Agenda and draft minutes

Items
No. Item

1.

Webcasting

Please note: This meeting may be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council's internet site - at the start of the meeting the Chair will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. The images and sound recording may be used for training purposes within the Council.

 

Generally the public seating areas are not filmed. However, by entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes.

 

If you have any queries regarding this, please contact the Scrutiny Support Officer at the meeting.

2.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Cllrs Bloch and Gibson.

3.

Declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

 

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

 

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

 

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

 

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interest are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Minutes:

None.

4.

Urgent Business

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.  Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear.  New items will be dealt with at the end of the agenda.

Minutes:

None.

5.

Deputations

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

Minutes:

None.

6.

Cabinet Q & A

Cllr Bevan, Cabinet Member for the Environment to answer questions on this portfolio.

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for the Environment attended to answer questions from the panel relating to this portfolio.  To begin, the Cabinet member outlined some key service areas which have been visited since being in post (September 2013).  It was noted that the Cabinet member had:

·                    Met with street sweeping staff to assess how operations could be improved. The Cabinet member was impressed with the front line officers and the work that they were undertaking across the borough.

·                    Met with refuse collections teams and been out on refuse collection rounds to better understand some of the challenges that front line staff face;

·                    Met with all parks staff across the borough, visited Green Flag accredited parks and those that intended to apply for Green Flag status in the near future.

 

Waste Contract Performance

The panel noted that the performance for key waste and recycling indicators was improving.  In respect of the recycling rate, it was noted that the council reached last year’s target and was on course to reach this year’s target (35.4%).  It was also noted that street cleanliness assessments had also improved through 2013/14. 

 

There were two issues however, which were proving more difficult to resolve, these were fly tipping and fly posting. The service was working with Veolia to help improve performance in these areas and had reinforced this as a priority with street cleansing staff.

 

Waste Contract Monitoring

4The panel sought further clarification as to how the contract with Veolia was monitored now that the Waste Contract Monitoring Group was no longer in operation.  It was noted that monitoring of the waste contract took place at numerous levels:

·                    Weekly on an operational basis with officers;

·                    Every three months for high level strategic assessments with lead member.

 

It was noted that with the demise of the Waste Contract Monitoring Group, there were no opportunities for local ward councillors to raise waste issues directly with the contractor and officers. As a result, the process of getting resolutions to local waste collection problems had become slower and more time consuming.

 

To support its scrutiny of waste and recycling services, it was suggested that it would be beneficial if the EHSP could receive regular quarterly reports of key issues within local waste contract monitoring (e.g. recycling performance, food waste from flats, enforcement, fly tipping).

 

Agreed: That a quarterly report of Waste Monitoring Data is provided to the EHSP, with the Chair to agree with Cabinet member the nature of such data to be provided.  This is to be requested at the first OSC Cabinet meeting of the new administration.

 

Hard of hearing access to Veolia call centre

The panel noted that an elderly resident had tried to call the Veolia call centre but there was no provision for hard of hearing.  The Cabinet member indicated that this would be followed up at a future monitoring meeting with Veolia.

 

Action: Single Front Line to follow up provision for hard of hearing at Veolia call centre.

 

Purple Bags

Members of the panel raised ongoing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Waste and Recycling Part 2 - Follow Up pdf icon PDF 102 KB

To receive progress report on recommendations contained in the scrutiny report on waste and recycling (part 2) – further policy options to increase recycling.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The panel noted that substantial progress had been made in developing the food waste collection system from 25,000 local flatted properties.  A pilot scheme involving 1,500 flats (Homes for Haringey, RSLs and private developments) was operated over September to October 2013.  The pilot scheme had been successful with particular note to:

·        The tonnage of collected food waste was higher than expected (26 tonnes);

·        Improved performance in collection of dry recyclables recorded at test sites;

·        Low contamination of food waste bins.

 

The panel noted that the learning from this pilot would inform the roll-out to all flats in June 2014.  In other follow up points from this report, the panel noted that:

·        An outreach team from Veolia had been very active in the pilot scheme areas and had received positive feedback from residents;

·        £200k had been secured by the Council to purchase reusable bags for tenants in flats to support  dry recycling;

·        Leaves collected from the roadside can no longer be included within green recycling due to possible contaminants;

·        Our Haringey enforcement reporting App was now in full operation and use was growing.

 

The panel noted that due to resource pressures, the conversion of twin waste chute flats (one to recycling and one retained for residual waste) had not been progressed.  This would be looked at once the food waste programme had commenced.

 

The panel noted that a fuller response to the recommendation to further develop education work to improve recycling in schools had been expected.  It was suggested that this should be included within the quarterly report to EHSP as agreed earlier.

