Scrutiny Board

Customer Services

Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 5BT Telephone: 0300 303 8588 Fax: 01749 344050 Email: [email protected] www.mendip.gov.uk

Scrutiny Board

Monday, 17 May 2021

Council Chamber
Mendip District Council Cannards Grave Road
Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BT

6.30 pm

This agenda can be made available in large print and other languages including Braille. Please contact the Committee Officer for details.

Lead Officer:

Tracy Aarons

Tel: 01749 341448

Email: [email protected]

Committee Officer: Sarah Gooding
Tel : 01749 341341

E-mail : [email protected]

Membership: Councillors Chris Inchley (Chair), Barbi Lund (Deputy Chair), Alison Barkshire, Adam Boyden, Nick Cottle, Michael Dunk, Damon Hooton, Janine Nash, Terry Napper, Sam Phripp, Lois Rogers, Lucie Taylor Hood and Nigel Woollcombe-Adams

Substitutes: Councillors Eve Berry, John Clarke, Nigel Hewitt-Cooper, Edric Hobbs and Mike Pullin. NB: Whilst formal meetings are returning to Council premises from 7 May 2021, COVID restrictions are still in place. This means that whilst meetings will be open to the public, attendance will be limited. Meetings will be live streamed where at all possible. Please contact the Committee Officer in the first instance should you wish to attend.

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Notes
1. Length of meeting - Normally the meeting will end when all the business on the agenda has been completed. As soon as this meeting has lasted for three hours the Chair will ask members to vote on whether to end the meeting. There will be a short briefing from officers on implications but no debate on whether the meeting should end. If the vote is in favour of ending the meeting it will end immediately or at such point as the meeting agrees.

2. Reports – some agenda items refer to reports that have been produced. The full reports are only sent to relevant Members. If you wish to see a non-confidential report, you can access these via the Mendip District Council website at www.mendip.gov.uk. If you wish to have a hard copy of the report then Please contact the Committee Officer (details on page 1 of the agenda). For members of the public requesting hard copies sent by post a charge may be raised.

3. Declarations of Interest – If a member of the Board/Committee or other Member of the Council present at the meeting has a personal or prejudicial interest in any agenda item during this meeting they should now declare its existence and nature publicly.

4. Public Speaking – At the Chair’s discretion, members of the public can participate at meetings of a Council body by making representations on any matter. The maximum time for each speaker is three minutes, with a maximum time of 20 minutes for all speakers in total. Anyone who wishes to speak must. Either. a) notify the Committee Officer (details on page 1) at least three hours before the start of the meeting, or b) complete the form which will be in, or immediately outside, the room where the meeting is going to take place and hand this to the Committee Officer before the start of the meeting.
Items on the agenda – The public may either speak during the Public Participation agenda item or before the agenda item of interest. Items not on the agenda - Any matters raised cannot be debated at the meeting but may be referred to a future meeting.

5. Suggestions for Future Business – Suggestions for future business will only be adopted if agreed by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the meeting and if they are within the functions and delegated authority of the Council Body.

6. Urgent Business – To consider any other business that the Chairman decides is urgent. 7. Exclusion of the Press and Public - The Local Government Act 1972 (LGA) allows the public to be excluded from any Council meeting during any item of business on the grounds that confidential or exempt information is likely to be disclosed. “Confidential” and “exempt” are each defined by the LGA, and there is an important difference between them. The public must be excluded from a meeting if “confidential” information is likely to be disclosed. However, if the information likely to be disclosed is “exempt,” members have discretion. They may exclude the public by passing a resolution but are not obliged to do so.
8. In accordance with the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 recording is allowed at all formal meetings of the authority to enable those not present to see or hear the proceedings either as they take place (or later) and to enable the reporting of those proceedings. Those wishing to record proceedings should, as a courtesy, inform the chair (or Democratic Services Officer) of the committee of their intentions prior to the meeting.

In compliance with Section 100D of the Local Government Act 1972 a list of the background papers and the background papers themselves are available on request to the Committee Officer.

