Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note that the Chair was notified at the start of the meeting that the following duly appointed Reserve Member would be attending the meeting:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from all Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That (1) in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following agenda item be admitted late to the agenda by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency detailed below:-

(2)  agenda item 10 be considered after item 7 and before item 8;

(3)  all items be considered with the press and public present.

[Note:  Subsequently, it was resolved that agenda item 8 be considered at the Special meeting of the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Sub?Committee being held on 5 December 2005.]

That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2005, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2005, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

Members were invited to pose questions to the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, who was in attendance at the meeting.

1)                   Has the lack of an Executive Director, and the numerous vacancies as a result of the MMR, affected the service provided by Urban Living and, especially, services to the general public?

Although there had been many changes and much had been achieved over the previous three years, the Portfolio Holder informed the Sub-Committee that there was still work to be done within Urban Living in particular, and that he would be working closely with the new Executive Director of Urban Living to ensure that good progress was made on key issues in a timely fashion.  Members congratulated Andrew Trehern on his appointment as Executive Director of Urban Living.

The Portfolio Holder informed the Sub-Committee that the provision of day-to-day maintenance and protective services had not been adversely affected in this period, and that in fact, significant improvements had been made in areas such as Public Realm Maintenance and Waste Management Services, especially in relation to household waste recycling.

The Portfolio Holder briefed Members on the difficulty the Council had experienced in recruiting professional staff, especially Environmental Health Officers and Engineers. With four appointments in place for some time, Urban Living still had to appoint five Group Managers.  The Portfolio Holder informed the Sub?Committee that the recruitment exercise would commence in January.  Members were informed that, according to current plans, the Urban Living Management Team would be in place on 1 May 2006.

2)                   Will there be any negative consequences for the 2006/7 projects as a result of the delay in getting a decision from Transport for London (TfL) on our Local Implementation Plan?

The Portfolio Holder stated that the Council had received positive feedback from TfL, especially in relation to the management of projects for which it provided funding. Members were informed that Borough settlements for 2006/07 would still go ahead provided funding was secured.  The Portfolio Holder advised the Sub?Committee that although the Council had bid for schemes that met criteria set by TfL, initiatives were targeted to reflect the priorities and aspirations of the Council and its stakeholders.  The Portfolio Holder agreed to provide the Sub?Committee with a note of the various schemes in which the Council participated.

3)                   Are there any significant areas where you see an overspend in the 2005/6 year?

The Portfolio Holder informed the Sub-Committee that, on current projections, Urban Living would achieve the agreed outturn target at 31 March 2006.

4)                   What is your overall impression now that the "Clean and Green" is operating throughout the Borough?

The Portfolio Holder stated that the operation of “Clean and Green” throughout the Borough had had a markedly positive impact on public perception and a significant improvement in the quality of services.  Moreover, the presence of staff on the street and in parks, seven days per week, was said to have had a reassuring effect on the public.  Members were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 195.

Presentation by Three Valleys Water

The Sub-Committee received a presentation by Three Valleys Water, which briefed Members on the mains renewal work undertaken for the period 2005 to 2010.  Members were informed that the renewal of the mains distribution network was required to reduce the incidence of burst water mains and leakage in line with OFWAT’s performance targets.  Work would also offer better management of resources, improved security of supply and customer service, and a reduction in emergency works and disruption.  The presentation explained that the particular renewal work undertaken was targeted to achieve the maximum benefit in terms of reducing bursts and leakage; this meant focusing on the mains distribution network, though selected service pipes would also be renewed.

In the section of the presentation allocated to questions, the following points were raised:

·                     in the case of a burst pipe on private property, it was the water provider’s responsibility, and not that of the Council, to address the matter by issuing a Waste Notice and seeking payment from the owner of the property for the water wasted;

·                     Three Valleys Water offered a ‘Leakage Hotline’ service to ensure leaks were reported in as timely a fashion as possible;

·                     the map of the Borough used in the presentation to indicate the location of pipes would be beneficial for other Committees, for example the Traffic Advisory Panel;

·                     Three Valleys Water liaised closely with the Highways Authority, and would be willing to work proactively with other utilities companies in future renewal works to ensure disruption was kept to a minimum;

·                     OFWAT had published official guidance to govern increases in water rates.

