Agenda, decisions and minutes

None. 

The Portfolio Holder is asked to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2010 as a correct record. 

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2010 were agreed as a correct record.

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services explained that the causes of the £91,500 identified as being outside the targeted budget were:

• The Brew (Business Resource & Efficiency) funding for the Trade Recycling Officer post had ceased. This post was in the process of being made redundant;
• A vehicle, which had been bought at the end of its agreement, had now come to the end of its useful economic life and needed to be replaced on a new lease;
• Tipping fees had remained the same but landfill tax had increased.

Remedial action in addition to the above included:

• Targets of 100 new customers and 400 additional tonnes of cardboard for the trade service by the end of March 2011;
• Operational efficiency discussion with County Council;
• Focus on moving existing customers onto the trade cardboard and paper recycling services;
• Offering the service to businesses in East Cambridgeshire;
• Increases in fees to account for landfill tax increases.

The Portfolio Holder is recommended to approve the attached Health & Environmental Services 2010/11 to 2012/13 service plan. 

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

APPROVED            Health & Environmental Services 2010/11 to 2012/13 Service Plan.

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services presented this report on the Service Plan 2010/11 for Health & Environmental Services. It was noted that the draft Service Plan had been reviewed at the last meeting. The main difference between this and the final plan was the addition of the budget figures.

It was noted that the fourth word on page 7 of the agenda should be “compliant”.

National enforcement priorities

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services expressed concern over the number of Full-Time Equivalent staff hours allocated to the area of Health & Safety, but could not advise taking staff from other areas to address this challenge.

Housing legislation changes regarding Caravan Site Licensing

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services explained that this was to ensure the health and well-being of caravan site residents and visitors, particularly with regard to fire safety. It was noted that the transience of residents on these sites made this initiative more challenging. He expressed concern regarding conditions on certain specific sites and had initiated a project to address these.

The Pitt Review and Floods and Water Management Bill

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services explained that there was no Council policy on Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs), which meant dealing with issues on a case by case basis. It was noted that it was possible that in future the County Council would ask this authority to carry out work on its behalf.

Collection and kennelling of stray dogs

The Corporate Manager, Health and Environmental Services explained that Wood Green Animal Shelter (WGAS), who received stray dogs collected in the District, had increased their fees after maintaining charges at the same level for 10 years. Following negotiation the proposed increase had been reduced from over 100% to 50% and a telephone advice service for owners of dogs with behavioural problems would also be provided.

Cambridgeshire Police had announced that they would no longer receive stray dogs at Parkside Police Station from members of the public with effect from 1 April 2010. The authority had therefore arranged alternative facilities in Wilburton where members of the public could deliver stray dogs outside of office hours. Dogs would then be delivered to WGAS. There would be an annual charge to the Council for this facility. It was noted that the post of Dog Warden had been made redundant after the Council was capped and so the 40-50 seized stray dogs a year were picked up by Health & Environmental Services staff in addition to their normal duties. If the Government’s recent proposals regarding microchipping and compulsory third party insurance resulted in new legislation it would be appropriate to review the dog service, including reconsideration of the Dog Warden post.

Making Cambridgeshire Count

It was noted that the Council might be engaging in specific initiatives arising from this process that could have implications for the service, such as the possibility of entering into shared services with other local authorities.

Reduction in CO² emissions

The Corporate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED to reaffirm the following refuse and recycling policies and clarifications as they were applied to the reconfigured refuse and recycling service with effect from 11 October 2010:

(a)         As a general policy all households will be delivered a 240 litre blue wheeled bin and integral 40 litre inner caddy prior to the start of the new service at no additional charge to the householder.

(b)         The following types of properties, which are deemed unsuitable for wheeled bins, will be individually assessed and alternative storage and collection arrangements made at no additional cost to the householder:

i)                    Those properties where there is physically no room to store the blue bin within the cutilage, or

ii)                   Those properties where there is no alternative but to take the blue bin through the house from its storage point to the collection point, or

iii)                 Those properties where alternative storage and collection arrangements are required for the efficient and effective delivery of the service to residents e.g. Hard to Reach properties such as flats.

(c)         Only SCDC procured blue bins will be emptied.

(d)         The blue bins and inner caddies will remain the property of the council.

(e)         Householders should only mark the blue bin with their house number or house name to enable bins to be easily identified and returned to the correct collection point.

(f)           Blue bins and inner caddies damaged by the council will be replaced at no charge to the householder.

(g)         Stolen blue bins and inner caddies will be replaced at no charge to the householder if the theft is reported to the Police and an incident number obtained.

