Please contact: Lydia Hall
Please email: lydia.hall@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Please direct dial on: 01263 516010
03 November 2014
A meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of North Norfolk District Council will be held
in the in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer on Wednesday 12th
November 2014 at 9.30am.
At the discretion of the Chairman, a short break will be taken after the meeting has been running
for approximately one and a half hours.
Members of the public who wish to ask a question or speak on an agenda item are requested to
arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. It will not always be possible to
accommodate requests after that time. This is to allow time for the Committee Chair to rearrange
the order of items on the agenda for the convenience of members of the public. Further information
on the procedure for public speaking can be obtained from Democratic Services, Tel: 01263
516010, Email: democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Anyone attending this meeting may take photographs, film or audio-record the proceedings and
report on the meeting. Anyone wishing to do so must inform the Chairman. If you are a member
of the public and you wish to speak on an item on the agenda, please be aware that you may be
filmed or photographed.
Sheila Oxtoby
Chief Executive
To: Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds, Ms V R Gay, Mrs A Green, Mr B Jarvis, Mrs B McGoun, Mr P
Moore, Mr J H Perry-Warnes, Mr R Reynolds, Mr E Seward, Mr R Shepherd, Mr N Smith, and Mr P
Terrington.
All other Members of the Council for information.
Members of the Management Team, appropriate Officers, Press and Public.
If you have any special requirements in order to attend this
meeting, please let us know in advance
If you would like any document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative
format or in a different language please contact us.
Chief Executive: Sheila Oxtoby Corporate Directors: Nick Baker & Steve Blatch
Tel 01263 513811 Fax 01263 515042 Minicom 01263 516005
Email districtcouncil@north-norfolk.gov.uk Web site northnorfolk.org
AGENDA
1.
TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2.
SUBSTITUTES
3.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To receive questions from the public, if any
4.
MINUTES
(Page 1)
(9.30-9.35)
To approve as correct records the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee held on the 15th October 2014.
Tourism presentations from meeting on 15th October attached (Appendix A – p10 &
Appendix B – p17)
Mental Health presentation (Appendix C – p24)
5.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be
considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government
Act 1972.
6.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the
following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requires that
declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary
interest.
7.
PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
To consider any petitions received from members of the public.
8.
CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A MEMBER
To consider any requests made by non-executive Members of the Council, and notified to
the Monitoring Officer with seven clear working days‟ notice, to include an item on the
agenda of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
9.
RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S REPORTS
OR RECOMMENDATIONS
To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee‟s reports or
recommendations.
10.
THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
(Page 25)
(9.35-9.40)
To note the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.
11.
CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
Portfolio Holder: Cllr J Lee
(9.40- 10.40)
(Appendix D – p28) (Appendix E – p29) (Appendix F – p33) (Appendix G – p37)
To receive presentations from Norfolk CAB and Mid-Norfolk CAB
12.
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY ANNUAL REPORT
Summary:
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual
Review 2013-2014 summarises the work of the
Committee during the previous municipal year.
Recommendation:
That Council receives the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee Annual Review 2013- 2014
Contact Officer
Tel. No:
Email:
Emma Denny
01263 516010
emma.denny@north-norfolk.gov.uk
30 Minutes have been agreed to cover items 13-15 together
13.
(Page 40)
(10.40 – 10.50)
(11:00 – 11:30)
BUDGET MONITORING – Period 6
(Cabinet Agenda Page 17)
(Appendix A – p.29) (Appendix B – p. 30) (Appendix C – p.33) (Appendix D –p.41)
Summary:
This report summarises the budget monitoring position for
the revenue account and capital programme to the end of
September 2014.
Options
considered:
Conclusions:
Not applicable
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
Cabinet note the contents of the report and the current
budget monitoring position.
Cabinet note the contents of the Revised Capital
Appendix C.
Cabinet approves an increase of £55,000 to the
Enforcement board Reserve, funded from the in-year
underspend.
Cabinet are requested to approve the inclusion of
capital budgets in the 2014/15 Capital Programme:
Sheringham West Prom provision of grey water tank at
The overall position at the end of September 2014 shows a
year to date variance of £1,382,089 to date for the current
financial year on the revenue account, this is currently
expected to deliver a forecast full year underspend of
£98,000.
1)
2)
Cabinet
Decision
3)
4)



