Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

None were received.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 9 November 2021 and 11 January 2022.

That the minutes of the 9 November 2021 and 11 February 2022 be approved as a correct record.

The minutes of the meetings held on the 9November 2021 and 11 January 2022 were presented for consideration. 

9 November 2021

The minutes of the meeting held on 9November 2021 were approved, as moved by Councillor Paul Shotton, and seconded by Councillor Joe Johnson

11 January 2022

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2022 were approved, as moved by Councillor Paul Shotton, and seconded by Councillor Joe Johnson

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the 9 November 2021 and 11 February 2022 be approved as a correct record.

(a)     That the Forward Work Programme, as amended, be noted;

(b)     That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and

(c)     That the progress made in completing the outstanding actions be noted.

            The Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator presented the last Forward Work Programme for the current municipal year for consideration.  The meeting scheduled for the 8^{th of} March at 10.00 am had been changed to a Briefing Session on the Agile System.  The next meetings of the committee were scheduled for the 7^{th of} June and 5^th July.

            Moving to the Action Tracking report the Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator provided an update on the ongoing actions and confirmed that the Town Centre Markets item for Flint and Buckley would remain on the Action Tracking report.  The Highway Network Manager agreed to speak to Councillor Thomas following the meeting regarding his concerns on the review of grass cutting procedures.

                Councillor Dennis Hutchinson asked if an item on street markings could be included in the Forward Work Programme.  The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) suggested speaking to Councillor Hutchinson following the meeting to discuss the locations causing concern.   Councillor George Hardcastle seconded Councillor Hutchinson’s request for this to be included in the forward work programme.

The recommendations were moved and seconded by Councillors Paul Shotton and Owen Thomas

RESOLVED:

(a)     That the Forward Work Programme, as amended, be noted;

(b)     That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and

(c)     That the progress made in completing the outstanding actions be noted.

(a)       That progress made in delivering carbon reduction measures to date is acknowledged; and

(b)       That the Climate Change Strategy for 2022 – 2030 and its aims therein be endorsed.

            In presenting this report the Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained that the authority had made the decision to become a carbon neutral council in 2019.  Alex Ellis had been appointed as the Programme Manager to develop the Climate Change Strategy.  This report would be presented to Cabinet next week and following that to County Council.

            The Programme Manager reported that in 2019 Welsh Government (WG) had called for all public sector authorities to become carbon neutral by 2030.  In December 2019 Cabinet resolved to develop a Climate Change Strategy setting out the Council proposals to become carbon neutral council by 2030.   The Council had delivered decarbonisations activities for several years which included energy and renewable energy schemes. The Climate Change Strategy set out the Council’s objectives to move towards the net zero goal and she provided an overview of the engagement undertaken and feedback received.   Referring to the Strategy she provided information on the baseline emissions figures, highlighted the work undertaken to date and the objectives proposed to reduce direct emissions through the county.  There would be financial implications both in capital and revenue and further exploration of the actions within each theme were required to understand the resource implications.   The Council had utilised several funding streams and it was expected that additional funding would be provided by WG.

            The Programme Manager referred to the Strategy and highlighted the following points: -

·         At point 6.7 on page 53 - information on the baseline carbon emissions on the 2018/19 emissions data.  She confirmed in 2021 there was a 17% reduction on that baseline.

·         At point 7.1 on page 55 - the chart predicted the reductions which the actions could achieve but that there was still a 20,000 CO2 gap by 2030.  She explained that measures may not currently be available and that this would be monitored and considered when the Strategy was reviewed in 2 years’ time.  Offsetting emissions with tree planting was outlined and the Council would need to prioritise how land assets were set aside for this.

·         At point 7.10 on page 57 - this highlighted the interim targets within the direct carbon emission themes.

·         At point 8.1 on page 58 - a summary was provided of the key aims within each of the themes.

·         Biodiversity was integrated within the Strategy, with consideration given to climate change and de-carbonisation.  Information was provided on how these were incorporated and the training that would be required.

            The Programme Manager explained that by achieving these goals the Council could meet its targets tackling the Climate Emergency and Net Zero Wales by 2050.  The Council would also achieve its goals within the Wellbeing and Future Generations Act and Environment Wales Act.  She finished by saying that this report would be presented to Cabinet next week and work was being undertaken in each theme to identify the current status and resource implications.

