Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, County Hall, Isle of WIght

Contact: Megan Tuckwell  Email: democratic.services@iow.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

44.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 224 KB

To confirm as a true record the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 November 2021.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 November 2021 be confirmed.

 

45.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

Cllr Michael Lilley declared an interest in Minute item 50(h), Disposal of Ryde Harbour and Adjoining land to Ryde Town Council, as a member of Ryde Town Council and as Mayor of Ryde.

 

Cllr Karen Lucioni declared an interest in Minute item 50(h), Disposal of Ryde Harbour and Adjoining land to Ryde Town Council, as a member of Ryde Town Council.

 

Cameron Palin declared an interest in Minute item 50(m), the Isle of Wight Council (Various Streets, East Cowes) (Traffic Regulation) order No 1 2021, as a member of East Cowes Town Council.

 

Cllr Steve Hastings declared an interest in Minute item 50(e), Green Garden Waste Subscription Service Fees and Charges review, as a subscriber to the scheme. 

 

Cllr Michael Lilley declared an interest in Minute item 50(e), Green Garden Waste Subscription Service Fees and Charges review, as a subscriber to the scheme. 

 

46.

Public Question Time - 15 Minutes Maximum pdf icon PDF 10 KB

Members of the public are invited to make representations to the Committee regarding its workplan, either in writing at any time or at a meeting under this item. 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. Corporate Scrutiny is held on a Wednesday, therefore the deadline for written questions will be Friday, 10 December 2021.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jenny Hicks of Sandown and Lake submitted a written question regarding recycling at local amenity sites. A written response was provided. (PQ 48/21)

 

47.

Progress Update pdf icon PDF 349 KB

The chairman to give an update on the progress on the outcomes and recommendations arising from previous meetings.

 

Minutes:

The chairman presented the report which provided an overview of the progress against outcomes and recommendations from previous meetings.

 

Attention was drawn to the oral public question raised in relation to the Cabinet report on the regeneration of Culver Parade on 9 November 2021. It was confirmed that the relevant Cabinet Members would be followed up for a response.

 

Discussion took place regarding the Isle of Wight Community Safety Partnership’s strategic plan aimed at reducing reoffending which was agreed for circulation on 9 November 2021. It was agreed that the Community Safety Operations Manager would be followed up for a response.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the progress report be noted.

 

48.

Draft Island Planning Strategy Task and Finish Group pdf icon PDF 375 KB

To consider the report and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group.

Minutes:

The Lead Member for the Task and Finish Group presented the report which outlined the groups findings when considering the Draft Island Planning Strategy.

 

Questions were raised regarding the development of the prison site, brownfield sites, housing targets, social housing, and the capacity to deliver affordable homes. It was noted that the Planning Team had enthusiastically taken part in the Task and Finish Group and were thanked for their contributions.

 

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Community Engagement reaffirmed that the housing targets should be sustainable and achievable, and that the development of brownfield sites was a priority as reflected in the Corporate Plan. The Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management commented on the recommendations around exceptional circumstances, the environment and support for the biosphere, infrastructure, and dark skies.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the findings and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group be supported, and be passed onto the Cabinet Member for Planning and Community Engagement for consideration as part of the consultation on the Island Plan.

 

49.

Digital Strategy - Council Website pdf icon PDF 458 KB

The Audit Committee at its meeting on 27 September 2021 requested that this Committee look at the Council’s website component of the Digital Strategy. In addition, this links in with the strategic priority within the Corporate Plan to create a new accessible council website. Phase 1 of this project will include services for planning, fostering, registrars; coastal management; parking; adult community learning and adult social care to be operable by 31 March 2022.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The chairman of the Audit Committee introduced the item and advised that at its meeting in September 2021, the Audit Committee had resolved to liaise with the Corporate Scrutiny Committee to discuss the potential for the website component of the council’s digital strategy to be scrutinised, stemming from concerns raised by committee members following a limited assurance internal audit report.

 

Consideration was given to the report which provided the committee with an overview of those issues, the actions that had been taken to address the internal audit report recommendations, and the progress to date with the design and build of the council’s new website in accordance with its agreed project scope and timeline for delivery.

 

Questions were raised in relation to what made the Council confident that an in-house website development was the best solution, how much of that has now proven to be a contributing factor to some of the shortfalls that the audit found, would those issues have arisen if Covid-19 had not happened, and would the issues have been identified if not for the internal audit function.

 

Discussion took place regarding collaboration with other local authorities, the tendering process, accessibility, and the risk register and mitigating actions. It was noted that the delivery of the project had an impact on public spending and the reputation of the Council in delivering a modern website as part of the overall digital strategy.

 

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Protection, Digital Transformation, Housing Provision and Housing Needs acknowledged the comments of the committee and the Director of Corporate Services advised that the website project was a complex council-wide transformation programme, and the content was driven by the various services across the Council.

 

RESOLVED:

 

i)               THAT an item relating to the development of a new council website be included within the workplan.

 

ii)              THAT the Committee work with the Audit Committee to ensure full monitoring and evaluation of the project, with possibly a Task and Finish Group being established for this purpose.

 

50.

