Agenda and minutes

To sign the minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2016.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2016 were taken as read and signed by the Chair as correct.

Councillors are reminded of the need to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests that relate to business on the agenda and which have not already been included in the register of interests, before any discussion takes place on the item. Unless the interest is sensitive, you must also disclose the nature of the interest. In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, you must then leave the room and must not participate in any further discussion of the item.  Councillors requiring clarification should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer prior to the day of the meeting.

No declarations of disclosable interest were made.

Details of questions should be notified to the Corporate Manager Democratic and Civic Support at least three working days prior to the meeting.  Further information and a copy of the procedure are available from Democratic Services (Committees) (Tel: 01392 265115) and also on the Council web site - www.exeter.gov.uk/decisions.

Two members of the public, Mr John Taylor and Ms Trish Oliver, had submitted questions under Standing Order 19, in relation to the Public Spaces Protection Order proposals.  Councillor Rob Hannaford, as Portfolio Holder for Place, responded and a copy of the replies were appended to the minutes.   

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Public Realm.

The Assistant Director Public Realm presented a report with a proposal for the improved management of the Exe Estuary Harbour, Canal and Waterways.  The proposal would also address specific governance and management issues associated with the waterways, with a formal structure to comply with the requirements of the Port Marine Safety Code and operation of a Statutory Port. The report also outlined a change in the Council’s direction with the conclusion of work on the business case for the transfer of the Exeter Ship Canal to the Canal and River Trust, and in its place the development of a management plan.  This would include a new approach to deal with abandoned boats, live-aboard boats, moorings and maintenance.  A business case would also be developed to employ a Harbour Master, or similar, to deliver the Port Marine Safety Code compliance.

The Portfolio Holder for Sport and Health and Wellbeing attended the meeting and spoke in support of the proposed process, which had been invaluable in ensuring there was a better understanding of the needs of the stakeholders and issues around the management of the waterways.  He also supported the preparation of a robust marketing plan for the waterways as a way to investigate new income opportunities.  He had met many of the groups associated with the waterways, who had a genuine interest in its future and he hoped that they would continue to involve as many partners as possible to ensure the canal and waterways continued to be of benefit for the citizens of Exeter.   He also welcomed the enthusiasm and contribution made by the Service Manager, Business and Commercial Operations Public Realm and his staff.

The Assistant Director Public Realm responded to the following Members’ questions:-

·      amendments to the Council’s Constitution, as outlined in section 2.3.1 of the report were a requirement to meet the terms of the Port Marine Safety Code, and the Council would then be able to delegate the responsibility to a designated Duty Holder.

·      the support and expertise of the Canal and River Trust had been very welcome over the last two years, but they would no longer be directly involved in the delivery of the current proposals.

·      Members would have the opportunity to have a continued input in the development of the Management Plan through the Scrutiny process.  She thanked Members for their support for the planned improvements.

The Service Manager, Business and Commercial Operations Public Realm, also responded to a Member’s enquiry for consideration for the removal of the barrier and repair to the Topsham lock gate on the canal. The Member agreed that it would be wonderful to see the lock opened and working again.

Place Scrutiny Committee supported and requested Executive to recommend to Council the approval of the following:-

(1)        work on a business case to transfer the Exeter Ship Canal to the Canal and River Trust to cease and that a Management Plan for the Canal be developed in-house;

(2)        officers be tasked to develop a business case to employ  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Councillor R Denham (Portfolio Holder for Economy and Culture) Councillor R Sutton (Portfolio Holder for City Development) and Councillor R Hannaford (Portfolio Holder for Place) to present half yearly updates for 2016/17.

Councillors Sutton, Denham and Hannaford presented the following progress reports on priorities within the Economy, City Development and Place:-

Economy

The Portfolio Holder for Economy provided the following updates:-

• Exeter City Futures work had progressed. The 10 ‘Challenges’ identified and the results of the voting could be viewed through the Crowdicity platform which was launched on 7 December 2016, as well as through social media.
• the Growth and Productivity Strategy for the four Local Authorities had been finalised and an updated version on this was included on the agenda.
• the Exeter Venue Advisory Group included representatives from Exeter College, the University of Exeter, and the Cathedral.  The consultant’s Brief included looking at ways to address the look and feel of the South Street area and wider cultural quarter and identify what future investment opportunities there might be. A drop in session, would be held at the Corn Exchange on 25 January 2017 and would be open between the hours of 8.00am and 8.00pm.

In response to a Member’s question, the Portfolio Holder for Economy confirmed that a press release with more detail had been issued this week.

