Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm as a true record the Record of Decision of the meeting held on 11 November 2021.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2021 be approved.

To invite Members to declare any interest they might have in the matters on the agenda.

Councillor P Jordan and Councillor I Stephens declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 8a relating to the Disposal of Ryde Harbour to Ryde Town Council as they were both Ryde Town Councillors.

Questions may be asked without notice but to guarantee a full reply at the meeting, a question must be put including the name and address of the questioner by delivery in writing or by electronic mail to Democratic Services at democratic.services@iow.gov.uk, no later than two clear working days before the start of the meeting. Normally, Cabinet is held on Thursday, therefore the deadline for written questions will be Monday 13 December 2021.

No public questions were received.

The Chairman announced that the council’s budget consultation was underway. It was the wish of the Alliance group to develop a budget strategy based on growth, not cuts, and the Chairman hoped that a change of direction could be achieved with positive outcomes for the Island and innovative ways of generating income. £3 million of savings was required and it was hoped that tis would be achieved in the least damaging way possible to services. Recognition of the island’s unique status by the government was still being sought.

There had been a discussion at the Corporate Scrutiny meeting on 15 December regarding the governance of the council’s decision-making process and the inability of Cabinet Members to make delegated decisions. The Chairman explained that the Alliance group was driven by the public interest and would continue to make collective Cabinet decisions.

Cllr Brodie asked a question regarding openness and transparency, in particular that media releases regarding cabinet papers had been issued before the publication of reports had been brought to the attention of other councillors. He referred to a response to a report on the Island planning strategy which contained references to QC advice, and which had been circulated during and after the Corporate Scrutiny meeting the previous day  Cllr Brodie believed that a committee system of governance should be introduced to the council rather than the Cabinet. The Chairman indicated that a written response would be sent.

Since 2016 the Carisbrooke College 6^th form had been operating as part of Medina College. All Carisbrooke students had now left and all were attending Medina. No places had been lost and all students could access the full range of benefits of the 6^th form. A full consultation had been undertaken and no representations had been received. The report had been noted by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.

To approve the lowering of the age range to three years old at Hunnyhill Primary School with effect from 1 January 2022.

The existing pre-school at Hunnyhill was closing and it was proposed to move existing staff over to a new pre-school which would be run by the Primary School. Parents were in support of the proposal as it would ensure continuity of care for the children. A 6-week consultation had been carried out and no representations had been received.

To approve Option 1 in principle, and the council supports an IDA-accredited Dark Skies Park status application as outlined in this report with the following commitments:

a)    Financial support from the council of £49,453 to replace existing street lights where necessary within a defined programme, subject to the approval of the capital programme by full council

b)    The preparation of a comprehensive lighting code to be applied within the Dark Skies Park, which would take the form of a Supplementary Planning Document.

c)     Ensure annual monitoring and reporting on the success in light pollution control as well as the maintenance of a sky brightness measurement program is carried out.

Cllr Bacon had been involved with the project since 2017 when he was the Chairman of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The intention was to seek formal accreditation for part of the island to be a Dark Skies park, which would be internationally recognised. The AONB and Vectis Astronomical Society had been very helpful in compiling the report. Some comments had been received regarding extending the area to which the status would apply. An explanation had been given to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee that the area was considered viable within the boundaries of the AONB, although it may be possible to expand the area in the future. The policies would apply across the whole of the Island and benefits of Dark Skies park status would include attracting more visitors to the Island and supporting biodiversity and wildlife. Similar applications had been successful in Galloway and in Northumberland.

Option 2 – Increase annual subscription cost in 2022-23 by £2 per month.

Cllrs Peacey-Wilcox, Andre, Fuller and Jones-Evans declared an interest in this item as they were subscribers to the garden waste service.

This could not be included within the budget considerations at there were deadlines which had to be met to introduce the new charge with effect from 1 April 202.The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had raised some concerns at the proposed fee increased but had not made a recommendation to Cabinet. The proposed increase would enable the service to be extended in the future to enable some of the 1200 people currently on the waiting list to access the service. The price was still competitive and, if approved, would be held for two years. It was believed that growing the service would increase employment opportunities.

