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Meeting Details

Environment Policy Board
11 Nov 2015 - 13:00 to 14:00
  • Documents
  • Attendance
  • Visitors
  • Declarations of Interests

Documents

Agenda

Agenda
Notification
Standard Items
Members of the Press and Public
Members of the press and public wishing to attend the meeting should report to the customer service centre where they will be met and directed to the meeting.
Further Information
This is a meeting which is open to members of the public. 

A copy of the agenda and reports for this meeting will be available for inspection prior to the meeting at the Customer Service Centre, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley and online at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/agendas. 

For further information, please either email
democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk or telephone 0141 618 7112.
Present
Councillors Bibby, Caldwell, E Devine, M Devine, Audrey Doig, Gilmour, Provost Hall and Councillors James MacLaren; Kenny MacLaren; McGurk; I McMillan and Nicolson.
Chair
Councillor E Devine, Convener, presided.
In Attendance
S MacDougall, Director of Community Resources; S Allan, Head of Amenity Services, D Leask, Head of Facilities Management, O Reid, Interim Head of Public Protection, K Anderson, Amenity Services Manager (Waste), D Farrell, Finance & Resources Service Manager, D Kerr, Service Co-ordination Manager, K Marwick, Amenity Services Manager (Roads & Transport), K Carr, Site Services Manager, D McNab, Transportation Manager, and A Summers, Amenity Services Manager (Streetscene & Land Services) (all Community Resources) and D Forbes, Finance Manager and R Devine, Senior Committee Services Officer (both Finance & Resources).
Trading Organisations: Trading and Budget Monitoring Statements
8
There were submitted trading and budget monitoring reports by the Director of Community Resources relative to the vehicle maintenance, catering and roads trading organisations for the period 1 April to 18 September, 2015.
 
DECIDED: That the reports be noted.
Items Of Business
Apologies
Apologies from members.
Councillors Grady and Mack.
Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest.
There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Joint report by the Director of Finance & Resources and the Director of Community Resources.
1
There was submitted a joint revenue budget monitoring report by the Directors of Finance & Resources and Community Resources for the period 1 April to 18 September, 2015.

DECIDED:

(a) That the budget position be noted: and

(b) That it be noted that there had been budget realignments of £86,782, related to the re-allocation of previously agreed savings, processed since the last report.
Report by the Director of Finance & Resources.
  1. pdf ENV - Final (216Kb)
2
There was submitted a capital budget monitoring report by the Director of Finance & Resources for the period 1 April to 18 September, 2015.

DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by the Director of Community Resources.
3
There was submitted an update report by the Director of Community Resources relative to the operational performance of the services and key projects delivered by Community Resources.

Reference was made within the report to specific operational activities undertaken in terms of (i) the Renfrewshire Community Safety Partnership; (ii) Regulatory Services; (iii) Amenity Services Waste; (iv) Amentity Services, StreetScene and Land Services; and (v) Amenity Services, Roads & Transportation (Fleet and Infrastructure). A summary of targets and actual performance during the period 1 April to 18 September, 2015 in respect of the key performance indicator and benchmarking targets for 2015/16 under each of the change themes was also provided, together with supporting information.

DECIDED: That the operational performance update contained within the report be noted.
Report by the Director of Community Resources.
4
There was submitted a report by the Director of Community Resources relative to the former roads depot at Scotts Road, Paisley.

The report advised that as part of the Better Council Change Programme there had been a rationalisation from three depots, Scotts Road, Underwood Road and Clark Street, Paisley to a single depot at Underwood Road. The first phase of the project, the transfer of roads operations from Scotts Road to Underwood Road, had been successfully completed. As a result, the Scotts Road depot, which comprised of a large warehouse and storage area, an office accommodation block and a salt storage facility, was now vacant. The area utilised by the depot was identified on a plan attached to the report.

No further use had been identified for the site and it was now proposed that it be declared surplus to the Council’s requirements and disposed of by marketing for sale.

DECIDED: That the depot at Scotts Road, Paisley be declared surplus to operational requirements and disposal of the site be approved.
Report by the Director of Community Resources.
5
There was submitted a report by the Director of Community Resources relative to the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Regeneration Committee’s call for written evidence on its consideration of Stage 1 of the Footway Parking and Double Parking (Scotland) Bill.

The report provided a summary of the current legislation relating to parking on footways and its enforcement. It was highlighted that there was uncertainty as to whether the proposed Bill was within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. The Footway Parking and Double Parking (Scotland) Bill would apply to all Scottish public roads in built up areas, was primarily aimed at making all parking on footways an offence, facilitating freedom of movement for all pedestrians protecting their rights and safety, reducing damage to footways and the blockage of passage for emergency vehicles and providing clarity for road users, the police and parking attendants. The Bill’s provisions were to be enforceable as if imposed by a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), in Renfrewshire’s case, by parking attendants. The grounds for exceptions and exemptions from the Bill were outlined. The report also highlighted the potential for Roads Authorities to incur additional costs associated with the investigation of the suitability of streets to be made exempt, the promotion of TROs, maintenance of signage and lines in exempt areas and the increased workload for parking attendants.

