District Council Report to Rodborough Parish Council

October 2019

Recruitment of strategic directors In line with the recommendations of the external Peer Challenge held earlier this year, which found that the council needed more strategic direction, and with the CEO’s aspirations of making SDC an ‘exemplar’ Council, the process of appointing 3 permanent and one fixed- term (2 years) strategic directors continues. Elected members will be involved in the assessment centres. A good number of applications were received for the positions responsible for Place, People, Resources and Transformation (fixed term).

Canal Restoration Phase 1b – Stonehouse to Saul. A survey to provide insight into how and why residents use the canal corridor, including what would encourage them to use it more, has closed. A five-mile section of canal between Thrupp and Stonehouse has been restored, with the next phase of the project being to connect Stroud and Stonehouse to the nation’s inland waterway network. Together with the Cotswold Canals Trust, Council received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (now known as the Heritage Fund), of £842,000 development funding in 2018, prior to applying for a further £9 million to complete the project. Many suggestions were received from residents across the District and others, the information provided will be used to shape the next part of the canal restoration, from ‘The Ocean’ in Stonehouse, to Saul Junction. Preparation of the significant and wide-ranging input needed for the Lottery Fund application next February continues unabated. It is a condition of the application that all arrangements with landowners and for any land purchases are complete by then. However, should these not be forthcoming at that time, then having taken legal advice, SDC’s Strategy & Resources Committee agreed at its last meeting to authorise officers to realise the land through compulsory purchase powers. However, it is hoped that this will not be necessary and will only be used as a last resort.

Changes to Recycling rounds Just a reminder that changes to waste and recycling collection rounds have been introduced to cater for the growth in properties across the district. This won’t affect the day that collections are made on but does mean that some existing collection times are changing with some now being collected at different times, sometimes much earlier or later in the morning. Where opportunities exist, all councillors are asked to remind residents to ensure their waste and recycling is put out by 6am to ensure there is no disruption to the service.

Dog fouling fine Following resident complaints and discussions with District Councillors, Neighbourhood Wardens have recently been active in problem areas. Warning signs have been erected and ‘no poo’ signs have been sprayed on pavements. The number of reported incidents across the District have reduced following the recent heavy fines imposed at Cheltenham

1 Magistrates’ Court on a Cam resident, where a total penalty of £1077 was imposed. You can report dog mess fouling on https://www.stroud.gov.uk/report/report-dog-mess-or-fouling-problems ‘Paws on Patrol’ ‘Paws on Patrol’ is a crime prevention scheme where dog owners register to be the ‘eyes and ears’ for their communities whilst out walking their dogs. Paws on Patrol scheme members simply provide the Council and the police with information which could help to make neighbourhoods safer, by being on the lookout for incidents such as:  fly tipping  fly posting  Abandoned vehicles  Dangerous dogs  Suspicious activity  Drug-dealing Further information on this scheme can be found on the following link: https://www.stroud.gov.uk/community-and-living/community-safety-and-neighbourhood- wardens/paws-on-patrol This may be useful to promote in Rodborough as many of those who walk on the Common already act as ‘eyes and ears’ there. Community Services & Licensing Committee - 5th September 2019. Members received a verbal update from the Police and Crime Commissioner, which included crime statistics and the likely outcome of increased policing due to the increase in funding from central government. The 2019 report can be read at: https://www.gloucestershire-pcc.gov.uk/reports/ https://www.gloucestershire- pcc.gov.uk/reports/ Members were pleased to note that the CS&L 2019-2020 Q1 budget outturn was mainly on track. The Health & Wellbeing plan for 2019-2022 was presented by the H&W officer Emma Keating-Clark. Health and Well-being is a statutory duty for the district council. https://www.stroud.gov.uk/health-wellbeing/health-and-wellbeing-plans/consultation-on- new-stroud-district-council-health-and-wellbeing-plan-2019-2022 Other updates were received from the Youth Service Task & Finish Group, the County Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee, Museum in the Park , Police and Crime Panel, Gfirst LEP - Visitor Economy/Tourism Business Group and from member Performance Monitoring

Environment Committee – 12 September 2019. Environment Committee Budget Full Council approved the General Fund Revenue budget for 2019/20 in February 2019 including budget proposals of the administration. The latest budget for the Environment

