Agenda and minutes
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WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS Minutes: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
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EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE The Chair will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out under Note 6.
Minutes: The Chairman drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS Minutes: Councillors Kew, Sandry and Simmons had sent their apologies to the Panel. Councillor Anketell-Jones was present as a substitute for Councillor Kew and Councillor Butters was present as a substitute for Councillor Sandry. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 Members who have an interest to declare are asked to:
a) State the Item Number in which they have the interest b) The nature of the interest c) Whether the interest is personal, or personal and prejudicial
Any Member who is unsure about the above should seek advice from the Monitoring Officer prior to the meeting in order to expedite matters at the meeting itself.
Minutes: There were none. |
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TO ANNOUNCE ANY URGENT BUSINESS AGREED BY THE CHAIRMAN Minutes: There was none. |
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ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC OR COUNCILLORS - TO RECEIVE DEPUTATIONS, STATEMENTS, PETITIONS OR QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE BUSINESS OF THIS MEETING At the time of publication no notifications had been received.
Minutes: There were none. |
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MINUTES - 2nd August 2011 Minutes: The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chairman. |
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Cabinet Member Update This item gives the Panel an opportunity to ask questions to the Cabinet Member(s) and for them to update the Panel on any current issues.
Minutes: Councillor Tim Ball, Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning addressed the Panel.
Homeless Provision: He informed the Panel that several meetings had taken place recently with Julian House and he hoped to be able to update them further in the coming months.
Travellers Site: He stated he had been working on a policy that would enable an actual site to be provided and that it was his intention to have the policy in place as soon as the democratic process will allow. A site currently within the Green Belt is under consideration and funding for the site is being investigated.
Councillor Steve Hedges asked for an assurance that the current policy will be appropriately amended.
Councillor Tim Ball replied that he would bring a full report to the November meeting of the Panel in the hope that he could make the site come to fruition inside 12 months.
The Chairman wished to congratulate him on his work so far relating to the travellers site and reminded him of the upcoming Hostel Review that had been agreed at the recent Policy Development & Scrutiny Chair’s meeting.
Councillor Tim Ball replied that he welcomed the review.
Councillor Cherry Beath, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development addressed the Panel.
Keynsham Regeneration: She wished to highlight that the consultation process would begin on September 26th.
Radstock Economic Forum: She had attended a very positive meeting recently which had produced a very helpful ongoing schedule.
Radstock Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO): A decision on this proposal has been deferred to give time to assess all of the comments that have been received.
Sustainable Economic Development: Financial models will be drafted for the Enterprise Area. She acknowledged that the Enterprise Zone was a big magnet and that the Council was doing its best to retain as many businesses as possible.
Councillor Steve Hedges commented that the concerns of the public in relation to the Radstock TROs should be addressed as much as possible.
Councillor Cherry Beath replied that the solution needs to be viable to bring forward regeneration which is why she was looking at possible amendments.
The Chairman commented that the road works that had been in place over the past two weekends were a prime example of how important signage will be if the TROs do proceed. He called for adequate signage to be on all roads and well in advance of Radstock. He also posed the question of whether any of the TRO work could take place at night without too much disturbance.
Councilllor Barry Macrae said that he agreed with the comments made by the Chairman and added that the traders within Radstock who will lose income as a result of the works must be taken into account. He also urged the Cabinet Member to accommodate skills where they lie and to encourage businesses to set up in areas where a knowledge base already existed.
The Panel thanked them both for their updates.
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Housing & Major Projects Update This report provides an update in respect of housing delivery and the projects currently managed by the Development & Major Projects Directorate.
Minutes: The Strategic Director for Development & Major Projects introduced this item to the Panel. He highlighted some of the key points from the beginning of the report.
Housing Delivery – The Council has published a Core Strategy which seeks to provide 11,000 new homes in B&NES by 2026. This will require a step change in annual delivery rates over the plan period from 393per annum (2006-2011) to achieve the required average of 550pa. (Core Strategy Target 2006-2026). These figures are challenging, but sites are currently being progressed. A brief review of the current arrangements within the council has been commissioned by SDG. The report will cover the capabilities and effectiveness of the organisation and the capacity currently in place and will recommend actions necessary to ensure that there is a co-ordinated approach across the council and accountable to the Strategic Director of Development and Major Projects.
The Chairman asked if work was ongoing to find potential new sites.
