Meeting documents

To receive any apologies for absence from members.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jon Andrews, Spencer Flower, Peter Hall, Margaret Phipps and David Shortell.

As this was the final meeting Andy Smith would be attending before retiring from the County Council, the Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, took the opportunity to thank him for his contributions to the Committee over the years and wished him every success for the future,

Councillors are required to comply with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 regarding disclosable pecuniary interests.

§     Check if there is an item of business on this agenda in which the member or other relevant person has a disclosable pecuniary interest.

§     Check that the interest has been notified to the Monitoring Officer (in writing) and entered in the Register (if not this must be done on the form available from the clerk within 28 days).

§     Disclose the interest at the meeting (in accordance with the County Council’s Code of Conduct) and in the absence of a dispensation to speak and/or vote, withdraw from any consideration of the item.

The Register of Interests is available on Dorsetforyou.com and the list of disclosable pecuniary interests is set out on the reverse of the form.

There were no declarations by members of disclosable pecuniary interests under the Code of Conduct.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2017.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2017 were confirmed and signed.

Matter arising

Arising from minute 37, the Committee were being given the opportunity to nominate a member to be appointed to serve on the Brexit Advisory Group.

Resolved

That Councillor Cherry Brooks be appointed to serve as the Committee’s representative on the Brexit Advisory Group.

(a)  Public Speaking

(b)  Petitions

There were no public questions received at the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 21(1).

There were no public statements received at the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 21(2).

To scrutinise what progress is being made on the "Working Together Highways" Initiative in collaboration with the DAPTC.

The Committee considered a report and received a presentation from the Service Director, Highways and Emergency Planning updating on progress being made with the "Working Together Highways" initiative - a partnership arrangement with the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils which was designed to enable individual parishes and towns to contribute towards and undertake routine highways maintenance works for themselves. The presentation was designed to show how the initiative was working in practice; what, if any, obstacles there were; what part each was playing; how this was being co-ordinated; was it achieving what it was designed to do; and was it delivering on its outcomes.

This approach was based on the fact that the highway’s service routine maintenance funding could now only provide for the delivery of a basic and fundamental service that would fulfil its statuary obligations and ensure the safety of the highway network by that means. It also recognised that local communities  had a considerable knowledge on what assets they had, where these could be found and what was needed for them to function as they should. Such knowledge was invaluable in communities being given the choice to determine for themselves where they considered their priorities to be  and what benefits would be gained.  This initiative also gave local councils the opportunity to undertaken works in excess of those able to be done by the County Council, so that enhancements could be made if desired, with the costs of these being borne by the town or parish council’s precept budgetary provision. 

A consultation exercise into this initiative had been widely publicised in the summer of 2016 and had generated considerable interest from the majority of parishes whom the DAPTC represented. Officers confirmed that this offer had also been extended to those parishes which were not aligned to the Association, ensuring all had the scope to partake if they so wished, with interest being shown by them too. Access to a specialised webpage for parish and town councils to be able to identify the maintenance needs in their parish, had been made available to all.

The presentation detailed what  type of maintenance work could be – and was being – undertaken; how this was being done; what this entailed and who was involved. How contractual agreements would be managed was outlined as well as what necessary legal obligations needed to be fulfilled so that these arrangements complied with governance standards. How risk was assessed, as well as how volunteers could be recruited and managed and what the relationship was for their supervision by County Council employees – at no charge to them - were all detailed as  part of the presentation. This clearly demonstrated the County Council’s commitment to the initiative. 

The means of identifying opportunities to supplement the County Council’s operations were outlined, with four commissioning options being available to parishes as a means of progressing matters. Option 4 – Parish/Town Councils entering into an Agency Agreement with the County Council – had proven to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider how the Local Transport Plan was being applied and what would be needed for this to remain relevant in the future . 

The content of the report by the Service Director Economy on the application of the Local Transport Plan, what it was designed to achieve and the means by which this was to be done was considered by the Committee. The Plan was designed to target where improvements were most beneficial and would achieve the most and the means by which this could be delivered.

How the LTP worked in practice between the three highway authorities of Dorset County, Bournemouth Borough and the Borough of Poole was seen to be an exemplar of what could be achieved by collaborative working arrangements. The LTP continued to prioritise safety measures, as well as the practical means of applying transportation measures,  with emphasis being placed on active travel schemes to support better health outcomes and transport schemes to support economic growth outcomes.

