Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Bill Fraser, Deputy Stanley Ginsburg, Alderman Dr Andrew Parmley, Henrika Priest, Deputy Gerald Pulman, Deputy Richard Regan, Deputy James Thomson and Mark Wheatley.

There were none.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on Tuesday 15 July 2014.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2014 be agreed as a correct record.

Matters Arising

Members noted that the Ludgate Hill pedestrian crossing trial had been delayed until early 2015 due to a request from Transport for London (TfL) for further survey work to be carried out.

In response to another Member’s question, the Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee advised that there is no regulatory body for light pollution.

To note the list of outstanding actions.

The Committee received the list of Outstanding Actions.

The Assistant Cleansing Director advised that a second visit to a Materials Recovery Visit (MRF) would be arranged for Members in early 2015, once the Department of the Built Environment had selected a new contractor to provide a service to the City of London Corporation.

RESOLVED – That the list of Outstanding Actions be noted.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk that provided details of action taken by the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Port Health and Environmental Services Committee, in accordance with Standing Order number 41(a), since the last Committee.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Open Spaces that reviewed the progress of the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium Business Plan for the four month period up to 31 July 2014.

The Deputy Chairman noted that future reports of this nature from the Open Spaces Department should be arranged in a style similar to those from the Department of the Built Environment and the Department of Markets and Consumer Protection. The Deputy Chairman added that full details of gross income and expenditure should be included in future progress reports.

The Superintendent of the Cemetery and Crematorium updated the Committee on the progress of the planning application for the Shoot Project Works. He advised that consent was granted by the London Borough of Newham in early September and that the project team had begun to deal with archaeology and ground water issues.

Members took this opportunity to thank the Superintendent for an excellent and informative Biennial Inspection of the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium on Wednesday 3 September 2014.

RESOLVED – That the progress made in implementing the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium Business Plan be noted.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of Director of the Built Environment that set out the progress made to the Department of the Built Environment 2014/17 Business Plan during Period 1 (April – July). Members were advised that the Department was £133,000 (5.8%) underspent against the local risk budget to date of £2.3 million.

In response to a Member’s question, the Assistant Director of Cleansing advised that there were very few unresolved time banding queries. He added that unresolved queries involved helping businesses who were having difficulties complying with time banding regulations when the scheme was introduced and that this indicator might not have been as relevant now and therefore may be replaced in next year’s business plan.

In response to a Member’s question regarding public conveniences, the Director of Transportation and Public Realm advised that, in general, new barrier facilities were not yet meeting original income projections but facilities at Paternoster Square and Tower Hill were over-performing.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment regarding the Clean City Awards Scheme (CCAS) review.

Members were advised that the CCAS had been identified as delivering potential savings of £25,000 as part of the Service Based Review (SBR). The Assistant Director of Street Scene and Strategy explained that the estimated income levels from the proposed introduction of fees depended on the membership uptake over the next year but savings were not needed to be achieved until 2016/17, which allowed considerable time to establish the viability and uptake and also time to further review the scheme if uptake is insufficient to meet the target. He added that feedback had shown that members of the CCAS value the scheme and were surprised that it had remained free of charge for so long.

In response to a Member’s question, the Assistant Director advised that the date of the CCAS Awards ceremony would be circulated to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman when known.

RESOLVED – That:

a)    a new model of delivery for the CCAS whereby an annual membership fee structure is introduced with effect from 1 April 2015 in return for a benefits package for membership with a view to achieve the £25,000 savings identified through the SBR, be approved; and

b)    a progress report on the scheme be presented to the Committee following 6 months of the charging being introduced.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment that informed Members of two campaigns run by the Cleansing Service in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy in September and October. The campaigns would focus on smoking and chewing gum related litter, both of which had been identified in the Local Environmental Quality Survey as high priority problems with the City’s street scene.

The Committee were shown a promotional video of the campaigns to raise public awareness via the internet and social media.

In response to a Member’s question, the Assistant Director of Street Cleansing advised that over 6 million cigarette butts were dropped on City streets each year and they are unable to be used for recycling. He also advised that 45,000 cigarette butt pouches had been handed out to the public already.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Public Realm.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Transportation and Public Realm regarding comingled Dry Mixed Recycling (DMR) contamination.