Reasons for
Recommendations:
14.
£28,000, to be funded from capital resources.
Pier Roof full Repair/Refurbishment at a cost of
£78,000, to be funded initially from capital resources.
Pier Public Conveniences refurbishment at a cost of
£45,000 to be funded from capital resources.
To update Members on the current budget monitoring
position for the Council, and make all amendments to the
capital budget as appropriate.
TREASURY MANAGEMENT HALF YEARLY REPORT
(Cabinet Agenda Page 42)
(Appendix E – p.48) (Appendix F – p.50)
15.
Summary:
This report provides information on the Treasury
Management activities undertaken in the first six months
of 2014/15.
Options considered:
It is a requirement of the Chartered Institute of Public
Finance & Accountancy‟s (CIPFA) Code of Practice for
Treasury Management that this mid-year review is
prepared and presented to Full Council.
Conclusions:
That the treasury activities for the year have been
carried out in accordance with the CIPFA Code and the
Council‟s Treasury Strategy.
Recommendations:
Council Decision
That the Council be asked to RESOLVE that the Half
Yearly Treasury Management Report for 2014/15 is
approved including amendments to the Treasury
Management Strategy Statement for 2014/15.
Reasons for
Recommendations:
The recommendation is being made in compliance with
the CIPFA Code.
MANAGING PERFORMANCE Q2
(Cabinet Agenda Page 52)
(Appendix G – separate document)
Summary:
The purpose of this report is to give a second quarter progress
report of the performance of the Council. More specifically it
reports delivery of the Annual Action Plan 2014/15 and achieving
targets. It gives an overview, identifies any issues that may affect
delivery of the plan, the action being taken to address these
issues and proposes any further action needed that requires
Cabinet approval.
Options
considered:
Options considering action regarding performance are presented
separately, issue by issue, to the appropriate Council Committee.
Conclusions:
Cabinet
Decision
1. The majority of the 56 activities in the Annual Action Plan
2014/15 are on track (44). Performance is being closely
monitored, particularly for the activities where issues or
problems have been identified (six). Some activities have
already been completed successfully (three) and a small
number are yet to start (three).
2. Of the 16 performance indicators where a target has been
set seven are on or above target, two close to target and
seven below target. Where assessment against the same
period last year is possible (20 indicators), 12 are
improving, three are static and five are worsening.
3. The delivery of the Annual Action Plan is progressing
according to plan but there are a very few performance
issues in achieving targets and achieving improvement.
The issues involved, and action being taken in each case
are detailed in the document „Managing Performance
Quarter 2 2014/15‟ attached as Appendix G.
Recommendation:
That Cabinet notes this report, welcomes the progress being
made and endorses the actions laid out in Appendix G being
taken by management where there are areas of concern.
Reasons for
To ensure the objectives of the Council are achieved.
Recommendations:
16.
LEISURE SERVICES OVERVIEW
(Page 46)
(11:30 – 12:00)
Portfolio Holder: Cllr J Lee
An overview of the leisure services across the District
17.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
(Page 54)
(12:00 – 12:30)
Portfolio Holder: Cllr A Fitch-Tillett
An update on Environmental Health Service including an update on the changes to the staff
structure
18.
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME
19.
EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
(Page 70)
(12:30 – 12:35)
To pass the following resolution, if necessary:
“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be
excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they
involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph _ of Part I of
Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”
20.
TO CONSIDER ANY EXEMPT MATTERS ARISING FROM CONSIDERATION OF THE
PUBLIC BUSINESS OF THE AGENDA
Agenda item no._______4_______
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
Minutes of a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 15 October
2014 in the Council Chamber, North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer at
9.30 am.
Members Present:
Committee:
Mr P W Moore (Chairman)
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Ms V R Gay
Mrs B McGoun
Miss B Palmer (sub)
Mr B Smith (sub)
Mr J Perry-Warnes
Mr E Seward
Mr B Jarvis
Mr N Smith
Mr P Terrington
Officers in
Attendance:
The Corporate Director (NB), the Head of Assets and Leisure, the Head of
Economic and Community Development, the Property Business Manager,
the Health and Communities Officer, the Housing and Wellbeing Team
Leader, the Democratic Services Team Leader and the Democratic
Services Officer (LH)
Members in
Attendance:
Mr T FitzPatrick, Mr R Oliver, Mr P Williams, Mrs A Moore, Mr P High, Mr J
Lee, and Mr G Williams
44. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Mr R Reynolds, Mr R Shepherd and Mrs A Green
45. SUBSTITUTES
Miss B Palmer for Mr R Reynolds and Mr B Smith for Mr R Shepherd
46.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
None received
47.
MINUTES
The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 10th September
2014 were accepted as an accurate record.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
1
15 October 2014
48.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
09:40 am Mr T FitzPatrick and Mr P High entered the meeting
CALL IN – NORTH WALSHAM CAR PARK ON MUNDESLEY ROAD
Mr E Seward spoke on the Cabinet decision to make the Mundesley Road car park in
North Walsham fee paying as a local North Walsham Member.
Mr E Seward said that the reason for the call in was solely related to the proposed
funding of the car park surface. He added that the car park proposal was not supported
by the North Walsham Chamber of Business nor the Town Council.
Mr E Seward explained that the surface of the Mundesley Road car park was
problematic as it had been a tar pit. He said that the negotiations between the district
council and North Walsham Town Council had come to a standstill because the state of
the car park surface meant the town council could not take on the liabilities of ownership
and not that the Town Council had declined to take on the maintenance costs of the car
park in question.
Mr E Seward added that there had been no market research carried out in the usability
of the car park and that £6,000 income for fees would mean that it would take over ten
years to generate the cost of the £70,000 investment. He questioned where the figure of
£6,000 had come from as the car parks in North Walsham had low usage. He added
that the income from North Walsham was static and not profitable and that the three fee
paying car parks only generated 6% of the income for the district council.
Mr E Seward questioned whether investing £70,000 on a car park was the best use of
investment for North Walsham.
Mrs V Gay asked if there was a current figure to decontaminate the site to which the
Corporate Director replied that there wasn‟t a current estimate but a historical survey
had been commissioned. The Property Business Manger added that the last figure was
£90,000 and that this was in addition to the £70,000 resurfacing cost.
The Head of Assets and Leisure confirmed that the costs had been assessed taking into
consideration drainage and car park issues as opposed to other possible North
Walsham investments.
Mr R Oliver, Portfolio Holder for Assets addressed the meeting by saying that the
objections had been considered by Cabinet and that discussions surrounding the
Mundesley Road car park had been on-going for over two years now and during this
time the car park had been free to users.
Mr R Oliver said that primarily the policy was about fairness and that all of the car parks
in the district had been made fee paying by 2011 bar four; the car park at Wells became
fee paying, Fakenham had agreed on a two year lease of their car park to maintain it as
a free car park, with the other two car parks situated in North Walsham. The Town
Council negotiated with the district council and agreed to take on the Midland Road car
park and to maintain it. Mr R Oliver said that the Town Council had rejected offers made
in relation to the Mundesley Road car park and in the negotiation process had remained
free, but at the cost of other tax payers in the district.
Mr R Oliver informed Members that North Walsham and Fakenham had smaller car
parking tariffs as it was recognised that they were not tourist destinations.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
2
15 October 2014
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds said that Fakenham was no different to North Walsham and
that towns should be treated equally. She added that any changes to the policy would
be grossly unfair to the other towns.
Mr P Terrington asked whether Mr E Seward was suggesting whether there was a need
for the Mundesley Road car park and that the call in asked for other options for the land
to be considered.
Mr R Oliver said that the Housing Association had been approached over the feasibility
of building on the site, which in their view, was unable to happen.
Mrs V Gay asked how the site might be used.
Mr P Terrington asked whether there was a need for the car park.
Mr R Oliver responded that at no point had it been suggested that the car park was
removed and that this had not formed part of the discussions.
Mr E Seward questioned whether the payback period of twelve years was good value
for money and that there were other things to spend £70,000 on.
Mr R Oliver informed Members that he would be happy to see a proposal to close the
car park.
It was proposed by Mr E Seward, seconded by Ms V Gay and
RESOLVED
That the Cabinet decision was not in the financial interests of the Council or the interests
of the town of North Walsham including the residents who live/work in the vicinity of the
car park.
Recommended to Cabinet:
That an urgent review of all the options open to the Council of the Mundesley Road car
park site is undertaken and for an option to be pursued which is in the best interests of
the Council and the town of North Walsham.‟
49.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
50.
PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
None received.
51.
CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A
MEMBER
None received.
52.
RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S
REPORTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
3
15 October 2014
None received.
10:15 am Mr P High, Mr R Oliver, the Head of Assets and Leisure and the Business
Property Manager left the meeting.
53.
THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
The Cabinet work programme was looked at and agreed on.
54.
TOURISM ACROSS THE DISTRICT
The Head of Economic and Community Development gave the following, recently
released, provisional statistics to the committee:
Total Staying Trips – 569,000
Total Staying Nights – 2,934,000
Day Visits – 6,733,000
Total visitor related spend - £380,902,550
Total Tourism Value - £434,863,550
Existing Accommodation Stock in North Norfolk District (from Tourism Study)
 3939 self-catering units, providing 4,320 bed spaces;
 36 serviced accommodation establishments providing 3,496 bed spaces;
 4,997 static caravans; and
 4,100 touring pitches.
Attractions – 56
Number of Tourism Businesses in the DMO Area – around 2,500 (based on the
database that VNNC&C holds from NNDC and the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and
West Norfolk BCKLWN)
10:30 am Mr J Lee entered the meeting.
Presentations from Lucy Downing of Visit North Norfolk and Bruce Hanson from the
Broads Authority were given and Members were invited to ask questions.
(The slides from both presentations are attached to these minutes in Appendix A and
Appendix B)
Members Questions:
Mr P Williams had submitted the following three questions in advance of the meeting;
1) Please explain what you are doing to promote the small artisan crafts and small
retailer within your catchment area?
2) What are you doing to promote local events?
3) Are you sharing information to improve both quality and quantity of available
information for the tourist?
Ms Downing answered that the events were to be updated and that sharing information
for newsletters was important – she said that there were lots of channels to share the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
4
15 October 2014
information. She added that Visit North Norfolk were currently contacting businesses to
get involved and that the team were building the website content but that more needed
to be done to show the Artisan elements. Ms Downing added that one of the feature
films planned for 2015 would capture the Artisan element.
11:00 am Maureen Orr entered the meeting.
Members discussed the importance that tourism had on the economy of the district and
in preserving the Norfolk Broads. They agreed maximising tourism figures would be
advantageous and offered to support both Visit North Norfolk and the Broads Authority
in achieving this.
11:15 am The Health and Communities Officer and the Housing and Wellbeing Team
Leader entered the meeting.
Mrs V Gay asked if the figures for International visitors was known.
Mr Bruce Hanson replied that the Broads used to attract a lot of Dutch and German
visitors, but now visitors were mainly British. The Irish Broads still attracted many
European visitors with 60% of visitors being German. Mr Hanson said that the Broads
Authority were talking with Hoseasons European operations to improve appeal.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds urged the speakers not to forget about smaller towns like
Fakenham in the district.
Ms Downing assured Members that the twelve publicity films would capture all aspects
of North Norfolk.
Mr Hanson said that he would welcome a Member to sit on the Broads Tourism
Committee.
The meeting stopped for a break at 11:27 am and resumed at 11:40 am.
Mr T FitzPatrick, Mr B Jarvis and Mr P Williams did not re-enter the meeting after the
break.
55.
MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
A presentation was given by Maureen Orr, Democratic Support and Scrutiny Team
Leader from Norfolk County Council on the work of NHOSC regarding mental health
issues and Members were invited to ask questions.
(The slides from this presentation are attached to these minutes in Appendix C)
Members Questions:
1) The Chairman asked about internal placements of patients
2) Mr P Terrington asked for clarity on the situation in Wells
3) Mr N Smith commented on the Mental Health situation that staff were under
pressure and that patients were waiting six months for an appointment
4) Mr B Smith expressed his concerns about the differing levels of care experienced
by dementia sufferers depending on the area in which they lived.
12.05 pm Mr J Perry-Warnes left the meeting
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
5
15 October 2014
The Democratic Support and Scrutiny Team Leader answered:
1) That the figures for this question would be sought and e-mailed to the Chairman
2) The closure of beds in West Norfolk was a trial and that beds were made
available in other areas such as Swaffham, but that NHOSC will look at the
situation again and assess in the future – there would be a consultation period
before any changes were made permanent.
3) Other members of NHOSC had voiced the same concerns and Mr N Smith was
welcomed to attend their meetings to share his concerns. There was discussion
about a local solution for Norfolk and Suffolk rather than the national „payment by
results‟
4) Pilot schemes were being rolled out in certain areas with 40% of Trusts spending
2-3% on patients. More resources would be available to the community and there
was a freedom to commission what was appropriate for the area concerned.
NHOSC were monitoring the situation and dementia was one of the top three
priorities until 2017, and that there was a particular need for this care in North
Norfolk.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds reminded Members that she was a representative on NHOSC
and that she was happy to take back any questions. She also expressed her concerns
over more people being referred to mental health charities from the job centre than from
GP surgeries.
The Chairman thanked Maureen Orr on behalf of the committee.
12:19 pm Maureen Orr left the meeting
The Health and Communities Officer had given a general overview on some of the work
of the Council in a report that had been circulated with the agenda which she
summarised.
The Health and Communities Officer summarised her report bringing Members attention
to the updating of the Health Strategy and the Community Led Health Improvements,
particularly the Strong and Well campaign.
Mr J Lee, Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing read the following statement to
Members:
„It is the Council‟s intention to become a Dementia Friendly Council, by working in
partnership with the Norfolk Dementia Friendly Alliance. We have received a separate
briefing on the subject for members and officers and were represented at a business
breakfast last week to look at how we can become more involved.
We will move towards this across the next few months, with initially some awareness
training for front line staff and some specific training around customer service activity.
We will also support local market towns to become Dementia Friendly by supporting
them and local stakeholders to make life easier for those affected by this terrible
condition.
As we have one of the oldest populations of any council in the country, this is a growing
problem and one where we believe the Council can really make a difference, both by
direct action, and in supporting others.
In addition, we intend to review and update the Health Improvement Strategy. This will
set out how the Council plays a positive and vital role in reducing health inequalities and
improving health for our residents, especially with regards preventative activity.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
6
15 October 2014
In the almost four years since the last strategy, there have been huge changes in the
local health structures, with the introduction of the North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning
Group, and at County level, the Health and Wellbeing Board. The revised strategy will
cover the ways in which we want to interact with these and other bodies.
It will also look to the future in terms of shaping our services to provide better health
outcomes, and I would hope that this will be subject to cross party discussion in order to
help shape our future health activity.‟
12:26 pm Mr N Smith, The Health and Communities Officer and the Housing and
Wellbeing Team Leader left the meeting.
56.
REGULATORY OF INVESTIGATORY POWERS ACT – UPDATED POLICY
The Corporate Director informed Members that this was a required policy – not within
the policy framework but within operational policy. Section 5.7 referred to the Chief
Executive delegating to the appropriate person which was himself.
12:28 pm Mr J Lee left the meeting.
57.
PCC CONSULTATION RESPONSE
The Chairman read out the following comments submitted by Cllr. R Shepherd in
advance of the meeting and in response to the PCC Consultation:
“As North Norfolk‟s representative on the Police Crime Panel I have to report that having
listened to the priorities at the August meeting, I and others were unhappy that all efforts
were being concentrated on the three main areas, i.e. Great Yarmouth, Norwich and
King‟s Lynn. These are admittedly the main crime areas but it doesn‟t mean that the
