Agenda, decisions and minutes

No declarations of interest were made. 

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2013.

That subject to the suggested amendments, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 22 May 2013 had been circulated to Members with the agenda. 

The Chairman suggested that the bullet points before the resolution on page 7 be amended to read:-

·       DVD – to promote what Flintshire had to offer for tourism

·       Gladstone Library – a major attribute of great interest

            Councillor Paul Shotton also suggested that the following bullet point on page 7 be amended to read:-

·       Linking paths – links from coastal paths to other major paths in particular the Heritage Trail leading through to Wepre Park

RESOLVED:

That subject to the suggested amendments, the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

(a)       That the report be noted; and          

(b)       That the comments/observations of the Committee be fed back to the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee who are responsible for the overview and monitoring of improvement targets. 

The Chairman introduced a report to request that the Committee consider the 2012/13 Quarter 4/Year End service performance reports, note the draft year end position of the Strategic Assessment of Risks and Challenges (SARC) and note the performance made against the Improvement Targets contained within the performance report. 

Streetscene

            The Head of Streetscene gave a short presentation on the performance within Streetscene, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within the report. 

Councillor Paul Shotton referred to the benefits of Saturday collections and asked whether the number of missed collections had reduced.  He welcomed the work on the resurfacing programme.  He also referred to Environment Visual Audits (EVA) and in explaining that he had attended two in his ward, queried whether all wards were participating in EVAs.  The Head of Streetscene responded that missed collection rates had improved dramatically and the rate was now 30 to 40 per 100,000 collections which was less than half the national average.  On the issue of EVAs, he said that most wards had had at least one and that he would provide information on where EVAs had occurred and where they had not. 

Councillor Ian Dunbar said that his residents had asked for their thanks to be passed on for the reduction in missed collections.  He also welcomed the improvement in the answering of calls to the contact centre.  In response to a query from Councillor Dunbar on whether Community Payback was a new initiative, the Head of Streetscene said that work on graffiti cleaning had always been undertaken as part of the scheme but it had been extended to cover other areas such as cleaning unadopted roads.  Councillor Derek Butler asked if consideration could be given to using people on Community Payback to clear the gardens of elderly Council tenants.   

Councillor Chris Dolphin asked that his thanks be passed on to Dan Arden, Harvey Mitchell and Ian Williams for their work.  He raised concern about the lack of resurfacing in Whitford and the problems faced by the residents of Holywell due to the change of day in their recycling collections to a Saturday.  He also felt that some areas required additional gully cleaning as problems had occurred when they overflowed.  In response, the Head of Streetscene explained that all roads in Flintshire were inspected for required resurfacing works to ensure that the worst affected areas were resurfaced first and added that a further review would be undertaken in September or October 2013.  On the issue of gullycleaning, he said that all gullies were cleaned on an annual basis but asked that Members let him know of any specific areas that they felt were a problem.  The number of areas having Saturday collections was increasing but it would be managed and would be phased to enable it to be reviewed following its implementation.  Maps detailing collections for all areas of Flintshire were on display at Alltami Depot and the Head of Streetscene explained  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

That the Flood Risk Management Strategy be noted. 

The Head of Assets and Transportation introduced Mr. R. Barry (Project Engineer) and Mr. I. Wellwood (Acting Engineering Services Manager) to the Committee. 

The Head of Assets and Transportation introduced the report to seek comments on the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy prior to the formal submission to Cabinet and then Welsh Government (WG).

The strategy identified the responsibilities of the Council and other risk management partners in terms of flood risk and what communities could do to involve themselves.  The Head of Assets and Transportation detailed the background to the report and explained that wide consultation had taken place but only 14 responses had been received.  Other authorities had indicated that they had received a similar number of responses to the consultation exercise.  Work was now required to develop and implement the strategy which would be considered by Cabinet before being submitted to the Minister for consideration. 

Councillor Ian Dunbar referred to the difficulties of residents in flood risk areas to get insurance for their properties and asked whether residents would be able to secure insurance for a reasonable premium once the strategy was implemented.  The Project Engineer said that flood maps affected insurance and different insurance companies used different mapping tools but some did use the maps provided by Natural Resources Wales, formerly the Environment Agency.  The strategy would allow for categorisation of areas into low, medium or high risk areas for flooding which should assist residents with obtaining insurance at a realistic cost.  He added that individuals could also obtain information about flood risk areas from Natural Resources Wales. 

The Head of Assets and Transportation said that the strategy would support officers in undertaking detailed mapping and identification of specific areas of flooding.             

            Councillor Derek Butler raised concern about issues which were previously the responsibility of the Environment Agency but which had been passed on to local authorities with no funding to carry out the works.  He also spoke of planning applications being permitted on flood areas which he felt was a concern.  The Director of Environment recognised the issues raised and said that it was reported that for 2014/15 and beyond, WG had confirmed that the level of funding allocated was likely to be £90k minimum for the foreseeable future, which would be provided through the Revenue Support Grant provision on an annual basis to all local authorities.  He added that in the current financial climate, this would be a challenge.  The Head of Assets and Transportation said that certain activities had not been implemented yet so there could be further demands on the Council. 

            Councillor Nancy Matthews referred to the issue of gullies and also asked if the Planning and Development Control Committee would be given specific training on the strategy.  The Head of Assets and Transportation responded that the issue of gullies would form part of the assessment of risk.  He explained that the strategy was a complex issue and advised that he would discuss the suggestion about training with colleagues in the Planning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

(a)       That the proposals set out in Appendix A of the report be noted; and

(b)       That the comments of the Committee on the proposals be presented within the final Cabinet report. 

