To ask questions of Portfolio Holders. Questions received will be tabled at the meeting. (Members are reminded that questions must be submitted to the Chief Executive or to the Executive Head of Governance and Regulation by not later than noon on Friday, 6 July 2018.)
Decision:
Question 1
Cllr Harrison asked the Portfolio Holder for Housing Services a question regarding the effect "Right to Buy" had had on the Council’s housing stock and the consequently effect on people, especially young people, being able to access affordable housing. The Portfolio Holder agreed that right to buy had reduced the Council’s housing stock but that the position had already been raised with Government Ministers. The Council was actively pursuing a range of measures to create affordable homes for families and young people.
Question 2
Cllr O’Sullivan asked the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing to update the Council on the progress of the New Milton Free-Weights Room and the Applemore Studio Projects, the associated costs and payback time. The Portfolio Holder responded that, despite some problems being encountered, both projects had been delivered on budget. The, Applemore Studio Project had cost £44,500 and the New Milton Free-Weights Room, £34,000. The payback time was 1 year for Applemore and 1 year and 3 months for New Milton.
Question 3
Cllr Harrison asked the Portfolio Holder for Community Affairs about the ability of Hampshire Constabulary to fulfil their community safety duties. He highlighted a recent incident in Lyndhurst when the Police had been unable to respond. The Portfolio Holder spoke about the incident in question and said that, while it was regrettable that the Police had been unable to respond, it had to be appreciated that Police resources had been reduced. She praised the Police for their involvement in wider community safety issues and the way they went about their work with limited resources. Hampshire’s Chief Constable and the Police & Crime Commissioner were campaigning for improved national funding. The matter was not one within the District Council’s control.
Councillor Harrison asked a supplementary question regarding the long Police response times and whether the reduction in staffing would cause further problems. The Portfolio Holder hoped that the publicity over both local and national issues would bring about improved funding.
Question 4
Cllr Harrison asked the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services about the numberof successful prosecutions against people dropping litter in the New Forest District in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Portfolio Holder reported there had been no prosecutions in 2016/17 but that there had been 15 in 2017/18, and 2 so far this year. The Council was adopting powers that would make it easier to take action in cases of littering from motor vehicles, which was the highest cause of littering in the District.
Cllr Harrison asked a supplementary question regarding the target for prosecutions for dropping litter over the next 12 months. The Portfolio Holder responded saying that there was no target but that work to educate the public would continue, coupled with enforcement action in appropriate circumstances
Question 5
Cllr Harrison asked the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services about the number of successful prosecutions there had been against people who had allowed a dog to mess without clearing up on pavements, verges and other community spaces in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Portfolio Holder reported that there had not been any. However, successful campaigns involving a high profile presence by the dog warden had been undertaken at some problem areas, with resulting marked improvements in the level of dog fouling.
Cllr Harrison asked a supplementary question regarding the target for prosecutions for dog fouling over the next 12 months. The Portfolio Holder stated that there was no target but that anti-fouling campaigns would continue.
Question 6
Cllr Harrison asked the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services about the Council’s plans to improve recycling performance. The Portfolio Holder reported that the recycling rate in the District had increased from 31 to 34%. Work was continuing to improve this rate still further. A campaign called “Six in the Sack” was to be launched at the New Forest Show.
Cllr Harrison followed up with a question comparing the recycling rate for NFDC with other nearby authorities, asking whether more steps should be taken to improve recycling rates. The Portfolio Holder responded saying that the Council was committed to improving recycling but items that could be accepted for recycling were limited by the commodities accepted by Project Integra.
Question 7
Cllr Harrison asked the Leader and Corporate Affairs Portfolio Holder about plans for the senior management of the Council’s planning function. The Leader responded stating that housing and planning were top priorities for the Council. Considerable investment had been made into these two priority services. The Cabinet would review the planning function over the summer and report back to Members on progress.
