Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual (MS Teams)

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

Media

Items
No. Item

58.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 228 KB

To confirm as a true record the minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2021.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2021 be confirmed subject to a minor grammatical amendment.

59.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

Cllr Julie Jones-Evans declared an interest in item 62.1, Covid-19 Response and Recovery, as Director of the Chamber of Commerce.

 

Cllr Chris Quirk declared and interest in various items on the agenda, as a member of the Members Regeneration Board, Members Housing Board, Parking Projects Board and the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration.

 

Cllr Michael Lilley declared an interest in item 63.5, Disposal of Ryde Harbour and Adjoining Land, as a member of Ryde Town Council and as it’s Mayor.

60.

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

Questions must be put including the name and address of the questioner by delivery in writing or by electronic mail to democratic.services@iow.gov.uk, no later than two clear working days before the start of the meeting. Therefore the deadline for written questions will be Thursday, 4 March 2021.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Ten written public questions were been received in relation to the Floating Bridge; from Neil Blues (PQ18/21), Cameron Palin (PQ19/21), Michael Douse (PQ20/21), Janice Douse (PQ21/21), Neil Oliver (PQ22/21), Patricia McCourt (PQ23/21), Tracy Mikich (PQ24/21), Colin McCourt (PQ25/21), Lin Kemp (PQ26/21), and Sharon Lake (PQ27/21). The Chairman read the questions and responses were provided.

61.

Cowes Floating Bridge pdf icon PDF 289 KB

To consider a report on the current situation regarding Cowes Floating Bridge.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman introduced the item and invited the Leader and the Director of Neighbourhoods to present the report which outlined the background to the procurement of Floating Bridge 6; the main issues experienced, the current legal position, options, and the corresponding recommendations.

 

Discussion took place regarding the original funding from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, and the recent Government announcement of the Levelling Up Fund to invest and address regional infrastructure inequalities. Further questions were raised in relation to the fulfilment of vessel objectives, vessel reliability, communication with residents, and future planning. 

 

Following discussion an amendment to the recommendations contained in the report was made but this was lost on a vote. A vote was taken on the proposed recommendations and it was;

 

RESOLVED:

 

i.      THAT the committee noted that there had been no issues with the approach taken to procurement, tendering, and contracting of Floating Bridge 6.

 

ii.     THAT the recommendations from both the PWC and Internal Review Board be noted.

 

iii.    THAT the committee acknowledged that it cannot delve deeper into all of the efforts made to resolve the boat’s challenges until the action under the contract has been concluded.

 

iv.   THAT a future meeting of the Committee reviews the outcomes of the mediation as a basis for making recommendations on lessons learned for the whole council from this project.

 

v.     THAT the questions from the Chairman be noted, and it be agreed that where these have not been addressed through the report or cannot be addressed due to the legal situation, they will form the basis of the review of the outcomes of the mediation process.

 

Following discussion, members adjourned for a ten-minute comfort break.

 

62.

Updates on current issues:

62a

Covid-19 Response and Recovery

To consider a verbal update from the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance & Covid-19 Recovery.

Minutes:

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance & Covid-19 Recovery provided a verbal update on the recent key areas of activity. Members were advised that infection and death rates continued to decrease, lateral flow testing was available at several hubs on the Island, and vaccination slots were readily available for the elderly and at-risk cohorts.

 

Discussion took place regarding the roadmap out of lockdown. It was confirmed that schools had reopened, and early indications showed that they were coping well. Additionally, both parents and pupils had access to free lateral flow testing on request. Questions were raised regarding cross-Solent travel and its return to a full service. It was advised that the council continued to support the leisure and hospitality sector and it was confirmed that the Government had extended reliefs, grants, and the furlough scheme to September 2021.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the update be noted.

62b

Leaders Update

To receive a verbal update from the Leader.