(h)         Lost or damaged blue bins and caddies (other than those damaged by the council) will be replaced but the council’s bin charging policy will be applied

(i)            Assisted collection arrangements will be made on the grounds of disability.

(j)            The ‘standard’ collection point for blue bins is the edge of the curtilage nearest the road.

(k)          Mixed dry recyclables will be collected in the blue bin, including cans and tins (steel and aluminium); aerosols; glass; plastic bottles; hard plastic (pots, tubs, and trays); cartons (tetra packs); cardboard and aluminium foil.

(l)            Paper, including telephone directories; newspapers & magazines; general paper, including shredded paper, unwrapped junk mail will be collected within the inner caddy of the blue bin.

(m)       If the inner paper caddy of the blue bin is full, any excess paper will be collected if placed along side the blue bin in a returnable container.

(n)         If the blue bin is full, any excess dry recyclable material will be collected if placed alongside the blue bin in a returnable container.

(o)         Requests for an additional blue or green bin will be individually assessed and any additional capacity required met by the most efficient and effective option e.g. provision of a suitably sized additional or upsized bin.

(p)         Additional paper caddies will not provided at this time.

(q)         All requests for additional black bins will  ...  view the full decision text for item 37.

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services presented this report, which detailed how the Council’s existing refuse and recycling policies would be applied to the two stream co-mingled dry recycling service (the blue bin service) to be operated alongside the existing alternate weekly green and black wheeled bins with effect from 11 October 2010. It was noted that this was not a key decision.

Tendering for the MRF Services (provision of bulking, sorting and onward sale of recyclable materials)

It was planned that the Council would go out to tender for the MRF Service imminently. The tender would be open to all bidders and satisfy EU and national procurement regulations. The annual contract price would be dependent on contractor processing costs, less a rebate for the value of a basket of recyclable materials collected, and would be structured and weighted to ensure an acceptable sharing of the risks associated with market volatility. The pricing element of the contract evaluation model had been designed, using predicted tonnages over the next three years and actual values of the basket of recyclable materials over the previous three years, to reflect this sharing of risk. The contract would stipulate that the drop off point for recycled materials collected by the Council had to be within 10 miles of the Waterbeach depot in order to minimise travelling.

Hard-to-reach project

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services stated that the above project was targeting those who currently did not use the recycling bins. Success was likely to vary from site-to-site.

Dry waste recycling

The Environmental Services Manager explained that the blue bins would be able to take a range of new materials that could not currently be recycled including plastic packaging such as food pots, tubs and trays as well as cartons such as tetra packs. It was also hoped that plastic film such as cling film and food wrappers and batteries could be included. Research was continuing into theses materials and if they could be included at the outset of the service they would be added to the communications and publicity plan.

Bins owners and purchasing

It was noted that the bins, once delivered, remained the property of the Council. Whether the tenant or landlord was responsible for the bin delivery charge would depend on the tenancy agreement in place. It was understood that any bins taken in a house move could be traced using the serial number and returned to the original house of issue. Any bins stolen would be replaced free of charge providing the resident had reported the theft to the Police and obtained an incident number.

Side waste

The Environmental Services Manager explained that side-waste could not be left by green and black bins, primarily for health and safety reasons. However, because of the vehicles used on the blue bin service, it would be permissible to leave side-waste by the blue bins, providing it was left alongside the bin in a returnable container. As in the blue bin, paper  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

Appendix 1 is attached to the electronic version of the agenda on the Council’s website. 

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED IN PRINCIPLE

(a)         To one HIA covering the County and joint commissioning. If, as a result of the view from other partners, this were not possible then two HIAs covering 3 and 2 districts and joint commissioning would be acceptable; and

(b)         That the preferred method of providing such a service would be via a shared service approach. If not possible then this matter should come back to the portfolio holder. At this stage a competitive tender is not acceptable.

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services introduced this report which asked the Portfolio Holder to decide on principle on the preferred model of delivery of the Home Improvement Agency services within the District. He explained that there were a number of specialists within the team, which made it difficult to cover work when one these officers was absent. This challenge could be addressed by entering into a shared service arrangement with another authority. The cost savings for this initiative was difficult to calculate but a figure of £40,000 could be expected.

Agreement in principle

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services explained that whilst senior officers from the different authorities appeared supportive of a shared service the political will was unknown. The report therefore asked for the portfolio holder’s agreement in principle to allow the matter to be progressed. Final agreement would require the approval of Cabinet. A solution implementation date of April 2011 was necessary.