RESOLVED: That the above be noted.

Oral report on outcomes of Waste Management Review

The Sub-Committee received an oral report on Waste Management, which provided an update on progress made in implementing the recommendations made by this Sub?Committee to Cabinet on 14 April 2005.  The officer present informed Members that the majority of these recommendations had already been implemented, or were in the process of implementation, and that Harrow’s recycling targets were currently being exceeded.  Leaflets had been distributed to Harrow residents providing information about recycling plastics, and the first collections were due to begin in the week following the meeting.  The officer stated that by the end of April 2006, all residents with a green box would be able to participate in the plastic recycling scheme.  Members of the Sub?Committee unanimously congratulated all concerned on their hard work and achievements.

RESOLVED:  That the above be noted.

Report of the Interim Group Manager – Community Safety Services

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Interim Group Manager – Community Safety Services, which provided information on transitional arrangements and implementation of the Licensing Act 2003.  Members were informed that of the 495 licensed premises in Harrow, only 6 had still failed to apply for new licenses; it was noted that this compared favourably with neighbouring councils.   One of the greatest challenges faced by the Licensing Authority was the need to hear applications within eight weeks of their submission, and the fact that around 45% of premises in Harrow had made applications in the last week of the first Transitional Period.  Much of this success was attributed to the work of the Licensing Team, which had included provision of one of the only online application forms in the country.  All Members and officers involved were praised by the Sub?Committee for their hard work. 

The officer present informed the Sub-Committee that since 24 November 2005, attention had been focused on enforcement, which meant Police and Licensing officers were visiting all potentially problematic premises to ensure compliance with the conditions imposed on their licences.  Members were informed that the Council had facilities in which to store confiscated liquor pending court proceedings.  The officer also advised the Sub?Committee that the Licensing Team’s workload remained high due to the need to process applications for Temporary Event Notices, and predicted an increase in the number of such applications as the benefits that they offered became more widely known.  Responding to a question posed by a Member, the officer stated that the Licensing Authority would be in a loss situation next year as a result of the costs incurred by implementing the Licensing Act 2003.  The officer also informed the Sub?Committee that at the time of the meeting, there had been one complaint from the public about a licence which had been granted; the Council had already visited the premises in question, and the licence would be called in for Review.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Director – Urban Living

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of Urban Living, which provided an update on progress made on the implementation of the Best Value Review recommendations and improvement plan.  Responding to questions from Members, the officer stated that thereturn from long-term sickness absence of theParking Attendants Operations Manager had helped boost morale in the team and improve the quality of service delivery.  The fact that both the Parking Enforcement and Parking Attendants services had been brought under the same management had also helped alleviate potential problems that could be caused by future staff absences.

The officer informed the Sub-Committee that there was a protocol used to establish what constituted a minor infringement of the rules governing bus lanes; CCTV footage was available to those contravening these rules, but it was noted that a low ‘challenge rate’ suggested Enforcement was not deemed unfair by the public.

The officer informed the Sub-Committee that Parking Attendants operated according to percentage bands for different kinds of contravention, to ensure they did not give disproportionate attention to perceived ‘soft targets’.  The Sub?Committee were also informed that, contrary to a perception that Parking Attendants were allowed to use their own discretion in contested cases, they were in fact instructed to contact their Supervisor for support.

The officer stated that the Best Value Review Recommendations had now been incorporated into the Transport Local Implementation Plan.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of People, Policy and Performance

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of People, Policy and Performance in this regard.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of People, Policy and Performance

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of People, Policy and Performance on this matter.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Which the Chair has decided is urgent and cannot otherwise be dealt with.

A Member requested that the data showing rent arrears in the Information Circular be represented as monthly rather than weekly figures.

RESOLVED: That the above request be noted.