The Committee were informed about how transport improvement schemes were prioritised; what the LTP funding delivered; and the major achievements of the 2014-17 and the key priorities of the 2017-2020 LTP Implementation Plans respectively. Emphasis was being placed on reducing the need to travel;  urban air quality /transport solutions and green technologies. There was working with Clinical Commissioning Groups,  focussing on public health in ensuring there was opportunities for every individual to be able to play their part in contributing to society. The work being done in collaboration with Sustrans warranted special mention in delivering sustainable transport solutions where practicable.

Emphasis was also being placed on education and working within schools in instilling healthy transport practices amongst students.  Housing allocation and supply was integral to what could be achieved and had a bearing on what transport solutions could be delivered. The travel to work  area in the south east conurbation had implications for all three highway authorities. 

The Committee were pleased to see that the health agenda was being actively promoted. With reference to Weymouth, improvements were being targeted at strategic junctions and key hubs to ensure that sustainable methods of transport could be achieved and the Weymouth Masterplan and the Western Dorset Growth Strategy would have a bearing on the means for this to be realised. South Western Railways has a part to play in the ability for cycle provision on their trains and links were being made to ensure this could be delivered. Similarly, the Growth Deal funding took into account how to better deliver sustainable transport solutions.

The Chairman was pleased that community led initiatives – such as that recently agreed Traffic Regulation order at Regulatory Committee for a 20 mph zone in Iwerne Minster – could be fulfilled, wherever practicable, and showed what could be achieved with some thought.

The way in which footway conditions were assessed and managed and how maintenance of the these was addressed was explained. A particular issue raised was the condition of a footway, on a school route, adjacent to A31 near St Leonards.  Officers confirmed the importance of road safety education in encouraging children to walk to school where they could and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the Outcomes Focused Monitoring Report at January 2018.

The Outcomes Focused Monitoring report - as at January 2018 - set out progress against the 2017-18 Corporate Plan. The report provided relevant data on the population indicators within the prosperous outcome and:-

·         performance measures - by which the County Council could measure the contribution and impact of its own services and activities on the outcomes

·         risk management  information - identifying the current level of risks on the Corporate Risk Register that related to outcomes and the population indicators

The Committee were being asked to make an assessment of current progress and to identify any priorities for further investigation. Attention was drawn to productivity and how there was scope for improvement to this. The suppression of wages and what this meant for standards of living in certain areas of deprivation in the county – parts of Weymouth being one - was acknowledged. Typically the commercial vibrancy of seaside towns was influenced by seasonal trade, employment and attractions. What scope there was for this to be addressed and improvements made was discussed. Officers recognised those areas in particular need and confirmed that action was being targeted so that issues could be addressed though the skills agenda. From this, improvements could be made, with scope for social mobility being actively pursued though this means. Moreover, Government funding had been allocated to 12 identifiable "Opportunity Areas" countrywide – socially deprived regions that would benefit from a funding injection to meet particular needs. The Committee considered that there could be a good case made for socially deprived wards within Weymouth being included in such designated areas, with evidence supporting this, and efforts should be made for this to be actively pursued. The County Councillor for Weymouth Town agreed to play his part in ensuring that the Melcombe Regis Board had some input into this. He was also keen to promote what attributes Weymouth had, asking that consideration be given to promoting wave and tidal  power and the benefits this could bring.

From the report it could be seen that the condition of county roads had slightly deteriorated and this could be attributed to the reduction of road maintenance funding available.  In reducing the need for travel could have a reduction on the abrasion of the road network and, in turn, maintenance needs would not be so great.

Turning to Children’s Services, Doug Gilbert outlined the performance of attainment levels amongst pupils, how these had been assessed and what might be done to see improvements being made.  A contributing factor to this was the way in which nationally grading had been changed – in going from an alphabetical to numerical system - which was not necessarily conducive to comparison.  Moreover, how Ofsted had " raised the bar" in now adjudging the performance of schools was also reflected in the performance standards being shown. The County Council had a part to play in ensuring employers, especially small businesses, understood the changes to the grading levels and took this into account when job applications were being made.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider the Committee’s Work Programme and how this might be shaped.

The opportunity was taken to assess the Work Programme and decide what needed to be considered and scrutinised  in the upcoming months. The Chairman encouraged all members to contribute items to the programme as they saw fit. Topics identified for the next meeting included  "Green Infrastructure " and The Industrial Strategy"– with the Dorset LEP’s involvement in this.

It was also considered beneficial that,  looking ahead, economic development teams across Dorset strengthened their collaborative working arrangements for the benefit of all.

Noted

To answer any questions received in writing by the Chief Executive by not later than 10.00 am on Friday 19 January 2018.

No questions were asked by members under Standing Order 20 (2).