2 Committee, taking into account the adjustments for ‘carry forwards’, is £5.610m. The original Budget was £5.462m. The monitoring position for the committee at 30 June 2019 shows a projected net overspend of £72k against the latest budget. The overall position on the General Fund will be considered by Strategy and Resources committee at their meeting in October 2019. The out-turn position is mainly attributable to the major items with an explanation of the significant variances that have arisen (a significant variation is defined as being +/-£20,000 on each reporting line). Chalford Design Statement The Chalford Design Statement was produced under the initiative originally launched by the former Countryside Commission to encourage communities to identify local character and to set out design guidance at the local level. A Village Design Statement [VDS] is a practical tool to help influence decisions on local design. Prepared correctly, a VDS will provide a clear statement of the character of a particular village or locality against which planning applications may be assessed. It is not about whether development should take place (this is one of the purposes of both the current Adopted Stroud District Local Plan, but about how development should be undertaken so as to respect the sense of place and local identity. Local people in villages and smaller more dispersed rural communities are well placed to identify local character and distinctiveness, described in terms of the landscape setting of their villages, the pattern and shape of the settlements, and the nature of buildings, spaces, landmarks and special features. At the national scale Government continues to seek to devolve powers to local councils and neighbourhoods thereby giving local communities influence and a voice in making planning decisions. This design statement is about letting the people who know and care for an area to influence development within it. The adopted Local Plan contains several policies which refer to Neighbourhood Development Plans, Design Statements and accompanying evidence. In particular Core Policy 4 Place Making (CP4) explicitly refers to the use of design statements for the consideration of development proposals. Housing Committee - 10 September 2019. Following the approval of planning permission by the Development Control Committee, for 8 new affordable homes for rent on the Gloucester Street/Bradley Street site in Wotton, the Housing Committee agreed the proposal for SDC to undertake the development, as part of its new programme of council house building. New build properties on the site will be built to a high standard, to ensure reduced heating bills and carbon impact. The Committee also discussed the latest Budget Monitoring Report. They noted that there was an underspend on the Tanners Piece site in – where SDC has built 11 new independent living units for older people. This reflects a slightly lower build cost. The budget for new temporary accommodation for the homeless is not yet spent, due to delays in procuring the preferred site. (Report.) Other issues discussed and agreed were:  Update on the Sheltered Modernisation programme  Approval for the Housing Strategy for 2019-24  Results noted of the most recent Tenant Satisfaction survey Actions to improve tenant satisfaction will be addressed by the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Delivery Plan 3  Approval to change the call monitoring services in sheltered housing — to get rid of the existing and out-of-date hard-wired monitoring service and to replace with an opt in/out Careline facility  Agreed to the revisions of the SDC tenancy agreement Ts & Cs – which had been reviewed to make the agreement clearer and with input from tenants  Noted feedback on the HRA delivery plan consultation. Further detail on these issues can be found on the Committee website (see link).

Green Infrastructure, Sport and Recreation Study SDC has been working with a range of specialist consultants to examine current and projected needs for open space, green infrastructure, sport and recreation in Stroud District and has now published the findings (link). Recommendations relating to local facilities include a clubhouse and a second hockey pitch at Wotton Community Parc and floodlighting for Wotton RFC. Cllr Braun has shared the recommendations with WCSF and is following up with officers. These recommendations will not result in direct financial support for the recommended projects, but inclusion within the study recommendations and future SDC strategy, should help the relevant organisations when they apply for future funding bids and in the allocation of funds via s106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy. SDC commissioned the work recognising that healthy environments and well-being of communities require open space and associated facilities to be of an appropriate quantity, quality and location. Also, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires local planning authorities to set out policies enabling communities to access high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and recreation. The assessments generally use the clusters of Parishes and Towns established in the current Local Plan. The study outputs will be used to inform the Council’s Local Plan Review and the Council’s decision-making process up to 2040. Separate reports were required because of the varied topic matter and differing methodologies of assessment involved. The executive summary conveys a broad strategy direction for the Local Plan Review to consider. These are the principal study reports:  Executive Summary  Stroud Open Space and Green Infrastructure Study Main Report (Part 1)  Stroud Open Space and Green Infrastructure Study Cluster Analysis (Part 2) – split into 8 cluster areas and an Introduction  Stroud Indoor Sports Facilities Needs Assessment  Stroud Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) Final Strategy Main Report (Part 1) plus appendices 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Final Stage B Database, Maps of Clusters, List of Site Reference Numbers, Key Site Overviews (37 in total)).  Stroud PPS Final Strategy Action Plans (Part 2)  Stroud PPS Final Needs Assessment Reports – split into 7 individual documents due to file size (Introduction and Context, Football, Cricket, Rugby, Hockey, Tennis and Bowls, Key Findings and Issues)

4  The Community and Stakeholder Consultation  Stroud Open Space and Green Infrastructure Study Cluster Analysis  Stroud Playing Pitch Strategy  Stroud PPS Final Needs Assessment Reports

Stroud District Carbon Neutral 2030 Commitment A new Carbon Neutral Officer is now in post at SDC. Rachel Brain will be working to secure funding and develop partnership working, focusing on Stroud District but also working with the County Council and beyond. The District is keen to support community-based action (working with Transition Stroud and local Community Climate Action Groups) as an important element of the CN 2030 strategy. The new FoE survey of local authorities gave a 80% score to . The range was from 92% in Wiltshire to a range of councils achieving just 40%. Locally, this highlighted a number of issues needing action; doubling the area with tree cover (only12% is currently covered by trees, target should be 20%), greatly increasing the number of journeys made by walking, bike and public transport ( currently just 16% compared with an aspiration of 40%), insulate all homes (36% against target of all by 20/21), reduce waste even further and doubling the amount of renewable energy produced. https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-friendly-communities

Links and liaison with town and parish councils. This was an area that was raised in Peer Review and has been an area of concern for sometime. Senior officers are now making plans to address this across the area, including better consultation over strategic plans, planning and making explicit reference to the importance of consultation with town and parish councils. Elected members from across the district are keen to promote this quickly.

Local issues Anti-Social Behaviour has stopped in the area of concern within the parish. However, the impetus in ensuring the other areas of concern at the site have lost some traction. Therefore the community safety manager at SDC, who has the statutory responsibility for this, has been asked to co-ordinate this and give an update on the partnership work and the ‘next steps’ as soon as possible.

Karen McKeown 7 October 2019

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