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.
Minutes:
Mr Heath spoke on Community Gardening in the Borough.
Along with a small team of fellow volunteers, for the last two years I have been running a community garden at Somerset Square, Taunton, which was previously run by Taunton Transition Town, under an initiative for this instigated by Councillor Jefferson Horsley nearly ten years ago.
Given that this project has shown itself to be enjoyed and valued by very many users of Somerset Square, by people passing through, and by visitors to Taunton too, would the Council please say whether they are willing to endorse a promotion of this kind of a community engagement model into other parts of the district of Somerset West and Taunton?
If so, would the Council also indicate how they would see such projects fitting within the Garden Town agenda for Taunton? Would the Council also please indicate what kinds of support, by way of commitment to community gardening, they would like to actually provide?
Brian Heath
The Riverside Community Garden
The Portfolio Holder for Parks and Leisure gave the following response:-
We have recently reviewed the management of Somerset Square and taken the decision to manage this site through the DLO going forwards and thank The Riverside Community Garden for their work in this area in the past.
We are currently reviewing how the Council can support communities and community projects across Somerset West and Taunton and this will cover a wide range of possible projects and interests, which may include community gardening schemes. We have over many years supported a range of schemes including allotments, the Transition Towns ‘Incredible Edibles’ project and the Link Power scheme which supports volunteers undertaking gardening work on our housing estates. At this time we are unable to specifically make a statement quantifying how much support we can bring to this in the future. However, generally we will try to support community projects where it is appropriate to do so.
Carhampton and Old Cleeve Parish Councils spoke on agenda item 11, Costal Improvement Works.
Members have before them at this meeting a report of the Assistant Director, Climate Change and Assets, proposing certain measures to assist in the protection of the coastline at Blue Anchor.
The works proposed are within the Parish of Old Cleeve but the border with Carhampton Parish is less than half a mile from the site. The effect of doing nothing at this site will have a significant impact on those living in and passing through Carhampton Parish.
Some members of Somerset West and Taunton Council will be aware that Somerset County Council has been consulting with a number of agencies including both Carhampton and Old Cleeve Parish Councils about a “Watchet and Blue Anchor Options Study” in relation to the B3191 details of which are readily available on the County Council’s website.
The involvement of both Parish Councils in that consultation was only obtained after much badgering of officers of the County Council and County Councillors.
On behalf of Carhampton Parish Council and the residents of the Parish, I would ask Members to accept a minor addition to recommendation 2.1.2 as follows:
2.1.2 That Somerset West and Taunton Council, in consultation with Carhampton and Old Cleeve Parish councils, take the leading role on matters of coastal protection in the delivery of any scheme brought forward.
Thank you.
The Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services gave the following response:-
In bringing forward the recommendations to the Council meeting I of course discussed the matter fully with the officers concerned and gained an understanding of the role of SWT in respect of coastal protection generally and the issues at Blue Anchor in particular. It was important that the Council now gave the necessary authority for SWT and its officers to assume the lead role in initially seeking buy-in and funding from the Environment Agency. If this were to be successful it is hoped that the EA, Somerset County Council (responsible for the adjacent highway) and SWT (those three bodies being likely to be the major funding parties) can reach an understanding (primarily financial in the first instance before the technical work is commissioned) on how to take this coastal protection work forwards to secure not only the coast at this point but also the integrity of the highway at this point. Much of the work in designing the scheme, if and when that stage is reached, will be highly technical and will be based on advice from specialist professional firms or bodies. If SWT were to be successful in securing funds both from the EA and from SCC (neither of which is certain) and were SWT itself to agree to commit funds towards the work (which would necessitate a further Full Council resolution), both of your Parish Councils would of course be included in reviewing any scheme and commenting on it unless for some reason action had to be taken in emergency.
However, I do not consider that SWT should commit itself to consulting with the PC’s at every stage of putting this scheme together with the funding partners. SWT is the coastal protection authority and time is of the essence in getting this matter moving before a further serious collapse takes place, if at all possible. If SWT were alternatively seeking to abandon a section of coast or to ‘let nature take its course’ then of course the PC’s would both need to know and to be consulted. That is not the case here now. What was confirmed at Tuesday‘s meeting was authority for SWT to open up a dialogue again following some years of inaction. I will be reporting back to the Council on progress from time to time and am willing to circulate my reports to the PC’s also if that would assist you.