Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 February 2019  and authorise the Chairman to sign them.

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 Ferbuary 2019 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Report and presentation attached.

The report before Members set out the quarter 4 performance that was relevant to the remit of the Sub-Committee.

Two performance indicators had been included in the Quarter 4 (January 2019 – March 2019) report and presentation.

The Waste tonnages indicator had been assigned a green status, whilst the fly-tipping indicator had also been assigned a green status. 

During discussion, Members suggested that consideration be given to bulk item collection at no cost to the resident, to aid in the reduction of fly tipping, however Members were advised that this might lead to an increase in waste and associated costs, however the exact implications would be reported back to the Sub-Committee. 

A report on hot spots for fly tipping and a plan of action that the authority would be taking was requested to be presented to the next meeting. 

Members views were sought on the potential new performance indicators that could be monitored for the 2019/20 financial year. Members agreed that all performance indicators would be reported to the next meeting, however members indicated an interest in the following indicators:

·       Total household waste per head of population (kg), to include information on tracking HMOs

·       Number of new HMO licenses issues

·       Number of HMOs enforced against

·       PCN appeals response rate (and issues), to include the number of appeals won against the Local Authority, categories and the plans to train officers to deal with the issuing of PCN’s in order to reduce the number of successful appeals.

A member requested that information on the installation of air monitors across the borough to be presented to the next meeting, to include the identification of their locations, an update on bids and the plan for the anti-idling project for the year.

The Sub-Committee noted the contents of the report.

Presentation attached.

Members received a presentation on the Highways Investment Programme.

Havering’s aspiration was to deliver one of the biggest investments to local roads and pavements in London, following an investment of £3.2 million in 2018/19. The £40m investment comes in response to residents’ concerns around increased congestion, as well as demands to upgrade roads and fix potholes.  Work on the resurfacing programme commenced in May 2019, with 53 carriageways and 96 footways/footpaths identified for the 2019/20 programme. The 2020-23 list had been generated and engineers were due to commence site validation and the final list for 2021-21 was expected in December 2019.

The level of capital spend on the programme provided an opportunity for all material aspects of streetscape to be considered in the roads where improvements were being considered, including dropped kerbs, street trees, sign posts and street lighting.

It was expected that the 2019-20 programme would be delivered on time and to budget and any adverse impact on traffic and the general public would be kept to a minimum.

Members requested a document detailing works to date on carriageways and footways/footpaths by ward and planned works.

Members noted the presentation.

Presentation attached.

Members received a presentation on the 2020-25 Parks and Open Spaces Strategy. 

There was a great collection of parks and open spaces in the borough with varying landscapes, which were rated very highly by residents. By implementing the strategy, the Council would ensure that key park assets were enhanced and continued to make Havering a great place to live and work in. The purpose of the strategy was to ‘provide focus and added value to the efforts of everyone involved in the planning and provision of parks and open spaces, linked to a very clear view of what will be achieved by 2025’. Set against the Havering Plan and the themes and outcomes within that, the Strategy provided a framework for action to continue to provide and manage accessible, safe, clean, attractive, and welcoming parks and open spaces for everyone. Members congratulated the team on their organisation of the Harold Hill event.

During discussion, Members sought clarification on what was and was not public open space and a definition would be circulated; and the impact on the parks enforcement service as part of the enforcement service review.

Members discussed the use of pesticides by the Local Authority and requested details to show minimal use of pesticides in the borough.

Members noted the presentation.