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Explanatory footnotes are on page 2 (previous page). ^{See notes 1 and 2}

AGENDA

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6.30pm

CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mobile phones should be switched to silent.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To receive apologies from Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ^{See Note 3}

If a member of the Scrutiny Board or other member of the Council present at the meeting has a personal or prejudicial interest in any agenda item during this meeting, they should declare its existence and nature publicly.

See Note 4

456
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

a) b)
For items on the agenda For items not on the agenda

PREVIOUS MINUTES

To confirm the minutes of the Scrutiny Board meeting held on 18 March. 2021

6.45pm

CREATIVE MENDIP STRATEGY, STRUCTURE AND ACTION PLAN

This report on Creative Mendip builds on the Administration’s commitment. to

support Creativity & Culture in Mendip Communities

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7.15pm 7.45pm 8.15pm

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PRESENTATION

There will be a presentation for this item.

SPOTLIGHT ON CONNECTING DEVON AND SOMERSET

There will be a presentation for this item.

CORPORATE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT REPORT QUARTER 4 20/21

This report provides a summary of the actions and projects that support the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2020/23

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8.45pm

UPDATES FROM THE SCRUTINY WORKING GROUPS

a.ꢀPolicies and Strategies working group:ꢀCouncillor NigelꢀWoollcombe-Adams b.ꢀContracts working group:ꢀCouncillor Barbi Lund c.ꢀAccess working group:ꢀCouncillor Philip Ham ꢀ

d. Breaking the cycle of Disadvantage working group: Councillor

Chris Inchley

e. Climate and Ecological Working Group: Councillor Janine Nash

See Note 6

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9.15pm

URGENT BUSINESS

To consider any other business which the Chair decides is urgent.

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MENDIP DISTRICT COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of the Scrutiny Board held on Thursday, 18 March 2021 held online via Microsoft Teams commencing at 6.30 pm.

SCRUTINY BOARD COUNCILLORS PRESENT:

Councillors Alison Barkshire, Adam Boyden, Nick Cottle, Michael Dunk, Philip Ham, Chris Inchley (Deputy Chair), Barbi Lund, Janine Nash, Sam Phripp and Nigel Woollcombe-Adams

OTHER COUNCILLORS PRESENT:

Councillors Shannon Brooke, Josh Burr, John Clarke, Michael Dunk, Drew Gardner, Michael Gay, Francis Hayden, Bente Height, Garfield Kennedy, Tom Killen, Liz Leyshon, Lindsay MacDougall, Barry O’Leary and Alan Townsend

OFFICERS PRESENT:

Tracy Aarons

Deputy Chief Executive and Lead

Officer
Richard Bates Dave Burn David Clark
Section 151 Officer Interim Democratic Services Manager Head of Service, Law and Governance Services

Gavin Fear

Contracts and Assets Maintenance

Manager
Sarah Gooding Julie Jackson Kelly Knight
Democratic Services Officer Performance and Improvement Officer Economic Development and Scrutiny Officer
Duncan Moss Sara Skirton Ben Sugg
Deputy Corporate Finance Advisor Head of Corporate Services Democratic Services Officer Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Neighbourhood Services
Haylee Wilkins

ALSO PRESENT:

Mickey Green

Somerset Waste Partnership

Matthew Canning James Pike Michael Cowdell
Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Suez Recycling and Recovery UK Suez Recycling and Recovery UK

Agenda Subject Item
Actioned By

1

Chair’s Announcements

The Deputy Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised that the established rules for virtual meetings would be followed.

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The Deputy Chair explained the process for the appointment of the Chair and Deputy Chair for this Board would have to be re-run.

He advised that he would ask the Deputy Chief Executive to oversee the election of Chair, following consideration of items 1-5.

2

Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Terry Napper and Councillor Helen Sprawson-White

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Declarations of Interest

None

Public Participation a. Items on the agenda:

Mr Tony Martin had registered to speak on Item 6, Electric Vehicle Charging Points on MDC Land. A summary of Mr Martin’s comments is set out below.

