Agenda, decisions and draft 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 Bowgett declared a personal non prejudicial interest in agenda item 6 (Petition requesting the City of York Council repair and maintain the streets in Acomb and Holgate in a safe condition)  as she is a Ward Member for Holgate Ward.

To consider excluding the press and public from the meeting during consideration of annexes 2 and 3 of agenda item 11 (2008-09 Third Monitoring Report – Finance and Performance) 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 Paragraph 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 annexes 2 and 3 to agenda item 11 (2008-09 Third Monitoring Report – Finance and Performance) (minute 69 refers) on the grounds that they contain 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 19 January 2009.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2009 be approved and signed by the Chair and Executive Member as a correct record.

In respect of Minute 53 (Public Rights of Way – Request to adopt alleyway between Scarcroft Hill and Mill Mount) Councillor Taylor asked that it be recorded in the minutes what happens to the heritage paving which is removed in order for tarmac to be laid as his understanding was that this went to landfill and was not reused. At the meeting on 18^th March 2009, Officers advised that this was, in fact, crushed and used as hardcore.

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 Tuesday 17 March at 5pm.

It was reported that there had been one registration to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Mr Keith Marquis, Vice Chairman of Strensall and Towthorpe Parish Council, spoke in relation to Agenda item 7 (Petition from Strensall and Towthorpe Parish Council requesting the resurfacing of four roads, drainage and roadmarking work). He circulated photographs of current road conditions to the Executive Member and Members of the Advisory Panel and made the following points:

• West End, Strensall serves the largest primary school and is in the worst condition.
• Southfield Road, Strensall is also in poor condition and has the medical centre located along it.
• The Village, Strensall in desperate need of repair.
• The report recommends no work is carried out on Princess Road,
• Several roads were in severe need of attention and there were certain  gullies which became blocked during rainfall and needed attention.

This report informs Members of the results of legal actions (prosecutions, 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 October 2008  – 31^st December 2008.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to note the contents of the report.

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 considered a report informing them of the results of legal actions (prosecutions, 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 October 2008  – 31^st December 2008.

The Assistant Director (Neighbourhoods and Community Safety) drew Members’ attention to Annex A to the report which provided details of formal enforcement action which had taken place between 1 October and 31 December 2008. He updated Members in respect of Spencer Martin. Mr Martin had been ordered to repay £20,000 for his criminal benefit and £11,197 towards the Council’s costs for bringing the case.  

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to note the contents of the report.

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 is in response to a petition submitted to full Council by Councillor Bowgett on 27^th November 2008 and signed by 198 residents of the area. The petition requests the Council to ensure that the streets in the Acomb and Holgate areas are repaired so they are safe.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

(i)         That the Executive Member be advised to approve option 2 – to note and agree that officers already undertake sufficient surveys and inspections in order to ensure the highway is maintained in a safe and satisfactory condition for all users of the highway.

(ii)        That the lead petitioner be notified on the decision of the Advisory Panel.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure the highways are continued to be maintained in a safe condition. 

Members considered a report produced in response to a petition submitted to full Council on 27^th November 2008 and signed by 198 residents of the area. The petition requested that the Council ensures that the streets in the Acomb and Holgate areas are repaired so they are safe.

The report presented the following options for consideration.

Option 1 - Members may ask officers to carry out an additional survey of all the roads and footways in both the Holgate and Acomb wards with the view to re-rating these in accordance with our normal criteria for a possible inclusion in a future years resurfacing and reconstruction programme.

Option 2 - Members may note and agree that officers already undertake sufficient surveys and inspections in order to ensure the highway is maintained in a safe and satisfactory condition for all users of the highway.

The Head of Highway Infrastructure reported that inspections had been carried out as programmed, all the streets had already been assessed and Highways Infrastructure had drawn up an approved programme of works. He drew Members attention to paragraph 14 of the report which provided the results, relating to Hogate and Acomb, of the latest highway condition survey.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

(i)         That the Executive Member be advised to approve option 2.

(ii)        That the lead petitioner be notified on the decision of the Advisory Panel.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure the highways are continued to be maintained in a safe condition.

