Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

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 12 July 2022.

The Committee considered the minutes of the Policy Review Committee meeting held on 12 July 2022.

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the Policy Review Committee meeting held on 12 July 2022 for signing by the Chairman.

There was no Chairs address.

The Chair indicated that he would be amending the order of business to allow agenda item number 7, Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Buildings Sustainability Project to be considered first as agenda item number 5; the rest of the business would follow as set out in the agenda.

To welcome Ray Newton of the Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Buildings Sustainability Project to the meeting of the Committee to brief Members on a joint initiative, to include residents and organisations within Monk Fryston and Hillam, who are working together to combat climate change.

Mr Ray Newton from the Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Buildings Sustainability Project was welcomed to the meeting and gave an overview of the project, which aimed to make five community buildings across the two villages of Monk Fryston and Hillam carbon neutral.

The Committee noted that the original five community buildings included the Community Centre, the Primary School, St Wilfred’s Church and Church Hall and the Cricket Club, with the Football Club as a late addition to the group. 

It was explained that the project had come about through a small group of people who wished to reduce the communities carbon emissions, and who joined forces with other like-minded people and organisations within the two villages to effect change. 

Members noted that external advice had been provided by the Chief Officer at Selby District Association of Voluntary Services (AVS), and the Yorkshire Energy Doctor, Kate Urwin.  It was commented that their contribution had been invaluable in terms of signposting the group towards organisations who could potentially offer grant funding and in establishing baseline electricity usage data, suggesting ways in which to make the buildings more energy efficient, and investing in a thermal imaging camera.    

Members heard a timeline of events for the project which had been conceived in 2019, with the Community Association and the Primary Schools Parent Teachers Association (PTA) agreeing to use sustainable materials and recycle all waste.  Following this the leaders and management groups of the five community buildings had agreed to become partners in the project and a Steering Group had been formed.

Despite the pandemic, a community survey established that there was strong support for the project, and in view of this the group applied for a grant from the Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) to undertake a feasibility study to assess if the aim of making the buildings carbon neutral was realistic; the application was successful.

The feasibility study clearly showed that given the dispersal of the buildings round the two villages that they could not benefit from a shared power generation system or a community heating system, therefore each building was surveyed on its individual requirements with a customised solution developed for each one.

Members heard that to date the community centre had installed roof mounted solar panels, EcoWall insulation and an electricity storage battery, and the Primary School had replaced lights and windows and installed a new heating control system. 

The Committee acknowledged that the children at Monk Fryston CE Primary School were very engaged with the environmental work, and keen to achieve the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award; this was seen as a positive step for the future.

Mr Newton informed the Committee they had been encouraged by the Council’s Low Carbon Project Officer to write a press release that would publicise what the group were achieving, and this had prompted pod casts and the group being featured on a Radio York broadcast.  The Group were able to share their knowledge and what was achievable with a little bit of tenacity.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To receive a verbal update on and discuss the work of the Low Carbon Working Group.

The Committee had received a short update note on the work of the Low Carbon Working Group (LCWG) from the Head of Service for Business Development and Improvement prior to the meeting.

Members had a number of queries regarding the information contained within the note in relation to the role that the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (Y&NYLEP) would be taking in co-ordinating on the low carbon agenda in the future, the total number of trees which had been planted in the district by Selby District Council, were solar farms included within the Climate Change Strategy; and did fuel poor homes refer to poor insulation, and if so was there a target to be met. 

The Committee had noted that NYCC had secured £2m of funding through the local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme to deliver electric vehicle charge points across deeply rural parts of the county.  Members queried why the funding was being used for this purpose when local bus service routes were being discontinued.  It was considered that public transport was more of a necessity in rural areas.

The Solicitor to the Council was unable to provide an answer to the queries but stated that she would speak with the officers concerned and circulate the information to the Committee.

Councillor Jordan informed the Committee of the activity going on in the district around solar farms and the associated cabling required to connect to the national electricity grid via Drax Power Station.

Members agreed that they would like an additional Committee meeting adding into the calendar to discuss the low carbon agenda within the district and also to receive a presentation on the Y&NY LEP’s Routemap to Carbon Negative. The Democratic Services Officer was asked to invite Chris Hailey-Norris from Selby District Association of Voluntary Service (AVS), and officers from Selby District Council and North Yorkshire County Council to attend.

RESOLVED:

i.             The Committee noted the update.

ii.            To ask the Democratic Services Officer to extend an invitation to Chris Hailey-Norris from Selby District Association of Voluntary Service (AVS), to attend a future meeting of the Policy Review Committee.

To receive a short update on the impact of Universal Credit in Selby District.

The Committee had received a short update published within the agenda pack, which showed that the number of recipients of Universal Credit within the Selby area, taken from the latest figures available from May 2022, stood at 3921 recipients.

Members queried why the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) managed migration of legacy benefit recipients onto Universal Credit had stopped.  The Solicitor to the Council was unable to provide an answer to the query but stated that she would speak with the officers concerned and circulate the information to the Committee.

RESOLVED:

                        To note the update.

To consider the Committee’s work programme.

The Committee considered the work programme for 2022-23.

At the last meeting of Policy Review in July 2022 Members had requested that once the Selby Local Plan consultation period had closed, that the Committee review the documentation arising from the Local Plan work. The Democratic Services Officer confirmed that, after speaking with officers, the item had been added to the Policy Review work programme in January 2023.

Members were reminded that the next date in the Committee Calendar for Policy Review Committee was Tuesday 6 December 2022 however this was being held provisionally and it was queried if the date should be removed from the calendar. 

The Committee agreed that they wished to confirm the 6 December 2022 date and requested that, as had been discussed at agenda item number 5, Chris Hailey-Norris from Selby District Association of Voluntary Service (AVS) along with officers from Selby District Council and North Yorkshire County Council be invited to attend the meeting, to discuss the low carbon agenda within the district, and receive a presentation on the Y&NY LEP’s Routemap to Carbon Negative.

Members noted the work programme.

RESOLVED:

That the committees’ 2022-23 work programme be amended to reflect Members’ suggestions as detailed above.