Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a correct record

These minutes were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Two questions had been submitted by Councillor Lee. The questions and responses are provided at Appendix A to these minutes.

The Chair introduced this item by thanking the CAB for its work in supporting Tandridge communities. Sarah Henke-Monti and Catherine Wynchol (managers of the Caterham & Warlingham and Oxted Bureaux respectively) gave a joint presentation to inform Members about their services, including:

• the fact that the Bureaux are two local, independent charities, operating as members of one large national organisation, offering free, confidential and impartial advice to anyone living or working in the District

• confirmation that, in total, the two Tandridge bureaux employ over 40 volunteer advice and support staff (providing approximately 14,000 hours of free service per annum)  supervised by 2.6 FTE core paid staff and 1.8 FTE paid project staff (each volunteer takes between 12 to 18 months to train)

• the critical nature of the Council’s continued core funding and an explanation of income from other sources for one-off purposes and time limited projects (the projects were due to cease at the end of the financial year)

• metrics to quantity the value of the Bureaux to society (using HM Treasury approved calculations) 

• key advice areas (e.g. benefits; tax credits; housing; debt; education; employment; health; housing; family & relationships; and referrals to other charities)

• a case study focusing on disability advice work

• performance during the Covid 19 pandemic

• future challenges.

In response to questions, the CAB managers explained:

• their approaches to recruiting and retaining volunteers and the fact that certain projects, while limited in duration, left positive legacies in terms of developing more experienced, specialist advisors

• the costs attributed to having two separate physical locations, notwithstanding the significant benefits of the dual site approach and the limitations of a fully remote operation.    

The Committee welcomed the presentation and praised the Bureaux and its staff for their valued services to local residents.

The Committee considered an analysis of progress against key performance indicators, together with an updated risk register for the second quarter of 2021/22.

The accompanying report recommended that KPI CS5 (% of establishments with a score of 3 or better under the food hygiene rating scheme) be removed from future performance reports. However, upon debating this matter, Members concluded that food hygiene standards should continue to be reported to the Committee, regardless of the whether the information reflected the performance of businesses or the joint environmental health team. It was agreed that a decision on the future of KPI CS5 should be deferred until the next meeting. 

In response to Members’ questions, officers confirmed that:

·           in future, waiting list data for parking permits would identify separate figures for Town End, Caterham and, potentially, for ‘Hillside, Whyteleafe’ and ‘Station Road / Whyteleafe Rec’ (waiting list figures for all three locations had been amalgamated within the Quarter 2 report)

·           missed collections of food waste were rectified within 24 hours – CCTV footage had been reviewed to ascertain the reasons for these oversights

·           a recycling collection service for Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and batteries was not offered for flats, apart from three locations where dedicated containers had been provided (the Locality Services Manager would confirm the three locations concerned after the meeting)

·           some missed assisted collections had reoccurred from the same households – this was due mainly to the impact of changes to routes and crews and where greater awareness raising among the collection teams was required

·           there had only been one instance of a request for parking enforcement not being actioned within 24 hours

·           information about the number of fly-tips removed by the street cleaning team would be provided within future performance reports

·           the information generated by the Council’s online missed bin reporting system would be reviewed to check whether it is fit for purpose.

            R E S O L V E D – that:

A.     the Quarter 2 (2021/22) performance and risks for the Community Services Committee be noted; and

B.     a decision on the future of performance indicator CS5 (food establishment ratings) be deferred until the next meeting on the 18^th January 2022, pending consideration of potential alternative means of measuring both the food hygiene standards of businesses and the performance of the food safety team.

