Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee Will Meet on Friday, 23 July 2004 at 9.30 A.M

14 July 2004

Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee Will meet on Friday, 23 July 2004 at 9.30 a.m. in Derwent Room, Allerdale House, Workington

Membership:

Councillor Derek Thompson (Chairman)

Councillor John (Binky) Armstrong Councillor Lillian Baldry Councillor Elizabeth Barraclough Councillor Trevor Fee Councillor Jeffrey Gardner Councillor John Heathcote Councillor Alan Hobbs Councillor Margaret Jackson Councillor Joan Minto Councillor Keith Sproat Councillor Martin Wood

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting. If you have any questions or queries simply contact Tracy Graham on 01900 326302.

AGENDA

1. Order of Joint Chair

To agree the order of Joint Chair

2. Minutes (Pages 1 - 6)

To agree as a correct record the draft minutes of the meetings held on 26 June and 9 July 2004. (Wards Affected: All Wards)

3. Apologies for absence.

4. Declaration of interests

Councillors/Staff to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the adopted Code of Conduct.

5. Questions

To answer questions from members of the public – 2 days notice of which must have been given in writing or by electronic mail.

6. Call-In (Pages 7 - 28)

To consider a briefing paper and report on the Call-In – Managing Residential Development to meet Housing Targets. (Wards Affected: All Wards)

7. Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) (Pages 29 - 32)

To consider a draft report following the Review of DPE. (Wards Affected: All Wards)

8. Executive Minutes

To consider the draft executive minutes held on 14 July 2004 (to follow) (Wards Affected: All Wards)

9. Forward Plan (Pages 33 - 38)

To consider the forward plan for the period 1st August 2004 to 31 November 2004. (Wards Affected: All Wards)

10. Work Plan (Pages 39 - 40)

To consider the work plan for 2004. (Wards Affected: All Wards)

Borough Solicitor

DATE OF NEXT MEETING Friday, 6 August 2004 at 9.30 a.m. Derwent Room, Allerdale House, Workington

Agenda Item 2

At a meeting of the COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE held in Derwent Room, Allerdale House, Workington on Friday, 25 June 2004 at 9.30 a.m.

Members

Mr J Armstrong Mrs J Minto Miss E D Barraclough Mr D K Thompson Mr J Heathcote Mr M G Wood

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs L Baldry, Mr T M Fee, Mr J Gardner, Mr R A Hobbs, Mrs C M Jackson and Mr K Sproat

Staff Present

T Graham, A Miller and S Owen

54 TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES - SITE VISIT

Members and Officers visited the following Tourist Information Centres:

Workington Cockermouth Keswick Silloth Maryport

The purpose of the site visit was to compare the services offered at the different Centres. This included the range of products and information available, location, accessibility, suitability and signage.

AGREED: That the outcome of the Site Visit be discussed at the next meeting.

The site visit ended at 1.30 p.m.

Page 1 This page is intentionally left blank

Page 2 At a meeting of the COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE held in Derwent Room, Allerdale House, Workington on Friday, 9 July 2004 at 9.30 a.m.

Members

Mrs C M Jackson (Chairman)

Mr J Armstrong Mr J Heathcote Mr T M Fee Mr R A Hobbs Mr J Gardner

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs L Baldry, Miss E D Barraclough, Mrs J Minto, Mr K Sproat and Mr M G Wood

Staff Present

T Graham, A Miller and S Owen

56 TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES

At the last meeting of the Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 28 May 2004 Members agreed to attend a site visit to the TIC’s in Workington, Cockermouth, Keswick, Silloth and Maryport to compare the services offered at the different Centres.

Members of the Committee and the Public Services Manager attended the Site Visit on the 30 June 2004 and agreed to provide feedback to the Committee at the following meeting.

Councillor J Armstrong provided a report with his feedback to the Committee and Members discussed this along with the feedback from the Public Services Manager and Members who attended the site visit and commented as follows:-

• The TIC in Keswick was in a good central location with clear signage and a variety of retail displays which included an extensive range of ‘Made in Cumbria’ products to promote the area. • The location of the Cockermouth TIC was not central and it was suggested that visitors to the area may find it difficult to locate due to limited signage. A large map emphasising the Western Lakes and Coast was prominent in the centre but it did not include all of the Allerdale area including some vital routes. • The Workington TIC was in a central location with limited space and combined with the Council Office. Members did not believe that the signage was adequate and a wider variety of products was needed to include a ‘Made in Cumbria’ Brand. Members also discussed the most prominent location for the TIC and an area within the Workington Town Centre Redevelopment was suggested. • The Maryport TIC had recently relocated to the existing Town Hall on one of the main streets in Maryport. A major disadvantage of the location was the poor state of repair of some nearby properties. In addition to this,

Page 3 Town and the retail selection was mainly limited to local souvenirs. • The Silloth TIC was situated on the main street of Silloth. The shop front was dedicated as a TIC with good information available and a basic range of retail goods but included no ’Made in Cumbria’ section, which was located in the Discovery Centre. Members discussed the possibility of relocating the TIC into the Discovery Centre (responsibility of Solway Rural Initiative) as this was a superbly restored building in a prime location on the main road leading to Silloth. It was suggested that this would make more financial sense to utilise the premises and staff, reduce operating costs and substantially increase the number of visitors to the Discovery Centre.

Members of the Committee had a general discussion regarding whether or not TIC’s should be incorporated into existing council offices or located in the most beneficial areas for both locals and visitors. At the moment, due to limited space the TIC’s operated by the Council and located within existing council buildings restricted the product range available and the opening times. The Committees initial thoughts were that purpose built TIC’s would be more beneficial and successful as the location, signage and product would be chosen with the visitors in mind.

The Public Services Manager reported that she had attended a meeting with the Cumbria Tourist Board (CTB) and discussed the Best Practice for TIC’s which included branding, marketing, and the best location. A report had been produced by the CTB.

Members were advised that a new Communication and Marketing Officer had been recruited who would be involved in the development of a tourism strategy for the Council. The involvement of Members in developing the Strategy was discussed.

The Committee also considered their Project Plan and compiled an interim report on their review of the service provided by the Council at the 3 TIC’s which included the scope, the people and stakeholders contacted and the base line data received so far.

