Agenda and minutes
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Contact: Clare Rendell Email: c.rendell@somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk
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Apologies
To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: No apologies were received. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting of the Executive
To approve the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee. Additional documents: Minutes: (Minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 16 December 2020 circulated with the agenda)
Resolved that the minutes of the Executive held on 16 December 2020 be confirmed as a correct record.
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Declarations of Interest
To receive and note any declarations of disclosable pecuniary or prejudicial or personal interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.
(The personal interests of Councillors and Clerks of Somerset County Council, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes.)
Additional documents: Minutes: Members present at the meeting declared the following personal interests in their capacity as a Councillor or Clerk of a County, Town or Parish Council or any other Local Authority:-
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Public Participation
The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.
For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.
Temporary measures during the Coronavirus Pandemic Due to the Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), we will holding meetings in a virtual manner which will be live webcast on our website. Members of the public will still be able to register to speak and ask questions, which will then be read out by the Governance and Democracy Case Manager during Public Question Time and will either be answered by the Chair of the Committee, or the relevant Portfolio Holder, or be followed up with a written response. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Gwil Wren made the following statement:- The Scrutiny Committee asked the Executive to consider the huge impact of the current phosphate related planning restrictions on our SMEs. The Committee requested that, to give certainty and reassurance to our local construction industry, the Council, whilst working with officers, partner councils, consultants and statutory undertakers, expedite short term mitigation measures to allow planning applications to proceed before providing permanent solutions for phosphate treatment and removal from our rivers, watercourses and wetlands.
The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transportation gave the following response:- Thank you for your question, as you know the Council takes very seriously the magnitude of the phosphates issue. With that in mind our officers moved quickly to commission a phosphates calculator which allowed us to understand phosphate levels associated with affected development and crucially the level of compensation required to off-set. The calculator was expected to be launched publicly by the end of January. The calculator would not make the challenge of phosphates go away but it was nonetheless an important step. Attention was now turning to what and how solutions could be put in-place in the short term, particularly for those schemes/applicants that would be unable to compensate for phosphates directly through their own schemes. The challenge to SMEs was well understood and a real concern. There were of course other elements to the Council’s response on phosphates as you know; those included lobbying government to raise awareness of the problem, our on-going communications on the matter with applicants both directly and through our website. We have also recently sought counsel advice on a number of matters relating to the phosphates issue, advice which we anticipated sharing publicly very soon through our website. |
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Executive Forward Plan
To receive items and review the Forward Plan. Additional documents: Minutes: (Copy of the Executive Forward Plan, circulated with the agenda).
Councillors were reminded that if they had an item they wanted to add to the agenda, that they should send their requests to the Governance Team.
Resolved that the Executive Forward Plan be noted. |
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Somerset Waste Partnership Draft Business Plan 2021-2026
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Environmental Services, Councillor Sarah Wakefield.
This report seeks approval of the Somerset Waste Partnership’s Draft Business Plan 2021-2026. Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were made:- · Councillors were pleased to see that 98% of plastic was retained and recycled in the United Kingdom. · Councillors queried whether the carrier bags used to dispose of batteries in the recycling collection, would be returned, especially as residents had been encouraged not to use single use plastic. The Managing Director of the Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) advised that the carrier bags would be returned so that the customers could reuse them for future collections. · Councillors queried how durable the new blue recycling bags were. The Managing Director of the SWP was unsure of how long the blue bag would last, however, he had received positive feedback from the other areas that had been using the blue bags. · Councillors queried why the area of Somerset West and Taunton (SWT) had been split into the former Taunton Deane and West Somerset areas for the rollout of Recycle More. The Managing Director of the SWP advised that they had split the area of SWT into two to make the rollout more manageable and explained that the two areas worked out of different depots which also needed to be updated in phases to be able to deliver the rollout of Recycle More. · Councillors queried how the scheme would be communicated to disabled residents. The Managing Director of the SWP advised that all literature was available in braille and many different languages. The SWP had also introduced a talking café to ensure community engagement with as many groups as possible. · Councillors queried how much of waste was transferred to energy. The Managing Director of the SWP advised that the majority of the waste placed at kerbside was transferred to energy and approximately two thirds of the waste taken to the household waste recycling centres. · Councillors requested further information on how the SWP would achieve decarbonising of operations. The Managing Director of the SWP advised there were many measures that were due to be implemented: trials of electric fleet vehicles; use of alternative fuels; green infrastructure; and optimising round designs, to name but a few. · Councillors queried how would the SWP enforce and support residents to recycle properly. The Managing Director of the SWP advised that the recycling crews would tag the containers to educate the residents on what they should be placing in which container, as that had proved successful in the past. If there was a persistent lack of proper recycling, then the residents would be contacted to discuss the different options available to assist them. · Councillors queried how the SWP would engage with residents who lived in flats, who did not have the space for all the recycling containers. The Managing Director of the SWP advised that improved rollout would be done for communal bins but that it would depend on the individual properties. · Concern was raised on the Walford Cross site and what was being done to reassure staff that worked at the site. The Managing Director of the SWP ... view the full minutes text for item 87. |
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Somerset Recovery and Growth Plan
This matter is the responsibility of Executive Councillor for Asset Management and Economic Development, Councillor Marcus Kravis.
The Somerset Recovery and Growth Plan is a collaborative document that will move over time into delivering a pipeline of projects with the next steps being discussions around matters such as approaches to prioritisation and adapting our offer to meet the different funding streams that come forwards over time. Additional documents: Minutes: During the discussion, the following points were made:- · Councillors thanked the Portfolio Holder for Asset Management and Economic Development for his introduction to the report. · Councillors requested more timescales for when the projects would be started/finished and further information on the implementation. The Portfolio Holder for Asset Management and Economic Development explained that there were timescales mentioned within the report, however, some were concept projects that were dependable on the funding received for them and that Somerset West and Taunton would have a phased delivery plan in place. · Councillors stated that the report showed some amazing forward thinking for the area. · Councillors were pleased to see that young people had been involved and that there was work to support them within the projects. · Councillors queried how officers would deliver the loan fund as mentioned in section 5.9 of the report. The Chief Executive advised that the five councils had adopted the document which would allow them to have collective conversations with Government and other agencies especially after the changes that the Public Works Loan Board had made at the end of 2020. · Councillors agreed that it was a good document to look at funding, especially post the Covid Pandemic. · Councillors were disappointed that they had not had information on the Wellington Enterprise Centre prior to the report being published. The Portfolio Holder for Asset Management and Economic Development advised that the project had moved on very quickly and that some Wellington Town Councillors had been involved. He advised that he would ensure that the information was shared but that it was still in the early stages of development. · Councillors agreed that it was a brilliant document that pulled together all the projects in Somerset and were keen to speak in one voice on the economy across Somerset.
Resolved that the Executive:- 2.1The Executive was asked to note and endorse the Somerset Recovery and Growth Plan and the collective approach being taken in partnership by the Somerset local authorities to create a coherent pipeline of projects to support economic growth in the county and in Somerset West and Taunton over the long term. |