rural areas should be entirely forgotten. We, in North Norfolk, suffer mainly from crime
centred on agriculture. This may be a low percentage of the overall picture but it is high
value; from diesel theft to major farm machinery which generally ends up in Eastern
Europe. Therefore it is highly organised, professional, International business. I look to a
targeted response and have been promised a full report in December. At our recent
meeting on 3rd October the panel were happy with priorities as listed on the Overview
and Scrutiny papers, page 32 though it may be felt that these are mostly national. I
asked for detail in the detection of cyber-crime and was happy with the Chief
Constable‟s reply that it was being targeted by a multi-agency team. This is again highly
organised, International, professional and worth multi-millions. Finally and more
personally I am not happy with the Restorative Justice aspect. I believe, as do many of
the public, that it relates to „minor crime‟ but it is being used by police forces (to deal
with) rape cases and assaults in an attempt to save money, and sweep potentially more
major crime under the carpet.
I am happy to report that to the best of my knowledge it is not happening in Norfolk.
There has to a be cut-off point somewhere - it had not been thought through. I shall be
asking questions later.”
Mrs B McGoun said that she didn‟t think there was not enough focus on domestic
violence and addressing the scale of the problem in the District. Mr B Smith said that
often victims felt unable to come forward and report a crime – especially in cases of
domestic abuse.
Mr P Terrington said that Cllr. R Shepherd had covered everything, but that in Wells
there was the addition of marine crime.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
7
15 October 2014
12:41 pm Mr E Seward left the meeting
Members agreed to support the comments made by Cllr. R Shepherd with the addition
of the points raised in the meeting.
58.
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY UPDATE
The Chairman brought an issue arising from the last Audit Committee meeting to
Members attention and explained that the Audit Committee had made a reference that
the Overview and Scrutiny Committee were monitoring the follow-up to the Planning
Peer Challenge. The Chairman suggested that a report was obtained and that the
matter was added to the Work Programme as soon as practicable.
The Members agreed to support this decision.
Mrs V Gay said that Cllr. E Seward had asked that Members considered looking at the
Organisational Structure of the Council – specifically empty posts and changes to posts
and that this was also added to the Work Programme.
The Members agreed to support this suggestion.
Mr P Terrington informed the Committee that the Corporate Director‟s (SB) Energy
Strategy would be coming to the November meeting.
The Chairman then raised the issue around the recording of meetings and whether
Members intended to have a master copy recording of any meetings.
Mrs V Gay responded by saying that the issue of recording had been discussed at the
Constitution Working Party meeting and that the committee had agreed to recommend
that all public meetings were recorded to Full Council.
Mr P Terrington asked whether District Councils were afforded the same protection as
Parliamentary Privilege. The Corporate Director replied that they were not but that legal
advice could be obtained.
The Committee agreed to support the Constitution Working Party‟s recommendation to
Full Council regarding the recording of all meetings.
The Corporate Director addressed the Committee by stating some clarifications in the
Work Programme. He commented that the customer services update would be included
in the Business Transformation Plan with the next report due in December and that it
would come to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting after being reviewed by
Cabinet.
The Corporate Director added that the review of the Health Strategy would come to
Committee for debate December 2014/ January 2015.
The Chairman advised Members to consider establishing task groups to cope with the
workload and that this would be something to consider at the next meeting.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
8
15 October 2014
The meeting concluded at 12.55 pm
__________________
Chairman
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
9
15 October 2014
Appendix A
Ourmission…
Our aim is to raise the profile of North Norfolk and its businesses and make it one of the most popular year‐round destinations for a holiday or short break in the UK. We aspire to grow the number of people aware of and visiting the area, lengthen their stays, encourage greater spend and increase repeat visits.
Buildingawarenessofand
desireforNorthNorfolk
Challengeone
Thechallengesand
opportunities…
Countdownon
publicsectorfunding…
Opportunityone
Challengetwo
Puttingbusinessesattheheartof
marketingdecisionswillmakeforthemost
effectivemarketingactivity.
Lackofawareness…
Action:AVNNmarketingpanel,formedof
keyNorthNorfolkbusinessleaders,now
meetsbi‐monthlytodirectandlead
marketingactivity.
10
Opportunitytwo
Challengethree
Thisisagoodplacetobe.Ifthe
tourismeconomyishealthy*with
lowawareness,justthinkhowstrong
itcanbecomewhenmorepeople
findoutaboutNorthNorfolk.
Negativeperception:
“windy,flat,cold,wet,boring”…
(VisitNorfolkSWOTResearch2014)
*Worthatotalof£873millionayearand
supportingasmanyas17,800jobs
(TourismEconomicImpact2012)
Opportunitythree
Challengefour
Throughengagingandvisual
marketingactivity(filmsand
imagery)wecanchangethese
perceptions,engageinterestand
inspirepeopletoinvestigateand
visitNorthNorfolk.
Competingwith
establisheddestination‘brands’…
11
Opportunityfour
Weareaheadofotherdestinations
intermsofplanstobeprivatesector
led.Also,wewillbethenewplaceto
discoverwhenvisitorstireoftheir
regularhaunt.
Thepositives…
Beautifulandcontrasting
landscapes…
Richin…
Heritage…
12
Dynamicculture&events
(whichareontheincrease)…
Uniquefood&drinkoffering…
Variedand
exclusiveshopping…
Luxury(ofallkinds)…
Wildlife…
13
Increasingnumberof
qualitybusinessesand
potentialtogrowVNN
membership
Yearround
destination
(2,500tourismbusinesses)
Vast
untappedmarket
Most
appealingarea
ofNorfolk
14
What’son
theagenda?
ContinuetogrowVNN
membershipviaanattract
ratherthansalesapproach
Continuetobuild
unique,engaging
andinspirational
websitecontent
Continuewithyear‐round
nationalandinternational
PRactivity
(afterall,itisNorthNorfolk’sshopwindow
fortheworldtosee)
YTDvalue:£700,000+
Ambitious2015year‐long
marketingcampaign…
Continuetogrowsocialmedia
presence,audienceand
conversation
#YEAROFDISCOVERY
(Facebook,Twitter,Instagram,
Pinterest,Google+)
12films…oneyear…onedestination
15
Sharingistheonlineversion
of‘wordofmouth’
Agreatexample…
share
remember
dream
visit
research
book
Notannormaltacticaltourism
marketingcampaignsoonforgotten
Thankyou
Rather…
and…
Anongoingmarketingmovementto
raisetheprofileofanddesirefor
NorthNorfolk
Startsharingyourexperiences!
16
Appendix B
Enjoy the Broads
The Broads
Bruce Hanson MA
 The only area with National Park status in Eastern region
 The UK’s only National Park status wetland
Greening the Broads
North Norfolk
District Council
October 2014
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
First UK National Park
to disappear under
the waves?
What is “The Broads”?
200 Kilometres navigable waterways
6 Rivers
63 Broads (shallow lakes)
303 Square Kilometres
300 Kilometres of footpaths
Highest Point only 12 metres
– large areas below sea level
The Broads
Seriously at risk from Climate Change!
Nature Capital UK
Special Status
International Designations Include:
Broadland ‘Ramsar’ Site
2 Special Protection Areas
3 Special Areas of Conservation
9 National Nature Reserves
28 Sites of Special Scientific Interest
26% of all rare species – in just 0.4% of the UK
17
A uniquely beautiful place
Executive Area
of the
Broads Authority
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Attractions….
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
18
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Mainstream Tourism
Tourism….
Broads area of
influence – map of
area used for
measuring
volume and value
of Broads tourism
Drives the economy of the Broads
Volume and Value of Tourism (STEAM 2013)
 Visitor Numbers:
 Visitor Spend:
8 Million
£568 Million
 Economic Impact:
£786 Million
 Jobs:
9,452 FTE’s
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
19
Managing Tourism
Tourism….
The Broads is a
Fragile Eco-System
In NNDC’s Broads area
 Visitor Numbers:
 Visitor Spend:
2 Million
£178 Million
Needs
Sensitive
Planning &
Management
 Economic Impact:
£297 Million
Sustainable Tourism
 Jobs:
3,699 FTE’s
Strategy &
Action Plan
Volume and Value of Tourism (STEAM 2013)
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Building Partnerships with (and
between) Broads Businesses
Broads Tourism
celebrating its10th anniversary this year
 Uniting industry – across all sectors
 Adopted the Broads Tourism Strategy &
European Charter for Sustainable Tourism
 Regarded by Visit England as the DMO
(Destination Management Organisation)
for the Broads
 Modest income but is supported by BA
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Canoe the Broads
Sustainable Tourism
– treading softly!
“Tourism that takes full
account of its economic,
social and environmental
impacts, addressing the
needs of visitors, the industry,
the environment and host
communities”
World Tourism Organisation and UNEP 2005
Britain’s Magical Waterland
20
Land-based Experiences
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Green Tourism Business Scheme
“Tourism businesses working towards exceeding customer expectations in a responsible manner”
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
21
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Purposes of the Broads Authority
The Broads Authority
General duty of the Broads Authority is to manage
the Broads for the purposes of:
Special Statutory Authority with
status equivalent to a National Park
 conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife
and cultural heritage of the Broads;
Established in 1988 by Parliamentary Statute (the Norfolk
and Suffolk Broads Act), with full planning powers etc., and
began functioning in April 1989.
 promoting opportunities for the understanding and
enjoyment of the special qualities of the Broads by the
public...
All of the other Parks were established under the
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act
of 1949
All Parks share these two purposes – except that....
The Broads Authority is unique – a third purpose:
Sandford Principle – applicable to all the other Parks:
A unique opportunity now exists for the Broads
to capitalise on its National Park status….
 protecting the interests of navigation
– and it must keep the three purposes in balance
"Where irreconcilable conflicts exist between conservation
and public enjoyment, then the conservation interest should
take priority"
BUT (and very important!)….
There will be no changes to the Broads legislation
Adoption of the term ‘National Park’ will apply only to
the name of the area. No changes to legislation will occur
and the name of the Broads Authority will stay the same – it
will not be styled as a ‘National Park Authority’
– it will not be subject to the Sandford test
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
22
The Message is Constant
Tourism
is a
Force for Good
The Broads
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
http://www.economusee.eu
Britain’s Magical Waterland
Britain’s Magical Waterland
http://www.economusee.eu
Britain’s Magical Waterland
23
Appendix C
Norfolk & Suffolk Joint Scrutiny
Feb & March 2013
• Radical redesign of services to find 20%
efficiency savings over 4 years 2012 – 2016.
Scrutiny of Mental Health Services
2013-14
• New Access and Assessment service and more
services delivered in the community.
• Reductions in beds in west Norfolk and Great
Yarmouth and Waveney.
Maureen Orr
Democratic Support and Scrutiny
Team Manager
• 9 recommendations to the mental health Trust,
commissioners and the scrutiny committees
Issues
Consultation since 2013
• Capacity in Access & Assessment
• Great Yarmouth & Waveney – full consultation
with Norfolk & Suffolk joint health scrutiny
finished on 8 October.
• Heavy case loads
• Lack of local beds
• West Norfolk – consultation promised following a
trial period, extended to March 2015.
• High levels of delayed transfers of care
• Central Norfolk – not considered a substantial
variation in service so no formal consultation but
progress updates.
• Staffing concerns
Recent developments
All the mental health info received by health
scrutiny is on the NCC website:Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Cttee
• A downward trend in out of Trust area
placements
• June 2013
• September 2013
• January 2014
• September 2014
• October 2014
Great Yarmouth & Waveney Joint Health Scrutiny
• July 2014
• October 2014
• 10 additional central Norfolk acute beds to
open in November 2014
• Mental health practitioners in the Police
Control Centre to assist Officers
• Commitments to reduce delayed transfers of
care
24
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 28 February 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Cabinet
01 Dec 2014
Energy Strategy
Russell Wright
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Cabinet
01 Dec 2014
Housing Incentives
Scheme
Rhodri Oliver
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Council
17 Dec 2014
Mark Ashwell
Planning Policy &
Property Info
Manager
01263 516325
Cabinet
01 Dec 2014
Enforcement Board
Update
Rhodri Oliver
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Nick Baker
Corporate Director
01263 516221
Cabinet
01 Dec 2014
Rhodri Oliver
Glyn Williams
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Business
Transformation
Update
Sean Kelly
Head of Business
Transformation
01263 516276
Status / additional
comments
November 2014
6 monthly update
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
25
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 28 February 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Cabinet
01 Dec 2014
S106 agreements /
outline planning
permissions
Benjie Cabbell
Manners
Nicola Baker
Head of Planning
01263 5165165
Cabinet
01 Dec 2014
Cabbell Park
Rhodri Oliver
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Cabinet
6 Jan 2015
Health Strategy
John Lee
Nick Baker
Scrutiny
14 Jan 2015
Performance
Management Update
Q3
Tom
FitzPatrick
Helen Thomas
Policy & Performance
Management Officer
01263 516214
Status/comments
January 2015
February 2015
Cabinet
2 Feb 2015
Scrutiny
11 Feb 2015
Cabinet
2 Feb 2015
Scrutiny
11 Feb 2015
Treasury Strategy
2014/15
Wyndham
Northam
Tony Brown
Technical Accountant
01263 516126
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
26
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 28 February 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
2 Feb 2015
Overview & Scrutiny
12 Feb 2015
2014/15 Base Budget
and Projections for
2015/16 to 2017/18
Council
25 Feb 2015
Cabinet
Member(s)
Wyndham
Northam
Corporate Plan
Priority`
Delivering the Vision
Lead Officer
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
27
Appendix D
Citizens’ Advice Bureau’s (CAB’s)
North Norfolk District Council currently provides annual grant funding of £51,310 to Norfolk Citizen’s
Advice Bureau and £15,405 to Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau as a contribution towards the
delivery of their key objectives and core service.
The current annual Grant Agreements (circulated electronically) that the Council has with each
Bureau are due to end on 31st March 2015. The agreements clarify the purpose of the funding, the
expected outputs and outcomes and requirements in relation to financial procedures, publicity,
engagement, communication, data collection, record keeping, monitoring and evaluation.
It is explicitly stated in each agreement that the funding can only be used for the provision of CAB
services that operate in North Norfolk District Council area.
A key purpose of the grant agreement is set up agreed procedures to establish and maintain clear
and effective lines of communication with the Council to improve cross referrals, joint working and
communication on key Council service issues raised with the CABs.
The grant agreements require each CAB to submit a six monthly monitoring report (circulated
electronically) comprising of a range of statistical data in relation to the use of the service, client
profile, nature of advice sought, and information regarding volunteer numbers at each Bureau or
outreach service in North Norfolk.
As a result of restructuring and merging of Bureau’s, there have been significant changes within the
CAB service. In order for Members to gain a greater understanding of the work of the CABs, the
impact of the changes and the contribution the grant from NNDC makes towards the provision of
the CAB services in North Norfolk, representatives from both CABs have been invited to attend
Scrutiny. Each CAB will give a brief presentation about their respective services and then respond to
questions.
Having considered the grant agreements, monitoring reports and customer satisfaction surveys it is
suggested that Members may have questions in relation to:
 Any changes in services being delivered in North Norfolk, either in geographical locations or
types of services provided by each Bureau, in comparison to same monitoring period last
year?
 Changes in type of problems / issues clients have been requiring support with?
 For both Bureaux the vast majority of contacts are from locations where an office (face-toface) service is provided. Does this indicate unmet need in other areas or perhaps that
people are accessing alternative sources of help in those areas?
 Noted from Norfolk CAB monitoring report there has been a significant reduction in
numbers of volunteers in North Walsham and Fakenham. What impact is this having on the
service? Have staff numbers also reduced? Are clients being re-directed to other providers
or asked to travel to Bureau offices outside North Norfolk. How is the impact of reduced
volunteer numbers being addressed?
 Low number of respondents to the client satisfaction survey from Norfolk CAB (Mid Norfolk
CAB currently being compiled). What other methods do the CABs use to seek the views of
and feedback from existing clients regarding quality of service received and whether it
meets need? Is there a user Forum, are members of the public proactively engaged in
shaping service provision?
 Whilst identified as a requirement in the grant agreements, Stakeholder Forums have not
been established. Will these be set up and if not what alternative processes will there be to
ensure partners / funders are proactively engaged with the CABs?
28
Appendix E
Norfolk Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
April – September 2014 Monitoring Report
North Norfolk District Council currently gives an annual grant of £51,310 to Norfolk CAB as a
contribution towards as a contribution to support the delivery of its core service and key objectives
in North Norfolk.
The grant agreement requires Norfolk CAB to provide six monthly monitoring data in relation to CAB
services operating within the North Norfolk District Council area in respect of the following:
The number and type of contacts with clients or on behalf of clients e.g. face to face or telephone.
 Between 1st April and 30th September 2014 Norfolk CAB had direct contact with 1,169 clients
living in North Norfolk. This could be contact by phone, email, letter or face to face.
Client Information
 Numbers represent client contact with Norfolk CAB for each age profile.

