Agenda and draft minutes

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

(1) the type of interest concerned either a

(a)   personal interest

(b)   prejudicial interest

(c)    disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)

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.

There were no declarations of interest made on this occasion.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 23 November 2022 as a true and correct record.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 23 November 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

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

There were no applications for public speaking on this occasion.

To consider the Executive and Cabinet Member Decisions within the remit of the Committee, taken since the last meeting.

The Committee considered and noted the Executive and Cabinet Member Decisions taken since the last meeting.

To consider the content of the Council’s Forward Plan, February 2023 – March 2023, within the remit of the Committee.

The Committee considered the Forward Plan February 2023 to March 2023 of upcoming decisions.

The Committee agreed: That the update be noted.

To consider an update on the progress of the actions within the Climate Action Plan.

Mr Scott Butterfield, Strategy Policy and Research Manager presented an update on progress against the actions within the Climate Action Plan. He reported that 75 actions were in progress, of which 27 were shown to be behind schedule. This was primarily attributed to issues with staff turnover and recruitment. The identification and prioritisation of other actions had also affected the timescales of some actions as new areas of focus emerged.

Mr Butterfield noted that the scale of change needed to address the Climate Emergency had meant that some actions had taken longer to address than expected. This included the further development of working relationships within the Council and with partners, which has taken more time than anticipated.

Members were also informed that the action plan did not reflect all the climate work taking place at the Council. Mr Butterfield highlighted the work in the development of the new Civil Service Hub as part of the Talbot Gateway, to ensure that the building was constructed in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Previously reported recruitment issues had been resolved with the appointment of a Low Carbon and Sustainability Officer and two new Graduate Climate Action Officers in August and September 2022.. The Committee discussed the new approach and noted that resolution of these issues had in part been achieved through the offer of flexible working. Mr Butterfield also highlighted that the Council had been highly commended at the Local Government Chronicle awards in the Council Response category, and that this would help in promoting roles to potential applicants.

The Committee also discussed the funding for insulation on homes in Blackpool, noting the grant of £8.6m from the Home Upgrade Grant. Mr Butterfield explained that this funding would be used to address housing issues in areas of the most need. He added that funding had also been sought from the national ECO+ scheme, which had £1bn to assist in environmentally sustainable improvements to housing.

The Committee agreed: That the update be noted.

To provide a basis for the Committee to consider the delivery of the Council’s statutory duties in respect of flood risk management. 

Ms Clare Nolan- Barnes, Head of Coastal and Environmental Partnership Investments, presented the Flood Risk Annual Report 2022/2023, outlining the delivery of the Council’s statutory duties in respect of flood risk management. She reported planning applications represented a significant area of work, ensuring that proposed developments had sustainable drainage and other flood mitigation features.

The Committee agreed: That the report be noted.

To provide a basis for the Committee to consider the delivery of the Council’s statutory and other duties in respect of bathing water management.

Ms Clare Nolan- Barnes, Head of Coastal and Environmental Partnership Investments, presented the Bathing Water Quality Annual Report 2022/2023, which outlined delivery of the Council’s statutory and other duties in respect of bathing water management. She reported that the sources of pollution experienced in Blackpool had remained consistent but that the Council had asked the Environment Agency to investigate why water quality on the central beach had deteriorated.

The Committee queried why the central beach had received a low rating in the most recent testing whereas neighbouring beaches in Blackpool had been rated good. Ms Nolan-Barnes explained that water sampling was undertaken by the Environment Agency and that they had been engaged to explore why this had been the case.

The Committee agreed: That the report be noted.

To provide a basis for the Committee to review the services in relation to delivery with an emphasis on headline data and performance indicators.

Mr John-Paul Lovie, Head of Waste (Policy and Partnerships), presented the Waste, Cleansing and StreetScene Annual Report, which outlined the work undertaken and the performance of the service during 2022/2023.

The importance of engagement work was highlighted, noting the challenges of encouraging residents to recycle and use the food waste bins available. Members were made aware that in order to support this work an appointment within the Policy Team had been made whose role would include engagement within schools on issues such as recycling and waste.

