Agenda item no._______4_______
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
Minutes of a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 25 September
2012 in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer at 9.30 am.
Members Present:
Committee:
Mr E Seward (Chairman)
Mr E Seward
Mr B Smith
Mr P Terrington
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Mr B Jarvis
Mr P W Moore
Mr R Reynolds
Officers in
Attendance:
Members in
Attendance:
The Chief Executive, the Corporate Director, the Head of Financial
Services, the Coast and Community Partnerships Manager, the Strategy
Team Leader, the Policy Performance and Management Officer and the
Scrutiny Officer.
Mrs A Fitch-Tillett, Mr P W High, Mr K Johnson, Mrs B McGoun, Mrs A
Moore, Mr W Northam, Ms B Palmer, Mr R Shepherd and Mrs V Uprichard.
Democratic Services Officer (AA)
54 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Ms V Gay, Mrs A Green, Mr J Perry-Warnes, Mr N Smith and Mr R Smith.
The Chief Executive informed Members that Mr J Perry-Warnes was still in hospital and
a card for him from Members would be passed round at tomorrow’s Full Council meeting
for them to sign.
55 SUBSTITUTES
Mrs B McGoun for Mrs A Green, Mr R Shepherd for Mr N Smith and Mrs V Uprichard for
Mr R Smith.
56 PUBLIC QUESTIONS
Mr G Berry, Chairman of Happisburgh Parish Council and Mr M Kerby wished to speak
on a petition which had been submitted concerning the steps to the beach at
Happisburgh. This would be taken under agenda item 7 – Petitions from Members of
the public (minute 60).
57 MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 24 July
2012 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
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25 September 2012
58 ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None received.
59 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Member(s)
Minute
Item
Interest
No.
Mrs A ClaussenReynolds
68
North Norfolk Housing Strategy
2012-15 (Making the Best Use
of the Existing Housing Stock)
Personal – is selling
an empty property.
Mrs A ClaussenReynolds
69
Overview and Scrutiny Update
Personal – has
recently used the East
of England
Ambulance Service.
60 PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
a) Mr G Berry, Chairman of Happisburgh Parish Council said his Council had a good
working relationship with the District Council. He stood by the District Council’s
decision to reinstate the steps at Happisburgh when conditions would allow. It was
not possible to reinstate them at the present time. There had been a loss of 4 metres
of beach in the last 6 months.
b) Mr M Kerby of Happisburgh said he was present to support the decision by the
District Council. Happisburgh Parish Council and the District Council working
together had achieved so much. He supported the decision and hoped it would be
ratified by Full Council.
c) The Scrutiny Officer said the petition had been received in paper form. The petitioner
had not specified where the petition was to go and considered that it had triggered a
debate at Full Council. The Council’s Constitution stated that individuals who signed
the petition must either live, work or study in Happisburgh Ward and the number of
names required must be 10% of the Ward electorate. There were 161 signatures,
many from individuals with caravans and holiday homes. At the meeting of Cabinet,
the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had said the Committee
would monitor progress regarding cliff erosion and the possibility of reinstating the
steps at a later date.
d) The Chairman pointed out that a decision made by Cabinet could be called in by 10
members of the public but this had not happened. He had recently visited the beach
and the work which had taken place there was very impressive. A monitoring report
would be added to the Work Programme for October 2013.
e) The Scrutiny Officer said this matter did not need to go to Full Council as it was a
decision of the Cabinet.
f) The Chairman thanked Mr Berry and Mr Kerby for attending the meeting.
61 CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A
MEMBER
None received.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
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25 September 2012
62 RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S
REPORTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS
The Scrutiny Officer referred to the appointment of temporary extra resources in
Planning Enforcement and said that her report showed that this was being addressed.
63 THE FORWARD PLAN AND MANAGEMENT OF COUNCIL BUSINESS
a) The Scrutiny Officer said that new changes in legislation meant that key decisions
must be on the Forward Plan 28 calendar days before they were reported to Cabinet.
