Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm as a true record the Record of Decision of the meeting held on 16 December 2021.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2022 be approved.

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

Cllr Jones-Evans declared an Interest in the item relating to Newport Harbour as she was the local member for the western side of the Harbour.

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 10 January 2022.

The procedure for asking questions without notice is provided below:

Arrangements for Submitting Oral Questions at Meetings of Council and Cabinet:

The front desk “opens” for public wishing to attend the meeting half an hour before the meeting.

When signing in at the front desk as attending a Council or Cabinet meeting each member of the public is asked whether they wish to ask an oral question at the meeting AND/OR if the member of the public indicates themselves that they wish to ask an oral question.

In the circumstances that a member of the public wishes to ask an oral question, they will be given a form to complete which details their name, town/village of residence, email address and the topic of the question (not the question in full, unless they wish to provide this).

These forms will be numbered in the order they are handed back.

The time for registering questions will be for a 20 minute period (up to 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting). After that time expires the forms will be collected and given to the Chairman of the meeting.

If time allows after dealing with any written questions, the Chairman will then ask those who have submitted a form to put their question.  These will be in the order they were received.  As the subject matter is known, the Chairman should be able to indicate which member will reply.  If time permits the Chairman may accept further questions.

The option to ask a supplementary question will be at the Chairman’s discretion.

Once the defined period of time allowed for questions has passed (and assuming the Chairman has not extended this) then all remaining oral questions are left unanswered.

No oral question will receive a guaranteed written response, unless the member responding indicates as such.

There were no Public Questions received.

The Chairman announced that he had been busy with his portfolio and deputising for the Leader at various meetings. He reported that it had just been announced by the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner that the name of the Hampshire Constabulary was to be changed to “Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary”.

To agree to the request from the Isle of Wight Athletics Club and to change the name to the Ray Scovell Athletics Centre in 2022.

The proposed name change was in honour of the work done by Ray Scovell to develop sport of the island, and was well-deserved. Following the Corporate Scrutiny meeting on 11 January, the comments of Lake Parish Council had also been sought and they had been happy to support the recommendation.

Cabinet agrees to the publication of the draft Newport Harbour Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document for public consultation.

The document was an important step in moving to the next stage of the regeneration of Newport Harbour. It would give confidence to potential investors over several years that the council was in full support of the plan. Since the Cabinet meeting in 2020 a few changes had been made to take into account the current housing crisis. Following Cllr Price’s petition, housing at Seaclose gate had previously been removed from the plan, however it was believed that the council needed to focus on its own assets to help address the housing crisis, therefore views would again be sought on housing in Fairlee Road. The community would be involved in meaningful consultation. It was recognised that Seaclose park was important for recreation, and another Newport councillor believed that most people would be opposed to housing at Seaclose as there were other brownfield sites which could be used. Consultation would take place on the document as a whole rather than piecemeal to avoid further work at a later date.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had made no comment due to the upcoming consultation.

Cabinet approves the 2022/23 school funding formula and wider Dedicated Schools Grant budget allocations detailed in Appendix 1 and 2.

There had been some minor amendments to the national funding formula used to allocate funding to the council. The proposed local formula had been agreed by the Schools’ Forum and the DfE needed to be notified of it by 21 January 2022, and allocations confirmed to schools by 28 February 2022.

The high needs block showed a significant budget shortfall of approximately £1.33 million as the formula did not fully account for the high number of SEN children on the island. The position was similar in a number of other authorities. There was to be a government SEND review in Spring 2022 and the results would be awaited with interest.

Option 2:

·       Agree that the templates for decisions to full council provides sufficient regard for the Biosphere within the development of Policies, Strategies and Decisions taken by the council.

·       Agree to adopt and build the document ‘Supporting the IW UNESCO Biosphere, into the workstream planning of the work of the council.

·       Create and support a Biosphere Steering Committee in accordance with the ‘Supporting the IW UNESCO Biosphere’ document. The Committee is to be administratively supported by the Council and is to work alongside the Mission Zero Hub currently under development.

