Agenda item

At the Panel meeting on Tuesday 23^rd July 2013 the Panel received a report and considered their draft recommendations. The agreed documents were forwarded to Cabinet members for their considered responses and they are now enclosed.

Sally Ash, Head of Boating, Canal & River Trust addressed the Panel. A copy of her statement can be found on the Panel’s Minute Book.

The Chairman asked what part the Trust played in the removal of vessels from the river.

Sally Ash replied that the Trust does monitor certain areas licences and for vessels adhering to licence conditions. She added that if a boat was found to be causing an offence they would be sent up to three formal warnings across the space of 28 days and then the case would be referred to their solicitors. County Court proceedings would then follow and may result in the licence being revoked and the boat being removed from the water.

She stated that only a small number of cases are taken this far and that the Trust would never seek to make people homeless.

The Chairman asked if the Trust was aware of any Local Authority that was working with local communities with regard to moorings.

Sally Ash replied that the Trust was in dialogue with a number of Local Authorities in London and was in a position to offer advice to both the developer and the Local Authority.

Councillor Dave Laming addressed the Panel. He said that he was thankful to the Cabinet for their efforts in providing the River Corridor with funding. He stated that it was critical to have a co-ordinating body on this matter and welcomed the creation of the River Regeneration Trust.

The Chairman then posed the following series of questions to the Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning on behalf of the Panel.

Recommendation 1 and 1.1

There is no mention of key information (i.e. timescales, required action) that would explain the decision and offer options for the way forward.

•  What does ‘significant officer time’ mean?

•  Have you assessed how much work would be involved, i.e. FTE?

•  Where could funding for the additional/seconded post come from?

•  When do you envisage this piece of work starting?

•  Has contact with other teams to be involved yet been made, i.e. scope of the work, involvement, options for lead/support staff?

Recommendation 1.3

It could be argued that this particular piece of work would not take up ‘significant officer time’ if treated as a standalone piece of work, separate from the wider review proposed at recommendation one.

•  Have you assessed how much work would be involved?

•  Could this be carried out separately from the wider review?

Recommendation 2

Welcome this action, however the equalities lead officers will need to be involved to support the CRT and enable endorsement of the strategy.

Recommendation 3

The response confirms the recommendation cannot be achieved through the Strategic Housing Marketing Assessment (SHMA). However, whilst ‘a different approach’ is acknowledged, no solution appears to have been sought. It therefore seems unrealistic to make mention of ‘significant officer time’ as a barrier when the approach is unknown.

•  What different approaches to the SHMA are there?

•  What would be the feasibility of each of these approaches, i.e. impact, officer time, etc?

•  What is the likely delivery timescales of these other approaches?

Recommendation 3.3

The lack of relevant ‘document or mechanism’ needs further clarification to ascertain whether this is a barrier, or whether this could be resolved.

•  Is there anything actively preventing this action, i.e. legislation?

•  Can a policy/mechanism be put in place that will enable it?

Recommendation 3.4

Similarly to the responses to rec 1, there is no mention of possible timescales and/or action to better enable implementation at a later date.

•  What exactly will require ‘significant officer time’?

•  When do you envisage this piece of work starting, bearing in mind the Mooring Strategy is currently being developed?

•  What can be done to support this to inform the Mooring Strategy?

•  Can a partnership approach be utilised to achieve this sooner?

Councillor Tim Ball replied that he would respond to the points raised at the January meeting of the Panel.

Sally Ash commented that the Trust was attempting to develop a mooring plan and would welcome the Council’s response to their current consultation. She added that the consultation was due to close on November 28^th.

The Chairman asked for this information to be passed to Councillor David Dixon, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods. He thanked everyone for their contributions to the debate and said that he was hopeful of some good collaboration work in the future.