If a report was late, it must be reported as an item of urgent business. Officers
reports must refer to any background papers and would need to state clearly why the
decision needed to be taken and the minutes should show the options discussed.
Officers were currently looking into how other councils dealt with this.
b) In response to a question from the Chairman, the Scrutiny Officer said she would find
out whether the new legislation applied to parish and town councils.
64 BUDGET MONITORING 2012/13 PERIOD 4
a) Mr W Northam presented the report which summarised the budget monitoring
position for the revenue account and capital programme to the end of July (Period 4).
The overall position at the end of period 4 showed a forecast overspend of £69,074
for the current financial year on the revenue account. The forward financial
projections for the period 2013/14 to 2016/17 were currently being worked upon for
the financial strategy that covered the same period and would be presented to
Members in October.
b) Mr P Moore commented that this was only a factual report and considered that there
was no need for a full debate.
c) The Chief Executive responded to the Chairman that there did tend to be slippage in
the capital programme for one reason or another.
RESOLVED
1) To note the contents of the report and the current forecast for the current financial
year;
2) To note the current position on the approved capital programme and approve the
recommended amendments.
65 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT – DELIVERY OF ANNUAL ACTION PLAN
QUARTER 1
a) Mr K Johnson said this report was similar to the previous report as it was factual.
b) Mr P Moore referred to recommendation (b) in the report concerning additional
support for planning enforcement being progressed with the Borough Council of
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. He queried why money was being given to another
council for planning enforcement support which could instead be used to fund two
planning assistants. Mr Johnson explained that the backlog in Planning Enforcement
was being addressed and in addition a peer review of the department was taking
place in order to identify where resources should be focussed. The Council was also
keen to explore any mutual benefits of shared services. The Chief Executive added
that King’s Lynn and West Norfolk’s planning and enforcement team was more robust
and their director had been asked for temporary support at this Council. The peer
review was to take place in the autumn and would look at planning resources in its
entirety. It was hoped to be able clear the backlog in Planning Enforcement. The
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
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25 September 2012
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
Planning Enforcement Manager welcomed the offer of peer support from another
authority.
Mrs B McGoun asked how much Officer time had been used on resources when it
could have been used to clear the backlog. The Chief Executive replied that it was
important to put the right people in the right roles.
The Chief Executive responded to Mrs McGoun that an Officer in the Housing
Department was dealing with empty homes. Work could be carried out with the
Council Tax Department on this.
Ms B McGoun queried 1.12 being the figure for sickness absence as this did not tie
up with figures reported to the Joint Staff Consultative Committee. The Chief
Executive clarified that 1.12 sickness absence was 4.5 days per person per year.
Two years ago this figure had been 11 days. Significant improvements had been
made on sickness levels. The different figure could be a revised one.
The Chairman hoped that the defaults on cleansing could be resolved. The Director
said there had been some improvements although not as fast as hoped. Overall the
trend for defaults was down. The Council had received a 5 gold star award for its
cleansing services this year.
The Chief Executive confirmed to Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds that 124 unemployed
people had been in touch with the Learning for Everyone programme over 4 months.
She would confirm to Members whether demand for the programme outstripped
resources.
In response to the Chairman, the Chief Executive confirmed that she would find out
more information about rolling out Broadband across North Norfolk and let Members
know. The new contract for superfast Broadband should take coverage in North
Norfolk to 87%. Mr R Reynolds asked that black spots also be looked into.
Mr P Terrington asked whether a meeting concerning offshore renewable energy
sector had taken place with Warwick Energy yet. The Chief Executive confirmed that
an informal meeting had taken place at which she had taken notes which she would
email to Members.
To support the RECOMMENDATION to Full Council that two additional planning
assistants be recruited on a temporary basis for a 12 month period pending the outcome
of the peer challenge, to be funded from a combination of the HPDG earmarked reserve
and the additional revenue from the proposed national fee increase from October 2012.
