Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

Councillor Potter declared a personal non-prejudicial interest in agenda item 10 (Neighbourhoods & Community Safety Group Legal Actions) as her daughter had been doing test purchasing.

To consider excluding the public and press from the meeting during consideration of annex 2 to agenda item 5 on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). This information is classed as exempt under Paragraphs 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.

RESOLVED:That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of annex 2 to agenda item 5 (2007/08 Second Monitoring Report – Finance & Performance) (minute 45 refers) on the grounds that it contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). This information was classed as exempt under Paragraphs 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17 October 2007.

RESOLVED:That the minutes of the last meeting of the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services and Advisory Panel, held on 17 October 2007, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair, subject to amendments to the Forward Plan attached as Annex 1 to delete the Review of Alleygating Policy from the January meeting and move the Review of Public Toilets from the January to March meeting.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Panel’s remit can do so. Anyone who wishes to register or requires further information is requested to contact the Democracy Officer on the contact details listed at the foot of this agenda. The deadline for registering is Wednesday 5 December 2007 at 5pm.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report presents the latest projections for revenue and capital expenditure for the Neighbourhood Services portfolio and traded accounts, and progress against the directorate plan priorities, including first half year (2007/08) performance against target for the directorate’s key performance indicators.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the financial and performance position of the portfolio be approved;

(ii)     That letters be sent to North Yorkshire Police, the Safer York Partnership and the Night Safe Group thanking them for their work contributing to the reduction in violent crime.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:In accordance with budgetary and performance monitoring procedures.

Members received a report which presented the latest projections for revenue and capital expenditure for the Neighbourhood Services portfolio and traded accounts, and progress against the directorate plan priorities, including first half year (2007/08) performance against target for the directorate’s key performance indicators.

The current general fund revenue budget for the Neighbourhood Services Portfolio was £14.13m, excluding the budget contribution to Safer York Partnership.  Current projections for the general fund portfolio showed expenditure of £14.08m compared to budget, an underspend of £48k which represented a variation of 0.3% on the net expenditure budget.  The original budget surplus target for the traded Neighbourhood Services Portfolio was set at £519k but this was revised to £386k after additional budget was received to contribute to the cost of rates. Overall, the Neighbourhood Services portfolio was currently forecasting an overspend of £484k.

The current budget for capital schemes was £694k and a budget transfer of £250k from City Strategy for the replacement of Parliament Street Toilets had increased the budget to £944k. All schemes, with the exception of the replacement of toilets, were anticipated to be completed on programme within the financial year.

The report showed that in the first half of 2007/08 Neighbourhood Services had:

·        Received encouraging survey results on street cleanliness – with an improvement to 8% of land surveyed which was below acceptable standards.

·        Continued to increase the proportion of waste recycled and composted – to 47.6% during the first half of 2007/08.

·        Maintained a high level of performance against target on street scene services.

·        Reduced the incidence of missed bins below the national target, and seen a recovery in performance on missed bins put right the next day to 99.4% in October 2007.

·        Started to see a reduction in sickness absence, but at a level that remained well above target. 

The Performance Manager reported that, in relation to the second table at paragraph 82 of the report, November’s figure for COLI3 (Number of missed bin collections per 100,000) was 45 and for VW19 (Missed bin collections put right by the end of the next working day) was 99.4%.  He also reported, with regards to the table at paragraph 88 of the report, that the 2007/08 performance forecast for target 4 (Number of incidents of violent crime) was 2,160 based on 8 months of data up to and including November.

Members thanked officers for their work which had contributed to the many areas of high performance and also requested that letters of thanks be sent to North Yorkshire Police, the Safer York Partnership and the Night Safe Group with regards to their contribution the reduction in violent crime.

Members expressed concern regarding the overspend in trading accounts caused by loss of income.  The Director confirmed that Building Maintenance was being reviewed to address some of these issues and advised that the situation in relation to Highway Maintenance may turnaround depending on the winter weather.  Members also expressed concern regarding the rental cost of the new depot.  The Finance Manager advised that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

This report summarises the work carried out to date under the York Neighbourhood Pride initiative.  The report proposes a forward programme for the next 18 months.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That Option 1 (to agree the proposed programme of campaigns for the next 18 months) be approved.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To support the Council’s tackling of environmental crime issues as part of the delivery of the local environment corporate priority.

Members received a report which summarised the work carried out to date under the York Neighbourhood Pride initiative and proposed a forward programme for the next 18 months.

The report presented two options for consideration:

·  Option 1 – To agree the proposed programme of campaigns for the next 18 months (as set out in paragraph 27 of the report);

·  Option 2 – To not agree the proposed programme of campaigns for the next 18 months.

Members suggested that the students campaign proposed for September/October 2008 should incorporate issues relating to fast food litter and that the recycling and sustainability awards proposed for February/March 2008 should cover waste minimisation.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That Option 1 (to agree the proposed programme of campaigns for the next 18 months) be approved.¹

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To support the Council’s tackling of environmental crime issues as part of the delivery of the local environment corporate priority.

This report is to update Members on the introduction of Cold Calling Controlled Zones in the City of York and to seek approval for a staged approach in widening the adoption of zones across the city.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That requests from residents, the police and other interested parties to set up additional zones be responded to by Trading Standards officers, and the existing work programme and assessment of the impact of the initial zones on doorstep crime be taken into account in further expansion of the scheme;

(ii)     That a further report be brought to Members within 6 months with a review of the scheme.  

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:This option enables officers to develop the zones in response to demand, in a prioritised and controlled manner within the existing work programme.  Additional Cold Calling Controlled Zones will be extended once the impact of doorstep crime and residents’ concerns about doorstep crime has been assessed.