In response to a question regarding assistance to people on low incomes to access the service, it was confirmed that poverty had been a consideration in arriving at the proposals in the report. It was also confirmed that the council would continue to promote home composing where possible and that disposal of green waste at the council’s household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) was still free of charge.

Option 2 - To maintain the current LCTS scheme at 65 per cent but allowing for any minor adjustments to annual allowable amounts which are used to offset the calculation.   

There had been much debate and wider input in compiling the report, and a range of options had been discussed. It was noted that the level of support had been progressively eroded over the previous few years. The covid pandemic had resulted in a declining collection rate and there was £4 million still to be collected from tax payers, which had led to an increase in debt recovery activity. A total of 3187 liability orders had been issued.

The proposal was to halt the pattern of decline by keeping the level of support at 65 per cent. Members were resolved not to drive families into poverty and homelessness and wished they could do more. It was hoped that support could be restored in the coming years.

It was confirmed that use of the hardship fund would be monitored.

Option A.      To amend the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) policy to                     reflect the funding for 2021/22 provided by the DWP.

Option C.      Minor changes to the policy to be delegated to an officer in                     consultation with the cabinet member for our service area.

This money was provided to local authorities by the Department for Work and Pensions to assist those most in need to meet their rent liability. The policy was renewed each year and needed to be reviewed to take into account the allocation of funding provided to the council. One of the key aims was to alleviate poverty and help to keep families together.

Option 1 - Agree to the freehold transfer of the Ryde Harbour and the hospitality suite; and the lease transfer of the two parcels of land and hospitality suite to Ryde Town Council from the 1 April 2022. The transfer to be at nil value and subject to final details to be agreed by the Cabinet member.  

Cllrs Jordan and Stephens both left the room for this item as they were both Ryde Town Councillors.

A detailed business case had been submitted by Ryde Town Council to take over Ryde Harbour. The Town Council had put together a place plan for the Esplanade including the viability of Ryde harbour, which would contribute to the major regeneration of the town. There would be a loss in income of £11,000 p.a.to the IW council, however it was believed that disposal to Ryde Town Council was the best outcome as the facility would require some investment in the near future.

Option A - To adopt the Isle of Wight Skills Plan (Appendix 1) and set up an Island Skills Board to oversee skills related activity, identify relevant resources and monitor outcomes of the action plan (Appendix 2).

The plan had been put together over the last 18 months and was intended to help people achieve their full potential.

Employment in social care and the hospitality industry had fallen post-COVID. Some emergency training provision had been put in place during lockdown to boost employment in these sectors.

The plan promoted the development of a highly skilled, future-ready workforce, and proposed to ensure the availability of sufficient higher-level training provision, matched to the labour market needs. It would encourage upskilling, lifelong learning and was backed up with milestones and actions, with a long term, co-ordinated approach involving all relevant stakeholders.

Option 1 – To approve the Isle of Wight Safe Accommodation Strategy 2022-2025.

The report had undergone a needs assessment by independent consultants and was approved by the Domestic Abuse forum. It had been consulted on widely with users of the service, both current and previous. There was a requirement to undertake this every year. The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had noted the report.

It was proposed by the Cabinet member and agreed to defer a decision on the report to a later date.

Following comments from Cllr Lilley at Corporate Scrutiny Committee it had been suggested that the report be further reviewed and referred to the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care before being brought back to Cabinet for a decision in due course.

Option 1: To approve the proposed restrictions that are subject to this report in relation to THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL (VARIOUS STREETS, EAST COWES) (TRAFFIC REGULATION) ORDER NO 1 2021 as proposed.

Parking restrictions had been reviewed in East Cowes, and changes had been recommended based on safety improvements. Some support and some objections had been received. The proposed changes would result in a loss of parking income to the council, therefore the order may be revisited in the future.

Option 2: To approve the proposed restrictions that are subject to this report in relation to THE ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL (VARIOUS STREETS, COWES) (TRAFFIC REGULATION) ORDER NO. 1 2021 with amendments – to abandon some of the restrictions, and to implement the rest of the restrictions as proposed.