RESOLVED – That

(a) The Interim report be considered by the Committee at a future meeting (b) The Public Services Manager provide the Cumbria Tourist Report on best practices for TIC’s and provide details of any customer satisfaction surveys that had been undertaken to a future meeting (c) The Portfolio holder be requested to attend the Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee to discuss T.I.C’s (d) Councillors C M Jackson and J Gardner be involved in discussions with staff regarding the development of a Tourism Strategy

57 EXECUTIVE MINUTES

The Committee considered the draft minutes of the Executive held on 2 June and 30 June 2004.

Page 4

Members expressed concern regarding minute number 34/2004/05 of the Executive Meeting held on 30 June 2004 entitled ‘Managing Residential Development to meet Housing Targets’ .

The recommendation of the Executive was:

‘’That Council requested to approve the new Interim Housing Policy for development control purposes with immediate effect and targeted consultation, prior to consideration of its adoption as supplementary planning policy’’.

RESOLVED – That

(a) The minutes of the Executive held on 2 June 2004 be noted.

(b) Minute number 34/2004/05 of the Executive Meeting held on 30 June 2004 entitled ‘Managing Residential Development to meet Housing Targets’ be called in for the following reason:-

‘’The Community Scrutiny Committee would like further clarification on the decision. The new Interim Housing Policy should be examined further to ascertain whether it is valid that new housing should be accepted in Workington, Maryport, Silloth and Aspatria rather than the whole of Allerdale on the limited base that has been accepted. Further consultation should be entered into with the interested parties.’’

58 WORK PLAN

The Committee considered their work plan to date.

AGREED - That

(a) The Democratic Services Administrator provide a report on the Committees findings of the Decriminalised Parking Enforcement Review at the next meeting of the Committee

(b) The interim report on Tourist Information Centres and information requested be considered on 6th August 2004.

59 FORWARD PLAN

Councillors were provided with the Forward Plan for the Period 1 July 2004 to 31 October 2004.

AGREED – That the contents of the Forward Plan be noted.

The meeting closed at 11.35 a.m.

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Page 6 Agenda Item 6

COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 23 JULY 2004

CALL-IN – MANAGING RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TO MEET HOUSING TARGETS.

Information

1 At the Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting on 9 July 2004 Members called in the following Executive decision:

MINUTE 62/2004/05 – MANAGING RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TO MEET HOUSING TARGETS

The Head of Regeneration in conjunction with the Regeneration Strategy Manager submitted a report which sought approval of new supplementary planning guidance for the control of housing development in the light of the new housing targets outlined in the County Structure Plan and recent monitor ring of planning permissions for housing.

Regional Planning Guidance for the North West includes targets for new housing which was deliberately restricted in order to encourage the take up of existing approvals to complement brownfield policy and to encourage a reduction in the rate of vacant dwellings. The new County Structure Plan ‘shares out’ the Cumbrian target to the various districts.

Carlisle, Eden, South Lakeland and National Park have already started the process of amending their policy on housing development.

Officers were proposing an Interim Housing Policy, through supplementary planning guidance to cover the period from now until the publication of the new Local Development Framework which will replace the current Local Plan.

The latest proposed changes to the Structure Plan, now on deposit, reduces Allerdale’s and other districts even further.

Recent monitoring had shown that the number of housing approvals was significantly above target in the northern area and moderately above in the south. The new target for the 4 year period is 880 approvals and so far 534 approvals have been given in the first 2 years. Analysis suggests that the reason is a buoyant housing market resulting in more development proposals than usual.

Officers considered that there was a need to restrict open market housing to the towns in need of regeneration i.e. Workington, Maryport, Aspatria and Silloth with only affordable or essential development elsewhere in

Page 7 Cockermouth, Wigton and a limited number of larger villages preferably on brownfield sites.

The Government expects Local Authorities to plan, monitor and manage the provision of new housing and address the housing needs of the whole community. Targeted consultation was to be undertaken.

RECOMMENDED – That Council be requested to approve the new Interim Housing Policy for development control purposes with immediate effect and targeted consultation, prior to consideration of its adoption as supplementary planning policy.

2 The reason for the call-in is:-

“The Community Scrutiny Committee would like further clarification on the decision. The new Interim Housing Policy should be examined further to ascertain whether it is valid that new housing should only be accepted in Workington, Maryport, Silloth and Aspatria rather than the whole of Allerdale on the limited base which has been accepted. Further consultation should be entered into with interested parties.”

3 Enclosed for information are:-

(a) Copy of the Executive report. (Appendix A)

Councillors are now asked to consider all the attached information and make any further comments/recommendations as necessary.

The Senior Planner will be making a presentation to members and a member of the public has expressed an interest to speak on this matter.

Page 8 APPENDIX A ALLERDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE – 30 JUNE 2004 COUNCIL – 14 JULY 2004

MANAGING RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TO MEET HOUSING TARGETS

Purpose of Report: To seek Committee approval for new Supplementary Planning Guidance for the control of Housing development in the light of the new housing targets in the County Structure Plan and recent monitoring of planning permissions for housing.

Recommendation: That Executive recommend to Council that, the new Interim Housing Policy be approved for development control purposes with immediate effect after Council resolution and for targeted consultation before being put before Members again in due course, for adoption as Supplementary Planning Policy.

Environmental Implications: Housing policy seeks to be sustainable and to protect the environment.

Community Safety Implications: No significant implications.

Financial Implications: None for the Council in the short term. Potentially in the longer term the income from fees for planning applications for housing will deminish, though not significantly.

Human Rights Implications: The Council recognises the right of people to have access to decent housing. The policy seeks to bring this about, particularly access to affordable housing.

Employment Implications: Because the policy seeks to reduce the overall rate of new house building, this could lead to a reduction in employment in the local building trade.

Health and Safety Implications: None

Wards Affected: All outside the National Park. Page 9

The Contribution this Decision would make to the Council’s Key Aims: The new policy may in a small way be a constraint on the Council’s Vision and aspirations to balance the local housing market. But, more positively, it gives us the opportunity to amend housing policy in such a way as to support regeneration.

Portfolio Holder: Councillor Carni McCarron-Holmes Councillor Mrs Maureen Rourke

Lead Member of Staff: Richard Evans : 01900 326517 [email protected]

(A detailed listed of implications is appended to the report)

1. Introduction

1.1 A serious situation has arisen concerning the number of permissions the Council can give for dwellings. We are statutorily obliged to consider Government planning guidance and the County Structure Plan in all the decisions we make on planning applications. The Regional Planning Guidance for the North West includes targets for new housing which have been deliberately restricted in order to encourage the take up of existing approvals, to complement brownfield policy and to encourage a reduction in the rate of vacant dwellings. These issues may be particularly relevant to Merseyside and parts of Lancashire but perhaps not to Allerdale or to Cumbria as a whole. The new County Structure Plan “shares out” the Cumbrian target to the various districts.

