Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed those present.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Whitehead for whom Councillor Moral was substituting.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 September 2018.

RESOLVED: The minutes of the meeting held on 20 September 2018 were agreed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider a petition submitted to the full Council meeting on Monday 12 November 2018 by Councillor Jane Pascoe on behalf of Basinghall Gardens residents.

Councillor Shields expressed disapproval that the original petition was not circulated. He explained that it was fundamental for petitions to be circulated to members for perusal and requested that for future hearings, members be provided with a full copy of the original petition, which was agreed by the Chair.

The lead petitioner, Malcolm Holmes, representing Basinghall Gardens Residents’ Association was invited by the Chair to address the committee. The principal issues raised by the petitioner were:-

• concerns on refuse collection service since change in arrangements
• blockage of waste obstructing garages and footpaths
• that the Council entered into a contract with Veolia without consultation with residents or managing agent

• additional purchase charge for landfill waste bins
• manner in which Council responded to complaint
• reduction in capacity of landfill and recycling bins

Matt Clubb, Assistant Director, Environment Commissioning, responding to the petition, apologised to Basinghall Gardens residents for the inconvenience caused during the rollout of changes to the refuse service. The Assistant Director made a point of clarification regarding the report, correcting for the record that the petition was submitted on behalf of the distinct 87 units in Basinghall Gardens, not 174 and that the number of signatures were collected per dwelling not resident.

The Assistant Director highlighted changes made in agreement with the managing agent to improve the quality of collections including returning these units to a weekly collection service and implementing a ‘bulk bin’ system to help manage and mitigate capacity issues on site. He explained that it was the council’s policy - agreed by this committee in November  2015 - that managing agents are responsible for purchasing bins and emphasised that the council does not charge for disposal of waste. The Assistant Director conveyed the council’s commitment to monitor the quality of collections and explore cost allocation within policy parameters with the managing agents.

Members asked for clarification on the capacity issues at Basinghall Gardens. The Assistant Director explained the capacity issues were one of design, weekly collections were restored from fortnightly collections to endeavour to address design issues and added that the proposed quarterly meetings with residents and managing agents are a way to address ongoing service issues.

Councillor Green queried suggested charges for assisted collection. The Assistant Director clarified that there are no charges for assisted collection.

Councillor Shields questioned financial compensation for residents due to the level of service. The Assistant Director, explained that within the contract with Veolia there are deductions against Veolia for non performance across a number of service indicators. At present, the only service that provides a refund to residents for service failure is the bulky waste service.

RESOLVED: that the petition was considered and the proposed course of action as set out in 4.10 to 4.13 of this report was noted.

Councillor Shields expressed disagreement with the course of action.

The Head of Environment Strategy to provide an update on key performance indicators for monitoring.

The Chair explained that members agreed at the last committee meeting on 20 September 2018 to change the way performance indicators are monitored. Sessions for members to monitor key performance indicators will be held bi-annually before scheduled committee meetings to enable members to monitor performance indicators more thoroughly.

Councillor Clare thanked members for attending the performance monitoring session and explained that figures were accessible for all members through the Pentana system.

RESOLVED: that the update from the E&N performance monitoring session on the 20th November 2018 be noted.

This report seeks approval following a review of fees and charges for various Environment, Housing and Regeneration, Chief Executive and Resource Directorate services. The report provides details of existing charges and proposed increases for services.

Scott Funnell, Head of Environment Strategy, introduced the report.

Councillor Penneck commented that library charges will remain fixed and expressed gratitude to library staff, particularly Madeline Barratt for her service as Head of Libraries, Heritage and Arts in maintaining quality library provisions.

Referring to the charge of issuing a skip licence (14 day duration), Councillor Shields questioned how much this costs the council. Sue Marwood, Team Leader, Highway Operations explained that the costs of processing a skip application equates to £78.35 based on a straightforward application.

Councillor Dwight raised concerns regarding the justification for the proposed increase to green garden waste if the service was not acceptable. The Assistant Director, Environment Commissioning explained that within the Veolia contract there was a contractual obligation to increase some charges, such as green garden waste, in line with indexation amount and if there are instances where residents experience a level of service which is not acceptable this will be investigated accordingly and subscription extensions applied at no extra cost.

Councillor Shields questioned the quantity of fixed penalty notices issued for fly tipping, Officers responded that they would provide figures outside of committee.

RESOLVED: that the charges for 2019/20 for the following services - Libraries, Heritage & Art Services, Regulatory Services, Sports and Leisure Management, Registration Services, Shared Highways and Transport, Bulky Waste including fridges, Green Garden Waste, Trade Waste, Parks and Cemeteries, Biodiversity and Sutton Life Centre be agreed.

The Council is working in partnership with Transport for London (TfL) to investigate, consult and deliver a new Quietways cycle route between Sutton Town Centre and Worcester Park, with future phases to extend the route to Kingston Town Centre to the west and Croydon Town Centre to the east. The aim is to create a quiet route through neighbourhoods and open spaces, providing an excellent environment for cyclists.

Lynn Robinson, Senior Professional Engineer, presented the report.

Members enquired what suggested interventions would be made and the engagement approach to be taken with stakeholders and residents. The Senior Professional Engineer responded that officers have cycled the route with Sustrans and identified some roads that may need interventions; however, this was a preliminary exercise. The Worcester Park area has been identified to benefit from a neighbourhood approach with engagement session with residents.

Members queried the measures that would see road traffic reduce. The Senior Professional Engineer commented that the aim of the scheme was to reduce car usage to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport to improve traffic flows and make the roads safer and quieter.

