Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest received.

There were none.

Following scrutiny, the committee noted the report

The chair reminded members that the comments in the meeting will form part of the formal consultation response for the budget and members are encouraged to put forward any alternative proposals during the meeting, which could be considered once the consultation periods ended.

Nicola Pearce, Director of Environment, Regeneration, and Streetscene Services, summarised the items removed since the last report and any changes made. Members were informed that the Environment Directorate aims to save £2.35 million to meet the 5% target for all departments.

Scrutiny of the budget lines for the directorate are divided between the Environment, Regeneration, and Streetscene Services Scrutiny Committee and the Education, Lifelong Learning, and Leisure Scrutiny Committee. Public protection services fall under the latter. Since the November meeting, some budget proposals have been removed.

Members were informed that the following savings have been removed from the Environment and Regeneration budget proposals:

Three weekly waste collections: £539,00.

Green waste charges: £200,000.

Neighbourhood savings (including job reductions): £379,000.

Drainage gang reduction: £310,000.

In total, £1.438 million in savings have been removed to address previous concerns and discussions.

The director noted that significant savings are still needed, and cuts will have impacts. The Chair thanked the director, acknowledging that committee feedback was valuable for decision-making.

ENV-A

Members were disappointed that they didn’t have the figures provided relating to the increase in the charges as requested in the previous meeting and noted that when there's been increases in charges, the figures always used to be included in the papers.

David Griffiths, Head of Service for Engineering and Transport, confirmed that he had provided the figures and assumed there had been an administrative error. He requested the Democratic Services officer to recirculate the information.

Officers explained that for ENV-A, the proposal is to increase fees and charges by £11,000 across four areas:

Highway Record Enquiries: The current standard fee is £50, with a proposed increase of £20. This change is expected to generate £5,380 based on 260 to 270 enquiries per year.

Solicitor Inquiries and Searches: Previously free, officers propose charging solicitors £70 per letter. With approximately 20 letters per year, this would generate an additional £1,400.

Technical Approvals for Section 38 and 278 Works:

For construction works under £7,000, the current fee is £300, with a proposed increase of £200, generating an estimated £400.

For works under £15,000, the current fee is £600, with a proposed increase of £250, generating an additional £750.

For works over £15,000, the current fee is £1,500, with a proposed increase of £300, generating an additional £1,800.

Minimum Inspection Fees for Site Visits: For works up to £15,000, the current fee is £1,125, with a proposed increase of £450, generating an additional £1,350.

Members appreciated the detailed breakdown of these changes.

ENV-B related to transport support and the reduction in revenue support for bus services. Members expressed concern as they had recently reviewed bus routes and worked with bus companies to improve them. They were worried about the impact of this reduction in revenue  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Any urgent items at the discretion of the Chairperson pursuant to Section 100BA(6)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

There were no urgent items.

There was none.