Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned; and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

Councillor Galley declared a personal interest in relation to agenda item 8, as a non-Executive Director of Blackpool Transport Services Ltd, due to his involvement in the park and glide scheme operated during events over the summer.

Councillor Hunter declared a personal interest in relation to a Cabinet Member decision regarding the development on the former Hoyle House site outlined in agenda item 5, as he was a non-Executive Director of Blackpool Housing Company Ltd, who were managing the development on behalf of the Council.

Councillor Hutton declared a personal interest in relation to a Cabinet Member decision regarding the development on the former Hoyle House site outlined in agenda item 5, as he was the Chairman of Blackpool Coastal Housing Ltd, who would manage the properties on the site once the development was complete.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 06 June 2018 as a true and correct record.

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the Tourism, Economy and Resources Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 06 June 2018 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 25 April 2018 as a true and correct record.

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the Tourism, Economy and Resources Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 25 April 2018 be signed by the Chairman as correct record.

To consider any applications from members of the public to speak at the meeting.

The Committee noted that there were no applications to speak by members of the public on this occasion.

To consider the Executive and Cabinet Member Decisions within the portfolios of the Leader of the Council and Deputy Leader of the Council, taken since the last meeting of the Committee.

The Committee considered the Executive and Cabinet Member decisions, within its remit, taken since the last meeting of the Committee on 6 June 2018.

Members queried, in relation to Cabinet Member decision PH44/2018, if a tenant had been found for the ground floor of 23 King Street. Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Enterprise and Economic Development, responded that work was ongoing but there had been expressions of interest in the tenancy.

Cabinet Member decision PH41/2018 regarding the rescheduling of an existing loan from the Blackpool Business Loans Fund was discussed. The Committee questioned the urgency of the decision, to which Mr Alan Cavill, Director of Place, responded that it was in connection with a loan to fund a development project that was currently under consideration. Due to the length of the due diligence process to bring the new loan forward it was considered that rescheduling the applicant’s existing loan to allow the project to commence would be beneficial.

The Committee discussed the Council and Police Frontline Operational Delivery Partnership outlined at Cabinet Member decision PH46/2018. Members asked if the partnership would involve the sharing of powers between the Council’s enforcement officers and Police Community Support Officers in areas such as dog fouling. Councillor Smith responded that the partnership allowed for closer working with the Police in a number of areas, but that a written answer would have to be provided by the Deputy Leader of the Council to clarify if any powers would be shared.

The prudential borrowing of £4.8m as part of decision EX36/2018 regarding the Domestic Waste Service Delivery Options was questioned. Mr Steve Thompson, Director of Resources, indicated that the money was required to purchase new vehicles following the expiry of the current domestic waste contract and the bringing of the service in-house. This was considered to be the cheapest option for the Council and would generate a saving of £760,000 overall.

Members asked if, in relation to Cabinet Member decision PH53/2018, the Council was able to pursue Business Rate debtors whose company had closed but re-opened under a new name. Mr Thompson responded that debtors were tracked where it was possible but that the law surrounding company disclosures meant that it was not always possible.

The Committee noted that a number of Cabinet Members had not been able to attend the meeting to respond to questions regarding decisions, and that this had happened on a number of previous occasions.

To consider the content of the Council’s Forward Plan, September 2018 – January 2019, relating to the portfolios of the Leader of the Council and Deputy Leader of the Council.

The Committee considered the content of the Council’s Forward Plan September 2018 to January 2019, relating to the portfolios of Cabinet Members whose responsibilities fell within its remit.

Members queried whether the public consultation on the proposed Marton Moss conservation area would prevent the placement of caravans on the site, which was considered to be a growing problem. Mr Cavill responded that the consultation was at an early stage and he could therefore not comment on any possible outcomes.

To consider the level of spending against the Council’s Revenue and Capital budgets for the first 3 months to 30th June 2018.

Members considered the report outlining Financial Performance Monitoring at Month 3 2018/2019.

The Committee questioned why there had been reduced income from CCTV, as it was regarded that demand for the service was high. Mr Cavill responded that although demand was high, few were willing to pay the associated cost of using the service. It was also noted that the service was dependent on volunteers being available to monitor the televisions and that a new location was required for the service as the Old Police Station where it was based was due to close.

The Children’s Services overspend was also discussed. Mr Thompson informed the Committee that demographic pressures on services had been presented to a recent meeting of the Audit Committee. This had included a forecast of the changes to the age profile of Blackpool’s population, which Members requested be circulated to them for information. The issue remained a high priority for the Council and a report on the service was scheduled for the 13 September 2018 meeting of the Resilient Communities and Children’s Scrutiny Committee.

A query was raised regarding whether the Council had considered use of the Municipal Bonds Agency (MBA) as a method of borrowing. Mr Thompson responded that it had, but the MBA’s progress in issuing its first bond had been slow to date.

To provide information on the Performance data of Council owned and managed car parks and on street parking, both with regards to patronage and income in 2017/2018, with comparisons to the previous year.

The Committee considered the performance data of the Council’s owned and managed car parks and on street parking, both with regard to the levels of patronage and income from August 2017 to July 2018, in comparison with the same period in 2016/2017.

Mr Philip Welsh, Head of Tourism and Communications, reported that performance in the first few months of the current financial year had been strong with revenue around £100k ahead of the same period last year and in particular good performance on off-street parking.

Members enquired if free parking offers in December 2017 had affected the number of users and income contained within the report. Mr Welsh responded that the free offers had undoubtedly affected patronage numbers as there was no way of counting the number of people who had taken advantage of the offer.

Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Enterprise and Economic Development, informed members that the offer had been requested by the Business Improvement District (BID) with a view to increasing footfall in the town centre over Christmas and New Year. He reported that many town centre employees had taken advantage of the offer and this had distorted the picture of how effective the promotion had actually been. In light of that fact, a review of the Christmas offer for 2018 was under consideration.

The Committee discussed the Park and Glide scheme operated during the Blackpool Air Show. Mr Welsh reported that almost 1000 cars had used the scheme over the weekend. This was considered to be a positive outcome and the continuation of the scheme in the future was being looked at.

It was noted that the patronage report included a sequencing error in that some of the individual car parks had slipped out of alignment. This did not affect the overall patronage or income figures. It was further noted that a copy of the report with the correct sequencing would be circulated after the meeting.

To outline the work and outcomes of the Single Use Plastics Scrutiny Review.

Members consider the outcomes of the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Scrutiny Review.

The Council had agreed a motion at its 27 June 2018 meeting that it would end the use of SUP by May 2020. Following this the review group had agreed that the Tourism, Economy and Resources Scrutiny Committee should monitor the implementation of the motion.

The work plan therefore had an update scheduled for the Committee’s meeting in January 2019, however the Committee requested that this be bought forward to the meeting on 14 November 2018 due to the importance of the issue.

To consider the arrangements for reporting performance against the suite of headline key performance indicators for Priority 1 and organisational resilience for 2018/19.

Mrs Ruth Henshaw, Corporate Delivery Officer highlighted the proposed arrangements for reporting performance against the suite of headline key performance indicators for Priority 1 and organisational resilience for 2018/2019.

The Committee agreed the new approach for performance monitoring and to include the indicators not currently reported on in the annual key performance report.

To consider the Workplan and to monitor the implementation of Committee recommendations, together with any suggestions that Members may wish to make for scrutiny review topics.

The Committee agreed to note the Scrutiny Workplan.

To note the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday, 14 November 2018, commencing at 6pm.

The Committee noted the date and time of the next meeting as 14 November 2018, commencing at 6.00pm.