This report is in response to a petition submitted by the Strensall and Towthorpe Parish council dated 16 July 2008 and signed by 180 residents of the area. The petition expresses concern about the road surfaces of West End, Southfields Road, Princess Road and the Village, the inability of road gullies to deal with surface water during heavy rainfall and the lack of edge marking along Flaxton Road.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

(i)         That the Executive Member be advised to approve option 2  - to note and agree that officers arrange to make safe any defects that breach the Council’s intervention levels, monitor the condition of the roads and assess them, along with all the other highways on the provisional list, for a possible inclusion in a future years resurfacing and reconstruction [R&R] programme.  Additionally note and approve the current practice of only placing white road edge markings on hazardous sections of roads and that the road drainage system is working satisfactorily in York Road, Strensall, during normal rainfall conditions.

(ii)        That the lead petitioner be notified on the decision of the Advisory Panel.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure works are carried out on a needs and worst first basis and ensure that highway maintenance budgets are expended in the most cost effective way, based on the Council’s priorities.

Members considered a report in response to a petition submitted by the Strensall and Towthorpe Parish Council dated 16 July 2008 and signed by 180 residents of the area. The petition expressed concern about the road surfaces of West End, Southfields Road, Princess Road and the Village, the inability of road gullies to deal with surface water during heavy rainfall and the lack of edge marking along Flaxton Road.

The report provided the following options for consideration

(i)      Option 1 - Members may ask officers to carry out a resurfacing/reconstruction scheme[s] from within our approved Advanced Design programme of works for 2009/10 (EMAP for City Strategy, 8^th December 2008) which would require removing one or more of the schemes, of equivalent value, from the approved programme.

(ii)     Option 2 - Members may note and agree that officers arrange to make safe any defects that breach the Council’s intervention levels, monitor the condition of the roads and assess them, along with all the other highways on the provisional list, for a possible inclusion in a future years resurfacing and reconstruction [R&R] programme.  Additionally note and approve the current practice of only placing white road edge markings on hazardous sections of roads and that the road drainage system is working satisfactorily in York Road, Strensall, during normal rainfall conditions.

The Head of Highway Infrastructure explained for the benefit of both Members and Mr Marquis, who had spoken under the Public Participation Scheme on the item, how decisions were taken on which roads would be repaired. He reported that roads were categorised between 1 – 3 and then a weighting factor applied in order to establish an overall ranking which was used to prioritise planned programmes of work for the year.

As regards the question of road markings on Flaxton Road, he advised that current practice was not to put edge markings on straight sections of rural roads but instead only on stretches where there is a hazard.

Members queried whether, if they agreed to undertake the works that the petition requested, this would result in other roads in a worse condition dropping down the list and officers confirmed this would be the case.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

(i)         That the Executive Member be advised to approve option 2.

(ii)        That the lead petitioner be notified on the decision of the Advisory Panel.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure works are carried out on a needs and worst first basis and ensure that highway maintenance budgets are expended in the most cost effective way, based on the Council’s priorities.

This report provides a review of the service performance in highway maintenance over the last year, examines issues arising and proposes programmes of work to be undertaken in the financial year 2009-10.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to:

(i)         note the performance and success in 2008/09.

(ii)        note the issues arising in 2008/09.

(iii)      Approve the allocation of budgets for 2009/10

(iv)      Approve the implementation of the proposed programme, to include the list of proposed additional footway and carriageway treatments circulated at the meeting

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure delivery of highway maintenance services in an efficient and cost effective manner.

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Members considered a report providing a review of the service performance in highway maintenance over the last year, examines issues arising and proposes programmes of work to be undertaken in the financial year 2009-10.

Officers announced that an additional £1m of funding had been agreed at Budget Council on 26 February 2009 and circulated an list of suggested footway and carriageway treatments which were proposed to be carried out using this additional funding.

Officers responded to Members queries on the following issues:-

• Marking of potholes
• Budget for tree maintenance
• Talkabout Panel Questionnaire – satisfaction levels and targets.
• Place Survey which replaces  Residents Opinion Survey
• Technical assessments of highways and public perception of highways.
• Street Lighting – consideration of LED lighting

Members congratulated officers n their hard work during the year.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to:

(i)         note the performance and success in 2008/09.

(ii)        note the issues arising in 2008/09.

(iii)      Approve the allocation of budgets for 2009/10

(iv)      Approve the implementation of the proposed programme, to include the additional annex listing the proposed additional footway and carriageway treatments circulated at the meeting

(v)      congratulate Officers on their hard work.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure delivery of highway maintenance services in an efficient and cost effective manner.