1.2 Allerdale is therefore not alone in facing drastically reduced housing targets. Carlisle, Eden, South Lakeland and the National Park have already started the process of amending their policy on housing development. It should be emphasised that Eden and South Lakeland are in a worse position than Allerdale in terms of the targets they are faced with and the number of permissions already granted. Eden have sought dispensation from the targets but received a flat refusal from GONW.

1.3 It is clear therefore, that if we carry on as we have, in terms of numbers of permissions we will not be following current planning guidance. The figures, see below, justify some urgency. The sooner a policy way forward is agreed the better. Therefore, your officers propose an Interim Housing Policy, through the Supplementary Planning Guidance process, to cover the period from now until the publication of the new Local Development Framework which will replace the current Local Plan.

1.4 The urgency of the situation has been further emphasised by the latest proposed changes to the Structure Plan (now on Deposit) which have reduced Allerdale’s (and other Districts) targets even further. These new figures are as a result of objections from GONW, so the government is pursuing this agenda most vigourously. The implications of the proposed changes to the Structure Plan will be reported to Committee/Council shortly.

Page 10 2. The New Housing Targets

2.1 The Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan 2001-2016, includes targets for the number of dwellings which should be approved in Allerdale, other Districts and the National Park. The target for Cumbria as a whole is set down in the Regional Planning Guidance (RPG13) for the North West.

2.2 The target for Allerdale is split between a Northern and Southern area. The Northern area is basically Wigton and the parishes to the north and east. The rest of Allerdale outside the National Park is classed as West Cumbria and Furness and is given a separate target.

2.3 The targets are expressed as an average annual number of approvals, 40 dwellings in the north and 210 in the south. These figures have been set on the basis of 10% of permissions not coming to fruition and producing 225 dwellings per year. This number is slightly less than the recent trend in house completions, not significantly less and so when the Structure Plan was on Deposit last year, no objections were raised by us to the housing figures. However, in response to objections from Government Office North West, these targets have been recently reduced to 35 p.a. in the North and 185 p.a. in the South, giving us a total of 220 approvals, which is designed to give us about 200 new houses. These new figures apply only to the period 2002- 2006 (see below), the figures for the following two periods remain as originally planned.

2.4 The figures are expressed as an annual average, for 3 periods:

2002 – 2006 2006 – 2011 2011 – 2016

This method allows some flexibility between individual years yet still requires a reasonably even spread of approvals throughout the entire period. It also means that, if the trend in approvals is above target, there would be 3 shorter periods of restriction rather than 1 longer restriction at the end of the full period. It goes without saying that the new targets require careful monitoring of planning approvals.

3. The Current Situation

3.1 Recent monitoring at the year end (March 31 2004) has shown that the number of housing approvals is significantly above target in the northern area and moderately above in the south. The attached graph shows the present situation; it shows the numbers of houses approved so far. The new target for the 4 year period is 880 approvals and so far 534 approvals have been given in the first 2 years. The figures for northern Allerdale reveal a serious situation with 125 approvals against a target of just 140 for the 4 years. In the south the situation is not so serious, but requires some action.

3.2 Analysis of the recent planning approvals for dwellings, as indicated in the attached document, suggests that the reason is a buoyant housing market, particularly in Wigton and Cockermouth, resulting in more development proposals than usual. Normally, this might be something to welcome, but in the new context of the restricted housing targets in the RPG and Joint Structure Plan, it becomes a problem.

3.3 It becomes a problem because the housing figures in RPG and the JSP have been deliberately restricted to encourage the take up of existing approvals, to complement the brownfield policy and to encourage a reduction in the rate of vacant dwellings. It might be agreed that little of

Page 11 this is relevant to Allerdale, however the figures are clear. The implications are also clear, the Council cannot continue to approve applications for dwellings on the same basis we have followed until now.

4. The Policy Way Forward

4.1 The question could be asked: Does it matter? Can we ignore the targets? The answer must be, it does matter and if we ignore the targets we leave ourselves open to action by the Secretary of State (ODPM). “In extremis”, if an Authority openly and continually flouts planning guidance the Secretary of State can intervene by removing their planning powers. The Secretary of State did so recently with Wyre Borough Council in Lancashire.

4.2 However, whilst we need to change our policy, the talk of a “moratorium” on new approvals in the Northern area, is inaccurate. Informal advice from both Cumbria County Council and Government Office North West indicates that the targets are not ‘carved in stone’. Even if we exceed our target, individual housing proposals can be approved if they conform to policies on sustainability, brownfield development, affordable or local housing.

4.3 Therefore, as will be seen, our new policy is based on these sustainable principles. In particular, your officers consider that Council policy in the northern area should be based upon no more ‘open market’ housing permissions and therefore housing for local affordable purposes only, within certain larger settlements, with only essential dwellings elsewhere. In the south your officers consider that there is a need to restrict open market housing to the towns in need of regeneration, ie Workington, Maryport, Aspatria and Silloth, with only affordable or essential development elsewhere, in Cockermouth and a limited number of larger villages, preferably on brownfield sites.

4.4 With regard to affordable housing figures, Allerdale has had a relatively generous settlement from the Housing Corporation and our target is to build 95 affordable dwellings in the next two years. The above figures show that we have only 346 “approvals” to play with, therefore, affordable dwellings will have to form a significant proportion of all new housing permissions over the next two years. This means that, where the Council is seeking to provide affordable dwellings through a quota of such as part of an otherwise open market housing development, the percentage quota may need to be as high as a third.

5. Conclusion

5.1 The government expects Local Authorities to ‘Plan, Monitor and Manage’ the provision of new housing and to address the housing needs of the whole community including affordable and local occupancy housing. Yet at the same time lower housing targets in the RPG can only be an impediment to this aspiration. Whilst any policy which encourages the provision of affordable local occupancy housing is welcome, if it comes with a restriction on new open market housing it will not lead to balanced local housing markets. Any restriction on open market housing, especially in areas of high housing demand, will inevitably widen the affordability gap, as the price of open market housing rises.

