Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Karl Arthur.

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.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Policy Review Committee held on 11 September 2018.

The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2018.

RESOLVED:           

To approve the minutes of the Policy Review Committee held on 11 September 2018for signing by the Chair.

The Chair thanked members of the Committee and Officers for their work and support during 2018 and wished them all a Happy Christmas and a Good New Year.

To consider the Planning Enforcement Management Plan.

The Committee received a report from the Head of Planning and was asked to note the progress and provide comments on the draft Enforcement Management Plan, prior to its consideration by the Council’s Executive, provisionally planned for February 2019.

The Head of Planning and the Planning Development Officer explained that the report gave Policy Review Committee an up to date position on Planning Enforcement performance and provided an opportunity to comment on the draft Enforcement Management Plan (EMP).

Members recalled the report considered by the Committee in July 2018, which indicated a high case load and general perception of underperformance with approximately 400 outstanding cases, a significant proportion of which were high profile, broad impact matters.

The Committee noted that at the time of the last report to Members, the team consisted of one full-time consultant filling a maternity vacancy at Principal Officer level and one full-time junior Enforcement Officer. The perception was that they were struggling with work load volumes leading to complaints from both Members and the public. A Senior Enforcement Officer had been recruited into the service in early 2018. Further temporary experienced resource was added in June 2018 and a full review of the extent of the outstanding cases was undertaken.

In addition, an initial prioritisation of cases was undertaken and proactive approach to addressing these cases was instigated. The Principal Enforcement Officer returned from maternity leave in October 2018 and an additional junior enforcement post was created on a temporary basis to help address the backlog. The overall caseload had been reduced by around 25% despite the generation of new cases on a weekly basis; response times and customer service was improving.

Officers explained that the agreement of a detailed Enforcement Management Plan (EMP) was a key step in optimising the Planning Enforcement service.

Members discussed the draft EMP in detail and made a number of comments and suggestions. The Committee felt it should be made clearer that whilst there was still a backlog of historic cases, these were continuing to be worked through whilst the future of the service and improvements to it were developed at the same time.

In relation to the timescales for dealing with cases, Members felt it should be clarified that the timescales listed in the EMP were the very maximum or ‘worst case scenario’, and it was likely that most cases would be responded to in a timelier manner. Members understood that some cases could take longer to resolve than others due to sensitive negotiations, and that flexibility was essential.

The listing of untidy land as a lower priority matter caused concern for some Members, as this was a topic that the public contacted their local Councillors about regularly. Officers explained that it was important to set realistic expectations for the public and Members, and that whist every case would be taken on its own merit, there needed to be a framework to work within.

Unauthorised advertisements were also raised as an area of concern by the Committee, as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

To consider the current Policy Review Committee Work Programme for 2018-19.

The Committee considered the work programme and were asked to consider items for inclusion in the 2018-19 municipal year.

The Chair took the Committee through the current work programme and noted the upcoming items for the January and April 2019 meetings.

The Committee asked that following the next Universal Credit update in September 2019, the matter then be considered every 6 months.

Members also agreed that the Planning Enforcement Management Plan should be reconsidered by the Committee again six months after its initial implementation.

With reference to the other potential items for the future, Members agreed that Housing Need was an area they would like to consider in the future.

RESOLVED:

i.       To note the work programme for 2018/19.

ii.     To ask the Democratic Services Officer to ensure that following the next Universal Credit update in September 2019, future updates on the running of the service to the Committee be scheduled every 6 months.

iii.    To ask the Democratic Services Officer to add the Planning Enforcement Management Plan to the Committee’s work plan for review six months after its implementation.

iv.    To ask the Democratic Services Officer to add Affordable Housing and Housing Need to the Committee’s work plan as a future topic for consideration.