The framework was intended to assist in taking forward and developing the UNESCO biosphere status of the island. There were 17 goals set out in the document which were intended to create a sustainable future for the island and its residents and visitors. Since the status had been awarded progress had so far been slowed due to the pandemic, however it was hoped to move forward with integrating the goals into planning and policy, which would cut across all portfolios. A steering group was to be set up to promote the aims of the biosphere, which would be independently chaired. Many people had contributed to the framework and the Cabinet Member asked for his thanks to be recorded to Richard Grove and Joel Bateman of the AONB.

Member training sessions on the biosphere would be announced soon.

A suggestion was made that the document should be rewritten in Plain English, to make it easier for the ordinary person to understand.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had supported the recommendations and would be monitoring the delivery of actions.

Cabinet approves the installation of electric vehicle charge points in council car parks under the ‘Central Southern Region’ framework; approve the first 9 locations for charge point installations under a ‘Lease’ arrangement; and give the Director of Regeneration / Director of Neighbourhoods, in agreement with the portfolio holder, authority to expand the network as demand grows.

A lease arrangement was the preferred option as it would be the least costly to the council. A tendering process had been carried out in Hampshire, and the council would be able to take advantage of that arrangement. Machines would be installed in the car parks identified in addition to the on-street ones which were already funded. It was hoped that as demand grows, the number of machines could be increased into more car parks. It was important to catch up with the mainland, as visitors to the island would expect machines to be available. Town and Parish Councils would be consulted prior to any further installation.

It was noted that the Corporate Scrutiny Committee had been in support of the recommendation.

1.     To note the Gateway 5 Review report and approve the implementation of the respective recommendations subject to resources

2.     To continue with the mediation process

3.     Alongside this to provide where resources allow:

·       A financial analysis of the costs of keeping Floating Bridge 6 over the potential 25-year lifetime of the vessel compared with the previous profit-making FB5 and a potential new, well-performing FB7.  This would include a detailed assessment of an alternative (new) vessel provision, with a forecast, before any further assessment of whether Floating Bridge 6 can sustainably continue to operate.

·       An economic impact assessment of Floating Bridge 6, reviewing impact on local businesses including shops and mobile businesses as well economic depressors such as traffic, reviewing past, current, and potential future damage

·       A clear set of performance requirements for the Floating Bridge service, based upon the previous Floating Bridge 5’s performance in its best (peak) years as minimum standards for what is necessary for a good service which successfully helps the economy and is financially viable, in terms of frequency of crossings, availability, accessibility, efficiency, affordability and determine if Floating Bridge 6 can meet those requirements.

4.     To provide a further report to Cabinet upon the completion of legal mediation process and provide progress on the delivery of the recommendations within the Gateway review. In addition to make recommendations for further considerations and actions in terms of the existing FB6 vessel when considered against the viability of alternatives, such as a replacement vessel.

This independent report which had been requested by the SLEP 15 months ago was welcomed by the Cabinet. Mediation had been agreed to take place on 2 March 2022. A further report would come back to Cabinet following the mediation process and would make recommendations as to the future viability of FB6, along with any further actions. It was hoped for an agreeable settlement.

The had been no comment from the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.

To approve and adopt the revised Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, attached as Appendix 1.

The policy was to set out the standards for licensed vehicles and drivers and had been updated to include safeguarding training for drivers. Consultation had been carried out between November and December 2021. Some comments had been received and considered when finalising the policy. There would not be an upper age limit on vehicles provided they were kept in good order. It was agreed that it was important to ensure that taxis, particularly those used for school transport were safe. The taxi trade were encouraged to use or replace vehicles with electric ones.

There had been no comment made by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee.

Cabinet approves and adopts the draft Street Trading Policy, attached as Appendix 1.

The policy had been updated to meet current and future requirements. Consultation, including with existing street trading consent-holders, had taken place between November and December 2021. All comments received had been considered. The Licensing Committee had been briefed on the policy. This would tie in with the council’s pop-ups initiative and would help to get businesses going for small traders, especially following the COVID pandemic. Town and Parish Councils would be consulted to identify some appropriate sites.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had made no comment.

