Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee held on 25^th November 2020.

The minutes of the meeting of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee held on 25^th November 2020 were agreed as being a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive an update on key areas of work within the Planning and People Executive Portfolio over the last twelve months.

The Committee received a report summarising the Council’s work during the past twelve months which was encompassed within the Planning and People Portfolio; a portfolio which covered a number of areas including planning policy, conservation, planning enforcement, drainage, land charges and development management.   

The delivery of new housing continued to be a priority area for the Government and a review of the Council’s five year housing land supply, completed in August 2020, had established that the Council could demonstrate a 4.85 year housing land supply. There were a number of constraints on the land available for development in the Borough including the Green Belt, the Thames Basins Heaths Special Protection Area and its associated buffer zones and the availability of sites to provide Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANGS) particularly in the west of the Borough.  There was the option to compulsory purchase land that could be used for SANGS however the Council had to be able to demonstrate that all other options had been explored including working with neighbouring authorities and approaching landowners directly and that no suitable alternative land could be identified before this procedure could be implemented.

Flooding continued to be a problem in areas of the Borough. It was noted that some actions within the Chobham Flood Alleviation Scheme were still outstanding and it was agreed that Officers would liaise with ward councillors and the portfolio holder to put pressure on the Environment Agency to complete any outstanding actions.   The Environment Agency had reviewed a number of watercourses within the villages upstream of Chobham and it was agreed that the outcomes of these reviews would be shared with members.

The Committee was informed that of the planning decisions which went to appeal the majority of decisions taken by officers under delegated powers were being upheld.  However where appeals were made following a decision by the Planning Applications Committee to go against officer recommendations the majority of the appeals decisions were going against the Council. It was agreed that the appeals figures for the past year would be circulated.  A report detailing the outcomes of planning appeals was taken annually to the Planning Applications Committee for information.    

Resourcing continued to be an ongoing pressure which was exacerbated by a national shortage of planners.  This meant that the Council was having to recruit staff in a highly competitive jobs market and it was not always possible to fill vacancies arising in the planning and enforcement teams quickly or with permanent staff.

The Committee noted the update.

To receive an update on key areas of work within the Environment and Health Executive Portfolio over the last twelve months.

The Committee received a report summarising the Council’s work during the past twelve months which was encompassed within the Environment and Health People Portfolio. A portfolio which covered a number of areas including air quality, older peoples’ services, emergency planning and business continuity, environmental health, waste and recycling and health and wellbeing.

The Covid-19 pandemic had had a substantial impact on services within the portfolio in terms of both service delivery and income generation for example whilst there had been a significant increase in the number of new customers of the Meals at Home service there had been a significant reduction in the number of journeys provided by the Community Transport service and Emergency Planning and business continuity had played a key role in the Council’s response.

The Council had entered into a full partnership with Runnymede Borough Council to deliver community services across both areas, a partnership which would go live on the 1^st April 2021.  The partnership aimed to provide sustainable services which met the needs of all vulnerable residents and would be overseen by a Partnership Board which would set objectives and targets for the service and monitor and evaluate all aspects of the service.  Whilst all staff would be employed by Runnymede Borough Council there would be a physical presence in both council offices. 

The number of meals at home products served over the first two quarters of 2019/20 (32,985) meant that the service would exceed the annual target of 35,000 products.  To ensure that the Meals at Home Service could sustain this level of demand officers were exploring a number of different options including reconfiguring routes to make the best use of spare capacity in the current Runneymede routes and leasing an additional van.  The booking service was also being revised so that all bookings would be co-ordinated by staff in Surrey Heath. 

Emergency Planning and Business Continuity services had been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic which had been declared to be a major incident on 19^th March 2020.  Throughout the pandemic the Council had worked closely with partners across the Borough to support residents.  Further support was provided to the Borough following a major heathland fire on Chobham Common in August 2020 and Storm Dennis in February 2020.

The work with the Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System was noted.  It was acknowledged that a significant proportion of Surrey Heath’s residents were covered by the Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Area and it was clarified that the Council was working in partnership with Surrey Heartlands on a number of projects including a hospital discharge service and an Oximetry project.  It was agreed that future portfolio updates would include updates on partnership work with both Surrey Heartlands and Frimley. 

