Agenda and minutes

Councillor Liz Richardson, Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning had sent her apologies to the Panel.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officer or a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

Councillor Fiona Darey declared an other interest in relation to agenda item 10 (Economic Strategy Update) as she is a tutor at the University of Bath.

Councillor Cherry Beath declared an other interest in relation to agenda item 11 (Cultural & Creative Strategy Review) as she is a member of the Cultural Forum Executive.

There were none.

The Cabinet Member(s) will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions.

Councillor Cherry Beath asked if there was any further update on the Gypsy & Traveller Site at Carrswood.

The Head of Housing replied that the transit element of site was due to open any day now and that it was set to be fully occupied.  The permanent element of the site has been fully occupied since March.

Councillor Fiona Darey asked if he was aware that the Office of Fair Trading had begun an investigation into high exit fees associated with retirement homes.

The Head of Housing replied that he was not and that he would look into the matter.

Councillor Cherry Beath asked if he had any comment to make on the Governments proposals relating to Affordable Housing.

The Head of Housing replied that it was rather a complicated Bill that relies on a lot of secondary legislation. He said that this was something that he would look to bring back to the Panel in due course.

Councillor Barry Macrae commented that he thought that the figure of an average of 45 weeks to complete adaptations for disabled facilities was not good enough and he asked that this be reviewed in some way.

The Head of Housing replied that Government good practise states that adaptions should be completed within 33 weeks and he agreed that our figures do look poor. He stressed though that a huge amount of work is involved in the process and that the time of recording commences from the very initial call for a request to be assessed to the works being finally completed.

He said that the process begins with the client contacting the Council; then the OTs would undertake an assessment; this would be referred to Housing Services; the assessment would then be used to form a schedule of works;  quotes for the work are then sourced from at least two companies; a formal application including financial assessments and proof of title would need to be assessed and checked; and finally the grant can be approved and the works undertaken by the chosen contractor and finally signed off.  He stated that he does want the Council to try to do better in this area of work.

Councillor Barry Macrae questioned whether the Council were being over optimistic to start recording the time of the process from the first phone call.

The Head of Housing replied that they try to look at the situation from the point of view of the customer and so choose a performance indicator that reflected the customer’s perspective. 

The Chairman asked if he had anything further to add regarding the Additional Licensing Scheme for HMOs.

The Head of Housing said that a Government consultation was underway to extend the criteria of the scheme by removing the need for the property to be three storeys or more high.

He estimated that this would require around 300 – 350 further properties to be licensed.

The Chairman asked if this would be an easy task to identify the properties.

The Head of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

This report presents the Place Directorate Plan to the Panel for initial consideration and feedback as part of the Council’s service planning and budget development process.

The Strategic Director for Place introduced this item to the Panel. She explained that a new Corporate Strategy was agreed by Cabinet at their meeting on 4th November 2015 and that it sets out the vision and the Council’s direction of travel over the next four years. She added that it is shaped by and will deliver the ‘Putting Residents First’ manifesto commitments.

She stated that during November, the draft Directorate Plans will be presented to the Policy Development and Scrutiny (PDS) Panels and that each Panel should only concentrate on the parts of the plan relevant to their own remit.

She said that a number of Budget Fair meetings have been scheduled during November in order to provide people with the opportunity to hear about the Council’s financial plans for the next four years. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and feed into the discussions on the budget proposals at the meetings.

She informed the Panel that in terms of workforce it is possible that there may be a small number of posts reductions as a result of the proposals put forward and there may also be requirements to amend working patterns. She added that there will be a shift in skills requirements towards a commercial skills focus in order to maximise income generating opportunities and there will be a refocus of skills usage to ensure most efficient and effective use of staff resources. 

She stated that initial Financial Planning work to look at the future scale of financial challenge for the Council originally estimated that the likely savings, or additional income required, would be around £38M for this 4-year period. The position has been reviewed in light of both local and national decisions and announcements resulting in a reduction in the estimated financial planning target to just over £30M.