Gender of clients – 618 female, 544 male, 7 unknown
29

Ethnicity of clients – predominantly white British

Disability profile of clients - 342 identified themselves as disabled or having a long term
health condition
30

Geographic location of clients – Majority of clients from North Walsham, Fakenham or
Cromer where a bureau or satellite service is located.
•
The nature of advice clients contact Norfolk CAB about identifying hot topics, trends or
changes in type of advice sought or client profile.
Top five issues: Benefits (working & child tax credit, Employment & Support Allowance, Housing
Benefit, Personal Independence Payment, Pension Credit), Debt (Credit, store & charge cards,
Council Tax arrears, Unsecured personal loans, Debt Relief Order), employment, housing, and
consumer issues.
31
•
For each bureau office and outreach service in North Norfolk information is to be provided
regarding the optimum and actual the number of volunteers, numbers of new volunteers
recruited and the number who cease to be a volunteer.
North Walsham
Bureau
Fakenham Bureau
Cromer Outreach
•
Optimum no.
21
Actual no.
12
New volunteers
4
Number left
12
15
2
12
2
2
n/a
2
n/a
The agreement requires that NNDC has Member representation on the Norfolk CAB
Stakeholder Forum.
Cllrs Virginia Gay and Becky Palmer are the designated representatives for Norfolk CAB. NNDC has
been advised that a Stakeholder Forum will not be set up.
The grant agreement also requires Norfolk CAB to send a copy of its annual report and customer
satisfaction survey. These have been received along with a dashboard summary of Norfolk CAB data
for North Norfolk. The number of people completing the customer satisfaction survey is low in
comparison to the number of clients receiving a service – North Walsham - 60 and Fakenham - 20.
Once the monitoring report and supporting documentation is received a meeting is held with
Norfolk CAB to discuss the report, areas of concern, trends, opportunities for joint working and
training as well as compliance with the grant agreement.
32
Appendix F
Mid Norfolk Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
April – September 2014 Monitoring Report
North Norfolk District Council currently gives an annual grant of £15,405 to Mid Norfolk CAB as a
contribution to support the delivery of its core service and key objectives in North Norfolk.
The grant agreement requires Mid Norfolk CAB to provide six monthly monitoring data in relation to
CAB services operating within the North Norfolk District Council area in respect of the following:
The number and type of contacts with clients or on behalf of clients e.g. face to face or telephone.
 Between 1st April and 30th September 2014 Mid Norfolk CAB had direct contact with 288
clients living in North Norfolk. This could be contact by phone, email, letter or face to face.
Client Information
 Numbers represent client contact with Mid Norfolk CAB for each age profile.

Gender of clients –153 female, 131 male, 4 unknown
33

Ethnicity of clients – predominantly white British

Disability profile of clients - 66 identified as disabled or with a long term health condition
34


Geographic location of clients – Majority of clients from Holt where the Bureau is located.
The nature of advice clients contact Mid Norfolk CAB about identifying hot topics, trends or
changes in type of advice sought or client profile. Top five issues benefits, debt, employment,
relationships and housing.
35
•
For each bureau office and outreach service in North Norfolk information is to be provided
regarding the optimum and actual the number of volunteers, numbers of new volunteers
recruited and the number who cease to be a volunteer.
Holt Bureau
•
Optimum no.
9
Actual no.
9
New volunteers
3
Number left
1 retired
The agreement requires that NNDC has Member representation on the Mid Norfolk CAB
Stakeholder Forum.
Cllr David Young is the designated representative for Mid Norfolk CAB. NNDC has been advised that
a Stakeholder Forum will not be set up. However, Cllr Young attends Mid Norfolk CAB Board
meetings.
The grant agreement also requires Mid Norfolk CAB to send a copy of its annual report and customer
satisfaction survey. The annual report has been received and the customer satisfaction survey wil be
available shortly.
Once the monitoring report and supporting information is received a meeting is held with Mid
Norfolk CAB to discuss the report, areas of concern, trends, opportunities for joint working and
training as well as compliance with the grant agreement.
36
Appendix G
37
Hoveton
Lancaster North
Lancaster South
Mundesley
North Walsham East
North Walsham North
North Walsham West
Poppyland
Priory
Roughton
Scottow
Sheringham North
Sheringham South
St Benet
Stalham and Sutton
Suffield Park
The Raynhams
The Runtons
Walsingham
Waterside
Waxham
Wensum
Worstead
Total for 6 months
Total for 12 months
(approx)
7
27
34
16
37
28
18
11
9
10
16
1
2
1
19
17
9
8
7
17
11
10
6
391
3
7
1
8
7
6
7
2
2
0
2
0
0
2
4
6
8
1
4
3
1
1
3
93
1
6
12
11
13
12
15
3
9
6
3
1
0
1
6
12
9
3
8
6
4
4
1
178
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
5
1
16
18
6
13
16
7
1
4
2
1
0
1
0
9
6
7
1
3
8
3
2
5
161
0
5
3
1
4
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
1
2
0
2
0
0
31
1
2
1
2
5
2
6
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
4
2
0
0
2
1
1
2
42
3
6
11
7
12
11
6
1
6
2
1
2
2
2
8
8
5
1
3
3
3
1
0
135
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
10
2
2
8
2
4
6
2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
2
7
4
0
0
4
3
6
3
78
1
5
7
0
8
9
2
2
3
1
1
0
0
0
2
4
4
0
1
1
0
5
2
65
2
2
13
10
10
16
7
3
7
7
7
3
2
1
7
6
7
0
4
11
4
4
4
174
1
0
1
1
2
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
4
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
26
0
2
1
1
1
0
2
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
14
0
4
6
2
6
4
8
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
2
2
0
0
1
1
2
1
50
17
72
91
52
101
92
70
21
34
28
32
7
7
7
46
60
50
13
26
44
26
27
27
1169
782
186
356
0
10
322
62
84
270
20
156
130
348
52
28
100
2338
38
34
144
182
104
202
184
140
42
68
56
64
14
14
14
92
120
100
26
52
88
52
54
54
2338
661
268
159
205
3
6
3
3
3
2
2
7
391
2
9
3
0
3
3
242
3
3
2
323
418
%
2
1
99
5
392
64
8
156
30
6
65
62
8
134
62
6
246
91
7
282
93
8
178
2
2
2
0
1
5
50
1
7
145
1
1
9
1
9
1
3
1
8
%
%
%
1
6
11
1
19
1
294
4
0
4
0
118
6
1
7
1
84
2
0
8
1
150
23
2
11
1
172
12
1
15
1
203
0
0
5
0
161
1
6
1
5
1
4
58
1
69
1
118
1
1
6
1
5
1
7
2
0
%
%
%
44
2
42
2
23
4
1
3
32
4
23
3
11
4
19
4
14
3
61
20
3
19
2
95
1
4
1
2
1
2
31
15
0
3
1
1
37
3
21
2
31
3
42
4
13
4
20
7
13
5
1
2
1
5
1
2
32
7
4
19
8
3
97
9
1
3
39
%
%
56
3
13
2
11
1
85
11
2
52
6
1
73
1
1
1
1
1
0
17
2
28
2
92
13
8
10
1
13
9
2
%
%
10
6
6
219
53
7
104
27
6
84
28
4
108
8
1
0
48
4
156
46
3
185
78
7
65
6
174
1
4
1
3
1
5
65
0
9
37
3
5
102
9
1
4
7
1
2
1
3
1
7
1
4
%
Total for 6 months
Utilities
Travel
Tax
Relationships
Other
Legal
Immigration
Housing
Health
Financial
Employment
Education
Discrimination
%
%
%
Total for 12 months (approx)
%
Norwich
City
Council
South
Norfolk
DC
Breckland
DC
Broadland
DC
Great
Yarmouth
BC
West
Norfolk
North
Norfolk
Norfolk
County
Council
Debt
Consumer
Benefits
Norfolk
CAB
Unique
Clients by
issue
AprilSeptembe
r 2014
Local
Authority
37
2
21
1
38
2
184
1
3682
18
2
20
2
23
3
803
1606
8
2
15
3
21
4
490
980
9
1
12
2
10
1
764
1528
16
1
24
2
37
3
38
3
25
2
30
2
26
2
14
1
50
4
110
5
139
4
116
9
15
2
2
13
1
2
20
9
3
755
8
2210
2788
2338
1511
6
Overview and Scrutiny Annual Review 2013 – 2014
Chairman’s Introduction
This is the tenth report by North Norfolk District Council‟s
Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which gives an overview of
the Committee‟s activities over the past year and its plans for
the future as well as explaining the aims and functions of
Overview and Scrutiny.
This report covers the third year of the Council that was
elected in 2011. The committee continues to play a valuable
role in reviewing and discussing the Council's financial
position and performance. The Committee has continued to
focus on issues of concern to local residents. In particular, the
Committee has looked at such issues as performance of the
East of England Ambulance Service in North Norfolk and the
work of the Police and Crime Commissioner. Regular updates continue to be received
regarding the health strategy and the waste contract.
I should like to thank my Vice Chairman Cllr Norman Smith and Democratic Services
Officers Emma Denny and Tessa Gilder-Smith for their help and support throughout the
year. I would also like to welcome Tessa‟s replacement, Lydia Hall.
My ethos is to encourage full participation. Portfolio Holders are expected to present
reports relating to their responsibilities and residents of the District and representatives
from the town and parish councils are welcome to attend any of the Committee's meetings
so they can learn more about the Council's work and how it is scrutinised. Members of the
public are also entitled to ask questions and make contributions. Several have done so
during our meetings and in fact, interest in the items has been so strong that meetings can
take longer than anticipated.
Councillor Peter Moore
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
40
2013/2014
1. What is Scrutiny?
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is the Council‟s watchdog, ensuring that the
Cabinet is held to account and is carrying out the Council‟s aims as well as getting the
best value for money as a result of its decisions. Originating from the Local
Government Act of 2000 Scrutiny Committees not only keep an eye on the Council but
can also review the work of other bodies such as the Police, our utility providers and
the voluntary sector.
As outlined within the Council‟s Constitution, the Committee‟s terms of reference are
as follows:

To scrutinise and review decisions or other actions taken with respect to nonexecutive functions.

To make reports or recommendations to the Full Council or to the Cabinet about
one or more particular issue(s), service(s) or matter(s), which affects North
Norfolk and its residents. Reports or recommendations may be carried out on
whatever issue, service or matter the Scrutiny Committee thinks fit and may be
carried out on any subject if the Full Council or the Cabinet requests it to do so.

To carry out best value reviews.

To act as the Council‟s Crime and Disorder Committee.

To produce an annual report to Council on the work of the Committee over the
year.