It was agreed that the figures for the number of residents supported through the hospital discharge service would be provided for both 2020 and 2019.

The Committee was advised that the Frimley Health and Care Integrated Pathway would provide a number of opportunities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31/PF

To receive a report summarising the outcomes of air quality monitoring activity during the past year.

The Committee considered a report setting out a review of air quality across the Borough during 2019/20.

The annual Air Quality Review formed part of the Council’s statutory requirements in relation to Local Air Quality Management under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995.  The report set out the results of air quality monitoring work, detailed the activities and strategies employed by the Council to improve air quality and reviewed the progress made in this area.

The 40micrograms per cubic metre limit for NO₂ particulate levels had been defined by the World Health Organisation to protect the health of asthmatic children in urban areas and the location of monitoring equipment and the testing regime used were prescribed in legislation.   

It was confirmed that there were two monitoring stations in the vicinity of Frimley Park Hospital, one adjacent to the hospital entrance and a second adjacent to the Grove Primary School.  These monitoring stations had been out in place as part of the work on the Blackwater Valley Relief Road and the data collected would be reported for the first time in the 2021 annual review. 

Surrey County Council had supported the development of a bespoke air quality themed performing arts show and associated workshops that would help educate children and young people about air quality.  In 2019, those schools in the Borough where congestion was known to be a significant issue were offered the opportunity to participate in these workshops at no cost to the school however to date none had taken up the opportunity.  The Portfolio Holder agreed that the promotion of these workshops would be followed up with the County Council.

It was acknowledged that increasing the uptake and use of electric vehicles would be a key component in improving local air quality and that ensuring that the public charging infrastructure supported the use of electric vehicles would help facilitate this.  It was stressed that any electric charging points installed in public car parks should wherever possible be capable of rapid charging. 

The Committee commended the comprehensive report.

To consider Surrey Heath Borough Council’s draft Annual Plan for the 2021/22 municipal year.

The Committee considered a report setting out the draft Annual Plan for 2021/22.  The Annual Plan set out the Council’s main goals, projects and targets for the 2021/22 financial year and would be presented to the Executive for approval in March. 

It was noted that the Borough’s residents received primary healthcare provision from both the Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group and the Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group and both organisations would need to be integrated into SHBC Priority 6: Integrated Care System (ICS) and Surrey Heath Health Alliance.

It was requested that the proposed target to review litter bin provisions under Community Priority5: Joint Waste Solutions include reference to any requests made for litter bins in a particular location.

It was clarified that the Covid Impact Members Workshop referenced under SHBC Priority 3: Camberley Town centre Regeneration would take place as part of the Town Centre Working Group meeting on the 17^th February 2021.

The Committee approved the draft Annual Plan 2021/22 for submission to the Executive.

To receive and comment on a report setting out the Council’s Corporate Risk Register

The Committee considered a report setting out the Council’s Corporate Risk Register.

The Risk Register summarised the main risks faced by the Council in relation to achieving the objectives and priorities defined in the Council’s Corporate Plan, noted the mitigating actions being taken to ameliorate those risks and identified any further action needed to further reduce the impact of those risks.  The register was reviewed regularly by the officer Risk Management Group and the Corporate Management Team.

The Covid-19 pandemic had had a significant impact on the Council’s services and the risk register had been reviewed to take these impacts into account.  It was clarified that level of funding that the Government would reimburse a local authority in respect of fees and charges lost due to Covid-19 restrictions were calculated based on the difference between the budget as it was in February 2020 and the fees actually collected less an administration charge.

The Committee noted the report. 

To consider the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee’s work programme for the remainder of the 2020/21 municipal year.

The Committee noted a report setting out their work programme for the remainder of the 2020/21 municipal year.

The next scheduled meeting of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee will take place on Wednesday 17^th March 2021 at 7pm.

It was noted that the next scheduled meeting of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee would take place on Wednesday 17^th March 2021 at 7pm.