Agenda and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on the agenda.  A list of standing declarations of interest is attached.

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.  In addition to the standard declarations for the committee the following interest was declared:

Councillor Brooks declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 (minute 12 refers) as a member of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

To approve and sign the minutes of the last meeting of the committee held on 8 September 2010.

RESOLVED:That the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 8 September 2010 be approved and signed by the Chair subject to minute 8 being amended to read  “previously a page had been funded by independent schools on CarShareYork”.

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 Committee’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00 pm on Tuesday 12 October 2010.

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

This report presents Members with information received to date regarding school travel plans.

Members received a report that detailed information that had been gathered during the School Travel Plans Review and provided a framework for further evidence gathering.

(i)            Network Management and Parking Enforcement Around Schools

Members questioned the Head of Environmental Enforcement and Parking Services regarding the arrangements that were in place to enforce parking restrictions around those schools where enforceable parking restrictions had been made.  Officers stated that, in addition to scheduled patrols, they operated on a risk management basis when allocating resources.  The hot-line telephone number had been publicised and a rapid response was possible using the motorbike team.  Last year 30 Penalty Charge Notices had been issued around schools; this was a higher number than some other authorities. Civil Enforcement Officers were required to wear a uniform and hence their presence also acted as a deterrent. 

Officers were asked if they were aware of strategies that had been effective in other parts of the country.  They stated that Bournemouth and Medway had invested in vehicles using CCTV recording equipment.  The costs of such vehicles and the necessary staffing would be between £50,000 and £100,000.   Consideration could be given to finding out whether there were authorities nearer to York that used such vehicles and if there would be the possibility of hiring the vehicles for a period of time. 

(ii)            Planning

Members sought clarification as to whether there were government standards in respect of school travel plans.  They were informed that there were no required standards but that guidance was available.  Criteria had been in place in respect of the standards required for schools to receive funding for travel plans.  This funding was, however, no longer available.  The committee suggested that the criteria that had been previously used by the Government in relation to funding for school travel plans, should be the standard required when school planning applications were considered.

The Head of Development Management gave details of how travel plans were sometimes submitted as part of a school’s initial planning application.  A member of the Highway Development Team explained the process by which school travel plans were assessed when submitted as part of a planning application.

Alternatively, sometimes the introduction of a travel plan was a condition of planning approval being granted. Members sought information as to how the conditions were enforced.  Officers explained that every effort was made to resolve any issues with the schools themselves, as it would not be possible for the council to take planning enforcement action against one of its local authority maintained schools.  Whilst conditions had to be imposed because the permission always relates to the land (the ownership or control over which may change), it was explained that there is no basis for the Council to in effect take enforcement action against itself.  In other planning cases, breaches of control on Council owned property have been resolved within the Authority through discussion between the relevant Directorates.  Members’ attention was drawn to two schools that were not currently complying with conditions that had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.