IT Systems

The Home Improvement Agency Project Co-ordinator explained that potential partners in a shared service arrangement already used the same systems and so if a shared service was agreed there would be no compatibility issues.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder rejected both option 1 of the report, as attempting to maintain the status quo would result in higher revenue costs and option 4, as a reduction in service would affect the most vulnerable households. The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder also rejected the possibility of procuring the service via a competitive tender.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED IN PRINCIPLE

(a)         To one HIA covering the County and joint commissioning. If, as a result of the view from other partners, this were not possible then two HIAs covering 3 and 2 districts and joint commissioning would be acceptable; and

(b)         That the preferred method of providing such a service would be via a shared service approach. If not possible then this matter should come back to the portfolio holder. At this stage a competitive tender was not acceptable.

A site plan is attached to the electronic version of the agenda on the Council’s website.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED that

(a)               South Cambridgeshire District Council support Cambridge City Council as the preferred body to manage and maintain the drainage system at NIAB 1 (swales, infiltration trenches and balancing pond with associated open space) subject to appropriate contributions;

(b)               South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Drainage Manager has discussions with Cambridge City Council and the applicant to agree and approach to a co-ordinated management and maintenance regime for the site (NIAB and NIAB2) as a whole. 

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services introduced this report, which considered the future management maintenance and adoption of the proposed Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) that will serve the NIAB development in the North West Quadrant.

Councillor Mike Mason expressed concern regarding the impact of water flow from the proposed NIAB sites into the villages of the district and so he advocated that this Council manage the drainage systems of the two sites.

It was noted that similar discussions would be had in the future regarding forthcoming developments in the District.

The Drainage Manager explained that the Developer would pay for the costs of the work to ditches on the upper sections of the award drain through a Section 106 Agreement and he was satisfied with the sum that had been negotiated. He added that under section 24 of the Land Drainage Act the Council had the power to compel the City Council to carry out drainage work, although in practice it was very unlikely that this authority would have to resort to this. He further explained that the Council was not in a position to carry out the amount landscaping work that would be required.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED that

(a)               South Cambridgeshire District Council support Cambridge City Council as the preferred body to manage and maintain the drainage system at NIAB 1 (swales, infiltration trenches and balancing pond with associated open space) subject to appropriate contributions;

(b)               South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Drainage Manager has discussions with Cambridge City Council and the applicant to agree and approach to a co-ordinated management and maintenance regime for the site (NIAB and NIAB2) as a whole. 

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED        that the Council does not at this time introduce the Best Bar None scheme within its administrative area. 

The Corporate Manager for Health and Environmental Services presented this report, which outlined the Best Bar None awards scheme and highlighted the issues surrounding the possible introduction of an approved scheme. He expressed reservations regarding the scheme, which appeared to have an urban focus.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder supported the officer’s concerns and decided that the Council’s resources should not be focused on this or any other similar scheme.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED        that the Council does not at this time introduce the Best Bar None scheme within its administrative area. 

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED        to change the Best Kept Village Competition action for 2009/10 to Community Pride and Village Hero Awards. 

Corporate Manager for Community and Customer Services presented this item, which sought formal agreement to change the Best Kept Village Competition action for 2009/10 to Community Pride and Village Hero Awards and set out the proposed timeline and format for the awards.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder supported this change, which would help to develop a sense of community in the district’s villages. She requested that officers examine the possibility of having categories for different sizes of villages.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder

AGREED        to change the Best Kept Village Competition action for 2009/10 to Community Pride and Village Hero Awards. 

The Portfolio Holder will maintain, for agreement at each meeting, a Forward Plan identifying all matters relevant to the Portfolio which it is believed are likely to be the subject of consideration and / or decision by the Portfolio Holder, or recommendation to, or referral by, the Portfolio Holder to Cabinet, Council, or any other constituent part of the Council.   The plan will be updated as necessary.  The Portfolio Holder will be responsible for the content and accuracy of the forward plan.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder made the following amendments to the Forward Plan:

• Remove the item on Trade Waste Remedial Measures
• Remove the item on End of Year Hampshire Matrix 2009/10
• The item on Financial Performance full year report 2009/10 was brought forward to the next meeting.
• Include an item on Member Training and the move towards achieving the Member Development Charter for the next meeting.

The Environmental Services Portfolio Holder NOTED the amended Forward Plan.

Tuesday 18 May 2010 at 2.00pm 

Tuesday 18 May at 2pm in the Jeavons Room.