Waverley Borough Council Committee System - Committee Document
Meeting of the Environment and Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 17/04/2007
Minutes
MINUTES of the MEETING of the ENVIRONMENT AND LEISURE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE held
on 17TH APRIL 2007
(To be read in conjunction with the Agenda for the Meeting)
*
Mr J R Sandy (Chairman)
Mrs L S R Hodgson
*
Mrs M V M Hunt (Vice Chairman)
Mrs S R Jacobs
*
Mr M H W Band
*
Mrs D M James
Dr J F A Blowers
*
Mrs P N Mitchell
*
Mr M W Byham
*
Mr J M Savage
Mr M A Edgington
*
Mrs J A Slyfield
*
Mr R D Frost
Ms M Taylor
*
Mr P D Harmer
Mr A E B Taylor-Smith
*
Mrs P Hibbert
*Present
Mr J C S Mackie and Mrs A E Mansell attended as substitutes
[Mr V K Scrivens was also in attendance]
110.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Apologies for absence were received from Dr J F A Blowers, Mr M A Edgington, Mrs L S R Hodgson, Mrs S R Jacobs and Ms M Taylor. Mr J C S Mackie and Mrs A E Mansell attended as substitutes.
111.
DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS
There were no disclosures of personal or prejudicial interest.
112.
CALL-IN ITEM - REPORT OF THE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
(Agenda Item 3)
The Committee heard that the report of the Waste Management and Climate Change SIG was considered by the Executive at its meeting on 27th March 2007. Four members (Mr M H W Band, Mr M W Byham, Mr P D Harmer and Mr J R Sandy) had requested that they would like to scrutinise the following decision taken at that meeting.
The Chairman explained that the item had been called in for two reasons; - the four Members above felt that the Committee should have seen the report before it went to Executive and also that the 12 items raised at the Committee on 31st October had not been comprehensively addressed.
The Committee discussed the report considered by the Executive at its meeting on 27th March and discussed the original ten decisions taken by the Executive which were:-
1. the static Saturday Green Waste Collection service in Haslemere and in Godalming is retained in the ensuing financial year at an estimated cost of £30,000 be met from the £100,000 budget;
2. officers be asked to investigate extending this static Saturday collection service to Farnham and to Cranleigh and to earmark £30,000 from the PEG’s grant for 2007/08;
3. the subscription for the kerbside green waste service be held at £40 per annum £20 for residents in receipt of statutory means tested benefits or for an additional two green bags) for the ensuing financial year, representing a subsidy of on average £7 per household;
4. the demonstrated recycling box lifting trolley be made available to residents on request at a cost equivalent to Waverley’s net cost plus any delivery costs, estimated at £11.75 plus delivery (50% reduction for residents in receipt of statutory means tested benefit) limited to one trolley per household;
5. officers be asked to investigate further the potential to increase the frequency of collections from the cardboard bring sites as well as the number of sites in the Borough and to report to the next meeting of the SIG. The SIG recommend that a sum of £80,000 be provisionally identified for this purpose, £70,000 from the balance of the £100,000 budget and £10,000 from the 2007/08 PEG budget;
6. officers further investigate, with partners, the implications and feasibility of introducing bio-diesel for refuse freighters, battery recycling and kitchen waste collection;
7. Waverley sends a letter of thanks on behalf of the SIG to Veolia staff for their hard work to ensure a smooth service following the recent fire which closed the Slyfield depot, and high winds which closed Albury landfill site last week. Their actions providing alternative tipping facilities enabled an uninterrupted service;
8. the review process be agreed, subject to interim recommendations being presented after six months, as a way of conducting the Climate Change element of the work of the SIG;
9. an opportunity be given for all Members of the Council to view ‘An Inconvenient Truth’; and
10. officers be asked to help Bramley Parish Council find alternative sources of funding for their proposed street lighting replacement project.
The Committee looked at decisions 1-6 in turn, after agreeing that decisions 7-10 would not be under debate. For each of the decisions, the Committee decided on one of three courses of action, namely (a), (b) or (c), where
(a) is to endorse the Executive’s decision;
(b) is to endorse the decision but submit observations to the Executive on their original decision;
(c) is to propose an alternative course of action, which could be not to implement the original course of action.
The Committee discussed the first two decisions regarding the static garden waste collection service. Members supported the first decision which was the proposal that the service in Haslemere and Godalming be retained. However they wanted to see more evidence of how the service had performed before any extension to Farnham and Cranleigh.
The Committee then discussed the third decision, regarding subscriptions for the kerbside green waste service. Members supported the service and heard that a green waste co-ordinator would be appointed to improve subscription levels. Members endorsed the decision.
In terms of decision 4, the Committee had a number of observations relating to the recycling box lifting trolley. There were concerns about its robustness given the possible weight of the contents of the boxes when full and whether the size of the wheels would have any impact on this. There were health and safety concerns about the use of the trolley and it was suggested that there should be warnings in terms of the method of operation. Members suggested, as an alternative to marketing the trolleys now, that a trial would be appropriate to ascertain how the trolley would fare in different weather conditions and officers were asked to investigate alternative models on the market.
Members discussed decision 5, cardboard recycling, and agreed that cardboard collection was important but given the funding proposed wanted to know more about how the money would be spent. Members felt that the Committee and SIG should also be kept informed of any statistics collected, and that the 12 points discussed by the Committee on 31st October needed further comprehensive consideration by the Executive.
The Committee discussed decision 6, relating to different forms of recycling including bio-diesel, battery recycling and kitchen waste. Members endorsed the decision that officers investigate the issues further.
RESOLVED: That
1. With regard to decisions 1, 3 and 6-10, the Committee endorse the Executive’s decisions and officers take action on these; and
2. The Executive be asked to give consideration to its original decisions on points 2, 4 and 5 and review comprehensively the twelve points raised earlier by the Committee.
The meeting concluded at 9.30 pm
Chairman
bureau/comms/O&S3 /2006/07.elosminutes170407.doc