To receive from Members any declarations of interest and of any political whip in relation to any agenda item.

There were no declarations of interest or political whip in relation to any agenda items.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman and any matters of communication.

The Chairman informed the Committee that Item 9 (Minute SCOSC/12/25) had previously been requested by Councillor Nigel Aldis.  Councillor Aldis would be invited to speak under this item.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Special Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 16 May 2012 (enclosed pages 5 to 11) and the meeting of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 11 June 2012 (enclosed pages 13 to 20) and to note actions taken since those meetings.

Cllr Nicols commented that there was a conflict in the draft Development Strategy relating to the definition of the link road between the M1 and the A6.  In some places this road was described as a ‘bypass’ and in others it was described as ‘critical infrastructure’.  Cllr Nicols stated that a clear definition needed to be agreed prior to the Development Strategy being published.  Cllr Nicols stated that he reserved the right to challenge this issue further and to request that it be considered at a future meeting of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  In response the Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Economic Development stated that this issue would be taken outside of the meeting and commonality of the terms that were used to describe the link between the M1 and the A6 would be ensured in the final draft Development Strategy.

RESOLVED

That the Minutes of the meetings of the special Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 16 May 2012 and the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 11 June 2012 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To receive petitions from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 2 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

No petitions were received from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Part D2 of the Constitution.

To receive any questions, statements or deputations from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 1 of part A4 of the Constitution.

No questions, statements or deputations were received from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 1 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

To consider any decision of the Executive referred to this Committee for review  in accordance with Procedure Rule 10.10 of Part D2.  

The Committee was advised that no decisions of the Executive had been referred to the Committee under the Call-in Procedures set out in Appendix “A” to Rule No. S18 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules.

To consider any items referred to the Committee at the request of a Member under Procedure Rule 3.1 of Part D2 of the Constitution.

No items were referred to the Committee for consideration at the request of a Member under Procedure Rule 3.1 of Part D2 of the Constitution.

To receive an update on the implementation of the Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Carbon Management Plan and to consider proposals to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to tackling climate change and becoming more energy efficient.  This item is in response to a Member request.

The Corporate Policy Adviser (Sustainability and Climate Change) introduced a report that updated Members on the implementation of the Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Carbon Management Plan.  The report also proposed how the Council could continue to demonstrate its commitment to tackling climate change and becoming more energy efficient.

In response to the report and further information provided by officers Cllr Aldis queried several issues that included:-

·                    Whether academies could be removed the Council’s carbon footprint as the Council was not responsible for their running.

·                    Whether there were plans to run any of the buses on the Luton - Dunstable Guided Busway on cooking oil, as this had worked well elsewhere.

·                    Whether the Council still intended to turn off street lighting in some areas overnight.

·                    The importance of a robust approach to supporting local communities during floods.

·                    The kerb side collection of glass, which would reduce the need for residents to travel and could reduce carbon emissions.

·                    Whether the Council could encourage greater use of solar panels and energy efficient lighting at its own buildings as well as reducing the size of agenda papers in order to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint.

·                    Whether the Council might encourage the use of wind turbines on its portfolio of farms as a means of producing more sustainable energy sources and reducing carbon emissions.

·                    The benefits of building more energy efficient homes.

·                    The importance of collecting grey water so that it can be reused.

In response to these issues the Deputy Executive Member for Sustainable Communities Services, commented that he would take on board the comments in relation glass collection.  The Council was currently considering street lighting and the implications of turning lights off in some areas overnight, which was a long-term aspiration.  The Council was presently removing some street lights where there were considered to be more than necessary.  As lights were replaced the Council used low emission bulbs.  The Corporate Policy Adviser (Sustainability and Climate Change) also commented that the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) was currently under consultation but until advised otherwise the Council had to include academies in figures relating to the Council’s carbon footprint.

In light of the report and the additional points raised by Cllr Aldis the Committee and other Members in attendance discussed several issues in detail, which included:-

·                    Concerns that the carbon footprint for “leisure” had not dropped as much as may have been expected resulting from the closure of Houghton Regis Swimming Pool. It was queried whether effective monitoring of this building was being undertaken to ensure that it was not being heated unnecessarily.  The Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Economic Development commented that he would review this figure and report back to the Committee.

·                    Whether the targets agreed by the Council in 2010 in the Climate Change Strategy were realistic and whether an appropriate capital allocation had been provided to achieve these targets.  In response officers commented that these targets had been reached through conversation with the Carbon Trust and comparisons with other local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

To receive a report on the provisional capital programme outturn for 2011/12 in order for the Committee to consider the Sustainable Communities directorate aspects only.

The Committee received the 2011/12 provisional outturn capital budget monitoring report for the Sustainable Communities Directorate.  In response to the report Cllr Nicols queried whether the £10k gross expenditure on the Luton Northern Bypass Strategic Infrastructure project was appropriate and whether it would be increased.  Cllr Nicols also commented that £330k had been attributed to Carbon Reduction Improvements but there was no increase in future years to support the target of a 60% reduction in the Council’s carbon footprint by 2020.

The Committee raised concerns with regard to the level of underspend in the Sustainable Communities budget.  It was commented that the Executive should be encouraged to ensure that this underspend was managed more effectively during 2012/13 so as to ensure that it was reduced.

NOTED the report

To receive a report on the provisional revenue budget outturn for 2011/12 in order for the Committee to consider the Sustainable Communities directorate aspects only.

The Committee received the 2011/12 provisional outturn revenue budget monitoring report for the Sustainable Communities Directorate.  In response to the report the Committee sought clarification regarding the use of earmarked reserves.

NOTED the report

To receive the quarter 4 performance report for the Sustainable Communities directorate.

The Committee received the quarter 4 performance report for the Sustainable Communities Directorate.  In addition to the report the positive performance in relation to attracting inward investment,  offender schemes, the level of residual waste per head and the provision of affordable homes was highlighted. In response to the report Members raised and queried the following:-

·                    Figures that were not yet available in relation to the percentage of household waste sent for recycling, verification of these figures was required from Westminster.

·                    Recycling rates, which were seasonal and reduced annually during the summer.

·                    Improvements in policing detection rates, which had improved performance in relation to the number of serious acquisitive crimes per 1,000 population.

NOTED the report

To consider the currently drafted Committee work programme for 2012/13 and the Executive Forward Plan.

The Committee received their work programme for 2012/13 and Executive Forward Plan.

RESOLVED

That the work programme for the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee be approved.