To ensure effective scrutiny of the treasury management strategy and policies.
The remit of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee also includes undertaking policy
review and development, monitoring performance management, promoting community
well-being and improving the quality of life in the District. Scrutiny is Member-led and
independent of political party arrangements. At North Norfolk District Council the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee is chaired by a member of the opposition. Scrutiny is
a function which belongs to, and benefits the whole council.
2. Who gets involved in Scrutiny?
a) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee take a
pro-active role throughout the process, attending pre-Agenda meetings and steering
and scoping the direction of questioning and investigation. They attend, when
appropriate, meetings with relevant officers at other authorities or with other bodies,
and participate in internal and external training.
b) The Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members – Scrutiny is different from other
committees and calls for Members with investigative and creative minds who are
prepared to “do their homework” out of the Council Chamber and to think outside of
the usual committee framework, tailoring the method of review to suit the topic.
c) Cabinet Portfolio Members are always invited to attend meetings of Overview and
Scrutiny which involve their portfolio. The aim is that the Portfolio Member, as well
as the officers, should respond to questions and, where appropriate, introduce the
topic.
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
41
2013/2014
d) All non-Executive Members are invited to attend, to ask questions or to suggest
topics for scrutiny.
e) Officers are involved in a number of ways – those directly involved in supporting the
Scrutiny process and those who are called to make reports to the Committee.
f) Invitees and Witnesses can be called not just from within the Council, but from
partners and utilities providers.
g) The public are always welcome to attend meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee and to suggest areas of public concern that they would like to see
tackled by the Committee. A pro forma to request scrutiny of a topic can be found
on page 6.
3. Overview and Scrutiny Activities
Scrutiny activities include:
a) Scrutiny of Decisions made by Cabinet – Call-ins. The Overview and Scrutiny
Committee can “call in” a decision which has been made by the Cabinet but not yet
implemented. This enables the Committee to consider if the decision is appropriate
and it may recommend that the Cabinet reconsiders the decision.
b) Commenting on Budget Proposals – Budget Monitoring and Draft Budget reports
are cyclical items on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme.
c) Pre - Scrutiny:
 Commenting on and making input into Corporate Priorities
 Contributing to the Development of Draft Policies
 Looking at key agenda items before they go to Cabinet.
Pre – Scrutiny enables greater co-ordination between the Cabinet and Scrutiny
work programmes ensuring Overview and Scrutiny Committee input into key
agenda items, thus reducing the likelihood of Call–ins.
d) Performance Monitoring – this is a regular cyclical item on the work programme.
Performance Monitoring reports are a useful tool in highlighting areas which may
require further investigation. They are equally important for showing areas of the
Council‟s work which are going particularly well!
e) Presentations – the Committee may request presentations from external bodies on
an item of interest. These are usually followed by a question and answer session to
gain a further insight into the chosen subject.
f) Reviews – the Overview and Scrutiny Committee may choose to look at a topic in
depth and over a period of time. This could be undertaken by the whole Committee
or by a Task and Finish Group.
g) Petitions – the Committee considers any petitions received from members of the
public. These can be submitted electronically or in hard copy
4. The work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2013 - 2014
There have been a number of areas of work carried out by the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee over the year:





Holding the Cabinet to account
Budget monitoring
Pre-scrutiny
Review work
Petitions
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
42
2013/2014
Minutes and reports of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings can be found
on the Council‟s website via the link below:
http://www.northnorfolk.org/apps/committees/default.asp?pathh=Scrutiny%20Committee
a) Call-in
The Committee did not call-in any Cabinet decisions during 2013/14. However, they
were proactive in requesting consideration of Cabinet reports that were not
scheduled to go to Scrutiny. The Car Parking Review came before the Overview
and Scrutiny Committee in January 2014 at their request.
b) Budget Monitoring
Budget Monitoring reports were received in September and November 2013 and
February and March 2014. Reports have also been received on the Base Budget,
Final Accounts, Treasury Management and Debt Management. The Financial
Strategy was also considered by Scrutiny.
c) Pre-scrutiny
Pre-scrutiny in the year 2013/14 has included the review of CCTV across the
District. This was considered by the Committee in September 2013 before going to
Cabinet in October 2013. Representatives from the town councils and members of
the public attended the meeting to express their opinions and ask questions.
d) Review work
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee has continued to review specific areas of
service provision within the Council. Regular updates have been received on the
waste contract, the Big Society Fund, the work of the Enforcement Board and the
Council‟s health strategy.
e) Petitions
One petition was received relating to fracking within the District. As this was being
covered by the Council‟s new Energy Strategy, the petition organisers were
contacted and invited to attend the meeting when the strategy was being
considered by the Committee.
5. Successes and challenges
During 2013-14, the Committee received several presentations on topics of interest to
them. These included the ambulance service, the North Norfolk Clinical
Commissioning Group, domiciliary care (the Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support Group)
and the Norfolk Association of Local Councils. The Police and Crime Commissioner
has attended the committee twice to respond to questions and to update them on the
work of his team. These sessions were well attended by Members and enabled the
Committee to ask some probing questions. It is anticipated that the regular updates
will be received during 2014/15 on the work of the PCC and the Committee are keen
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
43
2013/2014
to have an input into the future priorities and direction of the Police and Crime
Commissioner‟s work.
In October and November 2013, the Committee held their meetings at an external
venue. It is hoped that further sessions away from the Council Chamber will take place
during 2014/15 – with a visit to the Ambulance Hub in Hellesdon scheduled for early
2015 and a visit to a local Passivhaus scheme planned before the election in May
2015.
Challenges for 2014/15 include:



Focussing on topics of interest to residents of the District. The committee is
keen to look at housing provision across the district more closely – with a
particular focus on affordable housing and energy-efficient housing. It is
anticipated that a special „Housing Scrutiny‟ meeting will be held to consider
these topics.
Continuing to monitor performance against the Annual Action Plan.
Continuing to review areas of interest to committee members and local
residents including tourism, leisure and renewable energy. A review of local
services such as the Citizen‟s Advice Bureau – and the level of provision
offered to residents will also be undertaken.
6. Members of the Committee 2013 – 2014
Councillors: Eric Seward – Chairman until November 2013
Peter Moore – Chairman from December 2013
Norman Smith – Vice-Chairman
Annie Claussen-Reynolds, Virginia Gay, Ann Green, Benjamin Jarvis, Barbara
McGoun, John Perry-Warnes, Roy Reynolds, Richard Shepherd, Peter Terrington,
7. How to get in touch with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Members of the public wishing to find out more about the scrutiny process are
requested to contact Democratic Services at democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
If you have any topic suggestions for scrutiny please use the form attached at the end
of this document.
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
44
2013/2014
If you would like this document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative
format or in a different language please contact democraticservices@northnorfolk.gov.uk
Request form to raise an item for Scrutiny Review
Councillors should be asked to carry out the following scrutiny review:
Please give your reasons (continue on a separate sheet if necessary)
Name:
Address:
Daytime Tel No
Email:
Signature
Date
Please return this form to Democratic Services, Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer,
NR27 9JW
Tel 01263 516047
Email: democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Scrutiny Handbook and Annual Report
45
2013/2014
Sports and Leisure Services Update
Sports and Leisure Facilities
The Council‟s six sports and leisure facilities, Fakenham Sports and Fitness, Splash Leisure
and Fitness, Victory Swim and Fitness, Cromer, North Walsham and Stalham Sports
Centres had another good year in 2013/14. They surpassed the annual participation target
by over 19,000 achieving 549,449 visits, the second highest figure on record and an
increase of nearly 5,000 on last year. The current year is also going very well and those
facilities are currently over 4,000 visits ahead of the 2014/15 target.
Visitor Figures 2013/14
Facility
Fakenham Sports and Fitness Centre
Splash Leisure and Fitness Centre
Victory Swim and Fitness Centre
Cromer Sports Centre
North Walsham Centre
Stalham Sports Centre
Mobile Gym
Cromer Tennis Club
Total
Visitors
99,327
159,880
199,481
21,210
30,948
17,738
6,540
14,325
549,449
Increase
+4%
+3%
+5%
-15%
+10%
-20%
-18%
+3%
+1%
The main challenge lying ahead is both at Stalham and Cromer Sports Centres. Work has
now commenced to raise the profile of both facilities, to work smarter in order to market to
the their target demographic utilising Sports England‟s market segmentation data and deliver
activities that we know there will be demand for.
Work has continued regarding the current User Agreements at the three dual use sports
centres. North Walsham was agreed and dated at 1 April 2014. The Cromer agreement has
been signed and dated for 1 September 2014, and the Stalham agreement has been rewritten - to be agreed imminently. We have now completed the staff restructure at the three
dual use sports facilities. This will enable the Council to better focus on raising the profile of
the facilities in order to bring additional customers to the facilities.
The Council has agreed a five year extension for the leisure management contract with
„Places for People‟ and a £100,000 reduction in the annual management fee.
Mobile Gym
The Mobile Gym project was first set up in 2005 following a successful bid to Sport England
under the “Active England” programme. The project was one of many that would be used to
try out new innovative solutions that encourage people to take up sport/physical activity. The
funding was successful due to our approach of tackling rural deprivation in isolated
communities.
The project started with a 7.5 tonnes lorry that was designed to open up into a small gym. It
visited many different villages and small towns that do not have access to sports facilities.
However, the project was so successful that it “out-grew” use of the vehicle and our delivery
46
evolved to utilising village halls, which provided greater resilience and additional activities for
the participants. The project saw a total throughput of 49,569 visits since 2005!
The Council worked to support local communities to help them set up their own community
gym that is self-sustainable leaving a lasting legacy. We have built capacity and within those
groups so that they could apply to „Awards for All‟ for funding to set themselves up, and to
date we have now set up seven community gyms that are all still operating successfully. A
great example of increasing and strengthening social capital within a local community
The remaining funding for the Mobile Gym came to an end in March 2014, and the project
has been superseded by the „Sport Clubs and Hubs‟ project.
‘Sports Clubs and Hubs’ Project
The Council has secured £211,512 of National Lottery funding from Sport England‟s
„Community Sport Activation Fund‟. The funding will deliver a project called „Sports Clubs
and Hubs‟ across the district over a period of three years.
There were well over 200 applications nationally, and NNDC is among 88 projects to receive
a share of £15 million of funding to support grassroots sport activity across the country.
Funding for the three-year long „Sports Clubs and Hubs‟ project will enable NNDC to deliver
a range of sporting and exercise activities, designed to encourage those, particularly the
older and younger age groups, who currently have difficulty gaining regular access to sports
facilities. The project aims to build on the work the council has already delivered through its
highly successful mobile gym service.
We have received partnership funding from Active Norfolk (£10,000 each year) and Places
for People (£18,000 in kind – achieved via reduction in facility hire).
Emphasis of the project has been to design the programme to enable participants to access
the right activity at the right time in the right place.
Activity will take place at a variety of venues including: schools, sports/leisure facilities and
community settings, (e.g. village halls), and the Council aims to make these activities selfsupporting in the longer term, something that has already been achieved with a number of
„community gyms‟ in the district, building local capacity within those communities, providing
training to enable them to deliver activities themselves, leaving a lifelong legacy.
The targets are:
o
o
o
2,022 more people participating in sport/physical activity
10 new sports clubs for people aged 14 – 25 years
6 new community hubs
Phase one of the activities will commence in January 2015, focusing on the central area
(Holt, Sheringham and Cromer) of the district. This will enable more people to have more
choice of activities, and so further increase participation in sport. Phase two will be in the
East followed by phase three in the West of the district.
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Leisure Facilities Strategy
Work has commenced to produce a Leisure Facilities Strategy for North Norfolk. A leisure
strategy is a document which will provide evidence to help make informed decisions and
plan for indoor sport and recreation within North Norfolk, particularly in relation to indoor
sports halls, swimming pools, squash courts, indoor bowls, and health and fitness facilities.
The report will consider the quantity, quality and accessibility of current provision so that
recommendations and actions are understood and justified. This co-ordinated picture of
provision will enable identification and prioritisation of strategic facility needs to support
national, regional and local ambitions for sport and physical activity, particularly those
relevant to increasing physical activity levels, and support North Norfolk‟s „Sports and Active
Leisure Strategy‟ (2010 – 2015).
To deliver this clear spatial vision for leisure facilities in the District, the Strategy will:
• Examine the current supply of leisure facilities in the District (taking into account
public, commercial and dual use facilities)
• Compare this to the on-going demand for facilities (based on the latest population
projections and a nationally recognised modelling tool)
• Identify gaps in current and future provision
• Assess the quality, suitability and efficiency of existing leisure facilities
It is important to note that a Strategy will not necessarily be an investment programme. A
Strategy will be created to provide the overall decision making framework for potential future
investment in the Council‟s leisure facilities over the coming five to ten years, and so any
future capital leisure facility projects that are identified would be justified and part funded
through Sport England investment.
A project group has been set up that includes representation from Tourism, Planning, Public
Health, Sports and Leisure, Active Norfolk and Assets. A procurement process was followed
to acquire a consultant to undertake the work. The preferred consultancy was 'Neil Allen
Associates' (NAA). NAA were also successful in securing the same work at both The
Greater Norwich Partnership, and Great Yarmouth Borough Council both of which include
neighbouring authorities to North Norfolk.
NAA has now commenced their audit of indoor facilities, including visits to Splash Leisure
and Fitness Centre, Pinewoods Leisure and Cromer Sports Centre.
Stakeholder meetings have been set up on 25, 26 and 27 November at North Walsham,
Cromer and Fakenham respectively. Relevant stakeholders will be invited to this meeting,
which will allow NAA to present their initial findings, and ask for feedback to further inform
their work. The end date for completion of the Strategy is 6 April 2015.
48
Health & Fitness Roadshow
North Norfolk District Council embarked on a „Health and Fitness Roadshow‟ pilot project
involving 15 schools between April and July 2014. The Roadshow comprised of a five week
programme aimed at children at key stage 2 (7 – 11 year olds). There were various
classroom (theory) and playground (practical) sessions teaching them about how the body
works including, the heart and lungs, food and nutrition, playground games and lifestyles.
The children were given a bleep test fitness assessment at week one and on the final week,
to gauge whether there had been any improvement. The children were encouraged to
complete out of school activities and record them. They were offered an incentive of a free
swim if they achieved at least 10 out of school activities within the five week period.
There were 410 children participating, comprising of 208 boys and 202 girls. Two children
had a physical disability and 13 had a learning difficulty.