A report was presented regarding the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards which had been published by the Department for Transport (DfT). Licensing authorities had been advised to adopt the standards “unless there is a compelling reason not to”. The standards contained recommendations covering numerous aspects of the taxi licensing regime, including:

·           timelines for reviewing policies and associated consultation requirements

·           the duration of licenses

·           safeguarding issues / subscription to the online disclosure and barring service

·           information sharing with the police and other licensing authorities

·           self-reporting of relevant incidents by licence holders

·           processes for dealing with complaints

·           processes for determining Member level decisions to refuse or revoke licences

·           ‘fit and proper person’ standards

·           whether CCTV should be installed in licensed vehicles

A review of current practice within Tandridge, with reference to each of the DfT’s recommendations, had been undertaken by the licensing team. The report included a summary of the review (together with a delivery plan for achieving the standards) and advised that the Council’s ‘guidance for proprietors and drivers of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles’ would need to be revised following a public consultation. 

The report also advised that the DfT expected reviews to be completed before the end of the calendar year so that any changes in policies can be effective as soon as possible in 2022. This was questioned by Members on the basis that some of the key actions within the delivery plan, including the adoption of a new licensing policy, were not scheduled for implementation until nine to twelve months hence. Officers responded by explaining that the work to date and future timelines reflected a pragmatic approach, given the relatively limited staffing resources within the licensing team available for dedicated policy work.  In any event, some of the measures within the DfT standards had already been implemented.

Officers responded to various other questions from Members. This included reference to recent dialogue with the police and taxi trade regarding the intention to include county lines exploitation within safeguarding awareness training.   

R E S O L V E D – that:

A.     the review of the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards be noted; and

B.     the delivery plan for meeting the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards, as shown at Appendix B to these minutes, be agreed. 

This project formed one of the actions arising from the Open Spaces Strategy adopted by the Committee in March 2021, namely to upgrade the park and investigate possible improvements, including:

·           flood alleviation measures

·           accessible car parking

·           better refreshment and WC facilities, ideally near the play area

·           water play activity

·           seating with shade and shelter near the play area

·           permanent table tennis

·           a cycle network to access the park and cycle storage

·           a trim trail with dual cycle use

·           measures to sustain playing surfaces for football, rugby and cricket

·           renovation of the basketball court

·           improved litter management

·           improved community noticeboard

A report was presented to inform Members about the progress of the project. This also:

·           highlighted the fact that the playground equipment now required replacing (although officers confirmed it was still subjected to a maintenance regime); and

·           acknowledged Surrey County Council’s advice that flood resilience in Caterham on the Hill would be greatly enhanced if excess surface water (during heavy rainfall) could be stored at Queens Park.

The report explained that a ‘pre-design’ engagement exercise had been undertaken with the local community in August / September 2021 to identify what issues were most important to regular users of the park. A landscape architect was progressing initial design options to be shared with Members and subjected to public consultation, the indicative timetable for which was:

Initial design work                                                      Oct to Dec 2021

Meeting with councillors – early design work            Dec 2021

Public consultation / engagement on options             Jan to March 2022

Refine options                                                             March/April 2022

Report and recommendations to the Committee       by June 2022

Planning and funding applications                              by June 2022

Construction                                                                2022/23

The budget for the early design work was £50,000, to be part funded from the capital programme with a £20,000 contribution from Surrey County Council. Total project costs were in the region of £1 million for which grants would be sought from various sources, including Community Infrastructure Levy, Surrey County Council and the Lottery. However, the report also acknowledged the need for effective income generation to help subsidise the high cost of park services. 

Further views expressed by residents to Caterham on the Hill Members were conveyed during the debate, including suggestions for a caged football area, a running track, and observations that the park was valued as it is and that its natural ambiance should be protected from over-development. Some Members expressed the desire for flood alleviation measures to be prioritised over other potential enhancements. In any event, the need for future capital investments to reduce future maintenance costs were acknowledged.

Regarding the consultation responses about suggested improvements (Appendix E to the report) Members asked if there was any quantitative analysis to demonstrate clear mandates for particular initiatives. In response, Officers agreed to present additional evidence to substantiate the extent of support for specific ideas. It was also confirmed that the queensparkproject@tandridge.gov.uk in-box was still being monitored. 

     R E S O L V E D – that the Committee supports the progress of the Queens Park improvements project  ...  view the full minutes text for item 185.