Issue - meetings

That having considered the decision, the Overview & Scrutiny Committee was satisfied with the explanation that it had received and therefore the decision could be implemented.

The Member Engagement Manager referred to the Call-in to the decision of the Cabinet from its meeting held on 23 June 2015 relating to Hope Household Recycling Centre.  The Call-In notice had been signed by five Members of the Council.  To assist Members, the following documents had been circulated with the agenda:-

                        (a)       A copy of the procedure for dealing with a called-in item.

(b)       A copy of the report considered by Cabinet on 23 June 2015

(c)        A copy of the Cabinet Record of Decision No. 3204

(d)       A copy of the Call-in notice signed by Councillors Hilary Isherwood, Tim Newhouse, Cindy Hinds, David Williams and Dave Healey.

The Member Engagement Manager explained the procedure for a Call-in meeting and detailed the four options available to the Committee.

The Chair invited the Call-in signatories to address the Committee.  Councillor Hilary Isherwood, as the first of the signatories, queried whether the Committee Members had received the correspondence submitted by protesters Jacqueline Hurst and Dr. Rachel Parsonage.  Copies were obtained and circulated to the Committee Members and the decision makers, who were represented by the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Environment and the Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection & Leisure. 

Councillor Isherwood detailed the reasons for the Call-in which were that the signatories felt that the data was flawed, that an unrealistic timeline had been set and that answers on certain issues such as rubble, had not been provided.  It was suggested that information on data analysis had been requested but had not been forthcoming despite a Freedom of Information Act request.  Councillor Isherwood also indicated that the correspondence from the protesters reported that they had been advised by the Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) and Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection & Leisure that the only option to retain the site was for the community to take it over.  However, a cost benefit analysis had not been received but details of footfall and running costs of the site had been provided by the Waste & Ancillary Services Manager.  Councillor Isherwood felt that the footfall figures were incorrect and that the number of visitors was nearer to 24,000 rather than the figure provided. 

Councillor David Williams, who was one of the signatories but had been unable to attend this meeting, had requested a breakdown of the reported £200,000 savings per annum; it was suggested that this information had also been requested by the Clerk of Penyffordd Community Council but this had not been provided.  Councillor Isherwood also referred to £3m funding from Welsh Government for recycling for the whole of Wales and said that details had not been provided on why rubble could not be collected at Hope Recycling Centre. 

It was reported that meetings had been held with the Cabinet Member, Chief Officer and local County Council members but Councillor Isherwood disagreed that all those present had been in agreement about the suggested proposals for the sustainability of the site.  She felt that the Community had been left with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection and Leisure provided details on the outcome of the extended dialogue and discussions with County Councillors and local Community Councils over the future of Hope Household Recycling Centre (HRC).

Since Cabinet in April 2015 the following additional consultation meetings had taken place:

·         Cabinet Member and Chief Officer met with all of the local County Council Members (including the new Member for Caergwrle)

·         Cabinet Member and Chief Officer attended the following Community Council meetings:

o   Leeswood

o   Hope and Caergwrle

o   Treuddyn

o   Penyffordd

o   Kinnerton

o   Llanyfynydd

The Cabinet Member and Chief Officer were well received at each of the meetings and were provided with the opportunity to outline the background to the proposal to close the site.  A summary of the questions asked at each of the meetings was attached as appendix 1.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained that during the meeting with County Councillors in May 2015, an alternative option which would involve the transfer of the facility to the community under asset transfer arrangements was suggested.  The proposal would result in the site continuing to operate as a community asset with local volunteers or community groups taking on responsibility for the site and all of the daily activities there, full details of which were outlined in the report.

If an expression of interest was received from one or more of the local Community Councils or community groups to proceed on that basis, the Council would operate the arrangements outlined in the report, recycling and weekend only, in the interim period to allow the asset transfer to take place and the new operating arrangements to be introduced.

The information and proposed new operating model was then presented to each Community Council and during the period of the meeting schedule, a second option was also put forward by one of the Community Councils for the site to become recycling only and weekend only from 1 July 2015.

Subject to the receipt of an expression of interest from one or more Community Council or community group by 31 August 2015, the site would remain open on that basis to allow the community to develop a volunteer’s rota to operate the site.  Following receipt of the rota the site would then remain in the ownership and management of the Council, with the site staff provided through the community to run the facility at weekends.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That it be approved that Hope HRC operates on a weekends only basis from 6 July 2015 and received only recycled material at the facility after this date;

(b)       That the closing date for the receipt of expressions of interest from any Community Council(s) or community groups indicating interest in operating the facility or providing volunteers to operate the site in future be approved;

(c)        That the closure of the site on 1 September 2015 be approved should no expressions of interest be received or at date between 1 September 2015 and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41