5.2 This Interim Housing Policy will remain in place until superseded by the new Allerdale Local Development Framework in due course. At present it is anticipated that the Draft LDF may be published late 2005 or early 2006.

5.3 The recommendation below is that the Interim Housing Policy be approved for development control purposes immediately. However, if the new policy is to gain the status of

Page 12 Supplementary Planning Guidance it must be subject to consultation before it can be adopted as such. Accordingly it is also recommended that the new policy be subject to targeted consultation to include the following:

• Government Office North West; • Cumbria County Council; • Parish Councils; • Selected housing developers and housing associations; • Selected housing professionals; • Adjacent Local Authorities.

5.4 It is the intention that applications currently before the Council will be determined in accordance with existing policy until such time as an Interim Housing Policy has been agreed by Council.

5.5 It is therefore recommended that:

“The Interim Housing Policy be approved for Development Control purposes with immediate effect following Council resolution, that the policy be subject to targeted consultation prior to the policy being returned to Committee and Council as soon as possible, with a view to adopting it as Supplementary Planning Guidance".

David Martin Head of Regeneration

Lynne Parvin Regeneration Strategy Manager

RE/rs 2.6.04 REPORTS/housingtargets.04

Page 13

ALLERDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL

INTERIM HOUSING POLICY

June 2004

Page 14 Contents

Page

1. Introduction 1

2. The Policy Context 1

3. Monitoring the Figures 2

4. New Policy: The Northern Area 3

West Cumbria 5

5. Monitoring 9

Appendix 1:

Map 10

Distribution of Housing Permissions 2002-2004 11

Page 15 - 1 -

1. Introduction

1.1 This Interim Housing Policy has been prepared by Allerdale Borough Council, the Local Planning Authority for those parts of the Borough outside the Lake District National Park. This Policy both complements and amends policy in the Allerdale Local Plan as altered by the First Alteration.

1.2 The Local Plan sets down development principles and proposals which are the local spatial expression of national, regional and sub-regional guidance. Changes to national guidance on housing policy have, through the Regional Planning Guidance (RPG13) now impacted upon the sub-region of Cumbria.

1.3 Allerdale Borough Council has responded to these changes positively to ensure that planning policy in the Borough remains up to date. This Supplementary Planning Guidance will provide an interim policy position, before a full review of the adopted Local Plan is undertaken. The new guidance will be subject to an extensive but targeted consultation and it aims to fulfil 3 functions:

• to clarify RPG 13 and the Joint Structure Plan at an Allerdale level; • to set down a decision making framework that is fair and consistent across the Borough; • to give guidance to developers, professionals and all those involved in the house-building industry.

2. The Policy Context

National and Regional

2.1 National planning policy on housing is set down in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, PPG3, adopted in 2000. National Policy on development in rural areas is in PPG7, which is undergoing revision. Both these impacted significantly on the Regional Planning Guidance for the North West (RPG13) adopted in March 2003. Policy UR7 states that authorities should monitor and manage the availability of land for housing development to achieve annual average rates of provision and must also seek to maximise the use of previously developed land (brownfield). The RPG sets housing targets for the region which are low compared to historic trends, for Cumbria the target is an average annual rate of 1170 new dwellings.

Sub-Regional

2.2 At the sub-regional level the Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan (JSP) was adopted in 1995 and the housing target in that was the basis upon which the housing policies and allocations in the Allerdale Local Plan were made. A new JSP was put on deposit in May 2003. It places significant emphasis on sustainable criteria and splits the housing target in RPG13 among the Districts of Cumbria. The JSP assumes that 10% of new permissions will not be built and so a higher rate of 1300 permissions is the set annual target for new permissions in Cumbria.

2.3 The JSP, for the purposes of its spatial strategy splits the County into several areas. Those relevant to Allerdale are:

• North Cumbria; basically Carlisle and its area of influence; • West Cumbria and Furness; and • The Lake District National Park, which is outside the remit of this guidance. Page 16 - 2 - The resultant split in Allerdale is as shown on Map 1. The “Northern” area comprises Wigton and the rural parishes to the north, south and east. The West Cumbria area is the rest of the Borough outside the National Park.

2.4 The target for Allerdale is the Deposit JSP of May 2003 is 250 new permissions per year and this is split 40 in the “North” and 210 in “West Cumbria”. Bearing in mind the 10% drop-out assumption, this rate of permission is designed to bring about a 225 average annual build rate of new dwellings.

2.5 This ‘target’ was not significantly less than recent trends in house completions and so did not cause the Council to submit objections when the JSP was on Deposit in 2003. At that time it was considered that the First Alteration to the Allerdale Local Plan was sufficient, at least for the time being until the full review of the Local Plan, to encompass the changes in Policy at National and Regional levels. However, since then the County Council has had to reduce Allerdale’s target for the first monitoring period 2002-2006, to 220 permissions, split 35 North and 185 in West Cumbria. This rate of permission is designed to bring a build rate of 198 dwellings per year for this period. This is significantly below recent past building trends. The target for the period 2006-2016 remains as originally proposed. This new policy is therefore interim guidance and will be superseded when the Council publishes the new Local Development Framework for the period 2006-2016.

3. Monitoring the Figures

3.1 Recent monitoring of residential planning decisions for the end of the year 2003/2004, at 31 March 2004 is shown in the graph at Appendix 1. This shows that over the past 2 years, ie from 1 April 2002, the base date for the targets in the JSP, a total of 534 approvals have been given, 409 in West Cumbria and 125 in the ‘North’. This compares with a notional target in the JSP of 370 in West Cumbria and 70 in the north.

3.2 The graph shows that in the north, in effect, more than 3 years of approvals have been given in 2 years; and in West Cumbria the total is above target. Furthermore the location of these approvals does not accord with sustainable principles with most being in Cockermouth, even more than in Workington, where, being the largest urban area in the Borough, the number of approvals ought to be much higher. The situation revealed by this monitoring must be redressed if national, regional and sub-regional policies are to be followed.

3.3 This Supplementary Guidance aims to manage the release of housing land more in line with strategic policy. This SPG will;

• Set down a sustainable policy for the “Northern” and “West Cumbria” areas based on an amended settlement hierarchy; • Implement evolving PPG3 and PPG7 policy; • Clarify the sequential approach to greenfield and brownfield development, with a particular focus on land allocated for housing in the adopted Local Plan, and; • Provide an interim framework to enable the Borough Council to manage housing demand in line with policy through the planning application process.