Members sought clarification on the consultation process with ward councillors on the proposed route. The Senior Engineer reported that correspondence has been made with ward councillors along the route asking for agreement in principle and some ward councillors have responded with their agreement and have requested further information, which will be circulated accordingly.

RESOLVED: that

1. The delivery of a new Quietways cycle route between Sutton Town Centre and Worcester Park be endorsed.
2. The route as shown in Appendix A be agreed in principle.
3. It be agreed to delegate the final route alignment, consultation, detailed design and delivery to the Strategic Director, Environment, Housing and Regeneration, in consultation with the Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhood Committee.

This report reviews the outcomes from applying Sutton’s ULEV Policy over its first year and provides an update on progress on the steps outlined in the policy.

Ian Baker, Lead Officer, Sustainable Transport presented the report.

Councillor Green asked how drivers paid at the charging points. The Lead Officer, Sustainable Transport explained that it was a “pay as you go” charge system operated for service users to pay at the charging points.

Councillor Shields enquired why charging points are not going to be integrated into the parking scheme. The Lead Officer conveyed that the project was not at that stage regarding accessing sites that are proposed and there was still work to be conducted with engineers and ward members on where the charging points will be located.

Councillor Stoneman contributed his knowledge of electric vehicles and questioned what level of charging points are to be installed in the borough and if the charging points will be compatible with the type of cars likely to be used in the borough. The Lead Officer clarified that “slow” “fast” and “rapid” will be the type of charging points and a mix of charging points will be deployed in the borough.

Councillor Penneck commented on the lead role the council can play and duty it has to improve air quality particularly with the high car usage in the borough. It was added by Councillor Penneck that the plan has to include residents in the town centre and Victorian streets who may not have access to off street parking.

RESOLVED: that

1. The progress made in line with the ULEV policy and in particular the work completed so far towards maintaining and extending Sutton’s EV charging network be noted.
2. The work planned to facilitate expansion of the network, in line with predicted demand be noted.

This report sets out the proposed programme for revising and updating the borough’s Air Quality Action Plan. The proposal is to update and replace the current Plan which was published in 2013 and to adopt the template action plan provided by the Greater London Authority (GLA). Statutory consultation will be required on the draft before a final action plan is developed. The final action plan will be incorporated within the borough’s Sustainability Strategy.

Dave Trew, Lead Officer, Pollution Control introduced the report.

The Chair advised that the air quality action plan sits within the council’s sustainable strategy and commented that members’ feedback is welcome as part of the proposed consultation, if agreed.

Councillor Zuchowska welcomed that the council is taking air quality seriously and to effect real change coordinated action at all levels is required with other London local authorities, residents, private sector and the local community.

Members enquired how Officers are going to consult if beginning at the start of December and the methods to be employed to consult with residents. The Lead Officer explained the proposed consultation would begin at this time for incorporation in the council’s sustainability strategy. A number of channels for engagement are proposed including consultation hubs, consulting with Chairs of local committees to raise the issue at meetings and utilising the council’s communications team for outreach.

Councillor Moral questioned how consultation will proceed with older residents. The Lead Officer expressed that they were conscious of being inclusive of all groups. He added that paper copies will be available at local libraries and public health have been involved in developing the plan and it was fundamental to use their links to engage with people who may be more at risk of being exposed to poor air quality.

Councillor Stoneman enquired whether there would be scope for extra monitoring stations to adequately address the air quality issue. The Lead Officer explained that the four automatic monitoring stations were complemented by a passive monitoring network which help indicate where exceedances may be occurring. Officers are also directing attention to management of monitoring through working with others including the use of Citizen Science and being aware of how monitoring data from different sources can be collated.

Councillor Stoneman asked a supplemental raising concerns of air quality near schools. The Lead Officer explained that the action plan and its measures is what officers would like to consult on so as to be proactive in improving air quality because of its health risk. The measures need to take account of people most at risk to the health effects of air pollution and evaluation of the effectiveness of measures needs to be considered.

Members engaged in extensive debate regarding air quality proposals.

RESOLVED: that

1. The content of the draft revised Air Quality Action Plan be agreed.
2. It be agreed to proceed to public consultation on the draft Air Quality Action Plan.

This report provides an update to the management responses for the

recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee in October 2017 reported to Environment and Neighbourhood (E&N) Committee in November 2017.

The Assistant Director, Environment Commissioning introduced the report.

Referring to point 4.11, Councillor Zuchowska enquired how commercial discussions were proceeding with Veolia on improvements to service delivery. The Assistant Director conveyed that there is a timeline to resolve discussions in the new year and to provide information on outcome at the committee meeting scheduled in March 2019. He added that once these discussions were completed all service indicators would be added to Pentana and reported to the Committee as agreed at the Performance meeting, incorporating the requirements of the Motion considered by Members at Full Council on 12 November 2018.

Councillor Shields enquired whether progress was being made with waste collection for flats above shops. The Assistant Director responded accordingly that progress was being made. A project was undertaken following recommendations by the Scrutiny Committee to prioritise flats, of 134 identified in priority one category over 90% are resolved and in priority two category over 95% are resolved.

RESOLVED: that the actions taken in relation to the recommendations as detailed in Appendix A be noted.

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting will be taking place on 7 March 2019 at the Civic Offices.

The date of the next meeting of the Environment and Neighbourhood committee will take place on 7 March 2019 at 7.30 pm at the Civic Offices.