Members received a report which updated them on the introduction of Cold Calling Controlled Zones in the City of York and sought approval for a staged approach in widening the adoption of zones across the city.

The report presented two options for consideration:

·  Option 1 – Officers to respond to requests from residents, the police and other interested parties to set up additional zones, with the impact of existing zones first being assessed by measuring doorstep crime and residents’ concern about doorstep crime, and any additional zones being introduced on a phased and prioritised basis over time within the existing work programme.

·  Option 2 – Officers to respond to requests to establish additional zones and to proactively introduce these before the full impact of the pilot zones has been evaluated.

Members requested that signs be attached to existing street furniture and officers confirmed that this approach was now being taken.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That requests from residents, the police and other interested parties to set up additional zones be responded to by Trading Standards officers,  using their discretion and taking into account the impact on their existing work programme and assessment of the impact of existing zones;¹

(ii)     That a further report be brought to Members within 6 months with a review of the progress of the scheme.²

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:This option enables officers to develop additional zones in response to demand, in a prioritised and controlled manner within the existing work programme, taking into account the impact of existing zones.

This report seeks approval to adopt a policy for enforcement of the legislation introduced on 1^st August 2007, requiring sellers of residential properties to provide certain information about their home, known as ‘Home Information Packs’ or ‘HIP’.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That Option 1 (to issue fixed penalty notices where appropriate) be approved in relation to the enforcement of HIP legislation.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:            This approach ensures that the Council meets its duties under The Housing Act 2004, and that any breaches are dealt with proportionately in accordance with the enforcement policy adopted by Members in September 2005.

Members received a report which sought approval to adopt a policy for enforcement of the legislation introduced on 1^st August 2007, which required sellers of residential properties to provide certain information about their home, known as ‘Home Information Packs’ or ‘HIP’.

The report presented two options for consideration:

·  Option 1 – To note the report and instruct officers to issue fixed penalty notices where appropriate (ie: when previous advice from officers had been ignored), in accordance with the Environmental Health and Trading Standards Enforcement Policy.

·  Option 2 – To note the report and decide not to enforce the legislation.

Officers advised that, since the report had been written, the government had announced a new requirement for all properties placed on the market on or after 14 December 2007 to have HIPs.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That Option 1 (to issue fixed penalty notices where appropriate) be approved in relation to the enforcement of HIP legislation.¹

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:            This approach ensures that the Council meets its duties under The Housing Act 2004, and that any breaches are dealt with proportionately in accordance with the enforcement policy adopted by Members in September 2005.

This report seeks approval for the introduction of a food hygiene ‘scores on the doors’ scheme.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)         That the contents of the report be noted, the implementation of a ‘scores on the doors’ scheme be approved and Council officers consult with the York Hospitality Association to set up the wording of the web site to help explain the system in a way that the public will be better informed.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To empower consumers, whilst also improving levels of compliance with food safety legislation in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Members received a report which sought approval for the introduction of a food hygiene ‘scores on the doors’ (SOTD) scheme.

The report presented two options for consideration:

·  Option 1 – To approve the implementation of a food hygiene SOTD scheme within York;

·  Option 2 – To not approve the implementation of a food hygiene SOTD scheme within York.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the contents of the report be noted, the implementation of a ‘scores on the doors’ scheme be approved¹ and Council officers consult with the York Hospitality Association to set up the wording of the web site to help explain the system in a way that the public will be better informed.²

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To empower consumers, whilst also improving levels of compliance with food safety legislation in a cost effective and efficient manner.

This report informs Members of the results of legal actions (prosecutions, formal cautions and fixed penalties) undertaken by the Neighbourhoods and Community Safety area of the Directorate of Neighbourhood Services (Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing) for the period 1^st July 2007 to 30^th September 2007.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the contents of the report be noted.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:So that the Executive Member is updated on formal enforcement activity undertaken by the Neighbourhoods and Community Safety Group.

Members received a report which informed them of the results of legal actions (prosecutions, formal cautions and fixed penalties) undertaken by the Neighbourhoods and Community Safety area of the Directorate of Neighbourhood Services (Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing) for the period 1^st July 2007 to 30^th September 2007.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the contents of the report be noted.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:So that the Executive Member is updated on formal enforcement activity undertaken by the Neighbourhoods and Community Safety Group.

This report provides information on work carried out by Neighbourhood Services in support of the environmental sustainability elements of the corporate strategy.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the contents of the report be noted.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To update Members on work carried out by Neighbourhood Services in support of the environmental sustainability elements of the corporate strategy.

Members received a report which provided information on work carried out by Neighbourhood Services in support of the environmental sustainability elements of the corporate strategy.

In relation to staff travel to work at the new depot, some Members expressed concern regarding on-street parking on James Street, and officers confirmed that they were currently reviewing car parking issues and also the proximity of bus routes.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the contents of the report be noted.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To update Members on work carried out by Neighbourhood Services in support of the environmental sustainability elements of the corporate strategy.

To review the forward plan for the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services and Advisory Panel for the 2007/08 municipal year.

Members reviewed the latest version of the 2007/08 forward plan for the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services and Advisory Panel (EMAP).

It was noted that two petitions, on recycling and drainage, had been referred from Council to EMAP, and that an additional report had been requested on cold calling controlled zones (minute 47 refers).  Members requested that reports on rural collections of waste and Charter Mark be added to the Forward Plan for future meetings and also reiterated a request for a report on the rollout of recycling in the Groves area to be brought to the March meeting.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)           That the latest version of the forward plan be noted and reports on the following items be added:¹

a)     Recycling Petition;

b)     Drainage Petition;

c)      Cold Calling Controlled Zones;

d)     Rural Collections of Waste;

e)     Charter Mark;

f)        Rollout of Recycling to the Groves area. 

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To inform Members and update the Forward Plan.