Page 17 - 3 - 4. The New Policy

The North

4.1 As we have seen, planning approvals in the northern area of Allerdale are well above the annual target in the JSP, such that we are likely to exceed the target in the near future, if the current rate of approvals is maintained. Unless the rate of approvals is reduced the Council will exceed the target significantly. However, the targets are not “carved in stone” and we are advised that if proposals can be justified on sustainable criteria such as affordable, local or brownfield issues the target may be exceeded. What is no longer acceptable is to approve open-market housing on greenfield sites, on demand, so to speak. As the appendix shows there has been a large number of recent permissions in Wigton and certain parishes, and this trend must be halted.

4.2 The new JSP expects new development to be focussed in “Key Service Centres”, of which, in the Northern area, it names only Wigton. However, the Structure Plan also expects Local Planning Authorities to allow for development to sustain rural communities by identifying ‘Local Service Centres’ and the criteria for the identification of these should focus on the need to support local services and the community’s need for further development.

4.3 Therefore, the following new policy seeks to cater for local need for affordable housing in Wigton and a limited number of Local Service Centres with a good range of local facilities. This local need encompasses affordable housing and does not include open market housing. The sequential approach to brownfield/greenfield development required by Policy HS7 of the First Alteration to the Allerdale Local Plan, will still apply.

POLICY SH 1 : Within the development limits defined on the relevant Proposal Map Insets of the adopted Allerdale Local Plan, and on sites adjacent and well related to those limits, new housing development, including conversions, will be acceptable the service centres listed in Table 1, provided that:

(i) the development is of a scale and design which will not detract from the character of the settlement;

(ii) the development includes arrangements for car parking and access which are acceptable having regard to Policy TR6 and other relevant policies;

(iii) the development will not put undue strain on existing local infrastructure;

(iv) the site of the proposed development is not one that is considered to have significant amenity value or to make a significant contribution to the character of the settlement in its undeveloped state; and,

(v) the proposed development is to meet a proven local need for affordable dwellings and a planning obligation is secured or a condition imposed which ensures that, in perpetuity, where appropriate, the benefits of affordability remain available to subsequent as well as the initial occupiers, and, in all cases, that the occupants of the dwellings are inhabitants of the locality.

Page 18 - 4 - 4.4 For the purposes of this policy the definitions of “affordable”, and “locality” and “inhabitant” as in the adopted Local Plan or First Alteration need to be changed. With regard to “inhabitant” the new definition is:

(i) A resident in the locality of at least 5 years standing; or,

(ii) Having strong local connections with the locality through a previous residency of at least 5 years duration within the last 10 years, or family association (which may include the need to give care) with an existing resident of at least 5 years residence, or

(iii) Having permanent employment in the locality or having accepted the offer of such employment.

“Locality”

The Parish of the relevant Service Centre or appropriate group of parishes which relate well to the relevant service centre.

“Affordable”

Affordable housing encompasses the following:

(i) housing that is available for the occupier to purchase an equity share in the property from 25% to 95% of the total market value equity for a price that does not equate to more than 3.5 times the local i.e. ward level average in-work income, as defined by Cumbria County Council and any successor local authority’s Household Income Survey where such data exists, or by reference to the Allerdale average where such ward level income information does not exist; that in the case of subsequent resales the total equity value of such properties shall be deemed to be the initial equity value increased in line with the Retail Price Index or subsequent register of inflation, published by the government, or (ii) housing that is available for rent at a weekly rent that does not and will not exceed for a period of not less than 99 years the target rent set by the Housing Corporation or any regulatory successor for an equivalent property provided by a registered social landlord or other not-for-profit organisation. (iii) housing that is available for purchase at a market value that does not equate to more than 3.5 times the local average income (defined as above).

Table 1 : Northern Area Service Centres considered appropriate for housing:

Key Service Centre : Wigton

Local Service Centres : Bolton Low Houses Kirkbampton Kirkbride Thursby

The above Policy supersedes Policy HS5 as it applies to the Northern Area of Allerdale which comprises the Parishes of Aikton, Boltons, Bowness, Holme East Waver, Kirkbampton, Kirkbride, Sebergham, Thursby, Waverton, Wigton and Woodside. Policy HS15 of the adopted Local Plan and First Alteration, which allows for “exceptional” permissions for affordable dwellings outside the development limits of Local Centres and Limited Growth Villages will only apply to the villages in Table 1 as far as the northern area is concerned.

Page 19 - 5 - Policy HS16 which relates to “exceptional” proposals elsewhere, down to a single dwelling, will no longer be applied.

4.5 Outside the area identified in Table 1 in the Northern Area, policy will be to significantly restrict new dwellings. Therefore, the following policy restricts new dwellings to those for essential occupancy, and to conversions for essential occupancy subject to the initial presumption in favour of business use in the first instance as required by PPG7 and Policy HS6 of the adopted Local Plan.

Policy SH2 : In the Northern Area of Allerdale Borough as defined by the Joint Structure Plan (2003 Deposit Version) and outside the settlements listed in Table 1, proposals for new housing including conversions will not be permitted except where such development is required to meet an essential need. 4.6 The above policy supersedes Policy HS4 and Policy HS6 as they apply to the Northern Area. For the purposes of this policy, essential need is defined as:

(i) The need for agricultural, horticultural or forest workers to reside at their place of work.

(ii) The need for a “Key Worker” to reside within the area of their work. In this respect evidence will need to establish, to the satisfaction of the Council, that such a need exists and is appropriate to the location proposed.

(iii) The need for the proprietor of an appropriate business to reside at their business. The business in question must be one that has a specific locational need to be in a rural area. Again, evidence will need to be supplied that, to the satisfaction of the Council, such a need exists and that the relevant business is appropriate.

In all such proposals the Council will impose appropriate occupancy conditions and will expect such dwellings to remain available for essential or local occupancy in the long term. Conversions will also be expected to meet all the criteria of Policy HS6, including that which requires a business use preference where appropriate.

4.7 In implementing the above policies the brownfield preference in Policy HS7 (as altered) will still apply. In Wigton the greenfield housing allocations at Howrigg Bank and Kirkland Road are unlikely to be released for development for any form of housing unless there are no appropriate brownfield sites in the town.

4.8 The impact of these above policies will be monitored very closely and if it looks like the target in the JSP will still be significantly exceeded the Policies may need to be revisited. It is not intended to put a number to what would be regarded as significantly exceeding the target. As long as the rate of approvals is reduced and each future approval meets the requirements of the above policies, they are unlikely to be revisited until the Adopted Local Plan is subject to a full review in due course.