            Responding to a question from the Chair regarding target setting the Programme Manager confirmed that the reduction predictions were based on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

That the Committee note and support the submission of a grant funding application to promote repair and reuse initiatives.

            In presenting the report the Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) outlined the proposal for the joint funding bid for the re-use project with Refurbs Flintshire which had been submitted to the Landfill Disposal Tax Community Scheme via the Wales Council for Voluntary Action.  As this funding was not available for the Council support had been provided to enable Refurbs Flintshire to submit a bid.  This fell under the Waste Minimisation and Diversion from Landfill to encourage reuse and recycling.

            The Regulatory Services Manager reported that this was first looked at in 2019 and that following discussions with residents and comments made at Housing Recycling Centres (HRC) sites it was being reviewed.  There were many items being disposed of which could be re-used and recycled.  Charities had been approached to attend the HRC sites, speak to members of the public to divert good quality items from being thrown away.  Several charities were keen to get involved but then the pandemic struck so this was halted.  Discussions were now being held with the charities to move this forward and proposals for the pilot, firstly with Refurbs, being developed.  She referred members to 1.05 in the report which detailed the proposals and arrangements for the storage container.   These items would be collected from each site and delivered to a central hub operated by the Council. They would then be sorted into bulk lots such as toys, textiles, bric-a-brac etc for the Charities to sell.  A library would also be created at the hub for recorded media and books which could be loaned.  It was envisaged that once this was up and running donations would be delivered directly to the hub rather than the HRC sites.  There were also proposals for kerbside collections of textiles in the first instance.  If the funding was successful there would be a publicity campaign with the volunteers from Refurbs and other charities working at the HRC sites to engage and promote this with members of the public.  She provided an overview of the items that would be focused on for this pilot.

            Referring to the grant funding the Regulatory Services Manager confirmed that there was significant competition for this with only one successful applicant per year.  The bid had been made as bold and ambitious as possible to ensure it stood out.  If this bid was unsuccessful work would continue to pursue and identify any additional funding.  If successful, the project would commence in April 2022 until March 2023 dependent upon the funding.  Consideration had to be given for the infrastructure, building and vehicles but that the key focus was to promote this and raise awareness.  There were benefits for the charities and the public would be less likely to throw these reusable items away.  The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) commented that once the public were aware of this service, they would be less likely to dispose of these at the HRC sites, thus saving good quality items from landfill.  Consideration also had to be given to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

That the Committee welcome the report and support the work undertaken to maintain the bulky waste collection during the pandemic.

            The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) introduced the report which followed a request from committee in November last year.  The pandemic had impacted the collection of bulky waste items and the actions and challenges Refurbs had faced were outlined in the report.

            The Regulatory Services Manager provided an overview of the bulky waste collection service which provided a way of disposing items too large for kerbside collections. An overview of items described as bulky waste was provided.  Refurbs Flintshire collected items which could be re-used, restored, and refurbished, then sold at good prices in their showroom in Flint.   A record was kept of these items which linked with our recycling performance and Target 70.  Appendix 1 listed items collected by Refurbs, but she confirmed that home improvement waste such as kitchens, bathrooms, garden upgrades were not able to be recycled using this service. The residents were asked to dispose of this waste appropriately via an approved waste contractor.  White goods such as refrigerators were collected free of charge by the Council.   

            The Regulatory Services Manager then referred to the timeframes for collections by Refurbs which was normally carried out with 6 working days with items placed within the boundary of their property.  Support was provided by Refurbs to those who required assistance.  There was a charge of £40 for up to 5 items and £5 for each additional item with 10 items taken away for £65.  There were reductions for those residents on benefits to £20 and £5 for each additional item and this could be arranged twice a year.  These charges were reviewed within the Fees and Charges Policy on an annual basis.

            Section 1.06 in the report outlined the number of requests and tonnages collected but that during the pandemic this service was suspended and the HRC sites were closed.  This unfortunately enabled services such as “man in a van” on social media to thrive but these individuals were not regulated, and residents had no idea where the waste would end up.   Residents had been encouraged to ask questions on where the items were being disposed.

