Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm as a true record the Record of Decision of the meeting held on 12 November 2020.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2020 be agreed.

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

There were no declarations received at this stage.

Questions must be delivered in writing or by electronic mail to Democratic Services at democratic.services@iow.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Tuesday 12 January 2021. Each question must give the name and address of the questioner.

Written questions were received relating to Item 8 from Steve Cole (PQ 03/21), Emily and Ian Moore (PQ 04/21), Richard Newnham (PQ 05/21), David Titley (PQ 06/21) and Mr & Mrs G Hall (PQ 07/21). The Leader read out the questions and provided a response.

The Chairman expressed his appreciation to all staff for their work carried out during the period of COVID and reinforced the message to the public to stay at home and protect the NHS.

To approve Option 1:

Realign the hedge to improve visibility when entering Forest Road from Whitehouse Road which as part of the 2021 capital works programme.

Revaluate any future works to the junction following the completion of the Island-wide Speed Review, and as part of the network’s safety and management programme.

The Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport expressed condolences to the family of the people involved in the fatal accident which had led to this report. The police investigation had now concluded and a report into the junction had been produced. There had been seven accidents at the location in the previous five years. Although no fault had been identified with the layout of the junction, the Cabinet would consider whether measures could be taken to improve safety at the junction.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had noted the recommendations in the report.

Option 1.

To agree in principle to the use of Section 17 of the Housing Act 1985 to acquire the CPO land by way of CPO and that a final report, having completed all necessary legal enquiries and with all necessary documentation be presented to cabinet for formal approval for submission to the Secretary of State; and to identify if any development or housing association partner would wish to enter into an indemnity agreement to underwrite the costs of the CPO process; and that the Director of Neighbourhoods be granted delegated authority in consultation with the Cabinet Member to negotiate, agree and complete the purchase of the CPO land up to the current open market valuation at the point of purchase if concluded prior to the final report being prepared.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing explained that the Council’s Empty Property Strategy had previously been approved. Empty and derelict properties had an adverse impact on communities and this report was the last resort in a long process of attempting to engage with the owner of the property which had been derelict since 2004. No progress with the owner had ben made. There were also other properties in other parts of the Island which would be considered for the same process. The local member spoke in support of the recommendation.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had noted the recommendations in the report.

To adopt options 1 and 4 and to agree: -

Option 1 – Adopt the draft beach management strategic framework attached at appendix 1, including the action plan for beach safety, and produce/publish the final plan.

Option 4 – Investigate the provision of marker buoys in advance of the RNLI safety audits subject to funding being agreed in the 2021/22 Medium Term Financial plan.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management explained that the strategy was a result of an internal audit report into the processes and procedures in place to manage water safety. The RNLI had offered to carry out and audit of the council’s beaches at no cost to the council. It was reported that there had been incidents with jet skis and swimmers and it would be desirable  if funding could be agreed, for the marker buoys, which had previously been removed, to be reinstated prior to the RNLI’s audit. It was explained that the framework provided a list of all activities with an action plan for the future to improve the beach environment. Clarification was provided that the bathing season is usually considered to be 1 May to 30 September each year.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had noted the recommendations in the report.

To adopt option (ii) and to agree: -

(ii) To approve the changes to parking places as set out in the Isle of Wight Council (Parking Places) Order 2020 at appendix 4 and implement as soon as practically possible.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that the proposed Order was lawful. A previous decision by Full Council in February 2020 had provided for additional income from the use of on-street parking and off-street car parks. However there were some inconsistencies in different areas. The reports sought to address these. It was accepted that parking was an emotive subject, and some genuine concerns had been raised during the consultation, however the principle of the report was to bring fairness and consistency. Some questions had been received from the public which had already been dealt with under Public Questions.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had noted the recommendations in the report, however the Chairman of that committee asked whether the sailing club could have a dispensation from parking charges. The Chairman indicated that if there were any special cases these could be considered, and the Cabinet Member would have ongoing dialogue with such people.

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

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills reported that through the Winter Grants funding scheme the council was about to relaunch the Connect 4 Communities grants. The council had given out 10 grants previously totalling £56,600. A grant pot of £145,000 was available for small groups to apply for funding to help families and young children at this time.

800 laptops had been supplied in the summer term for vulnerable children. Another 780 laptops would be delivered imminently, to ensure that every child had access to IT to home educate. Parents could contact their child’s school for assistance.

The annual report was presented on the partnership with Hampshire Children’s Services which had been in place since 2013. A good deal of progress had been made. A further five years had been agreed from 2018. Hampshire were outstanding in all areas and were bringing their experience to the island. The council was working towards becoming outstanding with Hampshire’s help. Staff had worked well during the pandemic to ensure business as usual.

The report would be included in the next Quarterly Performance Management Report. Other members would then have the opportunity to ask questions.

The paper was noted and thanks expressed to colleagues by the chairman.

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Digital Transformation reported that Ventnor Town Council had asked him to pass on thanks to council officers for the transfer of gardens from IW Council to Ventnor TC.

It was hoped that the LeBlanc cycle race/food extravaganza which was to be held at the end of 2020 would now be held from 23 – 25 April 2021. Several famous cyclists would be attending.

Cowes Week would be 5G powered in 2021 with cameras on many boats. Spectators and fans could log on and become immersed. This fitted with the Digital Island Strategy and superfast fibre rollout which would put the island on the map with one of the fastest broadband in the world, enabling the council to push forward the digital agenda.

Environmental Health and police had issued the first COVID lockdown fines on 10 January against the operators of a gym in Ryde for operating outside COVID rules.

It was recognised that consideration should be given to those who cannot work at home such as certain tradespeople. There should be extra measures e.g. more lateral testing in place. The council would be looking into what could be done to support them.

The Cabinet Member for Business and Regeneration reported that the Regeneration team continued to move projects forward. Branstone Farm development was moving forward. Planning had been obtained and funding confirmed from the Local Enterprise Partnership and Homes England and was well underway.

A film company had filmed at the Barracks in summer. The council had enabled Rapanui to expand their business into the Albany building. The team had prepared a bid for the government’s Levelling Up fund. East Cowes volunteers had improved East Cowes Esplanade around the landslip area ready to provide better amenity and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

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

Members considered the Forward Plan and noted the items which were due for decision over the next four months. The Chairman indicated that the council was working with the Tour of Britain organisers for the event in 2022, and that a festival of cycling for 2021 was also under discussion.

A question must be submitted in writing by electronic mail to Democratic Services no later than 5pm on Tuesday 12 January 2021.

There were no Members’ questions.