The proposed response of the Council was detailed within section 3 of the report. In summary, the Council supported the principle of the Bill but sought that the Scottish Government make specific financial provision to local authorities to implement the Bill should it progress through the Scottish Parliament.

It was proposed that a further report would be submitted to a future meeting of this Board detailing the local implications associated with implementation of the Bill should it become legislation.  This was agreed.

DECIDED:

(a) That the principle of the Footway Parking and Double Parking (Scotland) Bill be supported;

(b) That the comments in Section 3 (Background) of the report be approved and submitted to the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Regeneration Committee as Renfrewshire’s formal response; and

(c) That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Board detailing the local implications associated with implementation of the Bill should it become legislation.



Report by the Director of Community Resources.
6
There was submitted a report by the Director of Community Resources relative to the consultation exercise undertaken by Transport Scotland in connection with the term management and maintenance contracts for the Scottish trunk road network. Renfrewshire Council had submitted a draft response, to meet the timescales of the consultation exercise, and indicated that the response was subject to approval by this Board.

The Consultation document, issued in July 2015, was in the form of an information overview for Scottish trunk roads. Information was provided in relation to how the network was managed and the level of funding involved. The consultation had asked specific questions in respect of the geographical areas to be covered by future contracts and the scope of services to be included. A copy of the consultation questions and the Council’s draft response were appended to the report. The draft response highlighted that there was a wider agenda which required to be considered, in particular, City Deal and the collaborative opportunities which existed across the member Councils. The unique opportunity provided by these initiatives to review the management and maintenance of trunk roads was also highlighted, together with the potential efficiencies and operational advantages to taking a more radical approach than implied by the set consultation questions. The formal consultation document had not provided scope to make this point within the set questions but the Council’s response had reiterated the potential benefits of engaging with City Deal partners in the development of options prior to progressing to the fifth generation of trunk road contracts.

The report advised that Glasgow City Council had written to Transport Scotland on behalf of the City Deal member authorities proposing that the consultation be deferred to facilitate discussions between City Deal member Councils and Transport Scotland.

Councillor E Devine, seconded by Councillor Gilmour, moved that the draft Consultation response submitted to Transport Scotland, a copy of which was appended to the report, be approved as Renfrewshire Council’s response to the Scottish Government consultation on development of the term management and maintenance contracts for the Scottish trunk road network.

Councillor Nicolson, seconded by Councillor McGurk, moved as an amendment that the Board reject this report and instruct the Head of Amenity Services to bring back a detailed report into the proposals contained within the consultation response document.

On the roll being called, the following members voted for the amendment: Councillors McGurk, Audrey Doig, K MacLaren and Nicolson.

The following members voted for the motion: Councillors M Devine, E Devine, I McMillan, Caldwell, Bibby, Gilmour, Provost Hall and J MacLaren.

Four members having voted for the amendment and eight members having voted for the motion, the motion was accordingly declared carried.

DECIDED: That the draft Consultation response submitted to Transport Scotland, a copy of which was appended to the report, be approved as Renfrewshire Council’s response to the Scottish Government consultation on development of the term management and maintenance contracts for the Scottish trunk road network.
Report by the Director of Community Resources.  (Not available - Copy to Follow)







7
There was submitted a report by the Director of Community Resources relative to progress to deliver the Service Improvement Plan 2015/18. The report detailed key achievements over the period 1 April to 30 September 2015, provided an update on delivery of the Service Improvement Plan action plan as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, and assessed service performance in the scorecard of core performance indicators as intimated in Appendix 2 to the report. 

DECIDED:

(a) That progress made on service performance be noted;

(b) That progress made on actions and performance in the action plan be noted;and

(c) That progress to implement the Service Improvement Plan 2015/18 be reviewed in Spring 2016. 
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
The Board may by resolution exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public are present, there could be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1973.
The Board resolved that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 8 and 9 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
8(a) Trading Organisation: Roads - Trading and Budget Monitoring Statement
  1. ROADS TRADING BUDGET MONITORING REPORT
    • Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information);
8(b) Trading Organisation: Catering - Trading and Budget Monitoring Statement
  1. CATERING TRADING BUDGET MONITORING REPORT
    • Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information);
8(c) Trading Organisation: Vehicle Maintenance - Trading and Budget Monitoring Statement
  1. VEHICLE MAINTENANCE TRADING BUDGET MONITORING REPORT
    • Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information);

Additional Meeting Documents

  1. pdf SIP (287Kb)

Attendance

Name
No other member attendance information has been recorded for the meeting.
NameReason for Sending Apology
Councillor Eddie Grady 
Councillor Will Mylet 
NameReason for Absence
No absentee information has been recorded for the meeting.

Declarations of Interests

Member NameItem Ref.DetailsNature of DeclarationAction
No declarations of interest have been entered for this meeting.

Visitors

Visitor Information is not yet available for this meeting