City Development

The Portfolio Holder for City Development reported the following updates:-

• a Member Steering Group had been established to contribute towards the discussion on the lack of five year housing supply in Exeter.  The development of a Greater Exeter Strategic Plan should also provide a better opportunity for the four neighbouring authorities to more cohesively address such issues rather than work on an individual basis. A Briefing would be arranged for Members to ensure they were kept informed and had the opportunity to contribute.
• as part of the governance arrangements for the Community Infrastructure Levy, the Exeter Community Forum ‘Grass Roots’ Grants Programme was due to meet that evening to discuss a number of grant applications.
• a recruitment exercise was being undertaken to fill a number of vacant posts in Planning to ensure that Government targets for the determination time  of planning applications would be met.

In response to Members’ questions, the Portfolio Holder for City Development responded as follows:-

• the ratio of residential and affordable housing had been established and student accommodation could not be counted towards the Five Year Housing Supply. She referred to the work that had been taking place with Exeter’s neighbouring District Councils to identify a joint approach towards housing and employment across the greater Exeter and travel to work area.
• there was the potential to take a wider view of the resources and  contributions from funding such as the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) as well as other strategic funding for transport infrastructure to support Exeter and its near neighbours. 

Place

The Portfolio Holder for Place reported the following updates:

• the Community Safety Partnership had introduced more collaborative ways of working to assist the Police.
• smarter ways of working with the use of new technology should help to identify those areas with lower rates of recycling.

In response to Members’ questions, the Portfolio Holder for Place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Finance.

The Principal Accountant (PM) presented the report on the Estimates and Fees and Charges, which outlined the strategic framework, within which the estimates had been prepared; changes in accounting practices which affected all budgets and gave detailed reasons for major changes in the Management Unit estimates. A detailed schedule of the Capital Programme and the proposed Fees and Charges for 2017/18 were included as an appendix. The Principal Accountant also reported one amendment to the Capital Programme, which related to an additional expenditure of £30,000, which was an increase in the cost for the replacement of an air quality monitoring station at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum.

Place Scrutiny Committee supported the draft Revenue Estimates for 2017/18, the proposed Capital Programme, Fees and Charges for further consideration by Executive on 14 February 2017 and Council on 21 February 2017.

To consider the report of the Assistant Director Environment.

The Assistant Director Environment presented the report advising Members of the key features of the implementation of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), in the city centre area of Exeter; this was a discretionary power under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 that a Council could adopt and shape for local circumstances to deal with persistent anti-social behaviour that had a detrimental impact on communities. He detailed the outcome of an inclusive on-line formal consultation exercise carried out over a four month period from November 2015 to February 2016 and which had resulted in over 1,200 responses. He also explained that by its very nature the inclusive on-line consultation was not confined to citizens living and working within Exeter. This online consultation had been targeted by a campaigning petitioner on Change.org who had campaigned against many other proposed PSPOs by other councils; the 12,000 individuals signing this petition had been encouraged to take part in Exeter’s online consultation, and consequently the views of those living and working in Exeter may have been diluted by others with no particular connection to Exeter, but who had been motivated by the campaign.

The Assistant Director Environment also drew Members’ attention to representation from the Green Party that had been circulated separately to the report.

Members had previously considered a proposal for a PSPO, reported to the former Scrutiny Committee Community in 2015, and this had included proposals to restrict the following activities – intoxicants, public urination, street encampments, begging, and anti-social behaviour of individuals and groups, with powers to disperse groups. Details of the responses were contained in the report, and in light of the consultation, the provisions of the proposed PSPO had been revised to remove ‘street encampments’  entirely, and change the focus from begging to aggressive begging, which was the type of intimidating begging that most people found to be anti-social.

A revision of the proposals had included an innovative use of the inclusion of an Acceptable Behaviour Contract as an option within the Fixed Penalty Notice system, so that in most cases of escalation, any recipient would also have the option of an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) with a zero penalty fee attached. The detail of an ‘ABC’ would relate to themisdemeanour and the circumstances of the individual concerned, with lead agencies being involved to assist in the drafting of the ‘ABC’ where appropriate. Discussions had already taken place with lead agencies such as RISE (Recovery and Integration Service), Julian House, St. Petrocks, Gabriel House and Exeter Community Voluntary Services to see how best this could be achieved. This should be seen as more of a positive and restorative pathway that would help change offending behaviour rather than a punitive intervention that could result in the criminalisation of an individual.

In order to establish whether the Council had got the balance right with the revised PSPO proposals, the Assistant Director Environment also highlighted a series of four open public meetings, held on dates in December 2016,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider the report of the Economy and Enterprise Manager.

The Economy and Enterprise Manager presented the report which informed Members of the new shared Growth & Productivity Strategy, covering Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge.  This work would strengthen the relationship with neighbouring local authorities for the benefit of the Exeter economy, its residents, businesses and student population, and improve local outcomes by delivering specific joint projects across a recognised functional economic market area. It was noted that the ‘travel to work’ area for Exeter had expanded significantly over the past ten years, and covered much of Exeter’s neighbouring local authorities. The Strategy would ensure work being undertaken by the emerging Greater Exeter Growth & Development Board and the Economic Development teams for each local authority were able to work in parallel and to a common shared vision and goal.   