West Cumbria

4.9 As shown in para. 3.1 above, the figures for housing approvals 2002 – 2004, are above target, 409 approvals against a target of 370. Also, the graph in Appendix 1 reveals another problem. The most approvals have been in Cockermouth, even more than in Workington. This trend cannot be viewed as sustainable, Workington has over 3 times the population of Cockermouth, and normal sustainable principles would suggest that Workington would supply a significant

Page 20 - 6 - majority of new approvals. Therefore, if a sustainable pattern of new development is to be pursued in the West Cumbria area, the number of approvals in Cockermouth should be restricted whilst those in Workington should be increased, and the number of approvals for open market housing elsewhere should also be restricted.

4.10 In West Cumbria the picture is mixed although the buoyant nature of the current housing market is encouraging developer interest in all the towns.

• Maryport, if looked at with Dearham, has been quite buoyant, and interest in Dearham is likely to continue, with several sites still notionally available. • In Aspatria there has been increased interest, with the development of a long standing approval at Noble Croft about to commence. • Silloth has been quiet as usual but the current year is likely to see 2 significant housing proposals, including social housing at Fell View, and open market housing at Wrathalls garage site permission for which has just been given. • Elsewhere in the rural areas there has been considerable interest in Little Clifton and Dean Parishes. However, otherwise the distribution between parishes has been quite even and at a low level, reflecting, perhaps, the diminishing opportunities for infill within existing Development Limits.

4.11 The monitoring figures show that there is a need to shift the balance of housing development in West Cumbria. Housing development should be encouraged in those towns in need of regeneration/market support, ie Workington, Maryport, Silloth and Aspatria, whereas elsewhere (including Cockermouth) policy should restrict new housing to affordable only and in a limited range of settlements. In open countryside only essential housing will be acceptable as in the northern area.

4.12 The following policy therefore restricts new open market housing to Workington (excluding Seaton), Maryport, Silloth and Aspatria. There are also some villages in West Cumbria, closely related to Workington and Maryport where the need to support regeneration and housing market renewal justifies their being included within this policy; these are Great Clifton, Flimby, and Dearham.

Policy SH3 : Within the development limits of Workington, Maryport, Silloth, Aspatria, Flimby, Dearham and Great Clifton, as defined on the relevant Proposal Map Insets of the adopted Allerdale Local Plan, housing development, including conversions, will be acceptable provided that:

(i) the development is of a scale and design which will not detract from the character of the settlement;

(ii) the development includes arrangements for car parking and access which are acceptable having regard to Policy TR6 and other relevant policies;

(iii) the development will not put undue strain on existing local infrastructure; and

(iv) the site of the proposed development is not one that is considered to have significant amenity value or to make a

Page 21 - 7 - significant contribution to the character of the settlement in its undeveloped state.

4.13 This policy supersedes Policy HS5 as it applies to the West Cumbria area as defined by the Joint Structure Plan. The brownfield sequential approach in Policy HS7 (as altered) will also still apply as will Policy HS14 regarding quotas of affordable housing within such development, if appropriate. Allerdale has had a relatively generous settlement from the Housing Corporation for the provision of affordable housing over the next two years. This is aimed at providing 150 affordable homes throughout the Borough, split 55 in the Lake District National Park, 95 in the rest of the Borough. The target for the provision of affordable housing in this Interim Housing Policy is therefore 95 dwellings. It should be noted that as time goes by this figure may change. As will be seen from the figures in Section 3 above, over the next two years we have 346 permissions available if we are to meet our targets. Therefore, affordable housing must form a significant proportion of housing provision over the next two years. Accordingly, quotas requested under Policy HS14 in settlements subject to Policy SH3 above may need to be as high as 30%. This is on the basis of a significant proportion of the 95 units being likely to be located in Silloth and Cockermouth. In some circumstances a higher percentage quota could be justified.

4.14 Elsewhere, (including Cockermouth), housing development should be restricted to affordable dwellings only, in service centres which have a good range of facilities.

Policy SH4 : Within the development limits defined on the relevant Proposal Map Insets of the adopted Allerdale Local Plan, and on sites adjacent and well related to those limits, new housing development, including conversions, will be acceptable the service centres listed in Table 2 provided that:

(i) the development is of a scale and design which will not detract from the character of the settlement;

(ii) the development includes arrangements for car parking and access which are acceptable having regard to Policy TR6 and other relevant policies;

(iii) the development will not put undue strain on existing local infrastructure;

Page 22 - 8 - 4.15 For the purposes of this policy the definitions of affordable, inhabitant and locality are as in paragraph 4.4 above.

Table 2 : West Cumbria Service Centres

Key Service Centre : Cockermouth

Local Service Centres : Abbeytown Allonby Bothel Broughton Dean

4.16 Policy HS15 (as altered) which allows for “exceptional” permissions for affordable dwellings will also now only apply to the villages in Table 1 and Table 2. Policy HS16 which also relates to ‘exceptional’ proposals, down to a single dwelling, will no longer be applied. The brownfield preference in Policy HS7 (as altered) continues to apply as does Policy HS8 which controls the standard of development, including density.

4.17 In Workington the release of housing land in the next 2 years will be managed in a sustainable way, in order to increase the number of dwellings approved up to a maximum of 180 dwellings for the years 2004 to 2006. This figure is considered to be an appropriate aspiration for Workington, being just short of half the JSP target and reflecting the dominant position of Workington in the settlement hierarchy of Allerdale Borough, and the need to underpin the current regeneration initiatives in the town.

4.18 In line with PPG3 and Policy HS7 (as altered) it is proposed to release appropriate brownfield sites first over the next 2 years. Only if these do not come forward at the appropriate time will greenfield land be released. Therefore when considering all the large sites in Workington and Seaton whether allocated for housing or not the following release sequence is proposed:

1. Workington “Quayside”, Stanley Street: this is a brownfield site, which could accommodate about 70 units, in a developmnet of mixed middle market house types. This site should be released in the year 2004/5.

2. Stanley Street, Workington : a brownfield site, likely to become available for development in the short term.

3. Workington Infirmary : this site is due to be vacated shortly and will therefore be brownfield. It could accommodate about 80 units at a density of 30 d.p.h. This site should be released within the years 2004 – 2006. It already has outline residential permission.