            The team at Refurbs had a backlog of bookings following the pandemic and if the date was too long for residents to wait, they were asked to use a registered service for disposal.  Refurbs also had reduced numbers of staff, due to self-isolation or with restricted ways of working and recruitment was also an issue as this was a social enterprise.  Residents were informed of the date the goods would be collected and the staff kept them updated.  The time for collection had been extended to 10 or 15 working days.  Currently there were still slight delays but moving forward the service was back on track.

            Councillor George Hardcastle asked if the information on bulky waste charges in section 1.05 could be sent to all Members for information.  This was agreed.

            Councillor Sean Bibby thanked the officers for providing detailed explanations regarding items for collection.  He referred to his ward and asked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

(a)       That the Committee welcome the report and support the work undertaken by the Streetscene & Transportation portfolio to maintain key services during the pandemic;

(b)       That the Committee note how public bus services have been funded during the pandemic, the impact on service levels / passenger numbers / bus companies themselves and future proposals; and

(c)       That the Committee note how school transport services have been impacted by the pandemic, the limited number of operators tendering for contracts and the substantial percentage increase in costs.

In presenting the report the Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained that the Recovery Committee at its November meeting recommended that a report should be brought to Committee.  Public Transport Services had been heavily impacted by the Pandemic.  This report provided an overview of what had happened, and mitigations put in place to support the operators in partnership with Welsh Government and Transport for Wales.

            The Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) Manager explained the pandemic had severely affected school transport and public transport services across Wales.  The loss of passenger numbers together with social distancing and Covid costs had added to the pressures on the services.  Operators were told to suspend services with changes to guidelines and support provided to mitigate the suspended services.  Welsh Government (WG) had introduced the hardship fund and an overview on this, and the concessionary fare passes was provided.   The Bus Emergency Scheme was introduced in July 2020 (BES 1) and continued to maintain their income at historic levels.  Flintshire was the host authority for North Wales allocating and processing that funding with the support of regional officers. WG expected operators to contribute and improve regional networks which was part of the agreement for Flintshire and across North Wales.    The ITU Manager explained that BES 1.5 was introduced to assist operators to return to full service, especially considering social distancing measures when two buses would be required at school times.   Ramp up funding was provided to ensure they were operational.   A long-term BES 2 funding agreement with WG and TFW would be running until July 2022 unless market conditions recovered sufficiently with assessment of the funding requirement taking place over the next few months.  The Bus Operators were finding it increasingly difficult to sustain services with passenger numbers declining over the last 18 months.  In July 2020 the service 5 from Mold to Ellesmere Port, because of the lack of revenue, was handed back by the operator handed.  As this service formed part of the Council’s core network the route was sent out for procurement and came back with a threefold cost increase.  The BES funding had supported that increase in cost but there was a budget pressure of £100k plus because of this.  When routes were put out for procurement the operators had two options, tender on net costs or gross costs and the ITU Manager explained the difference.  Most contractors used the gross contract process which put the risk back on the Council for fare revenue.  The operators had also reported significant increases in their operating costs for fuel/insurance/wages, shortage of vehicle parts, loss of drivers (HGV and other roles) and training of drivers, which was also impacted.  The only income the operators were getting was from the Council and WG as school trips and excursions were cancelled and not supported by BES.   The public transport network was recovering but the prediction was that procurement costs in the future would be significantly higher and would be reported as an ongoing budget pressure.  

            The ITU  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

That the Committee note and support the process for accepting and implementing requests for accessible drop kerb crossings for pedestrians.

            The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) confirmed the report was presented following a request from committee.  It provided information on the requests for uncontrolled crossings and provision of tactile pavements.

            The Highway Network Manager firstly referred to recent changes in the Highway Code which was provided at 1.02 of the report.  He outlined the reasons and benefits for installing dropped crossings to the assist safe crossing of the highway by all road users and the standards which had to be followed.  Active Travel addressed considerations from local authorities, but the delivery of the fully integrated network could take years to achieve.  Dropped crossing were considered when highway improvements and maintenance schemes were carried out, and the request process was outlined in the report.  There was no revenue funding for this provision and opportunities via external grant funding were explored.  The Highway Network Manager then referred to the prioritisation process which was transparent, and the scoring matrix was outlined in the report. 

