Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in the business on this agenda.

The Chair invited Members to declare at this point any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  No interests were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 30^th May 2006.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 30 May 1006 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Executive’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is 10:00 am on Monday 12 June 2006.

It was reported that there had been two registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme, both in relation to agenda item 6 (Revised Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy).

Ivana Jakubkova spoke on behalf of York Residents Against Incineration (YRIAN) and handed in a petition, signed by 400 residents, calling on the Council to “abandon plans for incineration of York’s Municipal Solid Waste”.  She expressed disappointment that the recycling targets in the Joint Strategy had not been set at a higher level and asked that the Strategy be revised to include recycling targets of 75% by the year 2020 and to rule out incineration as a method of waste disposal.

John Cossham spoke as a member of YRAIN and of York Rotters.  He suggested that the Joint Strategy be amended to include a commitment to a range of non-combustive waste disposal technologies, including anaerobic digestion, composting and increased recycling.  He noted that a number of local authorities were committed to non-combustive methods, due to the problems of finding a suitable site for incinerators and the time this would take.

To receive an update on those items which are currently listed on the Executive Forward Plan.

Members received and noted an updated list of items currently scheduled on the Executive Forward Plan.

This report, presents for approval an updated draft of the Council’s 2006-2009 Corporate Strategy, including a summary version which has been developed to communicate the Strategy to a wider audience. 

RESOLVED: (i)         That the draft Corporate Strategy documents attached as Annex A and Annex B to the report be approved, subject to the Leader’s foreword being amended to include the words “per capita” after “income” in the second paragraph.

                        (ii)        That authority be delegated to the Council Leader and Chief Executive to approve any final editorial or presentational changes to the documents, with a view to producing the main Corporate Strategy by the end of June 2006 and the customer version as soon as possible after this date.

Members considered a report which presented for approval an updated draft of the Council’s 2006-2009 Corporate Strategy.  A summary version of the draft had also been developed, as requested by the Executive on 16 May, to communicate the Strategy to a wider audience.  The draft Strategy was attached as Annex A to the report and the summary as Annex B.

Development of a Corporate Strategy was an essential component of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) requirements.  The Strategy set out the Council’s direction and priorities over the medium term.  This meant that the annual Council Plan would in future perform the function of an “in-year” delivery plan for the priorities set out in the Strategy, rather than being a strategy document in itself.  Clear and effective signposting between both documents would therefore be essential.  Subject to some final editing and improvements to presentation, it was anticipated that the Strategy would be produced by the end of June and the summary version shortly thereafter.

Members confirmed that York Pride and Safe City remained the Council’s top priorities and noted that a number of improvements had been achieved in the past year with regard to customer satisfaction and residents’ perceptions of York as “safe”.  However, there were still improvements to be made with regard to speeding vehicles, neighbourhood conflict and communications with residents .

RESOLVED: (i)         That the draft Corporate Strategy documents attached as Annex A and Annex B to the report be approved, subject to the Leader’s foreword being amended to include the words “per capita” after “income” in the second paragraph.

                        (ii)        That authority be delegated to the Council Leader and Chief Executive to approve any final editorial or presentational changes to the documents, with a view to producing the main Corporate Strategy by the end of June 2006 and the customer version as soon as possible after this date.

REASONS:    In order to give clarity and focus to the medium term direction and priorities of the Council and to finalise the detailed content and presentation of the Corporate Strategy.

This report presents a revised Joint Municipal Waste Strategy for the North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council waste management partnership and seeks approval to adopt the Strategy.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the revised Joint Municipal Waste Strategy attached as Annex 1 to the report be adopted.

                        (ii)        That Officers be requested to develop a joint communication plan to inform the public of future decisions relating to the awarding of the contract.

                        (iii)       That it be further requested that a revision of the 2004 York Waste Strategy, with particular regard to recycling targets within the City, be brought to the Executive before the end of 2006.

Members considered a report which presented a revised Joint Municipal Waste Strategy (JMWS) for the North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) and City of York Council (CYC) Waste Management Partnership.  Officers reported at the meeting that there was an error in Table 2 on page 16 of the JMWS document annexed to the report.  In the 'Rate of Growth (%)' column , under year 05/06 estimate, the figure “-1.36” should read “- 0.45”.

The revised JMWS responded to government increases to landfill taxes and recycling targets since adoption of the existing JMWS in 2002, as well as to a general increase in environmental awareness and responsibility.  It described the key principles of the Partnership and set out minimum collective targets for limiting waste growth and increasing recycling.  The JMWS had been developed in consultation with key partners, stakeholders and the public.  As a result of that consultation, it remained open with regard to the choice of residual waste treatment technology and CYC would undertake a full consultation exercise with residents on this before any decision was taken.  Following adoption of the JMWS, a number of key decisions would need to be taken before any contract for dealing with residual waste was let.  The timetable for this process was currently uncertain but report outlined the key events planned, culminating in the award of the contract in November 2008.

In response to the issues raised under Public Participation, the Chair stressed that the Executive was not taking any decisions today about the disposal method for residual waste and indicated that there was no intention to build an incinerator in the City of York area.  CYC was committed to exceeding the Partnership’s minimum targets where possible and would be developing a strategy and action plan over the coming months to support this aspiration.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the revised Joint Municipal Waste Strategy attached as Annex 1 to the report be adopted.

REASON:      To enable the partner councils to act within a collective framework from which they can plan their individual waste minimisation plans and targets so as to achieve maximum waste diversion.

                        (ii)        That Officers be requested to develop a communication plan to inform the public of future decisions relating to the awarding of the contract.

REASON:      As part of the ongoing consultation process regarding the choice of residual waste treatment.

                        (iii)       That it be further requested that a revision of the 2004 York Waste Strategy, with particular regard to recycling targets within the City, be brought to the Executive before the end of 2006.

