SCRUTINY COMMITTEE (ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT)
MINUTES of a meeting held on 22nd
May, 2007.
Present: Councillor N.P. Hodges
(Chairman); Councillors J. Clifford, Miss J. Cole, A.D.
Dobbinson, E. Hacker, Mrs. M. Kelly Owen,
Mrs. A.J. Moore, Mrs. A.J. Preston,
Mrs. S.I. Sharpe, W.C. Vaughan, A.J. Williams and
M.R. Wilson.
Also present: Councillor R.F.
Curtis.
30
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE –
These were received from Councillors R.J.
Bertin, Ms. L. Burnett, G.A. Cox and S.T. Wiliam.
31
MINUTES –
RECOMMENDED – T H A T the minutes of the
meeting held on 17th April, 2007 be approved as a
correct record.
32
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST –
No declarations were received.
33
REVENUE AND CAPITAL MONITORING: 1ST APRIL, 2007 –
30TH APRIL, 2007 (DEER) –
The current forecast for the Revenue Budget
for 2007/08 was for a balanced budget although it was recognised
that it was extremely early in the financial year.
Details were also contained within the report of the financial
progress on the Capital Programme. In response to a query
relating to land acquisition to facilitate the access road to
Dunraven Bay, the Head of Financial Services confirmed that the
required information would be forwarded to the enquirer.
RECOMMENDED – T H A T the position with regard
to the 2007/08 Revenue and Capital Monitoring be noted.
Reason for recommendation
To inform Committee of the position.
34
IMPLICATIONS OF THE WASTE AGENDA (DEER) –
By way of background, it was explained that
the Landfill Allowance Scheme (LAS) had been introduced in Wales
under the provision of the Land Allowances Scheme (Wales)
Regulations 2004 and provided a legal framework whereby the Council
would be financially penalised if it failed to meet the LAS
landfill diversion targets. Whilst this Council had met all
its obligations concerning landfill diversion to date, it was
accepted that the forthcoming targets were considerably more
challenging and that important decisions would be required to be
made concerning future waste management arrangements.
The Landfill Directive proposed a strict timetable for reductions
in landfilling Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW), the allocated
BMW diversion requirements over the next 3 years for the Vale of
Glamorgan being:
|
Year
|
Vale of
Glamorgan
LAS
Allowance
|
Vale of
Glamorgan
Indicative Levels
Landfilled
|
|
2007/08
|
30,675 tonnes
|
26,519 tonnes
|
|
2008/09
|
27,931 tonnes
|
27,582 tonnes
|
|
2009/10
|
25,063 tonnes
|
28,685 tonnes
|
In addition to any fines that could be levied
for failure to achieve future EU targets, attention was also drawn
to the fact that the cost of Waste Management generally would rise
substantially over forthcoming years due to increases in waste
disposal charges and landfill tax. A further report would be
submitted to this Committee recommending a series of actions to
reduce associated financial risks.
Consideration was then given to the financial
risks resulting from the failure to meet WAG LAS targets as
detailed in the report and summarised below:
·
unless there was a significant increase in the amount of
biodegradable waste recycling / composting or some new form or
residual waste treatment available, the Council would fail to meet
its targets in 2009/10;
·
WAG had stated that any failing Council in 2009/10 would be subject
to fines of £200 per tonne for each tonne of municipal
biodegradable waste landfilled above its LAS allowance and, should
the UK fail as a whole, undisclosed infraction fines proportioned
out to failing Councils;
·
the Budget announcement in March had increased the annual Landfill
Tax escalator from £3 per tonne to £8 with resultant additional
costs to the waste budget with no indication that those additional
costs would be met by any WAG grant;
·
the need to re-tender the Waste Disposal, Recycling and Recycling
Centre Services post March 2008 was likely to increase present
costs;
·
the costs of processing recycling and composting green waste were
also set to rise proportionately.
Details were also presented of the potential
need for additional revenue funding for the period 2008 –
2013. As indicated above, this Committee would receive a
report which proposed the most appropriate service changes needed
to achieve future targets but additional funding would be required,
at least in the short term, in order to implement such
changes. It was also anticipated that there would be costs
associated with the administration arrangements of the partnership
with neighbouring authorities to procure a new Waste Treatment
facility for residual waste.
The seriousness of the situation was fully
recognised as to the fact that the impact would be felt across
Council. Given the corporate nature, therefore, of the
implications of the Waste agenda, it was
RECOMMENDED –
(1) T H A
T the financial risks associated with the Waste Management Service
up to 2009/10 and beyond, as outlined in the report, be
accepted.
(2) T H A
T further reports be sent to the Committee addressing future waste
management issues and risks, it being anticipated that the first of
those reports would be submitted to the meeting in June 2007.
(3) The
report be referred to the Corporate Management Team and to the
Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources) for consideration.
Reasons for recommendations
(1) To
inform Committee of the reasons why these significant budgetary
risks exist and enable them to pass comments to Cabinet.