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This report seeks the Executive Member’s approval for the 2009-10 Directorate Plan.  It also seeks approval for the twelve 2009-10 Service Plans for Neighbourhood Services.  

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to approve option 1 - to agree the directorate plan, and the scorecard sections of service plans. 

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To agree a clear direction for services in 2009/10.

Members considered a report which sought the Executive Member’s approval for the 2009-10 Directorate Plan and also approval for the twelve 2009-10 Service Plans for Neighbourhood Services.  

The report presented the following options for consideration:

(i)         Option 1: To agree the directorate plan, and the scorecard sections of service plans. 

(ii)        Option 2: To agree the directorate plan, and the scorecard sections of service plans, with amendments.

The Interim Director of Neighbourhood Services drew Members’ attention to the “Excellence in Everything” Organisational Development Programme which the Directorate was developing  and which would become a core way of working within the directorate.

Officers answered Members queries in relation to the target of 5% for  bullying/harassment target as highlighted in the staff survey. They explained what measures were in place to enable staff to report any issues in this area. The Interim Director added that this had been highlighted in the Excellence in Everything programme as an area for improvement.

With regard to kerbside recycling, Members referred to the targets (BVPI91b) for the numbers of properties to be offered kerbside collections (92% in 2007-08, 98% in 2010-11. 99% in 2011-12. Officers advised that there would always been some properties, such as remote farms, which would be impractical to collect from and this is why the target was not 100%. They provided Members with an early indication on how the proposed roll out would take place and advised them that further details would be provided to the Executive in May.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to approve option 1.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To agree a clear direction for services in 2009/10.

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This report seeks approval for the provision of grants linked to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) relating to the Community Centre Voluntary Management Committees (CCMCs) in York.  The report covers the financial year 2009/10.  The Community Centres to be funded via an SLA are Bell Farm Social Hall, Foxwood Community Centre, Tang Hall Community Centre, Sanderson Court House and Poppleton Community Centre.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to approve Option One outlined within paragraphs 9-11 and paragraph 13 to give grants to all 5 Community Centre Management Committees (CCMCs) for the financial year 2009/20 as outlined within Annex One.  The budget will be managed within existing Neighbourhood Services budget.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure that the Community Centres are supported so that they remain with the local community who have the knowledge and motivation to manage these community assets for the benefit of the local area. In doing so they support the Corporate Strategy and the empowerment and engagement agenda.

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Members considered a report which sought approval for the provision of grants linked to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) relating to the Community Centre Voluntary Management Committees (CCMCs) in York.  The report covered the financial year 2009/10.  The Community Centres to be funded via an SLA were Bell Farm Social Hall, Foxwood Community Centre, Tang Hall Community Centre, Sanderson Court House and Poppleton Community Centre.

Officers circulated a revised recommendation which included the provision of a grant to Sanderson Court Community House. They advised Members that the additional funding for Sanderson Court has been made available from within existing resources. The level of grant to all community centres has also been provided with a 5% increase from the amounts issued previously, following a previous recommendation to take account of inflation when awarding the annual grant. 

The report presented the following options for consideration:

(i)         Option One – To award the grants to the CCMCs as outlined in Annex One.

(ii)        Option Two – To discontinue grants to all committees with effect from the 1^st April 2009.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to approve Option One outlined within paragraphs 9-11 and paragraph 13 to give grants to all 5 CCMC’s for financial year 2009/20 as outlined within Annex One.  The budget would be managed within existing Neighbourhood Services budget.

Decision of the Executive Member

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

REASON:                  To ensure that the Community Centres are supported so that they remain with the local community who have the knowledge and motivation to manage these community assets for the benefit of the local area. In doing so they support the Corporate Strategy and the empowerment and engagement agenda.

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This report presents the latest projections for revenue expenditure for the Neighbourhood Services portfolio and sets out progress against the directorate plan priorities and key performance indicators.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to approve the financial and performance position of the portfolio.

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 considered a report presenting the latest projections for revenue expenditure for the Neighbourhood Services portfolio and setting out progress against the directorate plan priorities and key performance indicators.

The Finance Manager and Performance Manager, Neighbourhood Services updated Members on issues raised in the report and answered specific queries.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to approve the financial and performance position of the portfolio.

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.