Councillor Lisa O’Brien asked with regard to the delivery of 2,880 new homes by 2018/19 whether developers would be penalised if they had not built the properties they had gained permission for.

The Strategic Director for Place replied that this was not a major problem in the District, but unfortunately the Council does not have any powers to penalise developers.

Councillor Lisa O’Brien asked if different social housing providers could be encouraged to take part in the planned delivery of 720 affordable homes by March 2019.

The Strategic Director for Place replied that they do work with various providers, but it is the case that Curo is the largest provider in the area.

The Head of Housing replied that it is the choice of the developer who they work with and that the Council works with a number of providers through the Homes West Partnership. He added that he would welcome further competition to the market.

Councillor Colin Blackburn stated that he was concerned over some of the proposed cuts and asked how income would be generated.

The Strategic Director for Place replied that she had identified a number of key risks within the report and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

The updated Strategy was agreed by the Council’s Cabinet in September 2013 and subsequently published in November 2013. This report sets out progress against the Key and Strategic Measures of Success which were included in the Review document.

The Group Manager for Economy & Culture explained that the context of the review was cross cutting to include the areas of; A Whole Economy Approach, External Governance, Public Service Board, Welfare.

He said that the Economic Strategy Review document was developed with a group of key partners and stakeholders and that together with the Health & Wellbeing and Transport Strategies it forms a suite of high level strategies to guide the future of the B&NES area. 

He stated that the updated Strategy was agreed by the Council’s Cabinet in September 2013 and subsequently published in November.

He spoke of how the review identifies eight priority sectors which will be the focus for future economic and employment growth, these are split into Key and Core sectors:

• Core sectors currently employ significant numbers of people locally and will continue to be important in employment terms. They cover: tourism, leisure, arts and culture / retail / health & wellbeing / finance & professional business services
• Key sectors are generally smaller in employment terms but higher value added and offer the potential for significant future expansion. They cover: creative & digital / ICT / advanced engineering & electronics / environmental & low carbon

He informed the Panel that Appendix one to the report sets out progress against the Success Measures for the period 2010 – 2014. It shows:

• That against the key measures of growth in jobs / GVA / productivity the area’s economy has performed well and running ahead of target
• That employment growth in the Priority Sectors is ahead of target but with a focus on growth in the Core Sectors including retail, the visitor economy and health
• That because of the focus on the Core Sectors and the increase in part-time employment:
• The average productivity (GVA) per worker has not grown as much as projected to date

• The average annual income per employee has fallen, however in contrast resident earnings have risen by 2.3% between 2010 – 2014 reflecting the fact that the B&NES resident workforce has above average qualification levels

He explained that the Digital B&NES project was seeking to support all residents and businesses to be able to use the best technology. He added that a pilot Wi-Fi system was being trialled across the duration of the Christmas Market and that the Panel could expect to receive further information regarding this work at a future meeting.

Councillor Colin Blackburn what the level of business space demand was.

The Group Manager for Economy & Culture replied that there was a 250,000sqft unmet demand which equates to a size bigger than the planned Enterprise Area.

Councillor Colin Blackburn asked what the Council does when people or companies choose to work in Bristol because they cannot wait until the Enterprise Area is ready.

The Group Manager for Economy & Culture replied that they do work hard with those that have identified a desire to be here and keep them informed of progress.

Councillor Colin Blackburn asked how the demand for space will be broken down into the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

The Panel has requested a progress update on the implementation of the Cultural & Creative Strategy Review 2015-2020.  This report outlines progress in 2015/16 and planned actions for 2016/17.

The Group Manager for Economy & Culture explained that the Cultural and Creative Strategy Review 2015-2020 was developed in 2014 and adopted in April 2015. It was launched on 19 October 2015 with an event attended by approximately 100 people representing the cultural and creative sector.

He said that a series of workshop-style meetings were held throughout 2014, enabling the priorities to be developed in a collaborative manner, ensuring maximum engagement from the whole sector.