(2) To
enable Committee to recommend to Cabinet actions to reduce
financial risk.
(3) To
obtain the views of the Corporate Management Team and the Scrutiny
Committee (Corporate Resources) prior to Cabinet considering the
position.
(Note: Councillor R.F. Curtis spoke on the
above matter with the consent of the Committee.)
35
KNAP SLIPWAY – PROPOSAL FOR THE RE-OPENING OF THE SLIPWAY FOR
BOATING ONLY (DEER) –
Requests had been made from local boat users
to re-open the facility (although some representation to the
contrary had been received). This Committee had previously
considered a report in June 2006 which gave the background to the
decision to close the Knap Slipway on health and safety grounds and
not re-open it for the current season but rather to pilot a series
of new controlled measures at Sully Slipway, following an
assessment of the effectiveness of which consideration would then
be given to re-opening the Knap Slipway for the 2007/08
season. At Sully a new lockable slipway barrier had been
installed, access to the barrier had been by means of a permit
system (with appropriate charging), and enforcement officers used
to police the slipway. It was considered that a similar
system could be put into operation at the Knap Slipway. No
specific budget had been allocated for the re-opening of the Knap
Slipway for 2007/08 but it was considered that the offer of a
partnership management arrangement between the Council and South
Wales Powerboating Group (SWPG) would be an appropriate way
forward. Attention was also drawn to the fact that the Knap
Slipway had been under-scoured by the sea over a length of
approximately 30 metres which would need to be repaired utilising
funding from the Visible Services Asset Renewal budget prior to the
slipway being re-opened. In addition to the above, repairs to
the Knap Lake drain requiring excavation of the promenade would
mean that access to the slipway would be restricted for some
time. That period would, however, allow time for discussions
in relation to the partnership arrangement to take place between
both parties - with emphasis being laid in those discussions on the
importance of enforcing the requirement that only authorised key
holders use the lockable barrier - and to consult with local boat
users on the re-opening of the slipway.
RECOMMENDED –
(1) T H A
T Cabinet be requested to approve use of the 2007/08 Asset Renewal
monies to undertake repairs to the Knap Slipway.
(2) T H A
T Cabinet be requested to authorise the Director of Environmental
and Economic Regeneration in consultation with the Director of
Legal, Public Protection and Housing Services to agree terms and to
grant a Licence to the South Wales Powerboating Group (SWPG) to
manage jointly the operation of the Knap Slipway for a 12 month
period.
(3) T H A
T Cabinet be requested to approve the advertisement of concessions
for the joint management of both the Knap and the Sully Slipways
for future seasons on a 3-5 year basis.
Reasons for recommendations
(1) To
ensure the safety of the slipway structure.
(2) To
provide for the controlled re-opening of the slipway on a jointly
managed basis.
(3) To
ensure best consideration for the future joint management of both
slipways.
36
APPOINTMENT OF TASK AND FINISH GROUPS (DLPPHS) –
The Committee’s Forward Work Programme for
2007/08 included the following topics:
·
recycling and waste management;
·
Rhoose Point and development north of the railway line, Rhoose;
·
sustainable integrated public transport.
The Committee had previously agreed to
consider the re-appointment of the Task and Finish Groups
established in the previous municipal year in respect of the first
two topics, and the appointment of a new Task and Finish Group to
undertake work in relation to the third. In response to a
query, it was confirmed that the report of the Town Centre Task
& Finish Group (appointed in 2006/07 to undertake work in
respect of Barry Town Centre) had yet to be submitted to this
Committee for consideration.
Having considered the content of the report,
it was
RESOLVED –
(1) T H A
T the Recycling and Waste Management Task and Finish Group be
re-appointed with the following members to conclude the ongoing
joint scrutiny exercise and, thereafter, to undertake
investigations into part or all of the focus of the review as
agreed in October 2006:
Councillors G.A. Cox,
E. Hacker,
Mrs. M. Kelly Owen,
Mrs. A.J. Moore,
Mrs. S.I. Sharpe,
S.T. Wiliam, and
M.R. Wilson.
(2) T H A
T the Rhoose Point Task and Finish Group be re-appointed to enable
consideration to be given to drawing up a scope should resources be
made available to allow work to progress in 2008/09, the scoping
exercise to commence once the resourcing issue had been clarified,
with the following members:
Councillors Ms. L. Burnett,
G.A. Cox,
E. Hacker,
N.P. Hodges,
Mrs. A.J. Moore,
Mrs. A.J. Preston, and
A.J. Williams.
(3) T H A
T a politically balanced Task and Finish Group of seven members be
appointed to undertake the work programme item “Sustainable
Integrated Public Transport” and that the
Group be authorised to consider the focus / scope and time-scale
for further consideration by this Committee with the following
members:
Councillors Ms. L. Burnett,
E. Hacker,
N.P. Hodges,
M.R. Wilson, and
3 Members from the Conservative Group to be notified.