The Head of Assets and Transportation introduced the report to inform Members of the conclusions of the speed limit review covering the ‘A class’ and ‘B class’ road network within the Authority. 

He detailed the background to the report explaining that initial proposals were presented to the Committee in November 2012.  It was agreed that following consultation with local Members and Town & Community Councils, the findings would be reported back to Committee for comment before being submitted to Cabinet for consideration.  He advised that any approved changes would require the support of the North Wales Police, and would also be subject to full statutory consultation to meet the requirements of the procedures for introducing Traffic Regulation Orders.  The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment said that the review had given Members the opportunity to comment on the proposals and that further comments made at this meeting would be considered by Cabinet. 

Councillor Chris Dolphin welcomed the report and thanked the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Environment and the officers for their work on the issue.  He referred to proposal 17 for the A5026 in Lloc and said that he felt that a 40 mile per hour (mph) speed limit would be supported if a footway was considered for the remainder of the road.  The Director of Environment said that the suggestion would be considered but added that resources needed to be prioritised. 

Councillor Ray Hughes also welcomed the report and thanked officers for the proposals for speed limits in his ward.  Councillor Cindy Hinds referred to proposal 1 for the A5104 in Pontblyddyn and said that a reduction to 40mph had been requested as the road was dangerous due to the difficult exit out of Stryt Issa onto the A5104.  The Head of Assets and Transportation felt that this would be too slow a speed for the road and advised that the proposals would reduce the limit from the current 60mph to 50mph.  He added that the whole of the route had been assessed which had resulted in the proposed reduction in the speed limit to 50mph.  The Traffic Services Manager concurred that 40mph was too low a speed for all of the route and advised that signs could be erected to address the individual hazards on the road.  The Chairman suggested that further information on the decision to not reduce the speed limit to 40mph be forwarded to Councillors Hinds and Hughes.  In response to the comments made, the Director of Environment said that officers worked closely with the Traffic Police and considered accident statistics and other issues before making a recommendation for the speed limit for the section of road. 

Councillor David Evans queried whether a timetable was in place to carry out the proposed changes.  The Director of Environment responded that the guidance had indicated that any changes should be implemented by 31 December 2014 but it had been agreed that the new speed limits would be in place by 31 March 2015.  Work would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

That the report be noted. 

The Head of Regeneration introduced a report to advise Members of progress regarding the work of Mersey Dee Alliance (MDA). 

He detailed the background to the report and explained that the MDA was one of the key strategic partnerships for the Council and involved neighbouring Councils, Mersey Travel, Glyndwr University, Taith and University of Chester.  The MDA reflected the fact that the area was the only part of the United Kingdom divided by a national boundary but the boundary was not recognised by local businesses or local communities in day to day life.  He detailed the considerations in the report and indicated that key MDA work areas included:-

·                    The Dee Region – bid for City Region status

The bid had not been accepted but the Minister had accepted the need for greater formation of the cross border working arrangements in the MDA and discussions were ongoing.

·                    M56/A55/Innovation Corridor

A study of the potential for a North Wales/North West England ‘corridor’ based on the better integration of service and advanced manufacturing assets had been prepared.  A range of high tech/R&D facilities were in place and the sub-region also had substantial assets in advanced manufacturing in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, creative and fibre optic sectors. 

·                    MDA Think Tank

Key regional employers who employed from both sides of the border were being approached with a view to forming an economic ‘think tank’ to advise on issues that affect the area’s competitiveness. 

            The Chairman felt that the report did not provide enough detail on priorities and deadlines of the MDA and suggested that this information be included for future reports. 

            Councillor Paul Shotton expressed his disappointment at the Dee Region not being awarded City Region Status and spoke of a presentation provided by Glyndwr University at a recent meeting of Community Profile and Partnerships Overview & Scrutiny Committee.  He also referred to local and regional employers and commented on the importance of having employees with the appropriate skills. 

            The Head of Regeneration explained that the MDA was a non-statutory body and that the skills issue was critical along with labour market planning.  In response to a query from Councillor Cindy Hinds about the Deeside Enterprise Zone, he said that it had started on 1 April 2012 and that there had been 400 net jobs in the first year which he welcomed.  He felt that the progress would be more significant in this financial year but added that more work needed to be undertaken. 

            Councillor Derek Butler also expressed his disappointment at not gaining City Region status and in referring to the unique area said that the sustainability and ensuring employers stayed in the area was important. 

            Councillor Nancy Matthews queried whether discussions were still ongoing with the MDA and Network Rail about a travel link to Liverpool airport.  The Director of Environment spoke of a report on the issue of transport in the area from the Integrated Transport Task Force which was to be submitted to the Minister later this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

That the Forward Work Programme be agreed. 

The Housing and Learning Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator introduced a report to consider the Forward Work Programme of the Committee. 

The Facilitator detailed the items for consideration at the 23 July 2013 meeting and reminded Members that a Forward Work Programme planning workshop was scheduled to be held at 10am on 18 July 2013 to allow Members the opportunity to populate the Forward Work Programme for the remainder of the year. 

RESOLVED:

That the Forward Work Programme be agreed. 

There were 2 members of the press and 2 members of the public in attendance.