Agenda and minutes

Members are requested to advise the Democratic Services Officer of any  apologies for this meeting.

There were none.

The minutes of the meeting held on  22 June 2022 are attached.

The minutes of the meeting held on 22 June 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Government guidance expected Members of Scrutiny Committees not to act in accordance with party whipping and that, if they did, they were to declare it.

Government guidance expected Members of Scrutiny Committees not to act in accordance with party whipping and that, if they did, they were to declare it.

Resolved: There were no declarations made.

Report of the Assistant Director – Finance attached.

The Committee considered a report of the Assistant Director – Finance, Tony Clarke, presented by the Strategic Finance Manager, John McDonald, which provided a summary update of the financial position for the Places Directorate – Environment and Economy and Skills.

During its discussions the Committee raised the following salient points:

·        whether the Council maintained savings as a result of opting out of a wider Greater Manchester (GM) recycling scheme;

·        whether the cost-of-living pressures left elements of the Council financially liable; and

·        whether the Council could better communicate its successes and engage residents.

The Director – Resources and Contracts (and Deputy Chief Executive), Paul McKevitt, informed the Committee that by opting out of the wider GM recycling scheme, the Council had and remained to save significant amounts of money, even amongst the inflationary pressures that were faced across the entire country.

The Director advised Members that the pressures the Council faced, in terms of the cost-of-living and spiralling inflation, were being experienced nationally. However, given these financial pressures, particularly within Children’s Services, there was nothing of immediate financial concern as to the financial viability of the Council.

The Director – Environment, Paul Barton, informed Members that the Council did highlight positive results, campaigns and engagement via the Council’s social media platforms and that recent engagement had taken place with local schools within the borough, and a Youth Summit scheduled to take place in September 2022.

Resolved: The Committee:-

(1)    thanks the Strategic Finance Manager for his presentation; and

(2)    endorses the position as outlined within the report.

Report of the Director – Environment and Director – Growth and Economy attached.

The Committee considered a report of the Director – Environment and the Director – Growth and Economy, Aidan Thatcher, presented by the Directors and the Joint Intelligence Unit Manager, Sean Melling, which detailed the current position against a number of key performance indicators across the Environmental Service and Growth and Economy Directorates.

Changes had taken place in relation to how information was gathered, with reports now to be provided quarterly rather than bi-annually, which allowed Members to be better informed of performance.

During its discussions, the Committee raised the following salient points:

·        whether an extension to a planning application deterred applicants;

·        whether all elements which were due for replacement could be fitted when turning around a void property;

·        whether the Council could do more to penalise those who fly tip;

·        whether it would be more effective to scrap the Council’s two item limit for bulky waste collections; and

·        how the Council was performing in absolute terms with regard to fly tipping.

The Director – Growth and Economy informed the Committee that typical circumstances, an extension to a planning application would not deter an applicant. When bigger applications came to the Council, it became more difficult to adhere to the 13 week period. However, in such situations the Council collaborated with the applicant to set out with them acceptable determination and negotiation periods. In situations where applications were amended, further consultation may need to be undertaken in a relevant area(s), which may then extend the process further.

The Director – Environment advised Members that the Council operated within a nationally set benchmark with regard to voids, where all required works were undertaken within the set deadline of five days. Some works that were also undertaken (such as re-wiring), fell outside the scope of the nationally set benchmark which meant, whilst they were not included within the report, they were still undertaken.

The Director – Environment informed Members that environmental crime applied to all residents of the borough, with no exceptions. In situations where an individual may struggle to pay a fine, courts tended to be more flexible in allowing for repayment plans so not to create further financial hardship.  Reported intelligence from residents gives the Council a better chance of catching perpetrators of environmental crime.

The Director advised the Committee that the bulky waste collection offer was currently under review with a potential for the limit to be increased, with the Council exploring ways to ensure it was moved in the most cost effective manner.