The proposals to be abandoned being those in;

·       Ash Grove cul-de-sac

·       Newport Road near Bellevue Road

·       Newport Road near the junction with Stephenson Road

The parking restrictions had been reviewed in some parts of Cowes. It was noted that the council had a long list of priorities from each Town and Parish Council and consideration was being given to starting a new more current list, some of which would be implemented, and some not.

Some concerns had been raised in respect of proposals for Ash Grove, Newport Road junction with Stephenson Road and Newport Road near Bellevue Road and these would be removed from the Order.

To invite Cabinet Members to provide a brief update on matters concerning their portfolio.

The Leader thanked all council staff for their work over the last year, including those who had changed roles during the COVID lockdowns, those in the voluntary sector and to Islanders for complying with the COVID guidance and wished everyone good health and prosperity for 2022.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism gave an update on matters within her portfolio, including the pop-up shops which had opened in Newport. There had been some open days in East Cowes to discuss the levelling up projects. 150 people had attended and positive feedback had been received. A conference had been held regarding the regeneration of Newport, which included various specialists in regeneration who had given some good ideas for future projects. The bid for City Status for Newport had been signed and submitted, and plans were underway for next year’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management was please to see that all Cabinet reports would now consider the impact on climate and the biosphere, and that this was to be extended to include poverty in future reports. The Planning Committee had granted permission for the first stage of the PTEC tidal energy scheme which was an important step towards the generation of green energy. A meeting had been held with the Chief Executive of Dinosauria regarding Dinosaur Isle, aiming to maintain their interest. The fly tipping task and finish group were to hold a meeting on 10 January 2022, looking at a wide range of issues.

The Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance, Corporate Resources and Transformational Change reported that the council’s budget consultation was underway and it was hoped that residents and Town and Parish Councils would engage with it. A virtual roadshow was planned to be held in the new year and some doorstepping was to take place in the West Wight to engage with residents and encourage them to respond to the consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Lifelong Skills reported that there had been success with grant funding schemes from the DWP, for example, Connect 4 Communities. Town and Parish Council could apply in addition to education and community groups and charities to support the vulnerable this winter. Pan Together had been a previous beneficiary, which had enabled 8105 children’s meals to be provided since March 2020. There had been various Holiday Activity and Food schemes including the one at Barton. The Cabinet Member would be visiting some of the schemes the following week. The impact on young persons and future generations was to be included in future cabinet reports. Staff in Adult Social Care and Children’s Social Care teams along with headteachers and school staff were acknowledged for being flexible and adapting to new ways of working.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Community Engagement reported that a meeting had been held with the council’s QC regarding matters raised in the Island Planning Strategy. Should the plan be rejected it could be costly for the Island.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

Cabinet Members to identify decisions which need to be amended, added or to be removed from the Forward Plan.

There were a large number of items on the Forward Plan.

The Digital Strategy was out for consultation and it was felt that this should be moved to the 10 March meeting of Cabinet instead of January to ensure the widest possible consultation.

The final decision on Chillerton and Rookley school was due to be made at the Cabinet meeting on 10 February.

Items for future inclusion included the Fleet management policy to consider changing the council’s fleet to electric vehicles. Partners were to be identified and a meeting was to be held in the new year.

To guarantee a reply to a question, a question  must be submitted in writing or by electronic mail to democratic.services@iow.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Tuesday 14 December 2021. A question may be asked at the meeting without prior notice but in these circumstances there is no guarantee that a full reply will be given at the meeting.

A question had been submitted by Cllr Garratt (MQ 16-21) regarding the council’s current thinking around the Camp Hill prison site.

The Chairman gave a response and explained that the Ministry of Justice own the land therefore the council cannot do anything with the site unless approached by the MoJ. The council had received £1 million to clear three brownfield sites owned by the council. The Camp Hill site would be given consideration if and when it was to become available.

A question had also been submitted by Cllr Hendry (MQ 17-21) regarding a planning application at Crossways in East Cowes. As Cllr Hendry was not present, the Chairman undertook to send a written response.

Cllr Hastings asked a verbal question on behalf of Cllr Robertson concerning the QC response to the Island Planning Strategy. Cllr Brodie also expressed confusion as to the information contained within the document which had been circulated at the Corporate Scrutiny meeting the previous day.

Clarification was given that the QC had given verbal advice but that no written report had yet been received.