Agenda item

The minutes of the Executive of 6 July 2021 were presented by the Leader, Councillor Bialyk, and taken as read.

 

In respect of Minute No. 55 (General Fund Capital Monitoring 2020/21 and Revised Capital Programme for 2021/22 and Future Years) the Leader moved and Councillor Williams seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried. 

 

In respect of Minute No. 56 (Overview of General Fund Revenue Budget 2020/21), the Leader, in response to a question from a Member, advised that the sum of £380,000 awarded to the Council and its partners by the Government had been set aside as an earmarked reserve to help achieve key objectives for the city with a focus on physical regeneration projects such as, but not exclusive to, Liveable Exeter.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Williams seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 57 (2020/21 HRA Budget Monitoring Report – Out-turn), the Leader moved and Councillor Williamsseconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 58 (Treasury Management 2020/21), the Leader moved and Councillor Williamsseconded the recommendation and following a vote, the recommendation was carried. 

 

In respect of Minute No. 59 (Depot Relocation) the Leader, in response to questions from Members, stated that the £3.5 million set aside for the relocation of the Belle Isle Depot to Exton Road was an indicative budget and that the Belle Isle site would be available for disposal. He advised that he could not provide a definitive statement on the future of the site but that it was the intention to provide housing for people in Exeter and that the public would be consulted in line with the Consultation Charter.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Morse seconded the recommendation and following a vote, the recommendation was carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 60 (Liveable Exeter – Garden Communities and One Public Estate Funding Awards) and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·        priority should be given to marketing and one way communication in line with Garden City principles and that early consideration be given as to what stage the community, both existing neighbours and new, would be invited to contribute to formulating plans for the sites;

·        welcome the Garden Communities concept which would help protect the green ridgeline around the city and the city’s valuable green spaces and that by meeting Exeter’s need for more houses it would be important to build up to protect the green spaces; and

·        it would be appropriate for consultation to take place in line with the processes set out in the Council’s Consultation Charter and there had been previous consultations on major Council schemes which had led to changes to original proposals.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Williams seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously.

 

 

Councillor J. Moore declared a disclosable pecuniary interest and left the meeting during consideration of the following item.

 

In respect of Minute No. 61 (Wellbeing Exeter Strategy 2021-2024) and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·        welcome the valuable work already undertaken through Wellbeing Exeter, particularly the work of the Community Connectors and Community Builders who enrich the lives of communities and individuals. The project in particular having made Exeter “Covid Ready” prior to the outbreak of the Pandemic;

·        the great value the project would bring, particularly to the city’s children;

·        welcome the proposal to significantly uplift Heavitree Park and look forward to similar investment to other parks and play areas in the city including the Adventure Playground in the St Loyes Ward; and

·        concerns regarding the role and reporting arrangements of the Liveable Exeter Place Board in the overall structure.

 

The Leader referred to the following:-

 

·        funding of £729,000 from Devon County Council, £1.4 million from Sport England and £410,000 from Local Exeter Primary Care Networks towards a total budget of £3.3 million;

·        the creation of four Primary Care networks covering 17 GP practices in the city;

·        16 Community Connectors supporting individual residents to improve their wellbeing;

·        13 Community Builders covering every ward in the city; and

·        four Community Physical Activity Organisers supporting individuals and communities to be more active in their everyday life.

 

The Leader thanked the County Council for its contribution to the project which was acknowledged by Councillor Leadbetter as an opposition Leader, who also welcomed the re-organisation and strengthening of the Wellbeing governance structure which brought proper accountability. He also referred to the scheme being a good example of collaboration between various agencies and strategic partners across the city.

 

The Leader undertook to seek clarification on the issue raised in respect of the Liveable Exeter Place Board in relation to governance arrangements.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Williams seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously.