Items due to be considered by the Cabinet:

To review items due to be considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 16 December 2021, and where appropriate, make comments that the committee believe should be taken into account. These, as currently shown on the latest forward plan at the time of publication of this agenda, are:

 

Minutes:

The vice-chairman of the committee wished to raise the committees concerns as to the number of items featuring on meetings of the Cabinet which appeared to be as a result of not implementing the Cabinet Member Delegated Decision process, which was leading to an ineffective use of councillors and council staff’s time in dealing with issues that are not controversial or have no major financial implications. Cabinet reports were not available to the committee until shortly before it meets giving insufficient time to undertake an effective role of holding the Cabinet to account. Following discussion a vote was taken and it was:

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the Committee requests the Cabinet reviews its approach to decision making to ensure that it is an effective use of resources whilst still enabling transparency and accountability.

 

50a

Review of the Public Health Partnership Function between Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire County Council.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to continue the Public Health partnership between the Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire County Council in line with the 2019 agreement.

 

Concerns were raised that the report had not been considered by the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care and it was felt that if the partnership was to continue there should be an independent review to provide assurance that the partnership has been effective.

 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health acknowledged the concerns of the committee and confirmed that the report would be amended to reflect that it was an interim report subject to a full review of the partnership in Autumn 2022.

 

RESOLVED:

 

i)               THAT the report be referred to the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care for further comment.

 

ii)              THAT the Cabinet be requested to defer any decision until further consultation had taken place including an independent review of the partnership.

 

50b

Closure of Carisbrooke College 6th Form - Final Decision

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to alter the upper-age range to remove the sixth form at Carisbrooke College with effect from 31 December 2021. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50c

Lowering the age range of Hunnyhill Primary School : Consultation outcome

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to the lower the age range to three years old at Hunnyhill Primary School with effect from 1 January 2022. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50d

Dark Skies Initiative

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to support a Dark Skies Park status application. Questions were raised in relation to the scope of the localities covered by the application.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50e

Green Garden Waste Subscription Service Fees and Charges review

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to increase the cost of the annual Green Garden Waste Subscription service by £2 per month in 2022.

 

Discussion took place regarding income generation and the current waiting list for the non-essential elective service. The Cabinet Member for Environment, Heritage and Waste Management confirmed that the aim was for the service to be as widely available as possible in order to best serve the community; and to make this possible additional capacity was needed and in turn costs would increase.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50f

Local Council Tax Support Scheme

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to maintain the current Local Council Tax Support Scheme at 65%, allowing for any minor adjustments to annual allowable amounts which are used to offset the calculation.

 

Questions were raised in relation to the consultation process. It was advised that a range of options had been discussed and a decision was taken to retain the level at 65% for the coming year, endeavouring to increase the level of support provided to those in greatest need.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50g

Discretionary Housing Payment Policy

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to amend the policy to reflect the funding for 2021/22 provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, and to delegated minor policy changes to an officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance, Corporate Resources and Transformational Change. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50h

Disposal of Ryde Harbour and Adjoining land to Ryde Town Council

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to agree the freehold transfer of Ryde Harbour and the hospitality suite; and to lease the transfer of the two parcels of land and hospitality suite to Ryde Town Council from 1 April 2022. It was noted that IWALC welcomed the proposals.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50i

Isle of Wight Skills Plan

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to adopt the Isle of Wight Skills Plan; and to set up an Island Skills Board to oversee related activity. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50j

Strategy for the provision of Support within Safe Accommodation 2021-2024

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval of the Isle of Wight Safe Accommodation Strategy 2022-2025. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50k

The Isle of Wight Council (Various Streets, Cowes) (Traffic Regulation) Order No 1 2021

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to introduce new parking restrictions, and to make some of the existing parking restrictions enforceable, in various locations in Cowes. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50l

The Isle of Wight Council (Various Streets, East Cowes) (Traffic Regulation) order No 1 2021

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval to introduce new parking restrictions, and to make some of the existing parking restrictions enforceable, in various locations in East Cowes. No questions or comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the report and proposed recommendations be noted.

 

50m

The Isle of Wight Council (Horsebridge Hill, Newport) (Traffic Regulation) Order No 1 2021

Minutes:

This item was not discussed as it was now due for consideration by the Cabinet in February 2022.

 

51.

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 134 KB

To identify any item contained within the published forward plan that would benefit from early consideration within the workplan for either this committee or one of the policy and scrutiny committees.

Minutes:

The committee were invited to identify any item contained within the published forward plan that would benefit from early consideration within the committee’s own workplan or one of the policy and scrutiny committees. No comments or questions were raised that this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the forward plan be noted.

 

52.

Workplan pdf icon PDF 145 KB

To identify any amendments required to the committee’s future workplan to take into account the strategic priorities set out in the Corporate Plan 2021-2025.

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the workplan for 2021-22. It was confirmed that the workplan would be updated to include monitoring the delivery of the Council’s new website.

 

Concern was raised around the member briefing session to be held on Friday 17 December 2021 relating to the draft Island Planning Strategy, and whether there would be discussion and critique around the content of the task and finish group’s report. It was felt that advance notice should be given in order for a response to be prepared and it was requested that any papers for the session be circulated to all members by 10.00am Thursday 16 December 2021.

 

RESOLVED:

 

i)               THAT the workplan be updated to include monitoring the delivery of the Council’s new website.

 

ii)              THAT any papers for the member briefing session relating to the draft Island Planning Strategy be circulated to all members by 10.00am Thursday 16 December 2021.

 

53.

Members' Question Time

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. 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 Monday, 13 December 2021.

Minutes:

No member’s questions were received at this stage.