Agenda Item No: 5

Democratic Services PO Box 136 County Hall NN1 1AT

Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee Minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2011 Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall (Meeting held in public)

PRESENT:- Councillor Phil Larratt (Chair) Councillor Tony Clarke Councillor Dr Andy Mercer Councillor Stan Heggs Councillor Dennis Meredith Councillor Jane Hollis (substituting for Councillor Alan Pote Councillor Meredith item 01/11 to 08/11) Councillor Graham Lawman Councillor Winston Strachan

Also in attendance for all or part of the meeting Ian Achurch Head of External Funding & Partnerships (Transport Planning and Development Team Leader Josie Bateman Project Manager Planning Policy (Environment, Growth & Commissioning) Breda Carter Committee Manager (minutes) (Policy & Partnerships) Councillor Brendan Glynane (item County Council 07/11 to 10/11) Northamptonshire County Council Elizabeth Lewis Project Officer Planning Policy (Environment, Growth & Commissioning) Councillor Marion Minney (item 01/11 Deputy Scrutiny Champion Northamptonshire to 08/11) County Council Ian Russell Environment Agency Councillor Allen Walker Scrutiny Champion, Northamptonshire County Council

The meeting commenced at 10.00

Min ref:

01/11 Apologies for non-attendance Apologies were received from Councillors Dean and Hughes and Roy Boulton Head of Environment and Growth.

02/11 Notification of requests from members of the public to address the meeting None.

03/11 a) Declarations of Interest Item Member Type Declaration Councillor Lawman Personal Borough of Councillor Councillor Pote Personal Member of Borough Council Councillor Larratt Personal Member of Northampton Borough Council 07/11 Councillor Glynane Perosnal Member - National Flood Forum Member - Northern Regional Flood Defence Committee b) Declaration of whip, if any None.

04/11 Chair’s Announcements The Chair advised the committee that members of the committee had been sent responses to questions to the Cabinet Members for Highways Minerals and Waste and the Countywide Parking Review. The scrutiny review of the Northampton Alcohol Strategy by Northampton Borough Council would be circulated to members of the committee electronically after the meeting.

05/11 Minutes of the Customers and Communities Scrutiny Committee 17 November 2011 RESOLVED that: the minutes of the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting (copies of which were previously circulated) held in public on 17 November 2010 be agreed subject to the following amendment: 'Councillor Heather Smith left the meeting.' 06/11 Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2010/11 The Chairman invited the Committee Manager to update the committee on the progress of the work programme. She advised the meeting that: The Making the Most of Your Money scrutiny review had been completed and would be presented for discussion and agreement later in the meeting. The Post 16 Transport Scrutiny Review had completed a number of meetings and a report would be drafted and presented for discussion and approval at the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee meeting on the 6 April 2011. Members of the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee were invited to this meeting to formally agree the report. However if there were not enough members in attendance the committee were being asked to delegate authority to the Chairman of the Customers & Communities to agree the report on their behalf. The Health and Safety Arrangements in the Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service would commence with a meeting on the 10 February 2011. Areas had been identified for evidence gathering and the report was scheduled for presentation to the Fire & Rescue Scrutiny Sub Committee on the 18 April 2011.

RESOLVED that: a) the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee endorsed the progress to date on the 2010/11 work programme; and b) the Chairman of the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee be delegated authority to agree the Post 16 Transport Scrutiny Review on behalf of the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee.

[Councillor Glynane entered the meeting]