All of the children improved their bleep test score.
All children took part in extracurricular activities during the five week period
29.5% completed 10 extracurricular activities
22% completed 10 – 20 extracurricular activities
48.5% completed 20+ extracurricular activities
37% of their family also participated in their activities
69% would like to participate again
78% enjoyed the programme
79% of the children said they would continue exercising
The Council also received some informal verbal feedback whilst at the schools, and one of
the Head Teachers reported that a pupil said:
"Monday was the best day of my life because the Health and Fitness Roadshow came to
Colby School!"
Fit Together Walks
This project continues to deliver great results with over 2,400 registered members walking
on 385 walks per year. Each month a total of over 600 people benefit from lead-walks across
the district, by a large group of over 40 volunteers, all giving their time for free.
This project continues to be coordinated by Active Norfolk which has set up the North
Norfolk walks programme as a Community Interest Company in order to accept donations
and apply for further external funding in order to make the project sustainable in the longer
term.
Active Norfolk ‘Fun and Fit’ project
Fun and Fit Norfolk is a project being coordinated by Active Norfolk, after a successful
application to Sport England‟s „Get Healthy, Get Into Sport‟ fund in April 2013, resulting in a
£450,000 award, with further contributions from Norfolk County Council's Public Health and
Community Services departments. The grant was made to support a three year research
project, being delivered in partnership with UEA, looking at the methods of recruiting and
engaging inactive people into sport and physical activity. The project has been delivered
49
through a phased approach, with North Norfolk offering the free 10 week courses available
to the public from June 2014.
One phase of delivery has taken place in North Norfolk, with the second phase commencing
on 6th October. A total of 13 courses in the District have been delivered with a total of 61
inactive participants being recruited (these numbers are subject to change, with booking still
being taken at time of submission). Activities on offer have included Golf in Mundesley,
Tennis at Wells, Exercise Classes at Fakenham Medical Practice, Yoga in Cromer, Bowls
and Yoga in North Walsham. Active Norfolk are looking to grow provision from the local
authority facilities in the next phase, beginning Jan 2015.
Parkrun
The Council continues to support the parkrun based at Sheringham Park. Parkrun is a noncompetitive weekly 5K off road run available for all. This project was set up in partnership
with Active Norfolk, parkrun UK, The National Trust and North Norfolk Beach Runners.
Numbers continue to grow with a total over 1075 registered runners averaging over 100
participants each week. There have been over 10,000 runs completed, 50,000km covered
with over 2,000 individual runners taking part! The Council is now looking at the possibility of
another parkrun at Bacton Woods.
Pedal Norfolk
The Council once again supported „Pedal Norfolk‟, a cycling event held over three days in
May based at Holkham Hall. This year‟s event was a massive success with over 1,000
cyclists taking part (more than three times the amount in 2013), and provided an opportunity
for the Council to further promote our sports and leisure facilities who were in attendance
over the weekend.
Beaches
The Council‟s four Blue Flag beaches (Sheringham, Cromer, Mundesley and Sea Palling)
have again been awarded Blue Flag status for 2014. Many beaches across the UK have lost
their Blue Flag award due to a new water bathing directive being administered by DEFRA,
making it considerably more difficult to achieve this European award. East Runton beach
was also awarded the Seaside Award for 2014.
Inspections of the Blue Flag beaches are undertaken by „Keep Britain Tidy‟ each year, and
this year the Council received an exceptional report stating that the beaches and
promenades were their cleanest ever, and this is despite the considerable damage caused
by the storm surge in December 2013.
The Council in partnership with the RNLI has this year provided additional Lifeguards at
Sheringham East and Wells-next-the-Sea, at no additional cost to the Council. The Wells
Lifeguard service has been provided in partnership with the Holkham Estate for the first time,
as a pilot. The number of incidents at Wells has been very high demonstrating that there is a
real demand for this service to be provided on an ongoing basis. Therefore it has now been
agreed to provide Lifeguards at Wells beach indefinitely.
Pier Pavilion Theatre
2013/14 continued to be a very challenging year for all theatres across the country. Over the
full year there was a drop of 18% in visitors to the Theatre compared to 2012/13. Reasons
for this are change of Theatre Manager, a hot summer in 2013, the storm surge in December
(resulting in the Theatre closing for four days) plus the continuing difficult financial climate.
50
The rising cost of fuel was also a significant factor in the fall of visitors, resulting in coach
companies finding it less economically viable to bring large groups to the Theatre.
For the 2014 summer season, the Council‟s operator „Openwide Coastal‟ has resorted back
to more traditional end of Pier show, plus employed a new Marketing Manager, targeting its
core audience. Both have made a real difference and this year‟s Summer Show has seen
7.7% (from 27,464 to 29,142) more visitors than in 2013. Feedback from the Show has been
excellent with customers reporting a big improvement on last year.
Parks and Countryside
Green Flag Awards
Green Flag Awards for Sadler‟s Wood, Holt Country Park and Pretty Corner Woods were
retained. Holt Country Park has now retained the award for 10 consecutive years.
Events
The Countryside and Parks Team hold events each year at Woodlands Open Spaces and
Beaches. The events help support the blue and green flag awards process and are of a
recreational and educational nature. In 2014 the target number of events was 40 but 45 will
be delivered by the year end. The target participation level was set at 3,500 and this has
already been exceeded by 300.
Notable recent events are as follows:
21st August – Pretty Corner woods Summer Fair
This event, largely funded by the Woodlands Trust, included a variety of activities and was
staged in conjunction with the Woodland Trust and attracted in excess of 1400 people. It
was the third year that this event was held and this year the number of people attending the
event was the largest ever.
7th August – Holt Country Park Fun Day Out.
This event was held in collaboration the Sports Centre Team and was held for the second
year. A variety of sports and fitness related activities were on offer together with wild life
activities and a bouncy castle.
Other worthy events of note are the Father Christmas Trail 2013, which had 462 visitors at
Bacton Woods plus another 624 at Holt Country park. The 2014 Halloween Trail attracted
220 young people.
The successes of all the events are largely due to the innovative approach taken by the
team, plus they are very affordable, making those socially deprived
Playgrounds
The Council owns a number of play areas containing traditional equipment, some of which
were approaching the end of their useful economic life. As part of the 2013/14 budget setting
process a capital bid of £100,000 was requested in order to address those playgrounds and
equipment which were in the poorest condition.
The procurement process resulted in the council achieving very good value for money and
the company selected to provide the equipment was Hags SMP. Renosteel Construction
51
installed the equipment and the schemes are now practically complete. The play areas that
received new equipment were at Acorn Road North Walsham, Cromer Road Sheringham,
Suffield Park and The Meadow Cromer.
Thwaite Common
Thwaite Common consists of about 20 hectares of grassland in the parish of Alby with
Thwaite. The grassland includes wet and dry areas and provides a good habitat for native
flora and fauna. The common is particularly noted for its wild flowers especially orchids
which have benefited from generations of grazing by livestock.
In order for the common to be grazed properly it needs to be fenced. After years of decline,
part of the common was fenced in 2008 and grazing could proceed. This has resulted in a
noticeable increase in the quantity and diversity of wild flowers.
The rules governing the common would not allow the rest of the common to be fenced
without approval from the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Following consultation with the local community, support for fencing other parts of the
common could be demonstrated and on 7th July Cabinet resolved that an application be
made to Defra for additional fencing. This application is being drafted by the council‟s
Solicitor and it is envisaged that it will be submitted towards the end of the year enabling a
decision to be made in the spring in readiness for next year‟s grazing season.
Pretty Corner Partnership
Partnership working between North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) and the Woodland Trust
(WT) has been in place now for about 5 years. In 2013 NNDC Rangers carried out estates
management work under contract from WT and the contract value was about £5,000. The
contract was renewed in 2014 and works for this year are now complete. This is a modest
but useful source of income and it is likely the contract will be renewed again in 2015 at an
increased value.
Biodiversity
The management of our woodlands and „countryside sites‟ seeks to reach a sustainable
balance between recreation, income generation and biodiversity.
Holt Country Park is becoming nationally recognised for its wildlife and visitors have been
encountered this year from all over the country visiting especially to see the Silver Washed
Fritillary Butterfly. This large spectacular orange butterfly is very rare and first appeared
about 4 years ago at Holt Country Park. This was one of the first colonies recorded in
Norfolk. In 2014 the numbers of butterflies was quite high and this included a greenish
aberration called valezina. The day flying Broad Bordered Bee Hawk moth made its first
appearance in 2014 and the site continues to be the only location in East Anglia for the
Keeled Skimmer Dragonfly. These biodiversity successes are certainly due to the positive
management that our sites receive.
Challenges Ahead for the Service
Funding is always a challenge. Whilst the new Sport England funded project „Sports Clubs
and Hubs‟ is fantastic news, and we have built in a legacy programme to enable the project
to continue, the challenge is what happens after the three year funding period and the staff
employed thereof.
52
Maintaining a good volunteer base will continue to be a challenge. We have some excellent
examples of utilising a volunteer workforce via the Mobile Gym project and at Holt Country
Park together with the Holt Day Care Centre. However retaining good volunteers is always a
challenge, and so we are investigating a rewards scheme whereby those volunteers can
obtain the training and qualifications that they deserve that may assist in a future career
path.
We have experienced an even greater number of visitors to North Norfolk and especially our
beaches over the past few years. This ultimately places further demands in order to maintain
fantastic clean beaches for people to visit, plus additional work for the RNLI Lifeguard
service. How the Service manages this on existing budgets will be a challenge moving
forward.
Maintaining a high profile will remain a crucial part of our work. Being a discretionary service,
and with Government funding continually diminishing, it is imperative that the Service
continues to demonstrate the real value that sport/leisure/recreation adds to the Councils
wider priorities and overall well-being objectives, in order for the Service to remain
sustainable in the longer term.
53
Update for Overview and Scrutiny on Environmental Health
Background
The Environmental Health service provides a range of functions which are delivered
across a number of teams. Between October 3013 and February 2014 a
restructuring of the Environmental Health Service was undertaken.
The outcomes to be achieved were
 The future structure will be able to meet current service demands and adapt
to future changes; both in terms of workload and the regulatory burdens.
 The balance of management and field officer posts is appropriate to meet
service needs.
 Clarity is provided about the levels that officers are working at and what is
expected at each level, particularly across career graded posts.
 The savings offered in previous budget rounds will be delivered.
The restructuring made some adjustments to the team splits in order to provide
additional resilience and to ensure resource was adequately distributed to reflect
workloads. The Environmental Health structure chart post reorganisation is
attached at Appendix H.
Change to Team Structure
The team structure remains split into five distinct teams. Changes were made to the
responsibilities of some of these teams within the restructuring, the main changes
being:



