Agenda and minutes

Councillor S Carlton declared personal interests in Agenda Item No. 9 – Active4Today Covering Report and Agenda Item 11 – Urgent delegated decision in relation to the new Dukeries Pool, as he was a Board Member of Active4Today.

Councillor P Harris declared a personal interest in Agenda Item No. 5 – Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Presentation, as he was a member of Health Education England.

The Council was recording the meeting in accordance with usual practice.  The Communications Business Unit was also recording the meeting as a practice exercise for future live streaming.  Councillor P Harris also confirmed that he may record part of the meeting.

AGREED           that the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 June 2019, be approved as                  a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

An update presentation was provided by the Chief Executive – Richard Mitchell, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  The presentation slides are attached as appendix 1.

Following the presentation a question and answer session ensued as follows:

Q1. A high percentage of nurses are not trained in the UK, how do you plan to train and recruit nurses.

A1. The Chief Executive was unsure whether that was correct.  There were large proportions within the hospital that were fully established.   There was a need to make sure that the Newark and Sherwood District was an attractive place to live and work.  The area was popular from a staff prospective with lots of qualified nurses and medics.  Plans were in place regarding Brexit with or without a deal. 

Q2. A Member commented that Newark Hospital was now an urgent care centre.  There was a free bus service to Kings Mill Hospital, however Newark was a growing town and if you had a heart attack or stroke you would have to go to Kings Mill as Newark did not have the facility to treat you.  The need for more defibrillators was also raised.

A2.  Practical steps had been taken at Newark.  Market sharing had been strengthened to reduce patients transferring from Newark to Kings Mill.  The diagnostics at Newark had increased.  The distribution of defibrillators in Newark Town Centre was not in the Chief Executives control.  That would be taken back to the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) as that did not sit with Newark Hospital or Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Q3.  The community had complained in the past about the operation at Newark Hospital and Kings Mill Hospital.  Complaints were now being received regarding the roll out of primary care and the length of time taken for an appointment for a GP.  The Primary Care network was failing residents.   A Member commented that good things were happening at Newark Hospital; they had a partnership with the CCG which was focused on the community. The hospital had a stroke ward and had expanded the urgent care centre, which had taken off pressure at the Kings Mill Accident and Emergency department (A&E), which was operating well.  The research programme was questioned and whether that was tailored in line with the types of health issues in the district i.e. COPD-with old mining communities.

A3.  The Chief Executive thanked the Member for his points regarding the operation of the Newark Hospital and commented that elective orthopaedic treatment was also being offered at Newark hospital.

The research programmes focused on local needs i.e. respiratory service which was commented as good.  Research work was being undertaken in conjunction with Nottingham University and other universities.

Q4.  A Member sought clarification as to whether there would be a future facility at Newark or Kings Mill for amputees as currently the nearest facility was Nottingham City hospital.  Car parking charges were also expensive at this site, especially when attending several times per week.

A4.  Whilst there was a need  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The Committee considered the report presented by the Director of Communities & Environment which updated Members in respect of the proposed investment in and realignment of Environmental Services, including Street Cleansing, Refuse and Recycling, Transport, Parks and Grounds Maintenance. This investment would focus those functions towards effective delivery of the Community Plan.

Members were also updated in respect of the wider development of environmental services within the remit of Leisure and Environment Committee, namely street Cleansing and waste and transport.

A Member sought clarification regarding how many small pieces of land that the Council owned that couldn’t be used and the cost implications to maintain them.  It was suggested that a review be undertaken and the identified parcels of land be either passed over to the Town and Parish Council’s or sold.  The Director of Communities & Environment confirmed that this would be discussed with colleagues.

AGREED           (unanimoulsy) that:

                        (a)        the development of Environmental Services as outlined in the                                report be endorsed and further progress updates be brought                          back to the Leisure and Environment Committee;

(b)               Members from both the Leisure and Environment Committee and Economic Development Committee be consulted regarding the development of the Strategy.  Details of the sessions facilitating this development would be circulated in autumn 2019.; and

(c)               the Director of Communities & Environment to discuss with colleagues a review regarding parcels of Council owned land not being used in the district.