Mr Martin advised the Board that he was pleased to hear about the charging points. He said he was a full time Frome resident and had been driving an electric vehicle for the last year and noted that electric vehicle (EV) cars had increased in popularity. He felt the number of charging facilities was not keeping up with the exponential increase in EV vehicles. In addition, he was worried that the infrastructure may not be able to cope with the additional usage, as some current charging facilities were very slow. He felt rapid charging facilities would provide the best solution as they would be quicker. In addition, . they would help stimulate local economies as people would buy shopping whilst charging their vehicles.

The Deputy Chair thanked Mr Martin for his contribution.

b. Items not on the agenda:

There were none.

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Previous Minutes

Sarah

Gooding

Councillor Nigel Woollcombe-Adams moved the motion and Councillor Sam Phripp seconded that the minutes of the last meeting be accepted. The motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2021 be approved as an accurate record of the proceedings.

Election of Chair and Deputy Chair to Scrutiny Sarah

Board

Gooding

The Deputy Chief Executive advised that the election of Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board held on 25 January 2021, was void. The process would therefore need to be re-run. Consequently, Councillor Chris Inchley had retained the position of Deputy Chair, prior to the appointments being re-run at this meeting.

At this point Councillor Chris Inchley withdrew from the proceedings whilst the election of Chair was held.

The Deputy Chief Executive sought nominations for the election of the Chair of the Scrutiny Board.

Councillor Sam Phripp proposed Councillor Chris Inchley for Chair, which was seconded by Councillor Nick Cottle. There were no other nominations. The motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Chris Inchley be appointed Chair of the Scrutiny Board.

Councillor Chris Inchley returned to the meeting and took his position as Chair.

The Chair sought nominations for the election of the Deputy Chair.

Councillor Philip Ham proposed Councillor Barbi Lund as Deputy Chair, which was seconded by Councillor Michael Dunk. There were no other nominations.

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The motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Barbi Lund be appointed Deputy Chair of the Scrutiny Board.

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Electric Vehicle Charging Points on MDC Land

Haylee Wilkins

The Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services introduced the report, which gave the results of the procurement exercise undertaken to seek suppliers willing to supply EV charging infrastructure at no cost to the Council. It also identified the preferred supplier selected through the procurement exercise.

Following the paper to Cabinet in July 2020, a procurement exercise based on a specification had been undertaken to identify potential suppliers to install Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCPs), in Mendip District Council car parks.

The report had been prepared so as to update the Scrutiny Board on the EVCP position, the negotiations to date and the likely positive impacts to Mendip’s Communities.

During the discussion several points were made, including the following:

• Members felt the payment method across the
Network in the UK was confusing and disjointed. Members noted that the use of bank cards was being considered as an alternative payment method.
• There was concern we were entering into a contract and it may become outdated too soon. The Officer confirmed that any contract would need to be future proofed.
• Members remained concerned that there was only one supplier at this stage.
• Members were also concerned about exclusivity to one company and whether the Council would have control over future units.
• The Officer confirmed that rapid chargers would be determined in the next stage of the process. She was unable to give a categoric answer on infrastructure costs, or any form of incentivisation as this would form part of

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ongoing discussions at the contract stage with Franklin Energy.
• Members queried why the grid supply had not identified first. Members noted that a survey would be carried out.
• Members asked how many chargers would be provided.
• Members queried whether the car parking fees could be reduced for EV users
• Ensure EV chargers are located in the villages as well as the towns.
• Members suggested that the Council

collaborate

with

supermarkets

to

supply/install chargers.

Members welcomed the proposal. They said it should be seen as creating opportunities to change behaviours and to encourage people to think about changing to EV cars.

The Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services stated if Members wanted to attend meetings of the Mendip Access and Parking Strategy Working Group (MAPS) they could ask. A survey had been completed through MAPS for market research. Feedback through the process would be reported to MAPS. It was not the intention that the issue should be reported to the Scrutiny Board again, but rather decisions about the report would be dealt with under delegations.