That additional support for planning enforcement is progressed with Kings Lynn and
West Norfolk Borough Council
66 COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER POLICY
a) Mr W Northam presented the report and said 8 responses had been received in
response to the consultation on the Community Asset Transfer Policy. The
recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would be included when
it was reported to Cabinet and Full Council. He thanked Mr M Green, Estates and
Valuation Manager for his hard work in creating the Policy.
b) Mrs B McGoun asked what would be the cost to the Council of transferring assets.
The Chief Executive explained that there would have to be a business case for
transferring assets. The Council had not previously had a policy for dealing with
community asset transfer but had dealt with it on an ad hoc basis. The Localism Act,
however, stated how this should be dealt with.
c) Mr P Moore wondered whether parish councils were aware of the running costs of
some assets and it may be better if the District Council retained control of strategic
issues such as public conveniences and car parks.
d) The Chairman wondered whether parish and town councils had fully understood the
powers which had been devolved down to them under the Localism Act.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
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25 September 2012
RESOLVED
For the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to approve the return of the amended draft
Policy to Cabinet following the consultation responses received.
67 DEVELOPMENT OF THE NORTH NORFOLK INTEGRATED APPROACH TO
COASTAL MANAGEMENT
a) Mrs A Fitch-Tillett presented the report and said that a meeting of the Coastal Issues
Forum had been held on 10 September, followed by a workshop for the community
including parish councils and representatives from Natural England, the Environment
Agency, National Trust and National Farmers’ Union. Coastal issues had included
offshore wind farms, energy generation, tourism and coast protection. It was aimed
to integrate all these aspects. Engagement with the community was key. The newlylaunched CIF would aid this.
b) Mr P Terrington congratulated Mrs Fitch-Tillett, the Coast and Community
Partnerships Manager and team on the report. He expressed concern that terrestrial
and marine planning weren’t better integrated. Mrs Fitch-Tillett said that the Marine
Management Organisation (MMO) was a new initiative which had responsibility for
planning up to the mean high water mark. She referred to Mrs L Brettle’s motion
(Marine Conservation Zones) going to Full Council on 26 September 2012 which
considered the impact of human beings on the marine environment.
c) Mr Terrington asked if the Council’s protocols could include integration of terrestrial
and marine planning. The Coast and Community Partnerships Manager explained
that the MMO was working on an East of England Marine Plan to address this
because it had been missed by the Marine and Coastal Access Act.
d) Representatives from the MMO and Environment Agency had attended the meeting
of the Coastal Issues Form and were likely to continue attendance.
e) Mr P Moore said that the Council needed to re-think its planning policies to integrate
marine and terrestrial considerations. Suitably qualified Officers would be needed to
do this. The Coastal Community Projects Manager said that it would be necessary to
work with the MMO as well as the planning department. Resources for this were
being investigated.
f) Mrs Fitch-Tillett said that the Council was known as a trailblazer in coastal issues. It
was hoped that DEFRA would hold us up as an example of good practice.
g) In response to a question from Mrs B McGoun concerning tidal energy, the Coastal
Community Projects Manager said that there was a project in the Wash area looking
at tidal energy. The Coastal Issues Forum was also considering renewable energy.
To support the RECOMMENDATION to Full Council:
a) That the integrated approach to coastal management, in particular the work schemes
set out in Table 1 of the report be endorsed
b) That the remaining unallocated coastal pathfinder budget (approximately £65,000
revenue) and receipts including the Coastal Erosion Assistance Grant (£60,000 capital)
and any income from successful Pathfinder replacement housing are incorporated into
a new integrated coastal budget for the purpose of funding specific coastal projects
and resources in line with the integrated approach.
c) That the allocation of the integrated coastal budget is delegated to the Chief Executive
in consultation with the Coastal Portfolio Holder.