A Member enquired why the comparator years of 2001 and 2011 to explain the changes in the Exeter travel to work area were used, and also recalled another survey conducted in 2007 which had provided a profile of use for some of the city’s car parks. The Economy and Enterprise Manager stated that the 2001 and 2011 period mirrored the most recent Census data, and showed where people lived and worked. She thanked the Member and would speak with colleagues to obtain a copy of the 2007 survey.   

Place Scrutiny Committee supported the report and recommended approval by Executive of the following:-

(1)     Exeter & the Heart of Devon, Shared Economic Strategy - A Collaborative Approach to Growth & Productivity 2017 – 2020;

(2)     to continue working in partnership with East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge Local Authorities on common economic development objectives; and

(3)     to work in partnership with the proposed Greater Exeter Growth & Development Board to ensure consistency with vision, objectives and individual projects and initiatives.

To consider the report of the Economy and Enterprise Manager.

The Economy and Enterprise Manager reported the levels of unemployment in Exeter, and provided a comparison of the city with Exeter’s neighbouring towns as well as referring to regional and national trends.  She also provided an update on the support and trends regarding unemployment, the employment sector and impact this had on the city and the surrounding area. She informed Members that, between 2010 and 2016, unemployment had reduced by 23%, compared with a 16% reduction between the 2013 and 2016 period. The Economy and Enterprise Manager also compared the number of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) claimants between Exeter and the neighbouring local authorities, which had all risen over the past 12 months.

Exeter and the surrounding areas were noted as having near full employment, and future projects and initiatives through the Growth and Enterprise team would focus on working in partnership with the Employment & Skills Board, Innovation Exeter and neighbouring local authorities, in an effort to improve productivity by increasing skills and wages. 

The Economy and Enterprise Manager responded to a Member’s comment on those individuals who were economically inactive and his suggestion that a reduction in the unemployment rate, may not automatically mean an increase in employment, and if the figures were checked against data from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).  She stated that the information used was from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), but she would ensure that the information correlated with other such sources and be sent to Members. She would also send the details of the funding for one of Exeter City Football Club’s initiatives, designed to improve confidence and self-esteem.

Place Scrutiny Committee noted the report and supported a watching brief through an annual update on unemployment within the city, unless trends should change,  and to work more closely with the Exeter & the Heart of Devon Employment & Skills Board and Innovation Exeter to increase skills levels, salary levels and productivity within the city.

To consider the report of the  Economy and Enterprise Manager.

The Economy and Enterprise Manager presented the report which updated Members on the progress made in expanding the contract for 2016/17, to cover Exeter and the Heart of Devon area and update plans for the management of the contract for the 2017/18 period. It was also important to ensure that there was a fit for purpose business support, advice and guidance for the residents of the Exeter and the Heart of Devon area to gain free advice and guidance on setting up a new business, and improving the prospects of an existing business. 

An update was provided on the support provided by the Business Information Point (BIP) who run Business Boost, which offered a range of free advice and support across the city and in the travel to work area, including business viability evaluation, business health check, marketing reviews, social media support and financial advice. In order to secure the best value for the four local authorities, the Business Boost contract would be retendered in order to deliver payment by results, rather than at a set annual fee. Mid Devon District Council would lead on procuring the new contract and had with a maximum budget of up to £100,000, but that figure could reduce significantly. Discussions were ongoing with additional business support providers to avoid any duplication.

A Member welcomed the Pop-Up Shop Initiative, which seemed to offer new business opportunities for a relatively small investment by all parties and he enquired if this was still in use due to the number of vacant shops. The Economy and Enterprise Manager stated that the scheme had worked well, and a new Project Officer would be working to develop the Pop-Up shop concept at premises in Sidwell Street and South Street.  The Member requested a report to the next meeting. 

Place Scrutiny Committee supported the following:-

(1)     continuation by Exeter City Council to fund business support for embryonic, new and existing businesses in providing opportunities for individuals to secure the means of improving their financial position and promoting job creation, at a cost of £25,000; and

(2)     Officers within Exeter City Council’s Growth and Enterprise Section be authorised to work with officers at Mid Devon District Council to negotiate a contract for up to £100,000 for the financial year 2017 – 2018.  £25,000 had again been secured from each of the neighbouring local authority areas of East Devon, Mid Devon and Teignbridge to contribute to business support. 

To consider the minutes of the meeting of the Legacy Leisure Working Group meeting held on 13 December. 

The minutes of Legacy Leisure Working Group held on the 12 December 2016 were circulated for information.

Place Scrutiny Committee noted the minutes.