If none of these sites comes forward for development in 2004/5 or if only one is likely to come forward 2004/6 it will be appropriate to consider the release of part of the following site.

4. Ashfield Road South, Moorclose, Workington (allocated WKHS1 in the adopted Local Plan) : this is a greenfield site of a total of 10 hectares and an appropriate proportion of this could be released towards the end of the period 2004/6 dependant upon the availability of the two above sites. As principle site owner the Borough Council can easily manage such release.

Page 23 - 9 - 4.19 The following sites are no longer considered appropriate or available for housing development in the remainder of the Local Plan Period:

• Croftfield Road, Seaton : a greenfield site considered relatively remote from local services (Allocation WKHS4). • Derwent Road, Workington : a derelict brownfield site unlikely to become available for development. • Other greenfield sites.

Should other unforeseen but otherwise appropriate brownfield sites become available before March 2006, this could change the above sequence of land release.

4.20 In Maryport virtually all the allocated land for housing has been developed and so a purely brownfield sequential approach will be taken in the release of “windfall” sites. Greenfield “windfall” sites will not be acceptable.

4.21 Outside the settlements in West Cumbria included in policies SH3 and SH4, the following policy restricts new dwellings to those required to meet an essential need. Conversions for such purposes may also be acceptable subject to the usual presumption in favour of business use in the first instance as required by PPG7.

Policy SH5 : Outside those settlements included within policies SH3 and SH4, in the West Cumbria area, as defined by the Joint Structure Plan (2003 Deposit Version), proposals for new housing including conversions, will not be permitted except where such development is required to meet an essential need.

4.22 The above policy supersedes policies HS4, HS5 and HS6 in West Cumbria except insofar as the criteria of Policy HS6 will still apply to conversions, where appropriate. For the purposes of Policy SH5, the definition of essential need is the same as in paragraph 4.6 above.

5. Monitoring

5.1 In line with the Government’s “Plan, Monitor and Manage” approach to the release of housing land the Council must monitor the impact of the above policies closely. Recently, monitoring of housing completions and approvals has been undertaken on an annual basis. This will no longer be good enough for our purposes.

5.2 It is now proposed to monitor and take stock of the situation every 4 months. If the impact of the above supplementary policies is not as intended it may be appropriate to report back to Committee with a view to further amendments to policy. The monitoring will include a greenfield/brownfield split and the number of affordable and local occupancy dwellings approved. The number of house completions will continue to be monitored on an annual basis.

5.3 It is also possible that, as it goes through the preparation process towards adoption, the targets and policies in the JSP may change. If this happens it may again be appropriate to report back to Committee.

Page 24 - 10 - APPENDIX 1 :

The Distribution of new housing Approvals 2002 – 2004.

Page 25 - 11 -

Page 26

Please delete where applicable.

Community Safety N Sport N Financial N Leisure N Legal N Tourism N Social Inclusion N E-Government N Human Rights Y North West Regional Y Youth Issues N European N Ethnic Minority Issues N National N Older People Issues N Partnership N Disability Issues N Heritage/Culture N Employment (external to the Council) N Planning Policy Y Employment (internal) N Enforcement N Environmental/sustainability Y Transport N Environmental/visual N Asset Management N Health N Health & Safety N

Is this a statutory recommendation? N

Is this a key decision? N

Has a risk assessment been undertaken? N

Wards affected All outside National Park

Background papers Regional Planning Guidance Joint Structure Plan

HC/SHS 1 April 2003 AGENDAS/Dem Services Gen/1.4.03 new report

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Page 28 Agenda Item 7

DRAFT REPORT ON THE COMMUNITY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE REVIEW OF DECRIMINALISED PARKING ENFORCEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Following complaints to members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, it was agreed to review matters that had arisen since the implementation of D.P.E.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

On 31 October 2003, Members of the Community Scrutiny Committee discussed various issues that had arisen since the implementation of DPE, in particular:

(a) Discretion of car parking attendants in relation to Survey Drop-offs/Pick ups and Residential/Visitors Parking. (b) Complaints received from members of the public since implementation of DPE.

Actions taken as part of the Review:

28 November 2003 – Corporate Services Manager attended meeting and provided statistics/information on:

o Penalties Issued o Appeals received/waived o Comparison of statistics pre DPE o Update on TRO o Residential Permits

The Committee agreed to review this matter in 6 months and The Corporate Services Manager was requested to provide the following information:

(i) Number of penalties issued on a monthly basis (ii) Number of appeals on a monthly basis (iii) Number of appeals waived on a monthly basis (iv) Car Park Revenue on a monthly basis as compared to the revenue pre DPE (v) Public satisfaction survey to highlight the difference in public opinion before and after implementation of DPE (vi) Consultation feedback from key stakeholders such as Cumbria County Council, Parish and Town Councils, residents groups (vii) Progress in respect of the residents parking schemes.

Page 29

14 May 2004 – Corporate Services Manager attended meeting and provided following statistics/information: covers period 13 October to 25 April

o Penalties issued since uptake of DPE –car parks and on-street* o Total penalties and dispositions* o Penalties per day against estimated cost recovery needs* o Percentage recover rates against National Average* o Revenue from 1996 -2003 (April to March) and comparison in income before and after introduction of DPE o Residents Permits/Traffic Regulation Orders

MAIN FINDINGS

Meeting held on 28 November 2003

• There had been a high level of penalties issued in the first six weeks following implementation of DPE: 3555 Penalties had been issued, 900 appeals, 378 of which were waived. • Number of Penalties issued in 6 week period had reduced from 100 to 63 per day • A card system for Residents Parking had been developed by the car parking section which was under consideration by the County Council • TRO’s are the responsibility of CCC and the residents parking schemes (zoning area), which was under review (due to be completed by March/April 2004) • Rate of waiving penalty notices 11% against historic average of 17% - due to training of wardens and cameras.

Meeting held on 14 May 2004

• On-Street vehicles turning over at correct rate – members of public provided feedback to staff – no longer have problems parking on street in zoning area e.g Murray Road. • No abnormal increases in income from car parks since implementation of DPE, same trends – any increases in income had been as a result of increases in car parking changes • Residents/Parking permits – permits for on-street parking could be purchased by hoteliers or and other businesses • Traffic Regulation Orders still under review by the County Council and still do cause problems in some areas.

Page 30 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS?

