Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

The Executive is asked to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24 May 2018.

The Executive considered the minutes of the meeting held on 24 May 2018.

RESOLVED:           

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24 May 2018 for signature by the Chair.

A copy of the Register of Interest for each Selby District Councillor is

available for inspection at www.selby.gov.uk.

Councillors should declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary

interest in any item of business on this agenda which is not already

entered in their Register of Interests.

Councillors should leave the meeting and take no part in the

consideration, discussion or vote on any matter in which they have a

disclosable pecuniary interest.

Councillors should also declare any other interests. Having made the

declaration, provided the other interest is not a disclosable pecuniary

interest, the Councillor may stay in the meeting, speak and vote on that

item of business.

If in doubt, Councillors are advised to seek advice from the Monitoring

Officer.

There were no disclosures of interest.

Report E/18/04 updates the Executive on the proposed route for HS2 Phase 2b, the current timeline for the project, and Council officers’ involvement to date.

The Leader of the Council presented the report that updated the Executive on the proposed route for HS2 Phase 2b, the current timeline for the project and Council officers’ involvement to date.

The following discussion took place:

·         The Executive was supportive in understanding the benefits HS2 could bring to the district however the Leader of the Council explained that the Council was aware that there were issues affecting some areas in the district such as Church Fenton where the new route would go through.

·         It was stated that due to Parish Councils being consulted separately on the proposals, it was important to have an understanding of their issues relating to HS2 and to develop a co-ordinated approach between the Parish Councils and the District Council when responding to any consultations on HS2.

·         In response to a query concerning the route, the Economic Development Officer explained that HS2 was classified as a national significant infrastructure project and therefore any final decisions on the project such as the design of the route was to be made by Parliament through Royal Assent.

·         A query was raised on how the Council could minimise the impact of HS2 however at the same time ensure it maximised the benefits to the district. The Economic Development Officer explained that the Council was keen to promote the benefits for the district’s residents and businesses while at the same time ensure that there were minimal impacts on local residents. The Executive was informed that discussions had taken place with HS2 on a range of issues such as landscape, water, drainage and flooding, highways and community impacts, although it had been noted that there was still a lot of work to do on the design refinement of the route by HS2 Ltd prior to its submission to Parliament for Royal Assent. It was noted that the Council had informed HS2 Ltd that there needed to be some lead in time to effectively engage with businesses in the district over the supply chain opportunities afforded by the development of the route.

·         It was felt that consideration needed to be given to the additional infrastructure that would be erected to support the construction of the route such as staging posts and their resulting impacts on local communities in the district.

·         The Executive was informed that the Leeds City Region was working on a HS2 Growth Strategy, which the Council has inputted into, and that the Council was also working on a strategic transport prospectus with North Yorkshire County Council that sought to identify a set of high level transport and infrastructure asks to maximise the district’s strategic development opportunities.

·         The Executive were keen to stress that there needed to be investment in the current rail infrastructure and passenger services as some of the services offered such as those affecting Selby were currently unacceptable.

RESOLVED:

i)             To note the update on HS2 Phase 2b;

ii)            To formally adopt a position to HS2 which sets out that if the development of the route goes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Report E/18/05 outlines the draft policy for the management of Selby District Council owned trees for approval and adoption following a period of public consultation.

Councillor Pearson, Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture presented the report which outlined the draft policy for the management of Selby District Council owned trees for approval and adoption following a period of public consultation.

The Lead Executive Member for Housing, Health and Culture explained that the Council did not have a current policy on tree management in place and although there was no legal requirement to have a policy, having one ensured that the Council could ensure risks were managed effectively and public safety was ensured. It was noted that the policy had been out to consultation and had been considered by the Policy Review Committee.

The following discussion took place:

·         With regard to Brayton Barff, it was queried that as this was said to be jointly owned between the Council and Yorkshire Water, who was responsible for the maintenance of the trees. It was acknowledged that rather than the whole site being jointly owned, the Council owned one part of the site and Yorkshire Water, the other. It was felt this needed to be made clearer in the policy.

·         Clarification was sought on whether the Council could state that they would not prune or remove Council owned trees to allow the installation of solar panels to a property. The Commissioning and Procurement Team Leader explained that there was a section in another area of the policy which explained the steps to be taken if a tree was touching a property. It was felt that this section needed to be clearer and there needed to be cross referencing to other parts of the policy if there was relevant information in those areas.

·         With regard to the section on poisonous fruit, it was felt the wording needed to be amended to state that ‘appropriate action will be considered’.

·         Concern was raised that pollen, sap or fallen fruit falling on to public footpaths could have an impact on vulnerable people and it was felt that there needed to be clear commitment to protecting vulnerable people throughout the policy.

·         With regard to the disposal of green waste, it was felt this needed to state that it would be spread on Council owned land or on private land with the landowner’s permission. The Commissioning and Procurement Team Leader explained that Council contractors were aware that green waste needed to be spread on Council owned land and only on other land with permission.

·         The Executive felt that an update should be provided on how the policy was progressing in a year.

RESOLVED:

To approve the report and adopt the policy for the management of Selby District Council owned trees with the above amendments.

REASON FOR DECISION:

To ensure that the Council has a robust and compliant approach to the management of trees on its land, and effective risk management.

Report E/18/06 presents a progress update on delivery of the Council’s Corporate Plan 2015-20 as measured by a combination of: progress against priority projects/high level actions; and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs). 

Councillor Crane, Leader of the Council presented the report that provided a progress update on the delivery of the Council’s Corporate Plan 2015-20 as measured by a combination of progress against priority projects/high level actions; and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs).

The following comments/discussion took place:

·         The Executive praised the work of the debt collection team as a significant amount of council tax had been collected and all four KPIs had exceeded their target.

·         The Executive congratulated officers on exceeding the planned savings target of £880k in 2017/18 and noted the positive number of houses being built in the district.

·         Discussion took place on the number of empty properties being brought back into habitable use and it was queried why it was stated that progress would slower in the next financial year. The Solicitor to the Council explained that the work done up to the current date had involved owners being more co-operative in bringing properties back into use however it was expected that work in the next financial year may involve work with homeowners who did not provide the same level of co-operation. The Executive requested that they be provided with periodic updates at an informal level on how the work was progressing.

RESOLVED:

To note and approve the report with the above comments.

REASON FOR DECISION:

The reporting of performance data enables the Council to demonstrate progress on delivering the Corporate Plan Priorities to make Selby District a great place.

Report E/18/07 provides details of progress made regarding the Selby District Council equality objectives in the six months, since the objectives were approved (October 2017 to April 2018).

Councillor Metcalfe, Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development presented the report that provided details of progress made regarding the Selby District Council equality objectives in the six months since the objectives were approved.

The Lead Executive Member for Communities and Economic Development explained that the Council had a legal obligation to publish equality objectives at least every four years. It was noted that the current set of objectives had been approved by the Executive on 12 October 2017.

The Executive praised the layout and content of the report and felt this made the information easier to understand.

RESOLVED:

Tonote the progress made against the Equality Objectives.

REASON FOR DECISION:

To ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010 Public Sector Equality Duty and to update the Executive on progress made against the Equality Objectives Action Plan since it was approved in October 2017.