Venue: Sparkenhoe Committee Room, County Hall, Glenfield
Contact: Miss C Tuohy (0116 305 5483). Email: cat.tuohy@leics.gov.uk
No. | Item |
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Minutes: The minutes of the meetings held on 8 November 2018 were taken as read,
confirmed and signed. |
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In attendance. Mr Rhodes CC, Cabinet Lead Member for Resources. (Minute 148 refers) Mrs Radford CC, Cabinet Support Member. |
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Question Time. Minutes: The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under
Standing Order 35. |
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Questions asked by members. Minutes: The Chief Executive reported that a question had been received under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5). Mr Hunt asked the following question of the Chairman:- ‘The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has said that new
roads and upgrades should prioritise pedestrians,
cyclists and public transport to promote more physical activity.
Would the Director of Environment and Transport, in conjunction with
Public Health officers, report to the Committee on how LCC might address the
set of draft guidelines for local authorities from the National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence?’ The Chairman replied as follows:- “A report will be brought to the next meeting on 7th March
2019 regarding the draft guidelines for Local Authorities from the National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence.” |
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Urgent Items. Minutes: There were no urgent items for consideration. |
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Declarations of interest. Minutes: The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest
in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting. No declarations were made. |
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Declarations of the Party Whip. Minutes: There were no declarations of the party whip. |
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Presentation of Petitions. Minutes: The Chief Executive reported that no petitions had been received under Standing Order 36. |
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Medium Term Financial Strategy 2019/20 - 2022/23. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee considered a joint report of the Director of Environment
and Transport and Director of Corporate Resources which provided information on
the proposed 2019/20 to 2022/23 Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as it
related to the Environment and Transport Department. A copy of the report
marked ‘Agenda Item ‘8’ is filed with these minutes. The Chairman welcomed Mr Rhodes CC, the Cabinet Lead Member for
Resources and Mrs Radford CC, the Cabinet Support Member to the meeting for
this item. Proposed Revenue Budget and
Budget Transfers and Service Transformation In introducing the report, Cabinet Lead Members for Resources advised
members of the financial challenges facing the Council. The Revenue Support
Grant would reduce from £8.5million to zero. The inflationary and demand
pressures on services provided by the Council were increasing. The Cabinet had
indicated that it would prioritise adult social care and children services.
However, the Cabinet recognised the pressures on the Environment and Transport
Department and the need to provide good and sustainable services and had
provided growth of £2million for SEN Transport and £800,000 per annum dealing
with HS2 and ash dieback forestry. The Government was looking to change the
funding formula but this would not happen until 2020/21 at the earliest. It was
anticipated that the funding formula would address some of the current
anomalies and this might improve the Council’s financial position in the
future. If that were not to happen the financial outlook would be severe. The Director advised of the significant change that had taken place
across the Department to enable it to achieve total savings of £43million since
2010/11. The Department faced increasing pressures arising primarily from:-
The savings now expected from the Department were extremely challenging.
The Department and its partners were looking at smarter working and delivery
and to invest to save schemes. The growth in the staffing budget reflected the need to engage staff to
help the Council develop infrastructure bids (such as the Melton Mowbray
Distributor Road and Housing Infrastructure Bids) and to ensure that the
Council responds to the HS2 project. With regard to HS2 the Council was seeking
to mitigate the adverse impacts and maximising opportunities such as the case
for classic connectivity as well as supporting businesses to take advantage of
potential business opportunities. With regard to inflation this was held centrally and allocated in-year
when the position became clearer. In response to questions and comments the Committee was advised as
follows:- Growth G15– SEN Transport i)
This
growth was essentially to meet the increasingly complex needs now being
presented by some service users. Savings – Highways and
Transport ET1 – Revised Passenger Transport Policy ii)
All
supported bus services would be assessed using the new criteria set out in the Passenger
Transport Policy which was recently agreed by the Cabinet. It was therefore not
possible to give any commitment about the future of any particular bus service
ahead of the review. {Mr Bill CC asked that it be recorded that he opposed this savings
proposal as it would adversely impact bus service provision}. ET2– Social Care and SEN Transport iii) The impact of the new eligibility criteria would be reviewed following 12 months of operation and the outcome reported to the Committee. Members were reminded that the policy made provision for exceptions on appeal ... view the full minutes text for item 148. |
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Environmental Performance 2017-18 and Greenhouse Gas 2017-18. Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and
Transport concerning the Council’s environmental performance and greenhouse gas
emissions for 2017/18. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 9’ is filed
with these minutes. In response to questions the Director advised as follows:- i)
The
timescales for undertaking the works at the Refuse and Household Waste Sites
would be determined in the context of the capital programme and contracts yet
to be entered into; ii)
The
closure of the MBT was as a result of the collapse in the market for Refuse
Derived Fuel caused by environmental issues faced by the end user of the RDF
material; iii)
The
council’s contract for energy provision runs until 2021 and the renegotiation
of the contract will address the issue of supplies from green sources. RESOLVED: That the report be noted |
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LLEP Energy Infrastructure Strategy. Minutes: The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and
Transport which provided an overview of the Leicester and Leicestershire
Enterprise Partnership’s (LLEP) Energy Infrastructure Strategy. A copy of the
report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed with these minutes. In discussion the members welcomed the report but commented as follows:- i)
Food
production was a major source of greenhouse gases but was not addressed in the
report. Members were advised that this was outside the scope of the report and
reminded that agriculture and livestock played a key role in the economy. ii)
A
change in building regulations requiring new build and developments to consider
energy efficient homes and local green energy generation schemes on major
developments could play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions; iii)
Whilst
electric cars provided an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gases there needed to
be substantial investment in providing the appropriate infrastructure. Concern
was also expressed about how the additional electricity requirements would be
met; iv)
The
recession had resulted in a number of previous measures aimed at reducing
greenhouses gases such as the fuel escalator and proposed tax on work-based
parking being shelved. Members were advised that all LLEPs had been asked to undertake such a
review and the outcome would be reported to Government. It was hoped that this
would lead to Government action to address some of the challenges highlighted. RESOLVED: That the report be noted |
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A46 - Update on Midlands Connect Work Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and
Transport concerning the work Midlands Connect is carrying out on the A46
Corridor across the East and West Midlands. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda
Item 9’ is filed with these minutes. In response to questions the Director advised as follows:- a)
This
was a high level study and considerable work remained to be done. b)
Whilst
a number specific sections for further investigation have been identified in
the study these were on the basis that the particular issues and sensitivities
at these locations would need particular consideration if they were to be
considered in the planning of the route. It was emphasised that there is no
defined line for the route; c)
Should
any of the suggestions for growth areas proceed this would only be after
extensive consultations with the local community through the local planning
process. Mr Bill CC expressed concern regarding the study and proposals that
would affect the Hinckley area as the focus was purely on growth and seemingly
little regard to the environmental impact. RESOLVED: That the report be noted. |
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Date of next meeting. The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to take place
on 7 March 2019 at 2pm. Minutes: It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on
Thursday 7 March 2019 at 2pm. |