07/11 Flood Water Management Act (2010) and Flood Risk Regulations (2009) The Chairman invited Josie Bateman Project Manager Planning Policy to give the presentation (copies of which were circulated) to the meeting. During discussion the committee highlighted the following: The Council was the lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and was obligated to have a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) by June 2011, Flood Risk Maps by 2013 and Flood Risk Management Plan (6 year rolling plan) by 2015. The Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment document would be based on information and data relating to past events and potential future flooding. This would feed into the Flood Risk Strategy and set out areas of flooding. Information included in the document was Water Cycle Strategies, Strategic Flood Risk 1 and 2, Flood Plans (multi agency) including Anglian and Trent Water, Network Rail and Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service. The report was very detailed and appeared to involve a significant amount of work for risks that already been identified e.g. the 5 areas in the country as significant. Nationally it did not recognise and plan for incidents like that in Hungary where flooding had resulted in the collapse of a chemical plant which contaminated agricultural land however this would be recognised at a local level in plans. The £149,900 (2011/12) and £290,000 (2012/13) funding for all requirements under the Flood and Water Management Act will identify all flood risks and prioritise areas for improvement locally. This would then be used to support funding bids to carryout the identified work. A Flood Risk Management Group had been brought together from all stakeholders including boroughs and districts and the Environment Agency. It was critical that local information was considered in the plans as planning authorities also had duties under the Flood Water Management Act. South Northants had recently been successful in attaining £350,000 to deliver schemes locally. The strategic approach to the growth agenda was still applicable. Plans and policies for areas like , and Northampton were still valid and technical work had also been included. Northamptonshire does not have any areas identified as significant (where 5 or more areas each with in excess of 30,000 people were affected) however engaging with parish and county councillors in areas identified as having a less significant flood risk would be beneficial in identify local issues through the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) The guidance for completing the documentation had only been released recently and the timescales were tight for completion, the Environmental Agency have been helping the Council to bring together the information within guidance and ensure all stakeholders were included. The report was welcomed and clearly responded to the obligations the Council would have to deliver. It was important to keep the issue in people’s memories and gather as much background as possible. The Pitt report had identified the need to keep communities engaged with the Environmental Agency for instance by signing up to the flood warning system. Sign up to the flood warning system had increased from 25 percent in 2007 to between 60 and 70 percent in 2011. The team delivering the plan for the Council consisted of the Project Manager who was employed full time and the Project Officer who was contracted until the end of March 2011. It was recognised that the Council had a lot of responsibilities without the same degree of funding. The Council had been given £25,000 to undertake the

PRFA and DEFRA guidance stated that funding would not be limited to Flood Risk Areas but to the total risk within the LLFA area. Future funding according to an announcement in December 2010 was 2011/12 £149,900 and 2012/13 £290,000. There would be a twin track process for SUDs, which would include planning applications and sustainable drainage systems (SUDS). Planning authorities would be consulted on SUDS and the Council would also provide technical information in partnership with the Environmental Agency. This would come into force in 2012. Previously there may not have been adequate access to all the relevant information however moving forward there would be a greater emphasis on partnership working and identifying inter related areas such as surface and ground water issues identified in the Pitt Report. The question of enforcement was still a concern as the Council had many responsibilities and restricted resources to deliver them. Surface water in areas of the county had been identified as a problem but how would assurance be gained that these were being resolved? Existing mechanisms would be utilised and Anglian Water also had a responsibility. Street Doctor was also being investigated as an avenue for extending its functionality, however much detail was still to be worked through. Enforcement could be managed through the Land Drainage Act which lies with the boroughs and districts, the Environment Agency enforces issues related to rivers. The most effective method would be a combination of all these areas. The Pitt report highlighted SUDS as a poor standard and ownership issue. Highways were introducing a system for gulley cleaning which proved to be a consistent problem over the previous 5 years. The LFRMS would move towards closing the gap between national and local planning issues for instance ensuring new developments have SUDS to ensure excessive runoff does not adversely affect local communities. Certain areas of the county were more susceptible than others for instance the , and developments outside Northampton would impact on Park and Wootton Brook, what level of risk was being worked to? Would those with the greater risk have protection increased? The main river networks were under the authority of the Environment Agency, planning remains with the borough and district offices and the joint planning committees which although separate organisations were now working more closely.

RESOLVED that:

a) the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee receive information on the main river networks under Environmental Agency responsibility;

b) the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee emphasise the need for continued engagement of county councillors, parish councillors and community groups;

c) a briefing note is prepared and distributed to all county councillors on the responsibilities and impacts of the Flood Water Management Act (2010) and Flood Risk Regulations (2009); and

d) the concerns relating to funding and enforcement of the legislation are passed to the Cabinet Member for Environment to make representations to Central Government.

[Councillors Hollis and Minney left the meeting]

At this point in the meeting the agenda order changed.

08/11 Making the Most of Your Money – A scrutiny review on financial inclusion and wellbeing in Northamptonshire The Chairman introduced the scrutiny review and advised the committee that he would be amending the introduction to recognise the contribution of the Committee Manager in carrying out the review. He opened the item to the committee for discussion and comment during which the following points were highlighted: There was a concern that in the current economic climate recommendation two could be negatively perceived by members of the public and created a conflict as it would effectively be paid. The recommendation was appropriate as it was adopting a consistent approach to those carrying out voluntary work employed by the Council and also those within private sector companies who also supported employees to ‘give something back’ to their local communities such as Nationwide and Barclaycard. The recommendation would also contribute to making credit unions more sustainable as when their membership grew it would be in a position to take on permanent staff. In addition the Cabinet were being asked to consider the recommendation and did not have to agree it either at present or in the future. The most significant element was the lack of affordable credit in some areas of the county in an ideal world there would be one credit union for the entire county to overcome this barrier. There was potential for sharing back office functions but this would require further dialogue. The Clockwise Credit Union had been visited as an example of best practice and what could be achieved and North Yorkshire had supported the extension of the common bond to improve service and facilities. All opportunities needed to be explored to improve access for the people of Northamptonshire. The recommendation relating to financial education in schools needed more emphasis as it was vital in breaking the cycle and improving young people’s money management.