 

          Agreed: Recycling education for recycling given in schools to be included within quarterly update to EHSP. 

 

Then panel noted that a near 6% increase in recycling rate was attained for 2012/13 to 32% and that the 2013/14 target of 35.4% was likely to be achieved.  Future recycling targets would be challenging however, and that the Council was working with Veolia to develop strategies to further improve local recycling performance.

         

          Environmental Champions

The panel noted that the Council had now recruited 20 local Environmental Champions across Haringey.  The group had met a number of times and were being provided with training from Veolia and other sources.

 

It is hoped that this group would help to improve notification of local environmental problems (waste dumping), help develop local capacity of local groups to respond to environmental issues and provide a contact group for the Council in the development of local environmental initiatives.

 

The panel noted that it would be useful to be made aware of local Environmental Champions so that these could be supported further in the community.

 

          Action: That local Councillors are informed of Environmental Champions in their ward.

 

The panel thanked officers for the preparation of this report and for responding to their questions about it.

 

8.

Strategic Parking Issues for Tottenham - Follow Up pdf icon PDF 117 KB

To receive a progress report on recommendations contained in the scrutiny report on Strategic Parking Issues ahead of the Tottenham Redevelopment.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The panel noted that substantive progress had been made against the recommendations agreed in its scrutiny report from 2012/13.  There had been a minor delay in the implementation of the Phillip lane scheme to allow works to coincide with road resurfacing.  The issue of pop-up parking had been investigated and a number of possible options were being discussed and strategies for action would be developed in 2014/15.  It was noted that:

·        Match Day Parking Scheme Approved

·        Stoneleigh Car Park C was now open to the public;

·        New  corporate signage was being rolled out  - including new signage for car parks;

·        Streetscape had been softened in car parks.

 

In relation to Phillip Lane development, the panel noted that most of the planned improvements had been made and that a site visit had been undertaken to inspect completed work.  There were a few outstanding issues:

·        Loading bays were still present on Jansen Road as TFL were not in agreement for removal.  This was still being pursued.

·        A review of CPZ spaces is being undertaken;

·        As all works are undertaken under an Experimental Traffic Order, this allowed for further review and amendments within the scheme.

 

Security in Council operated car parks was discussed by the panel.  It was noted that mobile CCTV would be used to help identify fly tipping and ASB to make car parks look and feel more welcoming to users.  It was noted that improved signage to car parks would help to increase turnover which may help users feel safer whilst using it.  It was suggested that Homes for Haringey, RSLs and local businesses could be approached to resource efforts to soften / reclaim landscape of car parks, and that local environmental (Groundwork / TCV) groups could be contacted to maintain these with the local community.

 

The panel noted that this holistic approach to resolving local traffic pinch points (as exemplified through the Phillip Lane Scheme) had been very successful and provided good value for money and that the Highways Service was looking to identify other areas where the model could be re-applied.  It was suggested that the service may provide a short update once the Phillip Lane scheme was fully completed.  The panel suggested that it would be useful to include a pictorial update to enable members to full assess the impact that changes have made.

 

            Agreed: A further update is provided to the panel once the scheme has been completed (to include pictorial evidence where possible).

 

The panel noted that the North Tottenham Parking Scheme would move in to Phase 2 later in the 2014 and a second tranche of funding would be released.  This phase would also include a review of the existing CPZs.  The panel noted that it would be beneficial if the Council were replace the current processes where CPZs were implemented ‘piecemeal’ across the borough with a more holistic approach as this may help to:

·        Remove anomalies;

·        Provide further clarity and consistency;

·        Limit displacement that occurs in new schemes;

·        Improve scheme costs.

 

Agreed: the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Community Engagement with Planning - Project Update

Minutes:

A verbal update was presented to the panel.  The final meeting with Community groups had been held on 18th February 2014.  A final report would be produced for Overview & Scrutiny Committee approval.

10.

Strategic Enforcement - Project Update

Minutes:

The panel noted that two further meetings were planned.

1)    With London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police Service

2)    Other London boroughs

 

The final report would go to Overview and Scrutiny Committee for approval.

11.

Environmental Community Groups - Update

Minutes:

The panel noted that Friends of Parks Groups would be attending the next meeting of the panel (20th March 2014).

12.

Minutes

To approve minutes of the:

 

19th November 2013 – to follow

 

2nd December 2013 – to follow

 

28th January 2014 – to follow

13.

Feedback from Area Chairs

Minutes:

None.

14.

Late item

Minutes:

None.

15.

Date of next meeting

Minutes:

20th March 2014.