Agenda and minutes

Apologies were recived from Tijs Broeke and Alderman Gregory Jones.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on Tuesday 22 September 2020.

RESOLVED - that the public minutes of the meeting held virtually on Tuesday 22 September 2020 be approved as a correct record.

Matter arising

Cemetery streaming

The Superintendent & Registrar informed the Committee that the BT installation of the fibre connection has now been installed, the City of London is waiting for the confirmation of the fibre connection, however the North and South Chapel should be able to provide a live streaming service from the end of the year.

The Deputy Chairman asked if the new cremators are in place. The Superintendent & Registrar confirmed that the cremator project is going according to the timescale, and two new cremators are in operation at present. At present, 21 cremations are being carried out a day. In terms of the abatement concern, the process starts from November to February; the Open Spaces Department is yet to abate but can use the cremators.

The Chairman and Deputy Chairman noted that the project came into effect at the right time between the first and second spike of COIVID-19.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk setting out the current list

of outstanding actions:

Measurement and mitigation options for operational rail noise from

London Underground affecting the Barbican Estate

The Committee was informed that the long-term financial package has now been agreed by the Government at £1.8billion in total. London Underground Officials are now scrutinizing their individual budgets to see what will mean for the proposed noise and vibration works. The City of London is yet to find out if the previously agreed works can go ahead. On a positive note, the four lines modernization programme is going to be funded, and it is going ahead, with the deadline being around March 2021.

The Chairman noted that this is sufficient improvement from our previous conversation with TfL on this.

A Member asked if the Committee could place on record its commitments to ensure that that the measurement and mitigation options for operational rail noise from London Underground affecting the Barbican Estate remains on the agenda. The Chairman assured the Member that the Committee would ensure that this remains as an important agenda item. The Committee will continue its highlight level engagement with senior levels of the TfL.

The Port Health and Public Protection Director to be heard.

The Committee received the verbal update of the Port Health and Public Protection Director on the UK's impact of leaving the EU (Brexit) on Port Health & Public Protection.

The Committee was informed that things are moving on at pace since the verbal update at the last sitting of the Committee. The UK Government has published a Border Operating Model that outlines how controls will be phased in at the border from January 2021. 

The model contains information on a wide variety of border controls, but the ones relevant to this Committee include:

·         From January 2021 – full checks on live animals, organic checks, Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing checks.  In addition, goods transiting through the EU to the UK will need to be checked.  The transits are high-risk food and feed from the rest of the world that travel via the EU but are not checked by the EU. The Department will also need to check manifests to gain a better understanding of imports through the ports.

·         From April 2021, the City of London will need to ensure that it is carrying out 100% documentary checks of high-risk food and feed which enters the UK through the City of London’s ports.  The latest projections from the UK Government indicate that this could double the workload for the Port Health Service.

·         From July 2021, a physical, identification, and sampling checks will be required on 1% of high-risk EU food and feed imports

The Committee was informed that the City of London is in close liaison with the Government bodies, such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Food Standards Agency,  as some points in the Border Operating Model require further clarification.  This includes details of how long the 1% checking regime will last as it is

The Assistant Director - Cleansing Operations and Street Environment to be heard.

The Committee received the verbal update of the Business Improvement & Strategic Group Manager on the Hazardous Waste Update.

The Committee was informed that the City of London acts as a lead authority on the London wide Hazardous Waste Programme. The Hazardous Waste Programme aims to provide a service to residents, schools, and charities to dispose of small quantities of asbestos and chemical waste safely. A procurement process was followed, and a contract was award to Biffa Waste Services in April 2020. Since April 2020, Officers have been working hard to gain support from all the 32 London Boroughs to be part of the Programme.

The Committee was further advised that all the 32 London Boroughs have signed up to the programme except the London Borough of Hillingdon, which has its own provision in place; however, they have engaged with the process and agreed to come back to the City of London for further engagement once Hillingdon’s current contract comes to an end.

The service has now been up and running since October, with the transition being a smooth process. Officers are pleased with the contract delivery so far and continue to monitor the progress. This is an excellent example of the City of London taking the lead on London-wide services.

The Chairman noted that a lot of work has gone into this piece of work and thanked Officers for their hard work.

RESOLVED – Members noted the verbal update.

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Markets & Consumer Protection on the Amendments to the Commercial Environmental Health Service Plan 2020-2021 with respect to Food Safety Work.

The Committee was informed that at its July meeting, it had approved the Commercial Environmental Health Team’s Service Plan for the year. The plan was set out in three stages, which the City of London had anticipated the course of the pandemic to run from the initial lockdown in March, to reopen in early July and then to recovery and return to normal; however, this has not happened in the phases that were planned out. During that period, the Food Standards Agency was encouraging local authorities to do more proactive food work, alongside its statutory duties such as COVID-19 Secure, track, and trace and to inspect businesses once they could reopen in July.

As more restrictions were put in place by September, the Department’s focus shifted to ensuring that the safety of the public and customers for the local business became a priority. Following the national lockdown on 5 November 2020, the vast majority of the food businesses in the City of London were closed.