Question 8
Cllr Harrison asked the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services about a possible Chinese Lantern Festival in Southampton and whether, because of the inherent dangers for the New Forest, she would help to persuade the company promoting the event to cancel it. The Portfolio Holder reported that protection of the environment in the New Forest was her top priority. However, the event might not require a licence, and, even if it did, licensing would be a matter for Southampton City Council. She had undertaken some preliminary investigations and it seemed that a number of safety measures would apply. She appreciated the concerns and would contact Southampton City Council to find out more and to stress the importance of ensuring that the event was run safely without a detrimental impact on the environment.
Minutes:
Question 1
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Jill Cleary, Portfolio Holder for Housing Services:
“Whilst I applaud the collective efforts of staff and members of the authority in seeking to address the lack of affordable housing in the district, don't you agree that the policy of "Right to Buy" which means that we have effectively lost half our council housing in the last 20 years, coupled with the fact that most of the receipts go to central government for redistribution around the country, means that the prospects, especially for young people seeking local affordable rental accommodation are getting worse, not better?”
Answer
The Portfolio Holder agreed that right to buy had reduced Council housing stock. Providing more homes for local people was one of the Council’s top priorities. The Council was actively pursuing a range of measures to create affordable homes for families and young people. The effect of right to buy had already been raised with Government Ministers. The Portfolio Holder read part of a response received from Dominic Raab MP, at the time Minister of State for Housing. This indicated that the Government appreciated that more needed to be done to help Council’s deliver replacement homes. The Government was looking at flexibilities that could be offered to local authorities in their use of right to buy receipts in order to increase build out. The Government would be consulting the sector later in the year.
Question 2
From Cllr Alan O’Sullivan, to Cllr James Binns, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing:
"Will the Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing please update the Council on the progress of the New Milton Free-Weights Room and Applemore Studio Projects, the associated costs and payback time?"
Answer
The Portfolio Holder said that excellent work had been carried out on both projects with tight budgets. The projects had been split into seven different elements, and a separate contract had been let for each. The Applemore Studio Project had cost £44,500 and had been delivered on budget. The Studio had opened and payback was expected in one year.
With regard to the free-weights room in New Milton Health & Leisure, initial tenders had come back too high, at £100,000. Unfortunately damp was discovered underneath the squash courts which needed to be resolved, however the final cost of the project, including this additional work was £34,000. It was expected that the payback time would be 1 year and 3 months. Safety and security had been improved with the free-weights room being re-located opposite main reception. A further benefit of moving the weights room from upstairs was that the maintenance of a ground floor weights room would be cheaper.
Cllr Binns congratulated the Council’s Graphics Team on the promotional material produced for both projects and paid tribute to the Health and Leisure Teams for their commitment and determination to make both projects a success.
Question 3
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Diane Andrews, Portfolio Holder for Community Affairs:
"It has been reported that a suspected thief was caught by members of the public in Lyndhurst High Street and held onto for 40 minutes and yet the overstretched police force were unable to send somebody along to arrest the suspect, despite the fact that Lyndhurst police station is only located a few hundred yards away. The suspect got away. What does this tell you about the capacity of Hampshire Constabulary to fulfil their duty towards community safety?"
Answer
The Portfolio Holder said that the fact the Police had been unable to respond in good time to the incident was regrettable. It was, however, a fact that Police resources were stretched and they had to prioritise incidents when they occurred. She understood that at the time of the incident referred to, the local Police were dealing with a number of Grade 1 incidents (Grade 1 being the highest priority rating attributed to reports of crime). No units had been available to deploy to Lyndhurst High Street. The local people who took action were to be thanked for their community spirit. It was understood that an item stolen from premises in the village had been recovered and that the Police were investigating what was being treated as a burglary. The Police had very difficult and dangerous jobs to do and they should be praised for the way they went about their work. They were central to what Cllr Andrews believed was a very successful and influential Community Safety Partnership. However, their resources were limited. Hampshire’s Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner were campaigning for improved national funding. Meanwhile, the Community Safety Partnership continued to work as a collective to address the concerns of the community by using combined resources to try to reduce crime and disorder in the District. The matter raised by Cllr Harrison was not one within the District Council’s control.