The health and safety functions were combined with the licensing function and
a new team called Public Protection was created to reflect this. Resource was
transferred from both the Environmental Protection Team and the Commercial
Team. A new post of Licensing Enforcement Officer was created within the
team.
One of the two Team Leader posts was removed from the Commercial Team.
A senior officer post was transferred to Public Protection Team.
The second Team Leader post in the Environmental Protection Team was
deleted from establishment.
Staffing Changes
Prior to the restructuring a number of officers were in seconded posts, where they
had asked to swap teams as part of a previous recruitment exercise; following the
restructure it was possible to make these changes permanent.
The two unsuccessful applicants for the Team Leader posts were offered alternative
posts within the structure. In one case this was accepted and in the other the
individual left the employ of the Council at the end of their notice period.
54
The restructure resulted in a number of recruitment opportunities and these have
resulted in a number of promotions and internal moves across teams.
Separately from the restructure a number of people have left the Council for jobs
elsewhere and these vacancies have been filled through external advert.
The Environmental Services team operated with senior management support
(Environmental Services Manager) two days per week as part of a shared
management arrangement with the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West
Norfolk. At the end of June the Environmental Services Manager left his post with
Kings Lynn and this has not been filled. A paper is currently with CLT proposing a
future structure for the team.
Team Updates
Although the teams operate within one service area the responsibilities are very
different from team to team. I have therefore provided an update on a team by team
basis.
Public Protection Team
The Public Protection Team is responsible for several areas of work:
 Corporate health and Safety for the Council; giving advice and guidance to
CLT, manager and staff on requirements and responsibilities of H&S law
 Health and Safety enforcement for the district; giving advice and guidance to
business and members of the public about the requirements and
responsibilities of H&S law and to enforce where there is non-compliance
 Licensing; processing and issuing licences. The Licenses dealt with by the
team cover all areas of licensable activity and represents a significant
workload for the team.
How the work of the team contributes to corporate objectives,
 The Team contributes by supporting business with regard to health and safety
and licensing.
 Supporting council staff to ensure they are aware of their statutory
responsibilities around health and safety
Impact of Restructuring
• The notice period of the Licensing Manager, who had not been successful in
the Team Manager post, led to some delays in implementing change,
• Recruitment into the vacant posts also caused some lag in changing the
service, this was overcome in a relatively short time period
• Changes in working practice and improvements in customer care have
reduced the backlog of work, dealt with outstanding issues and led to a
significant reduction is complaints from service users,
• The change in perception amongst service users has been from negative to
positive in a very short period of time.
55
Challenges and achievements/successes post reorganisation,
 Recruitment of a full team (achievement & challenge)
 Taking on a new service area with backlog of work and significant negative
feeling and complaints externally (challenge)
 Reducing the backlog of work, reorganising the team with regard to response
to queries and improving the reputation of the team, significant reduction of
complaints (achievement)
 Contribution of Corporate Health and Safety to investigating insurance claims
made against the council has led to an increase in the number of claims the
council is rebutting
Future challenges and how are we tackling them;
 Review of the team work; to ensure that it is correct and efficient.
 Changes to legislation particularly around; Taxi licensing regime, local setting
of fees for Alcohol Licensing, changes to recording of decision to grant a
license requirements.
 Caravan Sites; policy review and
 Ensuring that H&S advice and enforcement is delivered using resources
available, to include the Commercial Team to ensure competencies are
maintained and projects are delivered.
 Maintaining competencies for the team‟s EHP‟s in other EH areas.
Performance Management



The licensing workload is monitored through monthly one to one meetings
with each team member. A number of management performance measures
which were in place are currently being reviewed as they no longer add value
to the management process.
Statutory returns are completed annually in respect of the licensing of
gambling establishments, and premises licensed to sell alcohol.
Annual returns are also completed to the Health and Safety Executive for
„Local Authority intervention and enforcement activity‟ and for any health and
safety prosecutions which may be undertaken in the year.
56
Commercial Team
The team undertakes a range of activities around food, infectious disease and
private water supplies





•
•
•
•
Food hygiene and food safety enforcement for the district
Food Hygiene Inspections to ensure compliance with appropriate legislation
Complaints from customers about food and “practices and premises”
Requests for Service, including;
o queries from outside agencies concerning an NNDC premise e.g. food
sold outside the district but produced here
o Food Alerts and other notifications from the Food Standards Agency
o Provision of export certificates for businesses in our district
o Public Health Education
o Business Support (See below for explanation of business support work
and how this fits into our enforcement role.)
The sampling and inspection work required to support the local shellfish
industry
Health and Safety enforcement for the district (in partnership with the Public
Protection Team); giving advice and guidance to business and members of
the public about the requirements and responsibilities of H&S law and to
enforce where there is non-compliance
Infectious Disease Control; investigation of sporadic cases and outbreaks of
infectious disease potentially associated with the consumption of food, and
Legionnaires disease, in partnership with Public Health England
Private Water Supplies enforcement and advice for the district;
o Sampling and risk assessments in accordance with The Private Water
Supplies Regulations 2009, and associated legislation
o Advice for operators of Private Water Supplies
The provision of Level 2, and bespoke, food hygiene training courses for
businesses in the district
How the work of the team contributes to corporate objectives,
The Commercial Team contributes to the following corporate objectives by
implementing our statutory duties in ways that provide a level playing field for all
businesses in North Norfolk and providing business support (see below for details);


Increase the number of new businesses and support the growth and
expansion of existing businesses
Improve the job prospects of our residents by developing a skilled and
adaptable workforce that is matched to business growth and development
57



Reduce burdens to business by removing unnecessary red tape and
bureaucracy at the local level
Promote a positive image of north Norfolk as a premier visitor destination
Deliver year-on-year improvements in efficiency
What have been the challenges and achievements/successes post reorganisation
• To integrate restructured Team, with 2 new members and a new post, so they
work together in pursuit of the Team‟s objectives while moving to a new office
(Challenge and achievement);
• to attempt to overcome the shortfall in inspection work caused by delays in
the recruitment process (Challenge)
Impact of Restructuring
Although there was limited direct impact for the Commercial Team there was impact
as the secondments that had been in place prior to the restructuring were confirmed
on a permanent basis.
Future challenges and how are we tackling them.
• The completion of the Private Water Supplies Regulations statutory duties in a
timely manner; being tackled by planning a detailed timetable of work over the
coming 5 years, as required by the regulations.
• The introduction of mobile technology to increase the efficiency of officers
carrying out their statutory duties; this will start with food hygiene inspections
initially.
Our approach to business support and the impact the Commercial Team has on;
•
•
tourist industry and
voluntary and community groups who do food
can be summarised as follows;
The Team‟ primary function is to ensure compliance with appropriate legislation and
the primary tool to measure and enforce this compliance is statutory via food hygiene
inspections and follow up work.
However, small and medium sized businesses do not usually retain the expertise
within their companies to know how to both comply with the legislation and produce
safe food without additional assistance. The same points apply equally to Voluntary
organisations, including Community Groups – they have nowhere else to go for
advice and expertise.
58
Specifically, we offer all food businesses advice and assistance about all matter
relating to Food safety and Hygiene including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
advice about how to set up a business safely and how to comply with the
legislation whilst incurring those costs that are necessary and aren‟t
excessive.
advice about the layout of premises,
advice about how to fulfil the requirements
advice about specific processes and whether they are safe,
advice about sampling regimes they may need to follow to validate their
processes
advice about how to improve their food hygiene rating,
advice about how to respond to complaints from customers,
and anything else that a business needs to know, including signposting them
to other people if appropriate
the provision of intensive support for the local shellfish and crab industries
the provision of Level 2, and bespoke, food hygiene training courses for
businesses in the district
This approach has benefits for both parties;
•
•
•
•
•
Compliant businesses make our job easier as formal enforcement action is
resource intensive.
Compliant businesses score highly in the national Food Hygiene Rating
Scheme, which reflects very well on both the businesses and the area in
which they are located. This has important consequences for our tourist
industry.
Businesses are reassured that they are operating on a level playing field – all
businesses are treated in the same way, and we expect them all to operate to
the same standards
Intensive support for the local shellfish and crab industries ensures that this
vital sector is able to prosper without excessive red tape.
Voluntary organisations, including Community Groups, rely on volunteers who
do not want to become bogged down with paperwork but their customers are
often members of vulnerable groups. It is critical, and we do, make sure they
can operate without excessive red tape while providing safe food.
Performance Monitoring

Statutory returns are made to the Food Standards Agency via the LAEMS
(Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring Service) report, an annual
submission of local authority food law enforcement activities. This is an
output, rather than outcome, based system so it lists, for example, numbers of
inspections and sampling visits carried out, but does also include statistics
about compliance levels and space for a narrative description about other
work carried out to support the statutory function.
59





o For example, in 2013 – 2014 The Commercial Team provided advice
and guidance to businesses that enabled them to provide safe food
and comply with legislation. Over 352 requests were received from
businesses and other agencies during the year. We ran 11 level 2 food
hygiene courses. We sent out 140 individual letters as part of our
responses to 5 requests from the FSA.
Internal monitoring is undertaken to measure the proportion of all businesses
that are “broadly compliant” or with food hygiene legislation; the current figure
is 94%.
Internal monitoring checks all businesses that are not broadly compliant to
make sure they are being targeted for enforcement action, or other
assistance, as appropriate.
the Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
o 94.3% of food premises in North Norfolk that are part of the FHRS
have a score of 3 (Generally Satisfactory) or above. We are in the top
quartile in this respect.
An annual return is made to the Drinking Water Inspectorate detailing the
local authority activities in relation to the Private Water Supplies Regulations.
Monthly monitoring takes place of unrated premises in the district; this is to
make sure the team are keeping up to date with new premises inspections.
60
Environmental Protection
The Environmental Protection Team is responsible for implementing a wide range of
legislation covering the following areas of work:











Contaminated Land - Inspection, assessment and remediation
Air Quality – Annual reporting and assessment. Monitoring as required to
meet statutory requirements.
Nuisance – Investigate complaints of noise, odour, insects and light nuisance.
Enviro-crime – Prevention and enforcement work in relation to litter and dog
fouling.
Waste Enforcement – Enforcement and prevention of fly tipping and other
waste related offences.
Housing - private rented sector housing conditions,
Drainage – Supporting Lead Local Flooding Authority (surface water
management) development of SWMPs. Building drainage complaints in
relation to septic tanks and cess pits.
Anti-social behaviour – working as part of multi-agency Operational
partnership to tackle and reduce ASB as well as supporting victims across
North Norfolk
Pest Control/enforcement – Enforce against pest infestations and undertake
commercial contract work and bird proofing service.
Lost and Found Dogs – Collection of stray dogs
Planning and Licensing comments – Comments on planning and licensing
applications to ensure public health and environment are protected.
How the work of the team contributes contribute to corporate objectives
 Jobs and local economy
o Assisting and supporting new and existing businesses to ensure they
are complaint with any environmental legislation, through informal
advice and guidance.
o Working better with cross service initiatives to ensure Council wide
approach and they are not burdened with unnecessary red tape and
bureaucracy.
 Housing and Infrastructure
o Support the work of enforcement board in using statutory powers to
bring empty homes back into use.
o Ensuring private rented sector housing is suitable and fit for habitation.
 Coast, Countryside and built heritage
o Support both green and blue flag applications and criteria through
prevention, signage and enforcement associated with litter and dog
fouling.
o Meeting corporate timescales for fly-tipping reports and following up all
cases where there is evidence to take forward enforcement action.
Also working with local landowners in relation to prevention of fly
tipping at hotspots on private land
61


Localism
o Promote and deliver and support the Community dog wardens in
parishes across North Norfolk where there is a local demand and
willingness.
Delivering the vision
o Undertaking mobile trial for food safety inspections
o Undertake business process review of nuisance procedure (high
volume workload) to ensure this is effective for both customers and
officers.
Challenges and achievements post reorganisation



Challenges around staffing, uncertainty surrounding unsuccessful candidate
from Team Leader role and future role in the team. Recruitment to achieve full
team structure.
Personally management of a team of 11 officers and 2 recruitment process in
quick succession has been challenging and has led to the team needing to
time to settle in. This was particularly challenging during the summer months
which are the team busiest.
Increased workload across the summer months including elevated number of
phone calls and emails.
Impact of Restructuring
•
•
The notice period of the Environmental Protection Team Leader, who had not
been successful in their application for the Team Manager post, led to some
delays in implementing change. This was compounded by the subsequent
move of the individual into the role of Empty Homes Manager for the Council.
The work of the team has largely been unaffected by the restructuring
although the recruitment of two members of staff has provided an opportunity
to adjust the balance of Officers and Senior Officers across the team.
Future challenges





Introduction the changes in Antisocial Behaviour legislation introduced
through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 – this
legislation introduces a number of new or consolidated powers for Local
Authorities and the Police. A Norfolk wide approach is being developed and
this will be the subject of a separate briefing note to Memebrs in due course
Community dog wardens; maximising the benefit of the scheme and targeting
hot spot areas to improve the local environment
Supporting the work of the Enforcement Board
Reviews of the work of the team - ensuing processes are correct and as
efficient as they can be.
Managing the change process that will come from Business Transformation
Programme.
62
Performance Monitoring
The Team undertakes a wide range of activity, workload and performance of
individual officers is monitored and managed through monthly one to one meetings
with team members.

The team reports on the council‟s response time to fly-tipping via the annual
action plan indicator. This indicator reflects both the response of the team and
that of Kier as the Waste and Cleansing contractor to fly-tipping incidents.