 

In respect of Minute No. 63 (Improvements to the Re-cycling Collection Service) and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·        welcoming the undertaking in 2016, to review kerbside collections, but the delay in implementation had been considerable;

·        because of the proposals within the Environment Bill, as well as a Government commitment to support local authorities to carry out their duties proposed under the Bill, the recommendations should not be supported;

·        the Bill sought to require all local authorities to arrange for the collection of glass, metal, plastic, paper and cardboard and require waste collection authorities to arrange for the collection of food waste separately at least once a week as well as free minimal collection of garden waste;

·        the proposal to implement food waste collection as a pilot in at least one area was insufficient and a clear timetable was required for a roll out across the city as Exeter residents expect an improved re-cycling rate;

·        to support the need for a review of the Materials Re-cycling Facility (MRF) and for a strategic long term plan for this facility. Instead of proposing only to explore options, a detailed timetable was required;

·        Exeter residents produced more waste than many other areas but only a small proportion was re-cycled;

·        welcome measures to improve re-cycling, introduce kerbside collection and to roll out food waste collection but information was required on dates for the rollout and on the steps that might be needed to address any barriers encountered to ensure delivery was on time;

·        the MRF was an award winning facility with neighbouring authorities also sending material to be effectively sorted;

·        concern that there had been a delay in implementation and that a pilot in one area only, would not provide a true picture across the city because of the differing makeups of streets and communities - student areas, for example, differed significantly to the West Garth Road area; and

·        concern that the eventual city wide programme would be uneven with different standards of collections emerging.

 

The Portfolio Holder for City Management explained that the pilot area in Alphington involved the food collection vehicle following on and mirroring the rounds of the main refuse vehicle on Monday’s to Friday’s. He further responded to the issues raised as follows:-

 

·        the Council remained committed to providing a dedicated kerbside waste collection and kerbside glass collection service for all residents equitably across the city;

·        given the operational and financial difficulties experienced by neighbouring authorities in using the kerbside sort system, it had been prudent to carefully consider the options available in devising a suitable collection methodology. It was vital to ensure that the final scheme would be fit for purpose;

·        the Pandemic had been a significant element in the timing of the scheme and the pause had led to a re-evaluation of the service. A change would involve considerable investment in new vehicles including electric and, in this regard, larger authorities had procurement advantages over the City Council; and

·        the intention was to ensure that all new vehicles would be as environmentally friendly as possible. They would receive power from the solar farm near to the re-cycling centre in Marsh Barton, reducing diesel costs as well as benefiting from the energy from the waste plant.

 

The Portfolio Holder commended the workforce for their hard work, commitment and involvement in the assessment process as a result of the Pandemic. He looked forward to the pilot rollout to be followed by a full rollout across the city with a similar rollout of glass collection once Government plans became clearer.

 

The Leader also referred to the slow process of the Bill through Parliament and that, once greater clarity was obtained on legal requirements, local authorities would be in a better position to implement schemes.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Williams seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried.

 

In respect of Minute No. 64 (Delivery of Net Zero Exeter), and during discussion the following points were made:-

 

·        welcome the proposals to help deliver Net Zero Exeter and hope that the budget of £1 million identified would be sufficient and available;

·        whether net zero champions were necessary; and

·        would the Council publish its carbon budget and set out the trajectory to reach Carbon Zero by 2030?

 

The Portfolio Holder for Net Zero made the following points:-

 

·        thanked all Councillors for their support;

·        in spite of a number of years of austerity, the delivery of Net Zero Exeter remained a key Council policy as Climate Change was a global emergency that could not be ignored;

·        support for the solar energy plant at Marsh Barton had been provided by European Union funding;

·        HRH Prince Charles, during his recent visit, had been particularly impressed by the Council’s Net Zero initiatives;

·        Exeter City Futures was an important partner, for example, in helping deliver Co-Cars and Co-Bikes;

·        the budget would facilitate the appointment of additional staff and a number of champions had already been identified within the Council and its partners such as the University of Exeter, Exeter College and the RD&E Hospital. All were very enthusiastic in helping to deliver the ambitions and many worked at ground level with day to day experiences of challenges and opportunities;

·        the importance of involving the wider community and the general public; and

·        the provision of updated information and reports at the appropriate time.

 

The Leader thanked the Director Finance and the Deputy Chief Finance Officer for identifying necessary funds for Net Zero as part of the Emergency Budget.

 

The Leaders of the opposition groups welcomed the report.

 

The Leader moved and Councillor Williams seconded the recommendations and following a vote, the recommendations were carried unanimously. 

 

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 6 July 2021 be received and, where appropriate, adopted.

 

 

The meeting adjourned at 19.21 and re-convened at 19.29.