Councillor Harrison asked a supplementary question regarding the long Police response times and whether the reduction in staffing would cause further problems. The Portfolio Holder hoped that the publicity over the issue both locally and nationally would help to bring about improved funding. The Portfolio Holder was very supportive of the excellent work the police carried out.
Question 4
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Alison Hoare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services:
"How many successful prosecutions have there been against people dropping litter in the New Forest District in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018?”
Answer
The Portfolio Holder said that littering was a challenging problem. In order to achieve successful prosecutions enforcement officers needed to be in the right place at the right time but people were unlikely to drop litter in the presence of enforcement officers.
The Council in 2017 had reviewed how it enforced Environmental Crime. A review of the Enforcement Team had resulted in a team to pursue littering offences being set up within the existing Car Parking Enforcement Team. New legislation was also available to tackle fly tipping. There had been no prosecutions in 2016/17 but there had been 15 in 2017/18, and 2 so far this year, the latest having been reported in the Press the previous week.
The main problem with littering in the New Forest was rubbish thrown from vehicles. The Council had recently adopted new powers to tackle this issue, and a Multi-Agency Working Group would make recommendations on how these new powers could be enforced and publicised.
Cllr Harrison asked a supplementary question regarding the target for prosecutions for dropping litter in the next 12 months. The Portfolio Holder said that there was no target but that work to educate the public would continue, coupled with enforcement action in appropriate circumstances. A review would be carried in a year’s time.
Question 5
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Alison Hoare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services:
"How many successful prosecutions have there been against people who have allowed a dog to mess without clearing up on pavements, verges and other community spaces in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018?”
Answer
The Portfolio Holder reported that there had been no prosecutions over the last few years. However, successful campaigns with a high profile presence from the Dog Warden at known hot spots had been carried out, these included Calshot Beach and Fisherman’s Walk at Barton. Although no penalty notices had been issued, the campaigns had dramatically reduced the amount of dog fouling in the areas concerned.
In response to a supplementary question from Cllr Harrison, the Portfolio Holder stated that there was no target for prosecutions but that anti-fouling campaigns would continue.
Question 6
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Alison Hoare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services:
"New Forest District Council is near to bottom of the UK league in terms of recycling performance. What ambitious plans will be put in place to correct this?"
Answer
The Portfolio Holder reported that the recycling rate in the District had increased from 31% to just over 34% in 2017/18, which was very positive. Work was continuing to increase this further. A campaign called ‘Six in the Sack’ was to be launched at the New Forest Show to encourage households to recycle the right items. The Waste and Transport Service continued to try to reduce contamination in the clear sacks as a high priority.
Cllr Harrison followed up with a question comparing the recycling rate for NFDC with other nearby authorities, asking whether more steps should be taken to improve recycling rates. The Portfolio Holder responded that the Council was committed to improving recycling but items that could be accepted for recycling were limited by the commodities accepted by Project Integra. She applauded the rise in recycling for the last year and wished to see this continue.
Question 7
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Barry Rickman, Leader and Corporate Affairs:
"What plan does he now have with regards to senior management of the planning function of New Forest District Council?"
Answer
The Leader responded stating that housing and planning were top priorities for the Council. Considerable investment had been made into these two priority services. The Local Plan: Part 1: Planning Strategy had been agreed and was out for consultation. The Cabinet would review the planning function over the summer and report back to Members on progress.
Question 8
From Cllr David Harrison, to Cllr Alison Hoare, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regulatory Services:
"A commercial company called Thelightsfest.com have announced their intention to hold a Chinese Lantern Festival in the Southampton area. This has undesirable consequences for property, public safety and wildlife, both in the City area and the New Forest district. Will she join me in trying to persuade the company to cancel the event and try to exercise as much influence as possible to stop them via the licensing regime?”
Answer
The Portfolio Holder reported that the Company proposing the event appeared to hold events throughout the UK and also in the USA and Canada. They appeared to apply strict environmental, safety and sustainability controls which included clean-up crews. The event might not require a licence but if it did it would be a matter for Southampton City Council. The Portfolio Holder appreciated the concerns and said she would contact Southampton City Council to ascertain what measures they would seek to put in place to protect the environment if the event proceeded.