Members made officers aware of issues experienced in contacting the Council in relation to the “Adopt an Alley” scheme. Mr Lovie informed Members that the Council supported residents who wished to adopt local alleys, so that they could be improved, by providing advice, tools and personal protective equipment. He added that he would look at the messaging for the scheme and provide Members with the contact details for residents.

The Committee agreed:

1. That the report be noted; and
2. That the contact details for the Adopt an Alley Scheme be provided to Members for information.

To inform the Committee on the work undertaken by the Community Flood Resilience Policy Scrutiny Review Panel.

Mr John-Paul Lovie, Head of Waste (Policy and Partnerships), presented the report on the outcomes of the Community Flood Resilience Policy Scrutiny Review Panel meeting held on 15 December 2022.

The review panel had received a draft copy of the Community Flood Resilience Policy outlining the following recommendations:

·       That the wording of the Introduction of the Community Flood Resilience Policy be amended to reflect the positive intention of the document.

·       That details of local flood risk management work being undertaken be provided to Councillors.

·       That the finalised Policy be brought to a future meeting of the TEC Scrutiny Committee for consideration.

Mr Lovie reported that the requested amendments to the document had been made and that the draft policy had been approved by the Council’s Corporate Leadership Team. A Community Flood Resilience Forum had also been established in Anchorsholme, with a first meeting scheduled for March 2023, following which further engagement work would be undertaken across Blackpool.

The Committee agreed:

1.     That the report be noted; and

2.     That the recommendations outlined above be agreed.

To inform the Committee of the work undertaken by the Air Quality Strategy Scrutiny Review Panel.

Mr Scott Butterfield, Strategy Policy and Research Manager, presented a report on the outcomes of the Air Quality Strategy Scrutiny Review Panel held on 14 December 2022.

The review panel had received a presentation on the work being undertaken to develop the Air Quality Strategy and made the following recommendations:

·       That the need for a review of air quality monitoring sites be endorsed.

·       That any future new policies in relation to the regulation of domestic burning and heating be brought to TEC to allow ongoing scrutiny of air quality work.

·       That the Air Quality Action Plan be amended so that in respect of Public Engagement and Communication, that each message has a dedicated “owner” to provide clarity on who should be providing what information.

·       That a draft of the Air Quality Strategy be provided to the TEC Scrutiny Committee following the completion of the consultation exercise.

Mr Butterfield informed the Committee that consultation on the Strategy would be undertaken following the May 2023 local government elections in Blackpool, following which a finalised version of the document would be provided to the Committee.

The Committee agreed:

1.     That the report be noted; and

2.     That the recommendations outlined above be agreed.

To inform the Committee of the work undertaken by the Community Safety Partnership Scrutiny Review Panel.

Mr John Blackledge, Director of Community and Environmental Services, presented a report on the outcomes of the Community Safety Partnership Scrutiny Review Panel held on 25 January 2023. The review panel had met with officers and representatives of Lancashire Constabulary to discuss the areas of work being undertaken by the Community Safety Partnership. These included; Anti-Social Behaviour, Begging, Road Safety, Rape and Serious Assault, Child Criminal Exploitation and the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.

It was reported that the meeting had allowed productive engagement with members of the CSP and the review panel had noted the work being undertaken.

The Committee agreed: That the report be noted.

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 considered its Workplan for 2022/2023 and considered the outcome of the St John’s Square Experimental Traffic Regulation Order Scrutiny Review Panel.

The St John ETRO Scrutiny Review Panel had met on 15 December 2022 to consider proposals for the implementation of an ETRO in St John’s Square.

The Committee agreed:

1.      That the Committee’s Work Plan for 2022/2023 be noted; and

2.      That outcome of the St John’s Square ETRO Scrutiny Review Panel meeting be noted.

To note the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday, 21 June 2023, subject to confirmation at Annual Council.

The Committee noted the provisional date and time of the next meeting as 6.00pm on Wednesday, 21 June 2023, subject to confirmation at Annual Council.