RESOLVED that:

a) the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee request the Cabinet Member for Children & Young People write to the Minister for Education emphasising the need for financial education to be made compulsory in the school curriculum;

b) the Committee Manager expands the narrative of the report giving more emphasis to the need for credit union partnership working and the need for the school curriculums to include financial education; and

c) that efforts are made to take forward the opportunities for best practice to be implemented by Cabinet at the earliest opportunity.

At this point the meeting returned to the agenda.

09/11 The Northamptonshire Arc [presentation] The Chair invited Ian Achurch the Head of External Funding & Partnerships give the presentation to the committee (copies of which were circulated).

During discussion the committee highlighted the following: There was a national focus on localism but there did not appear to be much evidence of this in the development of the Northamptonshire Arc. Business, education and commerce were all mentioned but not parish councils, rail users etc. Offers had been made to speak with parish councils and three had taken up the offer and dialogue would continue especially around broadband. There had also been talks with the Northamptonshire Association of Local Councils (NALC) and British Telecom (BT) before Christmas. Action Group (SNAG) against HS2 had asked to meet and this had been accommodated. Other groups were welcome and they could request this via the website. SNAG was one group, all perspectives would be considered to move the document forward. The Arc document was the umbrella document for numerous strategies such as the Local Transport Plan (LTP) three and larger initiatives that will support the transforming connectivity and supporting economic growth. The document had not been widely circulated at Kettering Borough Council and had not been mentioned at parish councils. It was important there was local input to ensure that the initiatives are supported by the local communities rather than being enforced in a top down manner. Priorities would need to be reviewed for highway schemes instance the funding for the Isham Bypass had been delayed; instead the A43 to the west of the M1, the M4 at Weedon and the A43 Northampton to Kettering will need review to be achievable. More effort should be made to ask local residents and communities what they wanted in an area and this should be included. More emphasis was needed on getting employment land fit for purpose as the Fit for Market (FFM) initiative had been lost. There was a lot of good work in the document but more work was required. The FFM scheme had been an excellent scheme and officers were meeting Government in the coming week to seek their support for it to continue. It was locally led by businesses and needed to be included in local plans. The revised plan would be a localised approach the A43 to Kettering was an important link and needed progressing as did the A45 but all needed to be realistic within the current funding envelopes. The Arc does not include reference to the completion of the north-west bypass of Isham. Development plans for Darlington Grange, Buckton Fields and Moulton would increase traffic and pollution in Northampton and no alternative routes have been considered. The Big Idea was launched in 2009 but what if it wasn’t big enough? The Arc covers Northamptonshire. Business needed to be encouraged and relevant neighbouring areas needed to be included. It was recognised that the plan needed to expand across Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands as there were crucial links with motor sport which also included Oxfordshire. It was agreed that it needed to be locally driven to reach outward investment and influence.

In conclusion the Chairman emphasised that the document needed to recognise the following factors: It should not be top down and should recognise the needs of local people; the Joint Planning Units need to be taken into account; the progress of the A43 and plans

for Northampton bypass needed further consideration; and that the influence and opportunities in working with and other areas around Northamptonshire is recognised. He also requested that regular updates where brought to the committee at key times.

RESOLVED that: the presentation on the Northamptonshire Arc concept and strategies be noted and included for an update in the 2011/12 work programme.

10/11 Urgent Business The Chairman advised the committee that the Chief Executive and Cabinet Member for Customers & Communities had asked them to consider the paper that had been presented to Cabinet on Occupational Health Service Contracting Arrangements for NCC following a request from Councillor Minnie. However he advised that this area was not within the remit of the Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee and requested the committee agree to refer the item to the Scrutiny Management Committee.

RESOLVED that: Customers & Communities Scrutiny Committee refer the report on the occupational health service contracting arrangements for NCC to the Scrutiny Management Committee.

There being no further business the meeting concluded at 12.45

Date of the next meeting 20 April 2011

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