The Committee was assured that the few of the food businesses which decided to remain open were provided with COVID-19 secure advice and where appropriate food safety inspections were carried out. The Department’s main priority is now being prepared for the City of London’s businesses to reopens safely and in line with any new regulations that may stem from the lifting of the restriction proposed for 3 December. The Department will continue to ensure that all the businesses remain COVID-19 secure.

The Chairman noted that it is an annual exercise that needs approval from the Committee, and a confirmation needs to be provided to the Food

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer

Protection on the review of the pilot and future Bridge House Estates funding for enforcement activity against illegal street trading on and by the bridges.

The Committee’s attention was drawn to the success of the two-year pilot project, which had resulted in the near elimination of illegal street trading on the bridges. This had been possible due to several factors, including a funding package from the Bridge House Estates, which had enabled resources to be allocated to deal with the illegal street trading all year round.

The Committee was informed that it had played a significant role in the enhanced enforcement powers, which it had facilitated by the endorsement of section 101 agreement; this had allowed the Department to work across the boroughs boundaries with its counterparts in Tower Hamlets and Southwark. Additionally, agencies such as the National Food Crime Agency, Border Forces, and the City of London bridge control room played a vital role in curbing illegal street trading.

A Member noted that the report was discussed in the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee and was pleased to see that the funding had been extended. He advised the Committee that should help the City of London let its guards down, the traders will be back again. The Member welcomed the report.

The Deputy Chairman agreed with the Members comment and thanked Officers for the overall success of the work carried out so far.

This was followed by another Member who also welcomed the report and asked if the lack of presence of the illegal traders were due to the lockdown and the reduced number of visitors to the bridges. The Assistant Director of Public Protection responded that there were no traders on the bridges; however, in early

Report of the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Markets and Consumer

Protection on the 48th City of London Thames Fishery Research Experiment.

The Chairman noted that due to COVID-19, the London Thames Fishery Research Experiment was scaled back. However, the event itself was a success. The event was well received by the fishing teams. The Chairman informed the Committee that the anglers were grateful that the event took place.

The Deputy Chairman commented that despite a low number of anglers, the total number of fish caught this year were over 500. The social distances were 10/15 meters between each of the anglers.  The Deputy Chairman thanked the Officers who were involved in organizing the event.

The Port Health and Public Protection Director informed the Committee that the bars for this year's Fishery Research Experiment had been ordered, and Members will receive them as soon as possible.

RESOLVED, thatMembers:

·         Noted the content of this report;

·         Reviewed and approved the grant from City’s Cash to partially fund the 2021 Experiment and;

·         Approved the 49th City of London Thames Fishery Research Experiment to take place in 2021 (date to be confirmed).

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee received a report of the Chamberlain on the Resetting of departmental Budgets 2020/21.

The Committee was informed that the report is around resetting of departmental budgets for 2020/21.  The impact for the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee is a net increase of £153K, which is made up of an increase of £301K for the Director of Markets and Consumer Protection and a reduction of £148K for the Director of Open Spaces, which were based on the financial forecast from July 2020. The Committee was further advised that this report is also going to the Court of Common Council on Thursday, 3 December, for a decision.

The Chairman also noted that a separate report would be provided to the Committee on the budget for 2021/22 at the Committee’s meeting in January 2021.

RESOLVED, thatMembers noted the report.

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received the report of the Director of the Built Environment on the DBE Senior Officer Resignation.

RESOLVED – Members noted the report.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received the report of the Town Clerk on the report of action taken between meetings.

RESOLVED – Members noted the report.

A Member highlighted to the Committee some of the risks involved in adopting the City of London’s Climate Action Plan. He referred to a report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit on the impact on of working from home and the levels of pollutions and the environment and the fact that Offices will remain heated regardless of people being in the offices or not. This is can increase the NOx emission by 12% in towns and cities, which is enough to offset the last two years’ worth of progress that has been made on traffic emission.

The Air Quality Manager for the City of London responded that gas consumption would increase substantially across the country, as usual, people will be at work in the daytime. The City of London aims to discuss with some of the businesses within the City of London on how to overcome the increase in gas consumption in offices. A report will be presented to the Committee in the January 2021 meeting.

A Member of the Committee noted the need for a living document guided by a strategy that will allow room for discussion, debates, and adopt as time goes forward. This was followed by another Member who asked if the hidden effects of working from home are considered in the report.

Another Member noted that the Barbican is mentioned as a sizeable polluting area due to the building's design and raised concerns that with 2000+ properties in the estate, many people are working from home. This will undoubtedly affect the increased carbon level within the Estate and if this has been taken into account.

The Air Quality Manager for the City of London responded that the Barbican Estate obtains its gas from the Citigen. From an air quality perspective, it is easier to

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 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.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 22 September 2020.

RESOLVED - that the non public minutes of the meeting held virtually on Tuesday 22 September 2020 be approved as a correct record.

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

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

There were none.

There was no other business.