The Committee considered the report presented by Business Manager Environmental Health & Licensing and Business Manager – Transport & Waste Services, which informed Members of the current situation regarding fly tipping within the district and sought Member support for a coordinated campaign with the aim of reducing incidents and the associated clean-up costs, through increased reporting, education and enforcement.

Nationally the latest figures showed that:

·                For the 2017/18 year, local authorities in England dealt with just under 1 million fly tipping incidents.

·                Two thirds of fly tips involved household waste.

·                Local authorities carried out 494,000 enforcement actions in 2018/19.

Locally the latest figures showed that:

·                During financial year 2018/19 the Council removed 1,438 fly tips giving a combined weight of 361.89 tonnes.

·                Our average response time to reported incidents was 2.0 days.

·                2019/20 financial year so far 425 fly tips removed between April-July (est 1,600pa) giving a combined weight of 81.36 tonnes.

·                This included 1.84 tonnes of asbestos and 3.56 tonnes of garden waste.

·                The average response time to reported incidents was 1.7 days.

The report detailed the enforcement activity for the period 2018/19 and 2019 to date.

It was proposed that a targeted twelve month campaign was resourced and delivered being led jointly by the Business Managers from Public Protection and Waste and Transport. The Campaign would be called ‘Not in Newark and Sherwood’ and would dovetail with the wider campaign across Nottinghamshire.  The campaign and associated actions had been developed to address what were seen as the main areas likely to have an impact.  These were detailed within the report.  A budget of £15,000 was proposed to allow the campaign to be delivered.

A Member suggested that an additional recommendation be included requesting information to be reported back to Members on fly tipping prosecution.

AGREED           (unanimously) that:

(a)          the ‘Not in Newark and Sherwood’ fly tipping campaign be supported, with funding to come from the CSG reserve;

(b)         an update report be brought back to the Leisure and           Environment Committee in March with a final report to be    presented to the Committee on the Campaign outcomes in   November 2020; and

(c)          future reports regarding major fly tipping prosecutions be presented to the Leisure & Environment Committee.

Councillor B Laughton left the meeting at this point.

The Committee considered the report presented by the Policy and Projects Officer which proposed a plan of action and indicative timetable in response to the Climate Emergency declared by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

The agreed climate emergency motion declared at the Full Council meeting on 16 July 2019 was detailed in the report.

It was reported that in response to the declaration, Newark and Sherwood District Council had established a cross-Council project team to examine how the Council should most appropriately respond to the declaration.  This noted the fact that the Council did not currently have a single point of responsibility for climate change in the way that some authorities do.  Attached as Appendix A to the report provided a summary of the activities currently undertaken by the Council which might be described as having a positive impact in terms of reducing the Council’s carbon footprint. 

It was reported that by establishing a baseline carbon footprint would enable the Council to understand its current performance and be able to consider the interventions and resources required in order to mitigate this.

The project group recommended the following actions be undertaken, with assistance, in order to deliver the requirements set out in the Climate Emergency:

·                     audit existing environmental practice within the Council

·                     establish data to determine the carbon footprint of Newark and Sherwood District Council (currently limited)

·                     consider the Council’s contribution to the district carbon footprint more widely, according to national data from reputable sources

·                     engage with stakeholders

·                     coordinate a Climate Emergency Strategy with reference to all of the above

·                     produce an accompanying generational Carbon Reduction Action Plan to mitigate carbon emissions from the Council.

In addition, the project group would recommend that a wider Climate Emergency Working Group of Members be established to guide this work. Whilst Leisure and Environment Committee had recycling within its remit, issues such as planning and green spaces sat within Economic Development, whilst responsibility for the Council’s housing stock sat within Homes and Communities. Finally, the Committee responsible for assessing and approving any interventions with finance implications sat within Policy and Finance.  It was therefore logical to establish a working group under the direction of Policy and Finance Committee to ensure a Council-wide response from its Committees. The Working Group would also engage with the community more widely.

The report detailed indicative milestones subject to approval by the Leisure & Environment Committee and Policy and Finance Committee at its meeting on 26 September.