REASON:      To support the Council’s commitment to exceeding the minimum targets set out in the revised JMWS.

This report details alternative service provision for the Bus Information Service following the decision taken at Budget Council to close the office that operated from 20 George Hudson Street.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the actions taken and proposed, as set out in paragraphs 10 to 42 of the report, be approved.

                        (ii)        That Option 1 be adopted for telephone enquiries, with the local contact number (551400) being retained and calls diverted to the ‘Traveline’ regional office in Hull at no extra cost to the customer.

Members considered a report which detailed alternative provision for services previously provided by the Bus Information Service (Businfo), following the decision taken at Budget Council to close the Businfo office at 20 George Hudson Street.  The target date for closure of the office, 1 September 2006, had been brought forward to 1 June, due to problems in maintaining the service as staff left to seek alternative employment before the closure date. 

Proposals for alternative provision and actions already taken were set out in paragraphs 10 to 42 of the report.  They included:

• Trialling of “City Space” electronic travel information and ticketing kiosks at key locations in the City.
• In the short term, staff to be in attendance at 9 St Leonard’s Place Reception during office hours to issue concessionary travel passes and YOZone cards; this service to be performed by Parking Services staff in the longer term.
• Renewal of staff Park and Ride passes to be carried out at the Park and Ride sites.
• Continued use of the Businfo office space during the vacancy notice period to accommodate the Dial & Ride service, with provision of a telephone messaging service in the short term, pending resolution of longer term arrangements for this service.
• Temporary transfer of the Wigglybus booking service to the Transport Planning Unit (1^st to 30^th June).
• Distribution of printed timetable information to as many customers as possible through outlets in the City, including Council owned buildings.
• Development of new information communication technology to replace face to face enquiry services, pending their provision via easy@york.

With regard to telephone enquiries, three options were presented:

Option 1 – retain the local Businfo contact number and transfer enquiries automatically to the “Traveline” office in Hull, operated by EYMS

Option 2 – retain the contact number and provide voicemail / answerphone giving contact details for national “Traveline” and local bus operators.

Option 3 – remove all references to the local contact number on bus stops etc. and replace with the national “Traveline” number and website address.

Advantages and disadvantages of the options were outlined in paragraphs 46-47 of the report and detailed costings were set out in Annexes A and B.  Option 1 was recommended as it would cause the minimum disruption to customers and minimise the one-off costs of closing the Businfo office.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the actions taken and proposed, as set out in paragraphs 10 to 42 of the report, be approved.

REASON:      To provide appropriate alternative service provision following closure of the Businfo office.

                        (ii)        That Option 1 be adopted for telephone enquiries, with the local contact number (551400) being retained and calls diverted to the ‘Traveline’ regional office in Hull at no extra cost to the customer.

REASON:      To minimise the disruption to customers and the one-off costs to the Council resulting from the closure.

This report asks Members to consider the final report of the Inclusive Decision Making Ad Hoc Scrutiny Panel, which makes recommendations about improving the accessibility of the Council’s decision making processes to the local community.

RESOLVED: (i)         That it be noted that some of the recommendations of the Scrutiny Panel have been anticipated by the Council, that a Social Inclusion Executive Members has now been appointed, with the support of a Social Inclusion Working Group, and that a forum for people with disabilities is in the course of being convened.

                        (ii)        That the Social Inclusion Working Group be invited to consider, if it wishes, in the run up to next year’s budget allocations, whether existing financial allocations might be redirected in order to underpin more effectively the work of the Equalities team and community forums.

                        (iii)       That it be agreed that all partnerships should document the roles and responsibilities of the participants, to ensure good governance arrangements are in place.

                        (iv)       That Democratic Services be requested to promote, to all interest groups, the availability of Council agendas and supporting papers, and that any subsequent requests for information be satisfied using the new electronic committee management system wherever practical.

                        (v)        That it be confirmed that the Executive welcomes input into the Council’s decision making process by all faith groups.

                        (vi)       That Officers be requested to bear in mind the comments of the Scrutiny Panel when they consider the training requirements of members of Council committees.

Members considered a report which presented the final report of the Inclusive Decision Making Ad Hoc Scrutiny Panel, which made recommendations about improving the accessibility to the local community of the Council’s decision-making processes.

The Panel’s report, at Annex A, set out the options and alternatives considered for delivering a more accessible process and details of the consultation undertaken during the review.  Financial implications of the Panel’s recommendations were detailed in Annex B.

Members welcomed the report, but expressed disappointment that no members of the Scrutiny Panel had attended to present it to the Executive.

RESOLVED: (i)         That it be noted that some of the recommendations of the Scrutiny Panel have been anticipated by the Council, that a Social Inclusion Executive Member has now been appointed, with the support of a Social Inclusion Working Group, and that a forum for people with disabilities is in the course of being convened.

                        (ii)        That the Social Inclusion Working Group be invited to consider, if it wishes, in the run up to next year’s budget allocations, whether existing financial allocations might be redirected in order to more effectively underpin the work of the Equalities team and community forums.

                        (iii)       That it be agreed that all partnership arrangements should document the roles and responsibilities of the participants to ensure good governance arrangements are in place.

                        (iv)       That Democratic Services be requested to promote, to all interest groups, the availability of Council agendas and supporting papers, and that any subsequent requests for information be satisfied using the new electronic committee management system wherever practical.

                        (v)        That it be confirmed that the Executive welcomes input into the Council’s decision making process by all faith groups in the City.

                        (vi)       That Officers be requested to bear in mind the comments of the Scrutiny Panel when they consider the training requirements of members of Council committees.

REASON:      In order to respond appropriately to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Panel and to highlight areas where action has already been taken to improve accessibility.