Option 3: To commission, develop and build 20 x two bed relocatable modular homes, subject to the related capital bid being approved by Full Council in February 2022 and the required borrowing being approved by the S151 Officer on receipt of a detailed business case, and any other necessary consents.

Option 6: If the Capital bid is approved by Full Council, delegate commissioning decisions and day to day project management to the Director of Regeneration, in consultation with the Cabinet member, to ensure minimal time delays to procure and deliver the 20 units of accommodation as soon as possible.

Members were looking forward to making a positive impact on islanders suffering homelessness. There would be 20 x 2-bedroom homes with affordable rents and running costs. They were of a high standard with around 60 years longevity, and could be moved to other areas. This would be a temporary arrangement and a stepping-stone to finding longer term accommodation. It was important to get families out of B&B accommodation, particularly those with children. The necessary authorisations would be agreed in February before moving the project forward.

It was hoped that more homes could be provided in the future if resources could be found.

The Corporate Scrutiny Committee had recommended that the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration should monitor the delivery of the actions set out and should consider establishing a task and finish group to look at other innovative ways of providing social housing.

Cabinet notes the recent IPCO inspection findings, at Appendix 1, and notes the council’s use of the powers available in the last 3 years and agrees the proposed amendments to the policy as attached at Appendix 2.

The council was required to have a up to date policy, and this had been reviewed and updated in 2020. It was noted that the powers available had only been used once in the previous three years in relation to a benefit fraud case.

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

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism reported that the council would be distributing a grant for the hospitality and leisure sector to business which had been affected by COVID. The businesses would have to apply for the grant by 20 February, to be allocated by 28 February.

There would also be an Additional Restrictions grant for people affected outside the hospitality and leisure sector. All applications would be considered en masse and then allocated.

The Cabinet Member had attended a levelling up event in DecemberThe first networking event for culture and the arts would be held on 9 February.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Lifelong Skills reported that there had been a positive return to school after Christmas, with a 90 per cent attendance rate, the national rate being 86 per cent. There had been low staff absence.

The deadline for primary school admissions for September 2022 would be on 15 January.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management reported that three of the aims within his portfolio had been progressed, these being climate change, dark skies and the biosphere, with policies having recently been adopted. The fly tipping task and finish group had met earlier in the week and a report would come forward soon. Procedures were to be simplified and there would be more education around dog waste.

The Cabinet member for Planning and Community Engagement reported that at the Conservative Party Conference the Prime Minister had said that councils should oppose greenfield developments. It was hoped that this would be contained in the Planning white paper but it was still not known. It was a big issue for island residents.

There had been an update to Councillors and Town and Parish Councils the previous month on the Island Plan. This was also available online.

There was a need to update neighbourhood plans to influence planning decisions.

A review was to be carried out of Air B&B properties, with people using private rented accommodation for Air B&B. There was also a plan to bring empty properties back into use.

Work was ongoing to resolve the issues with the Planning Portal.

The Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance, Transformational Change and Corporate Resources said that he was pleased that the Cabinet Member for Planning and Community Engagement was to visit Freshwater Parish Council. The budget consultation was underway and as many people as possible were encouraged to take part. The document had been simplified and this had brought benefits as over 700 responses had already been received.

The Cabinet Member for Highways PFI, Transport and Infrastructure reported that he had been trying to resolve residents’ ongoing concerns regarding the ferry companies and had been working with a transport expert to have questions asked directly. Lord Barclay had also been assisting and had written to the ferry companies, enquiring as to whether they had complied with commitments they had given to the OFT.

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

The item relating to the disposal of land at Nettlestone was to be put back to March Cabinet to allow time for discussion with the local councillor.

The next meeting of Cabinet would consider the outcome of the consultation on the future of Chillerton and Rookley Primary School. There had been 212 responses to the survey and a report was currently being prepared.

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 January 2022. 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.

Written questions were received from Cllr Oliver (MQ 02-22) and Cllr Price (MQ 03-22) both concerning the Newport Harbour Supplementary Planning Document. Written responses had been prepared and would be sent to the Councillors concerned.