press or public in attendance.