            In response to the question from Councillor George Hardcastle on the allocation of funding the Highway Network Manager explained that most requests for dropped crossings were funded through Active Travel grant funding from WG.  The Active Travel core funding provided flexibility for the Council to address routes which had been identified on the Active Travel Integrated Map and the network.  Also, if grant funding schemes for improvements or maintenance were made then the Council would identify any requests for dropped crossings in those areas and these would be carried out at the same time.

            The Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Protection referred to 1.07 on page 135 which stated it was an offence to obstruct or park on pedestrian dropped kerbs.  He reported on instances of cars parking across dropped crossings in his ward and asked who was responsible for enforcement.  In response the Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained if they had parked on the line markings then the enforcement team would be able to act.  If they were no line markings, then the Police would need to be involved as it would be classed as an obstruction.  The Regulatory Services Manager reported that this was a grey area in residential areas and that the Council had no powers unless it was within a special enforcement zone when the enforcement team could issue fixed penalty notices.  WG legislation would be required to enable enforcement across all areas of obstruction on dropped crossings.  She confirmed that some fixed penalty notices had been issued but it was difficult as officers had to be present at the time.  She asked Members to identify areas to her and she would take it back to the enforcement team to enable them to patrol those areas.   The Cabinet Member for Planning and Public Protection added that there needed to be a robust conversation with WG and the Police as these were not being enforced and were not fit for purpose if blocked by inconsiderate parking.

            The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) confirmed there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

That the Committee note the strategic direction set out in the Coast Park Prospectus and support work to develop the creation of a Regional Flintshire Coast Park.

            In presenting the report the Chief Officer (Planning, Environment and Economy) explained that Cabinet was seeking the views of the Committee with regard the development of the coastal park.

            The Access & Natural Environment Manager confirmed the Coastal Access Improvement Programme, which had commenced in 2006, had resulted in the opening of the Wales Coastal Path.  Work was undertaken to establish the strategic direction for access to the foreshore with the ideas of a Coast Park and TEP Consultancy produced a prospectus in 2014.  He provided an overview of the framework and the six hubs, but the detail remained on how this would be implemented, resourced and where it sat within the portfolios.   Since 2014, there had been successful grant aided projects and he said the appetite was still there for development especially following the pandemic, and it was felt that the Coastal Park should be explored again, potentially taking it to a formal designated regional park.  He outlined the benefits for the coastal park and what had been achieved during the last 10 years.  The Prospectus would need to be revisited to understand what had changed and the company who produced this had been approached to carry out this scoping work.  The Access & Natural Environment Manager reported on meetings held with officers involved in the recent work in the South Wales Valleys and he provided information on the range of topics discussed.  The benefit analysis, criteria for inclusion, identification of grant funded opportunities and how this would feed into supporting the levelling up fund application, was all being considered.

            Councillor Patrick Heesom wanted to ensure that this was fair and would benefit the whole county.  In response the Access & Natural Environment Manager agreed saying that from Flint to Talacre to Saltney there was a fantastic resource and asset for the county.  The identification of the six hubs in the 2014 prospectus and would be relooked at as part of this new scoping study.   The Chief Officer (Planning, Environment and Economy) clarified that the Strategy document attached to the report was the same as the 2014 prospectus.  This was being reviewed to ensure it was fairer and covered the whole of the coastline.

            Councillor Heesom asked if this could be led by the Committee.  In response the Chief Officer (Planning, Environment and Economy) confirmed that the proposal would be led by the County Council collaborating with all community councils and local members along the coastline.  Cabinet together with this committee would be able to scrutinise any developments which came forward which was why this had been presented for consideration.

            Councillor Paul Shotton referred to the Levelling Up Fund and asked if there would be a cost to businesses.  He praised the excellent work carried out by the coastal rangers and referred to the work at Connah’s Quay docks cutting back the undergrowth and his visit planting fruit trees with the High School pupils which was excellent.

            The Cabinet Member for Economic Development felt the county had undersold itself previously but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

There were no members of the press in attendance.

(The meeting started at 10.00 am and ended at 12.24 pm)

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Chair