Agenda item

To consider the report of the Task and Finish Group.

Councillor Owen attended the meeting and spoke on this item having given notice under Standing Order No. 44.

Councillor Brimble and the Scrutiny Programme Officer presented the report on the findings and recommendations of the University Task and Finish Group. A series of recommendation were presented for comment, the report and the views of this Committee to be considered by the Place Scrutiny Committee for approval.

Councillor Owen raised the following issues having served as a member of the Task and Finish Group:-

• the Council should seek a more robust response from the operators/management of the purpose built student accommodation in the City Centre to address anti-social behaviour from the student residents;
• pressure should be brought to bear on landlords and letting agents to take greater responsibility in ensuring that their tenants remove waste in the proper manner;
• the University itself should take a firmer approach to ensure students took waste receptacles out responsibly; and
• the City Council should bring further pressure to bear on the University to provide more purpose built student accommodation on campus.

A number of Members supported the latter point and requested that a direct approach be made to the University on this matter. It was noted that the Planning Member Working Group at its next meeting would be briefed on the implications of the Public Inquiry Decision in respect of land north of Exeter Road. The decision had been reached with regard to student housing needs and the approach to the University would therefore be informed by the views of the working group.

Members raised other matters including a review of licensing hours as students contributed to anti-social behaviour as part of the night time economy and parking problems in areas of student residential congregation – one Member reporting that despite contact with the Police and Rory Cunningham at the University problems in the Pennsylvania area, for example, remained severe. The significant amount of student volunteer work was mentioned for example in Wonford and at Eaton House and it was felt that greater publicity should be given to this aspect of the University’s impact on the City.

Councillor Brimble, as Chair of the Task and Finish Group, responded to the issues raised, thanking Members for their input. He highlighted the work in developing a landlord/accreditation scheme to prevent some of the issues surrounding student accommodation matters and also stated that many of the issues raised came under the “Place” heading and would, as such, be considered by that Scrutiny Committee. He advised that the Task and Finish Group had received presentations from both Will Page on the volunteering work undertaking by students and from Amy Hill who was preparing a Sustainable Transport Strategy. The existing Strategy was some eight years old and a new document to encompass Green issues was important and the Scrutiny Programme Officer confirmed that this matter had been further pursued with Amy and would be brought before Members. With regard to student accommodation, following input by the Planning Member Working Group and a further approach to the University, he agreed that this could be further progressed through a Task and Finish Working Group.

He advised that the report of the Working Group had been considered by the Vice Chancellor.

He thanked the Scrutiny Programme Officer for help with the Group’s work.

The following recommendations were supported:-

Topic 1: Retention of Graduates

The Council:-

1)    Facilitates a meeting between the Federation of Small Businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, Exeter University and the Council’s Economy Department to encourage a joint approach to retaining graduates in the City.

2)    Shares the list of companies (particularly tech companies) with Exeter University to develop the aim mentioned in Recommendation 1.

3)    Facilitates a networking event to encourage and support a good relationship between key organisations, businesses and Exeter University and Colleges.

4)    Explores the opportunities available to support the Innovation Centre in increasing the number of start up weekends held and developing them into a regional network that involves Exeter residents.

Topic 2: Anti-social behaviour

The Council:-

5)    Encourages the Students’ Guild to expand the “big street party” event to cover different areas across the City.

Topic 3: Waste, recycling and littering

The Council:-

6)    Explores the opportunities for sponsorship and provision of cardboard bottle carriers to student households which also advertise where recycling facilities are located.

7)    Explores the possibility of a pilot scheme where temporary recycling facilities are situated in highly populated student areas at the end of term.

8)    Enquire whether student wardens are able to support the educational work of the Council’s Recycling Team in visiting student houses identified as a priority.

9)    Encourage the students, with the support of the Students’ Guild, to make a promotional, educational video on effective waste and recycling which other students can easily access on line.

Topic 4: Volunteering

The Council:-

10) Sponsors a student volunteering award to be presented at the Guildhall and publicised via the Exeter Citizen and Exepose publications.

11) Liaise with the Student Opportunities Manager (Students’ Guild) to explore buddying community groups with student volunteers.

12) Encourages key organisations to highlight and publicise the good work that student volunteers already do for their organisations across Exeter.

Topic 5: Planning and Student Accommodation

The Council:-

13) Encourages and supports the Students’ Guild to explore the possibility of Co-operative Housing.

14) Reviews the level of developers’ contributions to infrastructure in respect of student accommodation, should an overall review of the Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule be undertaken in future.

15) Positively highlight, through a timely press release, the management requirements that accompany planning approvals on Purpose Built Student Accommodation blocks (PBSA’s); the Central Government funding that PBSA’s bring to the City and the effect of students moving from Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s) to PBSA’s.

16) Arrange for a Scrutiny Task and Finish Group to investigate the possibility of an HMO/landlord accreditation scheme, engaging with key partners to explore the possibilities and how the Council could support work which may already be underway.

Topic 6: Parking

The Council:-

17)   Supports the University in developing their updated Sustainable Transport Strategy, ensuring, in so far as is possible, the involvement of both Exeter City Councillors and Officers.