Reporting on the 2 working days target response time to fly-tipping and all
other pollution complaints is provided on a monthly cumulative basis.

The number of pollution enforcement interventions is reported quarterly on a
cumulative basis. This relates to activities such as prosecutions taken, fixed
penalty notices, simple cautions issued and warning letters sent.

The numbers of fixed penalty notices issued are also reported on a quarterly
cumulative basis. Fixed Penalty Notices would only be issued where there
was sufficient evidence to proceed to a prosecution but, for less serious
offences, the offender has the opportunity to discharge their liability for the
offence through the payment of a fine e.g. littering and dog fouling.

Quarterly statistics are submitted to the Norfolk County Community Safety
Partnership about the number of environmental based ASB issues within the
district.

Annual data on number of noise complaints and the interventions used are
returned to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

The team regulate, by permit, certain types of industrial processes to reduce
any pollution they may cause. Annual data on number of inspections and
complaints for „permitted processes‟ is submitted to the Department for
Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
A number of management indicators are used to monitor performance but are not
reported outside of the team. These include:
 Responses to planning application consultations against 10 and 21 day
targets.
 The percentage of licensing consultations responded to within a 21 day target.
 Monitoring the length of time it takes to close certain case with the aim of
reducing this this by a percentage year on year.
 Assisted Burials - percentage of funerals completed within 1 month
 Percentage of Environmental Permits inspections completed.
The performance measures undertaken are currently being reviewed to ensure that
they are appropriate and enable continuous improvement of the service area.
63
Civil Contingencies Team
The team‟s focus is on disruptive events; preparing and planning for them,
responding during an event and recovery to a new normality after the event. This is
done by:
• Corporate Business Continuity for the Council; giving advice and guidance to
CLT, managers and staff on requirements and responsibilities.
• District wide emergency planning for any LA required emergency event
• External business continuity, helping to support and grow local businesses to
help them be sustainable.
• Community resilience, helping communities to help themselves when faced
with incidents locally
What have been the challenges and achievements/successes post reorganisation,
•
•
•
•
•
recovery from the tidal surge and other major incidents such as the Pave
Hawk Helicopter crash, Fakenham town centre fire
flood support process, surgeries, grant application support.
Review and update all relevant plans
Obtained new rest centre equipment.
The Safety Advisory Group, which acts as a one stop advice shop for event
organisers, has moved from the Licensing Team into Civil Contingencies
Team. This will increase the workload for the team, although improvements in
process and engagement will address this.
Impact of Restructuring
•
•
This team was not significantly affected by the restructuring and there has
been no significant impact on the work of the team caused by the
restructuring, it is anticipated that the cross team working currently being
developed will increase the services resilience in the future and place it in a
strong position to respond to emergency events.
The chairmanship and administration of the Council‟s Safety Advisory Group
has transferred from Licensing into the Civil Contingencies Team.
Future challenges
• Continue with Community Engagement- on going community events
• Extended training for emergency response staff – additional training and
exercises for staff who have volunteered to undertake additional roles during
a disruptive event
• Completing the flood grant process- on going support for meetings and visits
• Continue review of emergency plans and exercising and testing of the plans
to validate them
• Ensuring business continuity is embedded across the Council and that
disaster recovery and work action recovery sites are in place and fit for
purpose.
64
Performance Monitoring
Performance monitoring predominately relates to the completion of plan review,
testing an exercising against the annual schedule.
Reporting of emergency events, which impact on the North Norfolk District Council
area, or disruptive events or near misses which affect business continuity are
provided through quarterly reports into Performance and Risk Management Board.
Issues affecting the councils ability to respond to disruptive events are reported into
Audit Committee as required.
65
Environmental Services
The team is currently responsible for contracts delivering the following functions on
behalf of the Council:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Waste and recycling collections (domestic and trade)
Processing of recyclable materials
Street cleansing including litter bins
Public convenience cleansing
Office cleaning
Street sign installation
A large part of the work of the team is the management and monitoring of these
corporately critical contracts.
The team also:
• Represent the interests of this Council within the Norfolk Waste Partnership
and joint ventures appropriate to the service.
• Undertake promotion of recycling initiatives to encourage more sustainable
waste management in the district.
• Provide services (commercial and garden waste) which generate a significant
income stream for the Council.
How the work of the team contributes to corporate objectives,
• We work with the contractor to ensure high standards in the cleanliness of the
district. This is directly linked to AAP CA 01.
Challenges and achievements/successes post reorganisation,
• Launching new recycling service and reputational issues with associated
removal of bottle banks.
• Staff shortages due to turnover and sickness absence.
• Contractor performance due to multiple internal management changes.
Impact of Restructuring
• This team was not affected by the restructuring and consequently there was
no impact caused on the work of the team. The subsequent departure of the
Environmental Services Manager, long term absence and a vacancy at
Technical Officer level has cause some pressure in the team. Despite this,
proactive contract monitoring was undertaken across the summer at a high
level and management of the contract resulted in swift resolution of the
majority of reputationally important issues. Work is underway to look at
appropriate structures to enhance the team within current budgetary
constraints following the departure of the Environmental Services Manager.
66
Future challenges
• Continuing promotion of new recycling service to ensure maximum take-up
and value from new contract.
• Rationalisation of broads boat waste facilities – working with the Norfolk
Waste Partnership and Broads Authority to ensure services are provided in
the right locations and used by the right people.
• Improving contractor performance through robust contract management.
• Cost savings – working with contractors and partners to identify ways to make
savings or generate additional income.
Performance Monitoring
As with other teams individual team member performance is monitored and
measured through individual monthly one to ones.
On a quarterly basis data is submitted to Waste Data Flow which is the web based
system for municipal waste data reporting by UK local authorities to government.
This provides comprehensive about the waste collected and where it where it goes.
The number of defaults issued to the waste and related services contractor for
cleanliness are monitored and reported into the Management Scorecard on a
monthly cumulative basis. Rectifications issued are also monitored and reported in a
similar way.
A range of other indicators are also monitored and recorded through the corporate
performance system. These include:
 The percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting.
 The percentage and tonnage of household waste which is recycled or
composted is reported quarterly and annually.
 The tonnage of residual household waste is reported quarterly and annually.
 The number of customers using the Garden Waste service annually at the 1 st
October.
 The peak number of trade waste customers who recycle is reported on an
annual basis.
A range of performance indicators are supplied monthly from Kier. These look at the
level of Kiers performance against set targets such as the number of missed
collections per hundred thousand properties, number of assisted collections missed,
the number of bulky collections collected within a certain time. This data is used to
discuss performance improvement or identify areas of service concern with Kier.
Work is currently being undertaken to include some of the appropriate performance
data provided by Kier into the Management Scorecard Data.
Environmental Health Wide
In February the entire Environmental Health Service moved into the office space
downstairs from its previous location on the first floor. This move necessitated
significant review and reduction of filing and storage requirements along with a
number of changes to the seating arrangements for teams. The changes were
67
implemented smoothly with the move being undertaken with little or no impact on
service delivery.
The Environmental Health service provided considerable support to flood affected
communities following the storm surge in early December 2014. Officers from all
teams assisted in property inspections, waste service provision, advice and support
to affected residents and businesses. After the initial response members of the Civil
Contingencies Team provided on-going support to the affected communities which
continue, albeit on a reducing basis, to today and beyond.
Following the launch of the Flood Support grants, in April 2014, Environmental
Health took on the administration of the grant scheme. Initially this was delivered
through the Civil Contingencies Team but the appointment of a temporary Flood
Support Grant Administrator has provided focussed support to the scheme. To date
there have been 217 applications for grant aid to install flood resilience or resistance
measures to householders or business owners who were flooded in December‟s
storm surge. Businesses have also been able to apply for business support grants to
help cover lost business costs not covered by insurance; this includes properties not
actually flooded but impacted indirectly by the floods.
In addition to the team specific issues there are a number of pieces of work across
the service which will be addressed over the next year.
• The departmental database, M3 by Northgate Information Solutions, which is
used to record and manage all casework, will need to be re-procured as the
contract comes to an end. The functionality provided by the M3 system has
enabled effective case management and monitoring and it will be important
that there is no loss in functionality through the re-procurement f the contract.
• The Enforcement policy and officer authorisations are currently being
reviewed to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and accurately reflect the
changes which occurred as part of the restructuring.
• Community Engagement is at the heart of a number of pieces of work being
developed within team in Environmental Health. Most notable of these are the
Community Dog warden Scheme and Community Resilience, an expansion of
the current Flood Warden scheme. These schemes look to enhance the
Councils capability whilst helping communities to help themselves on issues
which they have identified as being important.
• Business support, described in the Commercial Team update, is also a
feature of other teams who interact with businesses albeit not on such a welldeveloped basis. Over the coming months the business support offering of all
teams will be developed based on the model developed with the Commercial
Team. This will lead to a Business Support toolkit which will cover all areas of
business regulated within Environmental Health and will be promoted through
the work of the Economic Development team and external agencies such as
the Business Forum.
68
Appendix H
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ORGANISATIONAL CHART
HEAD OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH
COMMERCIAL
TEAM MANAGER
PUBLIC
PROTECTION
MANAGER
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
MANAGER
CIVIL
CONTINGENCIES
MANAGER
SENIOR
COMMERCIAL
OFFICER
SENIOR
COMMERCIAL
OFFICER
SENIOR PUBLIC
PROTECTION
OFFICER
LICENSING
ENFORCEMENT
OFFICER
SENIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER
SENIOR
COMMERCIAL
OFFICER
SENIOR
COMMERCIAL
OFFICER
PUBLIC
PROTECTION
OFFICER
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
(0.91FTE)
SENIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER(0.8FTE)
SENIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER (0.6FTE)
COMMERCIAL
OFFICER
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
(0.5FTE)
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
(0.5FTE)
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER
PRIVATE WATER
SUPPLIES
OFFICER
(0.9 FTE)
SAMPLING
ASSISTANT
(0.6FTE)
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER
(0.4FTE)
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
SENIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
OFFICER
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
TECHNICAL
OFFICER
FINANCE
ASSISTANT
(0.5FTE)
TECHNICAL
OFFICER
(Vacant)
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
TECHNICAL
ADMIN
(0.8FTE)
CONTAMINATED
LAND OFFICER
ANIMAL
CONTROL
ASSISTANT
69
ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES
OFFICER
STREET SIGNS
ASSISTANT
(0.5FTE)
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME 2014/2015
Period November 2014 – January 2015
November
Work of Norfolk CAB
Overview and Scrutiny – Annual
Report
Budget Monitoring Period 6
Treasury Management Half Yearly
Report
Leisure Services – an overview of
the leisure services across the
District – to include costings, input
by stakeholders, profit etc.
Also figures on running of Pier
Theatre and Openwide contract
Profile of those using leisure
centres
Environmental Health- update
following restructure including
provision of service, impact of
inspections on voluntary groups,
and the role of environmental
health in the tourist industry.
Managing Performance Q2
December
Enforcement Board Update, to
include long term empty properties
Energy Strategy
Virginia Gay
Steven Cheshire (Chief Executive of Norfolk
Citizens Advice Bureau)
Benjie Cabbell Manners
Emma Denny
Wyndham Northam
Karen Sly
Wyndham Northam
Tony Brown
Glyn Williams
Karl Read
Requested by the committee
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Steve Hems
James Wilson
Requested by the committee
Tom FitzPatrick
Helen Thomas
Quarterly Cyclical
Rhodri Oliver
Nick Baker
Russell Wright
6 monthly cyclical
70
Annual
Cyclical
Cyclical
Requested by the committee
Housing Incentive Scheme –
Update Review
Housing Allocations SchemeMonitoring Report
Business Transformation
Programme, to include Customer
Service Update
January
Outside Bodies Report
Rhodri Oliver
Nicola Turner
Glyn Williams
Nick Baker
Annual report requested by the
committee
Benjie Cabbell Manners
Emma Denny
Requested by committee and
senior officers
Health Strategy
Waste Control Update
TBC
Cyclical
Customer Access Strategy
Glyn Williams
Nick Baker
Annual
Planning Restructure Update
Benjie Cabbell Manners
Nicola Baker
Requested by the committee for
update 6 months following July
report
Planning Peer Challenge
Organisational Structure – empty
posts and changes to posts
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