Public Satisfaction Survey to highlight difference in public opinion before and after DPE. Consultation feedback from key stakeholders such as Cumbria County Council, Parish and Town Councils, residents groups.

RECOMMENDATIONS

None made.

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Page 32 Agenda Item 9

Allerdale Borough Council – Key decision 1 August 2004 - 30 November 2004

Key Decision ID KD002/02 Description Community Strategy (incorporating Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy) - Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Patrick Leonard, Chief Executive [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Consultation means Partnership Forum Event, Press, Media, Allerdale Outlook and Copeland matters. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted To be available on the internet from September 2003 Consultation findings Initial recommendations

Key Decision ID KD020/02 Description Declaration of Housing Renewal Area for central Workington Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Andy Thompson [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Local community groups Regeneration Workington Local businesses Local residents Local housing providers North West Development Agency Any other interested parties Consultation means Printed publicity. Internet posting of documents. Public Meetings. Direct contact and meetings. Representing steps Representing deadline

Page 33

Documents submitted Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment report

Government Guidance in respect of Renewal Areas

Allerdale Housing Strategy

Allerdale Capital Investment Strategy Consultation findings To date, consultees have been in favour of the declaration of two Renewal Areas for Workington. Initial recommendations Members will be recommended to declare the Derwentside Renewal Area in April 2003 and the Harrington

Key Decision ID KD025/03 Description Purchase and implementation of Upgrade to Financial System Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Officers Contact email Carole Carre, Director of Finance [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Other users of upgrade version, Users in Council, IT & Finance Departments. Consultation means Verbal/Memo. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Correspondence and representations from other users Consultation findings Upgrade approved. Initial recommendations Upgrade to a supported version of the software, Upgrade to e gif compliant system, Consolidate all applications onto single operating system, Increase functionality in respect to report extraction and writing capabilities.

Key Decision ID KD26/03 Description The implementation of a licensing policy as required by the Licensing Act 2003 Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Gillian Collinson [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Police, Fire, Building Control, Planning, Environmental Health, Area Child Protections Committee, Violent Crime Group, Licensing Solicitors, Pubwatch, British Transport Police, Current Licence. Consultation means Written, Meetings and Direct Contact. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Licensing Act 2003, Guidance, Draft Policy and any representations Consultation findings None Initial recommendations Policy to be accepted. Page 34

Key Decision ID KD030/04 Description Review of Constitution Date decision to be made 10th November 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Hazel Cushin, Head of Democratic Services [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Councillors and Staff. Consultation means Forward Plan/Committee Reports. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Current Constitution Consultation findings Initial recommendations

Key Decision ID KD031/04 Description Acquisition of former RNAD Broughton Moor and development of Derwent Forest proposal Date decision to be made 22nd September 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email David Martin [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Consultation means Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Derwent Forest Development Guide

Derwent Forest Task Group Reports Consultation findings Initial recommendations

Key Decision ID KD032/04 Description Statement of Accounts 2003/04 Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Carole Carre, Director of Finance [email protected] Contact committee code

Page 35

Consultation groups Councillors Consultation means Draft Report – members of the public can view accounts in accordance with relevant legislation. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Financial documents and other supporting accounts Consultation findings Initial recommendations Approval of Statement

Key Decision ID KD034/04 Description Review of Allerdale's Administration Service - provision of proposals for approval by Executive and Council Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Sharon Thompson, Head of Customer Services [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups SMT, CMT and Service Managers. Consultation means Consultation underway – all individuals affected.

Individual one on one meetings, discussion groups and provision of proposal paper.

All representations to be in by 16 July – in the first instance to line managers then to S Thompson. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Administration Review proposals

Budgetary Documentation

Establishment Plan Consultation findings Document produced by North West Employers previously, and subsequent research internally. Initial recommendations Mainly that administrators be allocated to the various service departments in which they currently work, to provide a more effective and efficient service to the public.

Page 36

Key Decision ID KD035/04 Description Customer Service Strategy Date decision to be made 18th August 2004 Decision Maker Executive Contact email Sharon Thompson, Head of Customer Services [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups Allerdale Citizens, Members, Staff Consultation means Review of service provision, e-government priorities, customer surveys, internal statistics, benchmarking, CPA results.

Following provision of the strategy, group discussions will be held to obtain feedback, ideas, concerns etc. Will be posted on the intranet for any further comment. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Strategy document and appendices Consultation findings Review of service provision, e-government priorities, customer surveys, internal statistics, benchmarking, CPA results. Initial recommendations Proposals on the way forward for Allerdale in providing a more effective service for our customers.

Key Decision ID KD036/04 Description Review of Corporate Identity and provision of policy document which will require approval Date decision to be made 10th November 2004 Decision Maker Council Contact email Sharon Thompson, Head of Customer Services [email protected] Contact committee code Consultation groups All service areas, Strategic Managers, CMT and appropriate Council members. Consultation means Discussion groups, discussion papers.

Ongoing discussion and feedback prior to publishing policy document. Representing steps Representing deadline Documents submitted Policy document will be made available prior to seeking approval Consultation findings Previous work undertaken by E Woodthorpe and J Reynolds to bring us to this stage. Initial recommendations That we achieve consistency in providing an easy to use and read format in all Council documentation, literature, web site, advertising etc. Inclusion of Plain English to improve various detailed documents.

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Page 38 Agenda Item 10

COMMUNITY SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORKPLAN 2004

Subject Source Actions Timescales/Dates to be considered

Audit Deletion of Audit Joint meetings with Corporate 18 June 2004 Committee and Community Scrutiny Committee 13 August 2004

Quarterly audit reports 5 November 2004

CALL-IN – Community Scrutiny Consider reports of Executive 23 July 2004 Managing Committee Residential Development to meet housing targets

Maryport Identified through Consider project plan Jan – June 2004 Regeneration training Feedback from Birmingham 14 May 2004 Seminar

Maryport Housing Renewal 14 May 2004 Job/Training Opportunities 28 May 2004 Broadband Information/Job Take-up. Youth Crime 23 July 2004 Statistics.

Parking Implementation of Consider statistics provided by 14 May 2004 Enforcement DPE in Allerdale the Car Parks Section. (D.P.E) Report on findings of review of 23 July 2004 DPE

Tourist Scrutiny Training for Consider statistics from 2 April 2004 Information Councillors Administration Section 16 April 2004 Centres 30 April 2004 Feedback from Members 28 May 2004

Interim Report on findings of 6 August 2004 review of TIC

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