The meeting was adjourned at 11.00am and reconvened at 11.15am.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
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25 September 2012
68 NORTH NORFOLK HOUSING STRATEGY 2012-15 (MAKING BEST USE OF THE
EXISTING HOUSING STOCK)
a) Mr K Johnson presented the report and thanked Officers for the way in which they
had produced the documents.
b) Members were urged to attend the workshop on 4 October 2012. This was part of the
process of formulating the Allocations Policy which was going to Cabinet and Full
Council in December.
c) The second part of the Strategy focussed on existing homes. The action plan set out
new actions, although the team would also be doing other actions.
d) The Allocations Policy was on target for review in January and implementation in
April.
e) There was a difference between the Allocations Policy and the Local Lettings
agreement. This would be dealt with at the workshop.
f) Strong links: the Local Lettings Agreement specified connection with the Parish or
adjoining parishes (residence, employment, family members, previous residence).
Adjoining parishes were included because there were some parishes where
affordable housing was not possible.
g) A concern regarding the renewal of the provision of care contract for residents of
Victory sheltered housing schemes should be raised at the workshop.
h) Empty homes: an increase in council tax on empty properties would be the subject of
a report to Cabinet and would then come to Council in December. If this was agreed
it would give a financial incentive to owners to bring their properties back into use.
i) The Empty Homes Policy was going to Cabinet in October. This set out a range of
advice and assistance which would be provided to owners of empty homes, to
include a loan. If necessary enforcement action would be taken which could include,
where the Council had taken action to improve the condition of the property, enforced
sale.
j) The Strategy Team Leader would find out if it was possible to list the name of the
owner in the Empty Homes Register.
k) Mr P Terrington asked how the properties which were subject to NNDR could be
separated from those liable for Council Tax. The Chief Executive would take this
query to Council Tax and copy the reply to the Committee.
l) Mr P Moore raised a concern about planning permissions that had been commenced
but not completed. The Strategy Team Leader said that this was an action in the
Housing Strategy and the team was aware there were a number of such planning
permissions. Part of their work was to understand the reasons why sites were not
being developed. It was aimed to complete this action by the end of the year.
m) In response to a question from the Chairman regarding the turnover of 467 social
housing properties in 2011/12, the Strategy Team Leader said that most rehoused
applicants were in Band 1, with some in Band 2.
n) As part of the Allocations Policy the waiting list was being reviewed and a new
approach with 3 registers was being proposed of which the Housing Register would
represent those with the strongest needs (Emergency Card, Bands 1 and 2)
o) Victory Housing was required to charge affordable rent for new properties as part of
tendering arrangements for new homes. Tenants could claim housing benefit if they
couldn’t afford the rent.
p) The Chairman asked for the number of empty houses liable for council tax to be
notified to the Committee.
RECOMMENDED
That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee supports Cabinet’s recommendation to
adopt the North Norfolk Housing Strategy (Making Best Use of the Existing Housing
Stock) document to Full Council, and in addition the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
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25 September 2012
looks forward to Cabinet’s recommendation, at its November meeting, on financial
incentives to bring empty homes back into occupation.
69 OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY UPDATE
a) Ambulances: the Chief Executive had invited a representative of the East of England
Ambulance Trust to Full Council but had not received a response to date. The District
Council could only invite. Only the County Council had the power to oblige
attendance. Health Scrutiny powers rested with the Norfolk Health Overview and
Scrutiny Committee. The situation would be monitored.
b) A meeting between the Leader, Chief Executive and Chair of Scrutiny had been held.
Assurance had been given that a dedicated Scrutiny Officer would be appointed. A
business manager had been appointed, subject to references being received.
c) Next year’s programme of meetings had allowed for longer intervals between
Scrutiny and Full Council.
d) Fly tipping: the Scrutiny Officer would ask the Head of Environmental Health why
larger loads had been recorded in May.
e) The Chief Executive advised that November would be the best time to receive an
update on the Big Society Fund.
f) The Task and Finish Group was meeting on 9 October.
g) An update on Happisburgh Beach Access Steps would be added to the Work
Programme for October 2013.
h) RESOLVED to adopt the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Review 2011 –
2012 and forward it to Full Council on 24 October 2012.
The meeting concluded at 12.15pm.
____________________
Chairman
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
7
25 September 2012