In response to further questions, the Portfolio Holder said the project was part of a wider strategy and we were still waiting for a countywide strategy.

He went on to say the Council was in conversations with Parish Councils. Meanwhile, he suggested that Councillor Philip Ham speak to Somerset County Council with a view to getting further updates on their EV charger plans.

With regard to the current negotiations, the Portfolio Holder advised that he was currently unable to give any more detail on the proposal so far. However, he welcomed the comments from the Scrutiny Board and advised that they would be report them back to MAPS.

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RESOLVED:

That the progress to date regarding the suggested infrastructure for the district to support current and future EVCP requirements, be noted.

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Somerset Waste Partnership Service Disruption Haylee Wilkins

The Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services introduced the report. The report provided the Scrutiny Board with details of the underlying causes and actions taken in response to Covid-19 disruptions to recycling services across the district in 2021, and the steps being taken to recover and ensure resilience.

Mickey Green, Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP), gave a presentation on service disruption during the Pandemic.

He apologised for the service disruption in Mendip. He stated whilst there had been a high level of driver absence, he was pleased to report there had been no incomplete or withdrawn rounds in the last 2 weeks. He explained the measures being taken to bring services back to normal levels.

Members noted that the crews operating on the ground were key workers, providing an essential service, under increasingly difficult and challenging conditions. Equally it was noted that the efforts of staff extended from the front-line collection crews

into

the

Council’s

Contact

Centre

and

Neighbourhood Services team, and teams at the Somerset Waste Partnership. Members were keen to emphasise that their comments did not look to question the considerable efforts of staff in any way.

During the discussion that followed, Mickey Green reassured members that at SWP had not been on furlough during this pandemic. He accepted that people have had enough of the disruption caused by the pandemic and failed to appreciate the difficulties of providing a service in such challenging circumstances.

In response to queries regarding the self-isolation criteria for refuse workers, the Board was advised that whole crews were required to isolate until tests come back to say they were negative. In addition, staff may be required to self-isolate if a family

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member was ill. Members were informed that the service carried out 47 rounds every day from Evercreech. That required a total of 135 people to work each day.

Mickey Green said there was some difficulty when agency staff were used to provide cover due to unfamiliariality with parts of some rounds, particularly where some addresses were tucked away.

In response to queries about communal waste collections, Mr Green agreed to look into the reasons for the number of delays reported at the meeting. He did however advise that the communal collection arrangements had recently changed.

Mr Green explained that the SWP had a new communications team who were very passionate about social media. He further explained that training would be rolled out for crews on customer care.

It was acknowledged that the blue bag scheme for missed collections had not been designed with the Covid disruption in mind.

In response to concerns about spillage of litter from the lorries, Matt Canning from Suez Recycling and Recovery UK advised that video footage on the refuse vehicles would be reviewed to assess the spillage incidents and that training would be set up for crews using ‘toolbox talks’ to remind staff to close hatches. Members were advised to refer any other queries directly to SWP outside of the meeting separately.

It was reported that the presentation from SWP would be circulated to members following the meeting.

Members welcomed the measures that SWP were taking to resolve disruption to the service.

.

RESOLVED:

The content of the report and presentation be noted.

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8

Five Councils Corporate Services Contract David Clark

Update

A report had been produced which updated the Scrutiny Board on the progress of bringing the Procurement and Exchequer Services back inhouse.

The two services would be returned to Mendip District Council to be delivered in-house from 1 January 2021 and 1 April 2021 respectively.

At the September meeting, the Scrutiny Board asked for regular reports to be brought back to them to keep them appraised of progress. This paper represented the second such report and was the final opportunity to update the Board before the Exchequer Service returned to the Council in approximately 2 weeks’ time.

The Board was advised that a temporary appointment had been sought to provide flexibility. An initial assessment would need to be made on the type of service required, hence the approach taken.