The Assistant Director of Street Cleansing advised that the City had experienced recent issues with quality of recycled waste due to new regulations. Dry recycling collected as part of the street cleansing operation was largely free from contamination by non-recyclable waste but there were some issues with household recycling and waste from the Renew bins was highly contaminated.

In response to Members’ questions, the Assistant Director advised that the Department of the Built Environment would look into the costs involved of providing free recycling bags to all residents and the options in relation to the issues that were experienced from the Renew bins. He added that green waste is not collected in the City but food waste was composted and that a wider range of items may be able to be recycled once the new Material Recovery Facility was procured.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and a further report outlining actions in response to the contamination of recycling be presented to the next appropriate Committee meeting.

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee received a report of Director of Markets and Consumer Protection that set out the progress made to the Port Health and Public Protection (PH&PP) division of the Markets and Consumer Protection Business Plan during Period 1 (April – July).

In response to a Member’s question regarding Legionnaires disease, the Director of PH&PP advised that regular inspections were being carried out depending on the level of risk and that non-compliances were rectified immediately or prohibition notices would be issued. It was agreed that Committee Members would be informed of any prohibition notices issued to non-compliant businesses.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection that proposed the adoption of an updated Policy Statement on Enforcement for all of the regulatory functions of the Port Health and Public Protection Service (PH&PP).

RESOLVED – That:-

a)    the adoption of a new PH&PP Policy Statement on Enforcement to the replace the existing, be approved; and

b)    the Policy be publicised accordingly.

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection regarding the increase in illegally imported dogs and cats dealt with by the Animal Health and Welfare Team. The report proposed some actions that could be taken to strengthen controls at UK borders, which would reduce costs for Animal Health Authorities like the City of London Corporation as they would not need to detain animals inland.

The Director of PH&PP reported that the Animal and Plant Health Agency had been very supportive of the proposals following a visit the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre by the Chief Executive.

In response to a Member’s question, the Director advised that they would work with the Remembrancer’s Department and their contacts in the European Union to develop better controls for animals entering the UK from France.

RESOLVED – That: -

a)    the continuing problem with the illegal importation of pets, and the increasing costs of enforcement, be noted; and

b)    the proposals to strengthen controls at the borders be approved.

In response to a Member’s question regarding the build-up of litter on ledges, steps and statues particularly in and around Prudence Passage, the Assistant Director of Street Cleansing advised that enforcement activity could be increased in certain areas if necessary and that contractors would be reminded of the importance of fulfilling the contract requirements and ensuring waste was removed from ledges and steps as part of the cleansing operation.

In response to a Member’s question regarding the number of bins within the City, the Director of Transportation and Public Realm advised that an increase in number would need to be carefully considered in light of the recent security threat levels being raised and the additional expenses involved to install and empty new bins. However, if any Member was experiencing high levels of littering in their ward he would be pleased to discuss trialling a littler bin in a suitable location.

In response to a Member’s question regarding the Biennial Inspection of the City of London Cemetery on 3 September 2014, the Director of Open Spaces and Superintendent of the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium advised that a new format for the event would be looked into, in consultation with the Town Clerk, to incorporate more external guests at the visit.

The Committee discussed whether enough was being done to carry out their duty to reduce pollution and energy use within the City. A Member noted that the Transport and Sustainability Forum was in place to discuss sustainability and environmental challenges and collaboration with TfL was required to reduce the impact of vehicle pollution in the City. The Deputy Chairman added that if committee members were interested in taking a more joined up look at its responsibilities a small sub group could perhaps be set up. The Town Clerk would

Any items of business that the Chairman may decide are urgent.

The Chairman noted that the Town Clerk would amend the start time of future meetings to 11:30am instead of 11:00am.

MOTION – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100a(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

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To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 15 July 2014.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2014 be agreed as a correct record.

Joint report of the Director of the Built Environment, the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection, and the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee received a joint report of the Director of the Built Environment, the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection and the Director of Open Spaces regarding debt arrears.

There were none.

There was one item of urgent business.