Minutes:

The Leader provided a verbal update with regards to the Island Deal and it was confirmed that discussions with Government were progressing. Additionally, it was advised that the Council were well positioned to take advantage of the grants available through the newly announced Levelling Up Fund. Members were reminded that the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership had been successful in its bid to become a free port, which could bring significant benefits to the Islands economy.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the update be noted.

 

63.

To review items due to be considered by the Cabinet

To review items due to be considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 11 March 2021, and where appropriate, make comments or recommendations that the committee believe should be considered prior to it making a decision.  The items currently shown on the latest forward plan at the time of publication of this agenda are :-

 

63a

Isle of Wight Infrastructure Investment Plan

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Business Development presented the report which sought the Cabinets approval for the Island Investment Plan, as the basis for future funding applications to Government to assist with regeneration and recovery. Questions were raised and comments were made regarding manufacturing, renewable energy, artisan food production, and innovative programmes for new and rural businesses.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

63b

Dinosaur Isle – update on competitive dialogue and options to progress

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Business Development presented the report which sought the Cabinet’s agreement to review the current procurement process at Dinosaur Isle which had been underway for some time. Discussion took place regarding the complex procurement process and members felt that the Council could be more ambitious around this area. It was agreed that the Ward Member for Sandown North be involved in future discussions around this.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

63c

Proposal for joint working with the Ministry of Justice to secure investment in improvements in and maintenance of land at Parkhurst Estate Newport

Minutes:

The Leader advised that the Ministry of Justice was seeking support from the council to resolve highways and public realm disrepair on its Parkhurst estate. The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Business Development presented the report which sought the Cabinet’s acceptance of the terms from the Ministry of Justice, and approval to delegate the subsequent approval or refusal of the acquisition of land to the relevant officers and Cabinet Members. It was noted that part of the report was exempt and should not be discussed publicly.

 

The Ward Member for Parkhurst was invited to speak and highlighted some key areas for the committee to explore, should the Cabinet approve the decision. This included communications with residents, when the map of roads would become publicly available, and how the Council could exercise its power to address issues around fly-tipping, speeding, and school parking.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

63d

Disposal of Sandown Civic Centre/Barracks to NHS

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Resources advised that the Council had been approached by the Isle of Wight NHS Trust to purchase the Civic Centre/Barracks building with the intention to refurbish for its reuse as a community mental health facility and wider community health hub serving the Bay area. The Cabinet were asked to agree to the disposal of the Civic Centre/Barracks to the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, with the final details to be agreed by the Director of Regeneration in consultation with the Cabinet Member.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

63e

Disposal of Ryde Harbour and adjoining land

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Resources presented the report which reviewed the market testing exercise undertaken for the future management and operation of Ryde Harbour; and asked the Cabinet to consider the options and to determine which of those options form the agreed resolution. Clarification was sought regarding the recommendations and options contained within the report. It was noted that clarification would be given at Cabinet of the recommended option and that the future of Ventnor Harbour would be the subject of a separate decision at a later date.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

 

63f

Consideration of and decision on the report of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman dated 21 January 2021

Minutes:

This item would be considered by the Cabinet in private and was not discussed.

64.

Committee's Work Plan

64a

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 259 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:

Members were invited to identify any items contained within the published forward plan that would benefit from early consideration within the workplan for either the Committee or one of the policy and scrutiny committees. No comments were made at this stage.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the Forward Plan be noted.

64b

Workplan pdf icon PDF 260 KB

To consider the Committee’s workplan for 2021-22 and any further items for possible inclusion.

Minutes:

Members considered the workplan for 2020-21 and were invited to make suggestions for further items for possible inclusion. Members suggested that it would be of use to the Committee going forward to have a timeline of statutory items which needed to be considered.

 

RESOLVED:

 

THAT the workplan be noted.

65.

Members' Question Time pdf icon PDF 22 KB

A question must be submitted by electronic mail to Democratic Services no later than 5.00pm on Friday, 5 March 2021.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cllr Jones-Evans submitted a series of written questions in relation to the Floating Bridge (MQ02-08/21) and the Chairman confirmed that written responses would be provided.