The Strategic Director for Development & Major Projects replied that yes work was ongoing to find appropriate opportunities on more modest sites. He added that to gain the maximum potential from the New Homes Bonus it would be beneficial to build sooner rather than later.
The Associate Director for Housing and Health addressed the Panel in relation to the Housing Services section of the report.
Councillor Steve Hedges asked for an update on the Council’s position relating to the compulsory purchase of empty properties.
The Associate Director for Housing and Health replied that the Revenues and Benefits team had advised that according to their records there are 500 properties that had been empty for more than six months. He then added that officers within his team had, following visits to these properties, reduced the list to 100 properties that are empty and have been so for more than a year, with another 100 that are probably empty and also have been for more than one year. The remaining properties were either not empty or had been empty for less than 1 year. From this list, 8 properties have been identified as high priority properties that should be pursued with formal action.
Councillor Neil Butters asked how many of the eight properties they hoped to have in use within a year and if there was a timeline for the process.
The Associate Director for Housing and Health replied that the Council would be lucky to bring forward one property within a year, given that advice from other authorities suggests that legal action can be both time consuming and potentially very expensive.
Councillor Steve Hedges commented that the Council should examine the approach taken by Brighton Council. He stated that following one compulsory purchase, thirty other properties were worked upon very swiftly by their landlords.
The Associate Director for Housing and Health addressed the Panel on the matter of Housing Services. He informed them that the Localism Bill was expected to receive Royal Assent in November and will introduce a number of housing ... view the full minutes text for item 19. |
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Delivering Sustainable Economic Growth in B&NES This paper sets out changes both to the economy and the Government’s economic and finance policy since the publication of the Council’s Economic Strategy 2010 – 2026, which impact on the support available to local people and businesses in creating and sustaining jobs. It is based on recent research published in May 2011. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Economic Enterprise & Business Development Manager introduced this item to the Panel. He explained that the format of the report forms a potential skeleton of the Cabinet paper that they will receive in November. He highlighted that there was a risk that without intervention, at current levels of economic performance, the Council will not create the level of job growth that is planned for by the Core Strategy. He added that the area’s current economic performance shows that if it continued into the future at current rates that not enough jobs, particularly of the target quality, will be created for local people. He also wished to set out some real strengths of the area and potential future actions. Strengths · A highly skilled workforce, with world class Higher Education provision focussed on growth sectors · Clusters of highly productive businesses, many of them identified as key sectors in driving the UK’s economic recovery · Public sector and tourism jobs providing a backbone to the local economy and a steady flow of income somewhat protected from recession and international competition · Once they start, very good business survival rates indicating a strong underlying economy Potential future actions
· Ensure the District has an attractive profile and strong competitive identity to attract inward investment in accordance with the Bath and North East Somerset Economic Strategy · Ensure there is a regulatory, finance and support environment which enables existing businesses to develop and grow · Ensure there is sufficient and appropriate employment space available for local job creation, building on the opportunity of the Bath Enterprise Area but also focussed on local neighbourhoods outside Bath · Ensure there are sufficient and appropriate homes built to provide accommodation for people taking up these new jobs as set out in the Core Strategy, including university graduates · Ensure that the transport, communications and cultural infrastructure supports the delivery of the above
Councillor Barry Macrae commented that he felt that most of the important issues were covered within the report and he urged that Cabinet to carry out the implementation as soon as possible.
Councillor Paul Fox commented that he acknowledged that something needs to be done and said that any growth must be sustainable. He called for key employment space / business accommodation to be identified and asked what the Council could do to aid this. He also stated that B&NES should not have an inferiority complex regarding Bristol and the LEP as it should be seen as an opportunity.
The Chairman commented that he felt that sites should be identified so that businesses can have the ability to expand.
Councillor Patrick Anketell-Jones commented that taking forward proposals for a creative/digital “hub” workspace for co-location of creative companies was a sound proposition for the future.
Councillor Steve Hedges commented that he felt that the report should be written with more confidence. He also called for the former Clark’s site to be promoted further as part of the solution.
Councillor Paul Fox stated the need for Bath to get itself onto ... view the full minutes text for item 20. |
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This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel (Appendix 1).
Additional documents: Minutes: The Chairman introduced this item to the Panel. He proposed that prior to the next meeting the Panel has an ‘Away Day’ to discuss the Medium Term Service and Resource Plans and the future priorities of the Panel.
The Panel agreed with this proposal and set a provisional date of Friday 11th November, 3.00pm.
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