He informed the Panel that four core priorities have been identified for creativity and culture in B&NES.

1.  Increase the quality and visibility of our creative activity

2.  Increase the availability and range of workspace and exhibition space 

3.  Grow and deepen public engagement and providing opportunities for transgenerational creative and cultural engagement

4.  Maximise economic and social value

He explained to the Panel that the new Culture & Creative Investment Board brings together senior representatives from the funding bodies for culture: Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Visit England, Creative England, Local Enterprise Partnership. He added that the Board acts as an advisory group to the Council, supporting and guiding the implementation of the Cultural & Creative Strategy Review priorities and that information and input from these bodies will enable the Council to plan for future investment in cultural and creative development.

The Divisional Director for Community Regeneration added that this was a very positive initiative as the Arts Council had withdrawn some funding previously and encouraged the Council to embrace this opportunity.

The Chair asked how the Council will empower residents to take part in more events.

The Group Manager for Economy & Culture replied that it was the intention to of the Council to make it as easy as possible for the public to access events and were considering amongst a number of initiatives a ‘Cultural IPlayer’.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the report and officers’ planned actions.

This is an update report on World Heritage Site (WHS) management in Bath. It concentrates on the current revision of the WHS Management Plan, progress of the ‘Great Spas of Europe’ project and the Archway project to deliver a World Heritage Interpretation Centre.

The World Heritage Manager introduced this item to the Panel. He said that alongside the report he wished to update them on three main areas.

• Emerging draft replacement WHS Management Plan
• Great Spas of Europe project
• Proposed World Heritage Site Interpretation Centre

He said that the key challenge to be addressed in the forthcoming plan (2016-22) was to deliver a further phase of considerable growth and change whilst sustaining the Outstanding Universal Value for which the site was inscribed. He explained that this plan is currently under production and that it is an optimistic and ambitious plan that seeks to ‘raise the bar’ and ensure that Bath is viewed as an exemplar of urban heritage management.

He stated that the five draft priorities of the emerging replacement plan are managing development, transport, the public realm, interpretation and education and environmental resilience.

He informed the Panel that a full draft plan will be issued for public consultation in April 2016 and presented to Council for adoption in June 2016. He added that the approved plan will subsequently be sent, via the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), to UNESCO in Paris.

He reminded the Panel that Bath is engaged in a project entitled the ‘Great Spas of Europe’ following the Czech Government approaching UNESCO in 2007 with a proposal to have three of their spa towns inscribed on the World Heritage list for the contribution that they had made to European culture. He explained that UNESCO welcomed the idea, but asked that the best examples of spas across Europe be identified to demonstrate this cultural contribution, subsequently a group of leading European spas was formed and Bath sits within this group.

He stated that early in 2016 the numbers in the group are expected to be reduced in an inter-governmental meeting with the decisions based on comprehensive analysis of the contribution each spa makes to the value of the nomination. He added that we are confident that Bath will progress (on merit) through this selection process.

He said that at the same time as the Great Spas are being assessed collectively the Bath nomination is also being assessed by the UK Government. DCMS are conducting a ‘technical evaluation’ of UK tentative World Heritage bids and Bath was tested on the 3rd November 2015. He added that a report from the evaluation panel will be sent to the relevant minister (Tracey Crouch MP) and that feedback should be shared with the Council before Christmas this year.

He said that assuming the above hurdles are successfully cleared, the group will progress with developing a common management plan and other necessary documentation in advance of a formal nomination to UNESCO in 2018. He stated that a successful nomination would lead to a second (over-laying) World Heritage inscription for the City and make it the only such site in the UK.

He informed the Panel that the Roman Baths is engaged in a project to deliver a new learning centre within the grade ll  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting officers.

The Chair introduced this item to the Panel, he asked if they had additions or wished to move any items on the plan.

Councillor Barry Macrae asked that when future reports cover the topics of employment and skills that there is more of a focus on the human / public element.