A Member commented that the report presented to Committee was a poor start given that the Council had acknowledged that there was a climate emergency.  There should be an officer appointed as a single point of contact and there should be a starting point and a predicted end point.  Concern was also raised that two of the groups were not represented on the Working Group.

AGREED           (unanimously) that:

(a)                the proposed course of action and indicative timetable to                           respond to the declared Climate Emergency as outlined;

(b)                Leisure and Environment Committee recommend the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Communities & Environment which appraised Members regarding the performance of Active4Today during Quarter 1, 1 April to 30 June 2019.

It was reported that within the leisure centre sites owned by the Council, adult memberships were up at 8,948 on the same period in 2018, an increase of 443, whilst junior membership were down slightly at 3,892 over the same period, a reduction of 249, although this was largely attributed to the ongoing challenge of no swimming pool at the Dukeries Leisure Centre.  A summary of membership data was contained in Table 1, In the Active4Today Quarter 1 report as attached at Appendix I to the report.

The number of visits to the four leisure centres had reached almost 317,000 for the quarter, an increase of over 20,000 compared with the same period last year.  This was reported to be due to improved ICT infrastructure allowing a more accurate account of usage through the ICT controlled entry system and a number of Sports Development initiatives during the quarter.  GP referrals were down slightly over the quarter, from 110 to 100, however, the participation and completion of the twelve week programme increased from 56 to 66.  A narrative on the work of Sports Development over the period was contained within Appendix II to the report.

Active4Today were currently working closely with Barnby Road Academy, Newark in respect of the development of a Service Level Agreement for the management of bookings and use of the Academy’s new four court sports hall which was due to be opened shortly.

It was reported that at the end of June, when management fee adjustments had been factored in to income targets, Active4Today was showing an increase on target of £13,000 for the quarter.  Salary spend was below profile by approx. £23,000 mainly due to vacancies within the team.

Due to better performance in respect of income generation Active4Today was now forecasting a reduced deficit of £54,000 for the year based on quarter 1 performance.  Active4Today would focus on financial performance over the next three quarters to further reduce the forecasted deficit at yearend.

AGREED           (unanimously) that the report be noted.

The Committee considered the report presented by the Assistant Business Manager  Waste Management which gave Member an overview of the current situation with regard to recycling across Nottinghamshire.  It compared existing service offerings and performance and looked at what the future may hold for waste collection services in light of the National Waste Strategy.

Members commented that the Veolia contract with Nottinghamshire County Council was holding the Council back regarding recycling.  Glass recycling was discussed and it was confirmed that the Council had previously approached the voluntary organisation ROB (Recycling Ollerton & Boughton) enquiring whether they would expand their glass collection round.  It was confirmed that waste collection was not their focus; they worked with people with special needs and therefore would not be expanding their service at this time.  Recycling of food waste was also discussed as food waste had a carbon impact when disposed.  The government were keen to remove biodegradable waste from landfills, as it produced methane. A Member suggested that the Town and Parish Councils be educated regarding recycling schemes, that information could then be cascaded more quickly to the community.

AGREED           (unanimously) that:

(a)         the content of the report including the potential development        of new collection streams in light of the National Waste      Strategy be noted; and

(b)         the existing actions that are being taken to increase recycling        levels be supported.

Councillors M Cope and P Harris left during the discussion of the above minute.

The Leisure & Environment Committee Forward Plan was provided for Member information.  Members were encouraged to submit any areas of work they wanted to address for the forthcoming year.

Councillor J Lee requested that the refuse bin size policy be brought before Committee.  The Director – Communities & Environment confirmed that he would speak to Councillor Lee regarding what needed review.

AGREED           that:

(a)          the Forward Plan be noted; and

(b)         the Director- Communities & Environment speak to Councillor       Lee regarding the requested bin size policy review.

The Leisure and Environment Committee Vice-Chairman informed the Committee of the Health & Wellbeing Board meeting he had attended in July 2019; the main agenda item was looking at levels of violence and how that could be reduced.

The Vice Chairman also informed the Committee regarding a Health & Wellbeing workshop that he had attended which focused on reducing the harm from drinking alcohol.

To consider resolving that, under section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

That, under section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 7 of part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.