The Director informed the Committee that Wigan was seen as one of the more proactive and better performers in regard to fly tipping and was voted the ‘best plastic recycler’ in 2019. Whilst current figures raised concern and presented a challenge, this was a national issue and the Council remained confident in its work to address the issue.

Resolved: The Committee:-

(1)    thanks the officers for their report and presentation;

(2)    endorses the work being undertaken in relation to the services identified within the report; and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

Report of the Director – Growth and Economy attached.

The Committee considered a report of the Director – Growth and Economy, presented by the Planning and Transport Service Manager, Nick Clarke, which set out the emerging principles and proposals for the Engagement Strategy for Wigan Local Plan 2024 - 2037.

During its discussions the Committee raised the following salient points:

·        whether the consultation would look at district town centres or was Borough wide, having an effect on Levelling Up Bids;

·        whether the Local Plan would sit amongst other plans such as Places for Everyone (PfE); and

·        whether the consultation had an end date or would remain live throughout the process.

The Service Manager informed Members that the Local Plan would focus on individual districts and centres, which was why officers wanted to go out to each individual neighbourhood. Levelling up bids, specifically the case in Ashton, went as far as it could have gone and a further phase was necessary to address issues.

The Service Manager advised Members that the Local Plan would sit within the context of the PfE and coexist. The Plan was due to run until 2037.

The Service Manager advised the Committee that the ten week consultation period was likely to begin in October 2022 (but this was subject to confirmation), although the Council would remain open to collecting responses after this window had closed.

Resolved: The Committee:-

(1)    thanks the officer for his report;

(2)    endorses the emerging proposals for the Wigan Local Plan 2024 - 2037 Engagement Strategy.

(Councillors Davies, Dawber and Palmer left the meeting during the consideration of this item)

Report of the Director – Environment attached.

The Committee considered a verbal update by the Highways Asset Manager, John Williams, which provided an update on the performance of the Council’s Highways and Network Management Group in managing and maintaining the Borough’s highway infrastructure aligned to the Department for Transport (DfT) national approach for using Highway Asset Management and evidencing the Council’s annual self-assessment.

During its discussions the Committee raised the following salient points:

·        whether roads remained as likely as they were previously, in relation to breaking and potholes forming;

·        whether Members Enquiries in relation to potholes should only be closed when potholes were filled;

·        whether the Council could be more efficient when undertaking gulley maintenance; and

·        whether the Council could assist residents in relation to unadopted roads.

The Highways Asset Manager informed the Committee that the standard mix for major road resurfacing had been developed significantly in the last 20 years, which meant that in the future, the issue with previous government approved materials  should be reduced. A significant amount of resurfacing remained on the classified network (around 20% overall network), but it was estimated that these would be completed within the next five years, subject to budgets.

The Highways Inspections and Streetworks Manager, Martin Barton, advised Members that the policy of marking and repairing potholes was consistent across Greater Manchester, with cut off points being in place with regard to what was found to be reasonable. The target for anything that was deemed reasonable within the criteria (and therefore eligible for repair) is based on risk and varies from 2hrs to  28 days. In the last quarter, the Council met 94% of planned works in this regard.

The Highways Asset Manager advised the Committee that cleaning and maintenance of highway gullies was something the service was looking to improve. Planned maintenance had reduced costs, with gulley’s being cleaned on an annual basis for classified roads and known flood risk areas and a three-year cycle for all other areas. As with all service areas, reports from residents in relation to a specific  elements would result in ad-hoc inspections.

The Highways Asset Manager informed the Committee that it was not possible for the Council to spend the public monies on unadopted roads which were privately owned. The public would be advised to undertake land registry searches, searches of deeds, with free technical advice having also been offered to residents previously but that residents need to consider what funding they have available.

Resolved: The Committee:-

(1)    thanks the officer for his verbal update;

(2)    notes the contents of the report and endorses the work being undertaken in the area; and

(3)    thanks the service for their continued work.

(Councillor Crosby left the meeting during the consideration of this item)